A Malazan Book of the Fallen Collection 4

floating in the middle like. And I
figure that in that wallet there's notes.'
    'I'm sorry, did you say notes?'
    A quick nod, a pause to send out a stream of brown
juice. 'With all the details of that body written on 'em.
Whether it's a dog or a cat or a green-banded nose-worm.
Or a person. And things like hair colour and eye colour
and other stuff – all written on those notes in that wallet in
that bag. They're instructions, you see, telling the bag what
kind of bag it's supposed to be. Some bags are liver bags,
some are skin, some are brain, some are lungs. And it's the
mother and the father that sew up them bags, when they
make themselves a baby. They sew 'em up, you see, with
half and half, an' that's why brats share looks from both ma
and da. Now this 'ere ox, it's got bags too that look pretty
much the same, so's I been thinking of sewing its half with
a human half – wouldn't that be something?'
    'Something, good sir, likely to get you run out of the city
– if you weren't stoned to death first.'
    The carter scowled. 'That's the probbem wi' the world
then, ain't it? No sense of adventure!'
    'I have a very important meeting.'
    Iskaral Pust, still wearing his most ingratiating smile,
simply nodded.
    Sordiko Qualm sighed. 'It is official Temple business.'
    He nodded again.
    'I do not desire an escort.'
    'You don't need one, High Priestess,' said Iskaral Pust.
    'You shall have me!' And then he tilted his head and licked
his lips. 'Won't she just! Hee hee! And she'll see that with
me she'll have more than she ever believed possible! Why,
I shall be a giant walking penis!'
    'You already are,' said Sordiko Qualm.
    'Are? Are what, dearest? We should get going, lest we be
late!'
    'Iskaral Pust, I don't want you with me.'
    'You're just saying that, but your eyes tell me different.'
    'What's in my eyes,' she replied, 'could see me dangling
on High Gallows. Assuming, of course, the entire city does
not launch into a spontaneous celebration upon hearing of
your painful death, and set me upon a throne of solid gold
in acclamation.'
    'What is she going on about? No one knows I'm even
here! And why would I want a gold throne? Why would
she, when she can have me ?' He licked his lips again, and
then revised his smile. 'Lead on, my love. I promise to be
most officious in this official meeting. After all, I am the
Magus of the House of Shadow. Not a mere High Priest,
but a Towering Priest! A Looming Priest! I shall venture
no opinions of whatever, unless invited to, of course. No,
I shall be stern and wise and leave all the jabbering to my
sweet underling.' He ducked and added, 'With whom I shall
be underlinging very shortly!'
    Her hands twitched oddly, most fetchingly, in fact, and
then surrender cascaded in her lovely eyes, thus providing
Iskaral Pust with the perfect image to resurrect late at
night under his blankets with Mogora snoring through all
the spider balls filled with eggs lodged up her nose.
    'You will indeed be silent, Iskaral Pust. The one with
whom I must speak does not tolerate fools, and I will make
no effort to intercede should you prove fatally obnoxious.'
She paused and shook her head. 'Then again, I cannot
imagine you being anything but obnoxious. Perhaps I
should retract my warning, in the hope that you will give
such offence as to see you instantly obliterated. Whereupon
I can then evict those foul bhokarala and your equally foul
wife.' Sudden surprise. 'Listen to me! Those thoughts were
meant to be private! Yours is a most execrable influence,
Iskaral Pust.'
    'Soon we shall be as peas in a pod! Those spiny, sharp
pods that stick to everything, especially crotch hair if one
is forced to wee in the bushes.' He reached out for her.
'Hand in hand gliding down the streets!'
    She seemed to recoil, but of course that was only his
delicate and fragile self-esteem and its niggling worries,
quickly buried beneath the plastering of yet another ingratiating
smile on his face.
    They escaped the temple through a little used side
postern gate, slamming it shut just in time to avoid the
squall of bhokarala excitedly pursuing them down the
corridor.
    Wretched sunshine in the streets, Sordiko Qualm seemingly
indifferent to such atmospheric disregard – why, not a
single cloud in sight! Worse than Seven Cities, with not a
crevasse to be found anywhere.
    Miserable crowds to thread through, a sea of ill-tempered
faces snapping round at the gentle prod of his elbows and
shoulders as he hurried to keep pace with the