The Crippled God

Kala, answered. ‘First Sword Onos T’oolan. Elder, there is the smell of ice about you. Are you Jaghut?’
    ‘Jaghut? No. Do I look like a Jaghut?’
    ‘I do not know. I have never seen one.’
    Never – what? ‘I haven’t washed in some time, Nom Kala.’ He combed his beard. ‘Why did you follow us? What do you want with the Bonehunters? No, wait, let us return to that later. You say that Onos T’oolan, the First Sword, leads an army of T’lan Imass – which clans? How many Bonecasters? Do they walk this same desert? How far away?’
    Kalt Urmanal said, ‘Far to the south, Elder. Of Bonecasters there are few, but of warriors there are many. Forgotten clans, remnants of armies broken on this continent in ancient conflicts. Onos T’oolan summoned them—’
    ‘No,’ said Nom Kala, ‘the summons came from Olar Ethil, in the making of Onos—’
    ‘ Shit ,’ Ruthan swore.
    Both T’lan Imass fell silent.
    ‘This is turning into a real mess.’ Ruthan clawed again at his beard, glared at the undead warriors. ‘What is she planning? Do you know?’
    ‘She intends to wield the First Sword, Elder,’ Nom Kala replied. ‘She seeks … redemption.’
    ‘She has said this to you, Bonecaster?’
    ‘No, Elder, she has not. She remains distant from Onos T’oolan. For now. But I was born on this soil. She cannot walk it with impunity, nor hide the power of her desires. She journeys eastward, parallel with Onos T’oolan.’ Nom Kala hesitated, and then added, ‘The First Sword is also aware of her, but he remains defiant.’
    ‘He is a Childslayer, Elder,’ said Kalt Urmanal. ‘A black river has drowned his mind, and those who chose to follow him can no longer escape its terrible current. We do not know the First Sword’s intent. We do not know the enemy he will choose. But he seeks annihilation. Theirs or his own – he cares not how the bones will fall.’
    ‘What has driven him to such a state?’ Ruthan Gudd asked, chilled by the warrior’s words.
    ‘She has,’ Nom Kala replied.
    ‘Does he know that?’
    ‘He does, Elder.’
    ‘Then could Olar Ethil be the enemy he chooses?’
    Both T’lan Imass were silent for a moment, and then Kalt Urmanal said, ‘We had not considered that possibility.’
    ‘It seems she betrayed him,’ Ruthan observed. ‘Why shouldn’t he return the favour?’
    ‘He was noble, once,’ said Kalt. ‘Honourable. But now his spirit is wounded and he walks alone no matter how many follow behind him. Elder, we are creatures inclined to … excess. In our feelings.’
    ‘I had no idea,’ Ruthan said in a dry tone. ‘So while you have fled one nightmare, alas, you have found another.’
    ‘Your wake is filled with suffering,’ Nom Kala said. ‘It was an easy path to follow. You cannot cross this desert. No mortal can. A god has died here—’
    ‘I know.’
    ‘But he is not gone.’
    ‘I know that, too. Shattered into a million fragments, but each fragment lives on. D’ivers. And there is no hope of ever sembling back into a single form – it’s too late and has been for a long time.’ He waved at the flies. ‘Mindless, filled with pathetic need, understanding nothing.’ He cocked his head. ‘Not so different from you, then.’
    ‘We do not deny how far we have fallen,’ said Kalt Urmanal.
    Ruthan Gudd’s shoulders sagged. He looked down. ‘So have we all, T’lan Imass. The suffering here is contagious, I think. It seeps into us, makes bitter our thoughts. I am sorry for my words—’
    ‘There is no need to apologize, Elder. You spoke the truth. We have come to you, because we are lost. Yet something still holds us here, even as oblivion beckons us with the promise of eternal peace. Perhaps, like you, we need answers. Perhaps, like you, we yearn to hope.’
    He twisted inside at that, was forced to turn away. Pathetic! Yield them no pity! Struggling against tears, he said, ‘You are not the first. Permit me to summon your kin.’
    Five warriors rose from the dust behind him.
    Urugal the Woven stepped forward and said, ‘Now we are seven again. Now, at last, the House of Chains is complete.’
    Hear that? All here now, Fallen One. I didn’t think you could get this far. I really didn’t. How long have you been building this tale, this relentless book of yours? Is everyone in place? Are you ready for your final, doomed attempt to win for yourself … whatever it is you wish to win?
    See the gods assembling against you .
    See the gates your