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’I will sit with you, Mhybe,’ Korlat replied ’There are tls, after all’
The Rhivi woman stared down at her orinkled, pocked, skeletal hands, then at the bowl clutched between them, the watery broth with its slivers of wine-stained oat The slayer Did he or she pause at the desperate cries of the ani eyes? Hesitate with the knife? In oat This is what you curse oat was Rhivi,’ Korlat said after a moment ’You and I know that ritual well, Mhybe Propitiation Calling upon the merciful spirit whose embrace is necessity You and I both kno that spirit cooat, or indeed any such creature whose body shall feed your people, whose skin shall clothe you And so the beast does not cry out, does not plead I have witnessed … and wondered, for it is indeed a re Unique to the Rhivi, not in its intent, but in its obvious efficacy It is as if the ritual’s arriving spirit shows the beast a better future -- so beyond the life it’s known to that point-’
’Lies,’ the Mhybe murmured ’The spirit deceives the poor creature Toeasier’
Korlat fell silent
The Mhybe raised the bowl to her lips
’Perhaps, even then,’ the Tiste Andii resuift… of ,’ the Mhybe snapped ’Words to coht else Dead is dead, as the Bridgeburners are wont to say Those soldiers know the truth of it Children of the Malazan Empire hold no illusions They are not easily charmed’
’You seem to know much of them’
’Two marines come to visit occasionally They’ve taken it upon thehter And to tell me of her, since no-one else has a mind to, and I cherish them for that’
’I did not know this …’
’It alarms you? Have terrible secrets been revealed to me? Will you now put a stop to it?’
A hand closed on her shoulder ’I wish you would at least look uponNor a kept from you Indeed, I noish to seek out these two marines, to thank them’
’Leave them be, Korlat They do not ask for thanks They are sih theularly He’s taken on the role of kindly uncle, perhaps Such a strangedespite the terrible curse he has laid upon me’
’Curse? Oh Mhybe, of all that I have seen of Kruppe, I can tell you, he is not one to curse anyone I do not believe he ever i of Tattersail would mean to you’
’So very true, that I understand it well, you see He was called upon by the Elder God -- who either chose to become involved or was so already An abomination had been created, as Kallor has called it, and it was an abohtchill, Tattersail’s soul trapped within it, the apparition webbed by T’lan Iht to save it, somehow, in some form, and for that it seemed he needed Kruppe Thus The Daru did all he could, believing it to be a mercy But make no mistake, now, Korlat Kruppe and his Elder God have decided to make use of the child they fashioned Opportunistic or deliberate from the start? Does it matter? And lo, Kruppe noalks with Silverfox Do they conspire? Am I blind …’
’Conspire? To what end, Mhybe?’
’You don’t know? I find that hard to believe’
’Clearly, you have concluded we are all conspiring … against you’
’Aren’t you?’ With all the strength she couldthe boay, heard it splash, bounce off so, heard a shout of surprise from Murillio, who -- it seeht ’Guard me!’ she hissed ’Feed me! Watch me so I don’t take hter -- hter -- does she visit? No! When have I last seen her face? When? I can barely rehtened on her shoulder Korlat’s voice, when she spoke, was low yet taut ’I hear you, et to the bottom of this I shall discover the truth, and then I shall tell you This I promise, Mhybe’
’Then tellAn event Coll and Murillio spoke of a scene between Kruppe and Brood Tell me, where was Silverfox in all this?’
’She was there,’ Korlat replied ’She joined me as I rode forward in answer to Whiskeyjack’s su indeed did occur, before the clash between Brood and Kruppe Your daughter has found … protectors, but she will not extend that protection to you -- for soer, now I do not know the source’