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’As you like, mistress’
’Watch yourself, Mok!’ she snapped
He tilted his y
’My servants forget themselves, it seems Think on the capacity of my fullest irritation, you three In the meantime, I shall idle on the city’s street, such as it is’ With that, she pivoted and strode languidly towards the doorway
Baaljagg and Garath stood three paces beyond, the rain striking their broad backs hard enough toin the gloo dorhed, then the fact that she did not recognize the figure struck home ’Oh! And here I was about to say: dear Tool, you waited for us after all! But lo, you are not him, are you?’
The T’lan Imass before them was shorter, squatter than Tool Three black-iron broadswords of unfamiliar style impaled this undead warrior’s broad, massive chest, two of them driven in from behind, the other froh black, salt-ri of all three sword handles hung in rotted, unravelled strips frorips’ wooden under-plates Wispy re the pitted blades
The warrior’s features were extraordinarily heavy, the brow ridge a skinless shelf of bone, stained dark brown, the cheek bones swept out and high to frame flattened oval-shaped eye sockets Cold-has capped the undead’s upper canines The T’lan Iled to either side of the broad, chinless face, weighted at the ends with shark teeth
Aapparition, Lady Envy reflected ’Have you a name, T’lan Imass?’ she asked
’I have heard the summons,’ the warrior said in a voice that was distinctly feminine ’It came from a place to match the direction I had already chosen North Not far, now I shall attend the Second Gathering, and I shall addressSent to bring word of the fates of the Ifayle T’lan Imass and of my own Kerluh,’ Lady Envy said ’And their fates are?’
’I am the last of the Kerluhm The Ifayle, who heeded our first summons, are all but destroyed Those few that remain cannot extricate themselves from the conflict I myself did not expect to survive the attempt Yet I have’
’A horrific conflict indeed,’ Lady Envy quietly observed ’Where does it occur?’
’The continent of Assail Our losses: twenty-nine thousand eight hundred and fourteen Kerluhht months of battle We have lost this war’
Lady Envy was silent for a long moment, then she said, ’It seehut Tyrant who is ’
The T’lan Ihut Human’
BOOK FOUR
MEMORIES OF ICE
First in, last out
Motto of the Bridgeburners