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’So the right people would be there at ground level when Shadowthrone and Cotillion made their move, aye’
’Not just them, Whiskeyjack’
’This should be eburners, in fact’
’No In any case, don’t you think your wizard’s figured things out yet?’
’If so, then why did he send Kalam after the Empress?’
’Because Kalam needs to be convinced in person, that’s why Face to face with the Empress Quick Ben knew that’
’Then I ahed
’Maybe the only truly honourable one, at any rate Look, we knew the Crippled God was getting ready to s Granted, we didn’t anticipate the Elder Gods getting involved, but that’s neither here nor there, is it? The point e knew trouble was couessed that as going on in the Pannion Domin was in any way related to the efforts of the Crippled God?
’Even so, I don’t think it was entirely chance that it was a couple of Bridgeburners who buent of the Chained One -- that sickly artisan from Darujhistan; nor that Quick Ben was there to confirm the arrival of the House of Chains Laseen has always understood the value of tactical placeht that to the Emperor, not the other way round The Crippled God’s pocket-warren wanders -- it always has That it wandered to the hills between Pale and Darujhistan was an opportunity the Crippled God could not pass up -- if he was going to do anything, he had to act And we caught hiht hih,’ Whiskeyjack muttered
’As for Paran, there’s a certain logic there, as well Tayschrenn was groo Tattersail to the role of Mistress of the Deck, after all And when that rong, well, there was a residual effect -- straight to the man closest to her at the time Not physically, but certainly spiritually In all this, Whiskeyjack -- if we look on things in retrospect -- the only truly thick-witted player was Bellurdan Skullcrusher We’ll never knohat happened between him and Tattersail on that plain, but by the Abyss it ranks as one of the worst foul-ups in imperial history That the role of Master of the Deck fell to a Malazan and not to some Gadrobi herder who’d happened to be nearby, well, Oponn’s luck played into our hands there, and that’s about all we can say of that, I think’
’Now I’m the one who’s worried,’ Whiskeyjack said ’We’ve been too clever by far, leavingshadowga the chains of the Crippled God, and now buying Broodit, whilst at the sa to …’
’Opportunity, Whiskeyjack Hesitation is fatal When you find yourself in theriver, there’s only one direction to swim in It’s up to us to keep Laseen’s head above water -- and through her, the Malazan Es his hammer in Burn’s name -- we drown, all of us Law, order, peace -- civilization, all gone’
’So, to keep Brood fro the Crippled God Us, one damned weary army already decimated by one of Laseen’s panics’
’Best forgive her her panics, Whiskeyjack Shows she’sout the Bridgeburners at Pale-’
’Was an accident and while you didn’t know it at the time, you know it now Tayschrenn ordered theht it was the safest place The safest’
’Seemed more like someone wanted us to be a collateral fatality,’ Whiskeyjack said No, not us Me Damn you, Dujek, you lead me to suspect you knew more of that than I’d hoped Beru fend, I hope I’ ’And hat happened at Darujhistan-’
’What happened at Darujhistan was a mess Miscoe of Pale -- too soon for all of us’
’So I wasn’t the only one rattled, then’
’At Pale? No Hood take us, we all were That battle didn’t go as planned Tayschrenn really believed he could take down Moon’s Spawn -- and force Rake into the open And had he not been left virtually on his own in the attack, things ht well have turned out differently From what I learned later, Tayschrenn didn’t know at the ti in on Rake’s sword Her and Bellurdan, who she was using to do her research for her It looked like a play for power, a private one, and Laseen wasn’t prepared to permit that And even then, Tayschrenn only hit her when she took out A’Karonys -- the very High Mage who came to Tayschrenn with his suspicions about her When I said Bellurdan killing Tattersail was the worst foul-up in Malazan history, that day at Pale runs a close second’