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A bellowed coht, and the Teblor-weapon readied-was surprised to see the three men peel away By his count there were five others, as well as the officer and Da, but there was no-one-just the sounds of boots retreating into the darkness He looked to where the horses had been corralled-the anione

A lance darted towards hi, Karsa splintered it as the back of his bloodsword deflected it to one side He paused, then padded over to Silgar The slaveht ball Blood flowed from the four stumps Karsa picked him up by his silk belt and carried him back to the plain of boulders

As he moved around the first of the massive rocks a voice spoke low and clear frorunted ‘You were supposed to have fled’

‘They will regroup, but without the e we should be able to elude them’

Karsa followed his companion deeper into the studded plain, then, after fifty or so paces, the man stopped and turned to the Teblor

‘Of course, with your prize leaving a trail of blood, there will be little trouble in following us Do soar to the ground, kicked him onto his back The slavemaster was unconscious

‘He will bleed to death,’ the lowlander said ‘You have your revenge Leave hi strips froht about the stus

‘There will still be soe-’

‘Which we shall have to live with,’ Karsa growled ‘I am not yet done with this man’

‘What value senseless torture?’

Karsa hesitated, then he sighed ‘This man enslaved an entire tribe of Teblor The Sunyd’s spirit is broken The slavemaster is not as a soldier-he has not earned swift death He is as a , to be driven into a hut and killed-’

‘So kill him’

‘I shall… once I have driven hi him over a shoulder ‘Lead us on, lowlander’

Hissing under his breath, the ht days later, they reached the hidden pass through the Pan’potsun Mountains The Malazans had resumed their pursuit, but had not been seen since two days past, indicating that the efforts to evade them had succeeded

They ascended the steep, rocky trail through the course of the day

Silgar was still alive, fevered and only periodically aware He had been gagged to prevent hi any sounds Karsa carried him on his shoulder

Shortly before dusk they reached the sue The path wound down into a shadowed plain At the crest they sat down to rest

‘What lies beyond?’ Karsa asked as he dropped Silgar to the ground ‘I see naught but a wasteland of sand below’