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‘Lieutenant wants your head on a plate,’ a voice hed and closed his eyes, lifting his face to the afternoon sun ‘What the lieutenant wants and what he gets ain’t the saet is the bunch of us right here,’ the Seti half-blood replied, rolling his broad shoulders, strands of his long black hair whipping across his flat-featured face

‘The practice is toyou’ve heard, there’s survivors of the Chain of Dogs in yon city over there A whole shipload of wounded h, I’ve heard And there’s the Aren Guard, and the Red Blades A nuled in as well Finally, there’s Adine he’ll want to keep his own forces intact’

‘What for?’ another recruit asked ‘We’re heading for a desert war, aren’t we?’

Strings glanced over at her Frighteningly young, reside hihtly, then said, ‘The Adjunct would have to be a fool to strip the fleet Nok’s ready to begin the reconquest of the coast cities-he could’ve started o The empire needs secure ports Without them we’re finished on this continent’

‘Well,’ the young woht be just what you said, old man Hood knows, she’s nobleborn, ain’t she?’

Strings snorted, but said nothing, closing his eyes once ain, this Tavore was sister to Captain Paran And Paran had shown some spine back in Darujhistan At the very least, he was no fool

‘Where’d you get the na woman asked after ato tell, lass’

Her gauntlets thudded down onto the tabletop, raising a cloud of dust Ar between her breasts, she unstrapped her heled out the rickety chair and sat down

Street urchin reen silk which bore, written in a fine hand, the Malazan words: Dancer’s Tavern, duskLostara Yil was ued

The interior of Dancer’s Tavern consisted of a single roo some ancient clai to the adobe bricks in misshapen, wine-stained patches, like abefore the very eyes of owner and patron, dust sifting down in clouds lit by the low sun that cast streah the front ’s shutters Already, the foam-threaded surface of the ale in the tankard before her sported a dull sheen

There were but three other patrons, two bent over a game of slivers at the table closest to the , and a lone, ainst the wall beside the piss trench

Although early, the Red Blade captain was already impatient to see an end to this pathetic mystery, if mystery it was meant to be She’d needed but a moment to realize who it ho had set up this clandestine ht of seeing hiain-for all his affectations and airs he was handsoh-she had sufficient responsibilities to wrestle with as Tene Baralta’s aide Thus far, the Red Blades were being treated as a company distinct from the Adjunct’s punitive army, despite the fact that there were few soldiers available with actual fighting experience… and even feith the backbone to put that experience to use

The disordered apathy rife in Blistig’s Aren Guard was not shared by the Red Blades Kin had been lost in the Chain of Dogs, and that would be answered If …

The Adjunct was Malazan-an unknown to Lostara and the rest of the Red Blades; even Tene Baralta, who had auge her, to take her measure Did Tavore trust the Red Blades?

Maybe the truth is already before us She’s yet to give our co Are we part of her arht the Whirlwind?

Questions without answers And here she sat, wasting tirey cloak, green-tinted leathers, dark, sun-burnished skin, a wide, welcoain’ He strode over, dis wench with a casual wave of one gloved hand Settling into the chair opposite her, he raised two crystal goblets that seemed to appear from nowhere and set thelistening, followed ‘I strongly advise against the local ale in this particular establishe suits the occasion far better Frorow the finest grapes this world has seen Is ? Most assuredly so, lass, since I hold a majority interest in said vineyards-’