Page 129 (1/1)

Along the wall opposite the ex-priest were L’oric, Bidithal and Febryl, the latter shapeless beneath an oversized silk telaba, its hood opened wide like the neck of a desert snake, tiny black eyes glittering out froold, capping his upper canines They were said to hold Eifted not death, but permanent dementia

The last commander present was on Felisin’s left Mathok Beloved of the desert tribes, the tall, black-skinned warrior possessed an inherent nobility, but it was the kind that see perhaps Leo personality There was, in fact, little to give cause to the dislike, for Mathok was ever courteous, even congenial, quick to smile- perhaps too quick at that, as if theseriouslyWith the exception of the Chosen One, of course

As Heboric settled, Sha’ik , Ghost Hands?’

‘Well enough,’ he replied

An undercurrent of tense excitement was in her voice, ‘You had better be, olddevelopments Distant catastrophes have rocked the Malazan Eo?’ Heboric asked

Sha’ik frowned at the odd question, but Heboric did not elaborate ‘Less than a week The warrens have been shaken, one and all, as if by an earthquake Sympathizers of the rebellion re to us the details’ She gestured to L’oric ‘I’ve no wish to talk all night Elaborate on the events, L’oric, for the benefit of Korbolo, Heboric, and whoever else knows nothing of all that has occurred’

The hted to, Chosen One Those of you who employ warrens will no doubt have felt the repercussions, the brutal reshaping of the pantheon But what specifically happened? The first answer, simply, is usurpation Fener, Boar of Summer, has, to all intents and purposes, been ousted as the pre-elance at Heboric ‘In his place, the once First Hero, Treach The Tiger of Summer-’

Ousted The fault is , fixed on Heboric The secrets they shared taut between the yet unseen by anyone else

L’oric would have continued, but Korbolo Donificance of that to us? War needs no gods, only mortal contestants, two enemies and whatever reasons they invent in order to justify killing each other’ He paused, sed ‘All of which satisfies aze fro, she addressed the Napan ‘And what are your reasons, specifically, Korbolo Do I aeneral?’ Heboric asked him ‘Or perhaps you meant the enemies of the Apocalypse’

‘As you say, Ghost Hands’

There was a eneral unease, then L’oric cleared his throat and said, ‘The usurpation, Korbolo Does present ently, towards the less well known developments on far-away Genabackis Now, to continue The pantheon was shaken yet again-by the sudden, unexpected taking of the Beast Throne by Togg and Fanderay, the mated Elder Wolves that had seemed eternally cursed to never find each other-riven apart as they were by the Fall of the Crippled God The full effect of this reawakening of the ancient Hold of the Beast is yet to be realized All I would suggest, personally, is to those Soletaken and D’ivers a us: ’ware the new occupants of the Beast Throne They may well come to you, eventually, to demand that you kneel before them’ He smiled ‘Alas, all those poor fools who followed the Path of the Hand The game on far, far away-’

‘We were the victims,’ Fayelle murmured, ‘of deception By minions of Shadowthrone, no less, for which there will one day be a reckoning’

Bidithal s

L’oric’s shrug affected indifference ‘As to that, Fayelle, my tale is far froh if anything evenalliance had been forged on Genabackis, to deal with a mysterious threat called the Pannion Domin Onearm’s Host established an accord with Caladan Brood and Anomander Rake Supplied by the supremely wealthy city of Darujhistan, the joined arainst the Domin We were, truth be told, relieved by this event fronized that in the long term such an alliance was potentially catastrophic to the cause of the rebellion here in Seven Cities Peace on Genabackis would, after all, free Dujek and his arht fro at Ehrlitan thendown from the north’