It’s just that 1 don’t trust nice people. There, it’s said-.at least here in my head. And no, 1 don’t need any Hood-kissed reason either. He stepped too close to one of the emlava cubs and had to dance away to avoid lashing talons. He glared at the hissing creature. ‘Your hide’s mine, you know that? Mine, kitty. Take good care of it in the meantime.’

The eyes burned up at him, and the emlava cub opened wide its jaws to loose yet another whispering hiss.

Damn, those fangs are getting long.

Onrack had moved out ahead, and now the Imass stopped. Moments later they had all drawn up to stand a few paces behind him.

The tall, wild-haired warrior walked closer. Five paces from Onrack he halted, smiled and said something in some guttural language.

Onrack cocked his head. ‘He speaks Imass.’

‘Not Malazan?’ Hedge asked with mock incredulity. ‘What’s wrong with the damned fool?’

The man’s-smile broadened, those amber nugget eyes fixing on Hedge, and in Malazan he said, ‘All the children of the Imass tongue are as poetry to this damned fool. As are the languages of the Tiste,’ he added, gaze shifting to Trull Sengar. Then he spread his hands out to the sides, palms exposed. ‘I am Rud Elalle, raised among the Bentract Imass as a child of their own.’

Onrack said, ‘They have yet to show themselves, Rud Elalle. This is not the welcome I expected from kin.’

‘You have been watched, yes, for some time. Many clans. Ulshun Pral sent out word that none were to block your path.’ Rud Elalle looked down at the tethered cubs to either side of Trull Sengar. ‘The ay flee your scent, and now 1 see why.’ He then lowered his hands and stepped back. ‘I have given you my name.’

‘I am Onrack, of Logros T’lan Imass. The one who restrains the emlava is Trull Sengar, Tiste Edur of the Hiroth tribe. The dark-skinned man is Ben Adaephon Delat, born in a land called Seven Cities; and his companion is Hedge, once a soldier of the Malazan Empire.’

Rud’s eyes found Hedge again. ‘Tell me, soldier, do you bleed?’

‘What?’

‘You were dead, yes? A spirit willing itself the body it once possessed. But now you are here. Do you bleed?’

Bemused, Hedge looked to Quick Ben. ‘What’s he mean? Like a woman bleeds? I’m too ugly to be a woman, Quick.’

‘Forgive me,’ Rud Elalle said. ‘Onrack proclaims himself a T’lan Imass-yet here he stands, clothed in flesh and bearing the scars of your journey in this realm. And there have been other such guests. T’lan Imass-lone wanderers who have found this place-and they too are clothed in flesh.’

‘Other guests?’ Hedge asked. ‘You almost had one more of those, and she would have been a viper in your midst, Rud Elalle. For what it’s worth, I wouldn’t be trusting those other T’lan Imass, were I you.’

‘Ulshun Pral is a wise leader,’ Rud answered with another smile.

‘I’m still a ghost,’ Hedge said.

‘Are you?’

The sapper frowned. ‘Well, I ain’t gonna cut myself to find out one way or the other.’

‘Because you intend to leave this place, eventually. Of course, I understand.’

‘Sounds like you do at that,’ Hedge snapped. ‘So, maybe you live with these Bentract Imass, Rud Elalle, but that’s about as far as this kinship thing goes. So, who are you?’

‘A friend,’ the man replied with yet another smile.

Aye, and if you knew how 1 felt about friendly people.

‘You have given me your names, and so now I welcome you among the Bentract Imass. Come, Ulshun Pral is eager to meet you.’

He set off.

They followed. With hand signals, Hedge drew Quick Ben closer to his side and they dropped back a bit from the others. The sapper spoke in very low tones. ‘That furry tree’s standing on the ruins of a dead city, Quick, like he was its Hood-damned prince.’

A Meckros City,’ the wizard murmured.

Aye, I guessed as much. So where’s the ocean? Glad I never saw the wave that carried it here.’

Quick Ben snorted. ‘Gods and Elder Gods, Hedge. Been here kicking pieces around, I’d wager. And, just maybe, a Jaghut or two. There’s a real mess of residual magic in this place-not just Imass. More Jaghut than Imass, in fact. And… other stuff.’

‘Quick Ben Delat, lucid as a piss-hole.’

‘You really want to know why Cotillion sent us here?’

‘No. Just knowing snares me in his web and I ain’t gonna dance for any god.’

‘And I do, Hedge?’

The sapper grinned. ‘Aye, but you dance, and then you dance.’

‘Rud has a point, by the way.’

‘No, he has a club.’

‘About you bleeding.’

‘Hood above, Quick-’

‘Oh, now that’s a giveaway, Hedge. What’s Hood doing “above”? Just how deep was that hole you crawled out of? And more important, why?’

‘My company soured already? I liked you least, you know. Even Trotts-’

‘Now who’s dancing?’

‘Better we know nothing about why we’re here, is what I’m trying to say.’

‘Relax. I have already figured you out, Hedge, and here’s something that might surprise you. Not only do I have no problem with you being here-neither does Cotillion.’

‘Bastard! What-you and Cotillion sending pigeons back and forth on all this?’

‘I’m not saying Cotillion knows anything about you, Hedge. I’m just saying that if he did, he’d be fine. So would Shadowthrone-’

‘Gods below!’

‘Calm down!’

‘Around you, Quick, that’s impossible. Always was, always will be! Hood, I’m a ghost and I’m still nervous!’

‘You never were good at being calm, were you? One would think dying might have changed you, some, but I guess not.’

‘Funny. Ha ha.’

They were now skirting the ruined city, and came within sight of the burial mounds. Quick Ben grunted. ‘Looks like the Meckros didn’t survive the kick.’

‘Dead or no,’ Hedge said, ‘you’d be nervous too if you was carrying a sack of cussers on your back.’

‘Damn you, Hedge-that was a cusser in your hand back there! When the dragon-’

‘Aye, Quick, so you just keep them kitties away from me, lest I jump back and turn an ankle or something. And stop talking about Shadowthrone and Cotillion, too.’

‘A sack full of cussers. Now I am nervous-you may be dead, but I’m not!’

‘Just so.’

‘I wish Fid was here, too. Instead of you.’

‘That’s not a very nice thing to say! You’re hurting my feelings. Anyway. What I was wanting to tell you was about that T’lan Imass I was travelling with, for a time.’

‘What happened to it? Let me guess, you tossed it a cusser.’

‘Damned right I did, Quick. She was trailing chains, big ones.’

‘Crippled God?’

‘Aye. Everyone wants in on this game here.’

‘That’d be a mistake,’ the wizard asserted as they walked towards a series of rock outcroppings behind which rose thin tendrils of hearth smoke. ‘The Crippled God would find himself seriously outclassed.’

‘Think highly of yourself, don’t you? Some things never change.’

‘Not me, idiot. I meant the dragon. Menandore. Rud Halle’s mother.’

Hedge dragged the leather cap from his head and pulled at what was left of his hair. ‘This is what drives me mad! You! Things like that, just dropped out like a big stinking lump of-ow!’ He let go of his hair. ‘Hey, that actually hurt!’

‘Tug hard enough to bleed, Hedge?’

Hedge glared across at the wizard, who was now smirking. ‘Look, Quick, this would all be fine if I was planning on building a homestead here, planting a few tubers and raising emlava for their cuddly fur or something. But damn it, I’m just passing through, right? And when I come out the other side, well, I’m back being a ghost, and that’s something I need to get used to, and stay used to.’

Quick Ben shrugged. ‘Just stop pulling your hair and you’ll be fine, then.’

The emlava cubs had grown and were now strong enough to pull Trull Sengar off balance as they strained on their leather leashes, their attention fixed yet again on the Malazan soldier named Hedge, for whom they had acquired a mindless hate. Trull leaned forward to drag the beasts along-it always worked better when the sapper walked ahead, rather than lagging back as he was doing now.