«Perhaps,» K'rul said beside him.

Startled, Kruppe turned, his eyebrows rising. «Kruppe thought you long gone, Eldering One. None the less, he is thankful for your company.»

The hooded god nodded. «All is well with the child Tattersail. The Rhivi protect her, and she grows swiftly, as is the nature of Soletaken. A powerful warlord now shelters her.»

«Good,» Kruppe said, smiling. The noises in the distance drew his attention again. He stared out into the darkness, seeing nothing.

«Tell me, Kruppe,» K'rul said, «what do you hear?»

«The passing of a great wagon or some such thing,» he replied, with a frown. «I hear its wheels, and chains, and the groaning of slaves.»

«Its name is Dragnipur,» K'rul said. «And it is a sword.» Kruppe's frown deepened. «How can a wagon and slaves be a sword?»

«Forged in darkness, it chains souls to the world that existed before the coming of light. Kruppe, its wielder is among you.»

In Kruppe's mind his Deck of Dragons rose. He saw the image of half man, half dragon-the Knight of High House Darkness, also known as the Son of Darkness. The man held aloft a black sword trailing smoky chains. «The Knight is in Darujhistan?» he asked, fighting a shiver of fear.

«In Darujhistan,» K'rul replied. «Around Darujhistan. Above Darujhistan. His presence is a lodestone to power, and great is the danger.» The Elder God faced Kruppe. «He is in league with Master Baruk and the T'orrud Cabal-Darujhistan's secret rulers have found a two-edged ally. Dragnipur tasted a demon's soul this night, Kruppe, in your city. It is never thirsty for long, and it will feed on more blood before this is done.»

«Can anyone withstand it?» Kruppe asked.

K'rul shrugged. «None could when it was first forged, but that was long ago, before even my time. I cannot answer for the present. I have one other piece of information, Kruppe, a small piece, I'm afraid.»

«Kruppe hearkens.»

«The journey Master Baruk is sending you on to the Gadrobi Hills. Elder magic brews anew, after so long. It is Tellann-of the Imass-but what it touches is Omtose Phellack-Jaghut Elder magic. Kruppe, stay out of their way. Especially guard the Coin Bearer. What is about to come is a danger as grave as the Knight and his sword, and as ancient.

«Step carefully, Kruppe.»

«Kruppe always steps carefully, Eldering One.»

BOOK FIVE

Beyond these thin hide walls a child sits, before her on worn silk a Deck is arrayed.

She cannot yet speak and the scenes before her she's never before seen in this life.

The child gazes upon a lone card named Obelisk, the stone grey she can feel its roughness in her mind.

Obelisk stands buried in a grassy knoll like a knuckle protruded from the earth, past and future.

This child's eyes are wide with terror, for cracks have appeared in the stone of stones and she, knows the shattering is begun.

Silverfox Outrider Hurlochel, 6th Army la

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

I saw them on the shores the deepening pits of their gaze vowed immortal war against the sighing calm of Jaghut seas:

Gothos» Folly Gothos (b.?)

907th Year in the Third Millennium The Season of Fanderay in the Year of the Five Tusks By Malazan reckoning, 1163rd Year of Burn's Sleep T'lan Imass reckoning, The Year of Gathering, Tellann Arise

As the days passed, adjunct lorn felt a sharpness return to her mind, the exhaustion and depression fading away. The thought that she could allow herself to slip into carelessness so easily had left her shaken, and that was not a feeling with which she was familiar. She did not know how to deal with it, and this kept her unbalanced, not quite sure of her own efficacy.

As the Gadrobi Hills appeared, first to the south and then to the west as well, she sensed a desperate urgency to regain her confidence. The mission approached a vital juncture. Success with the Jaghut barrow would almost ensure success with everything else.

Since this dawn she'd ridden hard, pushing to keep her schedule intact after travelling so slowly in the first few days. Both horses were in need of rest, so she now walked ahead of them, the reins tucked through her belt. And beside her walked Tool.

Though the Imass spoke often, at her prodding, of many fascinating things, he denied her efforts regarding matters important to the Empire, and to Laseen's continued power. All seemed to return to the vows he had had taken at the last Gathering. For the Imass, something was coming to a head. She wondered if it was somehow connected with freeing this Jaghut Tyrant. And that was a disturbing thought.

Still, she would not permit any ambivalence to threaten the mission. In this she was Laseen's arm, and it was directed not of Lorn's own accord but by the Empress. Dujek and Tayschrenn had well reminded her of that truth. Thus, she played no role in all this-not as the woman named Lorn. How could she be held responsible for anything?

«In my years among humans,» Tool said, beside her, I have come to recollect the passing of emotions in body and expressions. Adjunct, you have worn a frown the past two days. Is this significant?»

«No,» she snapped. «It isn't.» Purging her thoughts of personal feelings had never been so difficult as it was now-was this a lasting effect of Oponn's meddling? Perhaps Tool could rid her of it. «Tool,» she said, «What is significant, as you put it, is that I don't know enough about what we're doing. We are seeking a standing stone, the barrow's marker. Well, assuming it can be found, why was it not so long ago? Why could not three thousand years of hunting find this barrow?»

«We will find the standing stone,» Tool replied calmly. «It marks the barrow in truth, but the barrow is not there.»

The Adjunct scowled. More riddles. «Explain.»

The Imass was silent for a minute, then he said, «I am born of an Elder Warren, Adjunct, known as Tellann. It is more than a source of magic, it is also a time.»

«Are you suggesting that the barrow exists in a different time? Is that how you plan to reach it-by using your Tellann Warren?»

«No, there is no parallel time any different from the one we know. That time is gone, past. It is more a matter of: flavour. Adjunct, may I continue?»

Lorn's mouth thinned into a straight line.

«The Jaghut who entombed the Tyrant were born of a different Elder Warren. But the term «Elder» is relative only to the existing Warrens of this age. The Jaghut Omtose Phellack is not «Elder» when compared to Tellann. They are the same, of the same flavour. Do you understand thus far, Adjunct?»

«Patronizing bastard,» she muttered to herself. «Yes, Tool.»

The Imass nodded, his bones creaking. «The barrow has not been found before, precisely because it is Omtose Phellack. It lies within a Warren now lost to the world. Yet, I am Tellann. My Warren touches Omtose Phellack. I can reach it, Adjunct. Any T'lan-Imass could. I was chosen because I am without a Clan. I am alone in every way.»

«Why should that be important?» Lorn asked, her stomach twisting.

Tool looked at her. «Adjunct. What we seek to accomplish is the freeing of a Jaghut Tyrant. Such a being, should it escape our control, or defy our predictions, is capable of destroying this continent. It can enslave all living upon it, and it would do so if permitted. If, instead of me, Logros had selected a Bone Caster; and if the Tyrant was freed, that Bone Caster would become enslaved. A Jaghut Tyrant is dangerous alone. A Jaghut Tyrant with an Imass Bone Caster at its side is unstoppable. They would challenge the gods, and they would kill most of them. Also, I am without a Clan, thus my enslavement-should that event befall-would not enslave blood kin.»

Lorn stared at the Imass. What were the Empress and Tayschrenn thinking of? How could they hope to control this thing? «You are saying, Tool, that you're expendable.»