The Malazan Empire
Page 368
The Tiste Edur studied the bonecaster for a long moment, as the tears ran down his gaunt cheeks. ‘I weep, Monok Ochem, because he cannot.’
The bonecaster faced Onrack once more. ‘Broken One, there are many things you deserve…but this man is not among them.’ He then turned away.
Onrack spoke. ‘Monok Ochem, you have travelled far from the mortal you once were, so far as to forget a host of truths, both pleasant and unpleasant. The heart is neither given nor stolen. The heart surrenders.’
The bonecaster did not turn round. ‘That is a word without power to the T’lan Imass, Onrack the Broken.’
‘You are wrong, Monok Ochem. We simply changed the word to make it not only more palatable, but also to empower it. With such eminence that it devoured our souls.’
‘We did no such thing,’ the bonecaster replied.
‘Onrack’s right,’ Trull Sengar sighed. ‘You did. You called it the Ritual of Tellann.’
Neither Monok Ochem nor Ibra Gholan spoke.
The Tiste Edur snorted. ‘And you’ve the nerve to call Onrack broken.’
There was silence in the chamber then, for some time.
But Onrack’s gaze remained fixed on Trull Sengar. And he was, if he was anything, a creature capable of supreme patience. To grieve is a gift best shared. As a song is shared.
Deep in the caves, the drums beat. Glorious echo to the herds whose thundering hoofs celebrate what it is to be alive, to run as one, to roll in life’s rhythm. This is how, in the cadence of our voice, we serve nature’s greatest need.
Facing nature, we are the balance.
Ever the balance to chaos.
Eventually, his patience was rewarded.
As he knew it would be.
This ends the fourth tale of
The Malazan
Book of the Fallen
Glossary
Ascendants
Anomander Rake: Son of Darkness
Apsalar: Lady of Thieves
Beru: Lord of Storms
Bridgeburners
Burn: The Sleeping Goddess
Cotillion: The Rope, Patron of Assassins, High House Shadow
Dessembrae: Lord of Tears
Draconus: an Elder God and forger of the sword Dragnipur
D’rek: The Worm of Autumn
Fener: the Bereft
Gedderone: Lady of Spring and Rebirth
Hood: King of High House Death
Jhess: Queen of Weaving
K’rul: an Elder God of the Warrens
Mael: an Elder God of the Seas
Mowri: Lady of Beggars, Slaves and Serfs
Nerruse: Lady of Calm Seas and Fair Winds
Oponn: Twin Jesters of Chance
Osserc/Osseric/Osric: Lord of the Sky
Poliel: Mistress of Pestilence and Disease
Queen of Dreams: Queen of High House Life
Shadowthrone: Ammanas, King of High House Shadow
Sister of Cold Nights: an Elder Goddess
Soliel: Lady of Health
The Azath: the Houses
The Crippled God: The Chained One, Lord of High House of Chains
The Deragoth: of the First Empire of Dessimbelackis
The Seven Hounds of Darkness
The Whirlwind Goddess
Togg and Fanderay: The Wolves of Winter
Treach/Trake: The Tiger of Summer and Lord of War
The Gods of the Teblor (The Seven Faces in the Rock)
Urugal the Woven
’Siballe the Unfound
Beroke Soft Voice
Kahlb the Silent Hunter
Thenik the Shattered
Halad the Giant
Imroth the Cruel
Elder Peoples
Tiste Andii: Children of Darkness
Tiste Edur: Children of Shadow
Tiste Liosan: Children of Light
T’lan Imass
Eres/Eres’al
Trell
Jaghut
Forkrul Assail
K’Chain Che’Malle
The Eleint
The Barghast
The Thelomen Toblakai
The Teblor
The Warrens
Kurald Galain: The Elder Warren of Darkness
Kurald Emurlahn: The Elder Warren of Shadow, the Shattered Warren
Kurald Thyrllan: The Elder Warren of Light
Omtose Phellack: The Elder Jaghut Warren of Ice
Tellann: The Elder Imass Warren of Fire
Starvald Demelain: The Eleint Warren
Thyr: The Path of Light
Denul: The Path of Healing
Hood’s Path: The Path of Death
Serc: The Path of the Sky
Meanas: The Path of Shadow and Illusion
D’riss: The Path of the Earth
Ruse: The Path of the Sea
Rashan: The Path of Darkness
Mockra: The Path of the Mind
Telas: The Path of Fire
The Deck of Dragons
High House Life
King
Queen (Queen of Dreams)
Champion
Priest
Herald
Soldier
Weaver
High House Death
King (Hood)
Queen
Knight (once Dassem Ultor, now Baudin)
Magi
Herald
Soldier
Spinner
Mason
Virgin
High House Light
King
Queen
Champion (Osseric)
Priest
Captain
Soldier
Seamstress
Builder
Maiden
High House Dark
King
Queen
Knight (Anomander Rake)
Magi
Captain
Soldier
Weaver
Mason
Wife
High House Shadow
King (Shadowthrone/Ammanas)
Queen
Assassin (The Rope/Cotillion)
Magi
Hound
High House of Chains
The King in Chains
The Consort (Poliel?)
Reaver (Kallor?)
Knight (Toblakai)
The Seven of the Dead Fires (The Unbound)
Cripple
Leper
Fool
Unaligned
Oponn
Obelisk (Burn)
Crown
Sceptre
Orb
Throne
Chain
Master of the Deck (Ganoes Paran)
Places in House of Chains
SEVEN CITIES
Aren: a Holy City
Balahn: a small village north of Aren
Ehrlitan: a Holy City north of Raraku
Erougimon: a tel north of Aren
G’danisban: a city east of Raraku
Jhag Odhan: the wastes west of Seven Cities
Lato Revae: a city west of Raraku
Sarpachiya: a city west of Raraku
Thalas River: west of Raraku
The Oasis: Holy Desert Raraku
The Whirlwind Warren
Vathar Crossing: site of battle on Chain of Dogs
Y’Ghatan: self-styled First Holy City
GENABACKIS
Culvern: a town
Genabaris: a city
Laederon Plateau
Malybridge: a town
Malyn Sea
Malyntaeas: a city
Ninsano Moat: a town
Silver Lake
Tanys: a town
Drift Avalii: an island southwest of the continent of Quon Tali
The Nascent: a flooded world
MIDNIGHT TIDES
BOOK FIVE OF THE
MALAZAN BOOK OF THE FALLEN
STEVEN ERIKSON
This is a work of fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in
this novel are either fictitious or are used fictitiously.
MIDNIGHT TIDES: A TALE OF THE MALAZAN BOOK OF THE FALLEN
Copyright © 2004 by Steven Erikson
Originally published in Great Britain in 2004 by Bantam Press, a division of Transworld Publishers.
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or portions thereof, in any form.
Maps by Neil Gower
A Tor Book
Published by Tom Doherty Associates, LLC
175 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10010
www.tor.com
Tor® is a registered trademark of Tom Doherty Associates, LLC.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Erikson, Steven.
Midnight tides: a tale of the Malazan book of the fallen / Steven Erikson.—1st U.S. ed.
p. cm.
“A Tom Doherty Associates Book.”
ISBN: 978-0-765-31651-6
I. Title.
PR9199.4.E745M53 2006
823'.92—dc22
2006050937
eISBN 9781429926935
TO CHRISTOPHER POROZNY
Acknowledgements
Deepest appreciation to the old crew, Rick, Chris and Mark, for the advance comments on this novel. And to Courtney, Cam and David Keck for their friendship. Thanks as always to Clare and Bowen, to Simon Taylor and his compatriots at Transworld; to Steve Donaldson, Ross and Perry; Peter and Nicky Crowther, Patrick Walsh and Howard Morhaim. And to the staff at Tony’s Bar Italia for this, the second novel fuelled by their coffee.
Dramatis Personae
The Tiste Edur
Tomad Sengar, patriarch of the Sengar Bloodline
Uruth, matriarch of the Sengar Bloodline
Fear Sengar, Eldest Son, Weapons Master of the Tribes
Trull Sengar, Second Son
Binadas Sengar, Third Son
Rhulad Sengar, Fourth and Youngest Son
Mayen, Fear’s Betrothed
Hannan Mosag, Warlock King of the Six Tribes Confederacy
Theradas Buhn, Eldest Son of the Buhn Bloodline
Midik Buhn, Second Son
Badar, an unblooded
Rethal, a warrior
Canarth, a warrior
Choram Irard, an unblooded
Kholb Harat, an unblooded
Matra Brith, an unblooded
Letherii Slaves Among the Tiste Edur
Udinaas
Feather Witch
Hulad
Virrick
The Letherii
IN THE PALACE
Ezgara Diskanar, King of Letheras
Janall, Queen of Letheras
Quillas Diskanar, Prince and Heir
Unnutal Hebaz, Preda (Commander) of Letherii army
Brys Beddict, Finadd (Captain) and King’s Champion, youngest of the Beddict brothers
Moroch Nevath, a Finadd bodyguard to Prince Quillas Diskanar
Kuru Qan, Ceda (Sorceror) to the King
Nisall, the King’s First Concubine
Turudal Brizad, The Queen’s First Consort
Nifadas, First Eunuch
Gerun Eberict, Finadd in the Royal Guard
Triban Gnol, Chancellor
Laerdas, a mage in the Prince’s retinue
IN THE NORTH
Buruk the Pale, a merchant in the north
Seren Pedac, Acquitor for Buruk the Pale
Hull Beddict, Sentinel in the north, eldest among the Beddict brothers
Nekal Bara, a sorceress
Arahathan, a mage
Enedictal, a mage
Yan Tovis (Twilight), Atri-Preda at Fent Reach
IN THE CITY OF LETHERAS
Tehol Beddict, a citizen in the capital, middle among the Beddict brothers
Hejun, an employee of Tehol
Rissarh, an employee of Tehol
Shand, an employee of Tehol
Chalas, a watchman
Biri, a merchant
Huldo, an establishment proprietor
Bugg, Tehol’s servant
Ublala Pung, a criminal
Harlest, a household guard
Ormly, Champion Rat Catcher
Rucket, Chief Investigator, Rat Catchers’ Guild
Bubyrd, Rat Catchers’ Guild
Glisten, Rat Catchers’ Guild
Ruby, Rat Catchers’ Guild
Onyx, Rat Catchers’ Guild
Scint, Rat Catchers’ Guild
Kettle, a child
Shurq Elalle, a thief
Selush, a Dresser of the Dead
Padderunt, assistant to Selush
Urul, chief server in Huldo’s
Inchers, a citizen
Hulbat, a citizen
Turble, a citizen
Unn, a half-blood indigent
Delisp, Matron of the Temple Brothel
Prist, a gardener
Strong Rall, a cut-throat
Green Pig, an infamous mage of old
Others
Withal, a Meckros weaponsmith
Rind, a Nacht
Mape, a Nacht
Pule, a Nacht
The One Within
Silchas Ruin, a Tiste Andii Eleint Soletaken
Scabandari Bloodeye, a Tiste Edur Eleint Soletaken
Gothos, a Jaghut
Rud Elalle, a child
Iron Bars, a soldier
Corlo, a mage
Halfpeck, a soldier
Ulshun Pral, an Imass
Midnight Tides
Prologue
The First Days of the Sundering of Emurlahn
The Edur Invasion, the Age of Scabandari Bloodeye
The Time of the Elder Gods
From the twisting, smoke-filled clouds, blood rained down. The last of the sky keeps, flame-wreathed and pouring black smoke, had surrendered the sky. Their ragged descent had torn furrows through the ground as they struck and broke apart with thunderous reverberations, scattering red-stained rocks among the heaps of corpses that covered the land from horizon to horizon.
The great hive cities had been reduced to ash-layered rubble, and the vast towering clouds above each of them that had shot skyward with their destruction—clouds filled with debris and shredded flesh and blood—now swirled in storms of dissipating heat, spreading to fill the sky.
Amidst the annihilated armies the legions of the conquerors were reassembling on the centre plain, most of which was covered in exquisitely fitted flagstones—where the impact of the sky keeps had not carved deep gouges—although the reassertion of formations was hampered by the countless carcasses of the defeated. And by exhaustion. The legions belonged to two distinct armies, allies in this war, and it was clear that one had fared far better than the other.
The blood mist sheathed Scabandari’s vast, iron-hued wings as he swept down through the churning clouds, blinking nictitating membranes to clear his ice-blue draconean eyes. Banking in his descent, the dragon tilted his head to survey his victorious children. The grey banners of the Tiste Edur legions wavered fitfully above the gathering warriors, and Scabandari judged that at least eighteen thousand of his shadow-kin remained. For all that, there would be mourning in the tents of the First Landing this night. The day had begun with over two hundred thousand Tiste Edur marching onto the plain. Still…it was enough.
The Edur had clashed with the east flank of the K’Chain Che’Malle army, prefacing their charge with waves of devastating sorcery. The enemy’s formations had been assembled to face a frontal assault, and they had proved fatally slow to turn to the threat on their flank. Like a dagger, the Edur legions had driven to the army’s heart.
Below, as he drew closer, Scabandari could see, scattered here and there, the midnight banners of the Tiste Andii. A thousand warriors left, perhaps less. Victory was a more dubious claim for these battered allies. They had engaged the K’ell Hunters, the elite bloodkin armies of the three Matrons. Four hundred thousand Tiste Andii, against sixty thousand Hunters. Additional co
mpanies of both Andii and Edur had assailed the sky keeps, but these had known they were going to their own deaths, and their sacrifices had been pivotal in this day’s victory, for the sky keeps had been prevented from coming to the aid of the armies on the plain below. By themselves, the assaults on the four sky keeps had yielded only marginal effect, despite the Short-Tails being few in number—their ferocity had proved devastating—but sufficient time had been purchased in Tiste blood for Scabandari and his Soletaken draconean ally to close on the floating fortresses, unleashing upon them the warrens of Starvald Demelain, and Kuralds Emurlahn and Galain.
The dragon swept downward to where a jumbled mountain of K’Chain Che’Malle carcasses marked the last stand of one of the Matrons. Kurald Emurlahn had slaughtered the defenders, and wild shadows still flitted about like wraiths on the slopes. Scabandari spread his wings, buffeting the steamy air, then settled atop the reptilian bodies.
A moment later he sembled into his Tiste Edur form. Skin the shade of hammered iron, long grey hair unbound, a gaunt, aquiline face with hard, close-set eyes. A broad, downturned mouth that bore no lines of laughter. High, unlined brow, diagonally scarred livid white against the dusky skin. He wore a leather harness bearing his two-handed sword, a brace of long-knives at his hip, and hanging from his shoulders a scaled cape—the hide of a Matron, fresh enough to still glisten with natural oils.
He stood, a tall figure sheathed in droplets of blood, watching the legions assemble. Edur officers glanced his way, then began directing their troops.
Scabandari faced northwest then, eyes narrowing on the billowing clouds. A moment later a vast bone-white dragon broke through—if anything, larger than Scabandari himself when veered into draconean form. Also sheathed in blood…and much of it his own, for Silchas Ruin had fought alongside his Andii kin against the K’ell Hunters.
Scabandari watched his ally approach, stepping back only when the huge dragon settled onto the hilltop and then quickly sembled. A head or more taller than the Tiste Edur Soletaken, yet terribly gaunt, muscles bound like rope beneath smooth, almost translucent skin. Talons from some raptor gleamed in the warrior’s thick, long white hair. The red of his eyes seemed feverish, so brightly did it glow. Silchas Ruin bore wounds: sword-slashes across his body. Most of his upper armour had fallen away, revealing the blue-green of his veins and arteries tracking branching paths beneath the thin, hairless skin of his chest. His legs were slick with blood, as were his arms. The twin scabbards at his hips were empty—he had broken both weapons, despite the weavings of sorcery invested in them. His had been a desperate battle.