Reaper's Gale/Chapter 13

Epigraph

Keel and half a hull remained of the wreck where us wreckers gathered, and the storm of the night past remained like spit in the air when we clambered down into that bent-rib bed.     I heard many a prayer muttered, hands flashing to ward this and that as befits each soul's need, its conversation with fear begun in childhood no doubt and, could I recall mine, I too would have been of mind to mime flight from terror.     As it was could only look down at that crabshell harvest of tiny skeletons, the tailed imps with the human-like faces, their hawk talons and all sorts of strange embellishments to give perfect detail to the bright sunny nightmare.     No wonder is it I forswore the sea that day. Storm and broken ship had lifted a host most unholy and oh there were plenty more no doubt, ringing this damned island.     As it was, it was me who then spoke a most unsavoury tumble of words. 'I guess not all imps can fly.'     For all that, it was hardly cause to gouge out my eyes now, was it? Blind Tobor of the Reach

Second Maiden Fort

Throatslitter

Three Malazan soldiers sit in a tavern at Second Maiden Fort and discuss a beautiful woman who is sitting with an unattractive man. They can speak freely since no one else understands their language. Balm, the sergeant, is particularly interested in the woman and can't understand why she is with the unattractive man. Another soldier, Deadsmell, tells him that she is dead and has been hiding it well. This leads to a conversation about her appearance and the things that can be hidden with makeup and hair. Balm becomes angry with Deadsmell for pushing the topic and threatens him. Meanwhile, Throatslitter, the third soldier, begins to laugh in a high-pitched and unsettling manner. The laughter attracts the attention of everyone in the tavern, including the beautiful woman and her companion. The group's behavior has jeopardised their reputation as "bad boys."

Shake Brullyg

Meanwhile, Shake Brullyg, the former ruler of Second Maiden Fort and would-be King of the Isle, sits captive in the old prison prefect's high-backed chair. He is being held by two Malazan soldiers, Lobe and Masan Gilani, who had arrived on the Isle to save it from the ice in exchange for Brullyg's agreement to be their royal guest. Brullyg watches as they play a game of knuckle bones by the chamber's door; he starts to pick up the language they are speaking. He also becomes attracted to Masan, who is aware of his interest but keeps him at a distance. The two soldiers discuss bringing in another whore for Brullyg, but Masan disagrees as the previous one had barely been revived by Deadsmell. Brullyg is struggling to keep the truth about his powerlessness from the residents of the Isle and is determined to become the King in a week, thinking that Masan would make a fine First Concubine.

It is not the soldiers who scare Brullyg, but a squad elsewhere on the island containing a mute girl named Sinn. Brullyg thinks he will need the help of the entire coven of Shake witches to get rid of her; she has a way of appearing out of nowhere. The soldier named Galt rises from his chair and walks over to a tapestry on the wall. The tapestry depicts the First Landing of the Letherii, altered over time to suit the present and to depict their betrayals and cruelties as heroic acts. Brullyg sees the past as a lesson and plans to restore the legacy of the Shake, who are seen as a people of failure.

The group hears footsteps coming up the stairs. They become wary, as the footsteps don't belong to the usual ale deliveryman. Galt moves to the door and peers through the crack, and Lobe takes out a crossbow from under the table. Masan Gilani also readies her knives and places one at Brullyg's back as a precaution. When the door opens, the two visitors are revealed to be the man and woman observed by Balm in the tavern--Captain Shurq Elalle and her first mate Skorgen Kaban the Pretty. They have come to deliver the ale to Brullyg, who is an old friend of Shurq's. Galt tries to turn them away, but Brullyg decides to let them in to ease their minds and send them away. When they enter the chamber, Brullyg greets them warmly, introducing his "royal guests". He offers them a drink from the cask and they sit down, with Shurq taking a seat opposite Brullyg.

Blistig

Fist Blistig is worried about the future of Adjunct Tavore Paran's army--the Bonehunters. They have no hope of going back home now and these soldiers of the empire rely on their wages, tax relief, and pensions. Many of them are tired of fighting and talk of mutiny begins to bubble. During the crossing to Lether, the Fist had observed the Adjunct standing stiff and alone on the deck of her flagship, the Froth Wolf, looking like a broken-winged crow. She was seemingly too despondent to manage the army. Then Lostara Yil, once a captain in the Red Blades, is appointed as the Adjunct's aide and takes over the management of the soldiers where the Adjunct seems unwilling to do so. The army's chests cannot provide what the soldiers are owed. With the help of Grub, a scrawny runt who was climbing in the ship's rigging, Lostara hunts down Banaschar, a former priest of D'rek. With his help, the treasury chests are soon overflowing.

Then, after an all-night argument with Lostara Yil, the Adjunct's spirit was reawakened and she summoned her officers to her flagship. In a speech before them, Tavore placed the Bonehunters in the company of the other storied armies of the Malazan Empire--those of Dassem Ultor, the Bridgeburners, and Coltaine's 7th Army. Despite being cast off by Empress Laseen, they were still Malazan and Tavore held onto the title of Adjunct. They would follow the Tiste Edur fleet that had massacred the Malazan citizens of Sepik back to Lether and give answer. Their future might be unwitnessed by the empire, but not by themselves. Blistig was amazed to find the army's spirit and purpose seemingly restored.

Northwestern Letherii Coast

Fiddler

The Malazan sergeants Fiddler and Gesler have landed on the hostile coast as part of a larger invasion force. Their transport ships were burned by their commander, making it impossible for them to go back; they are concerned about the potential dangers of contact with the local Letherii residents. They discuss their plans for defence in case they are discovered; they move deeper into the woods to avoid detection and to prepare for the day ahead. The soldiers have been reversing their sleep cycles for the past month in preparation for a possible ambush; an encounter with Letherii patrols seems likely.

Hellian

Sergeant Hellian is in charge of a group of soldiers and they are discussing their current mission. One soldier, Bowl, mentions that they were supposed to find Sergeant Urb and his squad. Hellian scolds Bowl for not being in her squad and tells him to go away. Soon after, two figures emerge from the trees and the first figure is identified as Sergeant Urb. Hellian greets Urb and is pleased to see him. The group then proceeds to gather rum casks that Hellian has managed to retrieve from a burning ship. Hellian tells her troops that they need to start looking for grey-skinned murderers who are hiding in the trees.

Keneb

Fist Keneb is the commander of the attack unit of six squads of soldiers in the Fourteenth Army. The army has undergone significant changes since the events in Malaz City. Sorcery has become the principal means of communication. The squad mages among the marines have learned certain rituals of Mockra to create illusions to affect camouflage and confuse scent. The soldiers feel exposed as they prepare to begin a covert campaign that might last for months.

Keneb is concerned that his is the hardest unit to hide. He is also disturbed by the fact that Adjunct Tavore had known about their objective from the beginning, but hadn't consulted the officers. The Adjunct had only met with Withal, the Meckros blacksmith and Nimander Golit's Tiste Andii from Drift Avalii, who did not come from the land they are presently in, so Keneb is unsure how they could have given Tavore useful information about the land.

The Fourteenth Army had captured two Edur ships that had been separated from the others and were too damaged to flee. The soldiers had taken the ships after a fierce battle with the Tiste Edur warriors. The interrogation of the Edur officers was brutal, but the ship's logs and charts proved to be most useful.

Keneb is uncertain about the Adjunct's motivations, as she still calls herself Adjunct in spite of the fact that the woman she served, the Empress, had tried to murder her. He is also unsure about the events that took place in Mock's Hold and if the entire debacle at Malaz City was planned by Laseen and Tavore. He thinks that if they had marched into the city, it would have resulted in civil war. The loss of Tene Baralta and his Red Blades and members of Tavore's inner circle, along with Keneb's other doubts, are eating at his guts and he knows he is not alone in this. Blistig, one of the soldiers, has lost his faith in everything, including himself, and walks as a man already dead. Keneb orders his soldiers to head inland.

Beak

Beak, a mage in a squad, has an encounter with Captain Faradan Sort. Beak is known for his love of sorcery and his tendency to talk at length about magic, but is often misunderstood and not well-liked by others. Captain Sort interviews all the mages in the platoon and chooses Beak, despite his reputation, as a traveling companion. She plans to visit different units and needs him to be able to track other squads that could be using sorcery to hide themselves. Beak is confident in his ability to find magic, having learned magic from a Seti witch when he was young and possessing knowledge about all the different warrens. The captain wants him to stay close during their travels, and also asks about his age, but he admits he's lost count.

Second Maiden Fort

Sergeant Cord, Corporal Shard, Ebron, Limp, and Crump are standing on a promontory, observing the sound of the icebergs warring across the strait and splitting away from the city of Fent Reach. The focus of their conversation turns to their companion, Sinn, who is working in an old lighthouse. Ebron says that she's not just holding the ice back, but killing it and weaving something else, but he doesn't know what. Cord is frustrated with this insufficient explanation, and the group heads down towards the fisher's shack they're using as a base.

The Froth Wolf

Withal

The Adjunct's flagship nears Second Maiden Fort, which is already held by her advance forces and which will serve as headquarters for the army invading the Letherii Empire. The task is complicated by the fact that the marines have been scattered and the Emperor of the Letherii Empire has been driven mad by his own power. Withal, a blacksmith, has found himself on the Adjunct's ship and has his own reservations about the mission and the armies involved. He is frustrated because he is not at home doing what he does best, blacksmithing. His wife, Sandalath Drukorlat, tries to get him to go to the hold to retrieve the Tiste Andii, young warriors who have lost many of their own in battle and are feeling the despair of the world. Withal is uncomfortable around them, but Sandalath thinks he needs to show more sympathy.

Nimander

As the flagship approaches the island, Nimander observes one of his fellow Tiste Andii, his sister Phaed, noting the unquenchable malice and complete lack of empathy that lurks beneath her beauty. It is hinted that she plans to murder the older woman among the group, Sandalath Drukorlat. Nimander reflects on the traits of the Tiste Andii and wonders why they have lost their simplicity and become blunted and confused. He ponders the difference between the Tiste Andii who lived in epic grandeur, such as Anomander Rake and Silchas Ruin, and those who live in obscurity like himself and Phaed. In the end, Sandalath turns around and beckons the group to follow her onto the deck to see their new home.