House of Chains

The T’lan Imass cocked its head. ‘What do you mean?’



‘Well, their existence has remained hidden from me. I’ve never heard of them.’



Ah . ‘Logros commanded that the First Throne be removed from this land, because the Nameless Ones were drawing ever closer to discovering its location. They had come to realize that its power could be claimed, that the T’lan Imass could be made to bow in service to the first mortal to seat him or herself upon it.’



‘And Logros didn’t want one of these Nameless Ones to be that mortal. Why? What terrible purpose drives them? And before you answer, Onrack, I should tell you that as far as I am concerned, “terrible purpose” has rather dire measure, given both your kind and my own.’



‘I understand, Trull Sengar, and it is a valid point you make. The Nameless Ones serve the Houses of the Azath. Logros believed that, had a priest of that cult taken the First Throne, the first and only command given to the T’lan Imass would be to voluntarily accept eternal imprisonment. We would have been removed from this world.’



‘So the throne was moved.’



‘Yes, to a continent south of Seven Cities. Where it was found by a mage-Kellanved, the Emperor of the Malazan Empire.’



‘Who now commands all the T’lan Imass? No wonder the Malazan Empire is as powerful as it seems to be-then again, by now, it should have conquered the whole world, since he could have called upon all the T’lan Imass to fight his wars.’



‘The Emperor’s exploitation of our abilities was… modest. Surprisingly constrained. He was then assassinated. The new Empress does not command us.’



‘Why didn’t she just sit on the First Throne herself?’



‘She would, could she find it.’



‘Ah, so you are free once more.’



‘So it seems,’ Onrack replied after a moment. ‘There are other… concerns, Trull Sengar. Kellanved was resident in a House of the Azath for a time…’



They reached the slope beyond the salt flat, began making their way upward. ‘These are matters of which I know very little,’ the Tiste Edur said. ‘You fear that the Emperor was either one of these Nameless Ones, or had contact with them. If so, then why didn’t he issue that one command you so dreaded?’



‘We do not know.’



‘How did he manage to find the First Throne in the first place?’



‘We do not know.’



‘All right. Now, what has all this to do with what we are up to right now?’



‘A suspicion, Trull Sengar, regarding where these six renegade T’lan Imass are heading.’



‘Well, southward, it seems. Oh, I see.’



‘If there are among them kin of Logros, then they know where the First Throne will be found.’



‘Well, is there any reason to believe that you are unique among the T’lan Imass? Do you not think others of your kind may have arrived at the same suspicion?’



‘I am not sure of that. I share something with the renegades that they do not, Trull Sengar. Like them, I am unburdened. Freed from the Ritual’s Vow. This has resulted in a certain… liberation of thought. Monok Ochem and Ibra Gholan pursue a quarry, and the mind of a hunter is ever consumed by that quarry.’



They reached the first rise and halted. Onrack drew out his sword and jammed it point first into the ground, so deep that it remained standing upright when he walked away from it. He took ten paces before stopping once more.



‘What are you doing?’



‘If you do not object, Trull Sengar, I would await Monok Ochem and Ibra Gholan. They, and Logros in turn, must be informed of my suspicion.’



‘And you assume that Monok will spare us the time to talk? Our last moments together were less than pleasant, as I recall. I’d feel better if you weren’t standing so far away from your sword.’ The Tiste Edur found a nearby boulder to sit on, and regarded Onrack for a long moment before continuing, ‘And what about what you did in the cave, where that Tellann Ritual was active?’ He gestured at Onrack’s new left arm and the melded additions to the other places where damage had occurred. ‘It’s… obvious. That arm’s shorter than your own, you know. Noticeably. Something tells me you weren’t supposed to do… what you did.’



‘You are right… or would be, were I still bound by the Vow.’



‘I see. And will Monok Ochem display similar equanimity when he sees what you have done?’



‘I do not expect so.’



‘Didn’t you proclaim a vow to serve me, Onrack?’