The Bonehunters

'The olives? Yes, we shall arrive when the grovers have gathered. A thousand merchants will be there, and workers out on the road leading to the coast, setting new stones. And potters, and barrel-makers, and wagoners and caravans. The air shall be gold with dust and dusted with gold-'



'You are a poet indeed, Corabb. Merchants, and their hired guards.



Tell me, will they bow to my authority, do you think?'



'They must.'



'Who is the city's Faiah'd?'



'Vedor.'



'Which one?'



'The ferret-faced one, Leoman. His fish-faced brother was found dead in his lover's bed, the whore nowhere to be found, but likely rich and in hiding or in a shallow grave. It's the old story among the Fala' dhan.'



'And we are certain Vedor continues to deny the Malazans?'



'No fleet or army could have reached them yet. You know this, Leoman of the Flails.'



The man slowly nodded, eyes once more on the flames.



Corabb looked up at the night sky. 'One day,' he said, 'we shall walk the Roads to the Abyss. And so witness all the wonders of the universe.'



Leoman squinted upward. 'Where the stars are thick as veins?'



'They are roads, Leoman. Surely you do not believe those insane scholars?'



'All scholars are insane, yes. They say nothing worth believing. The roads, then. The trail of fire.'



'Of course,' Corabb continued, 'that shall be many years from now…'



'As you say, friend. Now, best get some sleep.'



Corabb rose, bones cracking. 'May you dream of glory this night, Commander.'



'Glory? Oh, yes, my friend. Our trail of fire…'



'Aai, that slug has given me indigestion. It was the roe.'



****

'The bastard's heading for Y'Ghatan.'



Sergeant Strings glanced over at Bottle. 'You've been thinking, haven' t you? That's not good, soldier. Not good at all.'



'Can't help it.'



'That's even worse. Now I have to keep an eye on you.'



Koryk was on his hands and knees, head lowered as he sought to breathe life back into the bed of coals from the night just past. He suddenly coughed as he inhaled a cloud of ashes and ducked away, blinking and hacking.



Smiles laughed. 'The wise plainsman does it again. You were asleep, Koryk, but I should tell you, Tarr pissed that fire out last night.'



'What!?'



'She's lying,' Tarr said from where he crouched beside his pack, repairing a strap. 'Even so, it was a good one. You should have seen your expression, Koryk.'



'How can anyone, with that white mask he's wearing? Shouldn't you be painting death lines through that ash, Koryk? Isn't that what Seti do?'



'Only when going into battle, Smiles,' the sergeant said. 'Now, leave off, woman. You're as bad as that damned Hengese lapdog. It bit a Khundryl's ankle last night and wouldn't let go.'



'Hope they skewered it,' Smiles said.



'Not a chance. Bent was standing guard. Anyway, they had to get Temul to pry the thing off. My point is, Smiles, you ain't got a Wickan cattle-dog to guard your back, so the less you snipe the safer you'll be.'



No-one mentioned the knife Koryk had taken in the leg a week past.



Cuttle came wandering into the camp. He'd found a squad that had already brewed some foul-smelling tea and was sipping from his tin cup. 'They're here,' he said.



'Who?' Smiles demanded.



Bottle watched as their sergeant settled back down, leaning against his pack. 'All right,' Strings said, sighing. 'March will be delayed.



Someone help Koryk get the fire going – we're going to have a real breakfast. Cuttle the cook.'



'Me? All right, just don't blame me.'



'For what?' Strings asked with an innocent smile.



Cuttle walked over to the hearth, reaching into a pouch. 'Got some sealed Flamer dust-'



Everyone scattered, Strings included. Suddenly, Cuttle was alone, looking round bemusedly at his fellow soldiers, now one and all at least fifteen paces distant. He scowled. 'A grain or two, nothing more. Damn, do you think I'm mad?'



Everyone looked to Strings, who shrugged. 'Instinctive reaction, Cuttle. Surprised you ain't used to it by now.'



'Yeah? And how come you were the first belting out of here, Fid?'



'Who'd know better than me?'



Cuttle crouched down beside the hearth. 'Well,' he muttered, 'I'm absolutely crushed.' He withdrew a small clay disk from the pouch. It was a playing piece for the board-game called Troughs, the game being Cuttle's favourite pastime. The sapper spat on it, then tossed it into the coals. And quickly backed away.