Toll the Hounds (The Malazan Book of the Fallen 8)

The guardsman rose and faced the three servants from the dens. ‘Was he a cus-tomer?’

Three blank faces regarded him, then one spoke, ‘How in Hood’s name can we tell? His damned face is gone!’

‘Clothing? Weight, height, hair colour-anyone in there last-’

‘Sir,’ cut in the man, ‘if he was a customer he was a new one-he’s got meat on his bones, see? And his clothes was clean. Well, before he spilled hisself.’

The guardsman had made the same observations. ‘Might he have been, then? A new customer?’

‘Ain’t been none in the last day or so. Some casuals, you know, the kind who can take it or leave it, but no, we don’t think we seen this one, by his clothes and hair and such.’

‘So what was he doing in this alley?’

No one had an answer.

Did the guardsman have enough to requisition a necromancer? Only if this man was well born. But the clothes aren’t that high-priced. More like merchant class, or some mid-level official. If so, then what was he doing here in the dregs of Gadrobi District? ‘He’s Daru,’ he mused.

‘We get ’em,’ said the loquacious servant, with a faint sneer. ‘We get Rhivi, we get Callowan, we get Barghast even.’

Yes, misery is egalitarian. ‘Into the cart, then, with the others.’

The servants set to work.

The guardsman watched. After a moment his gaze drifted to the carter. He studied the wizened face with its streaks of rustleaf juice running down the stub-bled chin. ‘Got a loving woman back home?’

‘Eh?’

‘I imagine that ox is happy enough.’

‘Oh, aye, that it is, sir. All the flies, see, they prefer the big sacks.’

‘The what?’

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The guardsman rose and faced the three servants from the dens. ‘Was he a cus-tomer?’

Three blank faces regarded him, then one spoke, ‘How in Hood’s name can we tell? His damned face is gone!’

‘Clothing? Weight, height, hair colour-anyone in there last-’

‘Sir,’ cut in the man, ‘if he was a customer he was a new one-he’s got meat on his bones, see? And his clothes was clean. Well, before he spilled hisself.’

The guardsman had made the same observations. ‘Might he have been, then? A new customer?’

‘Ain’t been none in the last day or so. Some casuals, you know, the kind who can take it or leave it, but no, we don’t think we seen this one, by his clothes and hair and such.’

‘So what was he doing in this alley?’

No one had an answer.

Did the guardsman have enough to requisition a necromancer? Only if this man was well born. But the clothes aren’t that high-priced. More like merchant class, or some mid-level official. If so, then what was he doing here in the dregs of Gadrobi District? ‘He’s Daru,’ he mused.

‘We get ’em,’ said the loquacious servant, with a faint sneer. ‘We get Rhivi, we get Callowan, we get Barghast even.’

Yes, misery is egalitarian. ‘Into the cart, then, with the others.’

The servants set to work.

The guardsman watched. After a moment his gaze drifted to the carter. He studied the wizened face with its streaks of rustleaf juice running down the stub-bled chin. ‘Got a loving woman back home?’

‘Eh?’

‘I imagine that ox is happy enough.’

‘Oh, aye, that it is, sir. All the flies, see, they prefer the big sacks.’

‘The what?’

The carter squinted at him, then stepped closer. ‘The bodies, sir. Big sacks, I call ’em. I done studies and lots of thinking, on important things. On life and stuff. What makes it work, what happens when it stops and all.’

‘Indeed. Well-’

‘Every body in existence, sir, is made up of the same stuff. So small you can’t see except with a special lens but I made me one a those. Tiny, that stuff. I call ’em bags. And inside each bag there’s a wallet, floating in the middle like. And I figure that in that wallet there’s notes.’

‘I’m sorry, did you say notes?’

A quick nod, a pause to send out a stream of brown juice. ‘With all the details of that body written on ’em. Whether it’s a dog or a cat or a green-banded nose-worm. Or a person. And things like hair colour and eye colour and other stuff-all written on those notes in that wallet in that bag. They’re instructions, you see, telling the bag what kind of bag it’s supposed to be. Some bags are liver bags, some are skin, some are brain, some are lungs. And it’s the mother and the father that sew up them bags, when they make themselves a baby. They sew ’em up, you see, with half and half, an’ that’s why brats share looks from both ma and da. Now this ’ere ox, it’s got bags too that look pretty much the same, so’s I been thinking of sewing its half with a human half-wouldn’t that be something?’

‘Something, good sir, likely to get you run out of the city-if you weren’t stoned to death first.’

The carter scowled. ‘That’s the probbem wi’ the world then, ain’t it? No sense of adventure!’

‘I have a very important meeting.’

Iskaral Pust, still wearing his most ingratiating smile, simply nodded.

Sordiko Qualm sighed. ‘It is official Temple business.’

He nodded again.

‘I do not desire an escort.’

‘You don’t need one, High Priestess,’ said Iskaral Pust. ‘You shall have me!’ And then he tilted his head and licked his lips. ‘Won’t she just! Hee hee! And she’ll see that with me she’ll have more than she ever believed possible! Why, I shall be a giant walking penis!’

‘You already are,’ said Sordiko Qualm.

‘Are? Are what, dearest? We should get going, lest we be late!’

‘Iskaral Pust, I don’t want you with me.’

‘You’re just saying that, but your eyes tell me different.’

‘What’s in my eyes,’ she replied, ‘could see me dangling on High Gallows. As-suming, of course, the entire city does not launch into a spontaneous celebration upon hearing of your painful death, and set me upon a throne of solid gold in ac-clamation.’

‘What is she going on about? No one knows I’m even here! And why would I want a gold throne? Why would she, when she can have me?’ He licked his lips again, and then revised his smile. ‘Lead on, my love. I promise to be most offi-cious in this official meeting. After all, I am the Magus of the House of Shadow. Not a mere High Priest, but a Towering Priest! A Looming Priest! I shall venture no opinions of whatever, unless invited to, of course. No, I shall be stern and wise and leave all the jabbering to my sweet underling.’ He ducked and added, ‘With whom I shall be underlinging very shortly!’