'Put it away,' Gesler said.
The rat listened as the Deck was dragged back from the centre of the table.
'We got us a problem,' Gesler continued.
'Only,' Stormy added, 'we don't know what it is. We only know that something's rattled Keneb, and that assassin friend of yours, Fid. And Quick Ben. Rattled them all.'
'The Adjunct,' Fiddler said. 'Kalam and Quick weren't talking, but they're not happy.' A pause, then, 'Could be it's the way Pearl just vanished, right after Y'Ghatan, likely straight back to the Empress.
Just a Claw operative delivering his report? Maybe. But even that leaves a sour taste in the mouth – he was too quick to act, too quick to reach conclusions – as if what he thought happened at Y'Ghatan was only confirming suspicions he already held. Think on it – do you really suppose a report like that has anything good to say?'
'She killed Sha'ik,' Balm said, exasperated. 'She broke open that wasp nest in Raraku and damned nothing came buzzing out. She nabbed Korbolo Dom and sent him back in shackles. And she did all that with us not losing nobody, or almost nobody – the scraps on the way were expected, and not nearly so bad as they could've been. Then she chases Leoman to Y'Ghatan. Unless you got someone on the inside to crack open the gate, sieges are costly, especially when the attackers got no time to wait it out. And we didn't, did we? There was a damned plague on the way!'
'Calm down,' Fiddler said, 'we lived through all that, too, remember?'
'Aye, and did any one of us really think Leoman would broil his own people? That he'd turn a whole city into a heap of ashes and rivers of lead? All I'm saying, Fid, is we ain't done too bad, have we? When you think on it.'
'Balm's right,' Stormy said, scratching again. 'Fiddler, in that Deck you got, that House of War – did you smell Treach there? Those wolves, they got me wondering.'
'I have real doubt about that version,' Fiddler replied. 'That whole House, in fact. I'm thinking the maker was confused, or maybe what she saw was confused-'
'She?'
'I think so, except the rogue one, the Guardians of the Dead. That's a man's hand for sure.'
There was a sudden tension in Stormy's voice. 'Pull 'em out again, Fid. Let's see that House of War – all the cards in that House.'
Shuffling noises. 'I'll show each one, then. Not on the table, but still in my hand, all right? One at a time. Okay. As for titles, I'm just reading what's in the borders.' A moment, then, 'The Lords of War. Two wolves, one male, one female. Suggests to me the name for this one is wrong. But it's the plural that counts, meaning the unoccupied throne isn't that important. All right, everybody had a look? Good, next one. The Hunter, and aye, that's Treach-'
'What's with the striped corpse in the foreground? That old man with no hands?'
'No idea, Gesler.'
'Next one,' said Stormy.
'Guardians of the Dead-'
'Let me get a closer… good. Wait…'
'Stormy,' said Balm, 'what do you think you're seeing?'
'What's next?' the Falari corporal demanded. 'Quick!'
'The Army and the Soldier – I don't know – two names for this, which may be determined by context or something.'
'Any more?'
'Two, and I don't like these ones at all. Here, Life Slayer…'
'Jaghut?'
'Half-Jaghut,' Fiddler said in a dull voice. 'I know who this is – the horn bow, the single-edged sword. Life Slayer is Icarium. And his protector, Mappo Runt, is nowhere in sight.'
'Never mind all that,' Stormy said. 'What's the last card?'
'Icarium's counterpoint, of sorts. Death Slayer.'
'Who in the Abyss is that supposed to be? That's impossible.'
A sour grunt from Fiddler, then he said, 'Who? Well, let's see.
Squalid hut of skins and sticks, brazier coughing out smoke, a hooded thing inside the hut, broken limbed, shackles sunk into the earth.
Now, who might that be?'
'That's impossible,' Gesler said, echoing Stormy's assertion. 'He can' t be two things at once!'
'Why not?' Fiddler said, then sighed. 'That's it. Now, Stormy, what's lit that fire in your eyes?'
'I know who made these cards.'
'Really?' Fiddler sounded unconvinced. 'And how did you come by that?'
