Turn not thine hand against thy father; for it is sacrilege
Inscription upon stone fragment
Dwelling Plains
Seguleh Island[]
Jan, the second Seguleh is challenged by Enoc, the Third Seguleh. After a short duel, Jan defeats his opponent by severing Enoc's right tendon. Later, that evening at dinner, he discusses about the position of Seventh which has remained unoccupied for so long, after Lo, the Eighth informs Jan of rumors that the Seventh had been defeated in combat by another, thus passing on to him, the new person, rank of Seventh. They are interrupted by a priest who requests his presence at the temple. He meets Sengen, the High Priest, who shows him that the altar stone in their temple has awakened, shedding beads of moisture. Jan immediately orders Lo to seek out the Seventh and orders Palla to gather the first half of the Agatii. He also orders Beru, the Thirtieth, to listen to the talk in the dormitories; a difficult time may be coming.
In Darujhistan[]
At K'rul's Bar[]
At K'rul's Bar, Blend and Picker are visited by Spindle. Spindle has had an offer from the Malazan embassy, an observation mission worth a gold council per day in wages. The mission is to observe the burial fields south of the city.
At Humble Measure's Ironworks[]
Scholar Ebbin travels to Darujhistan to meet his backer, Humble Measure. After extensive waiting, he is allowed to see Humble in his expansive office. To convince Humble to allow him further funding, he reveals that he has found evidence of Darujhistan's Imperial age. He gives details about the twelve vaults he has found, though he doesn't mention the corpse on the plinth. Humble decides to extend his funding. Moreover he forcefully provides other facilities such as guards, reminding Ebbin that he himself is in charge.
At Lady Envy's Estate[]
Fisher, the bard, is Envy's lover, but he is wrestling with the problem of how to move away from her. She has grown impatient and weary of him. He finds her cursing at a string of cards of the deck. When Fisher asks her what the matter is, she refuses to tell him, insinuating that these matters are far beyond his understanding. At her condescending attitude, Fisher leaves the Estate to try and find out what is going on.
On the Shores of Creation[]
Kiska and Leoman find the body of a dragon, half eaten by the Vitr. Kiska is alarmed and worries about Tayschrenn, since he has come from the Vitr too. On their way to find the man, they are confronted by daemons, warped and wounded. A gigantic creature joins the crowd, calling them interlopers and invaders to their territory, unfriendly people who have barged in. Surrounded and hemmed into a cave, the two have no choice but to stay inside, and decide not to fight their way out because that would confirm the Daemons' suspicions about them being hostile.
Near Hurly, close to Moon's Spawn[]
Antsy, alias Red, wakes on the shore of the Rivan sea. He observes that the boats leaving for Moon's Spawn are guarded by Confederacy mercenaries. He meets a dark skinned, tall, young woman, who informs him that the price for a place on a boat to Moon's Spawn is fifty gold councils, an exorbitant price. The girl is a student of ancient languages. She requests him to take her along and Antsy promises to do what he can. Antsy goes to chat with the fee-collector. He offers to barter something he has, for a seat on the ship, but the man refuses, asking him to try and do business with Rhenet Henel. When he returns to the girl, she introduces herself as Orchid. She wants to befriend him so that if he finds a way to get to Moon's Spawn, he will take her with him. In return, she takes him to new Hurly, where she finds him food and lodging. She reveals that she treated their host's grandchild for a small infection, letting on that she has some medical training.
The two then start off to visit the fort of the governor Rhenet Henel, when Antsy notices they're being followed. He improvises a small ambush, and confronts the man. The man had noticed the object that Antsy showed to the Fee-collector. When Antsy informs him that he knows how to use the object (presumably a cusser), the man introduces himself as Malakai, and offers to hire Antsy for his expedition as his guard. Antsy accepts on the condition that he allow Orchid to accompany them too. After testing her on her information about the Andii and hearing about her skills as a medicer, he accepts. They are in the tavern discussing details about the equipment required and what type of people they might encounter on Moon's Spawn, when Jallin enters with two other friends of his. Jallin demands expiation for the injuries Antsy dealt him, asking for either three gold councils or the bags that Antsy holds. When Malakai refuses to let that happen, Jallin makes to attack. Malakai withdraws his knives, flipping them in and out and mesmerizing everyone around with the display of rapidly disappearing and appearing knives. He slams the knives on a table startling everyone, and Jallin's two friends back away. Without any support, Jallin curses and threatens, then leaves.