The Bonehunters/Chapter 16

Epigraph

The privileged waifs are here now, preening behind hired armies, and the legless once-soldier who leans crooked against a wall like a toppled, broken statue— writ on his empty palm the warning that even armies cannot eat gold— but these civil younglings cannot see so far and for their own children, the future’s road is already picked clean, cobbles pried free to build rough walls and decrepit wastrel shelters, yet this is a wealthy world still heaving its blood-streaked treasures at their silken feet – they are here now, the faces of civilization and oh how we fallen fools yearn to be among them, fellow feasters at the bottomless trough. What is to come of this? I rest crooked, hard stone at my back, and this lone coin settling in my hand has a face— some ancient waif privileged in his time, who once hid behind armies, yes, until – until those armies awoke one day with empty bellies – such pride, such hauteur! Look on the road! From this civil strait I would run, and run – if only I had not fought, defending that mindless devourer of tomorrow, if only I had legs— so watch them pass, beneath their parasols and the starving multitudes are growing sullen, now eyeing me in their avid hunger— I would run, yes, if only I had legs. In the Last Days of the First Empire Sogruntes

Shore of Kokakal Sea

Fist Keneb is observing the 14th as they load Admiral Nok's newly arrived fleet and prepare to leave Seven Cities in two days. Keneb runs into Nether leaving Adjunct Tavore's command tent. She tells Keneb that the Adjunct is angry that Nether has been unable to reach Dujek or anyone near G'danisban. The warrens have been infested with the plague making travel difficult. Pearl has also vanished from camp. Keneb enters the command tent. Tavore tells Keneb that the Empress wants the 14th to return to Unta, and they decide to take the longer westerly route, resupplying on Sepik. Keneb realizes that Tavore does not think the Empress will send the 14th out on another campaign, but he can't figure out why.

Keneb is dismissed. On leaving the command tent he runs into Grub who tells him the army should leave in three days and that if they leave in two everyone will die in the sea, two days after they leave Sepik Island. Keneb questions how Grub knows which way they're going. Grub responds with prophecy:

"Sepik, but that will be bad. Nemil will be good. Then bad. And then we end up where it all started, and that will be very bad. But that's when she realizes everything, almost everything, I mean, enough of everything to be enough. And the big man with the cut hands says yes."

Lieutenant Pores is watching retainers pack Captain Kindly's prized collection of combs. Kindly wants to know why the departure has been delayed. Pores explains that Keneb has temporarily pulled his soldiers back off the ships, which will delay them a full day.

Village at the crossroads of Tapur Road and Path'apur Mountain trail

Barathol Mekhar, Cutter and Scillara are preparing to depart the village. The corpse of Heboric is loaded on a mule. Scillara has left her baby with the women of the village. The company sets out but a little while later they discover that Chaur is following them. The giant boy is barefoot, and Barathol gives him his boots, since he's riding a horse.

Cutter is surprised at Barathol's kindness and realizes he doesn't seem like a mass murderer. Cutter tells Scillara about Darujhistan and how much he misses it. Scillara wants to know why they're taking Heboric to Otataral Island. Cutter overheard Heboric saying that he needed to go to a temple or giant statue there and give back the gift of Jade, and wants to complete this task for him. Scillara wonders how a dead man can give anything back, and Cutter tells her that Heboric's hands have become solid jade. Scillara agrees to leave the body on the island, and teasingly states that afterwards she'll accompany him to Darujhistan, and possibly learn to become a thief.

The site of the buried skykeep

Ganath has returned to where she had frozen the skykeep with Omtose Phellack. She discovers that draconean blood plus the chaos in the warrens had undone the ritual. She wishes that Ganoes Paran was with her. Suddenly she is surrounded by K'Chain Nah'Ruk who attack before she can unleash Omtose Phellack. She is quickly struck down by the Nah'Ruk, and as her life fades away she wonders why they had returned to attack her.

Kokakal(?) Sea

Mappo Runt, Spite, and Iskaral Pust are on a caravel crewed by bhok'arala. Pust had been enraged to discover the bhok'arala are somehow from his cliff-side home. Spite has sensed the murder of Ganath and states that godless ones are walking Seven Cities again. She explains to Mappo that the war among the gods is messy and that the fanatics on both sides are unable to comprehend what they are doing; the gods will then be dragged along by the will of their followers. She states that the notion of allies and enemies is completely primitive and irrelevant. She muses that maybe the Nameless Ones hope to unleash Icarium to annihilate everyone and everything, thus ending the war. Mappo asks where they are going, and Spite tells him they are going to the Otataral Sea, but refuses to explain why.

Outside G'danisban

Imperial artist Ormulogun is painting the walls of Dujek Onearm's tomb while his frog Gumble mocks him. Ganoes Paran is in the command tent donning Onearm's High Fist armour set which has had a fresh sleeve attached. He wonders what lies Dujek had written about him in the logs to get this job thrust upon him. Hurlochel informs Paran that the entire army is standing outside, waiting for his review. He discusses with Fist Rythe Bude that the army will resupply in G'danisban, and then march, following the train of survivors from the city. He decides not to address the army as he feels unworthy to be their leader. He dismisses the men, and then sets out to visit Ormulogun to get a new Deck of Dragons made.

Olphara Peninsula

Karsa Orlong finds a murdered Anibar in the woods. Karsa determines the man was ambushed with the aid of sorcery. Enraged, Karsa leaves Boatfinder behind and runs off to attack the killers who have camped nearby. Samar Dev attempts to follow Karsa, but is unable to keep pace and loses him in the woods. She hears the sounds of screaming and arrives at a camp where Karsa is surrounded by at least 50 tall, grey-skinned warriors. With his incredible speed and long flint sword, the Toblakai is able to slaughter his attackers at a distance despite their overwhelming numbers. He cuts a swath through them, and they begin to pull back. Karsa means to continue the press, but Samar Dev convinces him that killing them all will just ensure that more attackers are sent.

The raiders' leader and their witch bring forth a Taxilian prisoner to serve as interpreter, and ask why they have been attacked. Samar Dev tells them that the Anibar are allied with the Toblakai, claims that Karsa is just one warrior out of twenty-thousand who will defend them if needed. The Preda reveals that they are Tiste Edur, and asks if Karsa will be satisfied if they withdraw to their ships, to which he answers "no". Samar Dev thinks this is the answer the Edur want. They ask Karsa if he will accept a challenge from the Tiste Edur Emperor to battle to the death. Karsa accepts and he is welcomed as a guest of the Edur who will transport him to their empire in Lether. Karsa Orlong is pleased, but Samar realizes that he is now chained by this agreement.

Shore of Kokakal Sea

Fist Keneb is talking with Fist Temul and asking him how it feels to be going home to Unta. Temul says that he thinks most of the Wickans will leave the army because they are ashamed; they had hoped to die in battle and were denied the glory. There are alarms in the camp as a troop has been spotted approaching in the distance. Keneb and Temul meet the Adjunct outside her tent, and the Adjunct takes the opportunity to interrogate Keneb about why he has delayed his company's boarding. He tells her that Grub had said they would all die if they did not delay a day, but the Adjunct is skeptical.

The Adjunct and Fists approach close enough to see that Faradan Sort has returned, and with her are Quick Ben, Kalam, Fiddler and dozens of others they'd thought lost. The troop arrives, and as water and healers are brought to them, Sort turns herself in to the Adjunct expecting punishment for her desertion. Fiddler whispers to the Adjunct that if she hangs Faradan, she'll need to hang all of them. The Adjunct asks if they had truly burrowed beneath Y'Ghatan and Fiddler replies that they "went hunting through the bones" of the city. Tavore declares them "Bonehunters in truth" and welcomes them back.