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The old tillerman clamped his toothless gums together, his lips wrinkling. ‘We'll give it a go, sir.’

Corlo tapped his shoulder, gestured to the bow. Bars was now standing, his hands clamped on the gunwale, gaze fixed upon the closing vessel. ‘Pity the Marese, maybe, hey?’ he said.

Pity us first. Jemain, a lifelong seaman, could only stare in awful appreciation of the skill and seamanship as the vessel bore down upon them, cresting the last wave just in time to lurch downward, adding the impetus of its weight to the thrust of the blunt bronze-sheathed ram cutting the water and throwing a curled wake higher than the vessel itself.

Beautiful. ‘Port!’ Watt threw the arm sideways; the Ardent only began to respond before the ship was upon them. Too slowno chance. No chance at all.

The blow drove the Ardent sideways. It snatched Jemain from where he stood to throw him against the gunwale and over. The frigid water stung as if it were boiling. It stole what little breath he possessed. Vision and sensations came in glimpses as his head broached the surface. The Ardent wallowing, side caved in. Men tumbling overboard. Bars at the canted bow, fists raised in rage. Then frothed grey water as he spun in the waves. Frigid, life-sapping water numbing his arms, face and legs. And he sinking, weakening in the all-embracing cold. The numbness spreading to take his vision and thoughts.

He awoke coughing and spluttering on hard decking. Limp. Limbs useless. Other crewmen from the Ardent lay about like gaffed fish. Mare crewmen in dark leather armour were gathered around one particular netted man, truncheons rising and falling, beating and beating. Seeing him awake, one crewman came over, wiped his brow, panting. ‘You are of Genabaris, yes?’ he asked in a strange mangling of the South Confederacy dialect.

Jemain nodded mutely.

‘We usually capture ships – except Malazan – but yours was such an insult we had to sink it.’ He smiled as if that somehow made up for it. ‘My apology.’ He wiped his brow again, taking a deep breath, and gestured his truncheon to the netted, now limp, crewman from the Ardent, whose identity Jemain could guess. ‘You are all going to the Korelri. Especially that one. He would not go down – good thing the waters had done half our work, hey? We should get a good price for him.’ He smiled his white teeth again. ‘I think he would do well upon the wall.’

GLOSSARY

Terms and Titles

The Agatii: among the Seguleh, their first thousand ranked warriors

Ascendant: individuals of great power/influence

Baya Guclass="underline" Seti Goddess of divination and guide to their sun mysteries

Brethren: term among the Crimson Guard for their fallen comrades

Cadre mages: Malazan organization of mages/warlocks/ sorcerers, many of whom serve in the military ranks

Deck of Dragons/the Dragons: deck of cards, their identities unfixed, used in divination

D'ivers: a high order of shape-shifting

Eleint: term for the elder race of dragons

First Investiture: those of the first round of recruitment by the Crimson Guard subsequent to its Vow, with Second and Third following

Fist: Malazan title for commander, military or administrative

High Fist: Malazan title for a regional or campaign commander

Old Guard: those whose Imperial service goes back to Emperor Kellanved

Prevost: old Quon Talian title for a military officer, roughly equivalent to captain

The Seguleh: a fierce isolationist island people off the coast of Genabackis

Shalmanat: protectress of Li Heng

Soldier of Light: a position among the divinatory deck, the Deck of Dragons

Soletaken: shape-shifting

Sword of the Empire/First Sword: Imperial champion, Malazan and Imass title

Talons: an organization of Imperial assassins begun by Dancer, Emperor Kellanved's cohort and bodyguard

Thel Akai: ‘First People’, first-born of Mother Earth, ancestors of Thelomen, Toblakai and Trell races

Veils: Crimson Guard assassins, begun by Cowl in response to the Imperial Talons

The Warrens

The Elder Warrens

Kurald Galain: the Elder Warren of Darkness

Kurald Emurlahn: the Elder Warren of Shadow

Kurald Liosan: the Elder Warren of Light

Kurald Thyrllan: another name for the Elder Warren of Light

Omtose Phellack: the Elder Jaghut Warren of Ice

Tellann: the Elder Imass Warren of Fire

Starvald Demelain: the Eleint Warren, the first Warren

‘The Paths’ (those Warrens accessible to humans)

Thyr: the Path of Light

Denuclass="underline" the Path of Healing

Hood's Path: the Path of Death

Sere: the Path of Sky

Meanas: the Path of Shadow and Illusion

D'riss: the Path of the Earth

Ruse: the Path of the Sea

Rashan: the Path of Darkness

Mockra: the Path of the Mind

Telas: the Path of Fire

The Deck of Dragons

High House Life

King

Queen (Queen of Dreams)

Champion

Priest

Herald

Soldier

Weaver

High House Death

King (Hood)

Queen

Knight (once Dassem Ultor, now Baudin)

Magi

Herald

Soldier

Spinner

Mason

Virgin

High House Light

King

Queen

Champion (Osserc)

Priest

Captain

Soldier (Kyle)

Seamstress

Builder

Maiden

High House Dark

King

Queen

Knight (Anomander Rake)

Magi

Captain

Soldier

Weaver

Mason

Wife

High House Shadow

King (Shadowthrone/Ammanas)

Queen

Assassin (the Rope/Cotillion)

Magi

Hound

High House Chains

The King in Chains (Skinner)

The Consort (Poliel)

Reaver

Knight (Toblakai)

The Seven of the Dead Fires (the Unbound)

Cripple

Leper

Fool

Unaligned

Oponn

Obelisk (Burn)

Crown

Sceptre

Orb

Throne

Chain

Master of the Deck (Ganoes Paran)

Elder Races

Tiste Andii: Children of Darkness

Tiste Edur: Children of Shadow

Tiste Liosan: Children of Light

T'lan Imass: ancient non-human race thought to be extinct

Jaghut: ancient non-human race thought to be extinct

Forkrul Assaiclass="underline" ancient non-human race thought to be extinct

K'Chain Che'Malle: ancient non-human race thought to be extinct

Eres/Eres'aclass="underline" an ancient race thought legendary

The Eleint: the Elder race of dragons

The Trelclass="underline" a non-human pastoral nomadic people

The Barghast: a non-human pastoral nomadic people

The Thelomen Toblakai: a non-human pastoral nomadic people

The Teblor: a non-human pastoral nomadic people

The Thel Akai: a forgotten people, progenitors of Thelomen, Toblakai, Teblor and perhaps Barghast