‘I don’t like polishing boots.’
‘Ublala, you only have to do that once every few days-or you can hire someone-’
‘Not my boots. Everyone else’s.’
‘The other guards’?’
He nodded glumly.
‘Ublala, walk with me-I will buy you a drink. Or three.’ They set off up the street towards the canal bridge. ‘Listen, those guards are just taking advantage of your kindness. You don’t have to polish their boots.’
‘I don’t?’
‘No. You’re a guardsman. If Tehol knew about it… well, you should probably tell your comrades in the Guard that you’re going to have a word with your best friend, the King.’
‘He is my best friend, isn’t he? He gave me chicken.’
They crossed the bridge, waving at swarming sludge flies, and made their way on to an avenue flanking one of the night markets. More than the usual number of Malazan soldiers wandering about, she noted. ‘Exactly. Chicken. And a man like Tehol won’t share chicken with just anyone, will he?’
‘I don’t know. Maybe.’
‘No no, Ublala, trust me on this. You’ve got friends in high places. The King, the Chancellor, the Ceda, the Queen, the King’s Sword. Any one of them would be delighted to share chicken with you, and you can bet they wouldn’t be so generous with any of your fellow guards.’
‘So I don’t have to polish boots?’
‘Just your own, or you can hire someone to do that.’
‘What about stitching tears in their uniforms? Sharpening their knives and swords? And what about washing their underclothes-’
‘Stop! None of that-and now especially I want you to promise to talk to your friends. Any one of them. Tehol, Bugg, Brys, Janath. Will you do that for me? Will you tell them what the other guards are making you do?’
‘All right.’
‘Good, those bastard comrades of yours in the Guard are in for some serious trouble. Now, here’s a suitable bar-they use benches instead of chairs, so you won’t be getting stuck like last time.’
‘Good. I’m thirsty. You’re a good friend, Shurq. I want to sex you.’
‘How sweet. But just so you understand, lots of men sex me and you can’t let that bother you, all right?’
‘All right.’
‘Ublala-’
‘Yes, all right, I promise.’
Kisswhere sat slumped in the saddle as the troop rode at a slow trot towards the city of Letheras. She would not glance across to her sister, Sinter, lest the guilt she was feeling simply overwhelm her, a clawing, stabbing clutch at her soul, dragging it into oblivion.
She’d known all along Sinter would follow her anywhere, and when the recruiter train rolled into their village in the jungles of Dal Hon, well, it had been just one more test of that secret conviction. The worst of it was, joining the marines had been little more than a damned whim. Spurred by a bit of a local mess, the spiralling inward of suspicions that would find at its heart none other than Kisswhere herself-the cursed ‘other’ woman who dwelt like a smiling shadow unseen on the edge of a family-oh, she could have weathered the scandal, with just one more toss of her head and a few careless gestures. It wasn’t that she’d loved the man-all the forest spirits well knew that an adulterous man wasn’t worth a woman’s love, for he lived only for himself and would make no sacrifice in the name of his wife’s honour, nor that of their children. No, her motives had been rather less romantic.
Boredom proved a cruel shepherd-the switch never stopped snapping. A hunger for the forbidden added yet another dark shade to the cast of her impulses. She’d known all along that there would come a time when they’d drive her from the village, when she’d be outcast for the rest of her life. Such banishment was no longer a death sentence-the vast world beyond the jungle now opened a multitude of escape routes. The Malazan Empire was vast, holding millions of citizens on three continents. Yes, she knew she would have no difficulty vanishing within that blessed anonymity. And besides, she knew she’d always have company. Sinter-so capable, so practical-was the perfect companion for all her adventures. And oh, the White Jackal well knew, her sister was a beauty and together they’d never have to fear an absence of male company.
The recruiters seemed to offer a quick escape, fortuitous in its timing, and were happy to pay all travel expenses. So she’d grasped hold of the hyena’s tail.
And sure enough, sister Sinter was quick to follow.
It should have ended there. But Badan Gruk was whipped into the rushing current of their wake. The fool had fallen for Sinter.