The gale remained steady, pushing them hard southward. Less than three hours after that Apsalar announced that she could see land ahead, and forty minutes later Kalam directed the craft parallel to the Ehrlitan coastline half a league offshore. They tacked west, following the cedar-lined ridge as the day slowly died.

‘I think I see horsemen,’ Apsalar said.

Fiddler raised his head, joining the others in studying the line of riders following a coastal track along the ridge.

‘I make them six in all,’ Kalam said. ‘Second rider’s—’

‘Got an Imperial pennon,’ Fiddler finished, his face twisting at the taste in his mouth. ‘Messenger and Lancer guard—’

‘Heading for Ehrlitan,’ Kalam added.

Fiddler turned in his seat and met his corporal’s dark eyes. Trouble?

Maybe.

The exchange was silent, a product of years fighting side by side.

Crokus asked, ‘Something wrong? Kalam? Fiddler?’

The boy’s sharp. ‘Hard to say,’ Fiddler muttered. ‘They’ve seen us but what have they seen? Four fisherfolk in a barque, some Skrae family headed into the port for a taste of civilization.’

‘There’s a village just south of the tree-line,’ Kalam said. ‘Keep an eye out for a creek mouth, Crokus, and a beach with no driftwood – the houses will be tucked leeward of the ridge, meaning inland. How’s my memory, Fid?’

‘Good enough for a native, which is what you are. How long out of the city?’

‘Ten hours on foot.’

‘That close?’

‘That close.’

Fiddler fell silent. The Imperial messenger and his horse guard had moved out of sight, leaving the ridge as they swung south towards Ehrlitan. The plan had been to sail right into the Holy City’s ancient, crowded harbour, arriving anonymously. It was likely that the messenger was delivering information that had nothing to do with them – they’d given nothing away since reaching the Imperial port of Karakarang from Genabackis, arriving on a Moranth Blue trader having paid passage as crew. The overland journey from Karakarang across the Talgai Mountains and down to Rutu Jelba had been on the Tano pilgrim route – a common enough journey. And the week in Rutu Jelba had been spent inconspicuously lying low, with only Kalam making nightly excursions to the wharf district, seeking passage across the Otataral Sea to the mainland.

At worst, a report might have reached someone official, somewhere, that two possible deserters, accompanied by a Genabackan and a woman, had arrived on Malazan territory – hardly news to shake the Imperial wasp nest all the way to Ehrlitan. So, likely Kalam was being his usual paranoid self.

‘I see the stream mouth,’ Crokus said, pointing to a place on the shore.

Fiddler glanced back at Kalam. Hostile land, how low do we crawl?

Looking up at grasshoppers, Fid.

Hood’s breath. He looked back to the shore. ‘I hate Seven Cities,’ he whispered. In his lap, Moby yawned, revealing a mouth bristling with needlelike fangs. Fiddler blanched. ‘Cuddle up whenever you want, pup,’ he said, shivering.

Kalam angled the tiller. Crokus worked the sail, deft enough after a two-month voyage across Seeker’s Deep to let the barque slip easily into the wind, the tattered sail barely raising a luff. Apsalar shifted on the seat, stretched her arms and flashed Fiddler a smile. The sapper scowled and looked away. Bum shake me, I’ve got to keep my jaw from dropping every time she does that. She was another woman, once. A killer, the knife of a god. She did things . . . Besides, she’s with Crokus, ain’t she. The boy’s got all the luck and the whores in Karakarang looked like poxed sisters from some gigantic poxed family and all those poxed babies on their hips ... He shook himself. Oh, Fiddler, too long at sea, way too long!