‘Aye,’ he said.

The Tiste Andii turned to the Mhybe and Silverfox. ‘We shall take our leave of you two, now.’

‘Of course,’ the old woman replied, struggling to master her emotions. The soldier who defied our lances – oh yes, I recall, child. Old questions . . . finally answered . . . and a thousand more to plague this old woman... ‘Come along, Silverfox, it’s time to resume your schooling in the ways of the Rhivi.’

‘Yes, Mother.’

Whiskeyjack watched the two Rhivi walk away. ‘She revealed far too much,’ he said after a moment. ‘The parley was working, drawing the bindings closer... then the child spoke...’

‘Yes,’ Korlat murmured. ‘She is in possession of secret knowledge – the knowledge of the T’lan Imass. Memories spanning millennia on this world. So much that those people witnessed ... the Fall of the Crippled God, the arrival of the Tiste Andii, the last flight of the Dragons into Starvald Demelain. . .’ She fell silent, a veil descending over her eyes.

Whiskeyjack studied her, then said, ‘I’ve never seen a Great Raven become so obviously ... flustered.’

Korlat smiled. ‘Crone believes the secret of her kind’s birth is not known to us. It is the shame of their origins, you see – or so they themselves view it. Rake is indifferent to its ... moral context, as we all are.’

‘What is so shameful?’

‘The Great Ravens are unnatural creatures. The bringing down of the alien being who would come to be called the Crippled God was a ... violent event. Parts of him were torn away, falling like balls of fire to shatter entire lands. Pieces of his flesh and bone lay rotting yet clinging to a kind of life in their massive craters. From that flesh the Great Ravens were born, carrying with them fragments of the Crippled God’s power. You have seen Crone and her kin – they devour sorcery, it is their true sustenance. To attack a Great Raven with magic serves only to make the creature stronger, to bolster its immunity. Crone is the First Born. Rake believes the potential within her is . . . appalling, and so he keeps her and ilk close.’

She paused, then faced him. ‘Commander Whiskeyjack, in Darujhistan, we clashed with a mage of yours...’

‘Aye. Quick Ben. He’ll be here shortly, and I will have his thoughts on all this.’

‘The man you mentioned earlier to the child.’ She nodded. ‘I admit to a certain admiration for the wizard and so look forward to meeting him.’ Their gazes locked. ‘And I am pleased to have met you as well. Silverfox spoke true words when she said she trusted you. And I believe I do as well.’

He shifted uncomfortably. ‘There has been scant contact between us that would earn such trust, Korlat. None the less, I will endeavour to earn it.’