'yah, with a giant sword in one hand and a cusser in the other!'

'perfect.'

deadsmell returned to his menagerie of dead animals, arranging them in a circle, head to tail, on the tabletop.

'gods, those stink,' limp said. 'can't you dip 'em in scented oils or something?'

'no, i can't. now shut up everyone. this is about saving all our skins, right? even yours, ebron, as if rashan's going to help one whit tonight. to keep hood from this room is down to me. so, no more interruptions, unless you want to kill me-'

crump's head bobbed up. 'that sounds perfect-'

'and everyone else, too, including you, crump.'

'that doesn't sound so perfect.'

'carve,' cord ordered.

the sapper bent his head back down to the task once more, the tip of his tongue poking out like a botfly grub coming up for air.

deadsmell fixed his attention on the array of carcasses. the fox-sized bat turtle thing seemed to be staring up at him with one giant doe eye. he fought down a shiver, the motion becoming a flinch when the dead iguana languidly blinked. 'gods below,' he moaned. 'high house death has arrived.'

corks started popping.

'we're being followed.'

'wha? now urb, tha's your shadow, is all. we're the ones doin' th'folloan, right? i ain't 'lowing no two-faced corporal a mine t'go awol-now, we turn leff 'ere-'

'right, hellian. you just turned right.'

'tha's only cos we're side by side, meanin' you see it diffren. it was leff for me and if it's right for you tha's your probbem. now look, izzat a broffle? he went up a broffle? wha kinda corporal o' mine iz he? whas wrong wi' mlazan women, hey? we get 'im an' i wan you t'cut off his balls, okay? put an end t'this onct and ferawl.'

when they arrived at the narrow stairs tucked between two broad, antiquated entrances, hellian reached out with both hands, as if to grasp the rails. but there were no rails and so she fell flat on to the steps, audibly cracking her chin. 'ow! damn reels broke right off in my hands!' and she groped and clutched with her fingers. 'turned t'dust too, see?'

urb leaned closer to make sure her sodden brains weren't leaking out-not that hellian would notice-and was relieved to see nothing more than a minor scrape on the underside of her chin. while she struggled to her feet, patting at her bleached hair, he glanced back once more up the street they had just come down. 'it's skulldeath doing the lurking, hellian-'

she reeled round, blinking owlishly. 'squealdeath? him agin?' she made more ineffectual adjustments to her hair. 'oh, he's a darling thing, izzn't he? wants to climb inta my knickers-'

'hellian,' urb groaned. 'he's made that desire plain enough-he wants to marry you-'

she glared. 'no no, ijit. he wants to wear 'em. all th'rest he don't know nuffin about. he's only done it wi'boys, y'see. kept trying t'get on his stomach under me or me doin' th'same under 'im wi' the wrong 'ole showin' an' we end up wrasslin' instead a other more fun stuff. anyway, les go an' get our corporal, affore he d'scends into cruption.'

frowning to hide his discomfiture, urb followed hellian's swaying behind up the stairs. 'soldiers use whores all the time, hellian-'

'it's their innocence, urb, that a right an' proper sergeant needs t'concern 'erself wiff.'

'they're grown men, hellian-they ain't so innocent-'

'who? i wuz talkin' bout my corporal, bout touchy breffless. the way he's always talking wi'imself no woman's gong go near 'im. bein' insane ain't a quality women look for, y'know. in their men, i mean.' she waved vaguely at the door in front of her. 'which iz why they's now tryin' whores, an' i ain't gonna allow it.' she tried a few times to grasp the latch, finally succeeded, and then twisted it in both directions, up and down, up and down. 'gor b'low! who invented this piece a crud?'

urb reached past her and pushed open the door.

hellian stepped in, still trying to work the latch. 'don't worry, urb, i'll get it right-jus' watch an' learn.'

he edged past her and paused in the narrow hallway, impressed by the extraordinary wallpaper, which seemed to consist of gold leaf, poppy-red velvet and swaths of piebald rabbit skins all in a crazed pattern that unaccountably made him want to empty his coin purse. and the black wooden floor, polished and waxed until it seemed almost liquid, as if they were walking upon glass beneath which waited the torment of unending oblivion-he wondered if the whole thing weren't ensorcelled.