The Bonehunters/Chapter 18

__NOTOC__ 
== Shore of the Kokakal Sea ==
The Silanda is being towed to shore as the Adjunct watches along with Quick Ben, Kalam and the Fists. Stormy and Gesler arrive, and the Adjunct allows Gesler to man the vessel and pick two squads to join him onboard. He chooses Fiddler's squad as well as Sergeant Balm's, and the Adjunct dismisses them.
Admiral Nok tells the Adjunct that the arrival of the Y'ghatan survivors has transformed the mood of the army. Tavore states that the Bonehunters were born in Aren, when the soldiers reversed the bad omen, but Kalam and Keneb think they truly came to life the previous day when Tavore had presented a jeweled sigil to Faradan Sort and Sinn. Keneb states that before that moment the Adjunct was Laseen's property. Tavore seems displeased by this, and Kalam tells her that now she belongs to the Fourteenth. All present notice that the Adjunct's face shows dismay and then fear at hearing this, and they suspect that she does not return her army's loyalty at all. 
== Kokakal Sea ==
==== The Silanda====
Bottle had been spying on the scene with the Adjunct at the shore five days prior, and is now on the Silanda. He had seen the sigil that was presented to Sort and Sinn: a silver city wall with ruby flames above it and a pile of human skulls below, an echo of the Bridgeburner's sigil. The army had quickly adopted it as their own and sewn it on their cloaks.
Bottle is using his rat, Y'Ghatan, to spy on Gesler, Stormy, Fiddler, and Balm in the captain's cabin. They are going through items that were given to them when they returned to the army. Gesler has the whistle used to control the oarsmen below decks. Fiddler has received a new deck of dragons and goes through it with the group. There's several new cards; the Apocalyptic, the Master of the Deck, the House of Chains, and a new House of War. The House has an empty throne flanked by two wolves, a Mercenary card, and one called Guardians of the Dead which shows ghostly soldiers standing on a burning bridge. The soldiers are worried that Quick Ben and Kalam seem upset with the Adjunct, but they can't understand why. Stormy asks to look at the new cards again, and spots Treach as The Hunter of the House of War. In the foreground of that card is a corpse of an old man with no hands. There's also a Life Slayer card which depicts Icarium. The last card is titled Death Slayer and shows the Crippled God. Gesler doesn't think it's possible for the Crippled God to be on two cards at once. Bottle realizes that the Adjunct wanted Fiddler to have the deck because she knows something, and he assumes it must be T'amber providing her with arcane knowledge. The soldiers discover Bottle's rat, and chase it out of the cabin, but he refuses to admit that he had been spying.
====Froth Wolf====
Kalam is climbing the rigging of Tavore's command ship Froth Wolf. At the top he looks out and sees that the fleet has sailed into an ambush. There is a line of ships to the north closing on the Malazans, and another line has blocked their retreat from the south. They are hopelessly outnumbered, and Tavore means to engage with the group closing in on them. Kalam returns to the deck, where Quick Ben tells him that the attacking ships have slowed down. The Adjunct sees something happening off in the distance; the Edur are conjuring something. 
==== Edur Fleet ====
Samar Dev has been driven to the deck as four Tiste Edur warlocks combine their sorcery with the mages of the other ships. She is barely able to breathe until Karsa Orlong arrives on deck next to her; providing a breath of life that she does not understand. He asks what is happening and she identifies it as Elder magic. Karsa asks who the enemy is, and the Taxilian tells him it is the Malazans. The Warlocks are twisted in agony as an enormous wall of magic is lifted from the sea, and floats in the air. Samar can see the Malazan fleet is panicked, all except for the Froth Wolf and Silanda which continue towards them.
==== Froth Wolf ====
Quick Ben is awed as he recognizes that the Elder magic is coming from the Holds, but that it is contaminated with chaos. The Adjunct surprises everyone by blaming the Crippled God for this rot. She tells Quick to answer the enemy magic, and leaves to retrieve her otataral sword in case he cannot. Quick Ben tells Kalam that he doubts the sword would save anyone not on their ship, then much to the surprise of Kalam he announces that he'll answer by drawing upon the Holds himself. On the Silanda, Bottle attempts to help Quick by slowing down his magic, when suddenly something takes over his mind completely. Kalam watches as Quick Ben begins to lift into the air as a wall of earth and burning roots flings towards the other magical wall.
==== Edur Fleet ====
The Edur warlocks are knocked to the ground and begin foaming at the mouth as Quick Ben's wall of earth impacts their wall of water. Khalag orders the ship to turn about and Samar Dev realizes they are withdrawing. The Taxilian tells Karsa and Samar that the Edur believe the Malazans have a Ceda on board. Samar tells the taxilian to tell them they are correct; they do have a Ceda and that the Malazans are not afraid.
==== Malazan Fleet ====
Kalam awakens Quick Ben, and asks how he knows Elder magic. Ben tells him that he doesn't, and that everything was just an illusion... at first. He realizes that he had been helped, and then really helped, but doesn't understand what it means. The Adjunct arrives and demands an audience with Quick and Kalam. On the Silanda, Fiddler attempts to get Bottle up. Fiddler is shocked to see that during the engagement Bottle has orgasmed. Bottle tries to explain that "she" likes doing that whenever she can, but Fiddler doesn't know who he's talking about.
==== Tomad Sengar's command ship ====
Taralack Veed is on deck watching as the Malazans sail past them. After the sorcery had ended some news had been delivered to Tomad Sengar which obviously shook him. Twilight moves across the deck, calming the Letherii soldiers. She asks Taralack how Icarium is doing, and he tells her that Icarium is eating and his strength is returning. Veed asks Twilight what has upset Tomad. She tells him that the black ship in the Malazan fleet has been recognized as one Tomad had gifted to one of his son's who he had sent on a secret mission into the Nascent. This mission was kept from Emperor Rhulad, but Tomad knows that since the Malazans have the ship it means that two of his sons are now dead. Twilight tells him this has made Tomad a new enemy of the Malazans. Taralack names many enemies the Malazans have faced, including Anomander Rake. Alhrada Ahn interjects that Rake is dead. Veed tells of the Siege of Pale, and Ahn demands a description of Rake. Veed tells him, and then mentions that Anomander is Tiste Andii, which causes Ahn to stalk off.
==== Malazan Fleet ====
Masan Gilani comforts Sinn after the battle. Sinn tells her "they're all dead" before falling asleep, but Gilani doesn't know who she means.
Nil is teasing Nether about her affections towards Bottle. Nether is worried about Eres'al's influence. They agree that Bottle is more important to this army than Quick Ben, Kalam, and Apsalar combined, but they agree not to tell the Adjunct anything until they find out what Quick Ben tells her.
Apsalar meets Squint in the hold. Both claim not to know who the other is. Apsalar tells him about Cutter, and Squint recognizes she still loves him and tells her to go and find him. They agree to talk later and Apsalar leaves. Both are completely aware of the other's past. Cotillion appears to Apsalar and tells her that something has happened to Cutter, but he doesn't know what. Cotillion reveals that he and Shadowthrone wanted to use Felisin Younger and Cutter was to protect her, but he failed and she is now ruled by The Crippled God. Apsalar collapses in grief and Cotillion promises to find Cutter.
18