Malazan Empire: Need a Little Help with a Sentence - Malazan Empire

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Need a Little Help with a Sentence

#1 User is offline   Khanna 

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Posted 15 February 2020 - 08:21 PM

Hey everyone. English is not my native language, so please forgive any erors. I'm having a hard time in the Book 2 of the series. There's a sentence that I just can't understand. Kalam the assassin thinks:

"Quick Ben, there could be a Claw riding your shoulder right now..."

What does this mean? Can someone tell me?
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#2 User is online   Tsundoku 

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Posted 15 February 2020 - 11:38 PM

I think it could mean the Claw were supposed to be so good at being sneaky that Kalam was saying one could be right next to Quick Ben right now and he wouldn't know it.
"Fortune favors the bold, though statistics favor the cautious." - Indomitable Courteous (Icy) Fist, The Palace Job - Patrick Weekes

"Well well well ... if it ain't The Invisible C**t." - Billy Butcher, The Boys

"I have strong views about not tempting providence and, as a wise man once said, the difference between luck and a wheelbarrow is, luck doesn’t work if you push it." - Colonel Orhan, Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City - KJ Parker
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#3 User is offline   nacht 

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Posted 16 February 2020 - 04:03 AM

The larger context around this statement is that Kalam just used some of QB's magic and as a result found himself in the Imperial warren.



Kalam and QB are a duo, with Kalam often acting as QB's bodygaurd because mages are susceptible to being killed by assassins.
The Imperial Warren is also used by the Claw.
I think Kalam is worried that if QB is using the Imperial warren carelessly or without knowledge, he might be at risk of being followed/chased by Claw assassins

In particular, "riding somebody's shoulder" could mean that somebody is being followed closely.

This post has been edited by nacht: 16 February 2020 - 04:05 AM

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#4 User is offline   Kanese S's 

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Posted 19 February 2020 - 07:44 PM

View Postnacht, on 16 February 2020 - 04:03 AM, said:

The larger context around this statement is that Kalam just used some of QB's magic and as a result found himself in the Imperial warren.



Kalam and QB are a duo, with Kalam often acting as QB's bodygaurd because mages are susceptible to being killed by assassins.
The Imperial Warren is also used by the Claw.
I think Kalam is worried that if QB is using the Imperial warren carelessly or without knowledge, he might be at risk of being followed/chased by Claw assassins

In particular, "riding somebody's shoulder" could mean that somebody is being followed closely.


That was my interpretation as well, that a Claw might be shadowing QB at that very moment, or worse, preparing to take him out.

Claws are quite good at what they do (well, most of the time), and they're spies as well as assassins. Most people are oblivious to their presence most of the time.

Laseen did nothing wrong.

I demand Telorast & Curdle plushies.
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