Fingers

Fingers was a mage and an Avowed in the Sixth Blade^[1] of the Crimson Guard. He was described as "a skinny youth bearing an unruly thatch of thick black hair", though "youth" would have only been in relation to appearance given that he had been an Avowed for over a hundred years.

Crokus described Fingers as a tall, thin man with a narrow hatchet face who wore a longcoat of gray and crimson.^[2]

Fingers performed a number of impressive feats of magic, though his Warrens were unknown, he possessed some skill with high Denul.

Fingers had a wry and sarcastic sense of humor, and appeared to never take a situation with much seriousness. Once when he thought he would have to cut off his own hand to save his life he jokingly said, "Goodbye hand! So much for rope climbing".^[3]

In Gardens of the Moon

Fingers appeared in Darujhistan on the night of the Gedderone Fête alongside Crokus, showing that the thief was being protected by the Crimson Guard. Fingers identified himself and Corporal Blues — who had just saved Crokus' life and was then engaged in a jaw-dropping duel with the Adjunct Lorn. Fingers informed Crokus that a trio of Crimson Guardsmen had been assigned to protect the thief — Cowl having taken to the rooftops and the other two on the ground. Fingers offered Crokus the compliments of Prince K'azz D'Avore and of Caladan Brood and suggested that the thief take refuge in a safe place. Looking at Baruk's Estate nearby, Fingers observed that Baruk was a powerful mage. Fingers also offered Crokus additional advice, telling him to ditch Oponn's Coin when the Coin Bearer's luck inevitably turned from good to bad.^[4]

In Return of the Crimson Guard

Fingers was part of Blues' Blade that recruited prisoners from The Pit, a Malazan prison for mages. During their escape by ship through the warren of Serc, the priest Yathengar 'ul Amal turned on his rescuers. Fingers was forced to take control of the Forlorn while the other Guardsmen attempted to deal with the crazed priest.^[5] Yathengar sent the ship into Chaos before opening a rent into the midst of the Battle of the Plains.^[6] The Forlorn crashed, spewing Fingers and the others onto the field, and Fingers was too injured to help the other survivors in the fight against Yathengar that followed.^[7]

Fingers soon reunited with the Guard, now once again under K'azz D'Avore's leadership, and left for Stratem by Warren.^[8]

In Stonewielder

Upon receiving word that missing Guardsman Iron Bars was a prisoner on the Stormwall, Blues led Fingers, Lazar, and Shell on a rescue mission. They crossed from Stratem to Korel by foot, running afoul of the Chase, a Jheck war band.^[9] After crossing the Iceback Range into the Plains of Blight, they hired Orzu and his clan of Sea-Folk to sail them to Korel Island.^[10]

When they reached the Stormguard fortress at Shelter, they infiltrated the Stormwall by passing themselves off as prisoners. Fingers was clapped in an otataral bracelet to prevent access to his Warren.^[11]

As the Stormwall began to come down, Fingers was injured by a collapsing tower which broke both of his legs. Determined not to die without his magic, he considered severing his hand in order to remove the otataral bracelet. Before he could do so, the Toblakai Champion Hagen broke the restraint for him with his bare hands.^[12] Fingers made his way to the rest of the squad, healing Shell's injuries before joining Blues and Shell against High Mage Ussü. They retrieved Bars, Corlo, and Jemain and Blues transported them all away by Warren before the Wall fell.^[13]

Once free, they sensed Skinner and his Disavowed at the Sky Tower. They raced to meet them only to see their former comrades disappear into a Warren with a fragment of the Crippled God. Fingers and the others returned to Stratem to inform K'azz D'Avore.^[14]

In Dancer's Lament

Before the founding of the Malazan Empire — during the reign of King Chulalorn the Third of Itko Kan — Fingers was a member and mage of the Crimson Guard under the command of Courian D'Avore. The young Fingers was skinny, pale, and with a face full of freckles. He had a wild mop of sandy brown hair and a tendency to roll his eyes and to make flippant remarks.^[15]

Fingers and the Guard were on the Seti Plains of Quon Tali, to escort and to protect Malkir Herengar — heir to the Grisian throne — during Malkir's campaign to hunt down the man-beast, Ryllandaras.^[16] Fingers was part of a group of Guardsmen who were making a reconnaissance, under the leadership of Auralas, to determine the general location of Ryllandaras. This group of the Guard encountered a provisioning party out of Li Heng — who badly needed the assistance of the Guard because the Li Heng party had been attacked by some Itko Kanese raiders. The fighting — which then occurred involving the three forces — resulted in much bloodshed. Fingers was assigned by Auralas to keep an eye out for Ryllandaras — who could well be attracted by all the spilled blood. In order to help himself do this, Fingers evidently accessed an unspecified Warren.^[17]

Later, back at the main encampment of the Guard, Fingers laughed and joked with other members of the Guard during dinner. Unlike the armoured mercenaries surrounding him, Fingers wore only a jerkin made of leather and a pair of buff-coloured trousers.^[18]

Trivia

In Kellanved's Reach, the new Crimson Guard recruit Haraj is referred to once by the name "Fingers".^[19] This caused some speculation that the Haraj of this prequel novel would one day be known as Fingers. But the real Fingers already appeared in the earlier prequel novel Dancer's Lament as an established mage of the Guard. The use of the name "Fingers" in regards to Haraj appears to be an editing error.

Notes and references