‘I don’t know. Once you’ve taken a dump over a trough of running water that magics away your turd, nothing seems so crazy.’ Einar started laughing. ‘I mean – where the Hel does it go?’

Erlan smiled. ‘This isn’t our world, that’s for sure. Here, toss me your fire-steel.’

‘In the pouch.’ Einar waved a stick at the long leather cylinder lying amongst his gear, which he had appropriated from the unfortunate Lucia.

‘I thought you said this thing was worthless.’

‘I said there was nothing in it. But I’ve a use for it even if that little wench no longer did.’

Erlan pulled the top off and tipped out the contents into his hand. There was the fire-steel, a whetstone, a scrap of char-cloth, even a half-eaten bit of cheese. ‘What’s this?’ he said.

‘What’s what?’

Besides the other items, there was a scroll of thin leather half hanging out of the opening. ‘I thought you said this was empty.’

‘Oh, that. That’s just some kind of lining.’

Erlan pulled the whole thing out and it unfurled on his lap. He’d seen something similar on the emperor’s desk. ‘That’s not lining, you big oaf. They call it parchment. They use it for their rune magic.’ He held it up to his face to examine it more closely. ‘It’s got markings on it. Here, get the fire lit.’

‘You get the damn fire lit.’

Erlan shook his head and cursed, setting to work with char-cloth and fire-steel, and soon had the kindling crackling away. Once the bigger pieces began to take, he tipped the parchment towards the growing flames.

‘Well, don’t get it too close or you’ll set the stupid thing alight.’ Einar pulled Erlan’s hand back. ‘What’s it say?’

‘How should I know?’

‘Get Alexios over here. He’ll tell you.’

The captain was crouched beside the eparch’s campfire, tending to the flames. With a low whistle, Einar caught his attention. He rose and came over. ‘What do you make of this?’ Erlan asked him.

Alexios dropped to his haunches and took the piece of parchment. Erlan watched his steady gaze scan over it. Then his eyes suddenly snapped up. ‘Where did you get this?’

So Erlan explained, turning out the whole story – of the attempt on the emperor’s life and their pursuit of Lucia over the sea wall.

‘Is the girl still alive?’

‘Who knows? She was certainly wounded.’

Alexios shook his head. ‘Do you have any idea what this is?’

The two Northmen exchanged glances. ‘Barbarians can’t read,’ said Erlan. ‘Everyone knows that.’

‘They’re plans for the manufacture of liquid fire. Every detail. Not even I should be reading this,’ Alexios muttered. ‘If these ever fell into enemy hands—’

‘Well, thanks to us they didn’t,’ grinned Einar.