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Back A Night of Flames
Chapters (76)
  1. Cover
  2. Praise forMATTHEW HARFFY
  3. BY MATTHEW HARFFY
  4. Title Page
  5. Copyright
  6. Dedication
  7. Maps
  8. Epigraph
  9. Contents
  10. Place Names
  11. One
  12. Two
  13. Three
  14. Four
  15. Five
  16. Six
  17. Seven
  18. Eight
  19. Nine
  20. Ten
  21. Eleven
  22. Twelve
  23. Thirteen
  24. Fourteen
  25. Fifteen
  26. Sixteen
  27. Seventeen
  28. Eighteen
  29. Nineteen
  30. Twenty
  31. Twenty-One
  32. Twenty-Two
  33. Twenty-Three
  34. Twenty-Four
  35. Twenty-Five
  36. Twenty-Six
  37. Twenty-Seven
  38. Twenty-Eight
  39. Twenty-Nine
  40. Thirty
  41. Thirty-One
  42. Thirty-Two
  43. Thirty-Three
  44. Thirty-Four
  45. Thirty-Five
  46. Thirty-Six
  47. Thirty-Seven
  48. Thirty-Eight
  49. Thirty-Nine
  50. Forty
  51. Forty-One
  52. Forty-Two
  53. Forty-Three
  54. Forty-Four
  55. Forty-Five
  56. Forty-Six
  57. Forty-Seven
  58. Forty-Eight
  59. Forty-Nine
  60. Fifty
  61. Fifty-One
  62. Fifty-Two
  63. Fifty-Three
  64. Fifty-Four
  65. Fifty-Five
  66. Fifty-Six
  67. Fifty-Seven
  68. Fifty-Eight
  69. Fifty-Nine
  70. Sixty
  71. Sixty-One
  72. Sixty-Two
  73. Author’s Note
  74. Acknowledgements
  75. About the Author
  76. An Invitation from the Publisher

But he had steered us into the shade of an overhanging rock. Aspen sprouted from the soil atop the boulder, further shielding the river below.

We had eaten sparingly and Hereward had set guards in the trees around the camp. He’d placed Gwawrddur, whom he trusted most, atop the rock, where he could see any boat approaching down the river.

We had made camp earlier than we would have liked, but Hereward was right. If we had carried on, Gersine might well not have survived. I glanced at his blanket-wrapped form, still and pale beside the fire. As it was, it was not certain he would make it. But with Leofstan’s care, at least he stood a chance.

It had taken some time to get the fire lit and hot enough to heat the knives, and now the sun had sunk beyond the mountains in the west and the river valley had been plunged into shadow. I stared up through the leaves of the aspens. There was yet some light in the sky beyond the mountains, but it would be dark soon enough. If what Ingvar had said was true, tomorrow we might well reach our destination.

I was suddenly overcome with a wave of tiredness. I would be called on to stand watch in the night, and if I didn’t get any rest, I might disgrace myself by falling asleep at my post. Such a thing filled me with dread. I recalled Hereward’s fury at Drosten when he had found the Pict asleep in Werceworthe when he was supposed to be on guard.

Making my way back to the fire, I shook out my blanket, preparing to lie down beside Gersine. Now that I had begun to contemplate sleep, my body responded. My eyelids grew heavy and I could barely keep them open as I stretched out on the ground. I placed my rolled up cloak beneath my head and closed my eyes.

I worried about what the next day would bring, but I was too exhausted to think of it now. Whatever came, I would face it as bravely as I could, but for now, I craved sleep like a thirsty man in a desert yearns for water. I could feel the welcome embrace of slumber enveloping me and I let out a long sigh.

But I never found the respite of sleep that evening. Where the dusk had been tranquil after the long day, the only sounds the rustle of the leaves, the fire’s crackle, birdsong, and the trickle of the river against the hull of Gullbringa, lulling me to sleep, the gloaming was suddenly filled with a chaotic cacophony.