‘Yes,’ she said, the faint anger within her still present enough to make her feel annoyed with him. ‘Why?’

‘Ha,’ a voice barked behind her, deep and grating. Then she realized why she couldn’t move.

Someone was holding her.

Thick arms, knotted as rope, hard as iron.

‘You can let go, now,’ Riv said.

‘Your word: no more violence.’

‘My word,’ Riv said.

Balur One-Eye let her go. ‘You are a lot stronger than you look, little girl,’ he said, regarding her with his one eye. ‘Why did you do it?’ he rumbled.

What have I done? At this rate Israfil isn’t going to let me take my warrior trial until I’m a hundred and two!

Riv blinked and looked around again, her head clear now, feeling only a residue of shock at the carnage she’d wrought. She could not remember all of it. Only Bleda pushed over, many figures. Someone headbutting her. A berserker rage. Red, red, rage.

‘They all attacked him. Ten, twelve of them. More. It wasn’t . . . fair.’

‘A keen sense of justice, then,’ Balur said.

‘Maybe a little too keen,’ Jost muttered.

Balur looked up, pale blue sky leaking through leafless branches. Riv did too, saw the silhouette of wings spiralling down to them.

Oh no, I will be humiliated and shamed again. A stone in her belly, shame and fear.

‘Best if you go,’ Balur said to her.

Thank you, Balur. Riv grinned at the giant. She didn’t need to be told twice, turning and marching away, feeling a little unbalanced, swaying and light on her feet, as if taking too big a step would result in her floating away.

Thirty, forty strides, and there were footsteps behind her, a hand on her shoulder. She spun around, ready to fight again.

It was Bleda.

‘Why?’ he said. ‘They are your people.’ He looked genuinely confused, honestly wanting to understand.

‘Because –’ Riv shrugged – ‘it wasn’t fair. Wasn’t right. Wasn’t honourable.’

He stared at her, head cocked to one side, his face battered and bruised, cut and swollen, but still blank, an unreadable mask.

‘My thanks,’ he said.

They stared at each other and, then and there, Riv made a decision.

‘Tonight, in the forest beyond the field of cairns,’ Riv said. ‘After the eighth horn.’

Before he had a chance to respond, Riv turned and walked away.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: DREM

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

DREM

‘Where are we going?’ Drem asked his da.

‘You’ll see,’ Olin called over his shoulder as he cantered ahead.

Never a straight answer from that man. Drem bit back his frustration and an angry retort.