As they reined their mounts in before the cabin, Drem recognized more of them: one had a splinted forearm, and another splint upon his hand, where Drem had crushed it and broken finger bones. Others gathered behind, an aura of bad intentions radiating from them. Drem was used to living amongst trappers and men who existed on the fringes of civilization, men who lived by their own laws, or none at all. But there was something different about these men, something worse, as if there was a stain upon their souls.

‘What do you want?’ Olin said to the bald one with the scar, who still seemed to be their leader. ‘Why are you here?’

‘We’re here to hang the murderers of Calder the smith,’ the bald man said as he dismounted, ‘and then I’m going to strip your hold of anything worth a coin and burn the rest, leave you two swinging from a beam.’ He grinned at them both as he unstrapped a long thick rope from his saddle and strode towards the cabin, men swarming behind him.

‘What are you talking about?’ Drem said. ‘Murderers?’

‘Don’t deny it,’ the bald man said. ‘Ulf’s saying Calder was stabbed and left in the woods for a bear to maul. Everyone knows you were in Calder’s forge all night long – robbing him, no doubt. There’s witnesses. The town guards saw you leaving Kergard at dawn, and your hold is the closest to where he was found.’

He put a boot on the first step to the cabin, men either side of him.

Drem felt a jolt of panic ripple through him. He opened his mouth to protest, to point out that their logic was flawed: how could they have murdered Calder and left him in the woods if witnesses had sighted them in Kergard at dawn? But he knew it would be futile.

These men mean to see us dead and just want an excuse to make it happen, and there’s near enough a score of them! Not even Da’s weapons-skill and magic can fix this!

‘Drem,’ his da said, a hissed whisper. One look at him and Drem knew he’d reached the same conclusion. ‘Back inside, through the cabin and out the back window.’

For a moment Drem almost did it, so used was he to following his da’s instructions. Then he realized his da did not intend to follow him. Fingers to his throat, counting the beat of his heart. It was a lot faster than normal.

‘No,’ Drem said, stepping forwards to stand beside his father.

Olin glanced at him, saw the resolve in Drem’s face and gave a curt nod.