‘You didn’t do it,’ Drem said sadly, ‘you don’t deserve any of this.’

And I owe you.

In a fluid motion Drem drew his short axe from his belt, raised it two-handed and brought it down upon the lock and chain wrapped around the iron-barred gate. An explosion of sparks, links falling away.

‘What are you doing?’ Aed shouted.

The axe rose and fell again, and then the chain fell away, unravelling to the ground in a long, sinuous coil.

‘What have you done?’ Aed whispered.

Drem grabbed the cage door and threw it open.

‘I think you should run,’ he said to Aed as he walked calmly back to his horse.

‘WARE!’ Aed screamed as the white bear burst from the cage, head high, sniffing the air. It roared, a great, defiant bellow that rattled the iron bars of its cage, looked about, taking in Aed, Drem swinging back into his saddle, and the open spread of meadow that led to woodland and the Bonefells.

It’s not a mankiller; it proved that in the forest when it left me alive and chose to run.

Another roar and it shambled away, breaking into a ponderous run, snow spraying as it aimed straight as an arrow for the trees and mountains.

Your home. Drem thought. And I should do the same.

With a touch to reins and heels to his horse, he urged his mount to a canter across the white meadow, heading northeast.

Heading home.

Exhaustion was heavy upon him when he rode back into his yard, but he knew he could not rest yet.

Men or worse from the mine will be coming for me, soon enough. Later today, maybe on the morrow. I’ve not the energy or will to run any further, and even if I did, they would catch up with me, out in the Wild where I would be defenceless. They won’t expect me to make a stand, and, besides, this is my home, where I spent the last five years with my da. As good a place to make a stand as any.

He stabled his horse, let the livestock out, and looked up at the sky. It was well past highsun, edging towards sunset.

Still time enough.

And he went to work.

Later that night he finally collapsed onto a makeshift bed of hemp sacks stuffed with hay. His weapons were still buckled around his waist, sword, axe, his bone-handled seax, more axes and knives in a bundle on the ground, and his spear leaned against the wall by his head. It was dark, the wind whistling around the hold as exhaustion finally claimed Drem.

I’ve done all I can do. You never know, I might just make it through this. Depends how many are tracking me.

The last thing he remembered before he fell into the black well of sleep was the sound of a goat bleating close to his ear.

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX: RIV

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

RIV