‘Their ways are strange and without honour,’ Bleda said, and in truth many of the Ben-Elim’s ways still seemed so to him, even after five years of living amongst these people as their ward. But there was much more to the Ben-Elim and their allies than that. Much of what had once seemed strange now made a lot more sense.

And they are not cowards, as much as I would like to agree with Jin on that point. But Bleda kept his opinion to himself, as he often did. I’ll not argue with my only friend, the closest thing I have to my kin in this strange land.

In truth, Jin should have been his enemy. Until Bleda had been snatched away by the Ben-Elim on that dark and distant day, Jin had been his enemy: daughter and heir of the Cheren’s lord, the Clan that Bleda’s people had been fighting the day the Ben-Elim came. Technically there was blood feud between Bleda and Jin, as Bleda’s da had been slain by members of Jin’s Clan, and in return Jin’s older brother and heir to the Cheren Clan had been slain by the Sirak. But now, for five long years, all they had had was each other, each of them acting for the other as some tenuous bridge to home.

The thrum of arrows leaving bows dragged his eyes from the galloping horse, in time to see a score of straw targets shudder as loosed arrows hit their mark. Even Bleda could not stop his lip from curling in a sneer at that.

Great longbows of ash or elm. How could you string or shoot one of those from the back of a horse?

He saw one archer give a congratulatory slap on the shoulder to another.

No doubt thinking they have great skill. I was hitting such targets as that when I was eight summers old. And when is a fight ever like that? Your enemy standing helpfully still while you take careful aim?

He shook his head, disgusted, and Jin grinned to see it.

‘They would be no match for the Cheren,’ she said, following his gaze, ‘or even the Sirak,’ she added with a twitch of a smile.

‘They defeated both our Clans, though,’ Bleda muttered.

Jin scowled at that. ‘They took them by surprise,’ she spat.

‘Aye, they did. But there was more to their victory than surprise. I was there. I saw it.’ It was a fact he never failed to remind her of, giving him a slight advantage in their discussions of home.

‘Still, if our Clans had been ready, and stood together,’ Jin said, jutting her chin out.

‘Aye, maybe,’ Bleda agreed, though he was not so sure.

‘As they will when we return home and rule our Clans.’ She flashed him a grin.

‘Just so,’ he replied, hiding the doubt in his heart.