‘Aye,’ Sig agreed.

‘All the volunteers know this.’ Nara shrugged. ‘There is no insult or dishonour in trying and failing.’

‘Good,’ Sig rumbled. ‘And I will be happy to tell you my memories of your kin. If we may, I would stay a night or two more, until Hammer is well enough to travel.’

‘Perfect,’ Nara said, a smile lighting up her serious face.

‘And I hope for my huntsman to join me here. He pursued one of the Kadoshim’s servants who fled the battle.’

‘Yes, to the meat of it, then. Elgin has told me of what happened inside that hill. A dark and dreadful business, and the impudence of that fell creature,’ Nara snarled, ‘making its lair so close to one of my fortresses. I only wish that I could have been here in time to be a part of your raid.’ Her hand slipped to the hilt of her dagger.

I like this queen more and more.

‘Elgin was the greatest of help,’ Sig said. ‘We would not have succeeded without him. And his men fought bravely. It is no easy thing to walk into the darkness, and worse when you know a Kadoshim is lurking there.’

‘My men are brave and true,’ Nara said with pride. ‘Elgin has told me of all that occurred within the creature’s lair. The . . . ceremony.’

‘Aye,’ Sig said. ‘It is troubling. The sacrifice, so many acolytes.’ She shook her head. ‘This is something new.’

‘Do you think there are more, like that?’

Sig shrugged. ‘I suspect,’ she said, ‘but there is no proof – yet.’

‘I have sent messengers to my lords throughout Ardain, alerting them. We will scour the land.’

‘That is good. We must hunt them down and root them out. The Kadoshim are a plague, their deepest desire to drown the world in our blood.’

‘If they are here, in Ardain, I will find them,’ Nara said.

There was a noise from the far end of the hall, beyond the closed doors. Shouting, and suddenly all were reaching for weapons, Madoc, Nara’s first-sword stepping before her, steel glinting. Sig and Cullen strode across the feast-hall, Elgin with them, shouting commands. The doors opened a crack, a warrior’s head poked in. He called something out, but then a shape was bursting through above him, a bundle of white feathers.

‘SIG!’ Rab squawked as the warrior stabbed at the white crow with a spear.

‘HOLD!’ Sig bellowed. Cullen broke into a run.

Rab saw them and flew straight as an arrow towards them, giving the warrior that had tried to skewer him a baleful glare.

‘Why are you here?’ Sig said, looking at the daylight slanting through high windows. He’s been gone little over half a day.

Rab fluttered and perched on Cullen’s shoulder, hopping agitatedly from one taloned foot to the other.

‘Follow Rab,’ the bird cawed, flapping back up into the air. ‘Quickly, quickly. Rab found Keld’s hounds.’

CHAPTER THIRTEEN: BLEDA