'Er, yes, of course,' he muttered, tongue clumsy with cold and growing fear. 'When the stone comes over, we go… chief.'

'Alright. And the lot of you keep your eyes open. There could be others near. Bethod's got scouts all over the country. Anyone still guessing at what to do?' They all shook their heads. 'Good. Then don't go blaming me if you get yourself killed.'

Threetrees stood up and the others followed him. They made their last few preparations, loosening blades in sheaths, pulling at bowstrings, tightening buckles. There wasn't much for West to prepare. A heavy, stolen sword pushed through a weathered belt, and that was it. He felt an utter fool in amongst this company. He wondered how many people they had killed between them. He would not have been surprised if it had been a whole town full, with enough left over for an outlying village or two. Even Pike looked more than ready to commit careless murder. West had to remind himself that he had not the slightest idea why the man had been convicted to a penal colony in the first place. Looking at him now, running a thoughtful thumb down the edge of his heavy axe, eyes hard in that dead, burned face, it was not difficult to imagine.

West stared at his hands. They were trembling, and not just from the cold. He grabbed one with the other and squeezed them tight. He looked up to see the Dogman grinning at him. 'Got to have fear to have courage,' he said, then turned and followed Threetrees and the others into the trees.

Black Dow's harsh voice hacked at West from behind. 'You're with me, killer. Try and keep up.' He spat on the frozen ground then turned and set off towards the river. West took one last look back towards the others. Cathil nodded to him, once, and he nodded back, then he turned and followed Dow, ducking through the trees in silence, all coated with glittering, dripping ice, while the hissing of the waterfall grew louder and louder in his ears.

Threetrees' plan was starting to seem rather short on details. 'Once we get across the stream, and we get the signal, what do we do?'

'Kill,' grunted Dow over his shoulder.

That answer, useless though it was, sent a sudden stab of panic through West's guts. 'Should I go left or right?'

'Whichever you like, long as you stay out of my way.'

'Where will you be going?'

'Wherever the killing is.'

West wished he had never spoken as he stepped gingerly out onto the bank. He could see the falls just upstream, a wall of dark rock and rushing white water between the black tree trunks, throwing freezing mist and noise into the air.