'But what about them others?' he hissed once Shivers was well out of hearing, wincing at a stab of pain in his ribs. 'There's twenty fucking Carls down there, and jumpy! They need a name to follow!'

'You got the name,' said Tul. 'You came across the mountains with Ninefingers, fought all those years with Bethod. There ain't no bigger names than yours left standing. You seen more battles than any of us.'

'Seen 'em, maybe—'

'You're the one,' said Dow, 'and that's all. So you ain't the hardest killer since Skarling, so what? Your hands are bloody enough for me to follow, and there's no better scout alive. You know how to lead. You've seen the best at it. Ninefingers, and Bethod, and Threetrees, you've watched 'em all, close as can be.'

'But I can't… I mean… I couldn't make no one charge, not the way Threetrees did—'

'No one could,' said Tul, nodding down at the earth. 'But Threetrees ain't an option no more, sorry to say. You're the chief, now, and we'll stand behind you. Any man don't care to do as you tell 'em can speak to us.'

'And that'll be one short-arsed conversation,' growled Dow.

'You're the chief.' Tul turned and strode off through the trees.

'It's decided.' And Black Dow followed him.

'Uh,' said Grim, shrugging his shoulders and making off with the other two.

'But,' muttered the Dogman. 'Hold on…'

They'd gone. So he guessed that made him chief.

He stood there for a moment, blinking, not knowing what to think. He was never leader before. He didn't feel no different. He didn't have any ideas, all of a sudden. No notions of what to tell men to do. He felt like an idiot. Even more of one than usual.

He knelt down, between the graves, and he stuck his hand in the soil, and he felt it cold and wet around his fingers. 'Sorry, girl,' he muttered. 'Didn't deserve this.' He gripped the ground tight, and he squeezed it in his palm. 'Fare you well, Threetrees. I'll try and do what you'd have done. Back to the mud, old man.'

And he stood up, and he wiped his hand on his shirt, and he walked away, back to the living, and left the two of them behind him in the earth.

Acknowledgments

Acknowledgments

Four people without whom…

Bren Abercrombie, whose eyes are sore from reading it

Nick Abcrcrombie, whose ears are sore from hearing about it

Rob Abercrombic, whose fingers are sore from turning the pages

Lou Abercrombie, whose arms are sore from holding me up

Also…

Jon Weir, for putting the word out

Simon Spanton, for not putting the boot in

And who could forget…

Gillian Redfearn, who not only made it happen, but made it better

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Table of Contents

Contents

PART I

The Great Leveller

Best Laid Plans

Questions