‘Kargrin still thinks so,’ said Gullaine. ‘But I have yet to see solid evidence that this is so. There are traces of a Free Magic presence by his house, but many people come and go there. Certainly Kilp has ordinary reasons enough to plot, without Free Magic being involved. The King withdraws his authority, Kilp moves in, as far as he is able. That is the nature of power.’

‘The King,’ said Clariel. ‘Who I am to visit tomorrow.’

‘Yes,’ replied Gullaine. ‘The ostensible reason for my visit. We will discuss that a little later, if you will. It is simple enough, in terms of ceremony. The King, though old and sometimes crotchety, is not a difficult man. But more importantly right now, I wanted to talk to you about being a berserk.’

‘I’m not a …’ Clariel started to say, then stopped. There was no point trying to deny it, particularly to herself. Gullaine waited patiently for her to continue. Clariel took a deep breath and said, ‘Yes. Yes. I am a berserk.’

‘I, too, am a berserk,’ said Gullaine. She smiled, a faint smile that was not one of happiness, but of troubled memory. ‘My mother was a Clayr, and my father a third cousin of the King. So we are distant relatives, Clariel. Both the Charter and the rage are strong in my bloodline, but I had the Sight very weakly and was never called to the Nine-Day Watch. So I joined the Rangers who patrol the glacier and the lands about it. The rage rose in me the first time I fought bandits, and then again against norn-bears, and it grew inside me like a fire spreads in dry straw until I would snap at the mildest provocation. But I was lucky. There were books about berserks in the Great Library of the Clayr, and sisters and cousins to quite literally restrain me and make me read those books. So I learned early how I might govern myself – to keep the fury in check, but also how to call it up when necessary.’

‘I called the fury today,’ said Clariel quietly. ‘I didn’t know what else to do. I couldn’t stop the creature killing Bel …’

‘You did what had to be done,’ said Gullaine. ‘But having roused your berserk nature, you must learn how to master it. I have brought you the book that helped me most. Read it, and return it to me when you can. One day it must go back to the Great Library of the Clayr, under the glacier.’

She took a small, leather-bound book from the pouch at her belt and handed it to Clariel, who glanced at the title, the gilt type deeply embossed on the front cover: The Fury Within: A Study of the Berserk Rage and Related Matters.