‘No, Lann. You did what you had to do – what you were fated to do. Come. Come and say goodbye to her.’

Unable to speak, Lann could only nod. Tears fell, making pale tracks down through the blood that covered his face. Astrid took his hand and led him over to his aunt’s unmoving body. The majik that had sustained her for all of her long years in this world was gone now, and the woman he looked down on was elderly and frail, beautiful and at peace.

‘I am sorry for your loss, Lannigon Gudbrandr.’

The pair spun around at the sound of a man’s voice.

He was dressed in rags, like a beggar, and he had a long silver beard, but Lann immediately recognised the golden eyes.

Rakur.

‘Your aunt was a good woman who used her majik for the betterment of the people around her. She was much admired and will be missed in this world.’

Lann looked stonily at the god. ‘She wasn’t a fan of yours.’

‘No. Then again, few people are.’ The god turned his attention to the girl at Lann’s side, giving her a nod. ‘Astrid Rivengeld.’

‘You have me at a disadvantage. You are?’

‘I have many names, in different places. But to your people I am known as Rakur.’

The girl nodded, and he raised an eyebrow.

‘Usually the arrival of an old god is met with more deference.’

‘You are not the first god I have met in recent times.’ She stared out at the bloody field. ‘What I find hard to understand is why the gods who have ignored our prayers and worship for centuries have suddenly decided to come among us again?’

Rakur, too, looked about him at the carnage before turning back to them both. ‘Ah, but these are not ordinary times, are they? And neither of you are ordinary people.’

‘And yet my aunt still had to die,’ Lann said, the anger in his words clear to hear.

‘You would have had me meddle with fate and save her?’

‘Yes.’

‘And if I had, would your rage have been so great when you saw her struck down like that? Your fury sustained you here today in a way that no other emotion could. How many of these foul creatures did you kill, fuelled by that same rage?’

‘Not enough. Many escaped.’

‘Yes. And this world and the people of these lands will suffer because of that. But their suffering would have been far greater had it not been for you.’ The god gave a little shake of his head. ‘She had to die. It was written. We interfere with the fates of you humans at great risk.’

‘Yet you interfered with my fate. You gave me the dark sword, knowing I would never be the same again.’

‘Ah, but did I? Maybe I just facilitated something that was meant to be.’