‘What … what will I do when you’re gone?’ he asked. The question took her a little by surprise.

‘Why do you ask that?’

‘Without you, I would not have made it through this difficult time. But …’ He paused, trying to find the right words. ‘You’re not going to be around forever, Fleya.’

‘And exactly how old do you think I am, Lannigon Fetlanger?’

‘I didn’t mean to be rude.’ She gave a little snort of amusement and he relaxed, knowing that she was merely teasing him. ‘But you told me you were born during a time of terror, when the necromancer Yirgan was at the height of his powers as an agent of the dark god Lorgukk. Later that week, when you were teaching me history, you mentioned that Yirgan was killed by the gods over a hundred years ago.’ He paused, not quite knowing how to go on. ‘So, what I’m trying to say is … you’ve lived a long time.’ He could feel her gaze on him and he squirmed a little, wishing he’d never brought the question up.

‘Well, if that is indeed the case, and I’m not saying it is, how can you possibly know how much longer I might still be around for, hmm? Come on,’ she said, standing up and offering him a hand by resting it on his sleeve. ‘Time for bed. This old lady needs her rest.’

Lann didn’t know it, but his speculations were pretty close and the witch had already lived for more than a hundred and twenty years, despite looking exactly as she did now for most of that time.

5

Their days followed a regular and easy pattern; they would rise early to feed the goat and chickens, and after his chores Lannigon would work the garden until Fleya called him in for dinner. Having cleaned the soil from his hands he would sit at the table and eat whatever she put before him, usually a hearty stew. At the end of the day they would sit by the fire, where Fleya would read to him from one of her many books. Growing up on the farm, Lann had never really been exposed to books, but Fleya was determined he know as much as she could impart about the world he lived in, and her schooling covered a whole host of subjects. She taught him the history of these lands and those beyond the Six Kingdoms, describing to him the places she’d seen, both in person and by using a form of majik that allowed her to leave her body and travel vast distances for a short period of time. He wondered at this, but whenever he pressed her on her use of majik she would change the subject.