Majik. Dark majik was at the heart of this. Groaning, Erik rested his head in his hands. What part had Kelewulf played in all this? As a youngster, his cousin had let slip his interest in majik. But without any formal training in the Art, Erik didn’t see how Kelewulf could be capable of weaving a web of corruption and deceit of the kind he now found himself trapped in. And even if he was, why would he do such a thing?

Not for the first time since his arrest, he remembered the incident in the boatyard …

A few nights prior to his father’s murder, Erik, unable to sleep, had been out walking. Without knowing why, he found himself down by the harbour, where, except for a few stray dogs and the seals hunting out in the waters of the bay, he was alone. Or at least he thought he was, until he caught the sound of two people speaking. Walking towards the source of the noise, he noted the unmistakeable glow of a lamp from the building where the longships were built. The place was out of bounds for almost everyone but the shipbuilders, and none of them would be here at this time of night. The previous year, some coastal villages had suffered attacks after their own seagoing vessels had been sabotaged, so as Erik crept forward he loosened his dagger from its sheath, cursing himself for not having a weapon of more substance with him. As he paused at the open door he realised he recognised the voice he was hearing.

Without announcing his presence, he crept through the opening, coming to a halt in the shadows, from where he saw Kelewulf standing next to the hull of a wooden longship. The lamp his cousin held at his side illuminated an ornate and freshly inked tattoo he’d had done on the back of his hand. Kelewulf was talking in a strained voice, but for the life of him, Erik couldn’t see to whom the words were directed.

‘Why does it have to be so? Teach him a lesson, I said. Not … not this.’

Erik, thinking the other person might be hiding in the shadows, was surprised when his cousin went on, answering his own question.

‘Chaos, remember? You wanted chaos.’

‘Surely there is someth—’

‘You went into this venture willingly. You agreed with—’

The young man stopped then, his body tense, his head cocked to one side. ‘We are not alone.’

Kelewulf twisted around, scanning the shadows. A trick of the light made it seem, if only for an instant, that his eyes were completely black.

Knowing he stood little chance of creeping away without being seen, Erik stepped out just as the light was swung in his direction, making him screw up his eyes and throw his hand up.

‘What are you doing here?’ Kelewulf asked in a sharp voice. ‘Are you spying on me, cousin?’