‘At the loss of too many worthy allies,’ Hood said, shaking his head. ‘Did not Captain Haut speak to you of this ancient enemy? Did you not acknowledge the irritation of its endless roaring in your skulls? I would send you to it, and charge you with silencing the vile creature. Show me your prowess in this manner, Seregahl, and the van is yours.’

The leader grunted, drawing from his back his massive twin-bladed axe. ‘This we can do!’

Haut cleared his throat. ‘Very well then, my friends. If you will follow me?’

‘Lead on, captain!’

When the echoes of the troop’s footfalls finally fell away, the Thel Akai woman reappeared, striding up to face Hood with the hearth between them. Her broad, wide-cheeked face was flat and colourless in the reflected light. ‘The games you indulge in, Hood.’

‘Ah, Erekol, do join me, whilst I explain the lancing of boils.’

‘I could do that as easily as some ancient hoary god trapped under a tree. One at a time, as I said.’

Hood studied her for a long moment. ‘I know something of your tale. Your… reasons. But have you not a surviving son?’

‘Left in the care of others.’

‘Are you here in the name of vengeance alone, or do you seek to join my legion?’

‘Your legion? Your mob of fools, you mean.’

‘I have not yet decided on a title.’

She laughed, and then settled into a squat. ‘Vengeance,’ she said. ‘The Seregahl spring their cowardly ambushes, and Thel Akai husbands weep. I’m fed up with their shit, and all those obnoxious proclamations. Thus, I am here to kill your vaunted vanguard, and yet you defy me again and again. What am I to make of that?’

‘Where is your son?’

‘Aboard a stout ship.’

‘In what sea?’

‘West. They ply the Furrow Strait, hunting dhenrabi.’

‘Near the High King’s lands, then.’

She shrugged. ‘Thel Akai fear no one.’

‘Unwise. The High King has set his protection upon the dhenrabi, and their breeding waters.’

‘My son is safe. What matters it to you, Hood?’

‘I grieve estrangement, Erekol.’

‘I am more than just a mother. I am the chosen huntress of my tribe. And so I am here, hunting.’

‘The pack fears you and will never give you the chance to kill its members one by one.’

‘They will make a mistake. I goad them.’

‘They are more likely to come at you in their pack, and so bring you down that way. And accusations of cowardice rarely sting the victors.’

‘What do you suggest?’

‘Go to the Azath House. That will be a mess, I’m sure. Some Seregahl will be taken. The yard needs them. The house needs their blood, their power.’

‘Who resides within?’

‘There is no one,’ Hood answered. ‘None for five hundred years.’

‘What fate befell the guardian?’

‘We killed him. Yes, a mistake. Precipitous. Regrettable. Should I meet him beyond the Veil of Death, I will apologize.’

‘By your hand, then?’