“I don't know,” Niklas replied, looking shaken. His hand trembled when he ran it through his hair. “When the lights went out, someone shoved me. Then Anik attacked me. I managed to pry his sword from him in the darkness and knock him out. I…I think he was going to kill me, Ren.”

“Wait,” Ren said, a chill rushing through his body that had nothing to do with the cold. “Anik?”

“I told you he was dangerous. You've seen how strange he's been acting.”

Looking over Niklas' shoulder, Ren spotted Anik on the ground. His eyes were closed and a line of blood ran from his forehead and along his temple.

“And the blood?” Ren asked, gesturing to the sword in Niklas' hand.

“I don't know,” Niklas replied. “I think Anik stabbed that Lowlander on the wagon.”

Ren frowned, struggling to make sense of it all. “But he's a Lowlander himself. Why would he kill his own people? They were just talking.”

Niklas shook his head. “Fuck if I know. You saw the way he fought those refugees. He poisoned the drink. Lowlanders are soulless, Ren. We've known that all along. If he did this to his own people…”

Ren looked back at the man he had killed. The man had attacked, enraged, trying to protect or avenge the brother Anik had killed. Ren had just been the closest target.

He turned his gaze on Anik. He had seemed like an honourable man. Pessimistic, rough, and rude, perhaps, but Ren had at least trusted that he was a reasonable person. The poison, this blind attack…they made no sense at all. Maybe Niklas was right – maybe it was impossible to expect decency or even logical behaviour from Lowlanders. If so, Anik didn't care who got hurt or how, simply that they did. Maybe Halvard had twisted him into that kind of person during his time as the king's slave.

“Ren? What should we do?”

“All right,” Ren said finally. “Let's tie him up and put him on the wagon.”

“Why can't we just leave him?”

“I need to know what's really going on. We'll put him in a cell when we reach Stag's Run.”

Locating his sword, Ren sheathed it. The driver watched them with caution as they approached the wagon, but he apparently put two and two together at the sight of the dead Lowlanders. Ren asked for lengths of rope and the driver untied some from around the bags of grain. Ren passed them to Niklas.

“Will you still drive us?” Ren asked.

The driver nodded, lips pressed tight.

Ren looked around. Lyle and Ira were nowhere to be seen. Unease crept up Ren's spine, but then a faint sound made him crouch down and look under the wagon. Ira flinched at the sight of him, clutching his brother tighter against her chest.