The sides of the valley were coated in white snow. The black road ran through it like an old scar, down to the bridge, over the river, up to the gates of Carleon. Black sprouts of sedge, tufts of black grass, black stones poked up through the clean white blanket. The black branches of the trees were each picked out on top with their own line of white. The city was a huddle of white roofs and black walls, crowded in around the hill, pressed into the fork in the black river under a stony grey sky.

Logen wondered if this was how Ferro Maljinn saw the world. Black and white, and nothing else. No colours. He wondered where she was now, what she was doing. If she thought about him.

Most likely not.

'Back again.'

'Aye,' said Shivers. 'Back.' He hadn't had much to say the whole long ride from Uffrith. They might have saved each other's lives, but conversation was another matter. Logen reckoned he still wasn't Shivers' favourite man. Doubted that he ever would be.

They rode down in silence, a long file of hard riders beside the black stream, no more than an icy trickle. Horses and men snorted out smoke, harness jingled sharp on the cold air. They rode over the bridge, hooves thumping on the hollow wood, on to the gate where Logen had spoken to Bethod. The gate he'd thrown him down from. The grass had grown back, no doubt, in the circle where he'd killed the Feared, then the snow had fallen down and covered it. So it was with all the acts of men, in the end. Covered over and forgotten.

There was no one out to cheer for him, but that was no surprise. The Bloody-Nine arriving was never any cause for celebration, especially not in Carleon. Hadn't turned out too well for anyone the first time he visited. Nor any of the times after. Folk were no doubt barred into their houses, scared that they'd be the first to get burned alive.

He swung down from his horse, left Red Hat and the rest of the boys to see to themselves. He strode up through the cobbled street, up the steep slope towards the gateway of the inner wall, Shivers at his shoulder. A couple of Carls watched him come. A couple of Dow's boys, rough-looking bastards. One of them gave him a grin with half the teeth missing. 'The king!' he shouted, waving his sword in the air.

'The Bloody-Nine!' shouted the other, rattling his shield. 'King o' the Northmen!'