Within, there were a nobles clothes, with the symbol of the blackened flame upon them. There was armor, and a pouch filled with money that Odd had brought in the hope that he could bribe his way into the monastery. There was a second pouch that contained his signet ring and the jewels of his family.

Atop lay a sword. It was long and slender, with a grip designed for two-handed use and an elegantly scrolled hilt of dark metal. Its blade was covered by a sheath of black leather, but Odds memory supplied the brightness of the steel and the etchings upon it. Odd knew the work that it had taken to produce, because hed had to wait for it for so long that it had been like waiting for news of a lost lover. Now it seemed to call to him in the same way.

Take what is yours, Sir Oderick, the abbot said. Take it and be gone. Take a boat if you will. Maybe the act of my dying will give you time.

Odd fingered the armor, but he let it lie, along with the nobles clothes. He took the sword, though, because there were some bonds too strong to ignore. He took the pouches too, because he would need their contents, along with a length of rope. He stood and stared at the abbot.

I might no longer be a brother, but I am not Sir Oderick either, he said. And you… you are a fool who is about to die for no reason. You could run.

But then I would not be the man I am, the abbot said, and those words made Odd angrier than ever. He turned before he could act on that anger.

Ill go, he said. And if your monks have any sense, theyll go too. King Ravins men arent here to be kind or gentle.

He stalked from the abbots quarters, heading through the monastery. He was aware that the brothers there were staring at him, but right then he didnt care. Let them stare. Let them all see the man he was, the man who had saved their miserable lives. He headed for a patch of wall he hoped he would be able to climb down, seeing brothers turn toward him as he passed. When he reached the part he wanted, he looked down. Good, there were no enemies below this spot, only clustered around the gate.

Odd turned to his home… his former home, and called out.

The abbot is going to open the gates. If you think they wont slaughter you, then youre fools. I know what kind of men they are, because I was that kind of man. Run now, while you can.