‘Thank you,’ Corban said, lips twitching. ‘Fech, you fly ahead, give us warning of Rhin’s warband. Craf, see if you can spot Nathair and the Kadoshim.’

Craf and Fech flapped into the air, spiralled upwards together, then separated – one heading south, the other north.

The warband jerked into motion, Corban leading a central column along the crumbling road. A number of the Jehar horses now bore an extra rider – the villagers who had escaped the Kadoshim in the woods.

Only a score or so.

Meical had counselled to leave them, but Corban had steadfastly refused.

‘They will slow us,’ Meical had told him.

Corban had looked horrified. ‘I cannot abandon them to the Kadoshim.’

‘Leaving them is not a death sentence; they will likely survive here, all they need do is hide until the Kadoshim have passed by.’

‘And what if the Kadoshim find their trail? What if the Kadoshim are hungry?’

They had all seen how the Kadoshim in the woods had started feasting on those they caught, and the survivors were telling similar tales from the attack on their village.

‘This is war, Corban. Hard decisions must be made – they can make the difference between victory and defeat.’

Corban had asked the villagers if they would rather accompany the warband or stay and hide. Not one of them wanted to stay behind.

‘I’ll not leave them,’ Corban said stubbornly, and that had been the end of that. Meical shook his head but said no more.

Our Ben-Elim is finding his Bright Star less compliant than he expected. Tukul had just shrugged. An extra score we can absorb. And besides, we may have some spare horses soon. Those of our own dead or of our enemies.

They’d been travelling a little while when a squawking drew Tukul’s attention. There was something frantic about it. He turned and looked back, saw a black dot in the sky, growing larger.

Is that one of ours? He could not remember which bird had flown north – Craf or Fech? Something was in the sky higher above it, another black dot, suddenly streaking downwards.

‘Craf!’ Brina shouted, and she was riding back. Corban followed her, the warband slowing, rippling to a halt. Tukul wheeled his mare around and galloped after Corban.

Craf had just reached the woods when the hawk hit him.

Brina screamed.

There was an explosion of feathers and the two birds spun together, Craf squawking in terror, the hawk’s talon’s snatching at the smaller bird.

The whole warband watched helplessly as the birds fought and twisted through the air. Dath had his bow strung and an arrow nocked, but it was impossible to take a clear shot.

Then another bird crashed into them.

Fech.