‘No. His wolven killed my da. Tore his throat out. Did this to me.’ He lifted his shirt sleeve and showed Braith a ragged white scar that stretched almost from wrist to elbow. ‘And Corban put a sword in my leg.’ He shrugged. ‘He’s my score to settle.’

Braith stared at him in the darkness. ‘Think you might want to walk away from that one,’ he said after a while.

‘Why?’

Braith shook his head. ‘Just take my word for it – a bit of advice from one friend to another.’

‘He’s nothing special,’ Rafe spat. ‘I will see him dead.’

Braith gave him a measuring look. ‘I’ve crossed paths with him a few times now,’ he said. ‘Most recently I took him prisoner in the mountains near Dun Vaner.’ He fell silent, eyes distant. ‘Me and my crew almost didn’t make it to Dun Vaner, on account of that white wolven of his and his friends. They chased us to the gates of the fortress. Then they found a way in and killed just about every sword Rhin had. They had some help, granted, but still, storming Rhin’s fortress; took some stones, that did.’

‘You sound as if you admire him. Them,’ Rafe said accusingly.

‘Suppose I do,’ Braith said. ‘Takes a rare person to inspire his friends to try and drag him out of an enemy fortress. Nothing wrong with a bit of respect for your enemies. Won’t stop me from killing them if I get the chance.’

‘That wasn’t the first time you’ve seen Corban, then?’

‘No. First time was in Dun Carreg when, me being the fool I am, I decided to rescue Camlin. Somehow Corban became mixed up in it, with his sister and the wolven – not much bigger than a pup, then.’ He laughed. ‘He had some stones on him, even then. I saw him again – here in the Darkwood; like I said, he was part of the rescue party that came after Queen Alona and Edana. I think him and his wolven are the reason they found us.’ He grimaced at that. ‘You’re best off just walking away from him. He’ll meet a bad end, eventually, but I don’t think it’ll be by your hand.’

Rafe stared sullenly into the fire.

Walk away from my vengeance? Never.

Dun Carreg was a dot on the horizon in the east, the Baglun spread before him. They had followed Halion for another ten-night, three days through the Darkwood, another seven through the moors and valleys of Ardan. They’d stopped at Badun for as long as it took to buy two horses and then set off south, Halion’s trail skirting away from the giantsway and heading south through empty moorland towards the eastern fringes of the Baglun Forest.

‘We’ll have to part ways for a while now, lad,’ Braith said to him.