‘All is not lost,’ Calidus said. ‘Correct me if I am wrong, Nathair, but your plan was to summon our allies to Tenebral: the kings of Isiltir, Carnutan and Helveth, for a council of war?’

‘It was.’

‘Well then, if we march the cauldron back we could travel through Isiltir, send messengers ahead and summon Jael, Gundul and Lothar to meet us at some practical location; say, Mikil.’

‘Good,’ Nathair said, nodding slowly. ‘We would need to move fast, to reach Mikil before winter comes.’

‘Aye. It could be done.’

‘A good plan,’ Veradis said.

‘You will not be coming, I’m afraid,’ Calidus said.

‘What?’

‘I have heard news from Lykos in Tenebral. There is trouble brewing – a rebellion. He claims he can deal with it, but he is Vin Thalun, born to fight on the seas. Land war is not his speciality. I think he needs some help. Take the galleys and your warband back to Tenebral. You can put down this rebellion and then meet us in Mikil.’

‘What?’ No. How can I be parted from Nathair, again. What kind of first-sword spends his life fighting hundreds of leagues apart from his king?

‘And you want me to go?’

‘Yes,’ Nathair said. ‘There is no one else whom I would trust with such a task.’

‘But I am your first-sword, I should be at your side,’ Veradis said pleadingly to Nathair.

‘And you are also my battlechief. Do this for me, redeem yourself for yesterday’s failure.’

Veradis sighed, feeling his heart sink. ‘Who leads this rebellion in Tenebral?’ he asked.

Nathair looked at him sorrowfully. ‘Your father.’

Veradis walked through the corridors of Uthandun in search of Nathair.

Two nights had passed since Nathair had arrived, and he had hardly seen his friend and King, and then only amidst a press of voices all clamouring for Nathair’s attention. Even then Calidus would always appear and send him off on some other task.

And now it was the day of leaving and so Veradis had left his chambers while it was still dark, determined to find Nathair, only to find that his King’s chambers were unguarded and empty. Muttering curses Veradis marched through corridors, flickering torchlight fading as the corridors became pale with dawn.

Eventually he found Nathair on the meadows beyond Uthandun’s walls. He was standing in a shallow dell, an area roped off into a paddock sheltered by a line of trees that edged a stream. The King of Tenebral was standing with his draig, throwing the great beast quartered sections of an auroch. Alcyon was standing a few strides away, a dark silhouette in the pale dawn.

‘I have been searching for you,’ Veradis said as he approached. Nathair looked up but said nothing, just went back to pulling chunks of meat and bone from a sack and throwing them to his draig.

‘I did not think I was that hard to find,’ Alcyon said.