He told Vonn and Brogan to put on black and gold cloaks and patrol the walkway. ‘Keep an eye out, just in case Morcant forgot something,’ he grinned again.

‘Aye, chief,’ Brogan said. Camlin quite liked the sound of that.

He headed back to the tower with Baird, found Drust putting his men to work, dragging the dead out into an open space before the tower.

‘Twenty-one of Morcant’s dead,’ Drust said as Camlin approached.

‘There’s another six dead on the wall,’ Camlin said with a jerk of his thumb over a shoulder. ‘Five more at the gates.’

‘Thirty-two, then. More than you guessed. Bad odds for my men, bad guess from you.’

‘How many dead of ours?’ Camlin asked.

‘Three,’ Drust said.

‘Don’t know what dice you’ve been playing but that sounds like good odds to me,’ Baird said.

‘A risk worth taking,’ Camlin added. ‘We need that chest of silver.’

They found the chest in a room at the back of the first floor. Camlin just smiled when they opened its lid, the silver glowing in reflected torchlight.

Half a dozen men carried it out while others found the wain it had arrived in and harnessed an auroch up to it. When Camlin emerged from the tower the day was bright, all of the enemy warriors stripped of their useful items – weapons, boots, armour, warrior torcs.

‘Take their cloaks,’ Camlin said to Drust. ‘Anything else with Rhin’s colours or sigil.’

‘We’ll not be wearing Rhin’s black and gold,’ he spluttered.

‘Might come in handy,’ Camlin said with a shrug. ‘This is the second newly built tower we’ve passed in the last ten-night. My guess is they’re in your – the resistance’s – honour. Might have to do something about that.’

‘What do you think they’re up to?’

‘Flushing you out. Morcant wants results. Did you see the pyre piled high out on the hill? Looks suspiciously like a warning beacon to me.’

Drust nodded thoughtfully. ‘Let’s get that chest onto a boat.’

They left the hold behind; the ground levelled as they approached the marsh. Meg came scampering out from a tall bank of sedge.

‘There’s someone over there, on the north slope in the long grass. He’s watching you. Best not look – don’t think he can see us from where he is, but better safe than sorry.’

‘How many?’ Camlin asked.

‘Just one that I saw,’ she shrugged. ‘Could be more. Saw him hobble his horse and sneak closer. He was good at it.’

‘Better get this chest loaded,’ Drust said. ‘I’ll send a few swords to poke him out of the long grass.’