Inside, the tower consisted of one huge circular room, a broken stairwell spiralling upwards about its edge. A fire-pit burned in its centre, the remains of a spitted carcass crusting black. Vin Thalun were scattered about the room, eating, singing quietly, drinking. A score maybe, no more. Alben pointed. Maquin squinted, not seeing anything at first, then he noticed the iron spike hammered into the ground. Two thick chains were attached to it, trailing off into the shadows beneath the stairwell. Two hulking figures crouched in the darkness, barely visible, but Maquin knew them in an instant.

Lykos’ giants.

Alben tapped his shoulder and they stole away from the window, back to the others grouped in the darkness. Alben whispered an explanation of what he and Maquin had just seen.

‘Are they the giants that Fidele spoke of?’ Alben asked Maquin.

‘Aye. A female and a bairn. They are Lykos’ giants.’

‘Why are they here?’

‘Why does he have them?’

The questions started to snowball.

‘It does not matter,’ Maquin interrupted. ‘All that matters is that they are precious to Lykos and that they are within our grasp.’

‘What are you suggesting?’ Alben asked him.

‘That we take them from him.’

‘Eight of us against thirty, near enough,’ Alben said. He was looking at Maquin with his head cocked to one side.

‘It can be done,’ Maquin said, returning his gaze. ‘The guards, by stealth – that’s six, evens the odds a little.’

‘And the score in that tower?’ Alben said.

‘I’m thinking you have a plan for that already.’

Alben stared at him a moment longer, lips twitching.

‘How would we get the giants back to Ripa?’ someone asked.

‘The same way they were brought here – under guard,’ Maquin said. ‘We would need to kill every man here. Word cannot reach Lykos. It would be a difficult journey back to Ripa, but there are enough of us to guard them, and you know the forest paths. We would slip back into Ripa as planned, under cover of darkness.’

‘And if the giants do not cooperate.’

‘They are mother and child. I saw with my own eyes that she will do anything to protect her bairn.’ Maquin shrugged, a ripple in the dark. ‘All we must do is convince her that it is better for her bairn’s health that she cooperate rather than fight us.’

Alben stared at him long moments, then he nodded.

Maquin crouched below the tower window. Alben had left one warrior with Maquin – Valent, one of Krelis’ men, a veteran of many sea battles with the Vin Thalun before the peace of Aquilus – and taken the others into the darkness.

‘I will deal with the guards. Wait for my signal,’ Alben had said as the shadows claimed him. Maquin had not bothered to ask what the signal would be.

I’ll know it when it happens.