‘Wife,’ Dag grunted. ‘She came off worse.’

Ulfilas couldn’t imagine much worse than Dag’s disfigured features.

‘I wouldn’t want to meet her in the dark, then.’

‘Not much chance of that,’ Dag said. ‘I killed her.’

Ulfilas stopped asking questions after that. His mouth was dry and his belly rumbling by the time they came to a set of stone steps. Night had fallen when they emerged into a ruined room, crumbling stone all about them, apparently held together by a thick tapestry of cobwebs.

Dag led them through an archway and into woodland, the tree-tops swaying and rustling in a breeze, making shadows dance. Then something moved in the darkness, an impenetrable shadow, huge, like a tree come to life. It growled, and Ulfilas reached for his sword, stepping in front of Jael as the other warriors spread protectively around their King.

‘Peace,’ Jael said, resting a hand upon Ulfilas’ arm, then Ulfilas realized what it was.

A bear, a giant sitting upon it in a high-backed saddle.

‘Well met, Ildaer,’ Jael said.

The giant swung a leg and slipped to the ground, his blond braided hair and thick moustache appearing like silver in the starlight. He gripped a long spear in one hand, a double-bladed axe was strapped to his saddle. Two other forms shambled out of the darkness – more bear-riders, one of them female, her chin and lip hairless, appearing strangely fine-boned amidst all the lumps of muscle and bone. The three giants repulsed Ulfilas. He tried to keep his face impassive as he looked at them.

‘We have found your runaway bairn,’ Ildaer grated. He glowered down at Jael.

‘Where?’

‘What is this information worth to you?’

‘All that I promised. Every Jotun artefact found within Isiltir.’

‘That is not enough.’

Jael tensed at that. Ulfilas doubted that anyone else could tell, but he had known him so long. An inflection crept into his voice, a shift in his posture.

‘What else do you want?’

‘Land. South of the river.’

Jael looked up at Ildaer, the giant taller than any man there.

‘How much land?’

‘Enough for three hundred of my kin, and our bears.’

‘That’s a lot of land.’

‘Your Isiltir has a lot to spare.’

‘Agreed,’ Jael said. ‘Though I will choose the land.’

‘We must both agree,’ Ildaer said.

Jael looked between the three giants, then slowly nodded.

‘Where is Haelan?’ he asked.

Ildaer looked over his shoulder, at the female giant.

‘Ilska and her bear found him. He is at Gramm’s hold.’

Jael stood silent a moment.

Gramm’s! And we have his grandchildren. How did he not give the child up? He will regret that more than ever, now.

‘You are sure?’ Jael asked, his mouth a straight line.

He is angry now. If true then Gramm has played him for a fool. Gramm will not die quickly.