‘I cannot come. I have to be in Mikil in less than a moon. It would take almost that to ride to Gramm’s hold. You will have to do this work for me.’

Ulfilas went to hurry away but Jael reached out and grabbed his arm.

‘You understand the import of this?’

‘I do,’ Ulfilas said.

‘My crown rests upon finding that child.’

‘I will find him, my King. What would you have me do with him – bring him in chains before you?’

‘The only part of Haelan that I am interested in seeing is his head. Bring that to me so that I can display it beside his mother’s; leave the rest of him at Gramm’s, the crows are welcome to him.’

CHAPTER FORTY-NINE

CAMLIN

Camlin smiled at the reunion between Edana and Halion. They hugged as tightly as kin, Edana laughing, then crying, and then laughing some more. Halion’s grin was so wide it looked as if his face would split. Camlin left them to it. I need to talk to someone. He took himself for a walk around the perimeter of the encampment, though calling it that was over-generous. Disorganized and sprawling was closer to the truth.

Won’t be good if Braith leads a few score warriors in here. Pendathran had guards spread around the camp and deeper into the marshes, but the encampment was becoming unguardable. Shacks had been made out of anything handy – walls latticed out of willow and alder, packed with mud. But they were everywhere, along the lake’s shore, amongst stands of trees, spreading up the banks of streams. And there were dozens of those feeding into the lake. Any one of them could become a line of entry for Braith. He looked around with a growing tension filling his chest. It’d be a bloodbath.

Braith. The time at the tower had been a day of shocks, and no denying. Didn’t think I’d be seeing him again. Last time I saw him he was poisoned, had a hole in him and was falling into the sea. How did he survive? He felt a worm of fear wriggling deep in his belly. Braith was a formidable enemy, a fine woodsman and a man who made it his business to resolve all grudges. Those qualities combined do not make the future that attractive.

You could leave. Run. As far away and as fast as you can. You know he’s going to be coming for you. He sighed at the voice in his head. I’m long past running from this crew. But we found our way back easy enough, and that was rowing blind, and like madmen.