He heard the thumping rhythm of Storm running at his side, behind that Balur One-Eye’s thunderous gait and the sound of other ships grounding, his warriors pouring from their decks. The plan was simple: to gather on the riverbank and follow Meical to the top of the hill where Gramm’s feast-hall stood, where the fighting had seemed fiercest. He’d ordered Cywen to stay on the ship with Brina, Buddai and a handful of others, though that hadn’t gone down too well. Giving Cywen orders never went well.

Meical slowed before him and they spilt out of the lanes between buildings into an open space, a high wall looming above them. A bonfire crackled close by, red-cloaked warriors with black cuirasses, a white lightning bolt and coiled serpent upon their leather breast-plates were gathered around it – Jael’s men. Open gates stood to the left, bodies strewn about. Gramm’s folk. Meical saw them and charged for the gate, seemingly in a berserker rage.

Corban followed without thinking, blocked a hurried blow from a rider, Storm leaping and tearing the attacker from his saddle, ripping his throat out before they’d hit the ground.

Balur roared a battle-cry, a handful of his Benothi kin surging forwards swinging their black axes, and suddenly blood was fountaining. In heartbeats the enemy before the wall were dead or fleeing and Corban was following Meical through the open gates.

Ahead of them towered the rear of a long timber feast-hall, an open space before it of hard-packed earth. To either side of the hall were wide lanes, edged with long stable-blocks and all manner of outbuildings, and amongst them battle raged. Here and there clusters of what must have been Gramm’s warriors were holding against overwhelming odds. At the slope’s crest, before the feasthall, Corban caught a glimpse of riders in black mail with curved swords.

Jehar.

‘Tukul is here,’ Corban cried, turning to Gar, then he was raising his sword and charging into the fray, the thought of his comrades on the far side of this feast-hall fighting alone filling him with a cold fear.

Where is Coralen?