‘Accomplished little?’ Corban eyes snapped back to Meical. ‘It may not seem much to you, in the scheme of things, but I have accomplished what I set out to do. My sister is safe.’

‘She is not safe. No one is safe. You should know that better than most – you stood before Asroth himself. You must know what is at risk.’

Corban nodded. ‘I do. And you saved me from that, plucked me from Asroth’s throne room before his very eyes. He was going to cut my heart out. And then you followed me north, helped me save Cywen from Nathair and Calidus.’ His eyes searched out his sister. ‘You will always have my thanks for that.’

‘I do not seek thanks or praise,’ Meical said. ‘I seek victory. We are at war with a foe more powerful and evil than you can hope to imagine. I fear that another delay in the south will spell our defeat.’

‘I know what you have counselled. Because of the prophecy, about these times, about me . . .’ He trailed off. ‘As you say, I have seen Asroth, and I know that a terrible evil is stirring. I have witnessed it, and it must be stopped.’ He glanced north, towards Murias. ‘I do not possess great wisdom . . .’

Tukul heard a cough, saw Brina staring at Corban, a smile twitching her lips.

‘But there are things that I do know,’ Corban continued, ‘things that I have clung to through the dark times that I – we – have already faced.’ He waved a hand at his friends. ‘Family. Friendship. Loyalty. These things have been my guiding star, my light in these dark times.’ He looked to his mam’s cairn beside the stream.

He stopped then and met Meical’s gaze.

‘Edana sent the raven Fech to find me, to tell me of what had happened in Domhain, how she was fleeing back to Ardan. She asked that I find her, if I can.’ He shrugged. ‘My heart tells me that I should do that. I swore an oath to her.’

Tukul glanced at Gar and nodded. I like this young man. He had felt his spirit soar at Corban’s words, even though it sounded as if he was building up to rejecting Meical’s advice, and in Tukul’s experience that had never ended well. But I like what I hear. If it were me, I hope I would have said exactly the same. Although the fact that Corban seems to be taking counsel from a scruffy old raven over the high captain of the Ben-Elim is a little worrying.

‘This time, Corban, your heart is misleading you,’ Meical said. ‘Passion, emotion, those are Elyon’s blessings upon your kind, but they can blind you as well as guide you. You must go to Drassil.’

‘A question,’ Corban said. ‘Our journey to Drassil. How would we get there?’

‘We would ride south, until we reach the river Afren, then we would turn east into Isiltir. Beyond that is Forn and Drassil.’