‘You shall have them. But, once you find Edana and send word to me, how do you suggest I bring a warband in there?’ He looked at the marsh, lip curling in disgust.

‘Buy boats. Build boats. Steal boats. That’s how they’re getting around in there, and it’s the only way you’ll move a significant amount of men.’

There’s a forest a few leagues behind me, and every village situated about this stinking mosquito-infested latrine will have fisher-boats.

‘We can do that,’ he said.

‘You’ll need a lot of boats for that lot,’ Braith observed, looking back up to the tower.

‘I don’t think even that will be enough,’ Evnis said. ‘I’m sending a messenger back to Dun Carreg for more warriors. We don’t know how many are in there – fifty, a hundred, three hundred, five? I don’t want to go to all this hard work, get our warband in there only to find out that we’re outnumbered.’

‘Makes sense,’ Braith said. ‘And you’ll want to leave Morcant’s towers manned, in case they decide to bolt and run. Not enough for a fight, but enough to track them if they go running.’

‘Aye. Good,’ grunted Evnis. For all of his arrogance he is a good man to have around in a situation like this. And whatever arrogance he has, it is as nothing to that preening peacock over there.

Morcant had just stood and listened, glowering every now and then into the marshland.

‘Long as I get that chest of silver back,’ he muttered.

‘You might never see it again,’ Evnis said, enjoying seeing him squirm a little.

‘If I don’t I’ll be telling Rhin you’re the reason it’s gone,’ Morcant snapped.

‘Ha, that silver was gone before I arrived. You wouldn’t even know about it for another ten-night if I hadn’t been here.’

Morcant stalked up to him, his blade in his hands, and Evnis fought the desire to take an involuntary step back.

‘I will have it back, or I’ll have blood,’ Morcant snarled.

‘I can promise you one of those,’ Evnis told him, glaring.

‘And what if you see your son again?’ Morcant sneered. ‘Will you betray our position again? Perhaps you should not come.’

‘You do not make the decisions here,’ Evnis said, cold and hard now. ‘And I promise you all, I shall not act again as I did today. The next time I see him, my son will join me, or he will die.’

CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT

VERADIS

‘I do not think this is a good idea,’ Lykos said as he leaned back in his chair and tipped more wine into his mouth.

‘Why not?’ Veradis asked him.

‘Because none of the people that you have invited to this party like me.’

‘That is probably true—’

‘Definitely,’ Lykos interrupted.

‘You are safe enough for now, this is a rowan-meet; it is sacred.’