Nathair pinched his nose.

‘I have given you all the necessary facts. The Black Sun is in Forn. We must go after him. To bring the might of our warbands against him we have to build roads for them to march upon, to bring them supplies, to be able to fight without a tree branch getting lodged up your arse.’

I think he’s getting angry.

‘There may be other options.’

Nathair slammed a fist onto the table. ‘I have not travelled a thousand leagues, fought myriad battles, dethroned kings and crowned new ones and stormed the gates of Murias to come here and haggle like a fishwife over options.’ He was shouting by the end of the sentence.

Belo just stared at Nathair, fingers still steepled under his chin.

‘This an alliance,’ Belo said calmly, ‘not a dictatorship. You do not rule here, or command the kings of the Banished Lands.’

Nathair went very still.

Calidus rose beside Nathair and touched his arm. The King of Tenebral had gone pale. He took a deep breath and sat.

Calidus faced Belo and spoke. ‘There are weapons in Forn,’ the old man said. ‘Relics from the Giant Wars and the Sundering. We have to take them from the Black Sun. To leave him is to allow him to become stronger, and to consolidate his power.’ Calidus’ voice was deep and resonant, soothing in its pitch and cadence, and Ulfilas felt himself nodding in agreement with the old man’s words. ‘If left, one day he will emerge from Forn, stronger, too powerful by far, and prepared to annihilate us all.’

‘That does not sound so good,’ Gundul muttered.

‘No. Best we strike now, before he grows stronger,’ Jael said.

‘That is our reasoning as well,’ Calidus said good-naturedly.

Jael has a motive to fight this war, to chase this warband into Forn: Haelan. To catch one is to catch the other. But these other kings, why do they need to do this? To commit their warbands to such a mammoth task?

Ulfilas studied the faces around the table and could see that some at least were thinking along similar lines. Lothar was nodding thoughtfully. Gundul just looked scared. Belo, though, did not look impressed with the idea of carving a route through Forn.

‘So you would have us build roads?’ Belo asked.

‘That is right. Summon your warbands and we shall begin our search for Drassil and the Black Sun.’

‘Forn is a big place,’ Belo said.

‘Best then that we start sooner rather than later,’ Nathair grated.

‘There is someone missing from this table,’ Belo said. ‘Someone whom I have heard has joined your, our, alliance. Queen Rhin.’

‘She will come,’ Calidus said. ‘She is securing her borders, but when we call for her, she will come, and bring a mighty warband with her.’