Camlin laughed at that. ‘So did I,’ he said, still chuckling. ‘Perhaps we can be reconciled, eh?’

‘I don’t think so,’ Braith said. The smile disappeared from his face. ‘But I can even the score.’

He stood, looking about the marshes at the endless banks of reeds, willow and alder.

‘Where is she, Cam? Your new Queen?’

‘If you think I’m going t’be telling you that,’ Camlin said, ‘then you don’t know me.’

‘If you think you won’t tell me,’ Braith said, moving closer to Camlin, ‘then it’s you who doesn’t know me.’

I’ve seen Braith put people to the question. He tries to be their friend first, gets what he can that way, then lights a fire under their feet, just to make sure.

There’ll be no torture here,’ a voice said. Vonn, sounding just about as commanding as Camlin had ever heard him. ‘You will take us to my father. We will not talk to men such as you.’

Braith smiled at Vonn, walked over to him.

‘Get him up,’ Braith said, the warrior behind Vonn yanking him to his feet.

‘My father is the regent of Ardan, representative of Queen Rhin and—’

Braith punched Vonn in the gut, doubling him over. He grabbed a fistful of Vonn’s hair and yanked him upright.

‘Your father is not my king,’ Braith snarled. ‘I answer to Rhin, no one else, so your precious father can go kiss my arse. And you’ll not be giving out your orders to me, or any of my crew. Is that clear?’

‘All two of them,’ Camlin murmured.

Vonn dribbled spittle.

‘I said, is that clear?’ Braith repeated, bunching his fist.

‘Aye,’ Vonn muttered.

‘Good,’ Braith said, letting go of Vonn’s hair, the young warrior dropping to the ground.

You tried, lad, I’ll give you that.

‘Don’t you worry, Vonn, I’ll take you to your da soon enough. Not sure what kind of welcome you’ll get, but at least you’ll live to find out, which is more than I can say for my old friend Camlin.’

Braith spun around and kicked Camlin in the face. He fell back, pushed himself onto one elbow and spat blood, and a tooth.

‘I’m going to leave you with that thought for the night. Come morning I want answers to my question. Where is the bitch, Edana? Answer true and I’ll end it quick. No pain. If I don’t believe you, well, I’ll be taking this knife,’ he drew it from his belt, the one he’d used to cut his man’s throat. ‘And I’m going t’start taking body parts off you. Think I’ll start with the fingers on your bow hand.’

Camlin lay close to the stream, his arms stiff and the skin on his wrists rubbed raw. Beside him lay Vonn – sleeping, he thought, from the steady rhythm of his breathing.