‘Who, then?’

‘Parasim, I think.’

‘Parasim?’

‘He’s a gentler person. If we tell him not to kill anybody, he won’t make any mistakes.’

‘All right, then,’ he said from between clenched teeth. ‘Parasim,’ he said to the young knight standing sorrowfully nearby, ‘take a dozen men and run down the animals who did this. Don’t kill anybody, but make them all very, very sorry that they ever came up with the idea.’

‘Yes, my Lord,’ Parasim said, his eyes suddenly glinting like steel. Sephrenia gave him directions, and he started back to where the other knights were gathered. On his way, he stopped and uprooted a thorn bush. He seized it in one gauntleted fist and swung it very hard at an unoffending birch tree, ripping off a fair-sized chunk of white bark.

‘Oh, dear,’ Sephrenia murmured.

‘He’ll do just fine.’ Sparhawk laughed mirthlessly. ‘I have great hopes for that young man and great faith in his sense of the appropriate.’

Some distance away, Flute was standing over the scattered graves. She was playing her pipes softly, and her melody seemed to convey aeons of sorrow.

The weather continued cold and unpleasant, though no significant amounts of snow fell. After a week of steady travel, they reached a ruined castle some six or eight leagues west of the city of Darra. Kalten and the main body of the Pandion Knights awaited them there

‘I thought you’d got lost,’ the blond man said as he reined up in front of Sparhawk. He looked curiously at Flute, who sat in front of Sparhawk’s saddle, her bare feet both on one side of the black horse’s neck and with Sparhawk’s cloak wrapped around her ‘Isn’t it a little late for you to be starting a family?’

‘We found her along the way,’ Sparhawk replied. He took the little girl and handed her across to Sephrenia.

‘Why didn’t you put some shoes on her?’

‘We did. She keeps losing them. There’s a nunnery on the other side of Darra. We’ll drop her off there.’ Sparhawk looked at the ruin crouched on the hill above them. ‘Is there any kind of shelter in there?’

‘Some It breaks the wind, at least.’

‘Let’s get inside, then. Did Kurik bring Faran and my armour?’

Kalten nodded.

‘Good. This horse is a little unruly, and Vanion’s old armour has rubbed me raw in more places than I care to count.’

They rode up into the ruin and found Kurik and the young novice, Berit, waiting for them. ‘What took you so long?’ Kurik asked bluntly

‘It’s a long way, Kurik,’ Sparhawk replied a bit defensively, ‘and the wagons can only move so fast.’

‘You should have left them behind.’

‘They were carrying the food and extra equipment.’