‘She is?’

‘Aye. Dow offered me charge of his Carls.’

‘You’re Black Dow’s Second?’

‘Just ’til the battle’s done.’

Flood puffed out his cheeks. ‘What happened to never sticking your neck out?’

‘Didn’t take my own advice. Still want in?’

‘Why not?’

‘Happy to have you back, then. And your lad too, if you say he’s up to it.’

‘Oh, he’s up to it, ain’t you boy?’

The boy didn’t say a thing.

‘What’s your name?’ asked Craw.

‘Beck.’

Flood thumped him on the arm. ‘Red Beck. Best get used to using the whole thing, eh?’

The lad looked a bit sick, Craw thought. Small wonder, given the state of the town. Must’ve been quite a scrap he’d been through. Quite an introduction to the bloody business. ‘Not much of a talker, eh? Just as well. We got more’n enough talk with Wonderful and Whirrun.’

‘Whirrun of Bligh?’ asked the lad.

‘That’s right. He’s one of the dozen. Or the half-dozen, leastways. Do you reckon I need to give him the big speech?’ Craw asked Flood. ‘You know, the one I gave you when you joined up, ’bout looking out for your crew and your Chief, and not getting killed, and doing the right thing, and all that?’

Flood looked at the lad, and shook his head. ‘You know what, I think he learned today the hard way.’

‘Aye,’ said Craw. ‘Reckon we all did. Welcome to the dozen, then, Red Beck.’

The lad just blinked.

One Day More

It was the same path she had ridden up the night before. The same winding route up the windswept hillside to the barn where her father had made his headquarters. The same view out over the darkened valley, filled with the pinprick lights of thousands of fires, lamps, torches, all glittering in the wet at the corners of her sore eyes. But everything felt different. Even though Hal was riding beside her, close enough to touch, jawing away to fill the silence, she felt alone.

‘… good thing the Dogman turned up when he did, or the whole division might’ve come apart. As it is we lost the northern half of Osrung, but we managed to push the savages back into the woods. Colonel Brint was a rock. Couldn’t have done it without him. He’ll want to ask you … want to ask you about—’

‘Later.’ There was no way she could face that. ‘I have to talk to my father.’

‘Should you wash first? Change your clothes? At least catch your breath for a—’

‘My clothes can wait,’ she snapped at him. ‘I’ve a message from Black Dow, do you understand?’

‘Of course. Stupid of me. I’m sorry.’ He kept flipping from fatherly stern to soppy soft, and she could not decide which was annoying her more. She felt as if he was angry, but lacked the courage to say so. At her for coming to the North when he had wanted her to stay behind. At himself for not being there to help her when the Northmen came. At both of them for not knowing how to help her now. Probably he was angry that he was angry, instead of revelling in her safe return.