Whirling on his feet, Rogan saw a young woman gazing at him intently, a stout piece of wood in her hands that she'd evidently been using as a club. She was a pretty thing, and he instantly felt his heart go out to her when he saw the bruises on her arms and the splashes of blood on her dress.

"What?" he panted.

"I'm Amber."

"You're too young," Rogan blurted. When she'd said she was an enchantress he'd pictured a matronly woman with steel-grey hair and a parade-ground voice. He looked then at the young woman's eyes, and with the wisdom of his years he could see that she had seen much, too much perhaps. "I'm sorry," he said.

"Thank you," she said, "I know it can't have been easy for you. We couldn't have held much longer."

He still couldn't believe this was the woman who had organised the revolt. Rogan, a man uncomfortable with women at the best of times, suddenly knew then what he needed to do.

"Can't have been easy for me?" he said, shaking his head.

Amber's eyes began to well.

Rogan took Amber by the shoulders, looking down at her from his height. "I am so, so sorry, for what you've been through here. It's over now." He repeated the words twice more before she seemed to realise. "It's over," he whispered, opening his arms.

Amber fell forward, as the girl let go of the iron restraint she'd held over herself, realising her ordeal was over, and fell into the fold of the grizzled warrior's arms.

"They took him from me," Amber said as she sobbed.

"Shhh," Rogan said as he hugged her. "I know they did."

Rogan felt a squeeze on his shoulder, and, opening his eyes, saw Amelia give him that special look she gave him alone. He let Amber cry herself out, and rather than feeling proud of what he'd done here, he cursed himself that he had taken so long, that any of the prisoners had spent one second longer here than they needed to.

Finally Amber let go of him, and he saw the strength once again go into her brown eyes, the full lips become set with determination.

As Rogan felt the rage build within him, he let it feed him, and give him energy. He gathered himself for the long night ahead, and, looking around him, he saw his men do the same.