‘That’s not all, the Norts in Denirnas Port will come to our aid—’

Her laughter battered the courtyard walls. ‘The Norts? The Norts are gone, little boy.’

‘Gone? Gone where?’ He swallowed. From the very corner of his eye, he could see Kosh at the courtyard door, hunched over the mechanism, apparently engrossed in her task. He tried not to draw Nadej’s attention to her. ‘Sailed away?’

The mercenary’s voice was rasping and low, jagged-edged. ‘Scoured. Seared. Blasted into the sea by the forces of divine unification.’

‘What?’ Chel blinked and stammered. Behind him, he heard Tarfel’s sharp in-breath.

Nadej took a sharp step forward, and Whisper shifted to block her path to the prince, but she went no further. ‘They said it was like a storm,’ she whispered, round eyes bulging, mouth pulled wide in malicious delight, torchlight gleaming from her tapered teeth, ‘a maelstrom of lightning and flame, a tempest of terror, the mother of nightmares. Razed the port and sunk the Norts, did in one day what the cowardly northern lords never could. The peoples of the north would be rejoicing if they hadn’t already starved or fled.’ The smile faded, leaving only a wide-eyed grimace. ‘That’s what’s coming. That’s what’s coming for all of us. Denirnas is only the start. There’s no one left but the confessors, and it’s him they want, you dog-fucking half-wit. They want the prince. And ascension awaits for she who brings him.’

‘No.’ Chel’s voice was raw, hoarse. ‘We can stop this. We can stop them.’

‘Who the fuck do you think you are, little boy?’ she said with a trembling shake of her head, the corners of her mouth tweaking upwards once more. ‘No one can stop us. Jaul, bring me the ghost. If the other two get in the way, rip their arms off.’

The big man nodded, and lumbered forward.

‘Not just a figure of speech,’ Nadej added, her grin fully restored.

Chel pushed himself beside Whisper, blocking the big man’s path to the prince. He was shaking all over, his wrecked body surfing one last blast of adrenaline. ‘Highness, run for the door, get through with Kosh. Whisper and I will hold them up.’

Hold them up, not off. His slip of the tongue betrayed his pessimism. The only bright spot was that they were within the grounds of the Bridge House, and weapons were forbidden. He glanced down at the advancing Jaul’s enormous fists. Being pummelled to death suddenly didn’t seem very bright after all.