‘We ran into the remains of Gold Peak Company. They’ve taken up with the church after all. They had a wagon, they were guarding it, loaded with kegs like the one we saw at the citadel, the one that cracked the wall.’

‘A wagonful of witchfire,’ Lemon breathed. ‘Fucken hells. So that’s what went up.’

‘Black powder, Nadej called it.’ Chel tried not to think of it, tried not to remember, concentrating only on the Before. ‘That wasn’t all. There were crates, straw-packed, with these spiky metal balls inside.’

‘Maces?’

‘No, bigger.’ Chel gestured. ‘With thin prongs, like this. What did you call them, Kosh? Devilled eggs?’

‘Ajagarandan. Demon eggs.’ Kosh rubbed at her eyes. Her voice was an anguished whisper. ‘How did they make so much, so quickly?’

Loveless had her head on one side. ‘I’m guessing from the name these things are bad news. What else does it mean?’

‘What I’d like to know, more than that …’ Lemon said, her round eyes narrowed to crinkled lines. ‘I’d like to know where those red bastards learnt how to make witchfire. Only time we ever saw anything like this, well, was the day those black ships hauled into Denirnas and cremated half the Ducal Guard.’ Kosh was staring back, guarded, tense. ‘See, what I could never work out was why those fellows came knocking that day, what it was they wanted. But I think I’m beginning to put it together now, eh?’

Chel looked from one to the other. ‘What do you mean?’

Kosh only scratched at her hair, tugging at the frayed, dyed ends.

Lemon went on, warming to her topic, now addressing the others around the fire. ‘Now let’s say we have an alchemist, proud, a bit stupid but capable.’ Behind her, Kosh sniffed in indignation. ‘Knows a bit about making things go whoosh and boom. Word gets out to people with motives, let’s say secret rulers of a corrupt church by way of example. They seize said alchemist, drag her – or him – away and lock in a dungeon, demand all the secrets. In the meantime, alchemist’s fellows take umbrage, come knocking, blockade the entire north of a kingdom, but, well, secret ruler doesn’t care, does he? He’s got what he wanted. The stick to beat all sticks. The stick to secure his empire. Only question left is …’ She turned to Kosh, looking her dead in the eye, her gaze burning like witchfire. ‘How much did you tell them?’

‘I told them nothing!’

‘Oh, aye? You were down there a long time, not a mark on you!’

‘Nothing, I say!’

‘Then how in royal fuck did they master the great burning wrath of hellfire? They fucken guessed?’

‘I … It was …’

‘Spill it, you wee shite. You come clean now, you can help us fix this fuck-up of yours before things get any worse.’