‘Ah, good, good. And as for you, Vedren, my dear, dear Vedren.’ Tarfel put a hand on his bad shoulder, and Chel grimaced. The prince didn’t notice. ‘What you did with those … those flying engines, those silken birds, why, it was magnificent! You may have saved us all, and I will ensure that the people of this city hear of it. You’ll be a hero!’

Chel smiled, despite himself. ‘Part of the job,’ he said. Rennic frowned.

Tarfel lowered his voice. ‘I wanted to thank you, Vedren, for your words when we arrived. I … doubted myself, and you gave me the strength to go on. We wouldn’t have made it here without you.’

Chel nodded, but his smile had frozen. Somewhere in his head, a voice was whispering, this is your fault, all this death and chaos.

Rennic intervened, impatient. ‘What are the scouts saying?’ he said.

‘That they may sue for a peaceful withdrawal after all. Perhaps they come for another parley to demand departure payment, perhaps they simply vanish into the night. Their engines are laid waste, their supplies shredded. Most of their non-believers have deserted, or no doubt plan to. That leaves a sizeable force, but their situation is greatly diminished. Another few days, and the outriders despatched by Exalted Matil may yet cross their supply lines and cut them off from behind.’

‘Have you heard from the outriders?’ Rennic said, moving past the piled sacks of sand onto the shaded balcony overlooking the plateau. The others followed.

‘Not since they left.’

‘Then they may not be coming. And we may not have a few days.’

‘Taking me prisoner can’t be worth that much more to them, surely? They have lost so many, they must realize that taking the city grows beyond them, let alone holding it. Even if the army doesn’t revolt, every day out there, away from the seat of his power, increases my brother’s vulnerability. The south must be disintegrating by now, Ruumi’s reavers, the hill tribes, the free cities – how long will the Names stand by before they demand he take action, or take up arms against him themselves?’

Rennic nodded to the gorge. ‘They still hold the bridge, and their long-wagon spans the gap.’

‘True. But the city’s captains attend my orders, and have rallied – to an extent. It seems I’ve learnt a few things from my time with you lot after all.’ The prince offered a thin smile, which Rennic ignored.

‘They can always build more engines.’

Chel pushed forward. ‘If they build more engines, we’ll torch them with kites, like before. If they come over the bridge, you’ll trap them and burn them, like before. We can see them off, for as long as it takes. As long as we have the workshops, we can fight them back.’