Cinda leaned out of the last carriage to blow a kiss to me and I was touched to see that she wore the silver comb I had gifted to her the previous night. She must only just have pushed it into her hair, which was too short yet to properly hold the teeth, but I was touched by her gesture. I lifted my hand and waved to her, regretting that I would never see her again, and knew that I would never forget her courage.

A trailing skein of cloud crossed the sun, and the world darkened for a moment. I was not the only one to look up to see that the clouds had an ominous bruised look. Once again there was the feel and smell of rain in the air, but there was still enough of a wind that the clouds and the storm and rains they harboured might be blown away over the mountains.

I dropped my eyes in time to see the last carriage vanish out of sight around the drive.

‘You fear for the Norselanders?’ asked Darius, who still stood alongside me.

I shook my head. ‘I do not think the seas are yet wild enough to be a danger to them and I think there is only hope and enthusiasm in the Norselands these days, neither of which is very dangerous. I was actually thinking about Dameon.’

‘Do not fear for him,’ Darius said gently. ‘He is one of those rare people who will draw strength from the very thing that would sap the will and heart of lesser folk.’

Slightly puzzled by his words, I offered the beasthealer my arm and suggested we go inside and make our way to the kitchen where he could get warm and maybe find a bite to eat, though it was still an hour or so till the first sitting for nightmeal. Darius cast another look at Kella who was still deep in animated conversation with Gevan and then he smiled and said he would be glad to go in with me.

As we made our way up the steps and across the foyer, I marvelled that the beasthealer could look so serenely upon someone he had once loved so much that it had sickened him, knowing he could never have what he desired. I did not think my own nature would bear it so bravely or gracefully. Then I clamped down on these thoughts and asked the beasthealer if he knew whether Dameon had ridden west on Faraf.

‘She wanted to carry him, for she adores him, but he feared that his errand required a speed that neither of them could manage very well. She took him to the ferry, though. Kella went to see him off with some others and she told me when she returned that two of your people had come across to fetch him: the coercer Merret and a younger blonde woman. A healer, too, I think.’