sniffed. ‘They’ll need you in Andhun.’
‘There are already two thousand of us in Andhun and more on the way.’ Corvin laughed. ‘They don’t need me.’
‘The Vathen still outnumber you ten to one. You saw how many there were.’
‘It didn’t help King Tane.’
‘Perhaps not, but the Vathen aren’t the Marroc either.’
They sat in silence for a while, watching the fire die. ‘Grow back your beard, Gallow,’ said Corvin. ‘Stay in Andhun. Fight with us.’
‘I have a wife and family who’ll be waiting for me in Varyxhun.’
‘You still have a wife?’ The Screambreaker snorted. Gallow couldn’t answer that, not easily. Yes. He did. But . . .
He shook his head. ‘I have sons, Screambreaker. I should abandon them?’
‘Tell me, Gallow, would you see them grow up as Marroc or as Lhosir?’
He had no answer to that. Both.
‘Go and fetch them. When the Vathen are broken, bring them back across the sea and raise them as they should be raised.
We’re
your people, Gallow, not these sheep. You can’t escape that. I saw you fight the Vathen outside your home. You made me proud. You were a warrior.’ He laughed. ‘I’ll not quickly forget how we sat on our stolen horses, mailed and with sharp iron in our hands, the two of us and all those Marroc circled around, scared out of their wits. I could barely keep my head up. Sheep, Gallow. You live among sheep and yet you remain a wolf.’
‘They do make a good ale though.’
‘That they do.’
They slept under the stars. In the morning Gallow carefully lifted a sod of turf and buried the remains of their fire and the bones of the rabbit beneath it. He pushed them on as hard as he dared, stopping only for water and to hunt with the last of the Vathan arrows. Another day took them to the edge of the hills. The Screambreaker was getting stronger. Three or four more would see them to Andhun, and then . . . And then to Varyxhun. To Arda. He’d have to face her and face what she’d done. He dreaded it.
At the top of the last rise before the plains he stopped. Andhun was out there somewhere, beyond the horizon haze. ‘I tell you one thing, Screambreaker. There’s simplicity to battle. Sometimes having a family feels like having to run kingdom in a court where no one listens to a word I say.’
The Screambreaker laughed. ‘I can’t offer you any kingdoms but I can find you a fight or two if that’s what you’re after.’ He pointed out over the plain to a plume of smoke a few miles away, too large to be a campfire. ‘What’s that?’
Gallow squinted. ‘There are Marroc farms and villages here. Nothing else. Andhun is that way.’ He pointed off into the haze. ‘Another three nights.’
‘And will these Marroc farms and villages have food for us? My belly rumbles and you’ve used up all our arrows with your poor shooting.’
‘The Screambreaker
I
remember could catch a rabbit with his bare hands.’
Corvin laughed. ‘I could never do that. I did see a man kill a rabbit with his axe once. A fine throw.’
‘A lucky one.’
‘I thought so, but it was Jyrdas One-Eye back when he had two, and so I chose to hold my tongue.’
They sat on their horses, watching in silence as the smoke rose.
‘That’s too big for a campfire. That’s a house burning, or else a barn,’ said Corvin. ‘That means Vathen. How many down there, do you think?’
‘More than two.’ Gallow wrinkled his nose. What were the Vathen doing this far from the coast?
‘There might be some of your precious Marroc to save.’
‘Doubt it. For all we know the whole Vathan army could be between us and Andhun by now. The wise thing would be to avoid them. Stick close to the edge of the hills and circle round. Come at Andhun along the valley of the Isset.’ Then again, the Isset valley itself could be crawling with Vathen looking for a place to cross the river.
The Screambreaker shrugged. ‘There’s only one way to know, Gallow, and I
am
hungry. When it’s
‘There are already two thousand of us in Andhun and more on the way.’ Corvin laughed. ‘They don’t need me.’
‘The Vathen still outnumber you ten to one. You saw how many there were.’
‘It didn’t help King Tane.’
‘Perhaps not, but the Vathen aren’t the Marroc either.’
They sat in silence for a while, watching the fire die. ‘Grow back your beard, Gallow,’ said Corvin. ‘Stay in Andhun. Fight with us.’
‘I have a wife and family who’ll be waiting for me in Varyxhun.’
‘You still have a wife?’ The Screambreaker snorted. Gallow couldn’t answer that, not easily. Yes. He did. But . . .
He shook his head. ‘I have sons, Screambreaker. I should abandon them?’
‘Tell me, Gallow, would you see them grow up as Marroc or as Lhosir?’
He had no answer to that. Both.
‘Go and fetch them. When the Vathen are broken, bring them back across the sea and raise them as they should be raised.
We’re
your people, Gallow, not these sheep. You can’t escape that. I saw you fight the Vathen outside your home. You made me proud. You were a warrior.’ He laughed. ‘I’ll not quickly forget how we sat on our stolen horses, mailed and with sharp iron in our hands, the two of us and all those Marroc circled around, scared out of their wits. I could barely keep my head up. Sheep, Gallow. You live among sheep and yet you remain a wolf.’
‘They do make a good ale though.’
‘That they do.’
They slept under the stars. In the morning Gallow carefully lifted a sod of turf and buried the remains of their fire and the bones of the rabbit beneath it. He pushed them on as hard as he dared, stopping only for water and to hunt with the last of the Vathan arrows. Another day took them to the edge of the hills. The Screambreaker was getting stronger. Three or four more would see them to Andhun, and then . . . And then to Varyxhun. To Arda. He’d have to face her and face what she’d done. He dreaded it.
At the top of the last rise before the plains he stopped. Andhun was out there somewhere, beyond the horizon haze. ‘I tell you one thing, Screambreaker. There’s simplicity to battle. Sometimes having a family feels like having to run kingdom in a court where no one listens to a word I say.’
The Screambreaker laughed. ‘I can’t offer you any kingdoms but I can find you a fight or two if that’s what you’re after.’ He pointed out over the plain to a plume of smoke a few miles away, too large to be a campfire. ‘What’s that?’
Gallow squinted. ‘There are Marroc farms and villages here. Nothing else. Andhun is that way.’ He pointed off into the haze. ‘Another three nights.’
‘And will these Marroc farms and villages have food for us? My belly rumbles and you’ve used up all our arrows with your poor shooting.’
‘The Screambreaker
I
remember could catch a rabbit with his bare hands.’
Corvin laughed. ‘I could never do that. I did see a man kill a rabbit with his axe once. A fine throw.’
‘A lucky one.’
‘I thought so, but it was Jyrdas One-Eye back when he had two, and so I chose to hold my tongue.’
They sat on their horses, watching in silence as the smoke rose.
‘That’s too big for a campfire. That’s a house burning, or else a barn,’ said Corvin. ‘That means Vathen. How many down there, do you think?’
‘More than two.’ Gallow wrinkled his nose. What were the Vathen doing this far from the coast?
‘There might be some of your precious Marroc to save.’
‘Doubt it. For all we know the whole Vathan army could be between us and Andhun by now. The wise thing would be to avoid them. Stick close to the edge of the hills and circle round. Come at Andhun along the valley of the Isset.’ Then again, the Isset valley itself could be crawling with Vathen looking for a place to cross the river.
The Screambreaker shrugged. ‘There’s only one way to know, Gallow, and I
am
hungry. When it’s
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