townspeople, who had come to watch.
'Open the gates!' Piro had lost her shoes, or she would have kicked the wood.
The warriors muttered at her effrontery.
Tyro stared down at Piro, looking stunned. 'I can let you in, but not the townspeople, by the mage's orders.'
'By the mage's orders?' Piro was furious. 'My father never turned people away. It is the mage's duty to take these people in and protect them. Let me in and I'll tell him so, if you're afraid to.'
Tyro looked grim. After a moment he said something to the men behind him and turned back to the bridge. 'Stand aside, captain. Mage Tsulamyth offers asylum to the people of Ostron Isle.'
Even as he spoke the gates swung inwards and the soldiers backed their horses with bad grace. The captain shook his fist at Tyro.
'I'll report this to the comtissa!' he roared and rode off.
Piro ignored him and marched onto Mage Isle with a dozen people at her back. By the time Tyro came down the stairs she'd sent the children and their mother to the kitchen and ordered a hot bath run for the half-drowned boy. Word was already spreading back to the crowded wharf.
'The men can bed down in the stables,' Piro told the gate-keeper. 'Women and children can go through to the hall.' She turned and found Tyro beside her. 'If that's all right with you.'
'It's the mage's decision,' he said, then his eyes widened as he saw the number of people flocking towards the bridge.
'They're desperate. You did the right thing,' Piro told him. 'Sometimes you have to do what you believe to be right, even if other people don't understand.' She bit her bottom lip. She had no reason to like Tyro, not after the way he had tricked her. But… 'Will you get in trouble with the mage?'
One corner of his mouth lifted. 'No more than usual.'
'Byren,' Orrade whispered, face so close to his in the dim predawn that the warmth of his breath brushed Byren's skin.
He woke instantly, pulling back, only too aware of his honour guard asleep on the floor.
Orrade placed one knee on the bed. 'Byren, listen — '
He lifted a hand to silence Orrade but his friend kept speaking.
'…saw them, coming over the Divide. The sooner we strike the better.'
'Come all the way in.' Byren pressed his back to the carved head-board, as Orrade climbed onto the bed and let the canopy fall, so that they were private from the others. 'Now start again and keep your voice down.'
'I saw Leogryf's warlord march his warriors over the Divide. They wore cobalt-blue ribbons on their helmets.' Orrade rubbed his temples, frowning in concentration.
'An Affinity vision?'
Orrade nodded. 'Complete with thumping headache, and now I have grey moths clouding my sight.'
Fearful of someone overhearing and Orrade's Affinity being exposed, they both glanced to the canopy at the end of the bed, beyond which the honour guard slept. They could see nothing, of course, and the soft snoring continued as normal.
'I knew we could not trust Lord Leon,' Byren whispered.
'It wouldn't surprise me if he'd already made a pact with Cobalt before he came here to judge our strength and discover our plans.' Bitterness stretched Orrade's voice thin. 'I had a bad feeling about him. But I…' He shrugged. 'Will you commit your army on the strength of my vision?'
'I'm alive because of one of your visions.'
They were silent for a moment. Byren could not help but recall the kiss when Orrade found him in the seep and they both thought he was dying. To be on the receiving end of such love…
The bed curtain on the other side flicked open as someone slipped in, letting it fall behind them. Blinded by the darkness, they felt for Byren.
He lunged forwards, caught their arm and pulled them flat across the bed, pinning them with his body, feeling the firm curves of a woman's body, smelling the scent of… 'Florin?'
'Get off me.' She thrust at his chest with all her strength. It was not enough. And Byren realised she might be trained, she might be fast but, if a warrior got past her weapons, she had the strength of a lad. He wouldn't send a boy into battle, not if he could help it.
Florin thumped him, annoyed by her inability to make him budge. 'Off me, you great lump.'
Orrade chuckled.
Florin went still.
'Orrie had a vision,' Byren explained. 'Why are you here?'
She shoved and Byren pulled back. There was rustling as she sat up. 'The Lady Cinna's bird returned with a message. It must have been important because she ran right back to Feid's bed and they were whispering madly under the canopy. I heard something about betrayal.'
'So the warlord's pretty new wife is an Ostronite spy after all,' Orrade whispered.
'And Feid,' Florin added.
'But that does not mean Feid intends to betray me,' Byren said.
There was a knock at the chamber door. All three of them froze. Winterfall answered. Someone asked for Byren.
Before Winterfall could discover Orrade and Florin in his bed, Byren thrust open the canopy and stepped out. 'What is it?'
'The warlord's sent for you.' Winterfall kept his voice low. 'Do you want me to come too?'
'No.' He wanted Orrade with him. Anything was better than leaving him in a warm bed with Florin. But he could hardly ask Orrade to step out from his bed canopy now. 'I'll be right there. Wait here.'
He threw on breeches, a shirt and boots. The stone floor was cold as he followed the servant down the passage. The pool of golden lamplight illuminated just enough to see where to place his feet.
At the warlord's chamber Feid sent the servant off and invited Byren in. A lamp burned, illuminating a chamber much like his own. The fire had been lit and Lady Cinna waited, wrapped in a blanket on the floor by the fire. She scrambled to her feet as Byren entered.
'What is this?' Byren asked, wondering if half a dozen of Feid's honour guard waited in the next chamber with their swords drawn, but he did not think Feid would risk his pregnant wife in a brawl.
'We've had news,' Feid said. Like Byren, his breeches and shirt looked as if they'd been thrown on in haste. 'Leogryf's warlord has taken his men over the Divide. We need to strike now, before he can unite with Cobalt.'
'How do you know this?'
Feid deliberately did not glance to Cinna. 'A spy told me.'
'Do you trust this spy?'
'With my life.'
Byren let his breath out slowly as Cinna came to stand behind Feid, slipping her hand into his. Clearly, Cinna was more than a kitchen maid become lady. Yet, just as clearly, she adored Feid.
'Byren?' Feid pressed.
'You're right. Send word to Unistag Spar.'
Back in his chamber he found his honour guard awake and Orrade with them. He didn't dare ask how his friend had slipped out of the bed without being seen.
Enough pale dawn light filtered in for him to see his honour guard's faces. They all turned expectantly, as he entered.
'I've sent a message to Unistag Spar. We leave today.' His last words were drowned by their cheers.
Orrade sent him a wry look.
At Byren's signal the others fell silent. 'It's lucky Corvel is here with his warriors. Without the women and children we'll move fast. I'll lead Corvel's men and the majority of my men over the secret pass and across the foothills. The Rolencian side of the fort won't be as heavily defended. Orrie?'
His friend nodded.
'You wait here for Unistag's warriors. Lead an attack on the fort, at dawn on the fifth day. Don't waste lives, but make it look like you mean it. I want the fort's defenders firmly focused on the threat from Foenix Spar when we attack the other gate.'
