The King

'Not thinking can get you killed.' He didn't want to carry Garzik's dead body back to Dovecote estate. Not that the old Lord would let him in the front gate. Ah, Elina… somehow he had to make things right between them. For now he concentrated on the things he could control. 'Silence and vigilance. We are in the territory of a warlord who has not renewed his fealty oath.'

Garzik nodded and, with a touch on his shoulder, Byren moved on to the next man on night watch. Orrade's outline was hard to pick out against the rocks.

Creeping up as silently as possible, Byren whispered, 'No trouble?'

'Heard you coming,' Orrade muttered.

Byren could hear the grin in his friend's voice, and a reluctant smile tugged at his lips. He could never stay angry with Orrade.

'Couldn't you sleep, Byren?'

'I like doing extra night watches after marching all day.' He lowered his voice. 'Must keep an eye on your brother, Orrie. Garzik's a brave lad but he's got a lot to learn.'

Orrade sighed. 'I know. Were we ever that young?'

Byren laughed softly. He wished Orrade had never confessed how he felt.

Since they'd marched out of Rolenhold, Orrade had said nothing about his confrontation with Cobalt, even though Byren had made an effort to be alone with him on several occasions. Byren didn't know what to do. He couldn't believe Orrade would betray his plans to Cobalt, yet, considering the alternatives, he found it hard to think otherwise.

Taking a deep breath, he tried to broach the subject tangentially. 'It's a surprise to see Illien back, see him as Lord Cobalt.'

He felt Orrade stiffen.

'Do you know what he argued with his father over all those years ago?' Orrade asked.

'No.' Byren was surprised by the question. 'Lence and I were only seven at the time. The grown-ups never told us.'

'I think it would be worth knowing.'

'What are you saying, that Cobalt can't be trusted?' Tell me, Byren willed Orrade to speak, tell me so that I can help you. Though, in truth he did not know how he could help either of them.

'I did not say that. But I think it is odd that Utland Raiders risked the winter seas to attack Port Cobalt precisely when he was there.'

'He explained that. There were spies in Ostron Isle who knew he carried a king's ransom in jewels.'

Orrade let his breath out slowly. 'That sounds believable. But what of his bride? It's rare for raiders to kill women and girls.'

'An unlucky blow, I guess.' Byren didn't want to defend Cobalt, least of all to Orrade. He decided to throw caution to the winds. 'If you were in trouble, you'd tell me, wouldn't you, Orrie?'

'You mean apart from being disinherited and having the possibility of being accused as a Servant of Palos hanging over my head?'

'Eh!' Byren grinned, acknowledging a hit. 'But you're not a Servant of Palos, you're a…' He found he couldn't say it. The memory of Orrade in Cobalt's arms still made his blood boil.

Orrade snorted. 'A lover of men. Even you can't bring yourself to say it. And no one seems to be able to separate the two.'

Byren cleared his throat, aware that his face was flushed. He was grateful for the starlight that leeched colour from everything. 'I don't get it, Orrie. Many's the time you've gone wenching with Lence and I. What makes — '

Orrade turned to him. 'Many's the time you've bedded girls gifted by grateful villages, what made that last girl different?'

'I told you. Elina.'

'What about Elina?'

'I've given my heart and my body goes with it.' As the words fell from Byren's lips, he realised they were true.

Orrade said nothing with great eloquence.

Byren made the connection. Orrade loved him like that? He wanted to argue that Orrade's feelings for him were different, but honesty forced him to ask who was he to say? They had faced death together and lived. He had not shared that with Elina.

While Byren brooded over this, several shooting stars speared across the sky towards the pass. Star-rocks were highly prized by renegade Power-workers.

'What will you do when we get to Unistag Stronghold?' Orrade asked.

He had no idea. It all depended on how he found things. He gave himself a mental shake and checked the wandering stars. 'Almost time for the next watch. I'll go back and wake them.'

He would also check on the sentries on the other side of the camp. The path was narrow here with a big drop on one side. Jagged rocks poked through the powdery snow. The soft squeak of something heavy compressing the snow made him hesitate.

Whumpa.

Something collided with him, but because he'd hesitated he took a glancing blow to the shoulder and not the full impact. The foetid stench of a carnivore filled his nostrils.

Chapter Sixteen

As Byren regained his balance he found his sword was already drawn. Ideal for warriors, not so good for the predators. He didn't want to get that close. With a yell, Byren threw himself back. A dark head with blazing eyes speared into the place where he had been a moment before, jaws slashing. A second blazing-eyed head lunged. Two of them.

He yelled again.

His boot snagged on a rock as he tried to back up. His legs went out from under him. Thump. He hit the ground, almost losing his grip on his sword. Two sets of blazing eyes reared over him. He saw long necks, vestigial wings.

Still, he could not make sense of what he saw.

'Over here!' Garzik yelled to distract it, charging in from behind.

'Freezing Sylion!' Byren muttered. They didn't even know what they were fighting and Garzik was going to tackle it alone. Byren struggled to his feet and felt Orrade almost collide with him.

Against the starry sky Byren saw Garzik wrestling with a man-high snake. No, it had small forearms and vestigial wings. Where its tail should have been a second head reared up, eyes blazing like lamps.

'Amfina,' he warned. Both heads had to be removed before the beast died. If only the primary head was removed the secondary would become primary by growing horns, and the damaged end would sprout a secondary head.

Garzik screamed with pain.

Byren lunged in, attacking the secondary head which turned and went for him, jaws snapping. He jerked aside, swinging his sword, but the amfina weaved away. At least the primary head released Garzik. To attack him. It darted in before Byren could bring the sword up. He only escaped the lunge by throwing himself back on the snow, narrowly missing a large, balanced rock.

Orrade had already run around and was dragging Garzik out of reach of the Affinity beast. Garzik left an ominous dark streak on the snow.

The secondary head speared down. Byren rolled, bringing the sword up, straight into the creature's mouth. The head reared back, pulling the hilt from his hands which left him with only his hunting knife. Again.

'Help Byren, not me!' Garzik urged.

The primary head swung in an arc, going for Byren's face. He slashed, leapt and rolled. Luckily the injured