CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE.

LYKOS.

Lykos scrambled on the ground, fists pulling up chunks of gra.s.s and dirt. Maquin's face loomed over him, standing over the corpse of Kolai.

He was scared, and angry with himself for being scared, but the fear was winning out over any thoughts of revenge, screaming at him to get away.

Maquin lost a few moments as he dragged his knife from Kolai's skull and shoved the collapsing body out of his way, moments that Lykos determined to use well. Finally he managed to roll out from the chair that he had become entangled in, rose to a crouch and leaped towards the canvas of the tent wall. Fumbling for his knife, he managed to draw it and slash at the fabric, tearing a rent large enough to fit his upper body through. He hurled himself through, crashing out into cold daylight to land on his head before a line of frowning eagle-guard, beyond whom his Vin Thalun were milling.

He clambered to his feet and ran, Maquin's snarling face appearing through the tear in the tent. Lykos lunged to the side and heard a knife whistle past his ear to thud into an eagle-guard shield.

'Stop him!' Lykos yelled at the top of his voice, the first ranks of Veradis' eagle-guard parting to let him through. 'Protect Veradis, defend your lord,' he bellowed, voice cracking.

The eagle-guard were moving, sweeping around the tent like a closing fist. Some of his Vin Thalun had seen him and were moving his way.

Faster. Move faster.

Lykos looked back to see that Maquin had cut his way out of the tent. He saw Lykos, seemed blind to the fact that Lykos was surrounded by eagle-guard, and a horde of Vin Thalun were growing closer with every heartbeat, because he just snarled and ran at Lykos.

Does the man not know when he is beaten?

Nevertheless that wave of fear that had only just calmed swept up again.

He killed Kolai in less than ten heartbeats.

Lykos looked about frantically, heard someone in the eagle-guard shout and saw shields thudding together.

Maquin threw himself against them, managed to pull one man out of position; Lykos saw the glint of iron as swords were drawn.

'Do not kill him,' Lykos yelled.

Someone clubbed Maquin with the hilt of a sword. Maquin staggered, grabbed a shield, was clubbed by more men.

Lykos sucked in a few breaths, felt relief, then anger sweep his fear away. Then a deep joy.

The Old Wolf is mine again. Then he smiled.

He heard a scream, looked to see Fidele half in and half out of the tear in the tent. She was looking at Maquin, trying to climb out, but hands were pulling her back.

Peritus?

Amazing the difference half a day can make. Life is looking far more promising than when I woke this morning. I will come and find you soon, he promised Fidele.

The first of his Vin Thalun were about him now, looking at him with confused, questioning glances. He strode towards Maquin, beckoning for his warriors to follow.

The Old Wolf was on his knees in the gra.s.s, a ring of eagle-guard about him.

'My thanks,' Lykos said to a serious-looking warrior who seemed to be in charge. 'I'll take him now.' The eagle-guard looked at him suspiciously.

'You'd best get inside that tent your Lord Veradis has been attacked.'

The eagle-guard yelled some orders and they hurried away.

Lykos looked down at Maquin, Vin Thalun all around pointing iron at the pit-fighter.

'What a good day this is turning out to be,' said Lykos as he squatted down beside Maquin. Not too close Maquin was bleeding from his scalp, but you could never be too careful with this man.

Maquin breathed deep through his nose, hawked and spat blood. 'I can smell your fear,' he said.

'No, you have that wrong,' Lykos said, leaning as close as he dared. 'You're mine now. And this time it will be forever.' He stood up. 'Oh, and you need to stop killing my shieldmen.' He spun and kicked Maquin in the head, stunning him.

'Take him to my quarters,' Lykos ordered. 'Twenty men on each shift.'

As his warriors bound Maquin and dragged him away, Lykos processed what had just happened, what he'd glimpsed inside the tent as he'd been rolling over in his chair.

Lamar with a sword in his belly. Marcellin the new steward of Tenebral. He snarled, glaring over at Marcellin and his warband, resenting Nathair and his decision to remove him from power.

I will get it back.

He looked at the rowan-meet tent, could hear the sound of grieving from within, people shouting. He called a dozen men to him and marched up to it, cautiously entering.

Eagle-guard were everywhere, hovering mostly, some attempting to clean up the mess Maquin had made. Kolai's corpse had been lifted to one side of the tent, where he lay staring at nothing, a red hole in his jaw, blood drying upon his chest.

An exceptional warrior. What a waste. Is there anyone that the Old Wolf cannot kill?

Veradis was kneeling in the centre, his sword discarded and red to the hilt, Lamar lying on the ground, head upon Veradis' lap. Veradis was stroking his father's head. Lamar was breathing, though he was as pale as the dead and it looked as if an ocean of blood had spilt into the gra.s.s about them.

How did that happen?

The silver-haired man who had been present in the rowan-meet was kneeling with them, hands stained red, bent over Lamar's wound.

Lykos only gave them a perfunctory glance.

There she is.

Fidele was standing beside a tent pole, Peritus with her, as well as Ektor, the sickly son of Lamar whom Lykos had never seen before. He had a stunned expression upon his face, like a man after a battle. It looked as if Fidele and Peritus were arguing. A trio of eagle-guard hovered close by.

'My lady,' Lykos said behind her.

She almost leaped away, fear washing her face. That made Lykos happy. Then she got angry and reached for a knife at her belt. Peritus gripped her wrist.

'Now, is that a way for a wife to greet her husband?'

She spat in his face. 'I'll put a knife through either yours or my own heart before I let you touch me again,' she hissed at him.

'You should be careful, the promises you make. You may have to fulfil that one.'

'I intend to. Where is Maquin?' she asked, something other than rage seeping into her voice.

'In my care,' Lykos smiled. 'He will be well looked after.'

'He is my shieldman, I demand that he be returned to me.'

'I don't think so. He is a slave. My slave, my escaped property.'

'You will give him back, unharmed, or I will have your head today, and no force in the world of flesh will stop me.'

She spoke with such utter conviction that for a moment he believed her.

'Don't worry, I have no desire to kill him, quickly.' He smiled. 'Living will be a greater punishment for him.'

'You will-'

'I will do as I please,' he hissed, feeling his anger begin to wax like the tide. 'And you will stop telling me what to do, unless you want Maquin's head as a gift.'

The three eagle-guards nearby stepped closer, watching him suspiciously.

I must tread carefully. They love her more than they do me, and I no longer have the effigy Calidus gave me, or the regency of Tenebral. Power is a fickle master.

He let his eyes wander her face and body. 'I had forgotten how beautiful you are,' he said. 'And look, you gave me this.' He lifted his shirt and twisted to show a scar low on his back. 'I treasure it,' he whispered. 'And when you are back in my bed, we shall discuss what would be a fitting punishment for betraying your husband so . . . thoroughly.'

Her fingers twitched for her knife again.

'As much as I would love to stay and chat, I have work to do. But we shall talk again.'

'There is nothing left to say until we are both standing before Nathair,' Fidele said. 'He shall decide the right and wrong of this.'

'This is a reprieve for you, nothing more,' Peritus said. 'Once we are before Nathair, you will know justice.'

'We shall see,' Lykos said.

'Return Maquin to me,' Fidele called after him.

Never, b.i.t.c.h.

Veradis' voice filled the room, shouting No, over and over. Alben was staring at him, shaking his head.

Lamar's chest had stopped rising and falling.

Krelis darkened the tent entrance, came staggering over, as if drunk.

Veradis looked up at him. 'He's gone,' he said, palms open and b.l.o.o.d.y.

Krelis snarled and punched down at Veradis, again and again, men rushing to pull Krelis off. He shrugged them away, carried on punching, blood spattering from Veradis' face. He made no effort to fight back, or even to pull away.

Then Alben clubbed Krelis across the back of the neck with the hilt of his sword, subduing him enough to enable warriors to pull him away.

Lykos left the tent, shaking his head.

Family.

The gates of Ripa's tower were open and Lykos strode through as if he owned them, a hundred Vin Thalun about him. The Old Wolf is shackled, but he's not my only enemy.

Veradis' eagle-guard had stepped in during the confusion of the rowan-meet's end, when rumour had spread and violence hung in the balance. The warband of Ripa had snapped and snarled like an angry dog, for the moment without clear leadership as Lamar was slain and Krelis was grief-stricken. Caesus, Veradis' captain, had brought up his warband and ordered the men of Ripa to stand down. After a few tense moments they had, and now Lykos thought to take advantage of the confusion that had spread in the rowan-meet's wake.

That Caesus is one to watch followed Veradis' orders without hesitation, and it was clear he'd have killed his own countrymen without any hesitation. Another fool too loyal to think for himself. He shook his head. Where does Nathair find them?

He strode through a timber feast-hall, through an arched doorway; the floor became stone as he entered the tower; a spiral staircase stood before him.

Up or down? Where are they? He sent half of his men up, took the rest with him and spiralled downwards, footsteps echoing as he wound his way deep into the rock of Ripa's cliffs. At every corridor he sent men to search, until he was left with only a dozen men about him. Soon he found what he was looking for. A bolted door, two guards outside men of Ripa. They stood uncertainly before him. He snapped an order and quickly had them overwhelmed and disarmed, then unbolted the door and kicked it open.

'Ahh, here you are,' he said as he peered in.

The giantess Raina and her bairn Tain were standing against the far wall.

The first thing Lykos noticed was that their collars were gone from their necks.

He stepped into the chamber and Raina snarled at him like a cornered wolven. Tain appeared hostile, too, but in a more brittle way, the kind you'd see in a wild horse fire that could turn to flight. He clutched a chair in one hand.

Lykos' men flowed into the room, Lykos pacing closer, drawing his sword.

'I have missed you,' he said, arms open in friendly greeting.

'Come no closer,' Raina growled. He saw a piece of chain in her hands.

'You do not tell me what to do,' Lykos snarled. 'I thought you learned that lesson long ago.' He stepped closer still, stopped a dozen paces away. 'I hope that you have enjoyed your respite, because it is over. You are mine again.' He looked at her hands. 'I see that you have kept your collar and chain. Very helpful of you.'

'To crush your skull with.'

Lykos sighed. 'Need we go through this? If you resist, I will kill your son. I don't need both of you that is just a luxury, an extra surety. So.' He looked between them both, saw Raina's will wavering. He raised a hand and his men drew closer, spreading into a loose arc around the two giants.

'Well?'

Raina's eyes darted around the room, and she took a step closer to her son, part shielding him behind her. Lykos saw her eyes narrow and knew her answer. He drew his sword. She snarled and stepped forwards, hurling the collar at his face with startling power and speed, holding onto the chain, wielding it like a whip. He threw himself to the side, saw the collar crunch into a warrior's face behind him, the man crashing to the floor in a gurgle of blood and teeth.

A Vin Thalun grabbed the chain, which in hindsight was a mistake, as he was pulled hurtling forwards towards Raina, grabbed by Tain and pummelled with a chair.