A Time of Dread (Of Blood and Bone #1) - John Gwynne Page 0,107

Drem said, dismounting from his pony. ‘But I wanted to give you my thanks, for your offer. It was a kind thing you did.’

‘Ach, lad, it was more to save my failing back!’ Asger grunted, though Drem saw his wife dig him with an elbow and heard the giggle of bairns somewhere beneath all the furs.

‘And maybe a hint of kindness,’ Asger admitted.

‘More than a hint,’ Drem said. ‘And I’ll not be forgetting it. Ever. When you came to see me yesterday, I thought I had nothing left to live for, and now I have two. You have a friend in me, Asger. For life.’ He looked the trader in the eye, as his da had often told him to do when you mean what you say, and Asger nodded.

‘Sure you want to stay?’ Asger said. ‘Kergard’s not what it was, and I think it’s only going to get worse.’

‘I’m sure you’re right, but I have some things to do. Have to do,’ Drem said. ‘But, there is one favour you could do for me. I’d be grateful.’

‘I’ll tell you when I know what this favour is,’ Asger said, a suspicious twist of his eyebrow.

Drem reached into a saddle bag and pulled out a package. It was about the size of a plate, wrapped tight in a cloak of black wool, tied with twine. Drem held it out, but Asger didn’t take it, just stared at it.

‘And where would you like me to be delivering this package of yours?’ Asger asked.

‘If you’re travelling south, you’ll most likely be passing their door,’ Drem said, his eyes earnest and hopeful.

‘Where?’ Asger repeated.

‘To Dun Seren. It is to be given into the hands of a warrior of their order. She goes by the name of Sig.’

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CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

RIV

Riv felt a jolt of fear and excitement with every marched step along the eastern road. She’d gone on plenty of patrols with Aphra’s hundred before, protecting a merchant convoy here, escorting state ambassadors there, even to restore peace where some dispute or other had turned bloody between villages or towns, like the incident between Bleda’s Clan and Jin’s. But this …

Kadoshim!

They might be fighting them, and soon. It was everything she’d trained for. Her whole purpose in becoming a White-Wing. It felt like some kind of lifetime fulfilment.

And, truth be told, it was good to be away from Drassil. After what had happened to Estel and Adonai, the fortress had felt different, dour and cold – something she’d never felt about the place she’d been born and raised before. Every day away from Drassil and Riv had felt her spirits lift, and the spirits of their company, as well, it seemed. Three units of White-Wings were marching down the Arcona road, the first hundred led by Aphra, the second by Garidas, ever earnest and devout, the third by a stern-faced woman named Lorina.

Riv was situated at the rear of the column, part of the retinue that travelled with Aphra’s hundred White-Wings as assistants, most of them fledgling warriors within a year of their warrior trials. In reality they performed the bulk of tasks required for a warband on the move. Making camp, digging trenches and latrines, collecting wood and building fires, securing fresh water and filling hundreds of water skins. And then seeing to the needs of whichever warrior they were assigned to, in Riv’s case her sister, Aphra, which included keeping her weapons and armour maintained, clean and polished.

Behind her rolled two dozen wains pulled by big-boned horses, the wains full of the camp supplies. And behind them two score giants marched rear-guard at the back of the column, Balur One-Eye leading them, the white-haired giant dressed for war in ringmail and leather, his great war-hammer slung across his back.

The iron-shod boots of the Hundred cracked a rhythm on the flagstones of the eastern road. An embankment fell to either side, the land stripped of trees for a good hundred paces, a task that never ended, having to be performed every year, as the forest was ever trying to reclaim what it had lost. Beyond the cleared space Forn reared tall and brooding, a wall of twisted bark and rustling leaves.

They could be in there, right now. Watching us.

It was sections of the forest like this that were dangerous, where Forn Forest had still to be thinned and searched, declared free of Kadoshim and made safe.

The sky was clear and blue up above, like a bright road between the arching canopy. Silhouettes of Ben-Elim flew