eager to make amends for his error. ‘It’s Farrowgate, my lord. The village has been saved! Some brave Highlanders and their companions slew the dreadful abomination that had been preying on its residents. Of course,’ he added, with a conspiratorial grin, ‘where there is disaster there is opportunity. The village is in desperate need of supplies. The early bird gets the worm, hmm?’
Farrowgate. Barandas had forgotten about the tiny settlement on the outskirts of the territory. He had intended to send a small detachment of Watchmen to investigate the reports of monstrous activity, but he had been so busy with war preparations the last couple of weeks that it had slipped his mind completely. ‘You mentioned Highlanders?’
‘Indeed. Two of them. Grim fellows. They looked in pretty rough shape, what with their injuries and all, but I tell you: I wouldn’t like to be the man who got on the wrong side of them.’
Barandas stared. Highlanders… the Wailing Rift!
The loss of the Rift meant the creation of new Augmentors was now entirely dependent upon the successful return of the ships sent to the Swell. If he could do a single thing right this day, it would be to enact justice on the bastards who collapsed the mine.
‘Thurbal,’ he said, moving to stand before his scowling deputy. He could hear that strange ticking sound again, the same noise he had heard during the temple massacre. ‘The scoundrels who sabotaged the Rift have been spotted in Farrowgate. Retrieve your scimitar and gather Garmond and a score of Watchmen.’
The grey-haired Augmentor rose to his feet immediately. His scowl was gone, replaced by the happy grin of a child who has just been handed an unexpected gift. ‘Garmond’s already here.’
Barandas turned away from the deputy to see the giant Augmentor approaching. He was dragging something along the ground.
It was a body of a young man. The corpse was coated in dirt and the head was a bloody mess, but the boy’s identity was unmistakable.
‘Caught him trying to flee town,’ Garmond said. ‘He won’t be going anywhere now.’
Barandas stared at the broken skull of the quarryman and then up at Garmond. He’s a monster. But what can I do? Discipline him? The boy was a deserter. He turned to Lieutenant Toram.
‘The gold you were to present to this lad’s mother? Double it. Tell her… tell her there’s been a terrible accident. He slipped and fell into the quarry.’
‘Aye, my lord.’
Barandas closed his eyes. It had been a long and difficult day. He longed to return to his comfortable estate in the Noble Quarter and take Lena in his arms. Before he could do that, however, he needed to check in on Marshal Halendorf and review how recruitment elsewhere was faring.
When duty beckoned, a man had no choice but to answer its call. Duty was what defined him; it gave him purpose in a world of chaos and uncertainty.
A man who neglected his duty was no man at all.
Bonds of Blood
Brodar Kayne shifted on the old mattress and looked out of the window beside him. The sun was out, casting its warmth down on the small farming settlement. Villagers went about their daily routines in a perfunctory manner, still coming to terms with the disaster that had befallen the community. Only the timely arrival of their small group had saved Farrowgate from utter destruction.
He stared up at the sun until tears stung his eyes. The physician, Gaius, had warned him to keep away from bright light as a precaution, but he couldn’t resist. He had been without his sight for the best part of three days. There was a moment of absolute terror when he thought he might never see again, and that had unmanned him in a way he hadn’t thought possible. To his great relief, his vision had returned shortly after.
The infection in his wound had cleared and his flesh was well on the way to knitting itself back together. As an unexpected bonus, the prolonged rest had eased the aches and pains that had been troubling him for months. All things considered, he was feeling better than he had in years.
There was a knock at the door. He sat up on the bed and then pushed himself to his feet. ‘That you, lass?’ he said.
Sasha entered the room, looking annoyed. She frowned at him with those big dark eyes of hers. ‘You should be in bed.’
He made a face. ‘It’s been three weeks. I reckon that’s about long enough.’ He ran a rough hand