reconcile my father and my brother, Chris. I must find a way to combine their visions of the future and so make this kingdom whole. My brother needs David Le Garou in order that he may confound relations between the packs and the Haun. Until this is done, we cannot act.’
‘Your brother’s wrong. You said it yourself.’
‘But perhaps not about this. We just need to wait and—’
‘I have waited! In Algiers I waited! Every passing year I told myself, soon will be the time! Soon! But it never came! And then you asked me to come here and, God forgive me, Razi, I said yes! I said yes and I left my girls there! Slaves to those vile creatures! I gave up on my family and I believed in this new life of yours. But the Wolves are here! Look at them! They’re here! There is no new life! I want their blood, Razi! You promised me their BLOOD!’
On the word ‘blood’, Christopher’s voice rose into a howl. It was a savage, elongated sound, and Wynter couldn’t help it – she took a frightened step back from it. The shadows surrounding her friend were suddenly too thick and Christopher was lost in them. Then he moved, a sly flicker of darkness, and she jumped.
‘Coinín!’ snapped Sólmundr.
Christopher stilled. There was a moment of silence. ‘I’m still here,’ he whispered. ‘I know who I am.’
Sól nodded, and Wynter understood why Christopher had asked him to stay. The warrior gave Christopher a warning look and stepped back again.
‘I will find a way, Christopher,’ promised Razi quietly. ‘Both to secure my father’s kingdom and to finish this.’ He rose to his feet and held out the necklace. ‘I swear it.’
Christopher came at last from the shadows. ‘You can swear all you like,’ he said, ‘but it wasn’t you that got these. It was the Merron.’ He took the necklace from Razi’s fingers, and he stared coldly into Razi’s eyes until his friend ducked his head and left.
‘Oh, Chris,’ said Wynter, ‘that was unfair.’
Christopher did not look at her. He just stood with the necklace of silver teeth in his hand, his eyes on the door, his face hard.
‘Tabiyb has saved us from Shirken’s plan,’ said Sólmundr softly. ‘He tell lie to his brother, and so has saved us. I must admit, it surprise me that he not take his revenge. It make me think that he will to let Úlfnaor go. It make me think he will to let us all go, even after what we did.’
‘Aye,’ whispered Christopher. ‘Well . . . Razi ain’t no hypocrite.’ He lifted the necklace, the silver teeth glittering between his scarred fingers. ‘But he ain’t no Merron, either, is he, Sól?’
Wynter did not like the implications of this. ‘Christopher,’ she said, ‘you must not act.’
Christopher looked at her, that stubborn razor of a look which she had always admired and which now sent a spear of icy panic through her heart.
‘Chris,’ she said, ‘please, I beg of you, do not act.’
‘Don’t worry, lass,’ he whispered. He gave her a smile, but it was a thin sliver of a thing, his lips stretched tight across his teeth, his eyes hard – and he did not give her his promise.
TRINKETS AND HONOUR
‘WHAT WE do about them?’
‘Nothing. Like Tabiyb say.’
Sólmundr glanced at Razi and back again to Úlfnaor. ‘We just to roll and show our bellies, this is what you say?’
‘No one is asking you to roll over for the Wolves,’ said Razi. ‘I’m simply asking for time, that’s all.’ His eyes flickered to Christopher, but his friend, hard-faced and silent, did not look up from his dinner. ‘Not everything can be solved with a sword to the back of the head, Sólmundr. Give me time to find a better way.’
‘When we get to talk to the Prince, then?’ asked Sól. ‘When the Merron get to make our case for new life?’ Neither Úlfnaor nor Razi replied, and Sól shook his head in disgust. ‘So,’ he rasped, ‘we pissed on at home. We pissed on here. And now we must to lie down and let Wolves piss on us too.’
‘I told you, Sól. No one is asking you—’
Christopher stood abruptly, left the remains of his meal by the fire and strode away. There was a moment of silence; then Wari took Christopher’s abandoned dinner and began eating it. Hallvor looked at him in amused disapproval and the big man shrugged blandly. After a decent moment, Soma helped herself to a