A Time of Blood (Of Blood and Bone #2) - John Gwynne Page 0,106

enough for you,” Uldin said, nodding to his honour guard with the sack. The warrior stepped forwards and emptied its contents on the ground.

A severed head rolled across the stones, strips of skin, flesh and gristle draping from its neck. It was a woman, Bleda thought, though it was hard to tell. Her face looked malformed, eyes sunken, the skin stretched too tight, its mouth misshapen. Her lips were fixed in a savage rictus of a snarl, revealing a mouth that looked too big for the face it was set within, and either side of its elongated canines were rows of sharp, needle-like teeth.

Bleda resisted the urge to take a step away from the severed head.

“What is that?” Hadran said, moving closer and leaning in for a better look.

“I do not know, but they are hard to kill,” Uldin said. “A dozen arrows, a spear in its belly, but only when I took this one’s head did it stop trying to sink its teeth into me.”

Erdene stood and nudged it with her toe, sending it rolling in an arc across the stones.

“This is intolerable,” Kamael said. “Kadoshim and their followers so close to Drassil. We must send out the White-Wings.” He looked to Hadran, and Bleda realized that Kamael did not have the authority to order such a campaign.

“Yes,” Hadran said. “We shall muster the White-Wings and fly out with them.”

“White-Wings, on foot?” Uldin said. “Better to send your giants on their bears. White-Wings would take a moon to walk the journey we have ridden since we were attacked.”

“Ethlinn and Balur One-Eye are not here,” Hadran said. “They are at Dun Seren.”

“Send for them,” Kamael said.

“Dun Seren is the opposite direction,” Hadran said. “Word must be sent to Kol, but it is too far for Ethlinn and her bear-riders to reach us and then march on this new threat. Might as well send out the White-Wings as wait for the giants to arrive.”

“But we cannot do nothing,” Kamael said. “The Kadoshim, so close.”

“We will fly out,” Hadran said. “There are more Ben-Elim gathered at Drassil now than there have been for fifty years.”

“But Forn is a mask from above. Remember Varan’s Fall, the ambush in the trees. We need eyes and swords on the ground,” Kamael said.

“I cannot conjure what does not exist,” Hadran snapped. “The choice is fly quick or march slow with the White-Wings.”

Bleda looked at his mother. “I have seen the Kadoshim, fought their Feral beasts. They are an evil that must be stopped.”

Erdene looked at Bleda a long moment.

“I will lead the Sirak out,” Erdene said. “I have half a thousand riders here. We shall ride out and meet this threat. We shall be your swords and eyes on the ground.”

“I shall ride with you,” Uldin said.

“You are recently wounded,” Hadran pointed out.

“I will ride with Erdene,” Uldin said. “We are to be one Clan, soon, I know, but I would not have the Sirak steal the battle glory from us. The Cheren will ride to battle.” He touched the stitched wound across his forehead. “Besides, I have a score to settle.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

DREM

Drem stepped out onto Dun Seren’s weapons-field and paused, blinking at the enormity of it. It was only a little past dawn, the sun pale and fresh, painting the field in long shadows and hues of amber.

People were everywhere. Thousands, it felt like—more people than Drem had ever seen in any one place in all of his life. It was overwhelming. He raised a hand to find the pulse in his neck.

“Come on,” Cullen called back to him, the red-haired warrior strutting onto the field, looking for all the world as if it belonged to him. Cullen glanced back at Drem, saw him hovering at the entrance to the field, and walked back to him.

“You’ve fought draigs, wyrms, Feral beasts. And a mad witch. This is nothing,” Cullen said, wrapping an arm around Drem’s shoulders and steering him onto the field. Drem allowed himself to be led, though he wasn’t sure he agreed.

I feel more comfortable in the wild.

Cullen steered Drem through a knot of giants sparring with wooden hammers and axes, the ground shaking as they crashed into each other, and then beyond them towards where the main mass of people were gathered, more joining them with every moment.

Byrne stood at their head, with two others beside her, a squat and muscular man and a tall, dark-skinned woman.

Byrne looked very different from the kindly aunt who had comforted him only a day ago,