Nightchild

*

The small Protector force was quartered in the forward hold where the Dordovans had been due to billet themselves for the uncomfortable crossing of the Southern Ocean. Twenty-four had survived more or less unscathed. None that were too injured to fight after the journey had come aboard.

They stood in a circle, hands clasped in front of them, masked heads bowed, swaying with the motion of the ship. The silence of their contemplation was matched far away in Xetesk, where the Soul Tank, deep in the catacombs, was dormant. Every surviving Protector grieved for the souls that had departed but celebrated their freedom from thrall.

Every death lessened the whole but every released soul gave hope. For Aeb, it was a confusion of emotion, suppressed for the most part but finding voice in the silence. He knew it was the same for them all. They craved the companionship of the tank while hating the forces that had put them there, ripping their living souls from their bodies and inserting the linkage that kept them alive. The DemonChain.

Every Protector wanted freedom from the DemonChain. None wanted to lose his brothers in so doing. Sol was the only living example and in him were all the dangers of freedom. The brotherhood could feel him and he, them. But they could not connect. He was, and would always be, one of them but outside of the net of support they shared. Yet he stood as an icon of hope, and they revered him.

'We are one,' said Aeb, his voice filling the hold, speaking rather than pulsing as was their right when not in battle psyche.

'We are one,' the Protectors intoned.

'Sol lies grievously injured, his condition closed to us as is his soul. We move away from our Given. I have requested that we be assigned to Denser, the Dawnthief Master. It will be an honour we will celebrate in the Soul Tank with our brothers.

'Prepare yourselves, near ones. Hone your blades, bathe your wounds, harden your minds. Our enemies would destroy that which would make Xetesk dominant. We will protect.

'We are one.'

'We are one.'

'By the lore of the Chain, and to the mercy of the Life beyond

Brotherhood, I call upon He who guides us to watch us wherever we may be. We are one,' said Aeb.

'We are one,' they responded.

Another short contemplation followed. Aeb returned to pulsing now action was demanded.

Xye, we must have hot water. The elves may have cloth and balm. Ken 'erei has the ear of the Captain.

It will be done.

Aeb looked around the circle. He could feel the tiredness there. They had been running for days and now, after the fight, they had no Given to channel recuperative energies along the DemonChain.

Sit, brothers and let the air play on your faces. Fin, the door. Brothers, let the dark hide us.

Fin moved to the hatch and slid it shut. It would open only for Xye. One by one, the lanterns were hooded, and as the blackness became complete, Aeb heard the unbuckling of straps as he pulled at his own.

His mask came away and the blessed air played across his raw face. Smooth though the ebony was, sweating skin broke beneath it. He lowered his head, not daring even to catch the glint of a brother's eye. To do so when unmasked brought bad luck and death in the next conflict.

It was the way things were.

'So what have we got?' asked Hirad.

The Baven plus Ren'erei and Darrick were sat around the Captain's table while topside Jevin was talking to his first mate and navigator.

'Good news and bad news,' said Denser, first to respond. 'Sytkan has passed the Bight of Giving for the twenty-four Protectors on board to me. I'll talk to them later but suffice to say that you'll be able to use them as you need to on Herendeneth. They'll be speaking freely and will be as untethered as Protectors can be.'

'Meaning?' asked Ilkar.

'They won't wait to engage in pre-emptive offence if the opportunity arises, they will inform you if they believe you are not making best use of them and they will be in automatic charge of their own formations unless otherwise directed.'

'So the bad?' Hirad drank a mouthful of tea. On plates across the table were hard cheese, bread and dried meat. The galley hadn't been forthcoming with vegetables.

'Balaia is a mess. Politically, it's degenerated into something approaching inter-College warfare. There are skirmishes across the mage lands though so far Arlen's the only non-mage place hit.' Denser paused for breath. 'But that's nothing to the elements. Sytkan's talk with Xetesk revealed reports of tornados in Korina, volcanic activity in the Blackthorne and Balan mountains, more hurricanes to the north and flooding all the way along the Southern Force.

'Balaia's all but run out of time.'

'And Erienne?' prompted Hirad.

'Hold on,' said Denser. T haven't finished the other bad news yet. Sytkan also reported that a Dordovan fleet has sailed from Gyernath in the last couple of days.'

'How big and when?' asked Darrick.

Denser shrugged and poured a fresh mug of tea. The ship rolled slightly, the mug sliding against the raised lip of the table but not spilling.

'Details are sketchy. Gyernath itself has seen flooding,' he said. 'Sytkan will try to contact me in the next two or three days if he finds more information.'

'Can we call on more reserve?' asked Hirad.

'That's something else Sytkan is trying to find out,' said Denser.

'It'll make no difference,' said Darrick. 'Unless my intelligence is badly astray, there are no significant Xeteskian forces within ten days of any southern port and Korina is out of action completely. That's excepting the Protector army, of course, and even if they ran back to Arlen and took ship there, they wouldn't be able to leave for a day or they'd starve at sea.'

'And who do you think it is in charge of the Dordovans?' asked Denser.

'Vuldaroq,' said Darrick immediately. 'That fat idiot was due in Arlen days ago but never arrived. I have a feeling he might have run into trouble in the mage lands.'

'So it's us against however many,' said Hirad. T just hope this island is defensible.'

'There is only one landing point on Herendeneth. The island was chosen with great care,' said Ren'erei.

'It's not something we can worry about now,' said Ilkar. 'What about Erienne?'

'She's being shielded,' said Denser. T suppose we should have expected that. I can't get through – not without alerting the shielding mages.' He looked down into his mug.

'You all right, Xetesk man?' asked Hirad, still reeling from the news he'd been given of Denser's fate.

It was only now, sitting in the relative calm of the Calaitm Sun's Captain's room that the reality was sinking in. Ilkar had told Hirad almost casually that saving Lyanna would cost Denser his life but he could see now that the Julatsan was already grieving. And now he could contemplate it, the fact sat as an ache in Hirad's stomach and wreathed his heart.

He felt a great guilt for how he'd treated Denser in the forest outside Greythorne. All the time, he knew he was going to die and had said nothing. He wasn't sure whether that was bravery or stupidity. The Raven would support him now they knew but he could have enjoyed that support for longer.

For all Denser was a difficult man at times, Hirad didn't want to be without him in the world. It made their arguments and silences over the last few years seem so stupid. But at the time, he'd always thought Denser would be there. Now he knew different and the thought broke him in two.

Denser looked up, smiling sadly. T need her near me, Hirad. We haven't got much time left together.'

T know, Denser, and I'm sorry,' said Hirad. 'We'll get her back for you.'

'If anyone can, The Raven can,' said Darrick.

T haven't quite forgotten it's because of you we're in this particular mess,' said Denser, though there was no anger in his voice.

Darrick said nothing, merely nodded and dropped his gaze.

'Moving swiftly on,' said Ilkar. 'What did the captain say, Ren?'

'He said he'd talk to his crew. He said he'd look at the conditions. He didn't promise anything.'

'Well he's going to have to,' said Hirad. 'I'm not interested in excuses.'

'Can I say something?' asked Ren'erei.

'Of course,' said Ilkar.

'I know the captain of the Ocean Elm very well. I know he'll do everything he can to delay progress without it seeming obvious. There are a lot of tricks he can employ. You must trust Jevin, please. He's an experienced captain and he'll go as fast as he can. But you can't expect him to sacrifice his ship and crew for the sake of speed.'

'But he must take some risks,' said Hirad. 'We've only got three days.'

'He's aware of all this,' said Ren.

'He can always be made more aware,' returned Hirad.

'Don't threaten him,' said Ren. 'That's not the way.'

Hirad pushed his mug and plate away and leant forwards.

'Ren, let me tell you the way,' he said. 'We are all very pleased you're with us. And we respect both your knowledge and what you've already done for The Raven and particularly Erienne.

'But we are The Raven, and we've succeeded by always doing whatever it takes. That will not change because Jevin is a bit sensitive, all right?'

Ren'erei opened her mouth to reply but Ilkar placed a hand on her arm.

'Don't,' he said, managing to smile. 'I'll explain later.'

'Tell you what,' said Denser. 'I'll tell you now, elsewhere. I want to hear all about my wife and daughter.'

Ren'erei smiled. T would like that.'

Hirad watched them go, avoiding Ilkar's eyes and choosing to refill his mug and plate instead. Outside, the force of the wind had dropped, or perhaps it had backed again since the ship's progress was distinctly smoother.

'Excellent tact, Hirad, well done,' said Ilkar, when the door had closed.

'What?'

'You and your "we are The Raven" lecture. Doesn't work any more. All you've done is irritate her and we need her on our side.'

'She needed to know how it is with us.'

'Belligerence in the face of desperation is not how it is with us,' said Ilkar sharply. 'Doing what it takes is right but there are ways and ways.'

'And you think I took the wrong way.'

'Strangely, yes.' Ilkar sighed. 'Still, it's not like you've become different overnight, is it?'

Hirad smiled, knowing the gentle chiding was over. 'No. Sorry, Ilks, it's just that this isn't how it's supposed to be.'

'What do you mean?'

'Us. The Raven. Gods burning, Ilkar, we're a complete mess. The Unknown's crippled, Erienne's a captive, there's Thraun… But the worst of it is that Denser's about to sacrifice his life and there's nothing we can do. It's wrong.'

Ilkar pursed his lips. T know. But we can still win this thing.'

'It won't feel like winning. Denser will be dead.' He shrugged, the words he'd just spoken sounding strange, like they came from someone else's mouth.

'It won't be like death, though,' said Ilkar, his words hollow but reflecting his sincere hope. 'A part of him will survive inside Lyanna.'

'He'll be gone,' said Hirad. 'That's all I understand.'

They fell silent, listening to the creaking of the ship, the sounds of feet overhead and the muted rush of the wind. Hirad felt tired. He hadn't slept properly for days. His body ached, his lower back and shoulders particularly. It hadn't always been like this but days of sleeping rough in the barely sheltered open, and eating only what he could catch or pick had brought home to him the reality of his age. He had come off the peak of his fitness and that meant long fights would be a struggle. Grudgingly, he had to admit that their enforced inactivity might be a blessing though his mind would continue to churn.

To his left, Darrick had maintained a studious silence for much of the discussion, contenting himself by listening and, by and large, avoiding Denser's potentially caustic tongue. Hirad smiled inwardly. The capture of Erienne hadn't even been his fault.

'Hey, Darrick, cheer up,' said the barbarian.

'If you don't mind, I don't think I will,' said Darrick, not lifting his head.

'We know it's not all your fault, all this mess. So does Denser, when he thinks about it.'

'But it is,' said Darrick. T should have listened to my heart before I ever rode to Arlen. If I'd let you go, you'd be on the Elm and

sailing now. The Unknown wouldn't be injured. I'm a fool and I could have stopped the worst of it. I should have refused to take you.'

'I don't think so,' said Ilkar. 'Any hint of insubordination and you'd have been replaced.'

'Can we talk about something else?' Darrick's tone was sharper than he probably intended. His mouth tugged up just a little. 'What about Thraun?'

It had been Hirad's next burning question. Thraun. More extraordinary than anything he had seen for a very long time. He nodded and looked across expectantly at Ilkar. The Julatsan sucked his lip and sat back in his chair.

'He's in a bad state too. He's been a wolf a long time now. Too long to be returning to human form, that's clear. You've both seen the hair on his face; well, it's all over his body. But that's the simple part. He's lying like an animal. His arms are locked straight, his legs likewise but bent in at die knee. His musculature is unbalanced, his feet still have claws and his heart is far too large. And those are just the effects we could detect easily.

'The point is that he may look more like a human but, frankly, he's not. Not yet, anyway. Now we're hoping that his physique and organs will revert further but we don't know they will.'

'Can you keep him alive?' asked Hirad.

'That's no problem. All we have to consider is what sort of life it's going to be. Gods falling, but his mind'll be a complete shambles. How much of his human psyche and memories he's retained is anyone's guess. He's going to need a lot of help.'

'Then we'd better make sure that some of us stay alive to give it,' said Hirad.

'That we had,' agreed Ilkar.

'It's unbelievable isn't it?' said Hirad. 'Thraun back amongst us. Like it was always meant to be that way.'

'What do you mean?' asked Ilkar.

'For weeks now, we've been reforming The Raven very slowly and in a lot of ways it feels like we never went away. But I never thought we'd see Thraun again and he followed us from Thornewood, he must have done. And now he's changed back. Hard to credit, isn't it?'

'You said it,' said Ilkar. 'If only I could offer you good news aboul him. Or any of us for that matter.'

'No,' said Hirad, and his momentary lightness disappeared. 'So what's to do now?'

'Well, I don't know about you, Hirad, but it's the middle of the night and I'm shattered,' said Ilkar.

Hirad nodded. Despite the movement of the ship, he felt he could sleep anywhere. The very thought made him yawn broadly.

T see you concur,' said Ilkar.

'Yep,' Hirad said, rising and stretching. 'C'mon General, you too.'

'Good idea.'

As Ilkar passed by him at the door, Hirad grinned, a sudden thought striking him. He grabbed on to the chance to change the mood.

'Tell you what, Ilks, that Ren'erei. Not bad-looking, eh?'

Ilkar stared at him. 'Not bad,' he agreed.

'You could be in there. Y'know, good-looking elf like you, famous, head mage in Julatsa. Could make the trip south more entertaining for you.'

Ilkar shook his head. 'Only you, Hirad Coldheart,' he said. 'In a situation like this, only you could think of sex.'

Hirad shrugged and moved along the corridor to their cabin and bunks.

'Sweet dreams, Ilkar.'