Most of the warriors nodded, and a few low ‘ayes’ were heard. Keira scowled.

  ‘Imagine her in action,’ Kalayne went on, ‘she has the power to burn the Rahain out of Kell.’ He turned on his heels and pointed at her. ‘But will she do it?’

  ‘If you’ve got all the fucking answers,’ Keira said, ‘you do it.’

  ‘Me?’ Kalayne frowned. ‘No. I’ll help, but I intend to stay clear of any actual bloodshed. No, not for me, thank you very much.’

  ‘We need to move,’ said Kylon. ‘The Rahain are sure to send up winged gaien to look for survivors. There are woods a mile or two to the west, we should go.’

  The warriors got to their feet in silence, and began the trek up the hillside. Kylon walked with Keira, though neither spoke. Her head was still pounding, and he was as silent as ever. The sun broke through above the hills behind them to the east, transforming the hillside into bright greens and browns. They passed a patch of earth close to the edge of the cliff where wheel-ruts trailed back and forth, and a pair of circles had been burnt into the grass.

  ‘This must be where they hit us from last night,’ Doreen said. ‘Their flying lizards carried their stone-throwing machines up here so they could fuck us over.’

  The others nodded, saying nothing as they continued up the slope. They reached the forest after half an hour, and kept going, with Kylon urging them on. Keira let him lead.

  By noon they had covered several more miles, and the pounding in Keira’s head was starting to lessen, allowing space in her mind to think.

  They were fucked.

  No food, hardly any weapons, and nowhere to shelter. Through the thick tree cover, she could see black specks high in the sky, circling and searching along the mountainside.

  Doreen stopped. ‘We’re going the wrong way. Mage?’

  The others slowed and halted.

  Keira gazed around. She didn’t want to admit that she had lost her bearings over the course of the morning, so she said nothing.

  ‘The Crags are down there,’ Doreen said, pointing to their right. ‘We’ve almost passed them.’

  Kylon stepped forward. ‘We’re not going to the Crags.’

  ‘What?’ Doreen said. ‘But that’s the only way back into the Brig Pass. If we head down now, we could maybe reach Fallsie castle by nightfall, and wait for the next supply wagon.’

  Kylon shook his head. ‘We’re not going back to Brig. Or Domm.’

  ‘Says who? You’re not in charge,’ Doreen said, glaring at him. ‘Actually, who is in charge?’

  ‘Sounds like you are,’ said one of the warriors that Keira didn’t recognise.

  Doreen shrugged. ‘I’ll do it if I have to.’

  Kylon stared at Keira, his eyes dark.

  ‘What?’ she said, noticing that most of the warriors were now looking in her direction.

  ‘Leave the lassie be,’ said Doreen. ‘The mage has made it clear she doesn’t want to lead, and that’s fair enough. We all know she’s no coward, we’ve seen her fight, but we can’t expect her to shoulder the command if she doesn’t want it.’

  No one spoke.

  ‘Right,’ said Doreen, ‘we’ll take a break, then get going in ten minutes. It’s about three or four hours to the Crags, I reckon.’

  Keira sat, her back to a tree. Kylon crouched by her, and Lacey also approached, her eyes downcast. The old bastard Kalayne was nowhere to be seen.

  Kylon gazed at Keira. ‘What do you want?’

  ‘Eh?’

  ‘What do you want?’

  ‘Something to drink,’ Keira said, ‘and some food would be alright. And I’d fucking kill for a proper bed. I hear there’s a few in Domm.’

  He shook his head. ‘No. You’ll never be happy if we go back, not when you know Kell is dying, day by day. Can you live with that? Remember your brother. Remember Killop.’

  She glared at him, her right fist clenching. Other warriors were gathering around, watching.

  ‘In your heart, Keira,’ Kylon said, ‘what do you want?’

  She closed her eyes. ‘To burn lizards.’

  ‘Then what are you afraid of?’

  ‘That you’ll all die!’ she cried, glaring at them. ‘All you stupid fuckers that keep following me, trying to protect me, do any of you dumb bastards realise that I’ll only get you all killed?’

  ‘Maybe,’ said Bedig, standing close by, ‘but we’ll kill a shitload of lizards first. I’d be happy enough with that.’

  ‘Is that all that’s stopping ye, mage?’ asked Kalma. ‘Are ye saying that if it wasn’t for us, ye’d go into Kell on yer own?’

  ‘Aye,’ said Keira, ‘I fucking would.’

  ‘Then go,’ Kalma said. ‘We’re not stopping ye. Doreen can’t order ye about. Yer a Mage of Pyre.’

  Keira thought for a moment, then stood. There was a low murmur among the warriors surrounding her.

  ‘What’s happening?’ said Doreen, walking over.

  ‘We’re going to Kell,’ Kalma said, to a chorus of agreement. ‘Keira’s leading us.’

  Doreen stepped in front of the mage.

  ‘What?’ Doreen frowned. ‘Is that true?’

  Keira gazed at the faces of the warriors around them. Most were young, some younger than she was, and their eyes seemed to be pleading with her. What did they want from her? She lifted her chin. She knew.

  ‘Aye,’ she said, ‘I’m going to Kell. No one else has to come. If anyone wants to go back down to the Crags, then I won’t blame them.’

  ‘But food, mage? Supplies?’ Doreen said. ‘Where will you get weapons?’

  ‘I don’t know,’ she said, ‘but I’m not going back. I’m fighting.’

  Someone started to clap. Keira turned, scowling, and watched as Leah approached.

  ‘About fucking time,’ the Lach woman said.

  Keira glared at her.

  ‘I’ve been waiting for you to say those words,’ Leah went on. ‘I needed to hear you say them.’ She pointed across the side of the mountain to a low ridge. ‘Three miles from here is where you incinerated the company of Rahain when you rescued the Lach. Our camp lay beyond the river at the bottom of the valley, spread back into caves in the cliffside.’

  ‘So?’ Keira said.

  Leah smiled. ‘There’s a tonne of supplies hidden away in those caves, sealed up, so that even if the lizards went exploring, they wouldn’t find them. There’s food, weapons. And whisky.’

  The warriors started to smile and relax.

  ‘Why the fuck didn’t you tell us?’ Doreen said.

  Leah shook her head and turned. ‘Follow me.’

  The area burnt by Keira four days before was covered in wheel-tracks and the imprint of thousands of boots.

  ‘This is where the Rahain brought in the soldiers that ambushed Netherfarm,’ Leah said as they halted in front of the open ground. ‘Their winged lizards must have flown them in, and landed them here.’

  Keira scanned the skies.

  ‘Stick to the edges,’ she said, glancing at the warriors gathered among the trees. They had all chosen to follow her, so it was their own stupid fault if they got themselves killed. She had tried her best to warn them.

  ‘You heard the mage,’ said Kalma. ‘Let’s go.’

  They trooped their way through the trees, keeping to the side of the burnt clearing. They reached the fast-flowing burn at the bottom of the hillside. All of the bodies from the fire had been cleared away, but the ground remained dark and stained. Across the river stood the face of a sheer cliff. Keira squinted at the rocks, but could see no caves.

  The Lach woman led them across the burn, stepping from stone to stone, her boots sprayed by the foaming waters. She came to a great smooth boulder, edged round its side, and disappeared under the branches of a tree, its roots trailing down to the water’s edge.

  Keira followed. She reached the tree, and leaned over. There was a gap in the rocks, hidden by the swaying branches, through which she could see Leah, beckoning to her. She squeezed through the gap, and entered the low cave. Leah laughed.

  ‘Look,’ she said. ‘The lizards can’t have found the place. Our lamps are still sitting here.’

  Keira picked one up, and handed it to Lacey as she entered the cave.

  ‘Get that lit, hen. It can replace the one ye lost at the farm.’

  ‘Aye boss,’ Lacey muttered, opening the lamp.

  Kylon entered, with Baoryn.

  ‘I’m not sure I like this,’ Leah said, ‘a lizard knowing how to get in here.’ She frowned. ‘And why is he untied?’

  Keira glared at Kylon.

  ‘How else was he supposed to get across the river?’ Kylon said. ‘I couldn’t carry him.’

  ‘Well, tie him the fuck back up.’

  Kylon matched her glare and they stood for a long moment, their eyes locked in anger. Lacey lit the lamp, and the small cave was filled with a golden glow.

  ‘This way,’ said Leah, and walked through the entrance to a narrow tunnel. Kylon took a rope from his belt, secured Baoryn’s wrists, and they followed her. They came into a larger chamber, with a fissure in the ceiling that was letting in a wide shaft of daylight. There was a hearth to the left, and seats made from slices of tree trunks. Sitting on one of them was Kalayne, his chin resting against his chest.

  ‘So this is where the old bastard’s been,’ said Keira.

  ‘How the fuck did he get in here?’ Leah said, her eyes narrowing.

  Kalayne raised his head. ‘Ahh, so you’ve made it at last.’ He scanned the warriors gathering in the cavern. ‘And it looks like all of you. Very good. Some food and booze, if you please. I’ll wait here while you fetch it.’

  Keira sat down and watched as Leah and the warriors obeyed the old man. The Lach woman led them through to the rear of the cavern and into another tunnel, leaving Kylon and Baoryn standing by the mage.

  ‘Yer tricks don’t work on us, eh?’ Keira smirked.

  ‘I chose not to try,’ Kalayne said. ‘I wanted to speak to you without the others present.’

  ‘You going to explain why ye abandoned us at the farm?

  ‘I’ve already told you that,’ Kalayne frowned. ‘I didn’t know what was going to happen. Do you ever listen?’

  ‘But you say you can see stuff,’ she said. ‘How the fuck did ye miss thousands of lizards?’

  He shrugged. ‘I wasn’t looking.’

  Keira snorted.

  ‘He’s telling the truth,’ Kylon said. ‘We went for a long walk up the hillside to talk. It was only when we saw the flames from the farmhouse that we knew something was wrong.’

  ‘Is this how it’s going to be?’ Keira said. ‘You always going to take his side?’

  ‘I will when it’s justified.’

  Keira glared at him. ‘Fuck off.’

  ‘You can’t blame anyone but yourself,’ Kalayne said to her. ‘The Rahain were after you. The only reason they attacked is because you revealed your powers to them. The entire attack was aimed at getting you.’

  ‘Brendan was right,’ said Kylon.

  Keira got to her feet, her temper rising.

  ‘This is bullshit,’ she cried. ‘I get criticised for using my powers, but at the same time ye all fucking beg me to stay and fight. I can’t win, no matter what I do.’

  Kalayne sighed. ‘You’ve always known what was expected of you. From the moment you discovered your powers to the day of the invasion, you have known. Already you’re stronger than even Careen was at his height, and he was the greatest high mage that Kell had seen in a century. And your powers will only grow. Destroying the Rahain in Kell is the least of what you’ll accomplish, the world will ring to…’

  ‘Stop it,’ Keira yelled. ‘I don’t want to hear this shite. I’ve agreed to lead, and I’ve agreed to fight. What more do ye want from me?’

  The three men stared at her in silence.

  She heard a noise and turned, to see the warriors troop back into the cavern, laden with sacks and carrying crates. Lacey approached the hearth with coal and kindling, and got to work, while the others unloaded food and jugs onto the low tables by the tree-trunk seats. Leah directed a pair of warriors to put down a long crate close to where Keira stood. They laid it onto the cold ground, and lifted the lid.

  ‘Crossbows,’ Leah said. ‘Brand new, courtesy of a lizard supply wagon we intercepted a dozen days ago. There’s enough for everyone.’

  She reached into a bag, and passed Keira a jug.

  ‘This is for you, mage.’

  Keira took it. She yanked the stopper free and took a long gulp. She smiled.

  ‘Cheers.’

  The light increased in the cavern as Lacey got the fire going. Keira glanced over at the tables, where the hungry warriors had begun eating, their appetites ripping and devouring the food before them.

  Kalayne rubbed his stomach and joined them. Keira pointed at Kylon as he began to follow the old man.

  ‘Not you,’ she said, clutching onto the jug. ‘I want to talk to you.’

  ‘We should eat,’ he said.

  ‘We can fucking eat later. I want to talk now.’

  Kylon glanced at Baoryn, who was lurking close by.

  Keira frowned, ‘I’m sure the scaly wee bastard will survive without ye for ten minutes.’

  Baoryn nodded, and hurried over to the tables, sitting by Kalayne’s side.

  Keira began walking to the dark alcoves at the far end of the cavern, crossing the bright patch where the afternoon sun was shining through. She reached a bench by the back wall and sat, watching as Kylon approached. She took a drink.

  He sat, his eyes staring at the ground.

  ‘Well?’ she said. ‘What the fuck’s going on between you and the old man?’

  Kylon said nothing.

  ‘Ye spoke to him about yer past,’ she went on, ‘and now ye won’t speak to me at all?’

  ‘I’m sorry,’ he said.

  ‘Not good enough.’

  ‘Kalayne looked into my eyes,’ he said, keeping his face down, ‘and he saw everything. He stripped my thoughts bare. Things I’ve told no one, he knew.’

  ‘Like what?’

  He turned to face her. ‘No.’

  Keira narrowed her eyes. ‘Yer still not going to tell me? Even though that old bastard knows?’

  ‘No. I love you, and you can take every part of me except that. If you want me, you’ll have to accept it.’

  She stood. ‘Fuck you, then. Stay out of my way.’

  She walked back to the tables, swigging from the jug. The warriors looked up at her approach, and she squeezed onto a bench between Bedig and Leah.

  ‘You two fucked yet?’ she asked.

  Leah snorted while Bedig laughed.

  Keira shrugged. ‘Was just hoping that someone here was getting some action.’

  ‘Mage,’ said Kalma, ‘what’s our next move?’

  ‘Pyre’s knackers,’ Keira said, ‘we only just got here.’

  ‘Assuming we rest in the caves tonight,’ Kalma said, ‘then we should get on our way in the morning.’ She turned to Leah. ‘I take it you know the way through the hills to Kell?’

  ‘Aye,’ the Lach woman said, ‘I can show ye.’

  ‘Alright,’ said Keira, ‘that’s what we’ll do. We’ll get drunk tonight, and we can follow Leah into Kell tomorrow.’

  Kalayne frowned. ‘There might be a slight problem.’

  ‘Aye?’

  ‘Aye. The Rahain are building fortifications by the cliffs close to the far end of the path. They found the route Big Lynn was taking, and have blocked it with over a thousand soldiers. To get into Kell, we’ll have to fight.’

  ‘Thirty against a thousand?’ Doreen said. ‘I mean, Keira’s good, but...’

  ‘Oh, I’m hoping there will be considerably fewer down there by the time we attack,’ Kalayne said. He grinned at the warriors, his eyes bulging. ‘I intend to deploy our secret weapon.’

  Keira narrowed her eyes. ‘What?’

  Kalayne nudged the Rahain man sitting next to him. ‘Baoryn.’

  The warriors stared at him.

  ‘We send him running down the glen,’ Kalayne went on, ‘and he tells the Rahain that Keira is lying wounded, here in these caves, with only a few exhausted guards to protect her. Then, while they rush up the hill to capture her, we will strike, leaping out from the bushes to attack the half-built fortifications, and you can all run about with your swords and crossbows, and, you know, kill the rest of them.’

  ‘No fucking way,’ said Leah. ‘We’re not trusting a lizard.’

  ‘That’s the most deranged plan I’ve ever heard,’ said Doreen. ‘What’s to stop him just telling the other lizards where we’re hiding?’

  As the warriors complained, Keira noticed Kylon standing at the periphery, watching in silence.

  Kalayne caught her eye. ‘Explain to them,’ he said to her, ‘tell them how persuasive I can be.’

  ‘Settle the fuck down,’ Keira yelled. ‘We’re going with the old bastard’s plan.’

  The warriors’ mouths opened.

  ‘It’s my decision,’ she said. ‘You wanted me as leader, now you have to live with it.’

  She stared at them as they slowly quietened.

  ‘No,’ said Kylon.

  ‘What?’ Keira said. ‘I thought you trusted the wee bastard?’

  ‘I do,’ he said, ‘which is why I believe this plan will mean his death, once the Rahain discover he’s lied to them.’

  Keira glanced at Baoryn, who was sitting in frozen silence. His tongue flickered.

  ‘He’ll be alright,’ Keira said, ‘he’s a sly wee lizard.’

  Chapter 7

  Playing with Fire

  Hills above Southern Kell – Summer’s Day 504

  ‘My arse is getting sore,’ muttered Lacey from where she was crouching under a thorn bush.

  Keira frowned. ‘Stop whining.’

  ‘Not much longer to wait,’ said Kylon, ‘the Rahain have nearly all passed.’

  They quietened as another company came into view through the thick undergrowth covering the hillside. Like the others that had gone before them, the soldiers were carrying crossbows and shields, and were sweating under the morning sun as they toiled up the steep glen in the direction of the caves.

 

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