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‘Hand me that spike.’ Roold wrestled with his ankle. ‘One more to go and I’m with you, brother. Take a peek outside while we finish.’ Toryn gritted his teeth as he pried open the clasp wide enough to pull his red-raw ankle free. Roold nodded at him. ‘Nice going, lad. Nander? You lot? How’s it going?’

‘Almost done.’ Others around the wagon broke their links and clutched improvised weapons ready for an attempted escape.

‘See anything, Jed?’

Jedrul ducked back inside. ‘Be daylight in an hour, but thick cloud’s heading this way, I can’t see a single star over yonder. Must be a perilous storm brewing in the north out at sea. Swear I can smell it in the air. But thankfully it’s a lot sweeter than the stench of the mire.’

Roold clutched a bar and steadied himself. ‘That’ll suit us, the darker the better. Right, listen up, brothers. The numbers are against us, but they’ll have a belly full of ale so will be slow.’ He turned to Jedrul and Toryn. ‘I can’t ask you to fight without the promise of a piece of land on the plain, for that you must take the Oath now.’

Jedrul stood tall. ‘Then we’ll take it.’ He beamed to Toryn. ‘You up for this?’ Toryn nodded.

Roold turned to the others. ‘Any objections?’ None spoke, not even Nander. ‘Then raise your right hand.’ Roold cleared his throat. ‘Better make this the short ceremony, and quieter than usual, eh, lads? We’ll also forgo the initiation for now. Repeat after me.’ He took a breath. ‘I swear my allegiance to the Archon.’ They duly repeated his words. Roold looked around him. ‘Hold on. Where’s that spike? We don’t have a sword.’ Nander pulled it from behind his back and handed it to the captain. Roold spat on the rusty tool and rubbed it on his shirtsleeve. ‘This will have to do.’ He held it towards Toryn. ‘Place your right hand on the… blade. Best make it the sharp end, at least. Now repeat.’ He pushed out his chest. ‘I promise to lay down my life for the Archon, in service for the Five Realms, and in defense and the honor of my brothers.’ Toryn, then Jedrul completed the Oath. Roold spoke to the others in the wagon. ‘Not a step back, brothers.’ The men echoed the words. The captain smiled at their new recruits. ‘Then may you plow the plains in peace or die an old man—'

‘Knackered in a plump wench’s bed.’ The men laughed at Nander's jest.

Roold turned. ‘Let’s stick with the formal words please, this isn’t the time.’ He nodded to Toryn and Jedrul. ‘Well, you get the idea.’ He held out his forearm to Toryn. His heart pounded as he clasped Roold’s arm in the fashion of a guardsman. Roold smiled. ‘Welcome to the Archonian Guard.’

‘Shut up in there!’ The wagon rattled as a club struck the frame.

Roold pointed to the canopy. He whispered. ‘That one will be the first to feel my chain around his throat.’ He squatted and gestured to the men to huddle around. ‘Right lads, there’s another wagon in this convoy. We don’t know if they’re alive, dead, still in chains or free, but the more the merrier as they say. Toryn, you take the spike and head for it once the fun begins, and free as many as you can.’ Toryn nodded, proud to accept his first order. Roold tightened his grip on his chain. ‘We’re up against swords but I reckon we can take out a few before they know what’s hit ‘em. They’ll be a few on horseback, but a chain around their necks will soon bring them down to our level. Whip or throttle the blighters, I’ll leave that to you.’ He turned to Jedrul. ‘Best take one last look.’

Toryn’s heart hammered so hard, he feared their captors would suspect something was afoot. Jedrul dipped back inside the wagon. ‘From what I can make out, there’s three on horseback this side, must be more with the other wagon and more at the front. I can see torches at the head and rear, but they’re not shedding much light on us.’

‘And the ground? Do we need to worry about the bog, Jed?’

‘Not a problem. I reckon we’ve passed through the worse part of the mire. Looks frozen on both sides.’

Roold staggered to the rear of the rolling wagon. ‘Good. We’re going now. We’ll split both ways. Keep it down, we don’t want to alert them too soon. But before I give the command’ — he lowered his voice — ‘brothers, whatever happens, I want to say what an honor it’s—’

Jedrul laughed. ‘Give it a rest, cappy. Just give the damn command.’ Toryn fought for air as his lungs struggled to find room in his tight chest. He watched Roold, half-hoping he would change his mind.

He did not. Roold held up his hand. ‘Okay, ready, lads? Now!’ He tore open the canvas and leaped out. Toryn stumbled forward from the back, armed with a short chain and the spike. Ahead, the others tumbled out after Roold. The canopy of the wagon behind opened, three men jumped clear. They must be free. Toryn reached the step. More men poured out from the other wagon, and he guessed they would not need him. He jumped, landing heavily on his ankle on a frozen ridge of mud. He rounded the side of the wagon as the cry went up. Roold whipped his chain around a Ruuk on horseback and yanked him to the ground. Two more went down before the escorts on foot at the head of the convoy could rush back. Roold finished off his victim and snatched up his sword. The first of the troops clashed with the guards, but Roold was too skilled with a blade to be troubled. The horses whinnied, two reared up, throwing their riders to the mercy of Roold and his men.

A shadow ran at Toryn, his blade glinting in the torchlight as he raised it above his head. He remembered Hamar’s advice and planted his feet. Toryn pulled the chain taut, keeping the spike clasped in his right hand. The sword slashed down. He thrust up his hands. Sparks flew from the rusty chain. He dipped to one side and shoved, deflecting the force of the attack down. Toryn lunged and thrust the spike into his assailant’s exposed neck. The big Ruuk grunted and fell dead.

‘Get his blade!’ Jedrul lashed out with his chain and caught another across the face.

‘You take it, I’ll use the spike.’

Jedrul grabbed the weapon. ‘Stick with me, lad.’ They reached the front of the wagon. At least twenty of their captors remained on foot and hurriedly formed a line. Roold, Nander and five other guards now wielded swords. They smashed into their confused foe. Four fell in an instant as Roold wheeled, ducked, and drove on to the next. More captured weapons were passed back to the rear as they gathered pace. Only a dozen of their foe survived the onslaught. They edged back, retreating into a circle. One from the middle launched his torch over the heads of his comrades. It arced through the dark, landing on a wagon at the head of the convoy. The flames soon took, engulfing the canvas, illuminating the field of battle.

‘Surrender!’ Roold held up his hand to halt the attack. The Ruuk in the circle laughed. Roold leveled his sword at the chest of the commander. ‘Surrender or you’ll all die.’

The Ruuk laughed harder. ‘All die? Not a chance. It is you that should surrender.’

Roold held his nerve. ‘But you’re surrounded, outnumbered and outclassed.’

The commander tilted his head. ‘Outnumbered? Do you think we don’t have the wit to count?’ He pointed his axe at the flaming wagon. ‘You better watch your backs. Our beacon over there is bringing forty more here as we speak.’

Nander stepped up to Roold. ‘Do we believe him? He could be bluffing.’

Roold shrugged. ‘Makes no difference. If he is, we’ll finish them off and we’re free. If he ain’t and more are coming, I’d sooner die here than let them take me to this lady of theirs. Then we’re still free. I’m not about to give up my farm for the promise of a visit to Wyke Wood.’ He turned to the others. ‘What say you?’ Fists clenching swords and chains thrust into the air. Roold bellowed. ‘Then we fight!’ He raised his sword. ‘Take ‘em, lads.’ But before he could move, Toryn’s legs buckled. The ground shook. He slumped to his knees, falling onto his face as if he had taken a blow to his gut. He recoiled as the burning wagon spat and hissed. His brothers cried out. Toryn forced himself onto all fours. Around him, the men stood with their arms hanging limp by their sides, bathed in the green hue of the newly ignited wagon fire.

The guards gaped at the crackling flames. A black form took shape with a long, pointed head bowed forward, and arms folded across its body. The figure grew. Warriors on both sides flung themselves to the ground, burying faces in hands should the sight of the foul beast scorch their eyes. But Toryn could not tear his eyes away. The quivering creature reached its full height, three times the size of a man. It lifted its distorted head and opened its arms. To Toryn’s horror, the arms extended into jagged, bat-like wings. It tipped back its head, screeched and launched into the air. Toryn gagged in the warm stench of death as its beating wings fanned its corruption over the cowering men. He dared to look up, instantly regretting the move. Black, glistening eyes glowered back.

The demon entered his head.

It shrieked a hideous and gleeful song, threatening to split his skull in two. Toryn writhed, clasping his hands to his ears, ready to tear them free to end the agony. But at the point of surrendering his soul, another voice, a woman’s voice, soothed his pain. The words of her song wove around the harsh timbre of his tormentor, expelling it back to the void. As quickly as it came, the voice faded, leaving only an echo of her song. Toryn lay back on the grass and felt his body sink as if on a soft bed. He closed his eyes, ready for the sweet dreams he knew would follow.

‘Wake up! What you grinning about, fool.’ Toryn flinched as a foot struck his ribs. He opened his eyes to freezing rain lashing into his face. The wind howled overhead, driving dark clouds towards the mountains far to the east. Two hands grabbed under his arms and hoisted him to his feet. His head spun as he turned.

Jedrul tried to smile. ‘Morning, brother.’ He rubbed the back of his head. ‘I have to say, being an Archonian isn’t as grand as I’d hoped.’

Toryn watched Roold and the others being woken in the same brutal manner. He whispered to Jedrul. ‘What happened?’ He stretched out his neck. ‘What was that thing?’

Jedrul yawned. ‘What thing?’

‘The creature… in the flames?’

Jedrul scratched his head. ‘Didn’t see no creature, just the fire turning green as that skinny fellow showed his face. Some trick, I have to say.’

‘Don’t you remember? You all stopped and stared.’ Toryn turned away. ‘Never mind. I must have been mistaken.’

Jedrul peered at the top of Toryn’s head. ‘Must have taken a knock in the fight.’ He turned. ‘Here, Roold, young Toryn says he saw—’

‘Shut it! No talking.’ The large Ruuk who had goaded them earlier strode towards them. His thick tongue struggled with the strange words, but he had no trouble making himself understood. ‘Get in line and stand still.’ He jabbed his sword at Jedrul’s stomach. ‘I’ll gut the first man to move, and I’ll make the rest of you carry his steaming innards. If I had my way, I’d finish the lot of you right here.’ He chuckled. ‘But someone is keen to meet you.’ He turned and clicked his fingers. Two shorter Ruuk brought chains and straps. ‘You can walk the rest of the way. But don’t you worry your pretty little heads, it ain’t far, two days at a brisk pace.’ He laughed. ‘And don’t be expecting any comforts when you arrive.’