More great stories from the Age of Sigmar

SACROSANCT AND OTHER STORIES
Various authors

SOUL WARS
Josh Reynolds

THE REALMGATE WARS: VOLUME 1
Various authors
Contains the novels The Gates of Azyr, War Storm, Ghal Maraz, Hammers of Sigmar, Wardens of the Everqueen and Black Rift

THE REALMGATE WARS: VOLUME 2
Various authors
Contains the novels Call of Archaon, Warbeast, Fury of Gork, Bladestorm, Mortarch of Night and Lord of Undeath

GODS AND MORTALS
Various authors

SCOURGE OF FATE
Robbie MacNiven

• HALLOWED KNIGHTS •
Josh Reynolds
Book 1: PLAGUE GARDEN
Book 2: BLACK PYRAMID

HAMILCAR: CHAMPION OF THE GODS
David Guymer

BLACKTALON: FIRST MARK
Andy Clark

SHADESPIRE: THE MIRRORED CITY
Josh Reynolds

CALLIS & TOLL: THE SILVER SHARD
Nick Horth

THE TAINTED HEART
C L Werner

NEFERATA: MORTARCH OF BLOOD
David Annandale

OVERLORDS OF THE IRON DRAGON
C L Werner

EIGHT LAMENTATIONS: SPEAR OF SHADOWS
An Age of Sigmar novel

NAGASH: THE UNDYING KING
Josh Reynolds

THE RED HOURS
Evan Dicken

HEART OF WINTER
Nick Horth

WARQUEEN
Darius Hinks

THE BONE DESERT
Robbie MacNiven

~ AUDIO DRAMAS ~

REALMSLAYER
David Guymer

EIGHT LAMENTATIONS: WAR-CLAW
Josh Reynolds

SHADESPIRE: THE DARKNESS IN THE GLASS
Various authors

THE PALACE OF MEMORY
Various authors

THE DENIED
Josh Reynolds

GUNS OF THE BLACK EAGLE
C L Werner

THE PRISONER OF THE BLACK SUN
Josh Reynolds

SANDS OF BLOOD
Josh Reynolds

THE LORDS OF HELSTONE
Josh Reynolds

THE BRIDGE OF SEVEN SORROWS
Josh Reynolds

THE BEASTS OF CARTHA
David Guymer

FIST OF MORK, FIST OF GORK
David Guymer

GREAT RED
David Guymer

ONLY THE FAITHFUL
David Guymer

Contents

Cover

Backlist

Title Page

Warhammer Age of Sigmar

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Four

About the Author

An Extract from ‘Scourge of Fate’

A Black Library Publication

eBook license

From the maelstrom of a sundered world, the Eight Realms were born. The formless and the divine exploded into life.

Strange, new worlds appeared in the firmament, each one gilded with spirits, gods and men. Noblest of the gods was Sigmar. For years beyond reckoning he illuminated the realms, wreathed in light and majesty as he carved out his reign. His strength was the power of thunder. His wisdom was infinite. Mortal and immortal alike kneeled before his lofty throne. Great empires rose and, for a while, treachery was banished. Sigmar claimed the land and sky as his own and ruled over a glorious age of myth.

But cruelty is tenacious. As had been foreseen, the great alliance of gods and men tore itself apart. Myth and legend crumbled into Chaos. Darkness flooded the realms. Torture, slavery and fear replaced the glory that came before. Sigmar turned his back on the mortal kingdoms, disgusted by their fate. He fixed his gaze instead on the remains of the world he had lost long ago, brooding over its charred core, searching endlessly for a sign of hope. And then, in the dark heat of his rage, he caught a glimpse of something magnificent. He pictured a weapon born of the heavens. A beacon powerful enough to pierce the endless night. An army hewn from everything he had lost.

Sigmar set his artisans to work and for long ages they toiled, striving to harness the power of the stars. As Sigmar’s great work neared completion, he turned back to the realms and saw that the dominion of Chaos was almost complete. The hour for vengeance had come. Finally, with lightning blazing across his brow, he stepped forth to unleash his creations.

The Age of Sigmar had begun.

‘There was a time when the name of the Khul was almost lost, nothing more than a sigh on the winds of the Great Parch. Not yet had it become a rallying cry, a battle-call, a blasphemy, and a curse from the lips of the dying.’

CHAPTER ONE

As he stepped from the shadows of the caravan-court’s drapery, Athol let out the breath that had gathered tight in his chest. His anticipation was not matched by the others who lined the rope-bounded oval that denoted the taer-huma, the bladespace. Where before he had seen eyes wide with excitement, lips quivering with bated breath, now his quick glance observed disinterest from the courtiers of Prophet-Queen Humekhta III, fourteenth Aridian Empress. A few yawned in the late afternoon heat that pushed through the canopy above, others fiddled with sceptres and jewellery. In seasons past his muscular body and pale skin had brought remarks and admiring glances, but the novelty of his outlandish appearance had faded, particularly following his marriage to Marolin and even more with the arrival of his child seven summers earlier.

A couple of the youngest courtiers, Humekhta’s nieces Aless and Joira – twelve summers and eight respectively – smiled as their war-trainer made his appearance. A desultory ripple of applause moved around him, barely louder than the flap of porch canvas in the strengthening wind.

Athol raised the spear he held loosely in his right hand, always careful never to point the tip at the Prophet-Queen. A bead of sweat rolled down the side of his face, following the line of his helm’s chinstrap.

‘I am the Spear-carrier, champion of Humekhta the Third,’ he declared, his other hand curling into a fist that touched lightly upon the gilded bronze of his breastplate, the knuckles barely touching the sculpted pectorals. ‘Trial has been called and I offer my spear in defence of the Prophet-Queen’s honour.’

Humekhta sat cross-legged upon a cushioned throne-step. She seemed to float upon a cloud of dawn-light, her legs lost in a billow of silken layers, each a subtly different shade of purple, orange and yellow. Her scarlet regal attire was bound tight to stomach and chest, covering her to the neck but leaving her arms bare. Serpentine tattoos covered her upper arms and ruby-crusted gilded bangles circled her forearms, matched by the rings on her fingers and the half a dozen hoops that hung from each ear. A veil of delicate black cloth obscured her face, hanging from an opal-studded headband, her scalp above it a fuzz of close-cropped hair dyed a stark violet.

At her side a great double-handed sword stood against a wooden frame, its pommel higher than her head, fixed with a fist-sized shard of amber that contained a preserved scorpion. Its scabbard was made from greenish drakona hide, bound with thread of thick bronze and gilded rivets. Though it looked unwieldy, the Jagged Blade of Aridian was wrought from a feather-light metal; not just the heirloom and symbol of the Prophet-Monarchs for fourteen generations, but a weapon of war that Humekhta herself had carried into battle just as her predecessors had done.

But this was a matter of law, and that meant a trial by combat, a deed beneath the sacred blade and its owner. Thus, Athol had been called from his encampment downwind of the royal city.

From behind her stepped Orhatka, the lawsmith. He had a round, soft face which masked the quick, ruthless mind that had seen him rise to the position of lawsmith before his fortieth summer. He moved with the casual grace of a swordsman, a firm believer in keeping the body fit so that the mind also remained sharp. He had never raised a weapon in trial against Athol, but several opponents, beaten in logic and law-knowledge, had resorted to desperate injunctions and fallen beneath his blade. Athol was glad not to have tested himself against Orhatka, not because of any fear or failure, but because such a dispute would mean division between Humekhta’s two closest allies.

‘Accused is Williarch of Bataar, for theft from the Holy Prophetess, namely six hundred head of whitehorn kept in the Delnoas Plain. Accused also for the illicit profiteering in his encampments by means of crooked gambling and withholding wage. Sundry lesser charges also apply.’ Orhatka gestured towards the fur-clad trader, who scowled at the lawsmith from beneath a domed felt hat, the spearpoints of Humekhta’s court guards at his back. ‘You have chosen to defend yourself by trial of arms, as is your right.’

‘I have,’ growled the merchant, the two words thick with his western accent.

‘Do you wish a weapon brought forth?’

‘I wish word sent to the train, for champion to come.’ His grimace eased into smugness. ‘Me champion will fight.’

‘You did not make a nomination of your champion when first accused,’ grumbled Orhatka.

‘I not know Aridian law so well,’ Williarch replied with a smirk.

‘Prophetess, what is your guidance?’ asked Orhatka, turning to his monarch. ‘By rights he should fight his own trial…’

Humekhta turned her steady gaze upon the accused man, whose self-satisfaction wilted under her stare. Athol watched his tongue flick along thick lips, his fingers fidgeting with the furred hem of his coat. Williarch’s face was a mask of sweat.

‘What do you say, champion of mine?’ Humekhta asked, not turning her gaze towards Athol. ‘Do you wish to face this man or his champion?’

‘I would not have any man or woman denied justice on a technicality, Mother of the Plains. Let him have his champion.’

Williarch’s lips twisted into a sly smile almost immediately.

‘But I would like Orhatka to remind the accused of his punishment should his case be proved false,’ Athol continued, eyes fixing the stranger as though spitting him on the point of his spear.

‘The crimes of which he is accused carry the penalty of abandonment,’ the lawsmith announced with some relish. Williarch’s confidence faded as Orhatka continued. ‘If proven guilty, he shall be taken forth from the camp for five days into the heart of the Long Dust and there left without food or water. He shall be cut upon the arms and legs, ’til the blood runs freely. If Sigmar looks kindly upon him he shall survive long enough to find a spring or companions. If not, he shall die of thirst or by the claws and fangs of the great hunter-beasts that prowl the Long Dust.’

‘Send for his champion,’ declared Humekhta, rising. ‘We shall convene this court again in two days’ time.’

She swept from the tent-room followed by a coterie of retainers, her nieces included, though Orhatka remained behind. With a flick of the hand he commanded the guards to escort Williarch back to his cage.

‘He is desperate,’ said Athol as the lawsmith approached.

‘He made no attempt to bargain for leniency – he declared for trial by arms the moment he was brought to me.’

‘Is he guilty?’

Orhatka shrugged. ‘Surely that is the point of the trial?’

‘You know what I mean.’

‘Yes, he is as guilty as the plains are hot. Five hundred of the queen’s whitehorns were still in his camp when Makhred’s scouts found them. The others he had already sent on to Bataar. He was brazen about it. He had three dozen of the Oldfire tribe working the herd and they complained he had been robbing them.’

‘Strange. The Oldfire are not meek. Why would they not simply take back what was theirs?’

‘I don’t know, and that concerns me. Williarch is from Bataar, a cunning serpent like all that breed, and he is altogether too confident. I think he intends to make a mockery of us. To take our livestock and whistle in our faces as he does so.’

‘I will beat his champion and he will die alone and frightened in the wilderness. You have my word on it.’

‘There’s always a first time to fail, Athol.’ Orhatka stepped closer, dark eyes fixed on the champion. ‘Don’t let this be that time. These Bataari will be all over us like flies on dung if they see profit in it.’

‘That won’t be my concern.’ Athol turned away and strode back towards the side entrance of the royal tent. ‘If I fail, it’ll be because I’m dead.’

Dawn was still some way off when the jingle of mail and slap of leather broke the stillness in the woods that overlooked Wendhome. The town sat across a narrow, fast river that glittered in the starlight, a stockade with a red stone base and wooden palisade encircling nearly three thousand tile-roofed houses. A few wisps of smoke still drifted from chimneys, the cook fires long extinguished. Here and there a dog yapped, and cats screeched in argument with each other.

Moving from the shadows of the trees, a line of warriors formed, curving in places around the scattered bushes and outcrops of rock that broke the slopes of the broad hill. More emerged after them, until nearly a thousand men and women crouched in the dry grass.

At their fore knelt a man broad of shoulder, his vest of chainmail distorted by heavy muscle underneath. In his hand he carried a long-handled axe, its head tapering to a point as was common among the Vancian tribes. He wiped a hand over his shaven head, staring down at the sleeping settlement. Rising, he lifted the weapon and his warriors stood also, the last rays of starlight glinting from the bared blades of swords and axes.

Threx turned to the man at his side, showing his teeth in a broad grin.

‘Just as I hoped. Only the dogs are awake.’

‘Lazy,’ replied Foraza. In one hand he held a pole that split at head height, a triangular banner hanging from the twin gold-sheathed tips. The pale cloth of Threx’s personal standard was stitched with red thread, a rendition of a horned skull at the centre of a chain-link ring.

‘They’ll not sleep as soundly after today, that’s for sure.’

Threx turned and started along the line to his right, his voice raised but calm.

‘You all know why we’re here. We’re being laughed at by those rat-eating Korchians down there. They think so little of us they don’t even set watch for our coming.’

He was answered by grumbles and snarls, and as he continued his anger grew, fuelled by his own words. ‘Their disdain is a mockery of us! They think the Skullbrands will do nothing in retaliation. Well, we’re going to do something all right, and the Korchians won’t forget it for a long time.’

Threx returned to his position at the centre of the line and took a few paces forward, his warriors moving with him. Once more he lifted his axe high, its head gleaming with the first hint of sunlight coming from across the river valley.

‘Let’s wake the dog-bastards up!’

Dying embers barely lit the cave but the heat from the near-dead fire still prickled sweat from the creased skin of the old man crouched beside the cave’s walls. His fingers moved rhythmically, dancing from one of the various pots to the hand-smoothed stone, a flick and smudge, and change of finger into another clay vessel loaded with a different colour. He squinted in the bad light, almost unable to see what he painted, though the image he tried to recreate was burned into his waking thoughts by dreams every night.

Finally, it was too dark to see, and he straightened with a groan, old bones protesting, wiry muscles trying their best to move his withered frame. He wiped the paint on his bare belly and glanced towards the hollow where he kept his wood pile, already knowing it was empty but hoping all the same that he misremembered.

He hadn’t. There was no more wood.

That meant he would have to leave the cave.

The painter’s gaze moved to the sliver of light that shone down from a crack in the ceiling. He hadn’t realised it was daytime. That was good, for though it meant he had missed another night’s sleep and prophetic dreams, at least the outside would be safer. Many of the creatures that prowled the wooded hills beneath which he dwelt were cowed by the daytime.

Many, but not all.

The artist found a rag of cloth – a remnant of a cloak he had discovered discarded by the trail to the south-east – and wiped the paint properly from his fingers and torso. He gave his latest work a last look. He could see almost nothing of its form now, lost in the shadow he cast.

Moving to the stretch of cave beneath the opening, he tugged a thin rope free from a peg in the wall. He pulled at the frayed cord, hauling an old rope ladder up to the opening as if he were hoisting a sail.

He stopped briefly at the recollection. He hadn’t thought of the sea for many years now. Dredging his memories, he recalled a vast expanse of blue flecked with white. Everything seemed to be just colours these days, punctuated by swirls of light or darkness.

Everything except his dreams.

The thought of them nagged him out of his reverie. The painter secured the rope so that the ladder hung in place, and ascended with practised skill, though his knees felt the pain more than usual, punishment for spending too much of the night crouched at his work. He reached the top and pushed with his hand, moving a piece of woven reed matting that helped obscure the hole. Climbing the last few rungs, he pulled himself through the opening, bringing him to the upper chamber. This cave was natural, rough and uneven, unlike the chamber below that he had gradually smoothed, patch by patch, over the preceding years.

Years?

Longer?

It was part of his cursed memory that he recalled little of what had happened in his long life, yet his mind was full to breaking with images of what he was sure would come to pass.

More than sure. His entire existence revolved around the fact. He had been set upon the world to make it so. He was the recorder of the future but also its catalyst. He knew this because he was always in his dreams. If somebody else had been marked to usher in the next age, they would have been dreaming those dreams instead.

He replaced the matting camouflage and squeezed through to the opening of the cave. Beneath a rock, in an alcove he had fashioned himself, his weapons and armour waited for him. They were scraps pieced together from corpses the beasts had left. He could smell the dried blood on them, a scent that seemed so much stronger in his nostrils of late.

There was so little of his wasted body left that the vambraces were barely more than studded tubes of leather on him. He could not find a breastplate that sat on his sunken chest and so instead he pulled on a thick harness with a small plate of iron nestled over his heart. He did not need extra weight to slow him – speed and wits served him better in his task – so he left the coif and simple round helm in their hiding place.

He looked at the spear, snug in the crack beside the main cave opening, but again decided it would be more of a hindrance. Instead he removed a dagger as long as his forearm from beneath the helm and mail, tying its belt around a waist pot-bellied in comparison to his spindly limbs.

Thus prepared, he stole to the mouth of the cave, checked the clearing outside and stepped out into the light of day.

CHAPTER TWO

Outside, Athol stopped in the shadows for a few moments. The season of Hotwind had only just started and it had been thankfully cool by comparison to previous seasons. When the winds turned and brought the north-burn the air would be like a furnace draught, its movement doing nothing to ease the stifling heat, the dryness stealing the moisture from the eyes and mouth. Shielding his eyes, he glanced up. Broad-winged scavenger birds circled on the hot air just below scant clouds, keen eyes searching the scrubland around the royal city.

The city was not so grand as the name suggested, of little comparison to the stone edifices raised by the likes of the Bataari and Aspirians, or the lifetombs of the Golvarians. A few hundred tents was miniscule when measured against the mighty duardin stronghold at Vostargi Mont. The capital of the Aridians lacked even the strength of the fortified wooden settlements of the other tribes with which they shared the Flamescar Plateau. Even so, it had one great strength the others could not match; it could move across the plains to seek water and verdant growth. Within the turn of a day, the whole of the royal city could be packed upon wagons pulled by gargantuan beasts known as whitehorns, akor in the tongue of the Aridians. Should the winds veer, a river dry or a herd migrate, the whole of the Aridian tribe could adapt, the royal city and its satellite settlements travelling for days on end until they found a new home.

For thirty days now the capital had not moved. Athol was no windwatcher, but it seemed that the mild weather would not hold for much longer. The watercourse that snaked through the centre of the tent city would run low and the whitehorns would move on, heading to cooler climes in the east and south. When that happened, the Khul would follow, for even as the Aridians followed the herds that brought them prosperity, so too did the Khul shadow the Aridians, who paid in milk, meat and hides for their blade-hands. A greedy Bataari thief was of little threat, but when the herds moved the Khul would be needed, their presence dissuading raiders from other tribes.

‘A disappointment.’

Athol looked around, recognising the voice of Khibal Anuk, the Prophet-Queen’s older half-brother. He stood in the shelter of the door-awning, fingers hooked into the thick belt that bound tight around his considerable waist. A small hammer pendant hung from a gold chain about his neck, the symbol of his calling.

‘What’s that, Sigmar-tongue?’ said Athol. He used the honorific out of respect for the Aridians’ traditions, though he cared little for Sigmar himself.

‘No trial by arms today,’ explained Khibal Anuk. ‘I had thought to see you use that spear.’

‘It would have been little spectacle,’ Athol assured him. ‘His champion will provide a better contest, I am sure.’

Khibal Anuk nodded and stroked his stubbled chins.

‘You like to fight?’

‘I was born to fight – it isn’t a question of what I like or dislike,’ Athol replied. He brandished his spear. ‘Does this like to slay, or is it simply what it does?’

‘You are not an inanimate object, Athol. You have feelings.’

‘I do, and I share them with my wife and son.’ Athol glanced away, his thoughts drawn to the distant encampment where his family waited for his return. ‘The queen claims only my blade-arm.’

‘You would have been at home at the Red Feast. Days of challenges and combat between the tribes, settled by champions like you.’

‘I know of it. I was in the entourage of my uncle when he attended as our champion, back when I was a youngster. He killed five men and women to defend the honour of our people.’ Athol frowned. ‘You speak of the Red Feast as a thing that has passed, and there has not been one called since we travelled to the gathering at Clavis Volk.’

‘The tribes settle their differences in other ways now, through the wisdom of Sigmar.’ Khibal Anuk touched a hand to his sacred amulet. ‘Better to be united than divided, and settle with peace what once was settled by war.’

‘The Red Feast existed to avoid war, I thought. To give the tribes a way to fight without butchering each other and destroying their homes. A better way to keep their honour.’

‘If one dies or a hundred, is honour worth killing or dying for?’

‘You seem troubled, Sigmar-tongue.’ Athol planted his spear in the dry earth and took a step towards the priest. ‘I hope my decision to accept the trial of arms did not displease the Prophet-Queen.’

‘Oh, I am quite sure she agrees with your course of action. She would not have offered the choice if she did not.’

‘If she had ordered me to fight the man’s champion, I would have done so.’

‘She is the Prophet-Queen. By rights she should have made Williarch fight. She must obey the law, after all, and he had not followed it.’ Khibal Anuk shrugged. ‘But that’s not what has troubled me. There have been a few members of the court that have suggested we sever our relationship with the Khul.’

‘I see. Does Humekhta know that you speak to me?’

‘Do not be alarmed. It is just whispers – I’m sure they fall on deaf ears. My half-sister knows the value of the Khul, even if others do not.’

‘Why? Both our tribes have benefited from the partnership.’

‘They speak of being beholden to outsiders, of our sword arms growing weak beneath the shield of the Khul.’

‘Your warriors are trained by us. They have never been better.’

‘I think that is part of the problem, Athol. It has been three generations since your people came to the lands of Aridian. Greedy minds forget how vulnerable they were before. Now we can fight for ourselves, they think. They see the price paid for your company and wonder if it is necessary.’

‘Perhaps you can defend yourselves.’

‘For a while. But the name of the Khul is a surer ward against attack than any number of our own soldiers.’ Khibal Anuk clasped his hands, almost resting them on his prominent gut. ‘You protect us doubly so. The very threat of fighting the Khul keeps our rivals’ hands from their sword hilts.’

He shifted his weight from foot to foot and back again, eyes regarding Athol closely.

‘Speak plainly what gnaws at your ear, Sigmar-tongue,’ Athol told him. ‘I will not pass on what you say to any other.’

‘It might be necessary to prove the worth of the Khul again. A reminder to those with short memories.’

‘I don’t understand what you think I can do.’

‘The peace we enjoy is a lie, Athol. You know it. We will be tested again, as soon as the herds thin, or when the hot wind blows long. It is in the nature of our people to settle matters with aggression, but a few years of bounty have dulled that temper. I am worried that without a… display of your people’s vigour the voices that question your presence will grow bolder and louder.’

‘You want me to start a fight? Wage a war?’

Khibal Anuk coughed nervously and gestured for Athol to keep his voice low.

‘Not start a war, no. Of course not. But should our enemies decide to test the queen’s mercy, it might go well to make an example of them. To show what happens when the anger of the Khul is stirred.’

Athol remembered that he was speaking to a high member of the court and held back the first thought that occurred – that should the full wrath of the Khul be slipped, the Aridians would be swept away by that unleashed storm. It would serve no purpose to alienate him.

‘I will remember what you have said, Sigmar-tongue. I am sure there is wisdom in your words.’

The Sigmar-tongue said nothing more but laid a hand on Athol’s arm before stepping back into the queen’s tent. Athol waited there for a few moments more, agitated by the priest’s words as he stared into the shadowed interior. He had no reason to distrust Khibal Anuk, but the Sigmar-tongue had never before tried to involve Athol in courtly politics. The champion had been robust in keeping himself clear of such entanglements and was annoyed that the priest seemed to be trying to draw him into the unfamiliar battleground.

He retrieved his spear and headed out into the tent city, sun gleaming on his armour as he passed between the rows of brightly coloured canvas structures. The respectful call of nakar-hau followed him along the streets, which he met with a raise of his weapon or nod of the head.

Spear-carrier. A simple phrase but one that conveyed heavy connotations for the Aridians. He was the bearer of the Prophet-Queen’s honour, responsible for protecting her reputation even as her personal guards shielded her body. In deed he was an extension of the queen, his actions reflecting upon her. It was no surprise that, even after three generations of service by the Khul, there were still some elements within Aridian society that considered it a dishonour for the nakar-hau to be an outsider.

He remembered his great uncle, the first to swear to the line of the Prophet-Monarchs, and how Orloa described the day he had bent his knee to the ruler of another tribe. It had brought peace, an end to fighting that the Khul had waged for two generations before. It was acceptance of a sort, not only by the Aridians but also the other tribes of the Flamescar. The Khul had both proven their martial prowess and earned the respect of the hardy plains people.

The smell of the akor pens grew stronger as he reached the outskirts, mixed with the musk-stench of the smaller noila the Aridians used as personal mounts. He did not turn towards the corrals but passed the last ring of tents on foot, for the Khul did not ride. They could march for days on end, or run for a full day and still fight a battle at the end of it. Steeds were simply more mouths to feed.

He walked slowly, the sun setting to his left. He followed the slow-flowing river towards the camp of his people, his thoughts weighing more heavily than the spear on his shoulder.

Braziers encircled the camp, warding away the starlit night. The clatter of pots being washed and soft lullabies greeted Athol, easing him back into the embrace of his people. Here there were no grand pavilions and garlanded streets of colourful tents, simply rows of neat, plain canvas sheets weighted on one end with rocks, held up by poles cut from the stubby trees of the plateau. It was shelter enough, a few windbreaks erected for the small cooking fires, the bedrolls of the inhabitants snug in the lowest parts of the bivouacs.

He stopped at the outermost line of shelters and lowered to one knee. He carefully placed his spear on the ground and, using his now free hand, scooped up a small handful of dirt. Raising it to his lips, he kissed his knuckles and let the dirt scatter from his palm, before drawing a smudge down his forehead with the grime on his thumb, smearing dusty red through the sweat.

Athol waited, taking in slow lungfuls of the warm air.

Eventually a figure emerged from the darkness to the right, a short stabbing blade in her left hand, a buckler held in the other. Her pale hair was stained red, hanging in a single braid across her shoulder, as was Khul tradition. In the shimmer of firelight her sharp cheeks cut shadows on her face until she stepped in front of the braziers and her features were lost in darkness.

‘Who stands upon the border of the Khul?’ she asked quietly, standing between Athol and the tents, weapon and buckler raised.

‘Athol Khul, son of Norod Khul.’

‘You are seen and welcomed. Take up your weapon, Athol Khul.’ He did so, and extended his other hand, palm outwards. The sentry touched the pommel of her sword to his palm and smiled. ‘I am glad you have returned to us.’

‘There was no trial today, Anitt,’ he told her with a sigh. ‘I must return in two days.’

‘There’s always another trial, Athol. Your son is asleep, and my sister is waiting for you by the Last Forge.’ She slapped him on the behind with the buckler as he stepped past. ‘Run along to your family, son-of-Khul.’

He strode with renewed purpose between the bivouacs, heading towards the glow of the Last Forge at the heart of the camp. A few of his tribes-kin looked up at his passing and exchanged greetings, as they sat around their small firepits finishing their meals, or sang quiet songs to the slow beat of palm drums. A few threw bones or whittled at wood, while others wove brightly coloured fabric from threads hanging on handlooms.

It seemed peaceful, but Athol also saw the sword or dagger, spear or axe, that was on the belt or within the reach of every adult in the camp. Each wore at least a collar of mail or vambraces and greaves, some heavily clad in breastplate and more. They moved without noticing the extra encumbrance, raised to treat their armour as others would their normal clothes. Shields were propped up against the poles holding up the shelters or hung from loops of rope stitched into the underside of the canvas. Should one of the sentries patrolling the extent of the light at the camp’s edge raise the alarm, three thousand warriors would be ready to fight within a few heartbeats.

Ahead he could make out a group of silhouettes against the constant gleam of the Last Forge’s light, sitting on low stools in front of its open grate. Even as he thought he made out the topknot of Marolin, his wife, a voice called his name behind, causing him to turn. Emerging from between two tents, a figure shorter but broader than Athol approached.

‘Korlik.’ Athol held out his palm but the Khul leathermaster ignored the gesture of greeting.

‘Nice walk, eh?’ the man said. Athol could smell fermented whitehorn milk on his breath and his tone was belligerent.

‘Nice enough.’ The spear-carrier was about to continue towards the Last Forge but a grunt from Korlik stopped him. ‘What do you want?’

‘Come for a drink, queen’s champion.’ Korlik waved a jug, the sparse remains of its contents sloshing inside. ‘We’ve got some news.’

‘I’m to see Marolin. Whispers travel fast. She’ll know I’m back.’

‘She’ll wait, I’m sure. We want to talk to you.’

‘Who’s “we,” Korlik?’ Athol glanced over his shoulder at the outline of his wife and the others, a sigh escaping. He waved for Korlik to show him the way. ‘Fine, but this had better not take long.’

The leatherworker stomped off between the rough tents, heading towards the area near the river where the regular smithies, tannery and other workshops were located. The pleasant smell of roasted meats and stewed tubers was replaced by the stench of the crafters’ trades. It hung on the warm air like a fog, clinging to Athol’s nostrils as he followed Korlik into a broader opening alongside the river. The babble of voices he had heard on approaching fell silent. A fire had been heaped up in the rough ring, and around it on logs and stumps sat thirty or so tribesfolk, all of them Athol’s age or older.

‘What’s this?’ he asked. ‘A council of would-be elders?’

His comment was met without humour, the glint of the fire dancing in the eyes of his unexpected audience. Korlik emptied the last of his jug and tossed it to the flattened grass among a pile of others. He stooped to pick up a stoppered ewer and tossed it to Athol, who just about caught it in his free hand. The champion hooked his thumb into the handle but did not open the wax-sealed lid.

‘Take a drink,’ said Korlik. ‘You must have a thirst after your walk to the royal city and back.’

‘You’re drunk,’ Athol replied. ‘Maybe too drunk to fight?’

‘Too drunk to…?’ Korlik pulled himself straight and slapped a hand to the scabbarded tulwar at his thigh. ‘Is that what you think? You want to beat me, eh? Too drunk to fight! I’ll show you.’

‘Sit down, Korlik.’ The woman’s voice came from behind Athol but he recognised it immediately. He turned, a smile on his lips as Marolin strode into the firelight. Behind her were a handful of the other mothers. ‘Don’t say anything we’ll all regret.’

‘Your husband accuses me of breaking the law, Marolin, daughter-of-Khul. Drunk, he says!’

‘No man or woman shall be too drunk to fight,’ said Athol. He crouched and set the jug of skisk down at his feet. ‘That is the law.’

‘Fight who?’ The question came from Revvik, a woman a few years older than Athol, sat on a felled log to his left. She had lost her right hand in a battle against raiders, the missing appendage replaced with an angular bronze hook. It gleamed in the firelight as she scratched a scarred cheek with its tip. ‘The law says we must be ready in case of attack. Who’s going to attack us, Athol?’

‘Is that what this is about?’ said Athol. ‘It’s been a season since we last took to the field of battle and now you’re all bored.’

‘Two seasons.’ The correction came from Norgro, and Athol realised the veteran hunter was right. Norgro heaved up his bulk and walked around the fire, arms crossed over his bulging chest. ‘It was last Chillfrost when Golvarian slavers tried to capture folk from one of the edge-camps. And it wasn’t a battle. They ran before we arrived, and you would not let us chase them.’

‘What’s the point of risking death and injury fighting a foe that has already fled?’ Athol asked. ‘Would you have us stab an enemy in the back?’

‘If they’re fool enough to turn,’ answered Norgro.

Athol turned his attention to the clay vessel at his feet. He deftly sliced off the jug’s stopper with his spear tip, reversed the weapon and used the haft to lift the bottle. Sliding it from the lacquered wood he took two long draughts of the spiced milk. It burned into his gut. Perhaps he would have held his tongue without its influence, but the fiery liquid stoked the unsettled thoughts that had been nagging at him since the Bataari’s confident summoning of his champion and Khibal Anuk’s warning.

‘I say it again, is that what this is about? You are spoiling for a fight?’ He strutted up to Norgro and took another swig of drink. ‘Restless, are you?’

‘The Aridians have made us their pets, Athol,’ declared Gushol, a one-eyed figure dimly seen beyond the dance of the flames.

‘They hide behind our swords and we drink from their teats,’ added Korlik. ‘The other tribes–’

‘The other tribes fear the Khul,’ snarled Athol. ‘For good reason. Our ancestors came here, and fought, and died, and shed blood so that we could know this peace. It will not remain. Our rivals have short memories and we will wet our blades to remind them soon enough.’

‘Why do we not take what we want from the Aridians?’ said another of the crowd, the silversmith called Grakas. She jabbed a bejewelled finger at Athol. ‘You are too close to them, spear-carrier. They have tamed you. I smell Aridian perfume on you, not the blood of our foes.’

Grinding his teeth, Athol stared at the group, trying to understand what was happening. It took a few moments to realise what it was that had been nagging at him. Thirty or so of his tribe, men and women, coming together to air this grievance now? They were from different families of the Khul, but none of them was actually the head.

‘I see it now,’ he told them. He raised his voice, scornful. ‘You spoke to your elders and they laughed at you, didn’t they? What did you do, ask them to speak out against me at their council? Perhaps made you feel like fools for questioning this good life?’

‘The elders speak only for themselves now,’ said Gushol.

‘They think they know everything,’ added Korlik.

‘No.’ Athol dropped his voice, barely heard over the crackle of burning wood. ‘They know better. They know better because when their parents were children, the Khul were a hunted, despised people. Outsiders, invaders, hated by the Flamescar tribes. We preyed on them, tried to take from them, as you say we should take from the Aridians, and they were united in their scorn for us. Do you forget the tales your great-grandparents sang to you? Why do you choose to ignore the scars that left on our people?’

‘You are weak, Athol.’ The challenge was not shouted, but it was not whispered either. He was not sure from whose lips it had passed as he scanned their faces.

The spear-carrier forced himself not to reply. He wanted to demand the person make themselves known. He wanted to offer them the opportunity to back up their words with actions, to offer silent invitation to challenge him. The frustrations of the day lined up inside him to make him give voice to the anger in his heart, but he bit it back. There was no good outcome to this situation that ended with violence. He knew there was none that could best him, but the challenge would not end the divisions, only widen them.

His face was hot but it was not from the flames. Athol relaxed the fist at his side.

‘Speak again to your elders,’ he managed to say, and took a long breath, tasting smoke, sweat and skisk. He nodded, the act calming him further, self-assuring. ‘The council leads, not me. I am just the spear-carrier.’

‘You’re the bridge between us and the Aridians, not the elders,’ said Gushol. ‘But maybe you are just the spear-carrier now, no longer Khul at all.’

Athol let the jug drop from his fingers and let out a long breath, controlling his anger. Without further word, he turned and left.

CHAPTER THREE

It began with a long horn blast that rolled down the valley like a bank of noise, seeming to gather strength and pace. The clear note of challenge was joined by more, the thunder of several drums and the thudding of hafts and pommels on shields. As a punctuation to the blaring horn, the warriors raised their voices in a drawn-out shout.

‘Skullbrands!’ roared Threx, hoisting his axe high. ‘Skullbrands!’

A clamour of alarm rang up from the sleeping town, gongs and shouts almost lost amid the continued cacophony of the warband. Doors were flung open and stunned occupants raced and stumbled into view, some half-dressed, others clutching weapons and scraps of armour as they hastened into the streets.

‘I hope we’re not interrupting anything important,’ Threx announced with a grin. Laughter rippled along the Skullbrand line. ‘It was worth marching overnight just to see the insects scurrying from their nest.’

‘Look there, by the high tower,’ said Vourza, to his right. She pointed with her sword towards the centre of Wendhome. More heavily armoured figures had formed a knot around a dragon-blazoned banner, a squat figure with gilded helm at their centre.

‘Yourag,’ growled Foraza.

Threx’s humour dissipated at the sight of the Korchians’ leader. Yourag was shouting, waving his slender blade frantically at the warriors around him. Hundreds more armed Korchians surged through the streets, some heading for the broad central square around Yourag’s keep, others gathering in the space behind the gatehouse facing towards the wooded hill.

‘How many fighters did you say they had?’ The question came from Nerxes as he made his way to Threx behind the still-baying line of warriors. ‘I count at least twelve hundred.’

‘More than us,’ said Foraza.

‘Yes, more than us,’ snapped Threx. ‘But that doesn’t matter. We fight for a cause. Most of these cowards would pay us to humiliate a dog-son like Yourag.’

‘I don’t know…’ Nerxes tossed his head back, his sculpted fan of hair like the crest of an Aspirian’s helm. ‘The Korchians will see this as an attack on all of them.’

Threx bared his teeth and stepped out of the line again, turning to face his warriors from a dozen paces in front. Their shouting and drumming quietened, leaving only the continuing noise of battle preparations from Wendhome.

‘Remember why we’re here. I just want Yourag! Nobody else touches him.’ A storm of shouts and shield-battering greeted this declaration. His mood improving, Threx continued. ‘This is the moment the Skullbrands restore their pride. Our children’s children will look back on this day and will raise voice to our names. Skullbrands! Skullbrands!’

The call became a deafening roar, undulating from one end of the line to the other and back again, each syllable marked with a crash of shields or stamped feet. Grinning, Threx turned back to Wendhome, the sunlight now starting to mark the tapered points of its upper stockade. A column of sorts had been formed behind the gateway, the drake-flag of Yourag somewhere near the middle.

‘The coward won’t even lead his own army out!’ cried Vourza. Laughter and jeers rumbled around her.

The gates opened and the Korchian army spilled forth like a river breaking a dam. The warriors at the front hurried on to make room for the others, keen young men and women, long hair plaited and slapping on their bare backs, carrying short swords and small shields. They kept together as a group, advancing swiftly up the slope until shouts from their elders behind caused them to stop about three hundred paces from the Skullbrands. More orderly lines of armoured fighters followed, creating bristling groups of spear tips where they formed up behind their youngbloods. Threx glanced along his line and smiled. He’d brought nothing but veterans with him, each having seen at least five raids or full battles.

‘Time to get things started. Nerxes, Foraza, Vourza, come with me.’

He set off without waiting for acknowledgement of the command, striding down the slope towards the hundreds of Korchians still emerging from their fortified town.

‘I’ll give them a sliver of credit for meeting us in honourable battle rather than cowering behind their stockade,’ said Nerxes.

‘Nonsense,’ growled Threx. ‘Yourag knows that if he denies us an honourable fight and makes us attack the town, I’ll burn it to the ground and drive him from his lands. He’s not ready to risk that.’

In the midst of the advancing warriors the drake-flag pushed forward, a glint of gold marking the progress of Yourag through his throng. Threx and his companions were about a hundred paces distant when the lines of opposing fighters parted. The Korchians’ warlord appeared, flanked by giant warriors each a head taller than Threx and decked in ornate mail and plate.

‘They look lively,’ muttered Foraza.

‘Bigger targets, that’s all,’ replied Threx as they forged through the long grass. A few hundred paces from the wall the grass was cropped short, piles of animal dung testament to the culprits. Threx glanced around but could not see the Korchians’ grazing herds.

Closer now, he examined Yourag. The chieftain of the Korchians was a solid, short man with near-black skin, his eyes stark as he glared at the approaching party. Beneath a breastplate of iron he wore a robe of a light, scarlet material that hung to his knees. He wore no helm, his head topped with a mass of curled black hair threaded with gold.

‘That be close enough, fish-fondlers,’ shouted one of the guards when Threx and his delegation were about thirty paces away. Threx stopped and the others gathered close, lending their support with proximity.

Yourag came forward a dozen more paces, a bony hand on the pommel of the triangular blade that hung on his right hip. His eyes did not leave Threx.

‘Watch for any tricks,’ growled Threx before he broke away from the group, axe held casually over his shoulder. He continued until he was about ten paces from the Korchian warlord and swung the axe down, its head resting on the sun-scorched ground.

‘You know why we’re here,’ he said.

‘To die?’ replied Yourag, one eyebrow raised.

‘To demand apology,’ snapped Threx, flexing his fingers on the handle of the axe. ‘One way or the other.’

‘Go away, you stupid boy, and I will forget about this nonsense.’

‘You call me boy?’

‘You’re an adult, Threx of the Skullbrands, but this behaviour is childish. Does your father know you have brought his war-kin all this way to be humiliated?’

‘You will accept that your words were wrong, Yourag, or my axe will kiss your neck.’

‘No, it won’t. And I won’t. I told the truth, that is all. Now go. I will not give you another warning.’

‘When the blood is dried on the grass and you are broken and shamed, remember that you had this chance.’

‘We’re done, Threx.’

Yourag turned away, showing his back to the Skullbrand war-chief. Threx wanted to bury his axe in the spine of the arrogant pig but the traditions of the parley were still in effect until they had returned to their lines. He was there to right a wrong, not bring more shame upon the name of the Skullbrands. Seething, he strode back to the others and waved for them to head back to the battle-line.

‘Blood time,’ said Foraza as he pulled free his sword – a single-edged Bataar-forged blade that had been the end of two score and more enemies.

‘What’s the plan?’ asked Vourza.

‘I get to Yourag, hold my axe over him and demand apology,’ Threx replied.

‘That doesn’t sound like a plan,’ said Nerxes. ‘More like a hope. An aim, maybe?’

‘What’s to plan?’ said Threx. ‘We run down the hill, kill Korchians until I get to Yourag, and then the army will surrender.’

‘We’ll be surrounded,’ Nerxes pointed out.

‘In the heart of the enemy, you mean.’

‘Cut off from retreat, I would say.’

‘Luckily none of you are planning on running away, are you?’

Nerxes grabbed Threx’s arm and pulled him to a stop, staring deep into his eyes.

‘I’m no coward, Threx, I just want to help you win.’

‘Then cut a way to Yourag for me,’ the war-chief replied. Even if he was having second thoughts, which he was not, it was too late to back down. His humiliation would be even greater now that the challenge had been made and accepted. ‘Only blood will settle this now, cousin.’

‘Then listen to me for a moment.’

Threx was already bored of his older cousin’s nagging but he nodded all the same. ‘You’ve been reading more Aspirian books, haven’t you?’

‘Their youngbloods will try to fight and then pull back, bleed us a little bit and slow us down before Yourag sends the rest of his army around our flanks. Send our hundred fastest runners to take them on and lure them out to the flanks. We’ll drive through the gap and straight towards Yourag. Like you say, we only need to get to him and the battle’s won. Split the rest of the army into three, one part to either side to drive outwards and isolate Yourag, a small force to hit the centre and get you into reach.’

‘That’s a plan, is it? Split my army all over the place?’

‘It’s tactics, cousin.’ Nerxes looked away for a moment, glancing back at the Korchians. Several dozen warriors were moving from one end of the line to the other as Yourag made some final adjustments to his battle plan. ‘Think of it like this, Threx. You don’t need to chop a man apart to beat him, just grab both his wrists to stop him attacking you and then headbutt him in the face.’

Threx pictured this and grinned.

‘Yes, I like that idea. I see what you mean.’ He slapped his cousin on the shoulder. ‘Go and arrange it, yes?’

With a resigned smile Nerxes ran up the hill and started calling out to the most seasoned warriors as he approached, passing on the orders.

‘He’s a smart one,’ said Vourza. ‘Listen to him and the Skullbrands will prosper.’

‘He’s cautious,’ replied Threx. ‘Before we left he tried to convince me that this was all a bad idea. He’s practical, for sure, but forgets that the heart of our people demands honour, and to lead needs courage.’

‘Came anyway,’ Foraza said.

‘That’s true.’

They were almost back with the bulk of the war-horde, and Threx turned to survey the enemy. They had backed off a little way, towards the level ground around the town. On the left a small river meandered down the slope, not broad or deep enough to form a forbidding obstacle but one that would slow down the attack or force that side of his army towards the centre.

‘Nerxes!’ he bellowed, waving for his cousin to come over. Nerxes said a few more words to the group of warriors he was with and then headed towards the war-chief.

‘What do you make of that, tactics man?’ Threx asked, thrusting his axe towards the enemy.

‘It’s good. It means Yourag wants to defend and then counter-attack. If we make the first charge quick, and make it count, he won’t get the chance. It’ll be risky though.’

‘It’ll be worth it to see Yourag grovelling before us,’ said Threx, eyes narrowed as he sought out the opposing chieftain.

‘Right enough. When the youngbloods have been cleared aside, we’ll push ourselves right down their throats. The warriors on the flanks will be worried about coming around us because we’ll have the rest of the army ready to pounce on their backs too. Their numbers won’t count for anything. But he’ll have those big ones near him, and his best fighters around him.’

‘We’ll be better,’ Threx assured his cousin. He raised his axe and his voice. ‘Skullbrands, now is the time to bare our blades and show our wrath. Blood demands blood!’

A roar and clattering of weapons greeted the declaration.

‘Lift the banner twice,’ Nerxes told Foraza.

‘What for?’ the standard bearer replied.

Nerxes spoke through gritted teeth. ‘I’ve arranged signals for when to attack.’

‘Right,’ said Foraza, his eyes straying to Threx.

‘To start the attack on the youngbloods, yes?’ Threx checked with Nerxes.

‘That’s right,’ his cousin replied, patience visibly wearing thing.

‘You heard Nerxes, raise it twice,’ said Threx.

Foraza hoisted the standard high and then again. The signal was rewarded by a shout of acknowledgement from Gaizan a short distance away. He set off down the hill with a group of the youngest and nimblest warriors.

‘Here we go,’ said Nerxes.

Threx stroked a hand across the blade of his axe but said nothing, lost in the thought of laying its edge upon the throat of Yourag.

The din of clashing weapons and angry shouts rang across the hillside. Threx did his best to remain calm, advancing down the slope with his warriors spread out to either side, Foraza with the banner flying above at his right shoulder. He wasn’t sure exactly what Nerxes had said to Gaizan, but the Korchians’ youngbloods had been goaded into charging the knot of warriors that had been sent against them, drawing them to the left, towards the narrowed space beside the river. Threx threw a glance towards his cousin, just a few paces to his left. Nerxes was keeping pace with the others, wooden shield painted with a red crow in one hand, his single-handed axe in the other.

Beyond, and to the left, the Skullbrands stretched out in an uneven line of warriors. The slope was still steep and the grass too long for an effective charge, but the Korchians had given up that advantage in exchange for the river on their flank.

‘Close up!’ bellowed Nerxes, turning his head to the left and right. ‘Foraza, wave the banner to the left and right three times.’

This time the standard bearer did as he was asked without question. The outer ends of the Skullbrands’ line closed inwards to form a denser mass of warriors three rows deep. After another fifty paces several hundred warriors to each side angled their advance away from Threx’s party, creating a gap of some thirty or forty paces between them.

Ahead, the Korchians waited, none of them tempted forward to aid the youngbloods.

‘I hear that the Aspirians use archers in battle,’ Vourza said casually, swiping her blade at the grass as she walked.

‘Bows are for hunting, not fighting,’ Threx replied. ‘Where’s the glory in killing a foe when you can’t see the life fall from their eyes?’

‘They have even stranger weapons in Bataar,’ said Nerxes. ‘Tubes that throw fire and huge bows mounted on the backs of great beasts.’

‘Aye, and their city floats on a bed of magic, it’s said,’ added Vourza. ‘My grandmother says she saw it once, long ago.’

‘Your grandmother saw a lot,’ said Threx. ‘Most of it at the bottom of a cup!’

Vourza laughed with them, for the stamina of her grandmother on a feast night had been a legend in itself – a trait her granddaughter seemed to have inherited.

‘There are tribes with spell-wielders, out to the east,’ Nerxes continued. ‘And there’s the Golvarians, of course.’

‘Corpse-fiends,’ grunted Foraza. ‘Never liked Golvarians.’

‘One day they’ll hear of the Skullbrands,’ Threx assured them. ‘It starts today, the rebirth of our people. No more jokes at our expense.’

‘One day soon,’ said Vourza.

‘Glory to the Skullbrands!’ roared Threx. The cry echoed from the mouths of the warriors around him, followed by a single crash of weapons.

They were only a hundred and fifty paces from the Korchians now. The youngbloods, the two-thirds of them that had not been cut down in their clash with Gaizan’s warriors, raced back towards the main line rather than be trapped between the advancing Skullbrands and the loop of the river. The far ends of Yourag’s force started forward slowly, curving the line towards the oncoming horde.

‘Is that good?’ Threx called to Nerxes. ‘Do we want them to do that?’

‘I think so…’

The ground was levelling quickly, the grass underfoot shortened by the grazing herds. Threx could see the faces of the men and women opposite, the diamond-pattern devices on their rectangular shields, the curve of bronze or iron armour on arms and legs. Directly ahead waited Yourag with his giant guards, a knot of metal and red in the centre of the line.

‘Can we charge yet, cousin?’ he asked, adjusting his sweaty grip on the axe haft. ‘I think we need to charge.’

In answer, Nerxes pointed his axe at the enemy. ‘Whenever you like, cousin!’

‘Blood-kin, time for glory! Charge!’ The command left Threx’s lips as he broke into a run, passing quickly along the line from throat to throat until it rolled down the hill with him. A defiant, short bellow thundered from the Korchians’ line as they readied shields and presented spears and swords.

Threx gave one last glance to the men and women around him. The two flanking forces were peeling away, aiming towards the ends of the lines, not the centre. The furthest flank of Yourag’s army flexed to meet it but the nearest, on the bank of the river, could not advance further without breaking away from the waterside, where Gaizan’s warriors had taken up position ready to dash forward if there was an opening.

Dead ahead the Korchians could do nothing but either wait for the attack or break their line with a counter-charge. Yourag and his ogor-like protectors were rooted to the spot as Threx pounded straight at them.

‘You’re a genius, cousin,’ he laughed, picking up speed.

For a few moments Threx felt as if he were drowning in noise. His mind flashed back to the time when, as a young child, he had fallen into the rapids near the village, and been tossed and thrown through water and rocks. Around him whirled Korchian blades, the heat of bodies, enraged shouts and the crash of metal a near-physical pressure. At his back and sides his companions pushed on, forcing a way into the thick of the enemy. Threx swung his axe upwards, smashing aside the shield of a Korchian woman. Nerxes stepped forward and buried the head of his weapon into her shoulder. She fell back into the throng as though swallowed by the waves of battle, replaced by a man with burnished plate and a skirt of mail already spattered with blood.

Leaning away from the Korchian’s sword thrust, Threx batted aside the man’s weapon, eyes flicking between him and the press of bodies as he searched for the banner of Yourag.

He caught the next blow on the long haft of his axe, turned the weapon and beheaded the Korchian in one fluid movement, stepping forward with the momentum of the attack.

‘Yourag is mine!’ he bellowed as a reminder to his warriors.

‘This way,’ growled Foraza. He still held Threx’s banner aloft while his long sword weaved a deadly pattern before him.

Led by the standard bearer, the knot of Skullbrand veterans shifted to the right, angling their attack against the Korchian line. Formation was giving way to individual battles as warriors were pushed together and then separated, the battle-line splintering into dozens of personal duels.

With a roar, Foraza took the arm off a foe with two vicious hacks, shouldering the screaming man aside to make room for Vourza. She slashed the legs out from under another, and suddenly the Korchian line seemed to fray and then break, parting before the thrust of Threx’s hardened fighters.

‘This way,’ he roared, waving his axe towards the gilded standard swaying above the fighting to their right.

Not caring for what happened behind him, Threx darted forward, trusting his companions to follow, intent upon the group of red-and-bronze-clad Korchians.

‘Yourag!’ He bellowed the challenge, readying his axe as he covered the ground with swift strides.

Two of the Korchian giants peeled away from the fight and turned on Threx, each carrying a broadsword and a rectangular shield that covered them from knee to throat.

Another Korchian burst from the fighting, hurling herself at Threx with a hoarse yell. Threx skidded and ducked beneath the wild blow, bringing his axe up between the woman’s body and arm, the blade biting deep into her shoulder from below. He straightened and kicked, knocking her shrieking from his weapon, and then turned to confront the two bodyguards.

He sidestepped left and then darted right, trying to isolate one of them as he swept his axe overhead, looking to strike at the helmed head behind the tower shield. The giant thrust forward with surprising speed, smashing Threx from his feet with the iron boss of his pavise.

Threx landed and rolled backwards, bringing his axe up to ward away the following blow. Steel crashed and he was sent reeling again, staggering a few paces away before falling to one knee.

Something wet and warm coated his left leg. He looked down. Crimson was spilling down his thigh from a cut just below the ribs.

Shapes blurred for a few heartbeats, shadows surrounding him with noise and movement. He picked out Foraza’s deep bellow and the far higher-pitched war-shriek of Vourza. A shadow approached and through a haze he recognised Nerxes.

‘Cousin…?’ Nerxes filled the single word with all of his concern, his face a mask of dread.

Losing was impossible. Threx would not be defeated, not while he still drew breath. Seeing the fear in his cousin’s eyes, and pity perhaps, spurred Threx to action.

‘It’s nothing,’ Threx growled, pushing his cousin away as he regained his feet. He was losing some feeling in his left side but knew that had the blow been truly mortal he would be dead already.

‘You’re–’

‘Ready to fight,’ Threx cut him off, limping forward. He glanced at his wound. ‘This? This is nothing. Even if I’d lost my leg I’d still beat Yourag.’

Foraza was using the standard to fend off one of the giants, blade flicking out to counter the Korchian’s thrusts. The other lay in the cropped grass, a short distance away, fending off Vourza’s attempts to finish him. More of the muscular figures were closing from the direction of the battle-line, breaking from the fighting to come to the aid of their lord.

‘We don’t have time – the wings of the Korchian line are closing in,’ said Nerxes. ‘It’s too late.’

‘Never,’ snarled Threx, flexing his grip on his axe. He broke into a lopsided run, bursting past Foraza and his large foe without any thought of defending himself. The Korchian was too slow, distracted by the banner bearer, his blow thudding into the earth as Threx dived forward, evading the blade.

He came to his feet face-to-face with Yourag. The Korchian chieftain had his triangular sword in hand, a buckler moulded into a skull design enclosing his other fist. It was this that crashed against Threx’s upraised axe. The sword followed quickly, darting for his throat, but he sidestepped, using the flat of the axe to force Yourag back a step. Gaining this small space, Threx swung hard, aiming not for Yourag but the part of his foe’s sword where the blade sat in the short quillons. The edge of the axe caught the triangular blade hard, snapping it from the tang that kept it embedded in the hilt.

Yourag’s face was a picture of shock as the broken sword blade tumbled to the grass, its sharp tip flashing. Threx did not hesitate but smashed the eye of the axe-head forward into the point of Yourag’s jaw, knocking him to the ground.

‘Yield!’ roared Threx, stamping on the chieftain’s left arm to pin his buckler down, axe raised. ‘Offer your regret!’

Yourag’s fear became a momentary defiance, hatred filling his eyes, until Threx offered the edge of his axe towards the Korchian’s neck.

‘I crave,’ wailed Yourag, spirit broken, eyes fixed on the axe’s blade. ‘I am sorry!’

Around them the sounds of fighting died down as warriors on both sides realised the Korchian leader was capitulating. Threx glanced to his left and saw Foraza, Nerxes, Vourza and many Skullbrands; to the right a gathering crowd of dejected Korchians.

‘Say it for all to hear, Yourag of the Korchians.’ Threx grinned, enjoying the moment.

‘I apologise for calling your mother a bloated sow,’ groaned Yourag, trembling as his gaze moved to meet Threx’s eyes.

‘Louder,’ said the Skullbrands’ leader.

‘I apologise for calling your mother a bloated sow!’ Yourag shouted between sobs.

‘Who is victor here?’

Yourag’s eyes narrowed and it seemed as though he would not answer.

‘Who has the victory here?’ the Skullbrand demanded with another twist of the axe.

‘Threx Skullbrand,’ snarled Yourag, raising his voice. ‘Threx Skullbrand is the victor here!’

The painter moved efficiently but quietly, first checking the small traps set in the trees around the cave. A couple of them had been sprung but the creatures within had already been taken by larger animals happening upon an easy meal. A third held the fresh corpse of a long, slender rodent, the loop of cord about its throat biting deep into the grey fur.

He dragged the noose open, stuffed the dead animal in a small sack and then reset the snare, ears alert to any change in the sounds of the forest. As skittish as the creatures that leapt through the branches and twined around the boles, he moved from trunk to trunk, always on the lookout, eyes wide and constantly moving.

He dug out a few of the more edible roots from the orange-brown earth, adding them to the food sack. It was too early for any fruit to harvest, but he picked the petals from the early summer flowers to crush for his painting. He needed more red. A lot more.

On the way back he circled towards the large game trail that wound further down the hillside. Sometimes the gor-folk followed the winding track, leaving broken weapons or other scraps that could be put to use. The painter did not venture too far, always glancing back up through the canopy to orientate himself with the craggy black pinnacle that rose above his cave.

Finding nothing, he was about to start back, collecting fallen branches for the fire. He stooped to pick up a thick limb, broken off by the winds that had howled a few days ago, but froze even as he laid the tips of his fingers upon it.

He smelled blood.

Not the taint that haunted him after waking from his future-dreams, but fresh, hot blood.

He listened intently, turning his head slowly to windward, ears seeking something else among the swish of leaves and the distant hissing of the river.

Above a reddish-leaved bush about a dozen paces away, a short, curved black horn was visible against the pale bole of a tree. A grunt accompanied a fresh rustle of leaves, followed by a wet slurping.

The painter did not move, heart thrashing in his chest. He dared to drag his gaze away to take stock of his surroundings, looking for the route that would take him to the greatest concealment in the shortest time.

A snarl brought his eyes snapping back to the red bush, the branches of which were quivering now from the movement of the gor-man beyond. Easing himself fractionally forward the painter saw the beast-figure more clearly. It was a small one, shorter than him, though the arm he could see was taut with more muscle than his own limbs. It held the bloodied remnants of a rabbit in a clawed hand, which it raised to red-smeared lips in a face that looked like a nightmarish breed of goat and human.

The painter vaguely remembered that there had been wars fought to kill all of the gor-folk, long before he had been born. Maybe the armies of the Hammerlord had not reached this far into the forests, or perhaps scattered remnants of the gor-folk had fled into the depths from elsewhere over the many years. Nobody came this far into the woods any more.

It was why he lived here, away from the prying of those that had cast him out.

Struck by a strange thought, he reached up to his scalp and ran a hand across the bald skin.

No horns there.

Yes, he was a man, not a beast.

The gor-man straightened a little, resting back on its furred haunches, and sniffed the air, head turning slowly back and forth. In moments it would look towards the painter.

He wished he’d brought the spear.

Sense told him to run as fast and far as possible but his legs would not respond.

A different instinct took over, surging from the deepest part of him, the dark interior that gave birth to the dreams. His fingers snatched up the branch with a will of their own and he was dashing towards the bush before he knew what he was doing.

Hearing him, the gor-man started to turn with a surprised grumble, but he was fast and desperate. The thick tree limb smashed into the side of the creature’s jaw, shattering wood and bone, hurling the gor-man backwards.

The painter pounced into the falling beast-kin, driving the ragged end of the branch into its chest, pushing and pushing as it landed on its back, feeling the pressure of splintered wood warring against bone. The stick snapped first and he fell sideways into the creature.

Clawed fingers seized his throat, dragging him close into an exhalation of foetid, blood-tinged breath.

Panicked, the painter did not try to prise the shackle-strong grip but instead seized the closest horn, pulling the gor-man’s head backwards to expose its own throat. With a feral snarl he buried his teeth into its thick skin, biting with all of his strength, arching his back as he tore away a chunk of flesh.

Blood covered them both, slicking the creature’s dying grip as its fingers loosened about the painter. He smashed the remains of the branch into the gor-man’s face and then threw himself away, panting fiercely.

The beast rolled, one leg twitching violently through the scrubby undergrowth, the last spurts of arterial blood becoming a dribble of red leaking into the brown mulch.

Fingers flexing, lungs bursting, the painter stared at the dead thing with a mixture of horror and fascination. The lifeblood seemed to sparkle as it pooled and he crawled forward until he could see his haggard reflection in the thickening fluid. The smell of it brought a rush of memories, sending him swirling back into recollection of the blood-soaked dreams that he tried to paint on the walls of the cave.

A coughing bark in the distance brought him out of his entranced state. Gor-folk didn’t hunt alone and this small one must have sneaked off to enjoy its kill away from its larger kin.

Other grunting shouts and yapping echoed back through the woodlands, coming from behind and to the right, between him and the cave.

The painter wasn’t the only one that could smell blood on the air.

The crack of snapping twigs underfoot grew louder. He caught a glimpse of something moving in the shadows beneath the tree canopy and dropped to all fours, hoping it had not seen him.

He really wished he’d brought the spear.

CHAPTER FOUR

Marolin found Athol standing in the darkness not far from the firelight, as he stared up at the swirl of stars and light above. His whole body trembled in reaction to the confrontation. Alone, one against another, there was none to match his coolness. Some said the cold water of the distant rivers ran in his veins, not hot blood. But to stand up to his own people, to weather their veiled insults, accept their ignorant posturing and face down their belligerence was a far more trying task.

He tried to push the thoughts from his head.

The view above was not one his ancestors had known. This was not the land where the Khul had first risen to prominence. How had it been for those first folk that had crossed through the gate and come to the Flamescar? Had that alien sky been a source of wonder or terror?

A rainbow-like miasma danced away to the south, which he had learned from the Aridians was a confluence of two other celestial phenomena known as the Sword and the Shield; in turn they had been taught this from Aspirian astrologers. The Aspirians had been given this information, so they claimed, by the God-hero Sigmar himself. There were other lights and glimmers, glittering fogs and fiery comets that tracked unevenly across the skies. Looking upon the vastness he knew in his head that there were other worlds beyond, could recite the songs from his fore-folk that spoke of a place very different from this one, where the Khul had risen from the embers of an ancient war. But his heart could not comprehend the idea. It felt right to be here, as though the wider universe had placed him on the Flamescar Plateau.

‘They have a point.’

Athol turned and looked at his wife with a frown.

‘Do not side with them against me.’

‘I’m not talking about sides, or drunken complaints. I’m talking about you.’

‘You think I’m weak?’ The words choked in his throat and his heart quickened with fear.

‘No. I think you are too strong. Too strong for us to understand.’ He shook his head but Marolin continued. ‘You do not shout, or throw things, or drink too much. You barely swear. It’s like you aren’t Khul. They don’t understand you.’

‘You understand me, daughter-of-Khul,’ he said gently, reaching out to her.

‘I love you and believe in you,’ she said, stepping back from his hand. He let it drop to his side, feeling numbed by her words, though they were meant as comfort. ‘I know that your passion is deeper than any here, and that is why it does not show on the surface.’

‘But…?’

‘But a leader cannot be apart from his people.’

‘I am not leader, the–’

‘Don’t hide behind your title as spear-carrier. The elders guide, but you lead. Why did you not punish Korlik? Why did you let Farsas speak against you without reply?’

‘So it was Farsas that called me weak?’

‘It doesn’t matter which of them did it.’

‘Farsas is limp in one leg – he cannot fight me.’

‘And yet he showed more spirit by insulting you than you have done in four seasons.’

Athol kicked at a stone, wrestling with his own thoughts.

‘Why is everyone so restless all of a sudden? It’s like someone has heated the water too long so it bubbles from the pot. The Aridians have allowed us to live in relative peace, and these idiots would–’

‘Listen to yourself!’ Marolin almost shrieked the words. She lowered her voice, looking around, mindful that others might mark the dispute between the spear-carrier and his wife. ‘Perhaps we don’t want peace. Perhaps we don’t want to be “allowed” anything, but to fight and build for ourselves? Have you ever wondered why the Aridians chose to make mercenaries of us?’

‘It was an arrangement that was good for both them and the Khul.’

‘Some of them keep serpents as pets. They draw the venom to make sure they are safe, milking it from the snakes periodically. The snakes cannot hunt, and have to be fed captured food.’

‘And you think they do the same to us?’

‘Can we depend on the Aridians forever?’

‘Little lasts forever, you know that.’

She approached him, eyes wide in the starlight, intent upon his face. He did not see anger there, but pleading, an expression he had never seen before from Marolin.

‘And if the Aridians chose to break the bargain, are we still strong enough to survive without them? We train their warriors in our battle-arts. Soon they will not need us, but we will have no venom left to fight back.’

Athol wanted to argue with her, to tell her that Humekhta would not turn on the Khul like that, but stopped himself. He remembered what Khibal Anuk had told him, of sentiment in the court turning on Athol. Would there be a campaign not just to see him removed as spear-carrier, but perhaps to renege on the pact with the Khul?

‘I see that the spark of my words has landed on the tinder of your thoughts,’ said Marolin. She stepped even closer and he felt the heat of her body even above the warmth of the night. His wife placed her hand on his breastplate, above his heart. ‘You are the best of us, and the best for us, Athol. I know that.’

He pulled her closer still, a calloused hand on her back, and held her tight. A few heartbeats later she put her arms around him and returned the embrace, and in their grip the tension flowed from his body.

‘Thank you.’ He said the words in a whisper but raised his voice for the next ones. ‘I love you, Marolin, daughter-of-Khul.’

‘I love you too,’ she replied.

He closed his eyes and let himself feel the moment, drawing her strength into himself, her energy and love stoking the flame that lay deep within his breast. Unsettling times lay ahead. Perhaps the signs had been growing and he had ignored them, but twice today people he respected had given him direct warning of the changes on the wind.

He would be a fool not to heed them.

Athol rose early after dawn, as he usually did, and started with a few simple exercises to stretch the muscles and loosen his joints. Eruil, his son, came up beside him and copied his father, while Marolin emerged from the shelter and watched them, her sword in hand.

‘You look stiff,’ she remarked as Athol reached high with both arms, fingers entwined. ‘Apprehensive.’

‘I didn’t sleep well,’ he admitted, twisting to the left and then the right. Beside him, Eruil did the same, his face a study in concentration.

‘It’s just another trial combat, why are you worried?’ the woman asked.

Athol did not answer. He glanced down at his son with a smile.

Marolin joined them and the three finished their exercise routine in silence. When they were done Marolin stalked off gruffly, to stoke up the fire for breakfast.

‘Are you worried, dad?’ Eruil asked when he was finished.

Athol had promised himself he would raise Eruil in the traditional fashion of the Khul, and had tried his best. That meant there was no lies about death, no softening of the harshness of life or offering false hope against the vagaries of injustice and inequality. But in that moment, as he crouched down and looked at his son’s concerned expression, he broke his promise. He could not bring himself to give words to the unease that made a gulf of his stomach and caused his shoulders to tighten with tension.

‘Just tired, that’s all.’ He kissed the boy’s cheek and stood up, laying a hand on his shoulder. ‘Let’s go and cook breakfast.’

He went about the normal affairs of the morning, eating breakfast and then washing himself in the river with the rest of his family, but Marolin’s terseness throughout was testament to her own feelings. When Eruil had been sent off to fetch faggots of dried dung for the fires with the other youngsters, Marolin cornered Athol as he went to the spring to fetch water. There were a few other families there and she kept her voice low as they dipped their pails in the cool ground-sprung waters.

‘What have you been thinking about?’ she asked. ‘There’s not a man alive that can beat you one-on-one.’

‘The Bataari is too confident.’

‘He has a champion, he thinks that gives him a second chance. If he did not have faith in his champion, he would not have hired him.’ She shrugged. ‘What does this Williarch really know about you, eh? Beyond the Aridians, who knows of your skill?’

‘No, it is something else. Orhatka said that he was too willing to submit to trial by challenge. He didn’t even try to pay his way out.’

‘That is unusual for a Bataari…’ Marolin turned and picked up the second of her buckets. ‘But I know you. There’s a chance you will die every time you pick up the spear for Humekhta. You have never shown fear before.’

‘It is not fear!’ The words had escaped him without thought and Athol calmed himself, looking around the rock-bordered basin to see if anyone else had heard his small outburst. He continued in a quieter tone. ‘It is not fear. Not for me.’

‘Then what is it?’ insisted Marolin. ‘Is it about what happened two nights ago, with the others?’

‘You agreed with them,’ Athol reminded her.

‘I told you to be careful, that was all.’

He said nothing but his expression must have betrayed him, for Marolin leaned closer, lips thin. ‘What is it, Athol? What haven’t you told me?’

‘Khibal Anuk spoke to me the last time I was in the royal city.’

‘What does the Hammerpriest have to do with any of this?’

‘He had a warning.’ Athol sighed, regretting that he had said anything at all, but there was no point saying anything less than the full truth now. ‘The Aridians… Let’s just say you’re not the first person to suggest that the Khul are not so favoured in the eyes of the Aridians as I had thought. Well, this particular son-of-Khul, at least.’

‘You have been loyal, and you are undefeated. What more could they want of you?’

‘I don’t know.’ Athol dragged his other pail through the water and stood up, a bucket in each hand. Marolin followed him with her own as he turned back to the encampment. ‘Like those that spoke the other night, there are some around Humekhta that are forgetting what it was that led our two peoples together.’

‘Did Khibal Anuk have anything else to say? Any advice, perhaps?’

‘Yes,’ replied Athol but he said nothing else for a while as they made their way back up the track to the spread of bivouacs on the higher ground.

When they had tipped their water into the covered tubs that they shared with a score of other families, the buckets stowed beneath an awning nearby, he returned to their half-tent to prepare for the walk back to the royal city.

‘He said that maybe a war would remind the Aridians of what they had forgotten,’ Athol confessed as he pulled his armour free from its covers. He looked up at Marolin when she did not immediately exclaim any objection to the idea. ‘We gave enough blood to create this alliance. The point of working for the Aridians is that we don’t have to give up a lot more.’

Still his wife did not say anything, arms crossed, lips pursed in thought. He was about to turn away when she spoke again.

‘What is a warrior without a war?’ she asked quietly.

‘Alive,’ Athol replied without hesitation.

‘You’re right,’ she said, focusing on his face, a smile on her lips. ‘No need to fight more than one battle at a time. Beat this Bataari’s champion and we’ll face whatever comes next as we’ve always done. Together.’

‘Together.’

She helped him get ready, tying the cords of his armour as he readied his vambraces and greaves. When they were done she untied the scabbard at her waist and handed him her half-sword. Normally he would take only the spear for trials and he raised an eyebrow in question.

‘Just in case,’ Marolin told him. ‘Indulge me.’

He nodded and took the weapon. It was about as long as his forearms, the blade sharp on both edges. He strapped the sheath to his right thigh and then took up his helm. She brought his spear forth from where it was kept in a dark wooden case, its tip glistening with a light that owed nothing to the sun slanting down beneath the shelter roof. It had been made with the Last Forge, a symbol of the Khul, the sharp tip of the Aridian spear. Athol took it lightly in one hand, the haft across his shoulder.

‘I’ll come back,’ he promised his wife, laying a hand on her shoulder.

‘Fight like a Khul,’ she replied.

The royal city was so different from the Khul encampment that Athol always felt as if he might have stepped through a gateway to a different place whenever he crossed from the plains into the rambling tent streets. Where the Khul were orderly and functional, the Aridians set up their tents almost on a whim. The size of a tent and its owner’s influence was directly related to the number of family within, and the number of menials that worked for them. Its closeness to the centre where Humekhta held court was a rough indication of status.

Remembering this as he received a raised fist in salute from a warrior at one of the guard posts around the tent city’s outskirts, Athol thought more about the effects of the Aridians’ lifestyle.

Every time the city moved, the status of those within was literally uprooted. On setting up a new camp at the next location it was as much a physical battle to pitch one’s shelter near to the Prophet-Queen as it was a matter of who was entitled to site themselves closer to the royal family.

The further Athol moved into the settlement the closer the tents started to be to one another, their occupants attempting to gain favour by proximity. Those that arrived first could sprawl at their leisure, but those that came a little later pushed as far inwards as possible, often until coming to blows with their neighbours. Only a few streets allowed access to the inner circle, enforced by the royal family’s retainers. Elsewhere one had to pick their way through awnings, guy ropes and poles to make any progress.

But it had been almost a season since the city had moved. Families that had perhaps hoped to do better at the next camp were forced to be patient, their route to the queen literally barred by their betters. It was like a pool grown stagnant. The Aridians were a people that were meant to move, to refresh themselves sporadically as they followed the herds. Perhaps the immobility was the cause of the discontent that Khibal Anuk had spoken of – the Khul merely being the target of the grievance rather than its actual cause.

The mood of the place was subdued; very few people were on the streets and those that saw him were half-hearted in their greetings. Athol’s apprehension grew as he neared the palace-tent. He could see the highest peaks of the immense pavilion but no one had come out to meet him as was usually custom.

He found a pair of guards standing attentively a little way ahead. Their conversation stopped as he approached and they shared an awkward glance with each other.

‘The queen is waiting for you,’ said one, only briefly meeting Athol’s gaze.

The spear-carrier was not sure if it was meant as warning or admonishment. He said nothing as he entered the great tent by one of the lesser doors.

Orhatka was waiting for him a few paces inside. A frown fleetingly deepened his brow before he looked away, leading Athol towards the main chamber without comment. It was the closest Athol had seen the lawsmith to open agitation and it did little to settle his own mood.

‘Wait,’ Athol growled before they moved through the flap that led into the queen’s presence, gently grabbing Orhatka’s arm.

The lawsmith stopped, and half turned.

‘Queen Humekhta is waiting.’

‘A moment longer won’t matter,’ answered Athol. ‘Why does everyone look like they’re walking on hot coals?’

Orhatka started to move away but Athol’s grip tightened, holding him in place.

‘It’s Williarch’s champion,’ the lawsmith admitted with a sigh.

‘What of it?’

‘See for yourself,’ said Orhatka, dragging his arm free. He pushed through the drape and Athol was forced to follow.

The Prophet-Queen sat as usual to the left, the taer-huma marked out by rope in a broad oval before her. As before, the regulars of court stood a little distance back from the bladespace, but there were a few unfamiliar faces among them, the crowd larger than usual. Athol’s first thought was one of disdain; he had never understood the appeal of watching others fight. It was followed quickly by consternation. What spectacle had brought this audience forth?

His answer stood on the opposite side of the taer-huma. Williarch’s champion was about the same height as Athol, which was to say a little taller than most of the Aridians, and from the figure’s general build he assumed his opponent to be a man. It was impossible to be sure, for the Bataari champion was clad head to foot in overlapping plates of moulded steel, every part of the full armour rune-carved and burnished. A black horsehair crest topped a full helm with a facemask shaped like a snarling hunting cat. The entire panoply had been given a gleaming sheen of lacquer that reflected the sun that streamed through the openings in the tent roof.

Athol’s eye fell upon the two swords that hung at the stranger’s hips. Each was straight-bladed, almost as long as a man’s arm, but as slender as two fingers together. A gilded beast decorated each scabbard, stylised and rearing up. Their hilts and pommels, too, were wrought in the shape of leonine winged creatures.

Stopping just short of the rope boundary, Athol stared at the other warrior, seeking the eyes hidden behind the slits of the visor. He found a bright blue gaze in the shadows, regarding him with a cool detachment.

An excited shout from the right drew the other champion’s eye to the crowd and Athol followed his gaze, seeing Aless and Joira standing either side of Khibal Anuk. The spear-carrier tipped a nod to the queen’s nieces and his gaze lingered for a moment on their father, whose expression was one of studied passivity. Athol’s eyes moved on, returning to Queen Humekhta. Not far from her stood Williarch, flanked by guards, a satisfied smugness marking his features.

Humekhta’s eyes gave a flicker of recognition. Reassurance, perhaps? The odd atmosphere, expectation mixed with apprehension, gnawed at Athol. He needed a few heartbeats to shed the distracting thoughts that had tried to crowd him on entering. He planted his spear and adjusted the strap of his helm, focusing once more upon his opponent. He gently cleared his throat, not wanting the dust of the journey to make him hoarse, for it might be taken as a sign of nervousness. Prepared, he took up the spear and placed his hand upon the sculpted breastplate.

‘I am the Spear-carrier, champion of Humekhta the Third,’ he declared. ‘Trial has been called and I offer my spear in defence of the Prophet-Queen’s honour.’

Orhatka had made his way around the bladespace and was stood between Humekhta and Williarch.

‘The accused will answer the challenge,’ the lawsmith said.

‘I Williarch de Breughel, taskmaster from Keredam. I answer with champion. I defend honour by Serleon of Aquita, called the Peerless Blade.’

‘Then it is agreed – the trial by combat will decide the guilt of Williarch of Bataar.’

Athol stepped over the rope, loosening his shoulders as he did so. Opposite him Serleon of Aquita turned towards his paymaster, touched a finger to the brow of his helm and received a nod in return. With a whisper of metal he drew both blades and advanced into the taer-huma.

‘The trial begins!’ announced Queen Humekhta.

CHAPTER FIVE

Striding over the rise that bordered the Asha Vale, Threx felt a surge of pride. He had never doubted that he would return in victory, but it was his first experience of doing so as the leader of an army. His hand had restored honour to the Skullbrands.

As he made his way down the opposite side of the ridge, the warriors that had followed him spreading out behind, he imagined that night’s victory feast. He had considered sending a messenger ahead, so a proper celebration could be held on his return, but had dismissed the idea in favour of telling his father the news himself. He wanted to see the appreciation in the Ashen King’s eyes when he discovered his son had started the Skullbrands’ march to a new-found glory.

He took a deep breath, savouring the cooler air of the vale. The surrounding hills channelled a constant wind from the north, following the line of the river that wound down the centre of the broad valley. Deposits washed down from the mountains far to the north gave the river a ruddy tint, and from that came the name by which the Skullbrands knew it: the Bloodwater. It was safe enough to drink and fish, the majority of the colouring being in the sediment, but the stain spread through the surroundings so that the earth and the plants had an orange cast to them.

The same was not true of the Skullbrands’ settlement. Built mainly from pale timber felled on the forested eastern slopes, Ashabarq stood upon three broad islands in the middle of the Bloodwater. They formed a rough line following the flow of the river, descending in size from Ashakort to Ashaban and finally Ashalat. No bridges linked the islands, but at this time of the year the waters were at their lowest and a causeway linked Ashakort to Ashaban; the water was fordable between Ashaban and Ashalat.

Each island was protected by its own gated wall of plastered timbers, a rampart and parapet atop. Six sturdy towers protected the riverbanks on each side; a dozen in total. It was a regret to the Ashen King and his people that they had lacked the numbers to properly man the outer towers in recent years, though it was not known outside the tribe. A token force of a handful of warriors manned each tower so that any casual observer might think them a sturdier defence than was true.

The islands were wooded in places, for generations past had recognised that the great root systems of the arboreal behemoths were key to holding the islands together. High, narrow houses populated the clearings, each visible as a pale spread among the darker canopy, forming roughly circular districts around the central hall of each island. They were roofed with clay tiles of dark grey. It had been almost three days exactly since Threx’s victory and the settlement shone bright in the glare of the mid-morning sun.

‘Shall I announce our return?’ asked Vourza, patting the long horn that hung from her belt.

Threx remembered the old tales, from when the Skullbrands had ruled from the Asha Vale to the Carcass Coast. Many a hero had returned to these waters with the ringing blast of the horn to summon forth their kin, and many an enemy had heard that sound before their doom fell upon them.

He nodded and Vourza raised the instrument to her lips to let forth a long, rising note.

‘Hold aloft my banner, so that all can see who returns in triumph!’ Threx called to Foraza, signalling with his hand. The standard bearer lifted up the banner pole with a grin.

There seemed little reaction in the settlement and so Vourza let out another horn blast. Still no answering call was returned. Threx’s enthusiasm dimmed a little as they continued down into the vale, confused by the lack of response.

‘What if something is wrong?’ asked Nerxes.

‘What could be wrong?’ Threx replied.

The spirits of the warband dampened further as they approached the nearest tower. Threx could see the sentries on the rampart but no hailing cry came from the warriors. Instead they glared down at the war-leader, passing silent judgement for some unknown crime. Others noticed this reaction and disturbed mutters broke out here and there. A few called up demands for explanation as they walked past the towers but nothing was forthcoming.

‘The peaklands are empty,’ remarked Nerxes, pointing towards the upper region of the opposite valley side where usually herds of goats were kept. Others on the lower fields were visible, the herders moving through them with staves, guiding them up the slope.

Threx had no explanation to offer and continued in silence.

At the riverside the ferries were waiting for them, two dozen barges drawn along ropes connected to waterwheels on the islands. A lone figure stood before them, wrapped in the grey cloak of the royal family. Threx recognised his uncle, Atraxas, arms folded across his sizeable chest, face shadowed in his hood.

‘Wait there,’ snapped the old warrior, pointing a finger to the ground at Threx’s feet. He pulled back his hood to reveal a broad face, cheekbones marked with lines of painted ash. Another blackened his brow. ‘The rest of you, back to your homes.’

Cowed by Atraxas’ tone, the others drifted away immediately, most forming groups around the closest ferries. Around a third of the warriors moved downriver to the smaller boats that would take them to the other islands. As though for the first time, Threx saw those that were bandaged or limping, some helped by their companions. The dead, ninety in total, had been carried from the battlefield and left to be returned to the world in the woods between the Asha Vale and the lands of the Korchians, but there were several times that number that would live to pay a different price for the battle.

‘What is–’ began Threx.

‘Shut up.’ The words were spoken harshly but quietly, an injunction far more effective than a bellow.

Threx waited impatiently while his army dispersed, fighting the urge to speak again. His uncle stared flatly at him, blinking occasionally but showing no signs of his thoughts. It took some time and three trips for the barges to carry the army back across to Ashakort. Only when the last group had embarked did Atraxas open his mouth again.

‘Give me your axe.’

Threx hesitated but a glare from his uncle conveyed that the demand would not be repeated. With reluctance Threx slid his weapon from its loop on his back and handed it to Atraxas.

Without warning, Atraxas stepped forward and hammered the handle into Threx’s face, breaking his nose. Blood and snot flew as he fell backwards, pain lancing into his brain.

‘Idiot!’ snarled his uncle, directing a kick into Threx’s ribs, causing him to double up as fresh pain surged through the wound in his side. He threw his arms over his head as Atraxas raised the axe for another blow, but it did not fall. Instead the king’s brother stepped back, lip curled in disgust.

‘Get up.’

Anger flushed through Threx. His expression must have betrayed his intent for Atraxas pointed the axe handle at him with a warning look.

‘Slowly.’

Threx pushed himself to his knees and then his feet. Crimson once more stained his tunic and leg, though more a trickle than a flow. Atraxas noticed this, eyes widening, and then his gaze softened.

‘You’re hurt? Sigmar help you, Threx.’ He stepped forward, offering an arm and shoulder in support, Threx’s axe in his other hand. ‘Let’s get that seen to by Mexilia before you see your father.’

‘I walked all the way here, I can make it to the Hall of the Pyre,’ Threx growled.

‘If you want,’ said Atraxas, the sympathy fading from his expression. He pointed towards the riverside with the confiscated axe. ‘Loun is waiting to take us across.’

Threx’s cousin gave him cold welcome as they reached the quay to which the small boat was roped. She stood up, saw his wound and offered a hand, but Threx ignored the assistance and clambered into the boat by himself, taking up a place near the bow, resisting the urge to put a hand to his damaged ribs. He was a returning war hero; he would show no weakness.

‘I’ll not ask you to row,’ said Atraxas as he stepped after Threx and sat down on the middle board.

His uncle took up the oars while Loun steered, guiding them after the retreating shapes of the ferries. When they were almost a third of the way across the channel they changed direction, heading upstream while the course of the ferries continued towards the wharfs at the downstream point of the island.

The curtain wall ringed the island save for a few boat gates that led to storehouses located just inside. These river gates were made of heavy wood, supported by ropes that could be cut in the face of attack, and locked with bars on the inside. A few were open to allow traders to come and go, but there was little traffic. Such was the story of the last few years as the fortunes of the Skullbrand tribe had dwindled. The fish did not breed in the same numbers, the river levels never quite returned after each long season of sun.

It was a slow death, and one that the Ashen King still thought avoidable. The Skullbrands had extended invitations to tribeless hill farmers to join them, bringing their herds to the pastures on the upper slopes. There were many that were appalled by thought of outsider blood mixing with Skullbrand lineage, Threx among them. He had been arguing for a more aggressive answer to their problems – to return to the raiding ways that had earned the Skullbrands their name.

With the thought came regret. Threx wished he’d taken fire and tongs to mark Yourag as dishonoured. He smiled at the thought of the Korchian chief crying out as the shame-rune was burned into his flesh. Yes, the old ways should return, and bring back the fear and respect the Skullbrands deserved.

‘What are you smirking about?’ said Loun.

‘Just imagining the better days to come, cousin,’ said Threx.

‘I can’t believe Nerxes went along with this,’ she continued. ‘My brother is such a–’

‘Enough!’ snapped Atraxas. ‘The Ashen King will deal with this.’

‘With what?’ demanded Threx. The boat wobbled as he turned on the board to face them properly. Atraxas heaved at the oars, face reddening as he pulled against the current. ‘What will my father deal with? Why haven’t I been welcomed back in victory? The Korchians have been made to pay the price of their crime. Our honour is restored.’

‘Our honour?’ Atraxas stopped rowing, face twisted in anger. ‘Our…’

With visible effort he restrained himself and set to the oars once more.

They continued in silence, coming around the head of the island to the sloping shore of the upriver bank. Here the timber wall overlapped, creating a double gate that opened before them, giving them entry to a lagoon beyond.

The island had been carved away to create the feature, the sides near vertical and twice as tall as Threx. There was no way up but for a single set of steps that ended in a sturdy door that would admit only one person at a time; all else was solid rock. The top of the stone face was lined with long metal spikes. Once they had been adorned with the heads of those that displeased the Ashen King, but now it was not blood that reddened the shafts, only rust.

Loun angled them towards the small quay at the bottom of the steps and leapt nimbly from the boat with rope in hand as Atraxas shipped the oars. They docked with a thump that shuddered pain through Threx’s wound and he winced, a hand clasped to his side.

‘Up,’ commanded Atraxas while Loun secured the boat.

Threx directed a surly glance at his uncle but did as he was told, fearful of another blow. More gingerly than his cousin, he set foot on the stone, feelings mixed. He knew that he had returned in triumph, the honour of the Skullbrand tribe restored, but he was being brought through the hidden way as though it would be shameful for him to return to the Ashen King’s hall through the town.

Guards beyond the gate spied them through narrow ports on either side of the door, so that it swung out to admit them before they reached the top of the worn steps.

A torchlit corridor, wide enough for two abreast, stretched into the heart of the island, five men and women standing ready just within. They parted at Loun’s approach, heads bowed in salute. Dagger glares met Threx.

‘I am a royal son,’ he snarled at them. ‘Show some respect to your prince.’

‘Keep going,’ growled Atraxas, nudging Threx in the back with the haft of the axe. To be herded with his own weapon stretched Threx’s patience further, but the throbbing pain in his nose cautioned him against further confrontation with his uncle.

The corridor brought them to another stair carved from naked stone, which switched back and forth three times before bringing them to another door. Murder holes for pouring lime, hot sand or boiling liquid perforated the timber-raftered ceiling. Never had the defences of Ashakort been tested. Threx thought that they never would be. When he became Ashen King such cowardly tricks would be pointless; not a foe would ever reach the walls.

Bolts slid back and the door creaked open, light from a windowed room spilling forth. Threx blinked as Atraxas and Loun escorted him into Ashabarq’s Hall of the Pyre.

A short gallery lined with narrow windows on each side brought them to the main hall, a long chamber five times a warrior’s height and three hundred paces long. Its walls were dug from the flesh of the island, the roof a mighty construction of beams and complex slat mechanisms that could be opened and closed by means of levers along the length of the wall. The windows were open to the morning, filling the hall with light, a gentle breeze stirring the handful of ancient banners that hung from the rafters.

The gallery door opened about halfway along the upriver wall, just a few dozen strides from the throne of the Ashen King. The Pyre itself ran for nearly a third of the hall’s length in front of the throne dais, twenty paces wide.

It was full of blackened bones, piles of them atop a deep layer of light grey ash.

Threx stiffened as soon as he entered the hall, feeling the heat from the Pyre, the charred smell of its burning filling his nostrils. The long pit gleamed with fitful light, like dying embers, though the Pyre had no natural flame.

‘Who–’ he began.

Atraxas grunted and nudged Threx forward again.

The Ashen King sat upon a throne of wood pale as bone. He was naked save for a short kilt of black, and a loincloth beneath, his forearms bound in sturdy black leather vambraces. He was on the older end of middle-aged but his body was a taut mass of muscle, his skin invisible beneath a layer of grey ash that had been painted upon it. His scalp was shaven and also ash-covered, as was his face, his eyes closed.

The right side of his head was a contorted whorl of fleshy ridges, the rune of kingship seared upon him when he had succeeded his father. He had been the last to bear the Skullbrand before declaring it ignorant savagery, banning the practice as his first act as king. Only a handful of the tribe were old enough to carry the symbol on their flesh.

A coterie of the Ashen King’s advisors waited near the throne, dressed in a mixture of robes and mail coats. Threx saw his mother, the Sigmar-spoken, Soreas, the chain of her hammer talisman wrapped around her fingers as she idly spun the amulet. She turned slowly towards him, eyes as hard as flint.

With her was Joraxi, another of Threx’s cousins barely of age, from Soreas’ side of the family. A band of ogors had orphaned him a few years ago, the boy taken in by the Ashen King as a ward. The ogors had never been hunted down, another slight against the Skullbrands that burned at Threx’s pride. Next to Joraxi was the Keeper of the Pyre, the diminutive Kexas. Dwarfed by most folk of the Skullbrands he was nevertheless one of the most dominating presences in the tribe. As much as Soreas bound the Skullbrands to the Lord Sigmar, Kexas was the agent of the Pyre and by extension the Asha Vale itself. It was by his word that the Pyre was lit and the bodies of the honoured fallen consumed. With this offering the Asha Vale was appeased and the Skullbrands allowed to continue in relative prosperity.

Until recent events, it seemed. The Asha Vale had been besmirched and the fortunes of the Skullbrands waned almost daily.

The floor was carpeted with fresh rushes from the river bank, Threx’s tread soft as he crossed the hall flanked by his uncle and cousin. The Ashen King’s companions watched him with a mixture of apathy and hostility but the ruler kept his eyes closed, though the twitch of his fingers on the arms of the throne testified to his wakefulness.

With a sinking sensation Threx realised that his father could not bring himself to look at his son.

His eyes raced back to the Pyre.

‘Not family,’ Kexas said quietly, cutting off the question before it was asked.

‘Four herd guards,’ explained Joraxi.

‘Herd guards?’ Threx turned back to the group, confused. ‘Since when did the honour of the Pyre’s embrace apply to children?’

‘Since they died trying to do what a warrior was meant to,’ snapped Kexas.

‘They had names, Threx.’ His father’s solemn words hung in the air. ‘Notras. Daxota. Ard. Ordrasea.’

Slowly the Ashen King opened his eyes, staring directly at Threx. A flicker of firelight burned in the pupils; a stranger might think it a trick, a reflection of the dimming Pyre but Threx knew better. His father was the Ashen King, the living flame of the Asha Vale.

And he was angry.

Not the roaring, consuming inferno of anger that he had once been on the battlefield. A raging but brief explosion. This was the slow burning ire that would consume a whole world before it spent itself.

‘Did you think your jaunt would go unobserved?’ The Ashen King’s unblinking gaze pinned Threx to the spot. ‘A thousand warriors could leave the Asha Vale, and our rivals would not notice?’

Threx opened his mouth to argue but the words stuck in his throat.

‘The Fireborn came, two days after you left. Fifteen hundred warriors. The herd guards did not run. They tried to fight, against armoured soldiers, with staves and knives.’

‘Killed one, in fact,’ said Soreas with a hint of pride.

‘I did not take–’

‘What was I meant to do?’ growled the Ashen King. ‘Send out unseasoned fighters against an army? For goats?’

‘Lennok herself led them,’ added Joraxi. ‘Came down to the towers and taunted us. She said she’d not starve us, only take what she was due…’

‘You had warriors!’ Threx jabbed a finger at the Ashen King. ‘It wasn’t goats that they took, it was our honour. Our pride! You should have fought them. Fireborn are cowards – they’d not die for some goats.’

‘You weakened us, Threx,’ said Atraxas, stepping past. He presented Threx’s axe to the Ashen King, who shook his head. Threx’s uncle dismissively tossed the weapon aside as though it were a piece of smithy waste.

‘I…? You were already weak!’ Threx stepped forward, throwing off Atraxas’ questing fingers as his uncle attempted to hold him back. ‘Not just these last days, but for seasons now we’ve let others test us without revenge. When you were younger, mention of the Skullbrand tribe was a curse upon our enemies, whispered in case the very naming of it called our wrath. Now we are a joke. They say we brand goats not skulls!’

‘Enough!’ Soreas intercepted Threx as he advanced on the throne. ‘The Skullbrands would be dead if we had continued. How many enemies can one tribe make and survive?’

The question went unanswered. Threx met the stare of his mother, matching her belligerence with unflinching defiance. Neither moved; neither would back down.

‘Where did you take my army?’

‘To Wendhome,’ Threx replied, still not looking away. His next words were directed at his mother, body quivering with emotion, his voice strained. ‘I made Yourag grovel like a dog in the dirt for what he said about you.’

‘For me?’ His mother stepped back.

‘Yes, I made him regret the day he ever thought to insult my mother.’

Her hand moved as fast as a striking serpent, fist connecting with his chin. For the second time that day Threx was sent falling to his backside. Soreas loomed over him, fists clenched.

‘For me?’ she yelled. ‘How many died for my name? How many on top of the four children we burned yesterday? How dare you! How dare you shed their blood without asking me first.’

‘He said–’ Threx flinched as Soreas raised her hand again.

‘It isn’t for you to be insulted on my behalf,’ she snapped, face reddening. ‘Yourag’s words are worth less than goat farts to me, but you decided they were important. It wasn’t the insult to me you wanted to avenge.’

‘He called you–’

‘He called your mother some bad words?’ Her voice trembled with scorn as she shook her head. ‘They died for your pride, not my name.’

She turned away and Threx started back to his feet, but fell back when she rounded on him again, an accusing finger aimed squarely at his face.

‘How dare you?’ she snarled again. ‘It’s you that has insulted me, thinking you would do what I wasn’t prepared to.’

‘It isn’t like that,’ protested Threx.

‘It’s exactly like that,’ she said. ‘If I wanted Yourag shamed I would have demanded it of the Ashen King. Did I ask you to defend me? Am I too weak to pick my own battles?’

Threx struggled for words, squirming back across the floor under her verbal onslaught.

‘Throw him in the Pyre,’ laughed Loun.

‘I would not dishonour the flames with his rotten carcass,’ Kexas said with a sneer.

Regaining his feet, Threx faced them down, eyes moving from one judge to the next. He walked forward, heading towards his axe, daring any of them to step into his path. He was about to reach down to retrieve the weapon when his father’s voice stopped him.

‘Leave it. You must earn the right to carry a weapon again.’

‘Earn? I am Threx Skullbrand, bloodied in battle. The axe is my birthright.’

‘Not any more,’ said the Ashen King. He folded his arms, a look of disdain etched into his features. ‘Because of your actions four herd guards became warriors. You and your friends will replace them until a time when you have proven yourselves capable of being trusted again.’

Threx could not believe the evidence of his ears. He looked at the axe and then back to his father. The Ashen King read his defiant intent and his brow furrowed.

‘If you, Vourza, Foraza or Nerxes are seen carrying anything grander than a hunting knife, you’ll all lose your blade-hands.’ Threx gasped, horrified by the thought of such a punishment, the greatest humiliation the Skullbrands could inflict upon one of their own. His father continued, as relentless as the current of the Asha river. ‘You will tell the others of my will. Your first watch will begin at noon.’

‘I wouldn’t wear that mail, cousin,’ said Loun. ‘It gets so hot on the upper slopes in the early afternoon…’

‘Laugh now, while you can,’ Threx snarled back.

‘Any further argument and I’ll have you whipped first,’ the Ashen King said.

He approached, wiping fingers across his chest to gather the ash paint. With the flames dancing in his eyes, he drew a grey line down Threx’s brow and nose, onto his chin.

The visible judgement of the Ashen King. For a moment it felt as though the ash was still hot, searing the skin.

Marked with shame, Threx trembled with indignity. But he could not match that fiery stare and his gaze dropped to the floor. Shoulders slumped, the wound in his side nagging at him, he turned away and trudged from the hall.

Panting, low branches whipping at his face and shoulders, the painter ran. The lowing calls of the gor-folk surged from the thunder of his pulse in his ears and the raging of breath in and out of his lungs. A coarse horn sounded, answered by dog-like snarling.

He dared not look back; a moment’s inattention would see him sent sprawling by a root or rock or sprinting full speed into a tree.

He came to a rivulet of water winding between moss-slicked boulders and vaulted across it, barely losing speed. On landing, the slap of the sack on his thigh brought his attention to the trapped kill he still carried with him.

Skidding to a stop, the painter dragged the dead rodent from the bag. He turned and hurled it as far as he could across the water and upstream, its thudding impact leaving a smear of blood on the rocks.

Letting the blood-soaked sack drop into the water, he set off again, heading downstream. The momentary pause brought a semblance of coherence back to his cascading thoughts. The painter continued to run but not at quite the same headlong pace that had carried him from the warherd crashing through the woods behind him. He knew his first burst of action had taken him directly away from the gor-folk, but it had also meant running away from the sanctuary of the cave.

He ducked beneath a low-hanging branch and fell as his foot went into the mouth of an animal burrow beyond. His ankle twisted badly but he clamped his teeth against the shout of pain. Scrabbling through a drift of dead leaves, he clawed his way upright with the aid of an ancient tree with bark the colour of bleached bone, his fingers finding purchase in the thick creases.

Putting weight off the foot, he found that he was able to stand, though pain stabbed up through his leg to do so. He hobbled on for a bit longer, aware that the clamour of pursuit had died down slightly, though he could hear the splash of the gor-folk reaching the river just a couple of hundred paces behind.

He turned right, along the slope of the great mound. Ankle flaring with each step, he limped through the arboreal twilight, wincing not with pain but every crack of twig underfoot and dislodged stone that rolled through the piled leaves.

It was obvious that he couldn’t outrun the gor-folk for much longer. The further he went on, the greater the distance back to the cave, and the beast-headed hunters were not the only dangerous creatures in the woods. He desperately needed to get back to the seclusion of the cave. Somehow he would have to turn back, perhaps circle around the pursuing pack.

He wanted to stop and think but fear kept him moving, the need to keep distance between him and the grunting half-beasts pushing him onward through every surge of burning pain from his leg.

Memories crowded into his thoughts, brought back to vivid life by his predicament. He felt again the blows of fists against his back, the lash of leather belts on the backs of his legs, the wetness of spittle on bruised and bleeding skin.

His ears did not ring with the baying calls of the gor-folk but with the curses and accusations of his own family.

Kinslayer! Murderer! Animal!

He struggled for focus, finally stopping to catch his breath with his back pressed hard against the bole of a tree. His eyes strayed upwards, for a moment considering the refuge offered by the branches above.

It was a false hope. Even if he could climb out of sight his body was running with sweat, his scent strong on the air. The gor-folk were savage but they were not stupid. And even if he remained hidden long enough for them to grow bored of the hunt, the journey back to the cave would grow more dangerous as dusk and then night approached.

Without a good idea of exactly where the gor-folk were he had little chance of navigating a route around them. His best chance, probably his only chance, was to try to go back through them without being seen and hope that they would not think to double back on the trail.

With this in mind he pushed himself away from the tree and turned back up the long slope. Keeping low, he limped back through the bushes, thorns scratching at his skin, the uneven ground threatening to turn his injured ankle again.

He skirted from tree to tree, keeping to the deeper shadows where he could, until he saw the glint of the stream a short distance ahead. Most of the noise of pursuit came from his right, almost level with where he was, as far as he could tell – the trees made it hard to pinpoint the origin of the snapping wood and snarls of the gor-folk.

He would have to ford the water again. Rather than leave a second trail, it made sense to do so where he had crossed the stream before. His scent would mix with the smells already there and if he then roughly followed his own route back he might elude detection altogether.

Almost numb to the pain in his ankle now he crept closer to the bank of the stream, moving from the cover of a tree to the large rocks that guided the water’s course. Spray speckled the warm stone and he stopped to dip a hand into the water, quietly drinking from the stream’s edge.

He was some distance still from where he had crossed and he edged upstream, heading into the breeze that sighed through the foliage above. He caught the beast stench of the gor-folk and wondered how they could pick out his scent from amongst their own terrible odour.

About twenty paces short of where he had thrown the rodent carcass he halted again, readying himself to scramble across the wet rocks to the other side.

It was unlikely that anyone had been left to guard for his return but he was loath to expose himself any more than needed. He had survived in the wastes and the woods for long enough to know that there was no such thing as being too cautious. Grimacing as he pushed his weight onto his damaged ankle, the painter slid between two boulders, scraping skin from his chest and shoulders.

His foot slipped on a patch of wet moss and he slid down the rock, eliciting a hiss of pain.

Forcing himself up again, for the briefest of moments, no more than two heartbeats, his head rose above the level of the rocks and he could see clearly along the curving course of the stream.

His gaze first fell upon the body of another small gor-man, its skin paler and rougher than the creature he had killed. It was draped across one of the rocks, the side of its skull smashed it where it had slipped.

Next his eye fell upon the dozen and more crows and other carrion birds already tearing at the corpse, their black feathers slicked with blood, beaks gleaming in the light that dappled through the swaying canopy.

In the next moment the flock erupted, alarmed by his sudden presence. An avian whirl exploded from the corpse, their cawing and shrieks deafening the painter as fresh panic sent him lurching into the water, splashing across the stream in a bid to escape the scene of his discovery.

He reached the far bank in a few strides. Losing his footing again, he clawed his way onto the firmer ground, pushing through the long grass at the stream’s edge.

The carrion flock was still screaming its annoyance, their calls picked up by other birds in the surrounding trees so that a chorus of alarm seemed to hoot and trill from every direction.

A gruffer noise broke through the cacophony even as the painter drew himself up. In the dimness across the stream he spied the vague shapes of gor-folk. Several had turned at the commotion and were calling out to their companions.

He became aware of warmth on his scalp and shoulders and realised that he stood beneath a break in the foliage. Shadow no longer concealed him; he was as visible in the sunlight as though someone shone a lantern upon him.

Not waiting to see if they had noticed him or not, he bounded away from the stream, diving headlong into the grass. Slithering as fast as he could, he headed for the nearest bushes of sufficient size to conceal him.

From this vantage point he peered back, in time to see a handful of smaller gor-folk approaching the stream, clearly sent back by their larger cousins to find out what was happening.

The feeling of security offered by the bushes lasted only a heartbeat, just until his gaze fell to the flattened trail through the grass, a red smear from his grazes and cuts glistening on the bent stems.

His blood. His fresh scent.

The painter hesitated no longer and bolted into the woods once more.

CHAPTER SIX

Keeping to the balls of his feet, Athol moved first to the left and then the right, watching to see how well Serleon moved in his bulky armour. The Aquitan advanced slightly crouched, blades held before him, eyes on the tip of Athol’s spear. The spear-carrier took his weapon in both hands, extending it towards his armoured foe.

Serleon struck, lunging forward, the edge of his blade crashing against the shaft of Athol’s spear. A flicker of annoyance showed in the champion’s eyes as the sword bounced from the ironwood shaft leaving barely a mark. He retreated with two quick steps but Athol had made no effort to counter-attack.

Humekhta’s champion started to circle to the right, spear pointed unwaveringly at his foe’s face. Serleon advanced a step and then another, blade tips weaving circles past each other. He took another pace, trying to force his way into the centre of the bladespace, turning to keep Athol directly in front of him.

The Khul warrior continued his deliberate manoeuvre, perfectly balanced, moving without effort. Every time Serleon adjusted his footing or twisted, Athol watched the plate armour slide, seeking the gaps formed at groin and armpit and elbow, learning how the all-encompassing suit had been engineered.

He darted forward, spear tip flicking towards Serleon’s chest. The Bataari champion knocked the weapon aside with one blade and swung the other at Athol’s arm. He had been expecting the blow and rolled beneath it, coming to his feet behind the heavily armoured man. Here there was more visible cloth beneath the steel, more weak points to exploit.

Athol backed away for a moment, encouraging the other warrior to come on to him, a slight dip of the shoulder feigning poor positioning. The ruse convinced Serleon, who took two quick steps and swung a sword towards Athol’s ribs, a metallic shout ringing from his helm. The spear-carrier caught the blow on his weapon’s shaft, and the next, and the third, turning each aside with the least amount of effort required.

An overhead swing almost caught him off-guard and he ducked aside, leaping high to avoid a following cut aimed at his exposed calf. He landed, spun the spear towards Serleon’s midriff to force him to halt his advance, and then danced back several steps, opening up the gap between them once more.

‘Are you to bore to death?’ called Williarch with a derisive laugh. To Athol’s dismay he heard a few answering chuckles from the watching court.

Serleon of Aquita was worthy of his byname – Peerless Blade – for he saw the moment of Athol’s irritation and attacked, both of his blades coming fast; one high, one low. Athol turned his spear just in time, blocking both, but was forced back a step towards the boundary rope. Serleon pressed his advantage, swinging strike after strike, alternating left and right with considerable speed. Athol made no attempt to attack but weathered the storm, shifting his feet a little at a time until he saw an opening to spring aside, rolling on his shoulder before he came spinning to the balls of his feet once more.

The weight of the other warrior’s armour was finally taking a toll. Athol could see sweat running down his face inside the visor, and his steps were a little laboured, the surge of energy that had powered his last attack dissipated by the nakar-hau’s evasion.

‘Finish!’ bleated Williarch and there was again a grumble of answer from the watching Aridians. This time Athol did not allow himself to be distracted but attacked instead, catching the Bataari champion as he moved his weight forward to advance. Serleon barely deflected the tip of Athol’s spear with a hurried swipe of his blade. Athol slashed the spear downward as he stepped back, the gleaming head raking across his opponent’s chest. Steel peeled like the skin of a fruit beneath the enchanted metal.

Inside his helm, Serleon’s eyes widened with shock.

Fear powered the next flurry of attacks, as Serleon tried to bull his way through Athol’s defences with slower, more powerful swings. Every few heartbeats, the nakar-hau struck back, nicking a pauldron, scoring across the armoured gut and, finally, slashing the crest from the Bataari’s helm.

The murmur of the crowd grew louder but Athol barely noticed. His whole focus was centred on the armoured figure standing before him. Serleon’s hands hung a little lower, his stance more upright as the muscles of his back protested the prolonged engagement. Athol barely felt the breastplate and vambraces he wore and his breath came as easily as if he were taking a walk along the riverbank with Eruil.

‘What he doing? What he doing?’ demanded Williarch. ‘This is fight, not dance.’

Athol parried a few more blows and then stepped back, spear raised to a guard position. He kept his gaze on Serleon’s, seeing the other warrior blinking sweat from his eyes, the resignation growing.

Reluctantly, Serleon lowered to one knee. He threw aside first one sword and then the other, eyes still fixed upon the spear-carrier.

‘He wrong!’ cried Williarch. ‘He fight! Fight, dog! Fight!’

‘Do you yield the bladespace?’ asked Athol, advancing until his spear tip was within striking distance of his opponent’s throat.

‘Yield,’ replied Serleon.

‘No!’ wailed Williarch. ‘Is fight! Is death fight!’

‘The champion of the accused has yielded,’ announced Orhatka. ‘The accused stands guilty of the crimes for which he is brought here.’

‘Is coward!’ Williarch burst forward, snatching up one of the discarded swords. He swung towards Serleon’s back, but Athol’s spear met the blade and knocked it from the trader’s weak grasp. A swift, controlled jab with the spear’s butt sent Williarch to his backside.

Anger bubbled through Athol, and it erupted as a snarl.

‘This was your plan?’ he spat at Williarch. ‘This was why you were so confident? A man in armour? I thought you had tamed an orruk, maybe, or paid an ogor to fight for you. But you thought a man with armour and swords would beat me?’

Athol stalked away and then rounded on the merchant, his disgust welling up even further.

‘Have you not heard of me in Bataar? I am Athol Khul!’ His eyes moved from the cowering taskmaster to the rest of the onlookers. ‘I have never been defeated. In this court and at the Red Feast, forty-two foes have stepped into the bladespace against me, but none have prevailed. And I have been the Prophet-Queen’s mercy. Not one of those challengers died by my hand.’

He glared at the courtiers, teeth bared.

‘I am of the Khul. Who are the Khul?’

This last question was demanded of Khibal Anuk.

‘Who are the Khul, you ask?’ the Hammerpriest replied. ‘They are the Hired Death, the Blade that Strikes, the Children of Bronze. They are the most exquisite brutality given life.’

‘We are that, and more,’ Athol replied.

Athol remembered to bow briefly to Humekhta before he turned and stalked from the rope ring, shoulders bunched, hands tight on his spear.

He reached the sanctuary of the shaded space behind the drape and stopped, drawing in a long breath. The curtain moved behind him as someone followed.

‘Not now, Orhatka,’ said Athol, knowing his outburst had been unruly and not suited to the court of the Prophet-Queen.

‘It not him,’ said a deep voice, ringing from metal.

Athol turned to find Serleon just inside the drape, his blades returned to their scabbards.

‘What do you want?’ growled the spear-carrier.

‘A drink,’ rumbled the Bataari. ‘With me?’

Athol tossed two copper triangles onto the trestle, each stamped with the mark of Prophet-Queen Humekhta III. The woman at the store, one of a handful of traders allowed inside the royal city, looked at the coins and then shook her head. She turned away and descended a few steps into a shadowed trench to fill two clay cups with unspiced skisk which she put on the table in front of Athol, pointedly ignoring his attempt at payment. The spear-carrier swept them back into a pouch at his belt and picked up the drinks, offering one to Serleon.

Williarch’s champion had taken off his helm to reveal a lined face, easily ten seasons older than Athol. His hair was shaved at the sides, a short crop of greying blond left running like a crest down the centre of his scalp. Several scars marked cheeks, brow and chin, the most prominent being a cut that went from the right-hand corner of his mouth down towards his throat.

‘Good to champion, yes?’ said the Bataari warrior.

‘What? Yes, as champion for Humekhta I am by extension a member of the royal circle and nobody will take payment from me.’

There were low stools nearby, which Athol moved towards until he saw Serleon eyeing them suspiciously. Athol realised that the warrior was unsure they would bear the weight of his armour, or perhaps was unable to bend his knees sufficiently to use one of them.

‘Standing is fine,’ the Khul chief assured his drinking companion. He dipped a finger in the liquid and flicked some fluid over his right shoulder. ‘Always a drop for Sigmar after a victory.’

Serleon shrugged, a clanking gesture in his armoured suit. He handed Athol his drink and divested himself of the armoured gauntlets before retrieving the skisk to copy the gesture.

‘For Sigmar,’ the foreigner slowly intoned. ‘Can’t hurt when lose, no?’

Athol took two deep gulps from his cup, glad of the refreshing coolness. The fight against Serleon had not been frantic but it had warmed him up.

‘You fought well,’ he told the man.

‘I fight battle for war, not trial,’ admitted Serleon. He slapped a hand to his breastplate, pieces of mail jingling as he did so. ‘In battle you run from I.’

‘In battle five of my blade-kin would surround you and cut you down in a heartbeat,’ Khul replied.

‘No, you not,’ Serleon assured him with a lopsided smile. ‘I see plainslanders fight. You not see Bataari line of war. Steel wall. Waiting blades. No gaps.’

‘Let’s hope I never have to see it,’ said Athol. He took another long draught of the skisk, the slightly acidic taste lingering in his mouth.

Serleon smiled and raised the cup of skisk to his lips. He took a small mouthful, eyes narrowing. He swallowed hard and set the cup down on the table.

‘Not thirsty?’

‘Is… fine.’ Serleon struggled to find the words. ‘Is not Aquita red, for sure.’

‘What’s Aquita red?’ Athol asked.

Serleon grinned broadly.

‘You finish milk-beer and come with I.’

The deep red liquid slipped down Athol’s throat like molten fruit, leaving a tang and a sweetness in its wake. He looked at the contents of the gilded goblet, swirling it in the shaft of light that pressed through the small window of Serleon’s carriage-house. The large wagon was built of slender planks, painted blue and green, though the wear of travel and time had sanded down the colours to bare wood in many places. Its roof sloped down to the back, giving it a front-heavy look and the wheels were taller than Athol, held on tree trunk-like axles. Not far away were picketed a dozen horses, each a heavy black-and-white brute, their tails and manes cropped short.

Inside it was lightly furnished, a set of shelves with cords across them to hold in place a handful of books – a rarity among the Aridians and the Khul – as well as a few ornaments of no particular value Athol could determine. A bed with drawers beneath dominated one wall and a table with fold-down benches filled the rest of the space. The wood was heavily lacquered, the light coming through half a dozen narrow windows and a port in the roof propped open with a long pole.

‘Better, yes?’ laughed the warrior from where he stood at the far end of the main chamber divesting himself of his armour, by means of cunningly wrought clasps and strategically located laces.

‘A lot better,’ agreed Athol as he took another sip. ‘I have heard of this. I thought it was called wine.’

‘Wine? Wine be many things, from cleaner of boots to finest taste. This is Aquita red, not best and not worst.’

Serleon carefully placed each piece on a padded mannequin, though he lifted the breastplate to show Athol, the rent across its moulded pectorals quite visible even in the dim wagon-house.

‘You not kill? Very close to kill, I think.’

‘If I’d wanted to kill you I would have thrust,’ replied Athol. ‘You were moving backwards, the worst that could have happened was that I’d miss.’

‘So sure of your blade? No mistakes?’

‘Undefeated. Still alive. That speaks for itself.’

Serleon shrugged and continued to disarm himself, hanging the swords on the wall in their sheaths. He wore a thick jerkin and leggings beneath, both soaked with sweat.

Serleon walked past Athol, stood at the open door, the reek of sweat wafting after him. Athol followed the Bataari to where a pipe jutted from a barrel upon the back of the housewagon. The warrior stripped off his remaining clothes, his hair slicked to his scarred body. Grabbing a lever, Serleon pumped a few times and then opened a device much like the tap on a skisk barrel. Water shot out of a pierced metal funnel and sprayed the man with some force.

‘You think I’m impressed by these luxuries?’ said Athol. ‘The royal family have similar, filled by servants to wash them of the dust after travelling.’

‘Is not special,’ replied the Bataari. He pulled his fingers through his crest, spraying fine mist from the stiff hair. ‘Is normal for Bataari soldiers to stay clean.’

‘What’s the point when you can wash in a river just as easily?’

‘Need river, enemy find you by river. Take river with you, enemy not know where you be.’ Serleon returned to the door of the house-wagon and retrieved his goblet of wine from inside before stretching out on the flattened grass in the sunshine.

‘I’m glad you surrendered the trial,’ said Athol, sitting cross-legged beside him. He closed his eyes and turned his face to the sky, feeling the afternoon sun on his skin. ‘Some folk would fight to the death rather than face the shame of it.’

‘You think shame?’

‘Not dying for Williarch? No. It’s just good sense.’

‘Why you not kill?’ Serleon took another drink. ‘I think you kill me easy if wanted.’

‘I’ve never killed a man or woman in trial,’ explained Athol. ‘I don’t need to kill to win, and I don’t see why anyone should give their life for the crimes of another.’

‘You risk life for queen.’

‘No, not for her. She is a good ruler, like her father and grandmother, and I would give my life to protect her. But I am not nakar-hau for the Prophet-Queen.’ Athol opened his eyes and looked at Serleon. ‘I fight for my people. For the Khul. My service, the risks I take, are the price of our peace. My blood, the blood of the Khul, to protect the blood of Humekhta, the blood of Aridians.’

‘And pay well, yes?’ said Serleon with a wink. ‘You not pay for beer-milk. Many whitehorns, I think, for your people. And gold and steel, yes?’

‘We take what we need, nothing more.’

‘What?’ Serleon seemed offended by the concept. ‘I Peerless Blade, loved by many. Williarch pay me much for sword. You even better! All Khul as tough as you?’

‘Most,’ admitted Athol. ‘But that is because we do not covet luxury. We will not be softened by this land and its people.’

‘Softened? Live well not soft. Is reward.’ The Bataari downed the contents of his goblet and lay back, the empty cup on his chest, one hand behind his head. ‘I send money to sister. Soon I return Aquita. I live as prince!’

Athol stood up, aware that it had been some time since the end of the trial.

‘You unhappy? What me say?’ said Serleon.

‘I should head back to my camp. My wife will wonder where I am if I am too long away.’

‘Yes.’ Serleon pushed to his feet and rolled his shoulders. ‘Think about what I said. Bataar not soft. Fight many wars. Khul earn well. Honour and coin.’

The Bataari stepped back inside the wagon-house and emerged a short time later wearing a fresh woollen tunic, carrying another carafe of Aquita red.

‘For wife, say sorry for keep her husband,’ the warrior said with a smile.

‘Thank you,’ said Athol, taking the wine. ‘I wish I had something to give you.’

‘I alive. Is very good gift,’ Serleon replied sombrely. ‘Perhaps Peerless Blade stop fights and enjoy life.’

Athol was going to leave but a sudden thought stopped him. It was not often that he could speak to someone from outside of the Flamescar Plateau. Most traders went to the royal city, those that happened upon the wanderings of the Aridians. Everything he knew about Bataar, Aspirian and other far-flung places was either through Aridians or the old rivalries and tales of the other tribes.

‘As Williarch’s champion you are protected, but I don’t think Humekhta and Orhatka would want you to stay in the royal city for much longer.’ Athol retrieved his spear from beside the wagon door and turned back to the Bataari. ‘You’re welcome to come with me, see how the Khul live. We don’t have fine wine but the hunting is good and the water fresh.’

Serleon looked as though he would decline but then shrugged expansively.

‘Why not? Maybe me learn some things, yes?’

‘And I’m sure I’ll learn something too.’

There was nothing left but to keep moving, step after step, heaving in one precious lungful of air at a time. His legs continued to push him onwards as though possessed of their own spirit, long after any conscious will had given up. A fleeting recollection flashed through the crackle of mad thoughts firing through his brain, of the relentless pounding of pistons driving the airscrew of a duardin skyship he had once seen as a child.

But the pounding was not of an engine but his heart.

No. It was not even that. It was the thunder of feet following him through the woods, accompanied by the hollers of the gor-herd.

The cave was not far but he had accepted it offered no sanctuary to him. There would be no way to slip inside unseen, not with the gor-folk a few dozen paces behind. They would come in after him and no number of tricks would distract or stop them.

Even so, he kept running.

He ran without any plan, without any hope. Every stride of his trembling legs, every pump of arms that burned with fatigue, was a moment longer of life.

It was the raw determination to survive that kept him running. The painter could not accept that he was going to die this day, as the sun dipped below the dark rocks that tipped the mound at the centre of the forest. He was too close to finishing the picture, too near to completing the work that had seen him sentenced to lingering death. The same refusal to accept his mortality had saved him then and it continued to sustain him now.

In the days following his exile he had not had to outpace his slayer. The killer-to-be was part of him, carried into the wilderness. Hundreds of cuts ready to fester, each wound opening and bleeding again as he walked, his life slowly draining from him one drop at a time.

His strength had leaked from him with each bead of sweat. Every stride took him further from those that hated him and yet took him closer to his demise.

The people of his tribe knew the woods were deadly. The Sootstain Hills had an ill reputation many generations old. To go there was considered the quick death, the coward’s end to the torment and slow death his punishment was intended to inflict.

His blood felt like acid in his veins, eating away at him from the inside. Every intake of breath raked jagged claws down his throat.

The slope was steepening even further, punishing his scrawny thighs, wrenching at the cramped muscles in his back.

But the beasts felt it too, he knew. Their roars and barks had grown fewer and weaker as the chase had continued. Now maybe a score remained. More than enough to tear him limb from limb, to savage the last breath from him with claws and fangs.

But he carried on running all the same. He would not make it easy for them.

The grass gave way to thinner soil, the plants here low and hardy, their spine-like leaves snagging at his legs as he ploughed through them.

Ahead, at the pinnacle of the mound, the rocks were dark grey, veined with crimson. The painter had paid them little attention since he had first found the cave but now his whole being was focused on the towering stones that topped the summit like a jagged crown.

Small stones slithered underfoot and cascaded from his hurried tread as the slope steepened, the rocks to either side forming a small gorge ahead. Plunging into the shade felt like slipping from fire into ice.

He risked a glance back, climbing now more than running, bloodied hands seeking holds among the stones, almost dragging his wearied legs after him. The gor-folk were faltering also. Several had stopped, shouting and barking in their crude tongue. A handful of others followed still, led by a large half-beast with dark, shaggy fur and canine snout.

He made it to the summit and staggered from the rocks, almost falling into a precipice that cut across the mound like a wound. The painter stumbled to a stop and fell to one knee, letting out a hoarse shout at this last obstacle. It was not wide, by normal measure, but there was no strength left in him for the jump.

Crawling to the edge, he looked in. The sun was low now, the summit of the mound almost in darkness, and he could see nothing of the crack’s interior. There had to be ledges and footholds, and the notion of climbing in entered his thoughts.

A grunt behind him drew him to his feet as he turned.

The dog-man pushed its bulk between the last two rocks, claws scraping gashes across the lichen that matted them. Its shoulders were hunched, the limbs rangy but muscled.

The painter was aware of the gulf at his back. One step in retreat would see him plummet into the unknown depths. His survival instinct almost caused him to throw himself in, trusting to the universe to save him once more, but he fought the urge.

He locked gazes with the beast, seeing feral desire in the gor-man’s yellow eyes. He met their predatory stare with one of defiance, teeth gritted.

Spreading his feet for better balance, his toes knocked against the stones scattered across the floor of the bowl-like space. A glance down confirmed that there were several chinks of rock within reach, some rounded, others with sharp edges and corners.

He stooped and snatched up a stone even as the gor-man charged, a rusting knife in its fist. The stone arced through the dusk-tinted air and met the brow of the dog warrior.

It twisted as it staggered, a yowl of pain echoing from the stones. Shaking its head, the gor-man straightened, a trickle of blood from the wound splashing to the dark ground.

The gor-man took a step, muscles bunching to pounce, while the painter crouched for another projectile.

It seemed as though the stone quivered at his touch, but a second tremor set the entire hilltop shaking for several heartbeats.

The gor-man looked around, a few of its warpack arriving at the gap in the rocks just as third spasm convulsed the hill, even more violent than before.

A strange light drew the painter’s eyes to the overgrown rock where the gor-man’s blood had fallen. An odd arrhythmic pulsing seemed to spread from beneath the beast’s feet, following what had seemed to be natural cracks in the stone.

The light followed these channels, casting a ruddy glow about them as the rocks quivered for a fourth time. Glancing over his shoulder, the painter saw the chasm was brightening with a red gleam from within.

The gor-folk at the edge of the rock basin fled, their terrified howls fading with distance. Their leader fought for balance as the ground bucked, the red cracks broadening to becoming fissures as thick as a finger. They made a pattern but the light was too faint to make it our clearly.

A murderous anger swelled up inside the painter, as the dread of his long pursuit turned into rage at the beast before him. He took up another stone and hurled it with a wordless shout, the missile crashing into the chin of the gor-man, sending it staggering backwards with a spray of blood and broken teeth.

He seized up a larger rock in both hands and took two steps before hurling it at the stunned creature, all fatigue forgotten, the erosion of many years cleansed from his limbs.

The rock hit the gor-man full in the chest, sending it toppling backwards, curled horns crashing heavily on the stone. More blood sprayed and the rocky crucible shuddered again.

Whining, the gor-man scrambled to its feet and ran, the painter lunging after, pelting it with stones and shouts.

It almost threw itself back between the rocks and tumbled out of sight. The painter hurried to the rim, a stone in each hand to continue the assault, but the gor-man was not retreating to attack again. It fled down the hillside after the others, plaintive brays echoing back and forth.

Looking back into the ring of tall stones the painter saw that the plants were withering, revealing more of the red-veined stone. The blood-light had spread from one edge to the other and now gleamed from the crevasse.

It was hard to see exactly what the intersecting lines described, but the painter knew there was a shape there. He felt the energy of the mound beneath him, awakened but trapped. A final shudder shook free the pebbles and last tendrils of vegetation, revealing the full extent of the blood-symbol.

The painter pulled himself further up the rocky boundary so that he looked down into the basin. The symbol that had been carved into the floor resonated with the images of his dreams, the smell of blood and the ruddy light taking him back to those prophetic sleep-wanderings.

The shape of the symbol revealed itself to him and he cried out with joy, all the hurt and exhaustion catching up even as he knew the ecstasy of revelation.

It was abstract, a giant rune he had never seen before. Even so, the shape the lines made was unmistakable.

A skull.

CHAPTER SEVEN

The evening passed quickly. Athol observed the traditions involved in introducing Serleon to the Khul, which included sending word to each of the fifteen family heads of the elder council. Provision was made for the Bataari’s house-wagon and the team of horses that drew it – something of a spectacle for the younger tribe members. They loitered around the makeshift corral pulling up handfuls of grass to feed the beasts until they were shooed away by the adults.

Word spread more informally too, so that more than a usual number of folk seemed to make late-evening trips to the well or down to the river, their paths just happening to take them close to Athol’s shelter and the space cleared for his visitor. This was of some remark too, for the carriage-house was bigger than a Khul bivouac and the clear ground needed for the horses required four others to be pitched elsewhere.

Serleon had offered to leave the wagon on the edge of the camp but Athol would not hear of it.

‘That wouldn’t be a good idea,’ he told the Bataari. ‘Our children are curious and, given we have little in the way of possessions, you might think them light-fingered with some of your property. Better to stay close, and sleep in your own comfort.’

After promising to introduce Serleon properly the following day, Athol bid the foreigner a good night and returned to his family. Eruil was fast asleep, one leg hanging out from under the thin blanket. Athol tucked it back under and kissed the boy on the head, eyes closed for a moment.

‘Why did you bring the Bataari here?’ asked Marolin, never subtle in her approach to any topic. She sat on a low stool close to the firepit a short distance from the canvas awning, whetstone moving gently back and forth along her knife. ‘You are like a child with a stick at an ant’s nest.’

‘What do you mean?’ said Athol as he ducked out of the bivouac and crossed the flattened grass to sit beside her.

‘You’re trying to provoke something, I can tell.’

‘I’m really not, daughter-of-Khul. I thought it would be good to talk to someone with more experience beyond these dusty plains. Serleon’s a good man, I think.’

‘He fought for a corrupt trader’s gold. Is he really that good?’

‘He fought well.’

‘For money, Athol.’

He considered this, looking at the white embers in the pit.

‘Do you think of me the same way? Am I just a gold-sword?’

‘The arrangement with the Aridians is different,’ she replied, setting the whetstone aside. She turned the long knife back and forth, its edge catching the dying glow of the fire. Satisfied, she slid it into its sheath and set it beside the whetstone on the ground. ‘For now, anyway. We risk our lives with them, not instead of them. Humekhta can fight as well as I can. Whether you meant it or not, that group of concerned folk from the other night will choose to interpret it badly.’

‘Let them,’ said Athol. ‘The elders will welcome Serleon tomorrow and those discontents can suck their teeth and moan all they like.’

‘Some of them will be elders one day,’ Marolin said. She smoothed her hide skirt and lay her hands neatly in her lap. ‘Some of them quite soon, given the health of a few of the eldest councillors.’

‘What am I to do?’ snapped Athol. ‘Worry about what every man, woman and child in this camp has to say? I am the spear-carrier, the blade of our people, but it is the elders that guide us.’

‘They listen to you, Athol. It was our family that forged the bond with the Aridians, and it is you that is our champion, and not just with the blade. If the voices raised against you grow louder, the elders will maybe turn an ear to them and not you.’

‘I…’ Athol fell silent as someone approached through the darkening camp.

It was Anitt, fully armed and armoured for sentry duty.

‘Athol, sister, forgive the interruption but a messenger has just arrived from the royal city.’

‘Sent by who?’ asked Marolin.

‘He had this,’ replied Anitt, holding out a rolled piece of papyrus. ‘For you, Athol.’

He took the message and glanced at his wife.

‘Stoke the fire for me, please,’ he said, breaking the clay tube seal around the missive. ‘I can’t see the writing.’

Marolin tossed a few sticks into the pit and poked the ashes into some semblance of life while Athol unrolled the papyrus, squinting at the marks on it. He turned and knelt, holding the message close to the fire so he could read in the gleam of the growing flames. He felt the heat prickling on his arms but paid it no heed.

‘It’s from Orhatka. An emissary has arrived and he wants me to travel to the royal city in case there is a dispute.’

‘What sort of emissary?’ asked Anitt. ‘Who sent them?’

‘I’m not sure where they are from. I don’t really understand the word Orhatka has used. I’ve not seen or heard it before.’ Athol ran his finger down the line of runes again, trying to sound it out in his head but the name of the emissary’s people was no clearer. ‘I’ll just have to find out tomorrow, I suppose.’

‘What has this to do with the Khul?’ Marolin asked sharply. ‘You’re not Orhatka’s errand boy.’

‘But I am Humekhta’s champion, Marolin,’ Athol replied with a matching tone. ‘What if the herald brings news of a dispute or a demand that requires a trial to settle?’

‘Then Humekhta can send for you when she needs you.’

‘I think the messenger is waiting for you to go back with her,’ said Anitt.

Athol darted a glance at his wife and saw her frown deepening. Maybe she had a point. He was not some court servant to be dragged from his bed on a whim. Orhatka needed reminding of that as much as anyone.

‘Tell her I will travel to the royal city in the morning.’ Marolin’s expression softened slightly and Athol continued. ‘I will arrive before noon.’

‘All right, if that’s your decision,’ said Anitt. She vanished into the darkness.

‘Let’s hope nothing happens tonight while I’m not there,’ grumbled Athol.

‘You’ve just got back, are you so eager to leave again?’ said Marolin.

Athol recognised the loaded question and smiled.

‘I’m sure the Aridians will survive without me for one night. Obviously, you can’t.’

Marolin punched him on the arm and he retaliated by wrestling her to the ground, fingers tickling under her ribs. She squealed and squirmed for a moment and then they both froze, hearing a murmur of inquiry from the direction of Eruil’s bedding. Falling silent, Athol stood and helped his wife to her feet, sharing a look mixed of guilt and disappointment.

‘I’ll have Anitt watch him tomorrow, when you get back,’ said Marolin. ‘We’ll take some food down to the river and have an evening with just each other’s company.’

Athol glanced over his shoulder towards the large silhouette of Serleon’s house-wagon.

‘Don’t worry,’ she said, guessing his thoughts. ‘I’m sure there will be more than enough people to entertain your guest, once they have tried some of that wine he has brought.’

‘Maybe that’s what bothers me,’ said Athol. ‘Perhaps it was a bad idea to bring him here. Some folk will listen to his tales of battles and riches and think it sounds good.’

He forced himself to brighten up. ‘Some time alone sounds like a good idea. Just the two of us, when I get back tomorrow.’

But even as he kissed her on the cheek and turned towards the bivouac, he was nagged by doubt. Tomorrow might not pass as simply as he hoped. Never before had Orhatka sent word in the middle of the night, and that he had done so now did not bode well.

Athol was woken early by an insistent nudging at his side. He opened his eyes to see Eruil hovering over him like a hungry dungfly in a whitehorn pen.

‘Sun’s up,’ his son gaily informed him, edging towards the dawnlight beyond the shelter.

‘What’s this?’ groaned Athol as he rolled himself from under the blanket onto flattened grass and packed dirt.

‘I heard some of what you said last night, about going back to the royal city,’ confessed Eruil. ‘You’re not going yet, are you?’

‘No.’ Athol stood up, stretching out muscles tightened from the fight the day before. ‘I won’t be leaving for a while.’

‘Let’s get ready then,’ Eruil told him, grabbing his hand. He held firm and the boy’s feet skidded on the spot as he pitted his strength against his father’s immovable body. Eventually Eruil let go and turned with a plaintive look. ‘Why are we wasting time?’

‘There’ll be time enough for training,’ Athol assured him, his mind still fuzzy with sleep. Still in bed, Marolin growled something and rolled.

‘Not training, dad.’ Athol followed his son out of the shelter, towards the looming house-wagon. ‘I want to talk to the stranger. Will he show me his metal skin, do you think? What’s his name again?’

‘Serleon,’ said Athol. ‘And I’d wager he doesn’t want to be woken this early.’

‘Already wake,’ a voice floated from beyond the wagon. Athol heard the spatter of liquid on hard ground followed by a sigh of relief. Serleon emerged from behind the large wheel of his home, tying the waistband of a pair of woollen leggings. ‘Army fighting long time. Soldier wake, yes?’

‘He talks funny,’ said Eruil.

‘You smell funny!’ laughed Serleon, jabbing a finger towards the boy.

‘How do you say, “you smell” in Bataar?’

‘Shtenkat dou ak,’ Serleon replied. ‘But in Aquita say, “Ourdon de bovout an tur.” You smell as the whitehorn.’

Eruil found this immensely funny and started repeating it over and over, Serleon adding a few corrections with the pronunciation.

‘I thought Aquita was in Bataar,’ said Athol once Serleon had sent the youngster away with some grain to feed the horses.

‘Is Bataari… Not sure word. We say “provan”. Piece of? Bataar large place. Big as Flamescar.’ Serleon sat on the step board at the back of the house-wagon and leaned back against the peeling green paint. ‘Coin buy lands. Sword take lands. Empire is word?’

Athol had not really thought of Bataar in those terms, nor other places such as Golvarian, Aspirian and Vitrolia. He had looked at maps but the drawings had been rough, the areas beyond his immediate surrounds only vaguely hinted at. He had thought the Bataari more like the Aridians or the Capiliaria, or the Demesnus, Skullbrands and Flamefists.

‘So you are not Bataari?’

‘Me Bataari, and Aquita. Am both, yes? You Khul and Aridian?’

‘Just Khul,’ Athol replied, a little more harshly and quickly than he had intended, judging by Serleon’s sharp look. ‘Khul and Aridian are allies, not the same people.’

Serleon smirked.

‘Yes, Aquita say same, many generations ago. You tell self different. Me see Khul in Aridian, not Aridian in Khul.’

‘You wouldn’t understand,’ mumbled Athol. He raised his voice and called for Eruil to come back.

‘Boy is good, no worry,’ Serleon assured him.

‘I know. It’s time to train though. After that he will probably pester you all day. He wants to see your armour.’

‘Is good, Athol Khul,’ Serleon assured him. ‘You have Sigmarkin?’

‘What do you mean?’

‘You spear yesterday. Me need to fix breastplate.’

‘A smith. Yes. We have the Last Forge. Join my family for breakfast and then I’ll show you.’

Eruil came sauntering around the wagon, wiping horse saliva on his jerkin.

‘Me horse get fat now,’ Serleon said with a smile. ‘Maybe teach you ride later to give them exercise, yes?’

‘That would be–’

‘If your mother agrees,’ cut in Athol. ‘We have to train and you have jobs to do.’

Eruil set off at speed back towards Athol’s home, calling for his mother before he was even halfway back. Athol saw Serleon watching the boy carefully, and then nod to himself.

‘What is it?’ Athol asked.

‘Boy run well. Be strong like you.’

‘All of our children are fast and strong.’

‘Yes, me see. Are they clever?’ Serleon tapped the side of his head. ‘Read? Write? Speak more tongues?’

Athol didn’t answer straight away. These were concepts relatively new to the Khul, but slowly they were being learnt.

‘They will,’ Athol assured the Bataari. ‘That is one of the things the Aridians give us, as well as milk and meat.’

‘Good.’ Serleon pushed himself up and approached Athol, laying a hand upon his shoulder. ‘Sword kill. Sword destroy. Words build. Remember that.’

CHAPTER EIGHT

The walk through the streets of Ashabarq was the hardest Threx had known. The derision in the eyes of those that looked at him was a scourge to his pride. They did not need to know his transgression –though surely news of what had occurred quickly spread on return of his army – they had only to look upon the grey mark upon his face to know his honour was forfeit.

Many turned away in disgust, a few youngsters laughed and teased. Some hurled insults or called on him to remember the names of the dead children.

Most hurtful were the looks from those that on that morning had returned with him in glorious victory. Was it guilt they felt, for being away when the Fireborn had come? Or did they think he had misled them somehow?

He had not lied to them. Threx had been clear about his intent to humble Yourag.

To think that he was being blamed for what had happened made him grind his teeth, face flushing.

Threx almost shouted at the woman that glared at him from the door of her house, but bit back the words at the last moment.

‘Keep walking,’ she told him, meeting his angry glare with contempt. ‘Vowbreaker.’

He trudged on, heading towards the river at the further end of the island.

It was close to noon when he reached the ferry docks. He turned left along the river front, towards the boats that crossed to the high pasture slopes.

Vourza, Nerxes and Foraza were all waiting close to one of the ferries. Their expressions conveyed their feelings about the situation, but they added words all the same.

‘You swine-brained idiot!’ Vourza yelled, scooping up a handful of dirt and throwing it at Threx. ‘How could you be so stupid?’

‘I thought you had spoken to your father about what you were going to do,’ Nerxes said, eyes narrowed.

‘I said no such thing,’ Threx replied.

‘I’m not the quickest, but even I wouldn’t take the Ashen King’s warriors without asking,’ grumbled Foraza.

‘They’re calling me vowbreaker,’ said Threx. ‘But I made no promises.’

‘You vowed to protect the Skullbrand tribe,’ said Nerxes. ‘We weren’t here to do that. We should have known better.’

‘How? How would we know the Fireborn were watching? They wouldn’t have dared attack us under my grandmother’s rule! I was defending the honour of our people, and that’s just as important. We have to be seen to be strong or the Fireborn and the others will think us weak!’

‘We were weak.’ Vourza lifted a hand to signal the ferryman to lower the boarding gate of his boat. ‘Divided.’

The others started down the bricked slope towards the jetty, leaving Threx silently fuming.

‘By the burn of the Pyre, this is killing me!’ Threx stooped, picked up a stone and hurled it towards a nearby cluster of bushes. A pair of startled fanwings exploded from the leaves, shrieking madly at the interruption. ‘How long does my father expect us to suffer this humiliation?’

‘It’s been two days,’ sighed Nerxes.

‘Two days of your constant whining, Threx,’ added Vourza.

Around them, a hundred and twenty goats continued to nibble at the ochre-bladed grass, occasionally letting out a bleat or fart.

‘At least it’s not digging out the soil works below Ashabarq,’ added Nerxes.

‘We’d be doing something,’ argued Threx. ‘Adult work. We should be hunting. Or raiding! Yes, that’s what we should do. We’ll get some blade-happy folk together and get our goats back from the Fireborn.’

‘No,’ said Vourza. ‘The Ashen King was clear. If we take up a weapon we lose a hand. I’m not losing my hand for you, Threx.’

‘What about you, Foraza?’ Threx turned to his former standard bearer with a hopeful look. He had some long grass in his hand and was slowly stripping the seeds from the stems with his thumbnail, gazing across the Asha Vale. ‘Let’s cut up some Fireborn whelps for what they’ve done to us.’

‘Shut up,’ said Foraza, not turning around.

‘What? Don’t take that tone with me,’ growled Threx. ‘I will be Ashen King one day!’

Foraza stood up and faced Threx, fingers curling into fists.

‘My mam don’t talk to me, Threx. My little brother, he spat at me. My dad makes me sleep on the street. He said we don’t have no vowbreakers under our roof.’ He took a step forward. ‘That’s your fault, Threx. Stop yapping.’

‘What did you say?’ hissed Threx, voice dropping. ‘You call me a dog? You were nothing before I gave you my banner to carry, ungrateful boar!’

Foraza lunged, a meaty fist connecting with Threx’s chin. He had turned with the blow and barely kept his feet, just long enough for a second punch to connect with the left side of his back, straight into his kidney. Snarling with pain, Threx fell to a knee, teeth gritted.

The others closed on him like a pack of plains dogs around a wounded calf. Threx looked at them and saw murderous anger in their eyes.

‘Maybe the Ashen King will pardon us if we rid him of his stupid son,’ said Vourza. Her hand moved to the knife at her waist but she did not yet pull it free.

‘If it stops him whining, maybe cut that flapping tongue out.’ Foraza flexed his fingers, keeping his distance for the moment.

‘There’s not one of you that’s my match.’ Threx straightened, eyeing each of them.

‘Didn’t seem that way when we saved you from Yourag’s giant,’ said Vourza. ‘I think we’ve been carrying you, Threx. I think you owe us, not the other way round.’

‘You misled us,’ said Nerxes. ‘We’ve been dishonoured because of your vanity, cousin. And you don’t learn, you never do. You want us to go raiding now? We’d be staked out in the river for that.’

‘So you’re turning on me too, cousin? Does our blood mean nothing?’

‘Not to you, since you would spill mine to sate your own hunger for glory.’

‘Is glory so bad?’ Threx shrugged. ‘What else should we die for? Goats? Seed? Fish guts? Our enemies will come and come again, and again. They’ll take what they want every time and my weakling of a father will watch them do it.’

‘You shouldn’t speak like that about the Ashen King,’ warned Foraza.

‘He’s a coward!’ Threx wiped his hands across the stubble of his head and flicked the sweat from his fingertips. ‘Too cowardly to kill me himself.’

‘What do you mean?’ said Nerxes.

‘You call me an idiot, but you don’t see it? That’s why he sent you to the pastures with me. How many warriors marched with us, but he picked out the three of you.’

‘Because we were foolish enough to be your friends,’ said Nerxes.

‘Not any more,’ said Foraza.

‘Exactly! Punish you so that you’ll punish me more. He wants you to hate me, but I didn’t make you leave Ashabarq. I didn’t drag you to Wendhome. I didn’t hear any one of you complain that we were taking warriors from the vale.’

He turned away in disgust.

‘If you’re going to stab me, do it now, in the back like a true betrayal. I’m not going to give you the honour of a fight.’

He heard steps, the long stride of Foraza, and the sound of metal sliding against leather. A shadow fell over him but he refused to turn around.

‘Wait,’ said Nerxes.

‘For what?’ growled Foraza. The footsteps scuffed to a halt.

‘Threx is right. The Ashen King singled us out. A thousand blades left with us. Why pick out the three of us?’

‘Because we’re close to Threx,’ said Vourza.

‘We’re being used. The Ashen King is punishing us to drive us away from each other. He’s using us to get at our friend.’

‘And?’ Foraza’s shadow receded. ‘What’s your point?’

‘I don’t think I have one,’ confessed Nerxes. ‘It just seems wrong to me. And we certainly shouldn’t be killing anybody.’

‘Do you think I would do the same to you?’ asked Threx, pivoting on his heel to face the others. ‘If we swapped places, would I put the boot into you when you were down?’

Foraza looked at him and then at the knife in his hand. He sheathed the blade with an apologetic smile.

‘No. You wouldn’t.’

‘So that’s it?’ said Vourza. ‘We just stare at goats for who knows how long until the Ashen King changes his mind?’

‘And every day our shame grows,’ added Threx. ‘The Ashen King wants people to laugh at us. He’s shielding his weakness with us.’

‘What weakness?’ Vourza glanced around as though the ruler of the Skullbrands might descend upon them that moment. ‘That’s not the first time you’ve said that.’

‘He refuses to fight,’ said Threx. He looked at Nerxes. ‘How many blades did we leave in the vale, do you think?’

‘Twelve hundred, I reckon,’ replied his cousin. ‘Most of them young, but there was still your uncle’s Hall Guards. Three hundred of the best fighters in Asha Vale.’

‘Enough to scare off the Fireborn, I think.’

‘I would think so too. The Fireborn saw us leave and thought they had an opportunity. Nothing suggests that they were expecting an actual battle. A show of force might have deterred them.’

‘And now others will be encouraged,’ said Vourza. ‘You let one tribe steal from you, the rest of the dogs will come sniffing around.’

‘And we’re stuck defending the vale, because you know there are eyes on us all the time now,’ added Nerxes. ‘Not just physical ones either. Every scrye-stone and pyroseer across the Flamescar Plateau is going to be looking at us, seeking a time to strike.’

Threx was about to continue when movement on the lower slope caught his eye. A handful of people were toiling up the hillside towards them, one of them his uncle, Atraxas, the other four wearing armour and the ash-coloured cloaks of the Hall Guards.

‘More trouble?’ said Foraza.

‘Maybe it’s good news,’ said Nerxes, earning himself scowls from the others. ‘It could be!’

They waited in the shade of a solitary buros tree, sitting beneath its low branches. Threx kept an eye on the wandering goats and another on the approaching warriors. He didn’t like the look of either.

‘Wait here,’ Threx said when Atraxas passed through the gate in the stone wall that bounded the upper pasture.

He met them a few dozen paces inside the wall, arms crossed, feet planted as though they intruded upon the lands of a rival tribe.

‘What do you want?’

Atraxas signalled for his warriors to hang back and approached within a few paces. He wore a long sleeveless mail coat, girded about the waist with a sash of grey, the same colour as the cloak that hung from his back. As captain of the Hall Guard, his tunic and cloak were edged with gilt thread, decorated with a flame design. High boots fronted with iron plates protected his lower legs, each capped with steel toes cut into a similar fire motif.

‘Mind that tone with me,’ he said, one hand resting on his sword pommel, the other with a thumb tucked in the opposite side of the waistband.

‘Is there a reason I should?’

‘I’ll put you on your back again, and this time maybe leave you with more than a bent nose to remember it.’

Threx wanted to call the old man’s bluff but held back. Atraxas hadn’t come here for a fight, and Threx wanted to know his purpose. He’d sooner be eaten by ants than ask, and held his tongue as he sullenly regarded his uncle.

‘The Ashen King summons you,’ said Atraxas.

‘You could have sent a herald-child with that message, uncle,’ said Threx.

He pointedly looked at the armed warriors a short distance away, and then back at his companions who were lounging by the tree. They were trying to appear uninterested and were failing badly, given away by frequent glances towards the pair.

‘Expecting trouble?’

‘Just come to the Hall of the Pyre, Threx.’ Atraxas turned away and started back towards his soldiers.

‘When I’m ready,’ Threx called out.

Atraxas whirled around.

‘You’ll damn well come now, you impudent pup!’ The Hall Guards took a few steps forward but Atraxas held up his hand to halt them. ‘When your king calls, you respond without delay.’

‘I’m coming, don’t fret your grey hairs, uncle,’ Threx said. ‘I just need to tell my fellow herd guards where I’m going.’

He set off up the hill and the others moved out from the shade to meet him, eyes inquiring.

‘What does Atraxas want?’ said Nerxes.

‘Me,’ Threx replied. ‘My father orders me to Ashabarq.’

‘Oh. Why did Atraxas have to get you?’

‘I guess he thought I’d ignore a message sent with someone else.’ Threx rubbed a hand over his scalp. ‘He’s probably right. Look, I don’t know what my father wants, but I can’t imagine he’s forgiven me after just a couple of days. Probably wants me to say sorry, beg for his mercy, something like that.’

‘Will you?’ asked Foraza.

Threx looked at the three of them and then up to the cloudless sky.

‘I like it up here, the breeze is nice,’ he said. ‘I don’t fancy grovelling like a dog to end it.’

Foraza looked disappointed but Vourza nodded her approval.

‘Don’t make it worse,’ said Nerxes.

‘What do you mean?’

‘I mean, keep your mouth shut. Don’t beg, but don’t make him angrier. Keep your feelings to yourself this time.’

‘Only a coward doesn’t speak their mind.’

‘Only an idiot pours oil on a fire.’

Threx glared at his cousin but Nerxes would not back down. A shout from Atraxas broke the impasse, causing Threx to turn and raise his hand.

‘Maybe my father’ll just put a spear through me and be done with it,’ said Threx as he walked off.

The Hall of the Pyre was much as it was the last time Threx had been there. The only difference was the utter dormancy of the Pyre. It was dark and cold, no sign of life among the ashes and bones.

The Ashen King sat upon his pale throne as before, flanked by his advisors. Joraxi was not present but a royal niece and nephew, Liloax and Roya, had replaced him.

Threx noticed that his axe was still there, leaning against one side of his father’s chair.

As at their last meeting, the Ashen King would not look at Threx when he entered but regarded an area of floor in the middle distance.

‘You summoned me?’ Threx called out as he approached the throne.

‘I have been honoured with the Ashen King’s trust,’ announced Liloax. ‘My words shall be his words.’

‘And?’

‘The Hall of the Pyre has received a message from Wendhome.’

‘Written apology?’ Threx said with a bitter laugh, for it was obvious by everyone’s demeanour that no such thing had been received.

‘The Lord Yourag is angered by the assault upon his people and himself. He demands restitution from the Skullbrands for the injury done to the Korchian tribe.’

‘He can go–’

‘But,’ Liloax cut across him, ‘Lord Yourag recognises that it was not the intent of the Ashen King to offend the Korchians and he does not hold his fellow tribal king responsible.’

‘He compares himself to the Ashen King?’ Threx looked at his father, amazed that this statement had not drawn more of a reaction. ‘Yourag calls himself your equal, father! Your equal!’

Still the Ashen King said nothing and did not even turn his gaze in his son’s direction. Liloax continued.

‘The actions of Threx Skullbrand are the actions of a renegade. Compensation will be made by Threx Skullbrand and presented in person by him to Lord Yourag.’

‘What is compensation?’ said Threx.

‘This compensation is to be presented before the full waning of the red moon,’ said Liloax, ignoring him. ‘Firstly, Threx Skullbrand shall denounce his actions in assaulting the lands and people of Wendhome. He will present personal apology to Lord Yourag for insulting his person with his attack.’

‘He must be joking.’

‘Secondly, Threx Skullbrand will offer up a token of his regret as a symbol of his future good intent to the Korchian people and its ruler.’

‘A token of good intent?’ Threx stared at his cousin. ‘What token? Coin? Is he demanding payment, the thief?’

Liloax eyes slid sideways, towards the throne. It took a short while before Threx realised she was not looking at the chair or the occupant, but what was alongside it.

‘Oh, Yourag can have my axe, for sure!’ Threx laughed. ‘Edge first!’

His laughter rang hollow around the hall.

‘He’s mocking us. Can’t you see that? He was beaten and now he wants us to slink on our bellies to Wendhome?’ Threx held out an imploring hand to his father. ‘It’s Yourag that should beg before the Ashen King! I should have left the mark upon his skull as we did in the past, a lesson to his people not to wrong us.’

‘You,’ the Ashen King said quietly, turning his head. ‘It is you that will crawl on your belly to offer apology. Yourag demands nothing of me.’

‘I am your son…’

‘For now.’

Threx staggered as though his father had struck him. Any words fled him at the implication of his father’s statement. Was that the punishment still waiting for him?

‘We cannot fend off the Korchians as well as the Fireborn,’ said Atraxas.

‘We didn’t fend off the Fireborn,’ said Threx. ‘We rolled over and showed them our bellies like tame hounds.’

‘Others are seeking advantage,’ said Soreas. She rubbed her hammer talisman with a thumb, the dark red of her fingernails stark against the silver. ‘Prowling the shadows like wolves.’

‘Because they haven’t heard what happened to Yourag,’ Threx told them. ‘Strike now, Ashen King. Gather the army and blood the Fireborn for their thievery. Humble them, and the others will retreat.’

His father seemed to contemplate this notion, before his eyes strayed to Soreas. Seeking… support? Guidance?

‘The tribes should not war with each other,’ said the Priestess of the Hammer. ‘We are one under Sigmar, His chosen people. Gone are the days when bloodshed ruled.’

‘Gone?’ Threx’s gaze moved back and forth between his parents while he tried to work out what was happening between them. ‘What are the prayer-smiths of the Fireborn saying? What does Yourag’s Voice of Sigmar tell him when he holds court? To be meek and mild, as the lamb is?’

‘If others stray it is doubly important to remain on the path of truth,’ Soreas said, her words directed at the Ashen King. ‘To break his trust is a sin, one that will be punished in time.’

Threx stalked across the hall and stopped a few paces from the edge of the Pyre. Kexas hurried towards him, alarmed. Threx met him with a stare.

‘Didn’t we used to feed the Pyre with the bodies of our enemies, not our own honoured dead?’

‘In our barbaric past, that was true,’ Kexas said.

‘And why did we stop?’

Kexas did not reply with words but his gaze fluttered to Soreas for an instant.

‘When the Hammer-God came,’ Threx answered for him, turning back to face his family. ‘Sigmar promised us peace, a time of growth and strength. All I see is a people that are losing their way. The Ashen King could lead us back to glory, make the Skullbrand name a curse on the tongues of our enemies again. Say the word and all of the Asha Vale would take up their blades for you.’

‘That is not our way any more,’ his mother said, stepping between Threx and his king. ‘It is pride that speaks through you, not sense. There are lands that have prospered greatly under the gaze of Sigmar. They embrace the cult of the Hammer and don’t cling…’

She stopped herself before any more damning words escaped her lips, but her glance had been for Kexas and the Pyre. The Keeper of the Pyre said nothing, but Threx saw a flash of resentment in his gaze.

‘It is wrong to turn back to hatred and war,’ his mother tried again. ‘Only crows and wolves profit from it.’

‘We are surrounded by crows already,’ Threx argued, his tone pleading with his father. ‘Better to be the wolf than the carrion.’

The Ashen King regarded him in silence for several heartbeats. In that time Threx’s hopes soared, daring to think that his father might yet live up to the strength of the blood that flowed in his veins.

And then the Ashen King sighed and shook his head.

‘You will take your axe to Yourag,’ he said softly. ‘There will be no war between the Skullbrands and Korchians.’

Fear.

Fear had been the cage around the painter, but now he was free from its confines. More than that, he was fast becoming its master. The incident on the summit of the mount had not only transformed the rocky hill; it had set a fire inside him that could not be quenched. He stood outside the cave and looked down the slope towards the forest. A pile of decaying animal carcasses both large and small was left in a hollow a few dozen paces away.

Offerings.

Gifts from the gor-folk, laid upon his threshold. He knew the power was not his, but the denizens of the shadowed boughs that stretched around his home did not. He heard them at night, gathered about the foot of the great mound, their plaintive howling a song of appeasement. He could see them now, vague shapes beneath the canopy, a movement in the depths that withdrew as he strode down the hillside.

No more the furtive scuttling, no more the quick forays for food and firewood. As though coated in armour of impervious steel, the painter made his way towards the treeline, ignoring the stench of rotted flesh as he passed the crude arrangement of animal cadavers. He had taken what he could to eat but there was far too much and every night the contributions from the gor-folk grew a little more rancid.

As he reached the first shadows of the trees he stopped and smiled. Something new. On the path he saw several dozen branches, snapped and stripped, and a pile of smaller twigs beside it.

Firewood.

He glanced back up to the cave and the trickle of smoke that leaked from its entrance now that he was no longer afraid to reveal his presence. He took an armful of the branches and headed back, dumping them on the floor of the outer cave before returning for more. Four trips were needed to convey them all back to his dwelling, but it was a far less laborious task than scouring the woods for the fuel.

Before he moved back into the darkness, he took a last look around. The sun was heading towards the tree-filled horizon, bathing yellow and pale green leaves with russet tones. It had been a dry season, drier than he had known, and the air was thick with a latent storm that never broke. This too, he knew, was a sign, not merely weather. It was a physical accumulation of the pressure he felt inside his head, a symptom of a fire that yearned to burn being held back.

He was part of it somehow, he knew. The dreams, the drawings, were important. He did not know the details, but he knew he had to keep painting until he was finished. Then the truth would be revealed to him.

The painter dumped the firewood down another crack, too narrow for a person to enter but perfect for letting branches drop to the lower cave. He sent down enough just to keep the fire burning that evening; the rest he pushed to the back of the cave before he descended.

The light was better now that he did not have to ration every twig. Leaving the access hole uncovered allowed the morning sun to add its own gleam to the illumination, though this late in the day he needed the firelight to see his work. He snapped a few of the thinner branches over a knee and tossed them onto the dwindling flames, the sun-dried wood flaring immediately. In the sudden burst of wavering light the images on the walls seemed to come alive.

He turned first to the image he had started that morning, but on a whim his gaze continued around the great cavern until it fell upon the first painting. It was crude, even by the standards of his zealous daubing, and his mind’s eye filled in much detail that was lacking in the execution.

The painter approached, eyes drawn to the spots of detail, the features of a child wrapped in a blanket, laid between his parents. Around them were sketched the vague shapes of others, kneeling in supplication whilst raising their arms aloft to a sky filled with many colours. He stepped closer still, hand outstretched towards the infant, caressing the dried paint on the warm stone.

He ran a finger over it as though through the boy’s blond hair and heard the laughter in his dreams, accompanied by a thunderous drumming and the chanting of the surrounding audience.

To be close to the image connected him again to the child in the dreams, bringing to life the dormant recollection of it.

Swiftly he moved along the cave wall, the blur of images charting the boy’s growth; each scene bled into the next to give an illusion of time and movement. In his slumbering thoughts the events had played out over and over, jumbled and intertwined, but from his fingers the shapes had instilled a chronology on the anarchy. A king-to-be amongst his people, surrounded by stern warriors in mail shirts. Destiny hung like a halo upon the boy’s brow, an anointment by powers that the painter did not understand.

Episodes from a young life charted the rise of a legend: the confrontation with the bear; the freeing of the prisoners; the first time he laid his fingers around the handle of the weapon that was to be his fate.

The painter reeled back from the image he had made of that sword. He could not quite remember the frenzy of activity, only dim impressions of first painting a monstrous creature and then obliterating it with black before he sketched out the lines of the blade, curved jags and slender outcrops, unlike any weapon of the Flamescar.

And runes.

He traced them again now, the disturbing half-formed shapes that had spilled unbidden from the red paint on the end of his finger. It had dribbled like blood and dried the same, but the runeshapes were still there, burning into his thoughts. The trails of crimson were long dried but he bent forward and drew his tongue along them as though he might savour the blood, wanting to take its power into himself.

He longed to take its strength into him and pressed his head against the hard stone, teeth bared like a hungry wolf. He pushed harder, the pain of the unflinching rock focusing his thoughts.

So broken and disjointed. The visions he had purged covered a large expanse of the cave but still many remained, keen to be poured out into the firelight.

Dragging himself away from the sword with a lingering stroke over the smooth stone, he stepped back, hands forming fists, ragged nails digging into his palms. Hunger rumbled in his gut but he ignored it. There was cooked meat on the rough pallet in the corner but he did not want the distraction. He rarely looked at what he had drawn, constantly pushed towards expelling the next froth of prophetic imagery. The review of his work steadied his thoughts. The procession of scenes both heroic and grotesque reminded him that he was part of the journey, the pictorial narrator of an unfolding tale that would change the world.

Why he had been chosen he did not know, nor really care. He gave as little thought to whom might have done the choosing. He was simply the painter and this was his task.

His eye slid to the culmination of the first chapter in the tale. Standing proud with baleful sword aloft, clad in armour wrought from dark metals the painter had never heard named, the king of the white wastes stood before his people.

For many a storyteller that would have been the end. The rise from crying infant to lord of his tribe was a tale worthy of any fireside. Foes defeated, monsters slain, treasures won. But it was not the whole story, just a beginning.

The painter smiled and turned fully around to look at his latest work. Onion-domed towers burned and a horde from nightmare poured through shattered city walls, all at the behest of the king-of-kings.

Invigorated, he moved back to the paints, hand trembling with the need to release the pictures inside.

CHAPTER NINE

Having trained, washed and eaten, Athol prised Serleon away from Eruil to show him the Last Forge. The Bataari – or was it Aquitan? He wasn’t sure now – showed only passing interest in the rest of the camp and reacted little to Athol’s explanations as he led him through the bivouacs. It was only when they were nearly at the site of the tribe’s relic furnace that Serleon finally made an observation.

‘You tell me you come through gate from other place, yes?’

‘That’s right. The Khul came to the plateau from beyond the Black Flames.’

‘But no city before? No city in other place?’

It took a moment for Athol to understand what the other man meant.

‘No cities. The Khul were an army. We marched, and we fought. Our children marched with us. No home to protect, no supplies to guard. No weaknesses.’

‘No base. No build. No growing.’ Serleon looked around, shielding his gaze against the rising sun. Near-identical shelters stretched out in every direction, their neat rows highlighted by the long, stark shadows. ‘What is point?’

‘To survive,’ Athol replied, confused by the question. ‘You said it yourself, Aquita is now part of Bataar. In time, Bataar will fall to someone else. Ten generations from now all of this will have changed. But not the Khul. The Khul will always remain.’

‘Pfah, is nothing forever.’ Serleon rubbed a hand through his short hair crest. ‘Khul just other tribe.’

‘You’re wrong,’ Athol told him. ‘The Khul have a long memory. We remember stories from before all of this. Not in books, but in our hearts and words.’

‘Time before is myth. Child story, maybe? Only now. Only here.’

‘The one that led us through the Black Flames knew. He was the one that carried the stories of the Khul with him.’

‘Where he now?’

‘Dead.’ Athol shifted uneasily, realising he had brought up a poor topic. ‘He killed some people he shouldn’t have, before the peace with Aridian. He was cut and left bleeding out in the wastes to die.’

‘Nice.’ The Aquitan’s expression showed that he thought very different. ‘We chop off head. Is quick.’

‘Why should punishment be quick?’ asked Athol.

Serleon did not reply, for they had come to the centre of the camp, the site of the Last Forge.

It had been part of the Khul for as long as anyone could remember, a physical link to their earliest ancestors – folk that, the legends claimed, were carved from ice in a land where the sun shone only for one day a year. Those same stories had spoken of a time when such wonders as the Last Forge were commonplace, gifts from an unspoken benefactor. Yet now only the Last Forge remained, hence its name.

In form it was not so different to the furnace of a normal foundry, though somewhat smaller in size than even the portable forge-works used by the Aridians. Its casing was moulded in such a fashion that it seemed to be made of brazen bones and heaped skulls, entwined and piled upon each other. When it was in use, the eyes of the fleshless heads gleamed with power and sometimes Athol thought he heard whispers from the artefact.

‘Is magic?’ asked Serleon, eyeing the grotesque device suspiciously. ‘Look… strange.’

‘Yes, it is magic. Powerful sorcery from the earliest days of the Khul.’ Athol stepped forward, picking his way past the racks of tools and three anvils that had been set up close to the Last Forge, the furnace-device dormant. He put his fingers into the eye sockets and mouth of one particular skull that served as a handle. ‘It’s not dangerous.’

He pulled and the front of the Last Forge opened, two doors swinging out and up like the spreading wings of an eagle. Inside was shadowed, but the edges of a ragged gemstone larger than Athol’s fist could be seen within, nestled in a bed of salt-like crystals.

‘How it work?’

Athol cast his gaze around and saw an ingot of bronze that had been left close at hand. He picked it up and placed it inside a long-handled crucible, which he slid into the Last Forge, close to the centre but not touching the main crystal.

‘Nothing happen.’ Serleon’s curiosity became confusion. ‘Perhaps it broken?’

‘Everything we forge is bound to us,’ explained Athol. ‘The Khul and the Last Forge are as one. We and our weapons are forged together, the blade an extension of our bodies, our bodies an extension of the blade. This is why.’

On the top of the Last Forge was a slender spike, spiralled like the horn of the nordeer. Athol touched his wrist to the point, which seemed to give him the lightest of scratches, but from the cut oozed a thimbleful of blood. He withdrew his hand, a thumb pressed against the wound. The blood separated into droplets, each running down the spiral of the spike until they disappeared into the body of the Last Forge.

A couple of heartbeats later a blood drop fell from the ceiling of the interior, directly onto the central crystal. The jagged-edged stone started to glow with an odd greenish-black hue, the intensity growing and spreading to the surrounding crystals as more blood dripped onto it.

Within moments, the heat washing from the open doors had sweat beading on Athol’s skin. He heard Serleon muttering something under his breath, most likely swearing in his native tongue.

‘No spark, no coals, no bellows. Just a drop of blood will power the Last Forge for a morning.’

He waited a short while and then with a hand wrapped in a hide strip he pulled out the crucible and showed Serleon the molten contents. He nodded towards a variety of moulds and formers – shield bosses, sword and knife shapes, spear tips and arrowheads.

‘It is more than just a quick, easy fire,’ he continued, pouring the molten bronze back into an ingot mould. Using a pair of tongs, he set the mould upon an anvil where it started to cool. ‘Watch.’

Serleon looked past him at the solidifying metal. At first it looked like any molten bronze, a shimmer of silver appearing through the red-hot liquid. As time passed a deeper red started to form flecks on the surface alongside the hardening alloy. Shapes appeared, fleeting but unmistakable, of runic letters in a language none amongst the Khul could decipher. He heard Serleon gasp and knew that the Bataari had seen them too. They faded quickly, reformed into new shapes and then they too disappeared, seeming to sink into the metal as it became solid once more.

‘Better than Bataari steel, I think,’ said Athol, returning the tools to their proper places. From a box he lifted up the cast blade and tang of a knife, still awaiting the final work that would add the hilt and pommel. ‘Sharpens easily and keeps an edge for a long time.’

‘It fix steel?’ said Serleon, holding up his breastplate, the greenish gleam of the Last Forge dancing along the edges of the clean cut left by Athol’s spear stroke.

‘It’s a forge. It heats. The work comes from the smith, same as always. Gailth will be here soon. She’ll repair that for you, or one of the other smiths.’ Athol pointed at the glowing crystals and leaned closer. ‘And I’ve already started the forge, so you don’t even have to give up your blood for it…’

‘Me… Thank you, Athol Khul. You be very kind to me.’ Serleon set the breastplate down, slightly nonplussed. ‘Me give coin.’

‘Coins mean nothing to the Khul. You are my guest.’

‘In Bataar all things have price.’

‘They do here, too,’ Athol said quietly. ‘We just don’t measure it in gold or coin. We judge a person by how they conduct themselves. Honour, pride, achievement. These are our currency. You fought well, behaved honourably. This is your reward from me.’

The Bataari scratched his chin, brow furrowed, still trying to get his head around the concept.

‘If it makes you feel better, I’m sure Gailth wouldn’t be offended by the gift of a bottle of Aquita red.’

Serleon smiled.

‘Me understand that.’ Serleon looked up at the sky, one eye closed. ‘Time going. You are leaving, yes?’

‘Yes, I will have to get ready to return to the royal city soon if I’m going to arrive by noon.’

He had quite forgotten the coming journey, and the reminder of its uncertain purpose must have shown in his expression.

‘Is not happy meeting,’ said Serleon. ‘Not another trial so soon?’

‘I don’t know what it is, Serleon,’ replied Athol. ‘The lawsmith, Orhatka, has sent for me. An emissary from… somewhere I can’t work out.’

‘Best run along, spear-carrier,’ said the Bataari. He said it jovially but the tone irritated Athol, as though he were a child being summoned by a parent, or a dog called to the hand of the hunter.

‘I will see you later,’ he managed to say. He took a few strides and then looked back at the other warrior. ‘Don’t let Eruil boss you around all day.’

‘Me not,’ said Serleon.

‘And you are here under my protection. If anyone acts poorly, tell Marolin and she’ll put them straight.’

‘Me will.’

‘But try not to say anything too outrageous, I don’t want you insulting any of my people either.’

‘You think so bad of me?’

‘No, just be wary.’ Athol returned a couple of paces. ‘Nobody should give you a hard time but I’m not as popular as you might hope at the moment. As my guest some of my people might try to turn you into something to use against me. Give them a chance and they might be quick to take offence.’

‘Me not spoil your good name,’ Serleon replied with mock seriousness. ‘Mother.’

Athol knew how it looked, and was probably creating enemies from thin air, but he liked Serleon despite what Marolin had said about his mercenary outlook.

‘Just stay out of trouble, please?’ Athol directed a stare at the Bataari. ‘If someone thinks you have insulted them they will challenge you to a trial. And, unlike me, they will kill you.’

Serleon’s smile faded under the intensity of Athol’s look. He nodded sombrely.

‘Go,’ said the warrior. ‘Me be safe.’

Athol headed back towards his shelter, almost instantly forgetting any concerns for the Bataari as he turned his mind to what awaited him in the royal city.

As Athol neared the outskirts of the royal city, a young man emerged from the mass of pavilions and headed quickly towards him. It was Rosati, one of Orhatka’s apprentices. He looked exasperated.

‘The lawsmith expected you this morning,’ said Rosati, hurrying Athol with a waved hand. ‘He was not happy with your reply.’

Athol stopped in his tracks and planted his spear in the dirt, eyes narrowed.

‘Perhaps I should just turn around and head back?’

Rosati gaped with horror at the suggestion, hands falling to his sides.

‘Is this the way to greet Queen Humekhta’s spear-carrier?’

‘I’m sorry,’ blurted Rosati, moving from one foot to the other, glancing back towards the royal city. ‘My master… He has been vexed by your absence.’

‘That’s his problem,’ replied Athol. The young man bobbed around a little longer, biting his lip. Athol relented, pulling up his spear. ‘Run back and tell them to expect me soon. I will attend the queen directly.’

Rosati nodded his thanks with an absurdly grateful smile and jogged away, disappearing into the royal city.

Athol waited a few heartbeats despite his promise to continue with all speed. He should have asked Rosati what was happening, but instead the lawsmith’s apprentice had distracted him with his agitation and now Athol would be arriving at the court no wiser than when he had left the Khul.

The last few days had been unsettling, and Orhatka’s behaviour was untoward; first in sending the midnight messenger and then Rosati to hurry him also. The lawsmith had always displayed care and patience, but although Rosati’s unease might be a product of his own temperament Athol suspected that it was likely much of his hasty demeanour had been transmitted from his master’s mood.

He headed into the city, picking up the pace as he did so. If Orhatka was distressed by what was happening, perhaps there was good reason not to delay.

In his slumber, the painter dreamed anew.

A city falls, and from its rubbled corpse arises something beautiful and horrifying. The land itself screams with the agony of the birth, great welts opening like wounds in the cobbled streets, abyssal pits with stalactite fangs roaring into being. Stone runs like molten flesh, forming twisted arches and towering spires. The bones of the dead spring forth with new vigour, sloughing away the flesh of their former owners to cavort together into macabre erections of skeletal magnificence. Dead eye sockets gleam with an energy that is living but not life, the animus instilled by a hand not bound by mortal restriction. Teeth chattering, the skulls of the Everking’s victims screech without tongues and lips, hailing the lord of lords.

Yet this is not what he would paint.

This is just the background, the setting of the drama yet to unfold.

Points of detail surface, splashes of colour among the monochrome. A blood-red slaughter leaves the plaza of a broken temple awash with crimson, the bear-fur-clad priests of its deity dismembered upon the steps. A spellwielder in blue robes who stalks through the ruin, cyan and yellow energies flickering about the tip of her gilded staff. There is a streak of green, the stem of a writhing vine, its thorns glinting with silvery venom as it winds snake-like through the shattered window of an overrun palace.

But always more red.

A river cuts a foam through the wasteland of a city and upon the great bridge that spans it waits an army. They stand beneath banners blazoned with stylised eagles and bear motifs, ranks of halberds held in readiness, and beyond them on the far bank a multitude of other soldiery. Some wear blood-stained uniforms; others are clad in more individual style, with fur-trimmed helms and heavy hide coats. It is not the cloth nor the bared steel of their weapons that catches the eye.

Their faces tell a story behind the defiance.

There is terror here, buried deep by a sense of resigned duty. The painter feels it, the overwhelming dread of what they have witnessed burning into the fabric of their souls. None of them expects to live. In truth, none of them wants to live, for the torment of carrying the memory of the previous days has pushed them all to the edge of madness.

It is this madness that makes them stay. The revelation that there is no escape – not from this conqueror, not from his countless horde and not from the powers he serves.

Those who were weak of spirit have already killed themselves. Others have given in to the temptation offered by service and turned on their companions, to be cut down or flee to bolster the ranks of the attackers under the cover of darkness and devastation. The impossibility of what has been unleashed, the unreality that has become the lives of the city’s defenders, has brought with it a defining truth.

This foe can never be defeated.

The warriors can be slain, the sorcerers purged, the beasts and incorporeal servants of the unknowable powers banished back to their realm. But all of this counts for nought. The immortal minds that brought about this living nightmare will gather their strength over lifetimes and come again. The struggle itself fuels them. A moment of vainglory, the unending wars, the ambitions of those that desire to rule and the despair at those left behind by life are the meat and drink of mankind’s destroyers.

Better to die than live with the knowledge that survival was a lie.

How to capture that feeling in an image? What singular scene would impress itself upon the painter’s thoughts and be brought back to the waking world?

He groaned in his sleep, frustrated and fatigued. Rolling over, the painter awoke with a grunt, cheek pressed against the hard floor of the cave. The impetus of creation filled him and he bounded to his feet, tired of limb but filled with an irrepressible need.

Taking his pigment bowls, he found a patch of virgin stone and began to paint. Flesh came to life, a face as high as he could reach, spattered with blood. The eyes. He worked on the eyes the most, for it was there he had seen the reflection.

The image that captured the essence of inevitable doom.

White, a greenish blue for the iris, black for the pupil, itself wider than his outstretched fingers. The painter paused and closed his eyes to remember what he had seen; what the man upon the bridge had been looking at. The robber of sanity reflected in the eye of a doomed mortal.

CHAPTER TEN

‘It’s this or death,’ Threx reminded his friends. He stooped beneath a brick arch, the flame of the brand he held fluttering as a fresh breeze blew down the water tunnel. ‘I can’t go to Wendhome. Yourag will kill me.’

‘And who do you think will be sent with you to Wendhome?’ said Nerxes. ‘This isn’t just about you.’

Foraza grunted his agreement with this sentiment.

‘The Korchian’s message said he just wanted the axe,’ said Vourza. ‘If he kills you it’d be a stain on his honour.’

‘Nobody cares about honour any more.’ Threx glanced back at them. ‘Nobody but us.’

Something splashed in the water ahead and they froze, peering into the dark semicircle of the tunnel. The current pulled at their ankles, run off from the waterwheels of Ashakort. It was night and the sluices upstream were closed, the river following its natural course around the island. Had it been daytime the tunnel would have been full nearly to the roof with raging water.

‘Rat,’ suggested Foraza, with a tone that suggested he didn’t consider this news preferable to one of the Hall Guards.

‘This way,’ said Nerxes, waving his torch to the left. Pieces of ash fell onto the sluggish stream.

‘You sure?’ Threx jabbed his brand ahead. ‘The royal chambers are this way.’

‘But we’d have to go past the guard room at the bottom of the upriver tower to get there. This way leads to the upper kitchens. Nobody will be around until sunrise.’

‘Fine.’ Threx splashed across the flow and into the side tunnel. It was narrower than the main branch, forcing them to continue in single file, Threx at the front, Nerxes behind whispering further directions. Foraza followed, with Vourza bringing up the rear, glancing back every now and then to ensure they weren’t being followed.

‘How do you know the Ashen King won’t be sleeping with your mother?’ she asked, voice pitched just high enough to carry over the echoing slosh of the water.

‘They’ve not shared a bed for years.’ Threx cleared his throat, ill at ease with the topic. ‘I don’t know why. But that’s the point, I’ll be able to talk to him without her getting in the way.’

‘I still don’t think he’ll listen. And she certainly hasn’t put a hex on the Ashen King.’ Nerxes sniffed derisively at the thought.

‘I have to try something,’ Threx said.

A little further on, the brickwork gave way to bare rock, bored through smoothly by countless generations of the river’s passage. It was a natural funnel that had been lengthened and widened to create the island’s network of water-driven engines. The ancient drop-off where it plunged deep below the island had been filled and the resultant flow redirected to twenty wheels spread across the downstream area of the island.

‘We’re under the oldest part of Ashabarq,’ Nerxes explained to the others. ‘Threx and I used to play down here when we were young.’

‘I swam from the leeward sluice all the way to the undergate, once,’ Threx told them, remembering the pride he’d felt on accomplishing the seemingly impossible.

‘Nearly drowned though, didn’t you?’ his cousin added. Nerxes pushed past and pointed to a circular door in the wall, just large enough for a person to crawl through. ‘We had to drag you out of the gate basin, coughing up lungfuls of water.’

‘Still did it,’ muttered Threx, shouldering his cousin aside.

There was a brace on the wall next to the door and he dropped his torch into it. A large wheel was set into the weathered timber, duardin-wrought like most of the water-and-wheels system. Threx pushed aside the thought that such engineering wouldn’t have been possible in the time of constant raids and counter-raids that had prevailed before the coming of Sigmar.

The wheel spun easily, withdrawing a bolt from the wall. It opened outwards and Threx briefly closed it to allow Nerxes to squeeze past and get on the correct side for climbing through.

‘Nobody about, right?’ said Foraza. ‘But what if we meet someone?’

‘There won’t be,’ insisted Nerxes.

‘Just keep watch,’ said Threx as he pushed through the doorway.

It was dark but the light coming through the open door was enough to reveal his immediate surroundings. On the far side was a small tunnel, high enough for the duardin masons that had carved it but forcing Threx to advance at a crouch. As a child the navigation tunnels had been a lot easier to traverse. They ran left, towards the kitchens, and to the right, following the flow of the river. He heard the others grunting and puffing as they came after him, and the thump of the door plunged them into darkness – there certainly was no space for a torch without the risk of setting someone alight.

‘Twenty paces, I think,’ he said over his shoulder to Nerxes.

‘Yes, twenty paces and then there should be a ladder above us.’

Threx pressed on, legs and back protesting at his awkward stance, but it was better than crawling on the unforgiving stone. Twice he had to stop and adjust the knife hanging from his belt, disentangling it from the leather slats of his kilt.

He felt cooler air touching his neck and raised a hand. They met nothing. Swinging it forwards, his fingers came upon cold metal embedded into the side of a shaft a little wider than the tunnel. He slowly stood up, expecting to crack his head against the edge, but encountered no such mishap.

‘It’s here,’ he said as Nerxes almost shuffled into his legs.

The rungs of the ladder had not aged well – rust flaked off their surface at his touch, though the metal within seemed solid enough. He climbed a short distance, perhaps his own height again, before his knuckles brushed against wood. Fingers questing in the dark he came upon a bolt, which he drew back with a shrill protest from the old metal. Wincing, he lifted the trapdoor, letting in flickering lantern light from the room above.

‘Quiet,’ he whispered to the others. Their panting ceased and he strained to hear anything from above. The creak of a poorly fitted shutter and occasional thud against its frame. The low crackle and pop of the dying kitchen fire.

No breathing. No footsteps.

He opened the trapdoor to its fullest extent, lowering it to the reddish flagstones as he pushed himself up the last two rungs. There was plenty of space for his shoulders to clear the gap – duardin were smaller in height but greater in girth.

He was in a store cupboard, the walls lined with deep shelves holding various clay jars and wooden boxes. He could smell spices and wax. A faint aroma of the stew last prepared in the kitchen wafted below the curtain. He moved to the drape, stepping slowly on tiptoe, and eased it aside.

The kitchen was also empty, a high window to his right slightly ajar, the root of the knocking and the breeze. The firepit dominated the centre, and the arrangement of spits and roasting tins above it, the ceiling open to the large chimney that ran up along the upstream side of the hall. Like the subterranean engineering, much of the upper storeys had been laid down by duardin at some lost time, though whether paid for or usurped, the history of the Skullbrands did not specify.

‘It’s clear,’ he told the others, stooping back to the opening with a beckoning hand.

He found a loaf in a countertop bin and pulled off a hunk to chew while he waited. When his companions had emerged, he gathered them close and spoke in a whisper.

‘Foraza, close the trapdoor. I want you to stay here and make sure nobody finds our way out.’

‘I can do that,’ his standard bearer replied. ‘How long should I wait?’

Threx hadn’t considered the possibility of being delayed, or not returning at all.

‘There’s a gong at sunrise. If you hear that, get back into the tunnel, the one with water in, and turn right. You’ll come to a gate that will bring you out over the royal quay. The Hall Guard might find you but just say you got lost or something. Chances are it’ll have all gone wrong if we have to wait that long anyway.’

‘What about the water tunnels?’

‘No, the gates will be open just after dawn. You’ll be drowned if you try to go back the way we came.’

‘All right. Down. Turn right. Out the gate.’

‘That’s it. Vourza, you come with us and watch the foot of the stairs beside my father’s chambers. Nerxes, lead the way.’

With a last nod of understanding between him and Foraza, Threx followed Nerxes and Vourza out of the kitchens, coming upon a narrow passageway that ran most of the length of the Hall of the Pyre, just below the main floor. They turned left and quickly came upon a set of spiral stairs. They ascended one floor and then Threx told Vourza to wait.

‘If you hear any doors opening, or footsteps, it’s the thralls getting ready to light the kitchen fires and open the sluice gates. Come up to the top landing and warn Nerxes – he’ll come and get me.’

She signalled her understanding and turned back to face the lower steps, head cocked to one side. Nerxes continued up, Threx on his heel, passing two more landings before they came to the uppermost storey. A broad, iron-bound door led onto a gallery overlooking the main hall.

‘I don’t think I’ve been up here in years,’ said Nerxes.

‘Nor me,’ said Threx, casting his gaze over the sculpted wooden rail. The hall was dim, lit by starlight and moonlight, a few torches in sconces at the near end casting a reddish-yellow gleam on the rush-covered floor. He saw a figure reclining on the throne of his father. ‘By the ashes…’

‘What?’ Nerxes came up beside him and looked. ‘Is that the Ashen King?’

‘Yes. Why’s he sleeping down there?’

‘How would I know?’

‘This is better,’ announced Threx, as much to himself as Nerxes. ‘Better than skulking around in a person’s bedchamber.’

The two of them descended until they came to Vourza again.

‘Change of plan,’ Threx told her. ‘My father is in the Pyre Hall. You go down the steps. Nerxes, wait here.’

As Vourza disappeared around the bend, Threx lifted the latch on the door and pushed. It opened silently, the hinges greased recently, and he stepped within.

Threx eased the door shut again, taking a few moments to steady himself. He would not lose his temper. He would not shout, or accuse his father, or do anything except calmly explain his worries. A short speech had been running through his head again and again since he had been escorted from his father’s presence earlier that day. Impassioned but not angry, he told himself. Appeal to his pride as a ruler, don’t attack him as a man.

Nerxes had given him the advice, as soon as Threx had confided what had occurred, the ultimatum from Yourag and what he intended to do about it. He had expected more resistance from his friends, but was glad that not one of them had argued that he should meekly accept the Korchians’ demands. There was a reason the four of them were close, and that was their shared outlook on life. They were of the generation that had seen most visibly the decline of the Skullbrands, the first to be barred from taking hot iron to their flesh or the flesh of their enemies. In his father’s day…

His ruminations were interrupted by a movement in the shadows to his left. He could not see his father; the back of the throne hid him from this direction, but was sure he had not left his chair.

By the dim light of the torches a shorter figure appeared.

‘Kexas?’ Threx whispered.

‘Threx?’ The Keeper of the Pyre sounded surprised but not alarmed. ‘Why are you here?’

‘To speak to the Ashen King.’

‘At midnight?’ The small man’s eyes roved up and down Threx, inspecting him.

‘I have no weapons, if that’s what you’re looking for.’

‘I wasn’t, and your reassurance concerns me more.’

The two of them regarded each other in silence. Threx’s heart beat faster, but he fought to control his emotions. The words of Nerxes drifted back to him, telling him not to take insult where there was none intended.

‘Why is my father asleep in the hall?’ Threx said, breaking the stillness.

‘He does not sleep well in his chambers,’ Kexas replied softly, a glance back towards the throne. ‘He has many cares, and you have brought him even more burdens to carry.’

‘Burdens he could share, or throw aside if he were brave enough,’ Threx replied quickly.

‘Burdens you cannot understand. Will not understand, until you become the Ashen King.’

‘My father is going to disown me. He said it earlier.’

Kexas’ ensuing silence was heavier than earlier, his manner more ill at ease. Threx did not think it was his presence that worried the Keeper of the Pyre, but the topic of discussion.

‘He is, isn’t he? He’ll name one of my cousins as the Heir to the Pyre.’

Kexas said nothing, but was clearly struggling with something. His face went through several conflicted expressions.

‘I want to speak to the Ashen King without my mother around. Without the words of the Hammer-spoken twisting his thoughts. You understand that, don’t you?’

‘Why’s that?’ Kexas stepped closer, eyes narrowed. ‘What do you mean?’

‘I saw earlier. She thinks you’re irrelevant, or soon will be.’

‘It’s… more complicated than you think.’

Through the roof openings the hall was lit by a sudden gleam from the sliver of the red moon – the Blood Orb, it was often called in the vale. Kexas flinched and looked up, as if suddenly under scrutiny. He shook his head, deciding against voicing whatever thoughts were plaguing him.

‘We’ll help each other,’ said Threx. He didn’t know what was happening, but he did understand that Kexas hadn’t immediately raised the alarm. ‘I want to help my father too, to let him see through the fog my mother’s casting upon him.’

Kexas sagged, relenting to whatever troubles filled his mind.

‘It’s worse than you can know,’ the Keeper of the Pyre confessed. ‘It is not a curse from your mother that hexes the Ashen King, but the knowledge of impending disaster.’

‘What disaster?’

‘The Pyre does not burn.’

Threx took a heartbeat to absorb this, and then shook his head.

‘Just the other day it was hot. You told me the bodies of the herd guards had been offered to the flames.’

‘And they were. But the flames are a trick.’ Kexas trembled and the admission came flooding from him in an urgent whisper. ‘Not for years has the Pyre burned true. When he discovered this, your father, mother and I came up with a solution. It was meant to be temporary, while we rectified our deficiencies with the flame. There is a room sealed off below the hall, filled with pure oils from Aspirian. Its breath burns hot like the Pyre. When I make the incantations, I operate the mechanism that lets out the breath of the oils, and it is these that ignite.’

‘A trick?’ Threx’s breath came short as the implications raced through his brain. ‘Then you’ve been lying to us for years! Our offerings… We are broken from the Asha Vale! Abandoned!’

‘Keep your voice–’

‘I hear you, Threx.’ The voice of the Ashen King drifted along the dim hall, heavy with weariness. ‘You are not wrong.’

Days passed. The painter did not count them but was aware of their coming and going by the continuing expansion of his work across the walls of the cave.

He was exhausted. His eyes were agony as he climbed out into the light, and his shoulders were knots of solid pain. The passion still burned inside but an even older instinct, the need to live, drove him out into the world of air and light. He had subsisted, a mouthful of water when needed, the most meagre intake of food. It was not enough. His strength was failing and the work was not complete.

It would serve nobody if he died before the task was done.

Staggering into the light, peering through fingers calloused by long work, the painter took a deep breath free from woodsmoke.

He looked around, absorbing the scene that surrounded him, taking a moment of peace from the reconnection with the sky and forest. Flies buzzed over the corpse-pile down the slope. The swish of the wind in the trees tugged at his tired thoughts. Overhead, perched on the rocks above, a red crow let forth its cawing cry.

A shiver ran through the painter. At first, he thought it simply a reaction to the breeze after the stifling confinement of the cavern.

Realisation brought another cold, creeping sensation.

When he had awakened the mound with the gor-man’s blood it had cast a pall of dread upon the area. Not since then had bird or beast or gor-folk dared approach the blood-veined rocks at the summit.

He turned and looked at the red crow, perched uncaring on a jag of dark stone.

Overhead the rest of the flock whirled, unafraid.

Even the flies on the corpses…

If these small creatures dared the aura of the ancient stones, what of the gor-folk? Did they sense the same change as the lesser beasts?

His eyes snapped back to the treeline in expectation of seeing shadows there, a gathering warherd intent on revenge.

What had gone wrong? Why had the power of the bloodstones waned?

He hurried up the hillside, thoughts of water and food driven away in the need of the moment. Glancing back over his shoulder as if he might see the first of the gor-folk venturing from the woods, he scrambled over rough dirt and clawed past thorny vines that hooked at his skin.

Throat tight, heart thudding against his ribs, the painter reached the summit and all but threw himself between the gatepost rocks into the basin within.

The light of the skull rune had faded away. He could see the slender channels where the blood had run, but they were bereft of immortal gleam. Panicked, he dashed back to the opening to look down the mound once more, convinced the gor-folk would be upon him at any time.

He started to pace, following the outside of the rocky depression, eyes scanning back and forth across the ground for a sign of what to do.

Blood.

Blood had awakened the ancient rocks. Blood was needed to sustain it.

He did not like the idea of trying to lure one of the gor-folk back to the summit, nor did he rate his chances at besting such a creature even if he was able to bring it to the place of sacrifice.

Another idea emerged through the froth of his thoughts, but it would mean going back to the woods. Closer to the gor-folk.

For a short while fear warred with desperation. Perhaps the gor-folk would not notice the rock had lost that aura of malice? Brutish and superstitious, they would still be cowed by the event that had sent them fleeing.

A fool’s hope.

He started towards the ring of stone, reasoning that if he was going to be killed by the gor-folk it might as well happen in the woods as on the mound. Bolstered by this false bravery he hurried back down the slope, turning to the right away from the cave so that he came to the woods on the other side of the immense hill.

He found the old game trails easily enough and followed the first until he came upon an old trap. It was empty, though a smear of fur and blood on the surrounding dried leaves testified to its previous state.

If it had been the gor-folk that had found the trapped animal they would doubtless have found the others and his quest would be in vein.

He wanted to scurry back to the cavern, to return to the dark existence beneath the world. He had survived before, he would survive again… A feeling of failure nagged at him. Sustaining the bloodstones was more than a matter of personal protection. There was a purpose in everything, a reason why he and the gor-folk had been led to that place and the blood had been spilt.

It was part of the unfolding events that he was meant to herald.

Swallowing back his fear, he crept through the woods. The next three traps were also empty, another showing signs of being plundered by an animal or gor-folk.

The fourth held a furred corpse, a tree rat a little bigger than his fist. He carefully opened the snare, eyes darting first one way and then another as he did so. Pulling the dead creature free, he broke into a run, heading straight back up the hillside.

His leg muscles burned by the time he reached the top, the day’s activities the most he had moved in many days. Cramp gnawed at his left calf but he pushed on, hissing breaths through gritted teeth, the dead rat clutched like a trophy in his blistered paint-stained fingers.

He reached the top and circled the stones until he came upon the entranceway. Rat gripped tight, he advanced into the bowl, expecting to find the gor-folk within, lying in wait.

It was empty, the wind sighing over the rocks, but no other sound.

Striding to the centre of the carved rune, he realised that he had not brought his spear, nor the small flint blade he used to scrape pigment into his pots. He had no way of slashing open the rat to let the vital fluid free.

Without hesitation, he bit the neck of the small beast, blackened teeth tearing at skin and flesh. It took two more attempts to rip open the throat.

A thin dribble of cold liquid rewarded his efforts, falling in a few drops upon the stone ground.

He watched, alert for any sign of acceptance.

Nothing happened.

He waited a little longer. It was not a lot of blood, after all.

Still nothing happened.

Falling to his knees, he squeezed the rat between his fists like a slave wringing dirty water from a cloth. He smeared the blob of gristle and matted fur back and forth across the rune, breaking bones inside its fragile body.

Not even a glimmer of response.

Scraping the drying blood from his fingers on the ground, he muttered and begged, issuing wordless entreaties to something he did not understand.

Slumping forward, head against the blood-spattered rune, he groaned and moaned, tortured by the utter failure. He was not sure what power he had failed, but he knew that without the bloodstones awake all of his labours would be no more than the daubings of a madman in a dark cave.

Blood!

He sprang to his feet and hobbled back to the cave mouth, limbs tense and protesting. He barely glanced at the trees now, almost wishing for the gor-folk to come, to end his misery.

He came to the cave and the concealed crack where he stored his weapons. He reached first for the knife – small and practical. He stopped short of closing his fingers around the handle. The same instinct that guided his hand when he painted stopped him short of picking up the blade. He remembered that he was part of the painting, in a way he did not quite understand. The ritual and image was as important as the act.

He wondered what the painting of this moment would look like and his hand moved away from the knife.

Taking his spear from its hiding spot, he used it as a walking staff to make the journey to the summit one more time. The sun was heading towards the trees when he reached the bloodstones and with a pang of hunger he understood that most of the day had already passed. He was convinced that when darkness came the gor-folk would venture onto the mound to wreak vengeance against the one that had humiliated them.

Regaining the summit once more, the painter dragged his weary body to the centre of the stone circle. His foray to the surface had been instigated by the need to find sustenance but now it required all the will he could muster to remain standing. The dread-inspired surge of energy that had sustained him had evaporated like tears in the midday scorch.

Hands shaking from weariness and apprehension, he held the spear in one hand, the nocked head held over a crack of the skull rune. Licking dried lips, he held the point to his chest and took a breath. He knew better than to draw the uneven blade across wrist or hand – too deep and he would die, or sever the tendons that he needed to paint. It was blood he offered, not his life or the meaning of his existence.

He felt the bite of iron on flesh and gritted his teeth as he pulled the tip down, scoring a shallow cut the length of his pectoral. Blood oozed from the wound and he recalled how little he had drunk over the last days.

Under his desperate glare crimson drops slid along the edge of the blade and then dripped to the ground, pattering like rain in the desert upon the barren glyph carved into the rock. He mouthed a silent invocation to the power that had created this place, unsure to whom the entreaty was addressed, nor of the words that were meant to be used to draw its attention.

The blood soaked into the narrow channel.

And nothing happened.

Frustration and despair ripped free as a howl that clawed at his dry throat. Spent in body and mind, the painter let the spear fall from his fingers and collapsed, wracked with sobs.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Slowing just as he came upon the queen’s pavilion, so that he might catch his breath, Athol noticed that there were more guards present than usual. Many more. The words of Khibal Anuk came back to him, warning of intrigues within the court. Athol flexed his shoulders and loosened his grip on the spear, ready for any trouble. He encountered nothing more than passive glances as he passed into the side entrance of the grand pavilion. Rosati was again waiting for him, and silently held out a hand to stop him proceeding through the drapery to the main chamber. He ducked back through the curtains and a few moments later Orhatka appeared, dressed in his full regalia of white robe and black leather apron.

He held a finger to his lips to quell the question Athol was about to ask, gesturing for the warrior to accompany him back out of the tent.

‘Williarch had friends. Allies, I mean. Powerful ones in Bataar.’

‘How could news of what’s occurred reached Bataar?’ A thought occurred to Athol. ‘Was this emissary despatched before the trial? Accompanying Williarch’s caravan?’

‘Mystical allies,’ Orhatka clarified. ‘One of these sorcerers has come to the queen to demand explanation of what has happened.’

Athol stepped back, wary of the conversation’s direction.

‘Where is Williarch? And why do you need me?’

‘His sentence has not yet been carried out. He remains imprisoned in the royal city.’ Orhatka glanced back, a nervous mood that Athol had never seen in him before. ‘The emissary has demanded to see you, the one that fought Williarch’s champion.’

‘And the queen simply agreed? What does the emissary want?’

A sudden fear gripped Athol, thinking of Serleon who he had guided back to his camp. The outlander had seemed like a good man, and had been entertaining company. What if that had been a ruse? Had he invited a terrible enemy into the midst of his people?

Brought them to his family?

‘We acted within the law,’ said Orhatka, though it seemed his words were intended as much for himself as Athol. ‘Williarch stole the whitehorns, justice will be served.’

The lawsmith turned back towards the pavilion but Athol grabbed his arm.

‘I’ve never seen you scared,’ said the Khul chieftain. ‘Is the queen all right? What are you afraid of?’

‘Sorcerers,’ replied Orhatka, pulling his arm free. The word sent a shiver of apprehension through Athol. Magic was a fact of life, but the Khul did not trust those that delved too deeply into its secrets. Raw sorcery was innately deceptive and somehow underhand.

‘That’s a start,’ continued the lawsmith. ‘And possible war with Bataar.’

‘Why would anyone in Bataar care what happens to Williarch?’ said Athol, shrugging, mastering his unease with affected nonchalance. ‘One rotten merchant? If he was so rich and important, he’d not be stealing whitehorns.’

‘Enough powerful people are taking an interest, and the longer that… messenger is here, the worse it will be, I’m sure of it.’

Orhatka strode away, leaving Athol irritated and apprehensive in equal measure. Not only the lawsmith’s tone alarmed him; his whole demeanour was askew from what Athol knew of the man. And his awkwardness when he mentioned the emissary. What did that mean?

Athol drew in a long breath through his nose, closing his eyes for several heartbeats. I am Khul, he reminded himself.

Spear in hand, he followed the lawsmith, and pushed through the drapes directly into the audience chamber.

As always, his eye went first to the queen, sat in calm repose upon her low stool, arranged and garbed as for all engagements. She turned at his entrance, itself enough of a disruption to the normal routine to cause him concern. It took him a moment to realise that she was not wearing her veil.

Her brown eyes regarded him directly, the first time he had ever looked upon them. It was jarring, to see such human features. In a way, he had always considered Humekhta as the Prophet-Queen, something more than just a normal person. To look upon her eyes seemed to rob her of that power. He saw a moment of relief, swiftly followed by sadness, stirring his own mood to a simmering anger. Humekhta was being deliberately humiliated, and he would see that the perpetrator would pay for the crime.

‘No weapon will be borne in my presence.’ The voice that spoke was high-pitched and harsh, as though a crow had been given speech. It was impossible to tell if the speaker was man or woman, or neither. There was a trace of an accent, impossible to place, but the words were perfectly spoken. Their meaning made Athol realise what else was wrong with the scene.

The queen was unarmed. The Jagged Blade of Aridian was not at her side as was tradition. Looking around the room, he saw that there were no guards within – they had all been sent outside.

The source of the voice was a tall, gaunt figure standing almost directly opposite Athol. The messenger wore robes that reached the ground, three layers of bright purple, sky blue and a darker night blue, embroidered with small flames in golden thread around the hem, and cuffs. The hood was drawn up but a narrow chin, thin lips and hollow cheeks were visible. The skin was sallow, deeply lined with age.

‘I am the nakar-hau, spear-carrier of Queen Humekhta the Third.’ Athol knelt and presented the weapon to her. ‘I and the spear are one.’

‘Do as the emissary says.’ Orhatka stood beside the queen, hands behind his back.

‘I cannot,’ said Athol, standing up. ‘I vowed to protect the queen’s honour at all times. Without the spear I renounce the role of nakar-hau. As lawsmith you should know that.’

‘We’ll waive the technicalities, for the moment,’ insisted Orhatka, frown deepening.

‘I will not be disarmed.’

‘This is the one that fought Williarch’s champion?’ The emissary stepped forward. Fingers more like bird claws slid out of the robe sleeves, the talons painted with bright yellow, the skin as withered as the face. ‘Truly he has the Realm of Fire in his blood.’

‘I don’t know what you mean. But I defeated Serleon. Williarch was caught stealing the whitehorns on Aridian lands. His punishment is just.’

‘He is Bataari, not Aridian. He will return to face punishment by his own people.’

‘That seems a reasonable–’ began Orhatka, but Athol cut him off.

‘These are Aridian lands, and Aridian law guards them. The same law that protects you now, messenger.’

There was movement behind the queen, and Khibal Anuk came forward from the crowd of courtiers that had been standing in cowed silence towards the back of the chamber.

‘Athol, there are matters which you are not privy to,’ said the Sigmar-tongue. ‘This is not a trial, of our guest or you.’

‘Untrue,’ said the strange ambassador. ‘Your tame warrior has threatened me, and as I understand it he threatened the life of my ward, Williarch. Threats of violence are uncivilised.’

‘Williarch chose trial by arms, as the law allows,’ said Athol. Tame, the messenger had called him. The Bataari knew nothing of Athol, but the insult was clear. ‘You seem confused, visitor. I am Khul, not Aridian, and I am not afraid of you. Forget Williarch, go back to Bataar and prosper.’

‘The spear-carrier does not speak for us,’ Orhatka said quickly, earning himself a look of contempt from the queen. ‘Does not speak for Queen Humekhta.’

Khibal Anuk held up his hands, trying to temper the sour mood.

‘Everything is as arranged,’ said the priest of the Hammer-God. ‘You have spoken with Williarch and seen Athol Khul. There is no need for further interference.’

‘Interference?’ The emissary turned slowly, a gleam of blue from beneath the shadowy cowl. Just one, on the left, Athol noted. ‘I stop a swarm of savages from staking out Williarch to die in the wilds, and you accuse me of interference. What right have you to order the death of my ally?’

Khibal Anuk stood his ground, though he swallowed hard and his gaze wavered from the unnatural pinprick of light beneath the hood.

‘Athol is correct, the laws of Aridian hold in this chamber.’

There was another disturbance as the main drapes parted and two armoured Aridians entered, escorting Williarch between them.

‘Why is he here?’ Athol demanded.

‘I ordered it,’ said the herald, beckoning to the criminal merchant. Williarch moved up to the emissary, standing slightly behind the tall figure, shielding himself behind his superior.

‘I did not command this.’ Humekhta stood up, fists clenched, an angry glare for Orhatka. ‘I will not be disrespected in my own court.’

‘Sit down,’ hissed the herald. Williarch grinned from behind the strange figure, the same expression he had worn before the trial when he had thought Serleon could not lose.

Athol was eager to disappoint him a second time

‘I will not repeat myself,’ the messenger said, flicking a finger towards Humekhta. Athol gritted his teeth while the queen reluctantly lowered back to the stool, her jaw clenched, lip curled.

‘You understand, now?’ Williarch crowed. ‘My whitehorns were for the Tithe.’

A ripple of gasps and Humekhta’s horrified expression confirmed that the Aspirians knew what Williarch was talking about, though Athol did not.

‘You did not say as such,’ Khibal Anuk said, one hand reaching to his hammer medallion. ‘There was no reason to take what would have been freely given.’

A sly smile crossed Williarch’s lips but he said nothing.

‘Your collector said nothing of his patrons,’ protested Orhatka, looking at the messenger.

‘You have withheld due payment.’ The emissary moved forward as though gliding across the floor, heading towards the queen.

Athol took a step but no Aridians moved.

‘I do not understand what is happening here, but if you mean any harm, I will kill you.’

The messenger spun slowly on the spot, rubbing a finger and thumb together. The entrance drapes had not closed properly after Williarch’s arrival and a shaft of light illuminated the interior of the hood for an instant.

The face was little more than skin hanging on a skull, a curl of greasy black hair across the wrinkled forehead. Athol saw two eyes, one a normal bloodshot orb with dark pupil and green iris. The other was empty, impossibly deep, a light within like a star in a barren sky. The light glimmered purple and green and every other colour, entrancing and frightening.

The Khul stood his ground, lowering the point of his spear a fraction towards the stranger. He felt an odd heat from its haft, making his palm sweat, and resisted the urge to wipe his hand on his tunic.

‘Your threats are misplaced and pointless,’ the emissary told him. The stranger returned attention to Humekhta. ‘You have failed to pay the Tithe.’

There were groans and protests from others, but Humekhta did not waver, matching the messenger’s stare with her own. Only a tremor of her hands in her lap betrayed her suppressed emotion.

‘Failure to pay will bring a punitive cost.’ The messenger directed its next words to Williarch. ‘Twice as many whitehorns.’

‘Yes, Tithemaster,’ the Bataari said with a nod of the head.

‘That’s too much,’ declared Khibal Anuk. ‘We’ll not have enough milk or meat if you take half our herd.’

‘Your protest is unwelcome,’ creaked the Tithemaster. ‘As well as the whitehorns, you shall deliver up thirty of your people for service in the Glittering Pinnacle.’

‘None older than ten sun-seasons,’ added Williarch with a sadistic gleam in his eye. ‘Better to train when young.’

‘No.’ Athol couldn’t believe that no one else had confronted the Tithemaster. The demands were inhuman, as he expected the messenger was. ‘You take nothing.’

‘It is already decided,’ said the Tithemaster without turning around. A fingernail cut a strange shape in the air, a glittering trail left in its wake. The sigil faded and in its place the Tithemaster held a slate as black as midnight, runes of fire carved upon it.

‘And he,’ declared Williarch, thrusting a finger at Athol. ‘This one new champion for I.’

‘No.’

‘Chains and whips make powerful argument,’ said the Bataari. ‘Change mind soon.’

‘He is my spear-carrier,’ announced Humekhta. ‘He is of the Khul, not Aridian. He cannot be part of the payment.’

‘Whitehorns not Aridians,’ argued Williarch. ‘Still part of Tithe.’

‘Agreed,’ intoned the Tithemaster. Its fingernail scratched three fresh runes upon the slate, which then lifted from its palm and arced across the chamber towards Humekhta. Orhatka intercepted it, grasping it in a shaking hand.

Humekhta looked at Athol, her eyes moist, lips pursed in regret. She seemed helpless and it was this more than anything that caused his anger to boil over.

‘No!’

Two bounding steps brought him within striking distance of the Tithemaster. Yet even as he drew back his hands for the blow, the messenger moved, seeming to melt aside.

The spear gleamed as though fresh from the Last Forge as its tip struck Williarch in the chest. The trader’s expression was one of smugness turning to shock, which quickly slackened as the tip of Athol’s spear erupted from his back.

Blood racing through his veins, every sense screaming at him, the spear-carrier pulled his weapon free and turned in one motion, ignoring Williarch’s corpse as it fell to the ground pumping a fountain of blood from the remains of its heart.

The emissary raised a hand, flickers of purple fire dancing between the curved talons. The flames left afterglow scurrying across Athol’s vision, almost blinding him. The lips within the hood, thin bloodless things, twisted into a sneer while the hand thrust forward. The sparks of fire expanded, becoming one, melding together in a heartbeat before roaring towards Athol.

The Khul reacted without thought. The spear tip swung to meet it, its blade slashing the fireball in two. The separated flames guttered to nothing and disappeared before they reached Athol. The spearpoint was bright now, the runes in the metal pulsing with energy while the blood of Williarch congealed around them.

The emissary let out a screech and raked claws at Athol’s face, forcing him to duck. He dodged left and right, eluding each following blow. The gaunt figure lunged again and again, forcing Athol back a step at a time, angling his retreat to place himself between the sorcerer and Humekhta. The eye within the hood swirled with power, mesmerising and terrifying.

Athol raised the spear again, just in time to ward away another burst of magical fire.

‘Where did you get that weapon?’ snarled the Tithemaster, seeking to snatch the spear from Athol’s grasp.

He made no reply, but slashed upwards with the tip, aiming for his foe’s throat. An arm blocked the blade, which cut the robes but stopped with a jarring impact as though striking armour. Serpent-quick, the Tithemaster lashed out talons once more, almost taking Athol’s eye. Reeling back, he fended off two more strikes, spear tip and claws showering multicoloured sparks to the ground.

Everyone else had been rooted to the spot, silenced by dread, but Khibal Anuk surged forward, his Hammer-God talisman clutched in his fist, the chain wrapped around the knuckles. The blow struck the Tithemaster in the side of the head with an explosion of light, hurling both emissary and Sigmar-tongue away from each other. Khibal Anuk fell heavily, face twisted in pain. The Tithemaster rolled and skidded, a flap of robe revealing strangely avian feet before it stood up.

Fresh sorcerous fire burned across the creature’s fingers. Athol was aware that if he dodged the next blast Humekhta was behind him.

Athol had been taught since his earliest memories never to discard a weapon, but in desperation he took a pace and hurled his spear at the emissary. It seemed to leave a black tear in its wake, arrowing for the chest of the emissary.

At the last instant the Tithemaster slapped the spear away with the flat of a hand. Black flame burst from the weapon’s head as it clattered to the ground. For an instant Athol’s foe recoiled, sparks dribbling from its palm like blood. Hissing, the emissary bounded forward again, talons glinting with iridescent sparks. Athol leapt sideways, guarding Khibal Anuk as he rolled groaning on the floor. It mattered not; the Tithemaster was intent on the spear-carrier, the golden-spiral of its eye fixed upon him.

Talons slashed down.

At the last possible moment Athol twisted, trusting to his breastplate to weather the blow. Claws raked furrows through the bronze, their tips lacerating the flesh beneath. Snarling, Athol pulled free Marolin’s half-sword from where it still hung on his belt. The blade leapt up to carve a line across the wrinkled throat of the emissary.

Both staggered back from each other. Athol’s blood spilled through his armour. The Tithemaster clasped a hand to its wound. Black blood gushed between its fingers.

Bursting forward with a yell, ignoring the surge of pain in his chest, Athol threw himself at the emissary, driving his blade deep into its ribs. They fell together, Athol on top, and he felt it crumple beneath him. The mystical eye stared at him from within the hood, the claws of one hand scratching at his helm, trying to find his flesh.

All of a sudden, the robes emptied, pitching Athol to the floor while a shadowy smoke billowed from the cowl. The smog glinted with motes of purple and blue, speeding without wind towards the entrance flaps.

‘Stop it!’ commanded Humekhta, pointing, but the guards were slow and the magical cloud vanished into the open air before they reacted.

The warriors followed through the drapes, but one returned a few heartbeats later, her expression sour.

‘Gone,’ she reported. ‘Heading west.’

A stunned silence ensued while everyone took in what had happened. Athol retrieved his spear. It felt hot in his grip but even lighter than before. The tip continued to throb with ruddy power. He moved to help Khibal Anuk.

‘I think I broke a rib,’ groaned the Hammer-blessed.

‘Thank you for your help,’ said Athol.

‘What have you done?’ Orhatka stalked forward, eyes narrowed. He raised the tablet the emissary had created. ‘You’ve doomed us all, you bloodthirsty savage!’

‘I just saved you,’ Athol retorted between gritted teeth.

‘You have angered the Tithemasters,’ the lawsmith continued. He pointed at Williarch’s corpse. ‘Killed one of their own. Assaulted an emissary.’

‘What of it?’ Athol was in considerable pain and had no more patience for the ingrates of Humekhta’s court. ‘I protected your queen when you cowards did nothing.’

‘Without your threats she would not have been in danger,’ someone called from behind the throne, answered by a murmur of agreement from the other courtly guests.

‘The Tithemasters have visited us for generations,’ Orhatka said, eyes moving between Athol and Humekhta. ‘They are a terrible foe. You saw what the emissary was capable of! An army of sorcerous warriors, hailing from a floating citadel known as the Glittering Pinnacle.’

‘You’ve incurred their wrath, all for a few hundred whitehorns,’ ventured another noble. She looked terrified, face pale, hands wringing at the belt of her robe.

‘And your children,’ Athol reminded them.

‘Only after your provocation,’ spat Orhatka. ‘It’ll be Aridian lives they will take as payment now. None resist the Tithemasters and survive.’

‘The Khul will fight them with you,’ Athol announced. He glanced at Khibal Anuk. ‘The Khul are not afraid.’

‘He’s right,’ said the Sigmar-tongue. ‘This was not the Tithemaster of our predecessors’ times. Williarch was determined to provoke confrontation.’

‘And you gave him exactly what he wanted,’ said Orhatka.

Athol glanced at the cooling body of the Bataari.

‘I don’t think he’s gloating now, do you?’

The lawsmith turned his attention to Humekhta.

‘There is only one way to redeem ourselves,’ he said, eyes fixed upon her. ‘We must give them what they demand, including Athol Khul.’

‘We should fight,’ said Khibal Anuk. He approached his sister, hand held to his injured side. ‘I don’t think they are interested in payment. That Tithemaster will want vengeance.’

‘How? How do we fight a fortress that rains fire from above?’ demanded Orhatka. ‘How do we defeat an army armoured in magic, that can heal mortal wounds, whose blades cut through the heaviest plate?’

‘With steel, and faith, and with the help of others,’ replied the hammer-blessed. ‘The Khul will aid us, and so will more.’

Orhatka stepped closer, voice dropping.

‘Give them the Khul. It was Athol that started this war, his people should pay this price.’

Athol took a pace, growling, but Khibal Anuk intervened, putting a hand on his arm to restrain him. The spear-carrier looked at the queen he had served without fail.

‘Together we can defeat these filthy Tithemasters.’

Humekhta looked at him and then Orhatka, visibly strained.

‘Save your words,’ snapped Athol when her decision was not immediate. ‘If you have to think about it, then the choice is made against the Khul.’

‘Athol…’ started Khibal Anuk, but the spear-carrier turned without acknowledging the Sigmar-tongue.

He raised his spear in case any tried to bar his path. Orhatka shouted to the guards but they answered only to the orders of their queen and stepped back to allow Athol past. He heard the lawsmith’s protests growing stronger as he ducked beneath the drapes.

He was surprised to find it light outside. It was mid-afternoon, but he felt that events should have taken place in darkness. He signalled to one of the guards.

‘Fetch me a mount,’ he called.

‘I thought the Khul did not ride,’ the man answered.

‘Today, I will,’ replied Athol.

He would ride, and ride as swift as his inexperience would allow. There was one other servant of the Tithemasters still alive, and he was in the camp of the Khul.

When he awoke, the painter felt the coolness of shadows. Opening an eye, he saw that the sun had almost set, plunging the basin into near-dark.

The cut on his chest throbbed and the reminder of his failure stabbed him with equal pain. Rolling to his back, he looked up at the dark blue sky. He watched the wandering moons for a short while, listening to the distant wind on the treetops, feeling the slow beat of his heart like the pulse of the universe.

It was not long before the memories of his visions emerged again, pushing aside any hope of peace or reflection. Half-heard screams and the blurred spray of blood played out through his thoughts. The beat of his heart was now the thunder of war drums, the tramp of millions of feet, the crash of falling walls.

Among the remembered tumult he heard a scraping noise, like stone on stone. And panting.

He sat up, pulse quickening, just as the first of the gor-folk arrived through the gate stones of the circle. It was as tall as him, skin a mottled white and black, its features more lupine than human. It was the gor’s long claws on the rocks that had alerted him.

A few others emerged, smaller, skittish creatures with short spears and stone knives.

Then the gor-leader strode through the gap, its canine features twisted in a semblance of a vicious smile. A pale scar marked its brow where the stone had split skin. Straightening to its full height, nearly half as tall again as the painter, the wolfish beastman flexed its long, clawed fingers. There was intelligence in the yellow eyes, savouring the painter’s fear.

He scrambled to his feet and leapt for the spear, but the gor-man did not move, allowing him to take up the weapon without interference. The yellow gaze became calculating, taunting the painter. Here was a creature that knew he was no threat, armed or otherwise. A long tongue slid across sharp teeth, a drool of anticipation dribbling from black lips.

The painter stood his ground, the spear held in both hands. He was tired, his body wasted, his thoughts reeling, but he had once been a warrior. Years of training and warring had left their mark, honing instincts that his body remembered even when his mind could not. He started to move, just a gentle sway to the left and then the right, shifting his weight slightly from hip to hip to keep his opponent guessing his intent.

That intent was uncertain. He certainly was not going to attack. Better to goad the dog-man into lunging and hope to meet its charge with the spear tip.

The gor-chief cocked its head to one side, eyes moving in time to the painter’s rhythmic movements. The yellow stare never wavered. Broad shoulders twisted in an unconscious mirror of the painter, matching him with counter-movements.

He was going to die.

It was not so much a realisation as an acceptance of a truth that had existed from the moment he had laid eyes on the first gor to enter the basin. The dread that had propelled him through the day had come to pass. The gor-folk had seen the power of the stones diminished and now they saw he was no sorcerer, laid no claim to any great power. The supplication they had laid before him had been false, the respect unearned.

Hand moving with deliberate slowness, the gor-chief slipped its knife from the broad belt around its waist. The painter noticed the edge gleamed, all hint of corrosion removed by whetstone, perhaps in preparation for this exact moment. An act of dedication.

He wondered briefly why the creature bothered with a knife; its claws were as long and sharp as stilettos. Was it an attempt to assert the human side of its hybrid origins? A token of an intelligence that was slowly lost to its monstrous side?

Now that his fear had come to pass the painter found himself calm in the face of his attacker. Perhaps it was simply the mundanity of the threat that failed to live up to his wild imagining of the day just passed. A man-thing with a knife was going to kill him.

Quickly, the painter hoped, but he wondered if there was cruelty in the dog-man that would see him humiliated first. That was a far less pleasant prospect and his hands started to tremble. Torture, his end screaming and ignoble, was something he had not considered. Better to avoid such a fate, he thought, as he edged backwards, moving towards the chasm that split the mound’s summit.

The gor-chief circled left, moving quickly to intercept his course with a shake of the head. The painter faced a moment of decision: sprint and leap into the unknown depths now or surrender the opportunity.

His hesitation made the choice for him, allowing the gor-man to slip between him and the jagged crack. Now he had his back to the other gor-folk but he did not risk a glance towards them. He believed that the leader wanted to make an example, and that others would not interfere by pouncing on his back. This was not a hunt, it was a duel, and even gor-folk accepted the form and traditions of such combat.

The painter’s thoughts resolved slowly, as though he waded through marshland, sinking ever deeper with every few steps. His fear was palpable now, sweat on his skin, hands greasy, throat closed. His breaths came raggedly and he forced himself to inhale deeply through his nose, taking in a draught of gor-folk stench.

The gor-man was in no hurry to start the fighting, relishing every heartbeat that shivered in the painter’s chest, its own nostrils flaring as they caught the scent of his escalating dread.

Of course!

His eye flickered back to the slash of white in the dark skin, above the eye. He had wounded the creature before; perhaps all he needed to do was repeat the feat.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Athol was as breathless as his mount by the time he rode into view of the Khul encampment. He had accepted a few lessons from the Aridians, as a courtesy to his position, but had never spent long in the saddle. The noila was panting ferociously, its short hair slicked with a froth of sweat. He clung to the saddle horn with one hand, reins gripped tight in the other, legs clamped to the beast’s barrel torso as he’d been shown. His backside was sore, the wound in his chest flared every time his buttocks contacted the saddle, and his thoughts were awash with dire imaginings of what deeds Serleon might perpetrate in his absence.

He cursed himself over and over for lowering his guard. It was a mistake to think everyone acted with the same honour as he did, and certainly he should have heeded Khibal Anuk’s warning more closely.

He realised his thoughts had drifted from Serleon to Orhatka. Reliving the lawsmith’s betrayal, Athol clenched his teeth, wishing he had struck the man down before he had left. He imagined him now, whispering in the ear of Humekhta. He did not doubt that his own loyalty to her was reciprocated, but the lawsmith and the will of the other court members would wear upon her resolve.

Was it Orhatka that Khibal Anuk had tried to warn him about? This recent affair had the lawsmith at the heart of it, from the arrest of Williarch to the arrival of the Tithemaster. Fear was a motivator for many, and if the Tithemasters were half as powerful as the lawsmith had claimed there was much to be feared. But in every other dealing Athol had seen Orhatka’s strong convictions, and he was certainly not one to back down from attack, either intellectual or physical.

Could he have been so wrong about a man he had considered an ally, if not a friend?

It was better if he had misjudged Orhatka. If not, then darker motives leapt to mind. Was the lawsmith in league with the Tithemasters? If so, what did he hope to gain? Removal of Humekhta? Perhaps to become one of them?

Paranoia gripped Athol. He was as unfamiliar with the current situation as he was the steed to which he awkwardly clung and was racing headlong into the unknown in similar fashion.

Serleon.

He focused on the Aquitan, trying to remember any hint of the man’s hidden agenda.

There was nothing. He seemed a shallow man; his honour only extended as far as it did not inconvenience him. That he would fight for Williarch – and by extension the Tithemasters – spoke to a lack of morals. How exactly had he paid for his estates in Bataar?

The thought of the traitor among his people, within sword’s blow of his wife and son, made the spear-carrier’s gut knot with fear. Marolin was as deft with a blade as any, but if she did not expect attack… and Eruil was just a boy.

From a distance all seemed as usual within the camp. Fires were being banked up ready for the evening meal, the light was just starting to fade but he could see groups of people heading back from fetching water at the spring.

How far did the conspiracy stretch? Had Orhatka been seeding doubts about Athol within the Khul? Gushol and Korlik’s outbursts, and the others, might have been fuelled by something more than tedium and alcohol. His position undermined, Athol would find little support from that quarter when Orhatka called for his removal.

War they had wanted, and war Athol had given them. Let them die, he told himself, but even as the words crystallised in his thoughts he dismissed them. His decisions did not condemn the Khul, and no more did Orhatka’s faithlessness cast judgement on all of the Aridians.

Several foe-watchers came forward as he raced for the outskirts of the encampment, drawn by the approach of a noila rider in the absence of their leader. He lifted his spear as a badge of identity and they stopped, waving him on with shouts and concerned looks.

He all but fell out of the saddle as he reached the first row of shelters. He was no expert in animal husbandry and simply left the beast where it was, trusting it would either stay close at hand or would find food for itself.

Above the hammer of his heart he could hear the sounds of combat – shouts and the clash of blades. Most seemed familiar, for the Khul trained often, and before the evening meal it was customary for one parent to spar with the children while the other worked in the groups that were cooking. However, as he entered the encampment he found it oddly quiet, the sounds of metal on metal from further in, the tents nearby empty of occupants.

He broke into a run, gasping as his chest wounds opened up again. Arms and legs pumping, he sped along the rows of shelters, heading towards his own part of the encampment. Among the familiar sounds of crashing bronze, he detected a slightly different tone, a noise he remembered from his duel with Serleon: the sound of blades on his thick armour.

He darted into the open ground close to the house-wagon, slowing as he readied his spear for attack.

A crowd was gathered about, obscuring his view, but he heard the accent-tainted shouts of Serleon among the sound of melee.

‘I’m here!’ Athol bellowed, racing forward.

Those at the back of the crowd parted, turning in surprise at the sudden arrival of their champion. Others were intent upon what was to their front, until their companions pulled at shoulders and arms to make way for Athol.

He burst into the rough circle of people, the house-wagon to his left, a wider space to the right.

He saw Eruil, a short sword in hand, warding away overhand chops from Serleon. But even as the warning shout gathered in his throat, Athol was relaxing. He had fought Serleon and saw instantly that his blows were slower and clumsier. Deliberately so, he reckoned as he slowed to a halt, face reddening with embarrassment though he was the only one present who knew where his dark thoughts had led.

‘Athol!’ Marolin’s delight became concern as her eyes dropped from his face to Athol’s chest. ‘What happened?’

Disquiet rippled through the crowd, so that even Serleon and Eruil noticed the arrival in their midst.

‘Dad!’ Eruil grinned broadly, too distant to see the dirt, sweat and blood that marred his father’s armour. He lifted up his blade, showing Athol its unusual design. ‘Serleon says I can keep it! An Aquita short sword!’

‘What is it?’ Marolin hurried over. Her blade was in her hand where she had been practising, but she sheathed it to embrace him. He returned the hug as best he could, chest sore, spear in hand.

‘Trouble,’ he told her. His eyes flicked to the watching crowd. ‘Not here. Not with these ears listening.’

They parted and Athol raised a hand in greeting to Serleon, who had broken away from Eruil and stood watching, a hand shading his eyes within his visor. His breastplate showed no sign of the damage done by Athol’s spear.

‘How’s he been?’ Athol asked, meaning Serleon.

‘Excited, as children are by new things. Can’t stop talking about Bataar,’ she replied.

Athol did not correct her as his eyes scanned the crowd until they alighted on Anitt.

‘Have your sister look after Eruil during mealtime,’ he said, then raised his voice to Serleon. ‘Thank you for the gift, of the sword and the practice.’

‘It not a thing,’ the warrior from Aquita replied, extending a hand in greeting. Athol shook it. ‘I see visit with queen not happy.’

Marolin called for Eruil and then took him towards Anitt.

‘We must talk,’ Athol said, keeping his expression light-hearted, meeting the other man’s gaze meaningfully.

‘Ah, yes,’ he replied. He pointed with his sword towards the house-wagon. ‘You welcome to drink more Aquita red.’

‘My wife as well,’ said Athol, looking past the armoured warrior.

Marolin was talking quickly with Anitt. Eruil seemed to be protesting but a sharp look from his mother silenced him. Soon she turned back towards them and they headed for the house-wagon.

‘Let’s go,’ said Athol when she had reached him. ‘I need to know some things before I talk to the elders’ council.’

‘What you want?’ asked Serleon.

As they walked, Athol saw Korlik, Gushol and others among the crowd watching him closely. Could he trust them? Could he afford not to? Something bigger than him was grinding into motion. He wasn’t sure of its nature, nor his part, but what happened next would decide whether the Khul would survive or be destroyed.

While Serleon poured generous measures of wine, Athol said nothing, watching the Aquitan carefully. It didn’t matter that he seemed no threat at the moment; it was a fact that Serleon had served Williarch, and Williarch had been part of or associated with these Tithemasters. Before getting into the depth of the situation it would be useful to know a little more about Serleon’s relationship with his former employer.

‘Williarch died today,’ Athol said.

Serleon stopped midway between the table and a cupboard, head tilted to one side.

‘That so?’ he asked, not turning around. ‘Stake him in wilds, did they?’

‘It was what he deserved,’ Athol continued.

‘Probably.’ Serleon turned around, a frown on his face. ‘He not a good person.’

‘You took his money,’ said Marolin. ‘Money from thievery.’

‘I did.’ Serleon shrugged, and turned back to the cupboard, from which he brought forth bread and a jar of something which he set on the table. He noticed Athol’s questioning look. ‘It honey.’

He watched Athol closely, eyes narrowing as he guessed that something was amiss, though Athol was so agitated he knew it did not require much deduction. Sitting down opposite the two Khul, Serleon clasped his hands together, resting them on the stained table.

‘This messenger you see, not good news?’ he asked, voice dropping in volume. ‘How Williarch die?’

‘A Tithemaster visited the Aridians,’ said Athol. Serleon grimaced, sitting back against the bench. ‘The emissary wanted Williarch.’

‘They protect him?’ Serleon’s eyebrows rose in surprise. They dropped again as he fell into thought for a few heartbeats. ‘They protect own, I think.’

‘Was Williarch a Tithemaster?’ asked Athol.

‘Who are the Tithemasters?’ demanded Marolin, looking at her husband. ‘What’s happened, Athol?’

‘Serleon can tell us both.’

The Bataari champion met his gaze for a moment and then glanced away. He scratched his chin and sighed, before laying his hands on the table, leaning forward with an earnest expression.

‘Tithemasters are bad. Bad people. Bataari… Um, renegade? Is word?’

‘Renegades?’ said Athol, slightly relieved. ‘So they have no power in Bataari?’

‘Have much power, in Bataari and other places. Strong magic, see? Castle that move like cloud. No land but take what they want.’

‘Bandits?’ scoffed Marolin. ‘You’re both worried about a gang of bandits?’

‘The Tithemaster I saw today was no ordinary robber. He wielded fire like a blade, his skin was not of human flesh.’

Serleon’s eyes widened and he shrank back.

‘He have claws of bird?’ The warrior licked his lips and swallowed hard. ‘Hooded, with one eye of magic light?’

Athol nodded and Serleon recoiled even further, shaking his head.

‘Is not any Tithemaster. Is one of high power. Rosika, he name.’ Serleon downed the content of his goblet with trembling hand. He stood up, moving back to the bottle on the cupboard top behind him. ‘He came for Williarch?’

‘He did not get him,’ Athol said grimly. ‘They wanted more whitehorn. And children. There was a fight.’

Somehow Serleon looked even more shocked, steadying himself with a hand on the countertop over the cupboards. He stared at Athol in disbelief.

‘How? How you here?’

Athol took in a deep breath, glanced at his wife, and then began. He related what had occurred at the queen’s pavilion as best he could remember it, trying not to invest the tale too much with his own suspicions of Orhatka. Serleon listened in silence while Marolin occasionally asked questions.

‘That’s when this creature, Rosika, fled. Turned to smoke and flew away like a cloud with a mind.’

‘You kill Williarch. You attack Rosika.’ Serleon gestured towards their half-empty goblets. ‘Drink. Quick. Then go.’

He started to busy himself around the house-wagon, putting away the food and plates. Athol swallowed his wine, stood up and handed him the cup.

‘What is wrong? Rosika learnt a lesson, I think.’ He pointed to his spear, which was leaning against the wall near the door. ‘The Khul are not afraid of the Tithemasters.’

‘Then Khul idiots!’ snapped Serleon. He snatched Marolin’s goblet from the table, spilling wine on the carpeted floor. He stowed the dirty crockery in a cupboard, which he secured with a knotted rope.

‘Wait,’ said Marolin, putting a hand to his shoulder. Serleon shrugged her off with a noise that was half-snarl, half-whimper. He pushed past and out of the door, the two Khul trailing after as he headed towards the makeshift paddock where his horses were held.

‘Wait,’ Marolin said again, running past him. He stopped as she stood in his path, his shoulders sagging. ‘We need your help.’

‘I not fight Tithemasters. No one fight Tithemasters and live.’

Athol joined his wife in front of the Bataari.

‘We have to warn our people, if the Tithemasters are going to come after us. We need to know what to expect.’

‘Death,’ Serleon said despondently. ‘Expect death.’

Marolin crossed her arms and stood her ground as Serleon took a step forward.

‘My husband spared your life. We took you as a guest. You don’t have to carry a blade for us, but you can tell our council what you know.’

Serleon looked from her to Athol, but there was no relent in either of them. He gazed past to his horses and then back at the pair. He sagged for a moment and then straightened, some resolve entering his expression.

‘Yes. Words. Just words. Promise no blades.’

‘Thank you,’ said Athol.

‘We have to call the council,’ said Marolin.

‘You do that. I’ll speak with some of the others, those that were speaking against me the other night.’ Athol’s statement drew a look of questioning from his wife. ‘They need the chance to speak, or they will not listen. This involves the whole tribe. We can’t be divided on this.’

‘That’s…’ Marolin smiled. ‘That’s a wise move, Athol.’

He nodded his gratitude for the compliment and she stepped away, heading back past their shelter. The crowd had dispersed, the coals of the meal fires were burning hot, and chatter filled the air along with the smell of roasting meat. Athol turned back to Serleon.

‘Bring some of your Aquita red,’ he told the other warrior. ‘You’re going to have to make some more friends, very quickly.’

By the light of fire and star the elders gathered to listen to Athol, while beyond the circle many hundreds of the tribe watched the proceedings. Athol had passed word that his latest trip to the royal city had been important, though there was yet no talk of impending war with an unknown and devastating power.

Serleon was officially presented to the Khul, vouched for by Athol and Marolin. The former spear-carrier spoke of how Williarch had been taken by the Aridians, and Serleon’s role in the trial that had followed. He praised the Bataari’s skill at arms, a testament that was echoed by several other tribesfolk who had sparred with him that day. The elders duly accepted him as an ally of the Khul and he was invited into the circle. He presented half a dozen bottles of wine, which were opened and shared amongst the elders, the gesture much appreciated on their part.

The levity soon ended as Athol spoke of the most recent events at Humekhta’s court. He left nothing out, including the warning from Khibal Anuk of movements against the Khul from within the Aridian highborn. This threatened to spark off an entire debate in itself, until Athol cut off the arguments with a declaration that the tribe was under threat. The elders thus silenced, he continued his story, speaking of the late-night messenger, his arrival at the queen’s pavilion and what awaited him.

Deathly silence greeted his words, broken only by his voice and the crackle of wood that had been banked up on the council fire. He walked around the blaze, speaking to the elders and those beyond, sometimes recreating the scene with gestures, emulating the fight with the Tithemaster in performance.

‘Serleon of Aquita knows of these Tithemasters,’ he concluded, ‘and has agreed to speak with us about the coming war.’

‘Why should there be war?’ asked Houdas, the most senior of the elders. Her white hair hung in braids over her armour, beaded with gold and silver. Her craggy face was alive in the flicker of firelight, the glint of it reflecting in her dark eyes.

‘We cannot offer them Athol,’ argued Seraok, sitting a few paces away to Houdas’ right. He stood up, back slightly bent, but chin jutting proudly. ‘We do not barter our people.’

‘Nonsense,’ growled Jofou Red-Palm. ‘We gave ourselves to the Aridians to stop a war that would have seen our ancestors slain.’

‘We do not owe them our future sons and daughters,’ replied Seraok. He looked at Athol, expression stern. ‘Would you say that Humekhta has broken the pact between our people?’

He did not reply immediately, unsure of his answer, his thoughts conflicted. When he spoke, he did so slowly, thinking through his answer as the words came to him.

‘Humekhta has always treated us with honour and respect. She spoke against the plan to let the Tithemasters take me. But even as we discuss our fate, she will be speaking with Orhatka and others, and there will be those who argue that the Khul are not more important than the Aridians.’

‘You believe she will break the pact?’ said Jofou Red-Palm.

‘I think she will have to, to appease the powerful voices speaking against us,’ he said with a sigh.

‘We cannot be sure of that,’ said Friku, staring into the flames with her cataract-clouded eyes. ‘If we break the bond first, what does that say of our honour?’

They stopped talking as Serleon stepped forward, hands on the pommels of his twin swords.

‘It matter not. Aridians run. You run. Maybe Tithemasters not find you.’

There was an outburst of indignant shouts and grumbles from beyond the circle but the elders reacted with more decorum.

‘That would be the cowards’ way, Serleon,’ said Jofou Red-Palm.

‘Coward might live,’ the Aquitan replied with a shrug. ‘If fight, then die.’

‘Not if we can stand with the Aridians,’ said Athol. ‘I’m willing to return to the royal city and speak with Humekhta. She might listen to me over Orhatka. Khibal Anuk will speak for us as well. He wanted to fight.’

‘Not listen!’ Serleon shook his head and stomped around the ring of elders. ‘Bataari army crush Flamescar tribe. Tribes fight brave but stupid. One fight one. Bataari army a machine. Tithemasters are Bataari and worse. Have shield against magic? Stand against guns?’

‘What is a gun?’ asked Marolin, eliciting a horrified expression from Serleon.

‘Is weapon. Tube that burn fire, throw bullet harder than arrow.’ His arms flailed as he struggled to not only find the words in the tongue of the plateau but also to convey a concept that was utterly outside the experience of the Khul. ‘And cannon that breathe fire. Duardin-make. Magic staff that hurl lightning. Shield of air that eat blades.’

‘These all sound like the weapons of a people not gifted with bladecraft,’ snorted Friku. ‘We’ve fought tribes with bows and slings–’

‘Not tribe,’ insisted Serleon. ‘Army. One fist. One mind. Kill all Aridians. Kill all Khul.’

‘Their settlement floats upon the air like a cloud,’ added Athol. ‘A fortress in the skies that drops fire like rain.’

‘And worse,’ said Serleon with a sour expression. ‘Many, many stories in Bataar. Many hate them, fear them.’

A voice called from the shadows, asking permission to enter the circle. The elders gave their assent, and Gushol stepped forward. His one eye regarded Athol for a short while, and then Serleon.

‘We owe the Aridians nothing,’ said Gushol, wiping hands on his tunic as though cleaning them of dirt. ‘The Bataari outlander is right. We can’t stay and fight this enemy. There’s no reason to. We can head towards the dusk, to the forests or mountains, and make a new life. The Tithemasters will have their fill from the Aridians, they won’t care about the Khul.’

‘The one that come, Rosika, he care,’ said Serleon. He pointed to Athol. ‘He want this one. He not like to lose. Athol kill Williarch, bad enough. Cannot let wound of defeat stay.’

‘And we will not give them Athol,’ Seraok declared again, fists tight and held up as though ready to fight anyone that disagreed. ‘One Khul is all Khul.’

‘Why not run and fight?’ said Marolin. ‘We can move from here before the Aridians betray us. Find somewhere else but be ready to defend it.’

‘We will not win,’ said Athol. ‘The Aridians will die and then we will die after. Together, and perhaps with others, we might have a chance.’

‘What others?’ said Gushol.

‘The Tithemasters cannot prey only on the Aridians,’ said Athol. ‘There must be other tribes nearby that would like to see them destroyed, and a way to gather a force against them. Khibal Anuk reminded me recently of the Red Feast. Why chase after allies when we can summon them together?’

‘We cannot call the Red Feast,’ sighed Seraok. ‘We are feared but the Khul have little standing among the Flamescar tribes. No other chieftains would answer.’

‘Could Humekhta do it?’ asked Marolin. ‘She is the Prophet-Queen.’

‘I don’t think so,’ said Athol. ‘The Aridians have tried to break from those old ways, following the path of Sigmar’s peace. As spear-carrier I act as her champion. At a Red Feast I would fight for the will of the Aridians, not the Khul.’

‘Why would you be willing to die for the Aridians?’ demanded Houdas. ‘They are not our people.’

Athol glared at her, fingers flexing.

‘But they are still people.’

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

The gor-folk believed him robbed of his power, the dormant bloodstones a testimony to his impotency. Yet he had awakened them with the blood of this creature, and he could do so again. All day he had tried weak substitutions – the blood of dead prey, his own meagre life fluid – when perhaps what they craved was more of the blood that had first fed them.

He did not need to kill his foe, simply wound it where blood would spill upon the skull rune. The reawakening of the bloodstones would put the gor-folk to flight once more and, hopefully, this time it would be a permanent warning.

Slightly emboldened by this plan, the painter took a step forward. The gor-man tensed, confused by the sudden aggression. The painter broke into a run, a hoarse shout ringing from the surrounding stones as he jabbed the spear towards the gor-man’s midriff.

His foe slapped the spear aside, smashing it from the painter’s weak grasp to clatter against the rocks. Snarling, the gor-man slashed with the knife, just missing the painter’s shoulder. Weaponless and numb, the painter stepped back, bare feet sliding across the ridges of the skull rune. The dog-man followed, swiping with dagger-claws. They connected, leaving a ragged cut across his right cheek.

Almost stumbling, the painter ducked another knife blow. He staggered to his right, looking to retrieve his weapon, but the gor-man anticipated his intent and bounded sideways, claws flashing out to leave two ragged furrows across the outside of the painter’s thigh. Gasping, he twisted sideways, one hand clamped to the wound as blood bubbled between his fingers.

He almost fell to his back, feet slipping on the pool of his own life fluid. Putting out his blood-soaked hand, he caught himself and rolled sideways, expecting another slashing attack to turn his back to ribbons.

Instead he came to his feet, left leg and hand slick with fresh red.

The gor-man was backing away, yapping quickly. Around the painter a familiar gleam spread across the ground, running like liquid fire through the channels of the rune. The glow quickly strengthened as more of his blood fell from the wound, becoming a flickering aura that suffused the whole of the stone ring, reflected from the ruddy veins in the rocks.

He felt the power flowing into him again, coursing up the trail of blood into his body, burning through arteries, lungs and heart to grant renewed vigour. He heard the scraping of claws and panicked noises of the other gor-folk fleeing behind him. Every sense was keen, picking up the slightest draught of wind on his skin, hearing the thunder of the gor-man’s suddenly rapid heartbeat, the warmth that flowed underfoot. He saw his adversary’s pupils widening, ears twitching, veins standing out on forearm and neck with a sudden surge of blood. It was as though the painter’s body swelled alongside the growth of his senses, his limbs filling with strength, his mind clearing of all distraction, leaving him intent upon one thing: the gor-man stood between him and the crevasse.

The creature feinted to the left and then darted to the painter’s right, hoping to get past him.

He leapt, smashing a bony fist into the creature’s head, knocking it sideways. It spun, snapping teeth just short of the painter’s throat. A swipe of the dagger opened a wound across his ribs on the left side but he barely felt the blade passing through skin and flesh. Propelled by burgeoning rage, he drove his shoulder into the creature, lifting and twisting to slam it bodily against the rocks.

He needed no weapon; his body and his surroundings were lethal enough. Mania made him strong beyond reason, and with an iron grip he seized the gor-man’s throat. Teeth gritted, the painter dashed its head against the floor, stunning the beast. Lifting it up, he slammed it down again, finding an edge of rock to break the side of the skull. Thrice more he battered the creature into the grey stone, and then again, four more times, until there was little but blood, shattered bone and brain matter.

The skull rune blazed like a pyre. His blood and that of his foe mingled together, flames of red and black dancing along the lines of the huge glyph, taller than the painter. He looked up to where they stretched flaming fingers to the skies. There he saw Khrosa, the largest of the wandering moons, just a sliver, its dimpled surface caught in a sheen of red.

Panting, he dragged the body of the gor-man to the centre of the rune and, using his foe’s knife, he slashed open its throat and gut, cutting the arms and the inside of the thigh so that every drop of blood would leak forth.

He understood now what the rocks demanded of him. It was not blood alone that would feed the power of the stones. It was the predatory act, bloodshed in battle, that carried the energy.

His sacrifice deposited, the painter felt his manic strength waning quickly. The fatigue of days rushed to consume him once more but he managed to shamble to the chasm and look down, drawn by the fire within. He squinted against the light that shone from the impossible depths and thought he saw something shadowed against the distant flames. He could not tell what it was, but it seemed to be getting larger, growing.

No, he realised, not growing.

Rising. Buoyed up by the fire and blood, brought to the surface by the sacrifice of battle.

The council continued until the fire was mere embers, with little conclusion to be drawn. Athol’s position won through by simple fact of inertia – the inability of the council to decide on a course of action meant that, for the time being, the Khul would remain where they were. Under further questioning, Serleon had been more forthcoming, and reckoned that it would take at least until the end of the High Sun season until the Glittering Pinnacle could come to the Flamescar Plateau, and in all likelihood into the Long Winds. Relieved that attack was not imminent, from the Tithemasters at least, the council were happy to delay a final decision until Athol had tried one more attempt to mend the alliance with the Aridians.

He was restless as he and Marolin returned to their bivouac. Eruil had stayed with Anitt, so the shelter was dark and empty when they arrived. Marolin tried to speak to him, to offer comfort, but he was too agitated by events and his task for the next day. Making his apologies, he left her in the bedroll and stood in the darkness for a while, looking up at the stars, seeking peace from the whirling colours and light-arcs that filled the night sky.

Physical weariness overtook him. The wound in his chest continued to throb dully and he sat down a little way from the shelter. He closed his eyes and with only brief resistance slipped into a fitful sleep.

He dreamed vividly that night, confronted by the leering, golden-eyed, decrepit face of Rosika. The phantasm was banished by a burning spearpoint, which glowed with a rune Athol had never seen before. He found himself stumbling through a twisted woodland, branches and roots grabbing at his arms and legs. Braying and howling echoed from behind, though whether they were pursuers or followers he could not tell.

He staggered into a clearing and found himself standing before an unimaginably high mountain. Its flanks were off-white, with snow, he thought at first. As the vision cleared he saw that the mount was not of rock but bone – a towering monument of skulls heaped upon each other. At the top he saw a glimmer of firelight, a dark red flame against the stars. It called to him, keening his name on the wind.

Khul…

Athol lifted a hand towards the fire and saw that it was stained red. The red swelled and bubbled, becoming a flow of blood from his hand, streaming down his uplifted arm, rivulets coursing over his bared flesh. It flowed from him like a river, its babbling over stones becoming a wailing of anguish, the trickle becoming rapids that roared with rage, echoing with a crash of weapons.

He started to climb, knowing that the fire at the summit would be the answer he needed.

The precipitous slope was difficult, the skulls constantly shifting underfoot, threatening to bear him down and bury him in an ivory avalanche. The sky was blood red above, the clouds a dark smear against it, like the smoke of funeral pyres. Athol climbed and climbed, his bloodied grip slipping on the smooth skulls, the iron taste of it bitter in his mouth.

Eventually he attained the summit and stood before a flaming spear, its head carved with the rune that had started the dream. Looking back down, he saw a sea of warriors crashing like waves around the foundations of the skull mound. As they broke upon its flanks they exploded, becoming a froth of blood, their skulls added to the pile, pushing him higher and higher. There was no end to the tide of death; every tree in the forest, every blade of grass of the plains, every rock in the mountains and grain of sand in the desert, had become an army.

He reached out, fingers spread to grasp the spear. Its heat smoked in the air, charring his palm as his closed his fist.

Yet before skin touched metal, the mound collapsed under him. A scream was torn from his lips as he fell, plummeting impossibly far in a rain of skulls and fire, swallowed by the tumult of the dead.

Sweat-slicked, he opened his eyes, finding Marolin crouched beside him, her hand on his shoulder to wake him.

‘An ill dream,’ she said softly. ‘I heard your moans even from our bed.’

‘Blood and death,’ whispered Athol, sitting up. ‘Fears given form, that’s all.’

She held him to her, his head on her shoulder, an arm around her back. Her presence stilled the thrashing of his heart, pushing back the last images of being swallowed by the skull-fall. She was reality, a tangible connection that brought him back from the nightmarish whirl of his dreams.

‘Just a dream,’ he muttered.

The palm of his right hand itched and he lifted it from her back. It was hard to see by starlight alone, but there was paleness splashed across the skin. Marolin felt his movement and pulled away, turning to look.

‘What is it?’ she asked.

In the better light his hand was plain to see. There, without pain, was a scar across his palm, as though at some time in the past he had gripped a hot metal bar.

‘Come to me now, my son.’

To be called son after recent events set Threx’s thoughts curving away from their original track. The gap between him and his father had been widened greatly of late, but it was the culmination of a slow divide since Threx’s coming of age eight years earlier.

‘I am here,’ he said, hurrying before the throne. ‘How can I help?’

The Ashen King looked exhausted, his eyes a dull brown in the torchlight. There was no hint of the eternal flame that usually burned in them. Threx’s lip curled as he met that weak gaze, betraying his disappointment as he remembered Kexas’ confession about the Pyre.

‘My eyes?’ The Ashen King sighed. ‘Another trick. A simple spell learnt from a Bataari mage.’

‘And Soreas knows about the Pyre… That’s why she’s so dismissive?’

‘She thinks we should reveal the truth, embrace the Hammer-God wholly.’ Kexas appeared beside the throne, his face twisting from sorrow to anger.

‘She may be right,’ the Ashen King said, looking down at the Keeper of the Pyre. ‘Bataar and Aspirian, even the lower Vanxian tribes, have grown in power since embracing the coming of Sigmar. Ours has always been an uneasy truce with the Hammer-God. Perhaps our reluctance is what holds us back. Others strengthen while we weaken.’

‘You have it the wrong way around,’ Threx said hastily, stepping closer.

It had been several years since he had been within reach of his father and he held out a hand, laying it upon the Ashen King’s grey-stained arm. His father looked down at Threx’s touch but did not try to move his arm away.

‘We’re besieged by these Sigmarites, father. We have faltered in the face of their advance. The Pyre and the flames have not abandoned us – we abandoned them.’

‘Then it is too late, as Soreas tells me,’ said the Ashen King. ‘Why chase after a half-hope rather than take the hand offered to us?’

‘Sigmar will not keep us strong against the Fireborn and the Searing Ones. Sigmar didn’t bring the Skullbrands to the Asha Vale. We are the people of the Pyre.’

‘An act of dedication may reverse our fortunes,’ suggested Kexas. ‘Threx is right. It was our will that wavered first, not the power of the flame.’

‘It has waned for generations.’ The Ashen King wiped a hand down his face, leaving sweat-streaks through the coating of grey. He looked at the wet ash clumped in his palm, as though he saw it for the first time. ‘It is all a sham.’

‘And that’s why it has failed in your time,’ snapped the Keeper of the Pyre, fists clenching. He looked at Threx, and then back to the Ashen King. ‘It is your reign that has been weak. You betrayed our people.’

‘You echo my son’s treacherous accusations?’ The Ashen King’s tone went from angered to bleak. ‘There is none but Soreas that will stand by me.’

Threx’s eyes met Kexas’ and an unspoken agreement flashed between them.

‘You are not fit for the throne,’ said the Keeper of the Pyre. ‘For the sake of the Skullbrands, stand down from the kingship.’

‘Relinquish it to him?’ said the Ashen King, darting an incredulous look at Threx. ‘He’d have us all dead at the walls of Wendhome within days, or our bodies scattered for the vultures outside the caverns of the Fireborn.’

‘Better to die in glory than live in shame,’ Threx declared. He realised that it had been fear of his father that had held him back, fear of the power of the Pyre wielded by the Ashen King. The embarrassment of being tricked for so long transformed into a sudden rush of anger. ‘You’d hand me an empty throne! Not sacred ashes but the dust of lies coats your skin!’

‘Still your tongue,’ the Ashen King growled. ‘I am still your ruler.’

Any warning from Nerxes fled as blood coursed through Threx, flushing his face, filling his limbs with trembling strength. He could feel the heat building within him, born of frustration and defiance.

‘You are not my king,’ he snarled.

His hand curled about his father’s wrist as he yanked him from the throne. Threx heaved his powerful arms, swinging his father onto his shoulders. The Ashen King rained down blows upon his head but Threx ignored them, no more than the flit of gnats as his eyes fixed on the dark pit of the Pyre ahead. His head buzzed within, sound washed away by the roaring of his pulse.

‘What are you–’

The Ashen King’s protest fell quiet as Threx tossed him overhead. He landed with a clattering of bones and plume of ash.

Threx snarled and flames sprang up in the trench, burning dark red. His father’s scream sounded around the hall, drawn out and agonised, becoming one with the growing rage of the flames. Threx saw a figure flailing in the midst of the strengthening fire, imploring with hands outstretched, before the Ashen King fell sideways, disappearing into the tide of skeletal remains and glowing embers.

Threx staggered back, gasping, chest thundering. He saw Kexas in the corner of his eye and turned. The Keeper of the Pyre was wide-eyed, entranced by the flames that stretched almost to the roof.

A semblance of clarity returned, leaving Threx panting but coherent. He looked at the flames and then back to Kexas.

‘We’ve done it,’ Threx declared. A laugh, almost manic, burst from him. He felt like the hawk released from the wrist of the hunter, soaring free after so long confined. His buoyant mood faltered as he considered what he had done. There would be consequences. He grabbed Kexas’ arms, words spilling in a rush as the import of what had happened pushed into his thoughts. ‘We will say that he was called to the Pyre. A clever move, activating the mechanism when I threw him in.’

Kexas’ mouthed something wordlessly, eyes straying back to Threx. He shook his head, brow furrowed.

‘But I did nothing.’

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Athol waited nervously in a small copse of trees just within sight of the royal city, one of several scattered along one of the old river courses that cut through the dry grasslands of the Flamescar Plateau. He kept his eyes fixed upon the colourful pavilions, looking for any sign of mounted warriors moving out of the settlement – Aridians on foot would not trouble him; he knew he could outpace them.

The girl he had sent to Khibal Anuk had been foraging in the trees and seemed trustworthy enough. She was certainly pleased with the small fruit knife he had given her in payment, enamoured by the opal fixed into its pommel. Even so, it was not wholly within her power to reach the Sigmar-tongue, and there was no guarantee that Khibal Anuk would agree to meet Athol.

Time dragged on and he began to wonder if a party had been sent out from the other side of the royal city, to circle behind him out of sight. Though the plateau seemed flat it was coursed with broad, shallow undulations that at a distance could conceal a sizeable band of warriors.

He moved position, looking for any telltale haze of dust to the left and right.

Athol saw nothing, but it did little to calm his taut nerves.

He did not relax even when a small wagon drawn by a single whitehorn emerged along the main pathway. He recognised it as Khibal Anuk’s cart, the Sigmar-tongue himself squatted upon its back as it juddered of the rutted road that led from the city of pavilions.

Its course took it past the copse for another hundred paces or so, before Khibal Anuk changed direction with a deft flick of a long switch. With the trees between him and any watcher in the settlement, the Sigmar-tongue turned back towards the cluster of trees and was met by Athol at the edge of the sparse undergrowth.

‘You picked a good one,’ declared the Sigmar-tongue, dismounting nimbly for a man of his size. ‘Prika is a very honest child and has a soft spot for any kind of gem.’

‘Someone will ask where she got the knife, we don’t have long,’ said Athol.

‘A while yet. I asked her to watch the shrine in my absence. She’ll get bored, but I left her some soapwood to carve.’ Khibal Anuk moved so that he was in the shade of a tree, tugging at the reins of the whitehorn so that it plodded after. ‘I’m glad you came, but surprised too.’

‘I don’t think you can trust Orhatka.’ Athol almost blurted out the words, seeking to be relieved of the burden of his suspicions.

‘That depends on what you mean by trust,’ said a woman’s voice from within the drapes that covered the cart’s main body. ‘I don’t think he’d do anything to endanger my people.’

Athol bit back his surprise as a slender hand parted the curtains and Queen Humekhta revealed herself. She was clad in scarves of white, wrapped around her like wisps of cloud. She wore no veil, her sharp eyes regarding Athol with interest.

‘But mine…?’ he said, recovering quickly.

Khibal Anuk’s expression turned sour but Humekhta smiled.

‘Orhatka wants to trade the Khul for peace with the Tithemasters,’ confessed the queen. ‘I do not wish our people to fight yours.’

‘It would go poorly for you,’ said Athol.

‘And your people too,’ said Khibal Anuk. ‘There can’t be a winner in such a fight, and the survivors would be swept up and enslaved by the Tithemasters without them breaking a sweat.’

‘Williarch threatened as much – not to slay me but to see me in servitude until he died.’ The thought of such a fate for his people hardened his resolve further. ‘The Khul will die before any of us are taken.’

‘You cannot let Orhatka win the argument,’ Khibal Anuk said to his half-sister. He fidgeted with his talisman as he spoke, stroking the small hammer with his thumb. ‘You must stand firm.’

‘It will be easier if I know that the Khul are prepared to stand with the Aridians.’

‘That is… to be decided.’ Athol hated to admit the indecision amongst the elders but if he could not trust Khibal Anuk and Humekhta, there was no point continuing. ‘Reassurances from both sides will help settle the matter for now. I have a man in the camp, Williarch’s champion, who says we can expect at least a season to prepare for the Tithemasters. I plan to find others that will ally with the Khul against them.’

‘Really? And how do you expect to win them over?’ said Humekhta.

‘I don’t know yet. As much as the other tribes won’t want a war with these Bataari sorcerers, I think I’ll make them see that it’s only a matter of time before the Tithemasters will come for them. Williarch, and maybe with the help of Orhatka, wanted this to become a fight. There’s no other reason he stole rather than demanded the Tithe.’

‘Perhaps I will seek allies,’ said the queen.

Athol did not like the sound of that, though there was no reason for him to believe Humekhta meant anything more than what she said. He had considered the idea of calling a Red Feast but now he realised that the ritual gathering would only grant more power to the Aridians and leave them needing the Khul less. Only if their fate was bound as one would the alliance continue.

‘Yes, I’ve been thinking about the timing,’ said Khibal Anuk. ‘I suppose even the Tithemasters have their rules to follow, otherwise they would just be marauders, and maybe we’ve been tricked into conflict with them.’

‘The one that came is called Rosika, one of their leaders,’ Athol told them. ‘It might be that he doesn’t have the full support he needs. If we fight hard or threaten to be more trouble than the war is worth, we could turn them against him.’

‘Lots of “ifs” there, Athol,’ sighed Khibal Anuk. He plucked an orange leaf from the tree and let it drift away on the faint breeze. ‘But we haven’t anything else, I suppose.’

‘Then we are agreed?’ Athol looked at the queen. ‘Will you stand by the pact between our peoples?’

‘I have one other matter first, before I seal the promise.’ She stood up, ducking beneath the awning. Khibal Anuk moved to help her down from the cart but she waved him away, jumping lightly to the ground. In her hand she held a crystal, irregular of shape, a deep red in colour.

‘Your scrying stone…’ said Athol, recognising the artefact.

‘A flame gem, dug from the deep of the world, and ensorcelled by my ancestors. It is the power of this gem that grants me the title of Prophet-Queen, Athol. It is a fickle thing, a well that cannot be relied upon.’

‘Its energy will drain?’

‘No, my mind will.’ Humekhta lifted the jewel so that it caught the sunlight, the prismed juts of its top flashing across Athol’s vision. ‘To look into the future is to see an ever-changing vista. It requires intense will to focus the images, and many times they are different. To see all possible futures would drive even the greatest mind insane.’

‘And you would look into my future?’

‘Is this necessary?’ asked Khibal Anuk, stepping closer. His shadow fell across the gem, cutting off its glinting gaze.

‘Are you afraid she will see something you don’t like?’ said Athol.

‘It is an uncertain practice, at best. A poor tool to make decisions with. I would rather pray to Sigmar for the celestial signs than trust the visions of the scrying stone.’

‘Then your memory is short,’ snapped Humekhta. ‘This gem has guided me for years, and my predecessors for generations, since before even Sigmar visited our lands. With our tribes’ future at stake it would be folly to ignore any boon we might use.’

She waved Khibal Anuk back and repositioned the gem so that its light fell upon Athol once more. He stared into the depths, mesmerised by the shifting colours. It was as if he were gazing into the heart of a flame. Through the red crystal he saw Humekhta looking back at him.

‘I see an army in the distance, so large it raises a cloud that makes noon as dusk. I see no details but at its head stands a warrior clad in red.’ She gasped and closed her eyes, stepping back. ‘Blood! Blood and fire!’

As though wounded Humekhta turned away, clutching a hand to her gut. The jewel fell from her open palm and Athol fought the instinct to catch it – he had no desire to touch the mystic gem. Khibal Anuk picked it up and dashed to his half-sister’s side as she slumped against the cart, a hand held up to her face.

‘What is it?’ asked Athol.

‘I saw the Glittering Pinnacle above the royal pavilion,’ croaked Humekhta. ‘And I saw your face, covered in blood, your hands coated with the gore of your enemies. A world awash with crimson.’

‘Then take heart,’ said Athol. ‘If I fight in sight of the Tithemasters, it will be against them.’

Humekhta recovered, retrieving the stone from where it had fallen. The colour had drained from her face and her hand trembled, but she met Athol with a defiant stare.

‘If you will fight, we will fight.’

Khibal Anuk offered his hand and Athol shook it. Humekhta mounted with his help, and swiftly hid behind the curtains once more.

Athol watched the cart rattle towards the pavilion and turned back through the trees to head across the plains. One disaster had been averted, but the alliance was more precarious than ever. He needed to find others willing to stand against the Tithemasters, and soon, if the fragile relationship was to survive much longer.

Threx sat gingerly in the throne, as if it would reject him for what he had done. He was alone. For the time being. Still dumbfounded, Kexas had departed to fetch Nerxes and the others.

The hall seemed vast, and he was at the centre of it. He had never appreciated how every beam and slat, the Pyre itself, and the hang of the banners focused all attention on the point where he sat. The seat was slightly padded, squashed almost flat by generations of his ancestors. He rested his hands on the arms as he had seen his father do, the heel of the palm on the ends. It was an unnatural posture, his shoulders brought forward. Threx felt as if he were hunching.

A door slammed open to his right and Atraxas burst into the hall, barefoot and dressed only in a long tunic. He was followed by a trio of Hall Guards in full armour, their short swords drawn.

He stopped a few strides later as his eyes were drawn to the Pyre in full flame. Threx’s uncle stood transfixed, his warriors likewise, staring open-mouthed at the renewed energy of their sacred fire. Eventually, Atraxas dragged his eyes away and his gaze fell upon the throne, and Threx sat upon it.

‘You should not be here,’ snarled his uncle. ‘Get out! Where is the Ashen King?’

Threx locked a stare upon him and Atraxas staggered back a step, hand flying to his mouth in shock, eyes wide. The three Hall Guards fell to their knees.

Confused, Threx lifted his hand, using the polished bronze bracelet around his wrist as a mirror. His features were distorted in the curve of metal, but he caught an unmistakeable flicker of orange and yellow. His hand started shaking but he steadied himself, turning his head and wrist so that his eyes came into focus.

Two flickers of flame looked back at him where his pupils had once been.

‘How…?’ Atraxas looked back at the flames and then to Threx once more. Suspicion entered his gaze.

‘Fetch Soreas,’ ordered Threx. Atraxas hesitated. Threx leaned forward – something he had seen his father do on many occasions. His next words brought a rush of pleasure to utter, but he did not raise his voice. ‘The Ashen King commands it.’

Cowed, Atraxas nodded and left with several glances over his shoulder, at both Threx and the Pyre.

‘Rouse your company,’ Threx told the remaining Hall Guards. ‘It’s going to be a busy day.’

Two of them left, and the one that remained moved to the main doors of the hall and took up a sentry position.

It was not long before Kexas returned with Nerxes, Vourza and Foraza. Threx’s three friends hurried along the hall, amazed at what they saw when they came around to the front of the throne.

‘Kexas says you have been…’ Vourza trailed off as she caught the fiery glint in Threx’s eye. ‘By the Pyre, it’s true!’

‘What happened?’ asked Nerxes, approaching cautiously.

Threx looked at Kexas and recalled their brief conversation before the Keeper of the Pyre had departed to find the others.

‘When my mother is here, it will be explained,’ Threx said, trying to achieve a tone of calm authority. In truth he had no idea whether anyone would believe the story he and Kexas had concocted quickly after the death of his father. He glanced again at his reflection in his bracelet. It didn’t matter what they believed, he realised. He was the Ashen King now.

The sense of power was intoxicating. The secrets and the hiding would end, despite what he had agreed with Kexas. As Ashen King, his authority would be absolute.

Even as he thought this, doubts crept in. He was a ruler, not an immortal. A blade in the gut, from Atraxas, or Kexas, or another, would still end him. He needed allies, and the tempering words of Nerxes returned to him. Better not to pour oil on a fire when he was yet to establish his rule.

It took some time until Atraxas returned with Soreas, and a handful of lesser cousins, Joraxi among them. Threx’s mother gasped when she saw him on the throne and darted a look at her brother-by-marriage. About two dozen Hall Guards came with them, spreading out around the hall. Threx understood then that he should not have sent Atraxas. Obviously, he and Soreas had already discussed what had happened and started conspiring to control Threx as they had manipulated his father.

Threx crooked a finger, beckoning to Kexas. The Keeper of the Pyre hurried over and Threx had to lean to whisper to the short man.

‘Did Atraxas know about the Pyre? The false flame, I mean.’

‘I don’t know,’ Kexas replied. He stepped back and casually looked at the approaching family. ‘I don’t think your father told him, but I can’t say whether Soreas shared the secret. If not before, then possibly she has told him tonight…’

In fact, the questioning gazes of both Threx’s uncle and mother were more often drawn to Kexas, perhaps hoping for some sign from the Keeper of the Pyre. As they had agreed, Threx said nothing, but sat passively while the party of his relatives approached. They stopped on his right-hand side, while his friends gathered in a small group to his left. He looked at them both, affecting what he believed would be a regal air, and then nodded to Kexas.

‘Tonight is a night of mixed blessing,’ said the Keeper of the Flame. As he spoke, Threx watched his audience, trying to judge their thoughts. ‘Our people have been troubled of late and the Ashen King could not sleep, his woes a burden on his thoughts. He asked me to stay with him as he held vigil with the Pyre, seeking some guidance from the spirit of the Asha Vale.’

Threx knew the part that would come next and turned to look at his companions.

‘I do not know what he saw in the flames, but he was granted a vision,’ Kexas continued. ‘He bid me to summon his only child, his son Threx.’

Threx looked at Nerxes and the others, his warning gaze hidden from his family by the angle of his head. They held their tongues, even Foraza, who nodded slowly to indicate his understanding.

‘Though the Ashen King had not voiced his thoughts to me, I wondered if he might be of a mood to pardon his son and companions for their recent transgression, so I had Threx bring them all to the Hall of the Pyre.’

Kexas paced in front of the throne, back to Atraxas and the family, his eyes boring into Threx’s friends like daggers.

‘Threx arrived with his friends but the Ashen King wanted to speak to his son alone, so I conducted them from the hall.’ Kexas turned back, his full attention returned to the royal family. Threx’s relations listened to the tale with a mix of suspicious and pensive expressions. ‘The Ashen King’s words were brief but are now etched into my memory. He stepped down from his throne and stood before the Pyre, bidding me and his son to come closer. He spoke in a whisper, his thoughts elsewhere, his sight upon a vista we cannot see.’

Everyone was listening intently, eyes fixed on the Keeper of the Pyre. Only Soreas’ expression was dubious, eyes narrowed in calculation as she weighed the truth of Kexas’ words.

‘The Ashen King said to me, “I have failed my people and I have dishonoured the Asha Vale. Let my life be the price to return the glory of the Skullbrands.” Then he stepped back, and let himself fall onto the Pyre, which burst into the flames that you still see burning now.’

Threx’s gaze was fixed on Soreas. His mother’s jaw moved but she did not speak. He could only guess at her thoughts, but imagined she was balancing the benefits and penalties of revealing that the Pyre had been a hoax. Reaching a decision, she stepped forward, one hand clasping her hammer talisman for comfort.

‘Not only has my husband died in the flames this night, but also the truth,’ the Sigmar-tongue declared.

‘Be careful of your next words,’ said Threx, standing up.

He lifted a hand towards the Pyre, fingers splayed. Threx felt their heat, not on his skin but within his veins. He was the flame, the messenger of the Asha Vale’s eternal fire. Eyes fixed upon Soreas, he closed his fingers, forming a fist, and pictured the flames being quenched between his fingers. Coolness seeped through him and the Pyre guttered for a few heartbeats and then died, leaving gleaming ash.

Soreas sneered and was about to decry this trickery when her gaze wandered to Kexas. He stood about halfway between her and the Pyre – nowhere near the mechanism that had been concealed within the flagstones next to the Ashen King’s throne. Atraxas was also looking at the Pyre with some intent, confirming that he had been told of the earlier fakery. Still suspecting subterfuge, Soreas looked around the hall, perhaps seeking a sign of some other servant or conspirator operating the mechanism. Her manic gaze returned to Threx.

‘I have been chosen by the Pyre,’ he told them, smiling broadly. He opened his fist, and the flames roared into life. ‘Praise to the Ashen King.’

‘I can’t believe I’m the king’s banner bearer.’ It was the fifth or sixth time Foraza had made this declaration, each time with greater disbelief. He stood at Threx’s shoulder, standard in one hand, the pole resting on the freshly covered floor of the Hall of the Pyre. He had braided his beard especially for the grand occasion of his king’s investiture, weaving golden thread in with the complex knots hanging from cheeks and chin.

Threx resisted the urge to glance back at his friends. Instead he met the gaze of Kexas, finding reassurance in the Keeper of the Pyre’s dark eyes.

There was no such support in the flint-hard stare of his mother. Despite assurances from Kexas she still believed something was amiss, and even a private demonstration of Threx’s command of the flames had only lessened her suspicion, not extinguished it. She stood among the other royal family, queen no more, her hammer pendant held in her fist like a weapon.

Atraxas had been more accommodating and had eventually accepted the tale of how Threx’s father had passed into the flames. He was not with the other relations, but stood at the head of the Hall Guard, ready to give their new oaths of service to Threx.

Finally, Threx succumbed to his mood and turned, one elbow on the arm of the throne. He smiled at Foraza.

‘It’s what you deserve,’ he told him before acknowledging Nerxes and Vourza with a glance. They were also in their finest clothes, robes of Bataari velvet over freshly oiled mail. Vourza had even cropped and dyed her hair, styling it orange and red like the flames of the Pyre.

It had been a hectic six days since Threx had killed his father, but his friends had been bastions of strength for him. They accepted almost without word their part in the lie that had been created – though they knew only what Threx and Kexas had told them of what had passed in the hall. As far as they were concerned, the only falsehood was in the reason why they had been in the Hall of the Pyre at all.

They’d fended off most enquiries, for which Threx was grateful. He recalled how others had frequently spoken for his father and understood how difficult it was being the subject of so many questions, so much scrutiny. Those not dissuaded by the subtle and not-so-subtle interventions of Foraza and company had mostly been directed to Kexas. The Keeper of the Pyre gave them short shrift, and they all left with accusations of impropriety ringing in their ears.

Threx looked again at Soreas. He had spoken to his mother, of course. It had not gone well, they had argued – though not about the manner of his father’s death – and she had fled in tears. Today was the first time in five days Threx had seen her.

Threx looked up at the ceiling-windows. It had been another revelation to learn that the openings, when viewed from the throne, tracked the course of the sun at different times of the year. It was a clock and calendar in one, arranged for his personal use.

It was almost noon.

‘Shouldn’t they be here by now?’ Threx called to Atraxas.

‘The scouts have returned. No visiting parties have been sighted on either the woods road, the river or across the Burned Heath.’

‘What does that mean?’

It was Soreas who answered, her tone sharp.

‘None of the other tribal kings are coming, Threx. They refuse to recognise you.’

His mother appeared to take some relish in this conclusion. Threx scowled.

‘And can you offer a reason?’

‘I have prayed to the Hammer-King for his judgement,’ the priestess said solemnly, emerging from the crowd of family members. Her gaze lingered on the gathering of other notable members of the Skullbrands that waited on the far side of the dormant Pyre, her words directed to them. ‘The skies align at night, a shield of warning blazoned with the celestial flare of anger.’

Threx watched the nobles, seeing a few muttering at this announcement, some whispering to companions, others regarding him with interest. Atraxas had told him that a few coveted the throne of the Ashen King for themselves, but fear of the Pyre’s power had held them back. It was the reason why the subterfuge with the fuel had been needed – the slightest hint that the king did not wield the power of the Asha Vale would have been a seized upon by at least half a dozen other families.

Threx had not possessed the smallest idea that politics within the Skullbrands had become so fraught. Perhaps he had just been ignorant, but he had a notion that his father had deliberately shielded him from these rumours and doubts. Threx had a deeper respect for his father and the situation in which he had found himself. The loss of the Pyre had been the cause of his weakness, not the symptom.

Threx realised his mother had continued talking but he had drifted away from her words. She had been reciting a long list of portents that she claimed boded ill for not only the Skullbrands and the Asha Vale, but for all of the Flamescar Plateau, maybe the entirety of the Parched Lands.

‘What was that?’ Threx asked, a memory of what she had just said insistent. ‘Did you say a curtain of blood will fall upon us?’

‘The blood of infants and the old will flow alongside the blade-aged,’ replied Soreas. There was a strange fervour in her eyes, something Threx had only seen once before, on the day she had been summoned to the Hammer-King’s service. ‘The red ruin shall be a storm that burns across the plains. The cities of the God-King will tremble and the ground will shake beneath the tread of a numberless horde of beasts.’

As she spoke she swayed, eyes losing focus. If this was an act, it was very convincing. Threx glanced at Kexas, trying to conceal his worry. The Keeper of the Pyre was transfixed by the performance, finger toying with his bottom lip, the other hand fidgeting with the belt of his robe.

‘But what does that have to do with the other chieftains?’ Nerxes demanded. ‘Why have they refused to pay their respects to the new Ashen King?’

‘It’s an insult,’ growled Atraxas.

‘They are scared,’ announced Soreas. She turned on Threx and flung out a beringed finger, spittle flying from her lips. ‘The will of the Hammer-God has been challenged. The voice of Sigmar rings in the ears of his God-speakers, as it has boomed in my dreams. All that follow the Ashen King shall be damned!’

She fell to her knees and started to sob wildly, before screaming, ‘Damned! Damned!’

Atraxas signalled to Joraxi and he moved to comfort her. Soreas thrust him away and staggered to her feet. Her audience stared at her with a mixture of horror and displeasure, many of them casting nervous glances at Threx.

‘Leave me alone!’ Soreas shrieked as two other cousins moved to help her. She pushed between them and approached Threx, regaining a semblance of dignity.

‘Heed my warning, my son,’ she said, her voice filled with a tenderness he had not heard for years. Tears brimmed in her eyes. Her voice dropped to a whisper, filled with emotion. ‘Step back from this path. Renounce the kingship and confess your murderous ways. It is not too late for us.’

He looked at her, the hall seeming still except for the beating of his heart. He saw the pulse in the veins on her neck, steady and sure. Her eyes showed nothing but love, no sign of the contempt she had held him in since his return from Wendhome.

He stood and she backed away, allowing him to pass. With a gesture he roused the flames of the Pyre, the sudden surge of red and orange filling the hall with their smokeless heat.

Threx stepped up to the edge of the pit, skin almost burning, but he did not feel pain. Staring into the depths, he recalled the words of his mother.

His mind filled with the images of her prophecy. He saw a world burning, bloodthirsty armies marching across a plain of bones, the air above them alight with their rage.

At their head strode a dark figure, bearing aloft a great relic standard of bones and brass. Threx saw himself, anointed champion of the Pyre, lord of a hundred tribes.

He quelled the flames, letting coldness flow from his veins, revealing a skeleton laid upon the embers and bones of the pit. Metal glinted in the ash around the forearms, the remnants of rivets that once held together a pair of vambraces.

Threx lowered to one knee and reached out. The ash was hot in his hand but he bit back a shout of pain. He was the master of the flame, the spirit of the Asha Vale given body. More than that. His destiny, a fate that had shadowed him his whole life, had been revealed.

He stood up, the ash of his father in his fist. There were no doubts, there was no hesitation. Threx knew what he desired was now his.

Threx drew his hand down across his face, painting himself in the remains of his predecessor, as Ashen Kings had done for a dozen generations.

He barely heard his mother’s cry of woe.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Two days after he had spoken to Khibal Anuk and Humekhta, Athol found himself with the elders playing host to the Sigmar-tongue of the Aridians. They met in the shade of a great awning erected near the river, where the cooler air seeped down the shallow valley. Nearby, children splashed in the current, the older ones tending the younger while fathers and mothers were further afield with fishing and hunting.

‘It has been many seasons since the chosen messenger of the Hammer-God came to the Khul,’ said Houdas.

‘And the reason for my coming is not merry,’ replied the Sigmar-tongue.

Khibal Anuk came with many questions, some for the elders, others for Serleon, who was brought forth as the closest thing they had to an expert on all things related to the Tithemasters. In halting words, he tried his best to detail their strengths, their soldiers and tactics, but much of it was simply hearsay or outright legend. Though he had been employed by Williarch he had seen nothing of the Tithemasters themselves during his time with the Bataari robber. Even so, what he had to share was disheartening.

‘We shall simply have to train and hope, and offer our prayers to Sigmar,’ Khibal Anuk said, when he’d concluded his interrogation of the Peerless Blade. His sombre expression darkened and he turned to Athol, who was sat cross-legged to one side, having offered only small contributions to the discussion. ‘This next matter is perhaps even more depressing. Distasteful.’

‘What is it?’ asked Friku. ‘You look like a whitehorn dropped its dung on you.’

‘The queen, with the urging of our lawsmith, has asked for assurances from the Khul.’

‘She has our word, nothing is stronger,’ said Athol, rising to his feet.

‘What will satisfy your lawsmith?’ asked Houdas. ‘For three generations our pact has held on the word of its people – what more can we offer?’

‘There is to be an exchange,’ said Khibal Anuk. His voice dropped to a shamed whisper and he looked away. ‘Hostages.’

‘I do not understand this word,’ said Friku.

‘Prisoners,’ said Athol. ‘Prisoners under threat of death should there be fighting.’

‘Hostages.’ Houdas tried out the word with a frown. She stood up and started to pace, eyes on Khibal Anuk all the while. ‘You take one of us, we take one of you?’

‘I have been chosen,’ said the Sigmar-tongue. ‘I am the hammer-blessed of Aridian. The queen’s brother. I will stay with you to ensure that Humekhta keeps her side of the pact.’

‘You put yourself forward, didn’t you?’ said Athol, approaching the Sigmar-tongue. ‘I know you, Khibal Anuk. Orhatka demanded a hostage from us, didn’t he? I bet he’s trying to disrupt our alliance.’

‘I don’t know about that,’ said the Sigmar-tongue. ‘But you’re right about me. I argued that the exchange had to be fair. I volunteered to be hostage for the Khul.’

The Sigmar-tongue hesitated and his gaze fell to the parched ground.

‘What is it?’ Athol asked.

‘They want Eruil and Marolin in return.’

Athol opened his mouth to speak but found he had nothing to say.

‘That is stupid,’ declared Friku. ‘If one is to go, it will be an elder. You are an Aridian elder, one of us will go in your place.’

‘No, I will go,’ said Athol firmly. He placed a hand on Khibal Anuk’s shoulder. ‘I will be the hostage.’

The Sigmar-tongue shook his head.

‘You have to find other tribes to join the alliance against the Tithemasters, Athol. Humekhta… No, it is not my sister’s desire. Orhatka wants your wife and son to ensure that you do not get ideas about creating an army against Aridian.’

‘We do not agree,’ Jofou Red-Palm announced.

‘We have to,’ Houdas said slowly. ‘We are agreed that alliance with the Aridians must continue. If this is their demand…’

‘We should not become their slaves,’ said the other elder, head shaking.

Athol fought the need to move, to find vent for his emotions in activity. He would not betray the conflict of emotions that raged at the Aridians’ demand. He wanted to curse the Sigmar-tongue back to his people and declare the truce with Humekhta broken.

He would do that and more for his family.

And yet he said nothing. To break bond with the Aridians would be to face the terror of the Tithemasters alone, a fate even worse for his wife and son. Just as when he stepped into the bladespace, he could not allow rash anger to cloud his thoughts.

‘Houdas is right,’ Athol said quietly. ‘I will not be here. When I leave, I will miss them all the same, whether they stay here or go to the royal city. I trust Humekhta. She will take care of my family as her own.’

‘You have made the right choice,’ said Khibal Anuk.

‘No,’ said Athol. ‘The final choice is not here, but with Marolin. If she agrees, it will be so. But only if she agrees.’

‘And who tell her, eh?’ said Serleon, who had been following the conversation with furrowed brow.

There was comfort to be had, staring into the flames of the Pyre, transported to a place away from the mundane troubles of the world. Despite numerous attempts over the last few days, Threx had not seen a repeat of the vision that had come to him when he had become the Ashen King. He had barely left the Hall of the Pyre, only twice retiring to his rooms to gain some respite from the constant attention rather than to rest. Communing with the power of the Pyre, becoming one with the spirit of the Asha Vale, had filled him with a restless, unending energy.

He found himself prone to prowling; he would pace around the Pyre, dimming it to embers and then letting his rage flow, stoking it to an inferno. It was not hard to find anger. It took only a moment to consider the subterfuge his father had used, covering his abandonment of the Skullbrands’ traditions with trickery. Every time Threx had spoken out he had earned himself scorn. Now that scorn was returned posthumously. Whenever Threx’s thoughts turned to his father the flames grew tall and dark, licking at the rafters above.

The same was true of his mother, though for her the flame was shorter and brighter, near-white in intensity. Hers was a different betrayal, one that he had expected. After accepting the blessing of the Pyre Threx had ordered her to leave, unable to bear the sight of Soreas. It was impossible to know if she had been driven by a true calling to Sigmar or had been undermining the Ashen King for her own purposes for decades. It did not matter, her sentence had been exile – a clemency granted her only on the grounds of her relationship to Threx. Others of the Ashen King’s family had fled with her, including most of Threx’s cousins.

So he paced, and the fired burned, and on occasion one of his companions or advisors would interrupt his agitated pondering.

It was disappointing.

Threx wanted to do something. Like the Pyre, he burned with an inner flame that needed release. The spirit of the Asha Vale yearned to be let free, to expand beyond its physical borders.

He had been certain that as Ashen King his word was law. His authority was without equal within the Skullbrands. Yet it seemed that the world did not want him to rule. When his subjects asked him what he wanted to do, he could not articulate the need that burned inside.

‘I want to restore the honour of the Skullbrands,’ he declared. Suggestions for how this might be done were not forthcoming.

‘We should be feared as we were in the times before,’ Threx announced. All present agreed with him. Nothing happened. Still he paced his hall, caged and impotent.

This day, the sixth since he had taken his father’s ashes upon his skin, Threx would not be mollified. It was Nerxes and Atraxas that called upon him first. Knowing that he was restless overnight they called soon after dawn, coming to the hall as the first gleam of the sun touched the lowest sky-openings to the left of the throne.

Their approach was announced by the door guards. Threx strode back to the throne, quickly but trying not to appear unseemly. He sat down, fingers tapping on the arms of the throne, trying to affect a pose of patient expectation.

His uncle and closest friend arrived with quick bows and crossed the hall to stand before their king.

‘We have bad news, Ashen King,’ said Atraxas.

Threx held up a hand to silence him.

‘It must wait. I have a pronouncement to make. A royal command.’

‘Yes?’ Atraxas shared a quick glance with Nerxes.

‘Our restoration of the tribe will begin today. We stood idle while our rivals overtook us and our allies abandoned us. My father’s lies made him weak, but I am truly chosen of the Pyre. The Skullbrands stand in favour with the Asha Vale again. The army will muster and we will strike out, bringing bloody vengeance to those that have so recently wronged us.’

‘Have you any foe in mind?’ asked Nerxes. This earned him a scowl from Atraxas.

‘We all support your desire to make right the wrongs done to us,’ the head of the Hall Guard said, though his tone was not as positive as Threx would have liked.

‘Good. I leave the choice to you, cousin,’ said Threx, looking at Nerxes. ‘You are my strategist. Will it go better if we attack the Fireborn first, or finish what I began at Wendhome?’

Nerxes pondered this and was about to reply when a growl from Atraxas stopped him.

‘Our news, Ashen King, might change your thinking,’ said Nerxes. He hesitated.

‘Do not fear to tell me the truth, cousin,’ said Threx. ‘I don’t hold you accountable for bringing me bad tidings.’

Nerxes relaxed a little and took a step closer.

‘Yourag has given your mother sanctuary.’ Nerxes stopped, awaiting his king’s reaction.

‘Then the decision is all the easier,’ Threx replied. ‘I don’t understand your timidity, cousin. We will march for Wendhome, raze the settlement and enslave its people. I will take my mother’s head, and it shall be branded as in the times before, the first of my new trophies.’

Threx’s declaration shocked even himself and several of those that listened gasped at his vehemence. Even so, he would not recant his words now that they had been shared.

‘If I am willing to do this to my kin, it will send a message to everyone that my wrath is not to be tested,’ the Ashen King continued, though it was simply adding justification to an impulsive thought.

‘She has called you an abomination against Sigmar,’ said Atraxas. ‘All of the Skullbrands are to be deemed unholy if we do not cast you out.’

Threx’s gaze moved from his uncle to his cousin and back again.

‘She wants to turn you against me? You would not listen to these lies, I hope.’

‘No, but others have, and more will.’ Nerxes brought forth a scrap of parchment that had been tucked into his belt. ‘One of our scouts took this from a Fireborn messenger. The herald tried to burn it, but our warrior was quick. It is a reply to Yourag, agreeing a truce.’

‘Alliance, Threx, against us,’ said Atraxas.

Threx’s stare was unblinking, fixed upon his uncle until Atraxas realised his error.

‘An alliance, Ashen King, against you,’ he clarified.

Threx was compelled to stand, pushing past his cousin so that he could approach the Pyre. It reacted to his mood with a flurry of copper flames, their heat dancing across his ash-coated skin.

‘Together they’re still no match for the Skullbrands – they’re just trying to intimidate me.’ He turned his head to look at Atraxas. ‘You’re not intimidated, are you?’

‘It’s not just the Fireborn and Korchians, Ashen King,’ Nerxes said quietly, hands clasped in front of him. ‘Though we haven’t caught them, we’ve seen messengers heading in every direction from Wendhome and the Fireborn Caves.’

‘It’s spreading, like a plague against us,’ snarled Atraxas. ‘A dozen and more already, I’d guess.’

‘Cowardly scum!’ roared Threx. The Pyre exploded upwards, black flames licking at the ceiling, dark sparks falling like snow around him. ‘Not one of them would face us alone.’

‘A pack of sand dogs can tear down a bear,’ said Nerxes.

‘My mother… It’s she that’s stirred up all of this hatred for us. That and the fear that we’ve reconnected with our ancestral power.’ He stretched out a hand and a frond of flame bent towards his palm, a flexing arc of black fire that danced as he moved his hand from side to side. ‘They will find the Asha Vale unwelcoming to their warriors.’

‘We can fight, and we’ll kill plenty, that’s for sure.’ Again, Atraxas’ words did not match his demeanour.

‘But we’ll not win?’ said Threx. The flames died down, becoming a ripple of orange across the bones and ashes of the honoured dead. ‘Is that what you think?’

‘At best we’ll muster three thousand blades,’ said Nerxes, pulling nervously at his bottom lip. ‘What will they bring? Ten thousand?’

‘Thirty thousand, even forty thousand seems more likely,’ said Atraxas. ‘Two messengers were followed heading towards the Sunrise Plains.’

‘The Direbrands?’ Nerxes’ fidgeting increased.

‘Why would the Direbrands care about us?’ said Threx. ‘It’s been generations since our lands and theirs were near to each other.’

‘There are none more staunchly dedicated to Sigmar,’ said Nerxes. ‘Soreas has stirred up something more than tribal rivalry.’

‘Hammers stuck right up their…’ Atraxas tailed off, disturbed by something. ‘What if this is even worse than we thought? If the Direbrands move against us, what about tribes even further away? The Aridians? Maybe even Bataar, or Aspirian?’

‘Now you’re being a scared child,’ said Threx. ‘Even I don’t think the Skullbrands are so mighty that they would catch the eye of the Bataari.’

‘I suppose you’re right,’ Atraxas conceded. His expression did not lighten.

‘But…?’

‘We have enough problems already. We cannot hope to fight all of these tribes together.’

‘Then we attack first, send a message,’ said Threx. He closed his hand into a fist and the Pyre flames swayed, dimming and then brightening. ‘Mother nor not, I’ll have Soreas’ bones on the Pyre for what she’s done.’

‘A risky proposition,’ said Nerxes. ‘Look what happened when we took some of the army to Wendhome. And Yourag is probably expecting retaliation.’

‘We’ll skin them alive, brand their skulls and hang their hides on the walls as a warning to the others!’ Threx stalked around the Pyre, only half hearing what the others said. ‘Nobody will dare fight us knowing the price.’

‘I think that would stir even more sentiment against us,’ warned Nerxes.

‘Sentiment?’ Threx stopped and turned to look at his cousin, his breath coming in short, excited gasps. ‘Sentiment? We don’t care about sentiment! We’ll feed the Asha Vale with their blood and burn their homes to the ground.’

He strode back to Nerxes and his uncle, and grabbed each by an arm, turning them towards the Pyre.

‘Look into the flames! What do you see?’

‘Nothing…’ said Nerxes.

Atraxas grunted and shook his head.

‘Look! Closer!’ Threx dragged them forward until they flinched from the heat.

‘I don’t see…’ Nerxes stopped, eyes streaming, widening in shock. ‘I see banners held high, a land awash with war.’

‘I see it too,’ said Atraxas. He turned an astonished gaze on Threx. ‘Your banner, Ashen King.’

‘Let them come. They will all burn.’

‘Where will you go?’ asked Eruil as Athol knelt down in front of his son. ‘To find allies, I mean?’

‘I don’t know yet,’ he replied. ‘But it will take some time. You’ll be staying with the queen while I’m away.’

‘I told you, spare us no worries,’ said Marolin.

She tossed one of the sled ropes to Eruil, who held it loosely over his arm. The shelter and their belongings were packed neatly upon the back of the three-runnered sled; though they would be sleeping in the Queen’s Pavilion Marolin wanted a place that was still hers. Athol would travel lightly, and so the shelter went with his wife.

‘Stay healthy,’ he told them, giving each a kiss on the cheek. He held Marolin’s hand for a little longer, until she drew it away.

‘Find us allies to fight these Tithemaster dogs,’ said his wife. She looked him in the eye. ‘Don’t come back until you do.’

He nodded and crossed his arms. They took up the strain on the ropes, and he gave the sled a shove with his foot to help them get going. A few dozen paces away, Eruil turned his head and lifted an arm to wave. Athol returned the gesture with a fist raised in salute.

And that was it. They were gone.

His hand moved to his belt, where Marolin’s half-sword still hung. It was the only thing he had left of her, outside his thoughts.

He turned back to the encampment but did not approach. Serleon’s house-wagon rumbled between the shelters, coming closer. Athol waited until the Aquitan drew alongside and applied the brake to the wheels.

‘Ride?’ said the armoured warrior.

‘No,’ said Athol. ‘I’m not heading your way.’

Serleon shrugged and leaned over to offer his hand. Athol pulled himself up onto the step of the driving board and took the grip.

‘I send word if learn anything,’ Serleon promised, keeping his grasp as Athol tried to pull his hand back. ‘If have no army, you run. Run, Athol.’

‘I’ll have an army,’ he replied, squeezing hard. ‘My people crossed between worlds to make a life here. We’re not going to let the Tithemasters take it from us without a fight.’

‘Be careful. Something strange. Air wrong.’

‘Just the seasonal winds,’ Athol grinned, though he knew the Aquitan was not being literal. There was definitely a change coming upon the world. The belligerence of the Tithemasters, the mood of his people, even Orhatka’s actions, all spoke of a growing, unsettling force at work.

He dropped down to the ground and the wagon-house trundled away.

As Athol watched it turn towards distant Bataar, his mind returned to the dream that had come to him again the previous night. Of a mountain topped with flame. He had told the elders he was seeking allies, but he was in truth looking for a greater strength. To fight the Tithemasters he would have to find and climb that mountain.

He had no idea where to start looking, so let instinct and fate take their course. Without thought, he turned to his right, looking towards the hazy peaks in the far distance, their foothills beyond the horizon, the lands from which the river flowed.

He took one pace, and then another, and spared not one glance back.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

‘I didn’t expect them all,’ said Threx, looking out from the high wall of Ashabarq.

‘Ten thousand, at least,’ Atraxas told him.

‘More on the other side of the Bloodwater,’ said Vourza. She leaned against the outer wall, arms crossed. ‘The scouts say a force of Direbrands are less than half a day distant.

‘How many tribes?’ asked Foraza. His knuckles were white where he held the pole of Threx’s banner so tight. Threx had never seen him looking so worried. Nor Nerxes, who was a little way along the wooden rampart, a leather-tubed eye lens held up as he scanned the trees and hillside. His cousin’s fingertips tapped nervously on the stiff hide.

‘Banners of four tribes, the Korchians at the centre.’ He lowered the glass and glanced at Threx. ‘I think I can see Soreas.’

‘Show me.’ Threx strode along the wall and snatched the looking tube from Nerxes. He squinted as he lifted it to his eye, panning along the darker green of the distant forests. The image was upside down, the constant blue of the sky at the bottom, broken by tatters of ruddy morning clouds, the smudge of arboreal colour at the top.

‘Left a little, and down.’

‘By that rocky…’ Threx inhaled sharply as the sight of his mother danced in the wavering circle. His hand trembled and he fought the urge to hurl the device away. He recognised the flash of gold that was Yourag and his giant bodyguards, but there were at least a dozen others gathered about Soreas, in a broad array of garb. Two leaned on hammer-topped staves; another had a warhammer in hand, its head shaped like the twin-tailed icon of Sigmar. He snarled at the sight. ‘Hammer-tongues. Twelve of them, maybe more.’

‘And their tribes not far away, I should think,’ said Atraxas. His expression was grim and he took in a deep breath before he continued. ‘We cannot win this battle, Ashen King.’

‘I am the spirit of the Asha Vale, I will not surrender,’ Threx replied, handing the seeing lens back to Nerxes. ‘We will die fighting, if we have to.’

‘Too late to run,’ said Vourza.

‘We’re not cowards,’ growled Threx.

‘There’s another way,’ Nerxes said quietly, his tone uncertain. ‘Perhaps.’

‘What’s this?’ demanded Atraxas, pushing past Foraza to confront Nerxes. ‘You said nothing earlier.’

‘I didn’t want to get anyone’s hopes up.’

‘You’ve got a plan?’ Threx grinned. ‘A Bataari strategy, I bet, that will see these dogs sent whining back to their camps.’

‘Not Bataari, and not a strategy,’ said Nerxes. ‘One of the oldest traditions of the Flamescar. We have half a dozen chieftains here. Send me out to parley with them.’

‘And what would you offer for them to go away?’ Vourza asked, eyes narrowed. ‘They’ve come for the Ashen King, I don’t think they’ll settle for words.’

‘Just six words, actually,’ said Nerxes, a brief smile dancing across his lips. ‘Six words that will buy us some time. If the other tribes agree to it, that is. They might try to ignore you.’

‘What six words?’ said Threx.

‘King Threx calls the Red Feast.’

Nerxes declaration was met with silence, which was broken several heartbeats later by Atraxas’ deep laugh.

‘You cunning fox, Nerxes,’ said the commander of the Hall Guards. ‘That’s brilliant.’

‘A Red Feast?’ Threx considered the idea. ‘If they accept, the tribes must call a truce until the Red Feast is concluded.’

‘And you can challenge Yourag!’ said Foraza. ‘Kill him this time.’

The idea brought a grin to Threx’s face.

‘They might reject your authority to call for a Red Feast,’ Nerxes said.

‘I’ll see each of their coward-dog chieftains kneel before me, one after the other,’ Threx said, flexing his fingers. He felt the flame of the Pyre burning within his breast, carrying the spirit of the Asha Vale within him. He laid a hand on Nerxes’ shoulder. ‘Don’t let the Sigmar-tongues argue against it.’

‘If they try, I will accuse them of being puppets of the Aspirians. The other chieftains will want to prove they’re honourable, and strong.’

A roll of martial drums thundered from the far hillside as another tribe advanced into view over the crest, the black-and-green banners of the Tindred flying above.

‘Foraza, go with him,’ Threx said. ‘You carry my banner, Nerxes will carry my word.’

Threx leaned on the wooden palisade top and watched the figures of Nerxes and Foraza dwindle with distance. His eyes moved to the tribal armies still gathering on the hill.

It was an impressive sight and, though it was arrayed against him, Threx took some pleasure in seeing such an assembly. The vision from the flame drifted into his thoughts, the sight of a host that was an ocean compared to the droplet converging on the Asha Vale.

Warriors from across the region had been brought together by Soreas’ accusations. Some he recognised. The white oval shields of the Zazuli in long lines to his left. They were adept beastmasters and had brought several trained bears, vargryphs and plains tigers on gilded chains. Alongside them were the Darkbone tribe. Threx remembered tales of how they had once charred their captured foes over great bonfires and consumed the roasted flesh in midnight feasts.

Like the Pyre, an offering to the Flamescar, to appease the spirits of fire and sun.

Before Sigmar. Before such rites had been declared inhuman and immoral.

The word meant little to Threx. As far as he could tell, morality was simply rules the people of the cities invented to make themselves feel superior to the plateau tribesfolk. The people of Bataar and Aspirian were enslaved by coins, not chains, but had no more freedom from their masters than one of the Zazuli war-beasts.

The largest contingent came from Wendhome, their drakon icons now decorated with red streamers. Threx didn’t know the significance of this embellishment but red was the colour of fire and blood among all the peoples of the plateau. It was a war colour.

He did not wear red, for he was the Ashen King, covered in the grey of death. His soul was gone now, replaced by the spirit of the Asha Vale. As such, he could not die, but would become one with the land again when his mortal body was slain.

The same was true of the Mortas, who shared ancestors with the Skullbrands. Their warriors, a thousand or so Threx judged, wore armour made of wooden scales, black-lacquered to present five lines of darkness against the orange-brown slope. The lies of Soreas had turned them against their distant blood-kin.

There were some that he did not know, from places further afield. One such tribe marched beneath bronze sun-faces that reminded him of the totems worshipped by the orruks of the coast. Another wore robes, though he assumed they had some form of armour beneath heavy cloth. He realised that they were from the mountains, where the colder climate allowed such clothing – on the plains a person would sweat to death in such heavy fabric. They bore barbed spears and shields of woven wooden slats painted with a hammer device.

He had never seen such a coalition, though his father had told him that such forces had not been uncommon in the time before. The necessities of food and shelter had splintered the people of the Flamescar, each tribe developing its own traditions and history, save for a fortunate few like the Direbrands that had maintained a common link across their far-flung people.

Thoughts of the Direbrands brought a pang of jealousy. The favoured of the Hammer-God, some called them. Though they had not built cities like the Bataari and Aspirians, they were no less a nation. It could have been the Skullbrands that dominated the seaward Flamescar Plateau, but for the whim of Sigmar.

He glanced down at the force assembled behind the gate in case something went wrong. Atraxas and the Hall Guard stood at the head of five hundred warriors standing ready to sally forth if anything happened to Nerxes and Foraza.

By rights the truce of the parley should be observed, but with Soreas in a vengeful mood, and no doubt Yourag looking to humiliate Threx, it was possible the arms-quiet would be ignored.

It was quite a body of men and women that moved down the slope to meet Threx’s herald and banner: chieftains, bodyguards and Sigmar-tongues all converged on the Skullbrand pair. Blades were still sheathed, but Threx held his breath all the same.

When they were a few dozen paces apart, Foraza planted the standard and the two of them waited. Threx smiled. It was probably Nerxes’ idea to do that. This was the Asha Vale, the land of the Skullbrands. The chieftains and holy folk would come to them.

Threx saw Nerxes raise a hand to the approaching parties, fingers held out as though offering to help them forward. It seemed a strange thing to do, something he had learnt from one of his Bataari writings, perhaps.

The Ashen King brought Nerxes’ seeing glass up to his eye and the view slid dizzyingly for a few moments until he found the location of the parley.

Nerxes was gesturing, first to Soreas who was beside Yourag, and then back to Ashabarq. Threx flinched as the gathered people turned towards him, their faces slightly distorted by the curve of the lens, forgetting that he was but a distant, indistinct figure to their eyes.

Yourag was animated, and another leader stepped forward, her skin pale but decorated with red tattoos, arms and legs bound with laces that held iron discs of armour, her body protected within a long coat of the same.

Soreas shook her head vehemently, jabbing a finger in the direction of Threx. He could hear nothing but imagined the curses and protests being voiced against him.

A third chieftain stepped up, accompanied by a Sigmar-tongue in leather armour, her hammer-topped staff glinting in the afternoon sun. They stood between Nerxes and Yourag, while the holy woman made placating gestures.

Finally, more than twenty people gathered around Threx’s banner, Foraza almost lost in their midst. Threx tensed as the sun flashed on metal.

It was Nerxes that had produced the knife, pricking his thumb with its tip to offer up the gift of blood. A bowl was brought forth and others contributed their lifeblood to the sealing of the pact.

Threx relaxed. The bowl would be taken far and wide, inviting champions across the Flamescar to add their blood and come to the ancient meeting place on the Clavis Isles.

‘What’s happening?’ Atraxas demanded from below. ‘Are we fighting or not?’

Threx saw the gathering disperse, the leaders and hammer-folk returning to their tribes. Yourag, Soreas and a couple of others remained. Nerxes turned back and raised a hand, fingers beckoning.

‘We’re not fighting,’ Threx told his uncle. ‘But don’t go anywhere yet.’

The circumstances were very different to when Threx had approached Yourag before the battle at Wendhome. He was Ashen King now, and the woman whose honour he had fought to protect was now an ally of his enemy. Even so, the leader of the Korchians regarded him with the same contemptuous look.

‘I’ll cut off your face and hang it in my hall if you look at me like that again,’ snarled Threx as he stopped a few paces away.

‘Cousin…’ Nerxes’ tone was a warning, and he stepped to the side, between Threx and his mother. ‘You’ve called the Red Feast. The arms-quiet must be observed.’

Threx ground his teeth, infuriated by the challenge in Yourag’s eyes, the impudence in his stance as he casually stuck the thumb of his sword hand in his belt; it was a gesture of confidence, that he would not need to draw his blade. In any other situation it would be a challenge to Threx’s honour, a statement that he was too afraid to attack.

‘You know that she destroyed my father, don’t you?’ Threx said suddenly, eyes fixed on the Korchian chieftain. ‘Listen to her whispering and you’ll be dragged down too.’

‘Your power is naught but lies,’ Yourag said, waving his hand dismissively. He glanced at Soreas. ‘That’s why you have to pull this trick with the Red Feast.’

‘My power is real, and the Red Feast is no trick.’ Threx stepped closer still, within reach of Yourag. He realised the Korchian was shorter than he remembered. He laced his fingers together, thumbs protruding, and held his hands to his chest. ‘I beat you before, and at the Red Feast I will beat you again.’

‘Your friends saved you,’ snapped Yourag, eyes flicking to Foraza. ‘At Clavis Volk there will be no interference.’

Threx leaned closer still, eyes fixed upon his adversary. His mother said something but he did not hear it clearly, his attention focused on Yourag. When their noses were but a finger’s breadth apart, Threx let his anger grow, stoking his rage with memories of how these people had wronged him, and still wanted to dishonour and slay him and his people.

His rage did not come as words. He channelled it, drawing on the Pyre, feeling its power through the ground even though he was some distance from the hall.

Yourag flinched and stepped back, and Threx knew that the flames of the Pyre were visible in his eyes. The Korchian tried to pull himself straight, but dignity had fled and he was left huffing impotently as Threx stood tall and crossed his arms over his ash-clad chest.

‘I’ll see you at the Red Feast.’

Threx turned his back on them both, gesturing to his companions to follow.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

He wasn’t quite sure where he’d gone wrong. Somewhere in the forest he’d lost sight of the mountain. A sea of orange-red leaves blotted out the sky, bathing everything in a ruddy arboreal twilight. The dead leaves and twigs cracked and crunched underfoot, so that every step seemed to echo through the close-packed trunks.

Athol stopped, checking behind for a moment.

He saw nothing, but that didn’t mean the beastmen weren’t there. He’d killed three and escaped, but he had a feeling that they had caught his scent now. Tracking him. Hunting.

How many? How big? What weapons?

The trio he had killed had been scrawny curs, none taller than his chest, though wickedly fast with their flint knives. Still, not a match for a full-grown Khul warrior bearing a spear that had been wrought in the Last Forge.

He looked at the weapon, its head a source of dim light in the gloom. Like his dreams it had become his guide, a slow pulsing of recognition when it was pointed towards the mountain Athol had seen.

It had taken sixteen days before he had woken one morning and seen the peak bathed in the fiery light of dawn. He had known immediately that he had found his goal. Another eight days of walking had brought him to the edge of the forest. Now it seemed, as far as he could reckon it, that another eight days had passed since he ventured into the shadowy woods.

Turning slowly, he felt the spear pulse faintly in his grasp. Back and forth he moved, homing in on the source of the power. He tried to locate a landmark ahead, something to head towards, and saw what seemed to be a lighter patch, a clearing lit by the sunlight.

Heartened by the thought of gazing up at the sky for the first time in three days, he set off quickly.

The long days of walking had firmed up muscles that had grown lax despite his regular treks to the royal city. He felt leaner and fitter than he had for a long time, even though he’d trained every day, as was Khul law.

It was not just the exercise. He felt a purpose, something that he’d thought he’d possessed as spear-carrier. Events had proven that to be a shallow calling, a bandage that had concealed a deeper wound. The Tithemasters had brought the tension to the fore, but on his journey to the mountain he had realised that it was simply the spark that started the fire. The kindling had been prepared a long time ago. Something would have brought the tensions between the Khul and Aridian to the surface.

As he cut between two trees growing close together, a low branch caught on something at his waist. He looked down and freed the half-sword snagged on the upthrust tree limb.

A pang of guilt caught him as he realised it had been a couple of days since he had thought of Eruil and Marolin. He had believed it would be a torment to be parted from them for so long, when he had spent no more than two days before without their company. At first, he had dwelled on imagining what terrible things might happen, but such fears had quickly dwindled. At night he had dedicated his thoughts to them before settling down to sleep, but each time his dreams had been filled with visions of the skull mountain, no sign of wife or child.

He neared the edge of the clearing but stopped before entering. A faint breeze stirred the leaves and the temptation to step out into the lighter air was almost overwhelming.

He held back, aware of the silence save for the rustle of the trees.

No birds. No creatures in the undergrowth. A few flies buzzed across the long yellow grass that had sprung up in the broad, open space. He could see where two trees had fallen, immense giants that had toppled recently, opening up the forest floor to the sun and moon.

Movement on the opposite side of the clearing drew his attention. At first he thought it was some type of deer, but as the antlered head turned he spied a fanged maw and dark, predatory eyes.

There were other dark shapes among the shadows. Waiting for him.

Barely breathing, he pivoted at the waist, trying not to shift his feet in case he broke a twig or turned his ankle in a hole.

Behind him, thirty paces away, eyes regarded him from behind the trees and thorny bushes.

They appeared content to wait and watch for the time being, positioned to cut off escape rather than to launch attack.

Athol’s gaze returned to the clearing and, as he shifted his weight forward, he saw a glimpse of something beyond the trees on the far side.

A mountaintop.

It was not aflame as it had been in his dream, and the flanks were of pale, chalky stone rather than skulls, but the flash of the sun on some glittering deposit seemed to burn like fire for an instant.

Whatever he was being led to, whatever answers he would find, lay on the other side of the clearing.

He used the space to his advantage, never keeping still, his spear moving constantly to thrust and parry as he ducked and leapt, sometimes rolling beneath a maul or rusted blade to escape being trapped.

The beastmen hooted and whooped as they attacked, the small ones quick and agile, the larger ones possessing terrible strength – both lacking any skill beyond raw savagery.

Four lay bleeding in the long grass already, guts and throats opened up. Another staggered for the safety of the tree nursing a long wound down the thigh that was slowly leaking its life away in a red stream.

But there were at least twenty more, half of them as big as Athol, with curling goat horns or antlers, their claws as vicious as their scavenged blades. Dog-faced foes snarled and snapped, trying to bite at his wrists or face, fended away with clubbing blows with the spear’s haft as he dashed for open space again.

His foot caught a clump of grass and he turned the stumble into a roll, coming to his feet with the spear tip flashing out. It pierced the eye of a pursuing cur, penetrating the brain within. A twist and pull withdrew the weapon, but not before a rusted tulwar clanged from his helm, the sound ringing in his ears.

Staggered, he pulled his knife free, wielding the spear one-handed to force his attackers back, the dagger lashing out at those that leapt within reach.

A tall, bovine creature strode into the clearing. It lowed, growled and snarled, waving a brutal axe to the left and right. The beast-folk parted, falling back and circling around Athol. They held back, awaiting the command.

This was how he was going to die.

He felt stupid. He was so far from his people, from his family. He’d made no allies – had gone out of his way to avoid the tribes whose lands he’d crossed on his self-imposed quest. He would die here, alone and unremarked. The Tithemasters would come for their vengeance and the Khul and Aridians would die. Perhaps they’d take Humekhta and Marolin and Eruil into slavery. Or make an example of their deaths as a warning to others.

Because he’d dreamt of a mountain.

He braced his legs apart, weapons at the ready, and met the animal stare of the beast-folk’s leader. With his knife, he beckoned the creature on, taunting it.

The bull-warrior took a step, brutal blade raised.

A sudden flurry of cries sounded out from the right, panicked barks and almost-human shouts of alarm.

The beastmen scattered like rodents in a grain house discovered by a cat. The bull-man snarled, baring long fangs, and then bolted, ears flat against its head as it ran for the opposite edge of the clearing from where the commotion had erupted.

Athol turned, still alert, and watched a sway of bushes as something made its way closer. He flexed his fingers around the haft of his spear, wondering what fearsome beast had set his attackers to flight.

A man stepped into view. He was a wasted, skeletal thing, skin burned and blistered from long exposure, hair lank and hanging to his ankles. His body was smeared with colour, mostly red, his hands a vivid crimson.

The stranger held a short, crooked spear in one hand, but he used it more like a staff than a weapon.

Athol did not relax, for there was something about the man that reminded him of the Tithemaster, Rosika. There was an aura of ancient power about him, despite his decrepitude.

The stench of the man carried on the wind, of sweat and worse. He looked half-dead, but the beastmen had fled from him and Athol did not let his guard down.

The stranger stopped a few paces away and with his free hand swept the hair back out of his face, revealing eyes that were bright and agile, taking in every detail of Athol. A few grunts and other wordless noises issued from the man’s mouth. He stopped, face screwed up in concentration, and formed words with slow, deliberate care.

‘Your… coming… was… seen.’

Athol was shocked, not because of the content of the words, but because he understood them. They were spoken not in the adopted tongue of Aridian, but the old language of the Khul.

He had known it, the moment the last stroke of paint had started to dry upon the walls. He had looked at the scene, the russet forest clearing and the images of the gor-folk surrounding the stranger. The painter had felt the burden ease, the weight of so many years dreaming and painting and fearing failure had lessened.

But it had not gone, and as he’d looked at the pictures he had realised that they did not tell of what would come to pass. This was not prophecy granted to him, but remembrance.

All but the last few images.

It had not made sense at first; the story had seemed to stop suddenly and then begin again but go nowhere. Realisation had set his heart juddering in his chest – this was not the story of a man, but a people and the spirit that led them. It was the bloodline that he recalled, distilled into the greatest of their kind.

And the carrier of that ancestral legacy was in danger.

Now that he looked at the man he saw everything as it was in the final dreams. Not the body of lean muscle, nor the fierce countenance. The soul, the fire within, burned as the soul of the first child in the paintings. It was not the waning light that lit him with its aura; there was a burning spirit about the man.

‘How do know that ancient tongue?’ the man asked, head cocked to one side. ‘What is your name?’

‘Name?’ The painter cackled, trying to find the meaning of the sentence amongst the jumbled ruins that were left of his mind.

‘What are you called?’ The warrior pointed to his own chest. ‘I am Athol Khul.’

It had been so long since he had spoken; he was not sure how many days, seasons, years had passed since he had met a living thing with which to exchange words. He had dredged up the knowledge on seeing the man but it was fleeting, like a butterfly on a meadow’s flowers. Memory, older still than the paintings, flashed through his thoughts. Among the screaming and beating, a word repeated.

‘Lashkar.’

The warrior from the painting looked at him with narrowed eyes, his spear arm moving to an attack position.

‘There was one of my people called Lashkar, lifetimes ago.’

The painter grinned and nodded. The more he heard of the words, the more they drove out the images in his thoughts, replacing them with the clarity of language.

‘Yes. I am Lashkar.’

‘The Bloodspeaker? The leader of the Khul that brought us across the worlds?’

The question brought its own flood of recollection. Rites of blood, the splashing of life on sacred stones to open the portal between realms. Revelation brought further comprehension, the lifetimes of mad toil sloughing away from his thoughts under the cleansing of human contact.

‘Yes, that was me.’ He saw confusion, and no small amount of horror. ‘I was the Bloodspeaker. I saved the Khul.’

‘I… How…?’ Athol – the name he had used – visibly took stock of Lashkar, teeth gritted. His nostrils flared as he inhaled deeply, calming himself. ‘Our elders say that you slaughtered your own people. Killed your family.’

‘A few,’ he admitted. ‘Enough to appease the power that kept the ancient gates locked.’

Athol absorbed this without comment, though his fingers fidgeted on the haft of his spear.

‘Athol Khul. You have been led to me, yes?’

The warrior nodded.

‘And I have been waiting for you. Come. Come with me and learn the truth of the Khul and the Black Flames.’

Athol glanced around the clearing, perhaps suspecting the gor-folk would return. They would not. Lashkar’s presence since he had fully awakened the shrine kept them cowed, sometimes even terrified. Then Athol’s eyes strayed past Lashkar, towards the mount. Lashkar saw recognition in the gaze, and an expression of hope.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

By the light of a flickering brand, Athol paced around the immense cave, trying to take in the size of Lashkar’s endeavour. Every reachable surface was covered with paint, showing intimate portraits and broad vistas, spanning worlds and lifetimes he could not comprehend.

‘You know that the Khul are not of these lands,’ the Bloodspeaker told him. ‘They are not even of this realm.’

‘I don’t understand what you mean.’ Athol looked closer at a painting of a battle, on the one side a horde of black and red, the other white and blue. Towers toppled and the skies flared with energy. Some of the figures were wrought in more detail, armoured warriors arrayed against slender creatures with pointed ears and wide eyes. ‘What realm?’

Lashkar sighed and sat down near the fire, gesturing for Athol to join him. He tossed the brand into the flames and seated himself on the floor beside the Bloodspeaker.

‘The Khul were born on a world that existed a long time ago, before the realms were created. There was a war beyond our darkest nightmares and brightest dreams, and that world was broken apart.’

‘And from the fragments, Sigmar forged a new world,’ said Athol. ‘I know this story.’

‘Everything you know is a lie,’ said Lashkar. ‘Sigmar did not create the Great Parch, nor any part of the realms. They are the remnants of magic made real, created out of the destruction of the World-That-Was.’

‘By who?’

‘By nature. By fate. Who knows? Sigmar found them, he did not make them.’

‘You speak of several realms, but how can that be? We live upon this world.’

‘One of many, even within Aqshy. Eight magical forces shattered the World-That-Was, and each became a realm. Our most distant ancestors that survived in the Wardstone Peaks, a region of Ghur, which is the true name of the Realm of Beasts. But we could not thrive there. Sigmar came and brought lies and cities, and our people were called savages because they remembered the ways of blood.’

‘Like the Last Forge?’

Lashkar’s face split with a broad grin.

‘Yes. It was gifted to us by our gods, the ones we served before Sigmar turned all ears against them.’

‘So, the Black Flames were a way to move from Ghur to this place? Aqshy, you called it.’

‘Yes, the realms are connected by gateways. I found one that had been closed a long time, but I saw the old marks on it. Signs of blood that would awaken it.’

‘Your family? Why sisters and brothers?’

‘Would it have been better to kill another’s kin? Blood was needed, so I gave up what I could not take from another. I hid my intention and only when we had passed through did the elders discover my crime.’

‘And somehow you have survived until now.’ Athol looked at the wizened figure. ‘How is that possible?’

Lashkar pointed to the paintings, ignoring the question.

‘But what do they mean?’ Athol asked, looking again at scenes of bloodshed and conquest, magical duels and mighty feats of arms.

‘This is you, Athol Khul,’ said Lashkar, placing a finger upon Athol’s chest. ‘The spirit of blood has chosen you to be its new champion.’

‘What spirit of blood?’

Lashkar grinned again and stood up. He indicated for Athol to do the same and headed back towards the rope ladder.

The climb to the top of the mountain was difficult in the failing light. Lashkar sprang up the trail like a goat but Athol’s ankle twisted on every rock and root, his spear catching on every protrusion they passed – though the Bloodspeaker had told him he would not need the weapon, he could not leave it behind.

He was not sure what to expect and so when they passed between two tall rocks like gate towers he stopped dead, struck by the fire-like glow that emanated from the cauldron beyond. At the far side of the depression a blaze flickered from a crack in the ground, but it was the rocky floor closer to him that drew his eye. Distinct lines criss-crossed the broad space, delineating a visible rune.

The same as the one on the Last Forge. It was identical to the symbol on the head of the spear he had wielded in his blood-dreams.

‘What does it mean?’ he asked, tone hushed by the pervading atmosphere of power.

‘It is the skull rune of the blood spirit.’ Lashkar moved further into the depression, eyes glinting in the unnatural light. ‘The liars of Sigmar have their anvil shrines. This is where the true power of our realm comes from, the spirits of magic that were chained beyond the sky, their energy moulded into the realms we inhabit.’

‘My dream brought me here,’ said Athol, walking slowly around the ruddy basin, eyes following the lines of the skull rune again and again. ‘The mountain of skulls. The fire. The blood.’

‘You are of the Khul – it is in you to feel this thing. The blood spirit moves now, turning its eternal gaze upon us. Long has it waited. Its presence fans the fire in the hearts of those deluded by the tricks of Sigmar’s loyal thieves. Your anger is the anger of a king denied his rightful rule. Like the maggots that eat upon the flesh of the dead, we graze on the body of the blood spirit in ignorance of its magnificence. Now we have a chance to awaken it, to bring back the power that is inside you.’

Athol was not sure. Lashkar had slain his own family, taken them in secret and chopped off their heads. He could not be trusted.

Athol noticed something at the centre of the great rune. A polished skull, almost like that of a dog but too large, the eyes and cheeks not quite right. There were some parts missing.

‘My offering,’ said Lashkar, coming up beside him. Athol stepped away, out of reach, his eye straying to the crude knife in the Bloodspeaker’s belt. ‘You must make yours and then you’ll see the spirit of blood too.’

‘Stay back,’ growled Athol when Lashkar followed him. ‘What sort of offering?’

‘Blood, of course.’ Lashkar moved back towards the shrine’s opening, a hand held out towards the forest beyond. ‘Find a beast and bring it here.’

‘Why? What does this spirit of blood want with me? Why has it cursed my dreams with this awful mountaintop?’

‘Because it needs you. Because you need it.’ The other man’s words rang true, connecting with a feeling deep within Athol. Lashkar gestured again towards the outside of the stone ring. ‘Bring the blood of battle to this place and offer up the head of your victim.’

Athol stalked forward, spear at the ready.

‘If this is a trick, it will be your head that adorns this place.’

The Bloodspeaker nodded and stepped aside, letting him head towards the two gate-rocks.

Athol stopped at the threshold and looked back at the sigil gleaming in the ground. ‘A skull for the skull rune.’

CHAPTER NINETEEN

The sun disappeared below the line of the shrine wall-stones, so Lashkar sat in the blood-red gleam of the rune’s glow. The arrival of Athol had been like the crack in the dam across the river of his memories, first bringing a trickle and now a flood. With words to give meaning to the images, a semblance of human thought to shape the experiences again, Lashkar revisited the scenes that had flashed through his thoughts so many times in the past.

Like wolves circled by hunting hounds, the Khul had been forced to make a stand in the mountains north of their ancestral lands. Peaks of gold-veined rock tipped with black ash had provided little game to hunt, as their pursuers had known. In the foothills camped a vast army that had marched beneath the flags of thirteen nations; human, aelven and duardin combined. An alliance the Khul had thought impossible, forged by the Hammer-God Sigmar.

Aorgas the chieftain, his brother, had demanded that Lashkar divine the fate of his people, offering up his blood for the scrying. The Bloodspeaker had cut his leader as demanded, spilling the life-fluid into a brass bowl. Looking within, Lashkar had seen the Black Flames as clear as a reflection and the gate had called to him, pulsing in his veins.

But Aorgas had been a weak man; it had been his vice and pride that had led to the war with the city-dwellers. Lashkar saw another vision in the pool of his own blood. That night he had taken Aorgas and the rest of the family into the hidden valley to the dead gate. They had lain down to sleep in its shadow and Lashkar had fallen upon them without warning, taking a blade to their throats, one after the other.

He had not hesitated, for the call of the blood spirit was in him, showing him the road to salvation for his people.

And what a salvation!

Plains of grass and herds of beasts to hunt and farm, as far as the eye could see. Not a city in sight, and though the heat was oppressive, the suns in the sky promised growth and renewal.

The others had not seen it that way and, having come upon the bodies on the far side of the Black Flames, had cursed Lashkar. He had not fled, but faced their wrath. But they guessed his intent, for to kill him, to take his head in the time-honoured fashion of the Khul, would be to seal the pact he had made with the blood spirit. Already there were those that had been tainted by the word of Sigmar. They called for banishment, driving him from the tribe into the endless plains, thinking that he would die there as he would have done in their more desolate home.

And so the blood spirit had filled him with its anger and its hunger, driving him to the cave, spilling itself out through the painting on the walls, until its call had been answered by another. It was there still, much diminished, sated like the feaster at the end of a debauched night.

Lashkar was not worried for Athol. Though he ventured into the woods at night, he was the chosen of the blood spirit. The air was alight with the power waiting to be unleashed, the flickering glow of the rune stronger than ever.

The first of the night-moons rose over the stones before he heard a grunting from the pathway. Athol appeared sometime later, dragging the colossal bullheaded gor-man. Lashkar sprang to his feet.

‘I thought perhaps one of the smaller ones,’ he said, eyes wide.

‘If I am to make this offering, it will count greater than anything from you,’ replied Athol.

Lashkar grinned and backed away, waving for Athol to bring the beast into the shrine.

‘It is alive?’

‘Yes. The blood of battle, you said.’

Athol cut the bindings on the creature and rolled it to its back with his foot, spear in hand. He backed away and crouched, ready to fight, eyes locked on the beast. Lashkar put as much distance as possible between himself and the bull-man, his back to the fiery chasm that split the shrine.

Snorting, the gor-man roused, shaking its broad head as it sat up. Its nostrils flared as its vision cleared, seeing Athol right in front of it. With a bellow, the beast heaved itself onto all fours, about to stand.

Athol did not wait, but lunged forward, the blazing tip of his spear piercing the creature’s eye, punching out of the back of its head. Brains and blood showered down onto the rune upon which it had been laid, every gobbet and drop greeted with a flare of light like oil on a flame. He ripped the weapon free and the bull-man slumped sideways, spilling more blood into the channels in the rock. The progress of the leaking fluid was easy to follow, like molten bronze poured into a mould.

‘Why are you here?’ asked Lashkar, stepping towards Athol.

‘To find a way to protect my people.’ His hand moved to a half-sword at his waist, fingers stroking the scabbard.

‘But why are you here?’

Athol frowned and pointed the spear at the dead gor-man.

‘You said I needed to offer sacrifice.’

‘Why have you come to the mountain of the skull?’ Lashkar struggled to think of some other way to phrase the question. He could feel the blood spirit stirring, within him and within the peak, drawn closer by the powerful offering of blood.

‘I need a way to defeat the Tithemasters.’ Athol stood over the corpse and took his spear two-handed, driving the point into the base of the creature’s skull, separating the spine. He worked the blade back and forth and then knelt, sawing away the last sinews with his knife. Holding it by a horn, he lifted up the immense head. ‘I offer this skull to the blood spirit.’

‘What do you want?’ Lashkar demanded, prowling around the edge of the mystical crucible.

The other man thought about this for some time, eyes cast out over the forest, back towards the Flamescar Plateau.

‘Power,’ he said eventually. ‘Strength. The ability to overcome my enemies. An army that will defeat all that it comes upon.’

‘Yes!’ crowed Lashkar. ‘That is the blood of the Khul. What are you willing to give?’

Athol strode forward and hurled the head into the flame-gleaming crevasse. Lashkar smiled.

‘An offering is good. But what are you willing to give? Your life?’

‘Yes.’ The answer came without hesitation.

‘Your soul?’

This time Athol did not answer immediately. He looked keenly at Lashkar, the ruddy light glinting in his eyes. There was no price he would not pay for his family.

‘Yes. I would give even my soul for this.’

Lashkar was about to speak when he felt something judder inside him. It was as though his heart stopped and his bones split, filling him with a sudden agony. He parted his lips, head thrown back to cry out, but no sound came forth. He heard the crackle of flames growing loud, felt the heat of dancing fire on his back and knew that the chasm was raging with an inferno.

The rune around him blazed in reply, its red light streaming towards him, its touch like sharp blades opening up hundreds of tiny cuts upon his skin, each welling with a single droplet of blood. The bloodskin grew, forming a thin veil across him, flowing over torso and limb, enveloping him from feet to scalp. As though he were opened up from within, the blood spirit moved into him, using his body and soul as its doorway as he had used it to save the Khul in that distant time.

Athol fought the urge to flee as Lashkar’s body continued to shudder, coated in a crimson film of its own blood. He opened his mouth and it seemed as though there were embers inside, curls of black smoke issuing from his throat. All of Athol’s attention narrowed down to that face, grimacing madly, though with ecstasy or agony it was impossible to say. The world itself might have disappeared, the stars swallowed, the mountaintop plunged into a pit of fire, for all Athol saw was a face sheathed in rippling blood, with a mouth of flames, the lips starting to char.

Then came a sound even louder than the greatest crash of thunder.

KHUL!

The word shook the mountaintop, causing Athol to fall to one knee. He kept his grip on his spear, knowing somehow that he could not relinquish his weapon in the face of this apparition. Instead he placed his fist on the ground in front of him, haft within its grasp, a salute to the manifestation of the blood spirit.

The lips were blackened now, the tongue a lash of fire that roved with a will of its own, the eyes like pools of molten bronze. Athol could no more break the gaze of that stare than he could topple the mountain with a punch.

DO YOU KNOW ME?

‘You are the blood spirit.’

MY NAME, MORTAL. DO YOU KNOW MY NAME?

Athol shook his head.

Lashkar’s mouth split wider than was possible, stubs of rotted teeth becoming sharp fangs.

I AM THE SKULL KING. THE GOD OF RAGE. LORD OF THE BRASS CITADEL. THE BLOOD OF BATTLE-SLAIN. I AM REVENGE UPON YOUR FOES. I AM CONQUEST INCARNATE. I AM THE FIRE THAT CONSUMED HEARTS AND WORLDS.

A single syllable forced its way up through the roiling froth of Athol’s thoughts, dredged up from where it had lain hidden in the blood of his people for a score of generations.

‘Khorne. We called you Khorne.’

I AM KHORNE. THE BLOOD GOD. DESTROYER OF FAITH. BURNER OF THE WEAK. EATER OF SOULS.

Finally, Athol bowed before the onslaught of the presence, his eyes streaming, shoulders sagging beneath the weight of the words laid upon him. Sweat slicked his skin and there was an ache in his bones as though his body were the weight of the mountain.

‘I… am…’

YOU ARE FEEBLE. THE KHUL WERE ONCE MY BLADE EDGE, THE TIP OF THE SPEAR, THE SPIKE OF THE MACE. NOW BLUNTED AND USELESS. WIELDED BY A LESS WORTHY HAND.

The words stung Athol, the rejection like ice in his veins. He rejected the judgement. Gritting his teeth, he forced his head up, straining every muscle in his neck to look at the thing that had taken over Lashkar. It seemed to tower over him, a column of boiling blood and fire with the faint silhouette of a man within. Two black pits for eyes narrowed and regarded him with immortal hatred.

DEFIANCE?

Athol pushed himself to a crouch, muscles burning with effort, sinews straining in every joint. With a trembling hand, he lifted his spear above his head, the war cry of his people screamed into the thunderous tumult of the Blood God’s presence.

‘Ava-Khul! Ava-Khul! Ava-Khul!’

A bolt of golden fire leapt from the apparition and struck Athol in the chest, hurling him across the cauldron of the shrine. A snaking tendril of black smoke and roiling molten brass formed in the air, pinning him down to the hard rock.

I CAN GIVE YOU THE ARMY YOU SEEK, KHUL. I CAN MAKE YOU STRONGER THAN ANY MORTAL IN THIS REALM. I CAN GRANT YOU IMMORTALITY, A HUNDRED LIFETIMES TO ACCOMPLISH YOUR DREAMS.

‘Yes… Yes, I want that,’ snarled Athol. He pictured an army crushing the Tithemasters, sweeping all of the enemies of the Khul from the Flamescar Plateau. There would be no enemy that could threaten his people again.

IT IS NOT A GIFT, BUT A BARGAIN. YOU SHALL NOT GROW OLD NOR DIE, AND YOUR BODY SHALL WEAR THE WORST OF WOUNDS AND LIVE. BUT IF EVER YOUR HEAD COMES AWAY FROM YOUR NECK, ALL WILL END. YOUR SKULL IS MINE AND I SHALL TAKE IT WHEN SEVERED.

‘I…’ Athol’s words were lost as Khorne’s booming words filled every part of him.

I WILL NOT TRICK YOU. YOU WILL SURRENDER TO ME AND I WILL GIVE YOU THE POWER YOU NEED TO DEFEAT YOUR FOES. ALL FOES. BUT YOU SHALL BE MINE. I SHALL BE IN YOU. EVERY VICTORY YOU WIN WILL BE MY VICTORY.

Athol’s eyes misted, his vision filling with scenes of bloody conquest as though Lashkar’s paintings had come to life. He felt tears dribble down his cheeks and lifted a finger to touch his face, coming away with a spot of blood on the tip.

He sought to picture Marolin and Eruil, searching his memory for them amidst an unending torrent of carnage. His other hand gripped tight to the hilt of the half-sword, seeking its bound leather as a piece of the real world, bringing him back to the stone circle.

IF YOU KNOW DEFEAT, I WILL ABANDON YOU. YOUR BODY WILL CHANGE, FOR YOU WILL NOT BE MORTAL ANY LONGER. THIS BLESSING WILL NOT BE UPON YOUR KIN, UNLESS THEY MAKE SUCH A BARGAIN THEMSELVES. IN TIME THEY WILL AGE AND DIE. YOUR PEOPLE WILL BECOME AS DUST AND YOU WILL OUTLIVE THEM.

‘And if I do not pledge myself to you?’

YOU WILL RETURN TO YOUR PEOPLE, TO SEE THEM DIE OR BE ENSLAVED. ANOTHER POWER SEEKS YOU NOW, SENSING MY STRENGTH IN YOU. IT WILL TEAR YOUR SOUL FROM YOUR BODY AND TORMENT IT FOREVER. MY POWER DRAWS THE EYE OF THIS RIVAL, AND IT HAS DECLARED THE DOOM OF YOUR PEOPLE. IT FEARS WHAT WILL COME TO PASS IF YOU MAKE THIS PACT WITH ME.

The serpentine appendage of smoke evaporated, leaving Athol gasping on the ground. His fingers still held tight to the haft of his spear, reminding him of Humekhta and the Aridians. His people, his great-grandfather, had made cause with them to find peace. They had survived but they had not prospered. Peace had run its course and now war was coming, unlooked-for but inevitable.

He stood and advanced to the centre of the skull rune, planting the haft of the spear in the centre of the depression. He drew a knife and cut himself across the palm, as though making a pact with a mortal foe, fist held up so that rivulets of his blood ran down his arm.

‘I pledge myself to you. With my blood I seal this pact. My life is yours. My body is yours. My soul is yours.’ A phrase came to him, unknown until now like the name of the power to which he swore. ‘Blood for the Blood God!’

THE PACT IS SEALED. KNOW YOUR TRUE NAME AND CONQUER ALL FOR KHORNE.

An ear-splitting roar consumed Athol as he saw what he thought was an impossibly large blade cut the sky. An arc of red lightning spat down and struck him, setting his body afire with black flames. Another hit him but did not dissipate, lifting him bodily above the shrine, where more forks of power seared from the tips of the standing stones, bathing him with ruddy light. From here he saw that the shrine looked like a maw, lined with black fangs, and the fire chasm was in fact a pair of glaring eyes with furrowed brow.

In a heartbeat the storm disappeared.

Shrouded in silence that was more haunting than the booming voice of the Blood God, trailing wisps of smoke from charred flesh, Athol fell. He hit the ground at speed, driving all sense and thought from him.

Sunlight on his eyelids woke him. Every piece of him felt charged with energy. He could feel each stone beneath him, every piece of grit and pebble that touched his skin, aware to the slightest breeze over his face and even the fluctuations in the light as clouds passed above.

A darker shadow eclipsed the light and his eyes snapped open, revealing a tall, heavily muscled man standing over him. Khul rolled backwards, fingers snatching at the spear that still lay by his side, coming to his feet ready to fight.

‘Good reflexes,’ said the stranger, though his voice was familiar.

‘Lashkar?’

The Bloodspeaker nodded and grinned.

‘For my service to Khorne I have been restored.’

‘Restored? This is how you used to look?’

Lashkar bent his head to examine himself, all taut muscle and rangy limbs.

‘Yes. This was how I was before I led our people through the Black Flames. You did not think a Bloodspeaker would really be an emaciated whelp?’

Recollection flooded back and Athol’s hand moved to his chest, where the last bolt had struck him. His fingers felt a ridge of scar tissue there, mapping the lines until he could make out the shape. It was a version of the same rune that had been carved into the shrine floor.

‘Khorne’s mark,’ said Lashkar. ‘You are his warrior now.’

The tingling sensation was fading, his normal senses returning. Even so, the sky seemed brighter, the sounds sharper than before. Perhaps it was just the deep sleep that had cleared away the fatigue of his long trek.

‘So now we return to the Khul,’ he said.

Lashkar frowned and as his brow wrinkled the creases in the skin formed a skull rune. His own mark, it seemed.

‘To do what? Khorne has blessed you, but you cannot yet stand alone against an army.’

‘Yet?’ Athol could not stop a smile at the thought of such prowess being his for the taking.

‘You need a host to lead if you are going to defeat the Tithemasters.’

‘I think that’s more unlikely than ever,’ said Athol, gesturing towards the mark upon him. ‘The words of Sigmar have chained many on the Flamescar plains.’

‘There are other ways.’ Lashkar stretched, easing the muscles in his shoulders and neck. He was a little taller even than Athol, almost as broad. ‘While I was transformed back to my former stature, Khorne granted me sight beyond mortal means. I can see what he desires me to see, hear what he desires me to hear. I am to be his tongue in these lands, so that the lies of Sigmar are driven out and the true word of Khorne shall be spread in runes of blood.’

‘And what does Khorne wish you to see?’

Lashkar laid a hand upon Athol’s shoulder and led him to the gate-stones, so that the pair of them looked out to the forests and the plains to the south. In the distance rose the iron-flanked peak of Vostargi Mont, fortress of the last duardin. Storm clouds gathered in the skies beyond. The Bloodspeaker lifted a gnarled hand and pointed.

‘Far beyond what we see, the tribes gather. A Red Feast has been called, a summons to council and trial.’

‘I know of the Red Feast. Two have been called in my lifetime, though before I was of age to compete. People from across the Flamescar will gather at the Clavis Isles to make alliance, to feast and to mend rivalries.’ He had proposed an idea to the elders, and now it seemed opportunity presented itself. ‘The perfect time to forge a new army against the Tithemasters.’

He made to start down the path again but Lashkar’s hand on his shoulder stopped him.

‘There is one other thing, one more revelation of Khorne you must hear.’

Athol turned, leaning on his spear.

‘What is it?’

‘To mark your passing from the vale of mortals to the road of immortals you will take a new name.’ Lashkar moved his hand to Athol’s brow, laying fingers upon the skin as though he were physically bestowing the blessing of the Skull Lord. ‘From this moment on Athol Khul is no more. You are bound to the Blood God and in your name shall he be recognised. You are his champion now.’

‘I understand. I shall take the name–’

‘The name has been chosen, it is not for you to take.’ Lashkar stepped back and crossed his arms. ‘For evermore shall your name be cursed by your foes and celebrated by your allies. That name is your title. The ancient name for our leader, abandoned when we stepped through the Black Flames and the Sigmar-tongues made you forget the true ways.’

‘Korghos.’ Athol recalled the word from the oldest tales his grandfather had told him. ‘I shall be the Bloodking. I will be Korghos of the Khul.’

Lashkar bent to one knee, hands clasped to his chest.

‘Praise Khorne. Hail Korghos Khul!’

CHAPTER TWENTY

Slipping his axe free from its loop, Threx strode towards the encampment of the Korchians. Ahead of him Atraxas led three hundred Hall Guards, their mail glinting in the light of the morning sun above Clavis Volk. An entourage headed by Nerxes followed the Ashen King: Foraza with the banner, adorned now with the symbol of the Ashen King; Vourza with her horn in hand; and Kexas leading a party of four bearers carrying a great iron chest on poles, smouldering with coals taken from the Pyre.

The Korchians had raised up a village of timbered huts for their champions and their supporters, creating streets among the towering trees that dominated the side of the island that faced the sunrise. Warriors and their families stared at the Ashen King, some of them hissing insults, others restricting their antipathy to their gazes.

‘Are you sure you want to do this?’ asked Nerxes. ‘Atraxas could fight one of Yourag’s warriors first.’

‘No, we settle this matter before everything else.’

‘This is about more than your feud with Yourag.’

Threx darted an annoyed glanced at his cousin.

‘I know. But the alliance against us stems from the Korchians. When I remove Yourag, others will think twice before speaking out against the Skullbrands.’

‘And I suppose that if you die, we can spend the rest of the Red Feast gorging ourselves.’ Nerxes’ quick smile took the edge off his words.

‘I cannot lose,’ said Threx. He looked over his shoulder towards the Pyrebearers. It was not the heat from the coals that he felt, but a deeper source of energy. He and the fiery contents were connected, their presence sending a thrill of energy though him. ‘I have brought the power of the Asha Vale with me.’

‘A masterful plan, Ashen King.’

Threx darted a look at his cousin, suspecting sarcasm, but saw nothing in Nerxes’ expression.

‘Yes,’ said the leader of the Skullbrands. ‘It was.’

There was a wider space at the heart of the Korchian camp, of flattened grass and several stumps of felled trees, set before a larger construction than the others. Threx had waited only a handful of days between arriving and setting out his first challenge but the procession of the Skullbrands had been noted.

Yourag was not alone. One of his giants held his banner next to him, Soreas on the other side, decked in gilded armour, the blazon of Sigmar’s hammer moulded upon its breastplate. The Korchians had company. Tribes from across the Flamescar Plateau were still arriving, hundreds of warriors gathering for the honour duels and associated festivities, from places and peoples only dimly remembered.

Threx counted fourteen more banners, each marking another chieftain waiting before the hall, each with a Sigmar-tongue at their shoulder.

Atraxas and the Hall Guards split, forming three lines fifty-strong to either side, their weapons bared, shields lifted. Threx entered the open space with his companions close by, stopping just fifty paces from his rivals.

‘Sound the challenge.’

‘What?’ Vourza looked at Threx and then the other leaders a stone’s throw away. ‘I think they already know we’re here.’

Threx gritted his teeth, determined not to look at her, his gaze fixed on Yourag.

‘Sound the challenge, Vourza.’

A moment later, the horn blast sounded, ringing in his ear for some time after the note had ended. He saw Yourag sneering, looks of annoyance on the faces of others. It was pleasing to see them vexed. Threx had not come here for allies, but to destroy his enemies.

‘Come for a fight, have you?’ called Yourag.

‘I’ve come to finish what I started at Wendhome.’ Threx took another step forward and brandished his axe. ‘My blade’s edge is sharp for your neck, Yourag.’

‘It’s as dull as your brain, Threx the Forsaken.’

‘That’s what she’s calling me, is it?’ Threx pointed his axe at Soreas. ‘It’s funny, but only last three-moonsfall did you say she was a bloated sow, and here you are hanging on her every word.’

‘It is Sigmar that has forsaken you,’ yelled his mother, raising her hand above her head, fingers splayed towards the heavens. ‘Through Yourag’s blade, His wrath will be swift and deadly.’

‘We’ll see soon enough, won’t we?’ Threx lowered his axe, turning the blade back and forth so that it caught the morning light. ‘I see you have a new weapon, Yourag. I hope this one is better forged than the last.’

The Korchian chieftain had a wider sword than the one that had broken beneath Threx’s axe, and in place of his buckler he carried an oval shield decorated with a red drakon’s head. He brandished the tulwar, swiping left and right a few times.

‘Golvarian red iron, you pig-son,’ Yourag called out. ‘Anointed with sacred oil upon the Godanvil at Fireford.’

Threx’s humour dissipated. That was quite a weapon if it was true. He rallied quickly, half turning towards his companions.

‘You know that I had to call a Red Feast just so that it would be a fair fight? All of this trouble because Yourag of the Korchians hides behind his warriors.’

The others laughed and jeered on cue. At a nod from Atraxas, the Hall Guard beat their weapons on their shields and stamped their feet, rousing a great din for several heartbeats.

Yourag smiled and his confidence dented Threx’s mood.

‘I’m not hiding behind anyone today.’ The Korchian indicated the tribal leaders to his left and right. ‘Yet as much as I would love to cut that flapping tongue out of your mouth, it seems that I might have to wait my turn.’

Threx didn’t understand what he meant, until a tall woman standing a few paces to the right of Yourag stepped forward. She was clad in plates of red leather over bronze mail, all but her eyes hidden behind a gilded aventail that hung from her conical helm. In her hands she held a bladed staff, more like a double-headed spear. A banner arched like a crest over her from a pole strapped to her back, and the massive feathers of red, black and grey had to have come from a monstrous gorgogryph.

‘I am Els of the Ruinwander, hammer in the fist of Sigmar. I challenge Threx Skullbrand to a test of arms.’

‘Wait…’

A burly, dark-skinned chieftain took a pace. Threx recognised the chain-and-ball he carried, copied in gold upon his banner – the leader of the Sparkash, a tribe from the coast near the Clavis Isles. Yourag’s alliance had spread far during his travels to the Red Feast.

‘I am Dorgan the Proud, head-cleaver of the Sparkash tribes. I challenge Threx Skullbrand to a test of arms.’

One by one the fourteen leaders made their challenges while Yourag sheathed his blade and stood with arms crossed, grinning broadly. Fourteen warriors, each a veteran and champion among their tribes. Some Threx had heard of, a couple he had met before, and all of them stared at him with open hostility. Whatever words had been sown by Soreas, they had fallen on fertile ground and sprouted into bountiful hatred.

Threx was equally aware of the scrutiny of his own people. He could imagine Nerxes’ discomfort, Foraza’s expectation. It was a move intended to intimidate him. Regardless of how deft he was with the axe, the odds of surviving fourteen trials to face Yourag were slim. Impossible, his father might have said. But Threx was not his father. He was Ashen King now, and the power of the Pyre, the spirit of the Asha Vale was with him.

He turned and gestured for the ember-bearers and Kexas to come forward. They brought the burning ashes with them, setting down the large casket in front of Threx. Kexas stood to one side of the smouldering artefact, dressed in his full ceremonial robes, face hidden behind a blank, black mask.

‘You have defiled the spirit of the Asha Vale,’ the Keeper of the Pyre intoned, raising a heavily gloved hand to point at Soreas. ‘In falsehood you kept the Skullbrands in slavery, chained to the weakness of your own soul.’

‘Lies!’ Soreas’ own accusing finger shot back at Kexas. ‘The subterfuge was yours!’

‘It was the whispers of false prayer that robbed your husband of the Pyre’s blessing. Now the spirit of the Asha Vale has returned, incarnate in the true Ashen King, Threx Skullbrand. He will restore the honour of the Pyre and extinguish those that utter false promise.’

‘Profanity!’ A bearded Sigmar-tongue stomped out from behind one of the other chieftains. Rolls of parchment tied to the haft of his ceremonial hammer swayed on their ribbons. A tattoo of a hammer was blazoned on his bare chest, its head encircled by a halo of lightning bolts. ‘Hear the damnation from his own lips. The Skullbrands have turned from the Hammer-God and embraced the darkness of ancient savagery once more.’

There was an uneasy muttering from some of the Hall Guards, silenced by a growled threat from Atraxas. More accusations flew from the lips of Yourag’s sanctimonious allies.

‘Violator!’

‘Unholy beast!’

‘Blood-drinker!’

Threx laughed, long and loud, drinking in their hatred like sweet mead.

‘Enough of your posturing, you frauds,’ he bellowed, striding up to the ashes of the Pyre. ‘I shall show you the truth of my power.’

At his will the embers leapt into fresh flame, flutters of orange and green that danced up from the iron casket. He passed his axe to Nerxes and stood behind the chest. Eyes fixed on Yourag, he thrust his hands into the fire. Flame licked up his arms, charring the skin, seeping through flesh into bone, but he did not feel it. He was the spirit of the Asha Vale. He was the sacred fire.

Lifting up his arms, he showed them to his foes, fists blazing like brands. At his gesture Kexas returned his axe and the flames licked along the weapon and engulfed the head, trickling like burning oil along the edges of the blade.

‘I have only one question for you,’ Threx declared, gaze moving along the line of stunned chieftains. ‘Am I going to fight you all together, or one at a time?’

‘It’s… incredible.’

From the steep flanks of Clavis Volk, which itself spread so far that it took two days for a person to walk across, Threx could look out across the Wandering Straits and see the other Clavis Isles, and as far as the coast of the mainland. To his left, beyond the horizon of sun-stroked horizon broken by the summits of the lesser isles, the waters ran to the Vitriol Sea. To his right, they stretched an equal distance to Ocean of Tears. Places he had only heard of, never visited, like the Clavis Isles until a few days ago. Names from memory, in tales of seafaring tribes that never saw land or preyed on the coastal towns, and great beasts of the deeps that could swallow a ship whole or drag a Capiliaria merchantman to the depths with a flurry of mast-thick tentacles.

The islands were clustered with new-sprung camps, most of canvas and metal, others of hewn timber brought over the waves or taken from the woods of the island. In many places the ships that had brought the tribes and their champions had been beached and turned into shelters, their hulls split to make cabins, their bright sails sewn into awnings against the blistering sea sun.

The water itself was still dotted with arriving vessels, sails full with the constant wind that blew up from the Vitriol Sea. Those closer to the islands yawed and rolled violently as their crews fought against the terrible currents that raged around the islands. Volcanic activity beneath the waves created death-pools and makeshift islands almost overnight, yet other undersea activity could see islands older than a person’s lifetime crumble into themselves and disappear in the passage of a moon’s cycle. Only the Clavis Isles stood relatively immobile, their bedrock formed in the oldest times, before the tumult of the seas had begun.

On the distant shoreline a darkness seemed to stain the ground, where the supporters of the champions and entourages sent to the islands waited. They would have their own banquets and contests, though of far lesser import than those that took place on Clavis Volk.

Having called the Red Feast, the Skullbrands had been first to cross to the island, staking their claim to the prime position on the side of the central mount. They were sheltered from the constant hot wind, yet enjoyed daybreak and sunset in full view, and of course they were the closest to the summit, where the Table of Okhon awaited the victorious champions.

‘I created this.’

‘I suppose,’ conceded Nerxes, surveying the mass of humanity from beside the Ashen King. ‘The tradition still holds a great attraction. More than nine hundred champions have arrived and others are still coming. One of the largest gatherings these islands have seen in five lifetimes, like the greatest Red Feasts of our ancestors.’

‘Yes.’ Threx cracked his knuckles. He could still feel the tug of the Pyre, though the ashes were some distance away in the hall being raised in his honour. ‘Others feel what I have felt. The lands are ready for great change. The Pyre showed us the future, of a war that will shadow all that came before it. A battle of the ages that will become legend. The Sigmar-tongues know that it comes and are afraid. The Flamescar is alive with its power. That is why so many champions heed my call. I speak with the voice of glory-to-be.’

‘And yet not one has seen fit to offer alliance with you against your challengers,’ said Nerxes.

‘Yourag is a coward for not giving me time to issue challenge to him.’

‘He’ll be a living coward, it seems.’

‘You don’t rate my chances?’ said Threx, turning to look at his cousin. Nerxes opened his mouth and then closed it, fearful of what to say. Threx laughed, slapping Nerxes hard on the shoulder. ‘If I could see that look on Yourag I’d die a content man! Of course I can’t defeat fourteen foes… But it says something that they thought they would need that many, just to be sure. And their faces when I brandished the power of the Pyre! Worth the long trek by itself, that was.’

Nerxes was silent, not sharing Threx’s good humour. He fidgeted with his belt, gaze set upon the sea of tribesfolk on the hills around them.

‘It was a grand idea,’ said Threx. ‘If it weren’t for the Red Feast we’d already be dead, and the Asha Vale taken by Yourag or one of those other gutless dogs. You gave us time.’

‘I suppose you’re right. Maybe we’ve just delayed the inevitable.’

‘Of course I’m right. I’m the Ashen King, my word is law, my word is the will of the Pyre.’ He looked up at the sky, where Khrosa, the Blood Moon, was almost full. ‘Besides, life is always about delaying the inevitable. If we didn’t we’d be dead as soon as we were born. There’s two more days until the fighting starts. Anything could happen between now and then.’

‘Unwillingness to admit defeat?’

‘We’re not beaten until we’re dead.’

They stood in silence for some time, watching the last of the ships daring the coastal currents. A few were baulked by the riptides and swirling waves, several reached the shoreline relatively intact. Others stopped short, knowing that the intensity of the currents was growing too strong as the Blood Moon swelled greater and greater in the sky.

‘That’ll be the last of them,’ said Threx, hooking a thumb in his belt, axe over his shoulder. He turned back to the cliff path that led down to their encampment.

‘By the Pyre…’ Nerxes’ exclamation and pointing finger drew Threx’s attention back to the sea, where a small raft entered the currents. It was immediately almost capsized, and Threx could see two figures clinging to the mast ropes as the sail half tore away from its yardarm. Like an enraged steed the raft continued to buck and sway across the white-foamed waves, yet each time it seemed to disappear under the waves the raft would break from the foam a moment later, as though carried up by a giant hand.

Against expectation they continued to make headway, passing by a longship that was abandoning the attempt to land. Ropes were thrown down but the two men on the raft ignored the attempts at aid, using the lee of the larger vessel to gain some headway on the wind. They appeared past the bow of the ship heading almost directly to the shore, though considerable whirls and half-hidden rocks lay in wait for them.

‘Someone really wants to get here,’ said Threx, mouth hanging open in astonishment.

‘Desperate, I’d say,’ said Nerxes. A sly grin curved his lip. ‘We should go and help them.’

Threx regarded his cousin for a moment before understanding his intent. He turned and started towards the path at a run, shouting for Atraxas.

Lungs bursting, Korghos thrashed out of a wave, one hand still gripping the remnants of the raft. Across the spume-flecked water he saw Lashkar struggling through the foaming crests, a billow of torn sail as a float under his arm. Gasping, the spear-carrier of the Khul kicked his legs, fighting against the current pushing him away from the shore as well as the weight of his armour trying to drag him down to his death.

He was only fifty paces from the shore but his strength was failing fast. His thighs burned with the effort, his heart a smith’s hammer against his ribs. Spitting salt water, he tried to take in a fresh draught of air but spray filled his mouth, almost choking him.

There were figures on the rocky shoreline, standing and pointing. Korghos didn’t have the breath to call for help, nor did he think any would be forthcoming. To cross to the Clavis Isles was part of the Red Feast’s test. Only those strong and clever enough to do so were permitted to take part.

He floundered again, sucked down by a sudden pull at his legs. The sky disappeared, replaced by bubbles and darkness.

It was a ridiculous way to die. Anger flooded through him but all the rage in the world could not make bronze chainmail float. His chest burned, the tips of his fingers numb where he had desperately wedged them into the loop of rope around the log raft. Now the vessel was broken, the pieces scattered over the waves, this last vestige of the craft above him, keeping him under the water. He couldn’t free his hand any more than he could slip out of the drowning weight of the armour.

He should have stripped down but arriving unarmed and naked on the shore of Clavis Volk would have been no more useful than not arriving at all.

In a swirl of bubbles, he thought he saw Eruil’s face.

Darkness was drawing on the edges of his vision and his pulse was a thunderous beat in his ears. He gave up kicking, left dangling from the wreckage of the raft, the sun flitting though the gaps in the undulating logs.

He saw the face again.

But it was not Eruil’s.

High cheekbones and a broad forehead pushed through the sandy murk. Moments later a strong grip closed around his wrist, pulling him. There were other shapes in the water around him, pushing the raft aside, heaving him bodily up through the surf.

Light and air and warmth greeted him as the strangers lifted and pulled him back onto the remnants of the raft. A desperate gasp and cough ejected the water from his throat, splashing over the crudely cut timbers.

He tried to speak, but only a croak issued from his mouth. Flailing a hand, he tried to point towards Lashkar.

‘We’ve got your friend,’ said the man who had saved him, squatting awkwardly on the rising and falling logs. ‘He’ll live too.’

Falling to his back, his closed his eyes, taking in another painful draught of clean air. He coughed again, but did not rise, feeling the other man’s hand on his to steady him as the raft tilted on a strong wave.

‘My cousin says you must be an idiot or a madman to dare the wrathwaters on this pile of logs.’

‘Not mad. Maybe an idiot,’ he managed to reply. With effort, he sat up, every muscle in his back and neck protesting. ‘I need to get to the Red Feast.’

His rescuer leaned back, showing him that they were almost on the shore. A glance around him revealed three more men kicking hard through the surf, propelling the raft towards the shelf of stone that formed the shoreline.

‘Well, you’ve got here,’ said the man. He rubbed a hand over a shaven scalp, looking back towards the island. ‘Probably the last to make the crossing.’

‘Thank you.’ It seemed bad manners to ask, but he could not keep back the question that nagged him. ‘Why? Why risk yourselves for us?’

‘My cousin’s a clever man, you see,’ said the other. ‘We all have reasons for being here. I’ve a lot of enemies, it turns out. But very few friends. Nerxes, my cousin, he wonders what it is that would drive you to almost kill yourselves getting here. We figure you need friends, perhaps. The sort of friends you can only get at the Red Feast.’

‘You’re right. Your cousin is a clever man. My people, my allies, are facing a threat we cannot defeat alone.’

The stranger offered him a hand and pulled him up, just as the waves washed them onto the shore proper, the raft scraping on the dark rock. They splashed into the ankle-deep water and walked the rest of the way ashore. Lashkar was already sat on the pebbles a short distance away, a cup of something in his hands.

‘I think we have a lot to talk about,’ said the stranger. ‘I am Threx, Ashen King of the Skullbrands.’

‘I’ve heard that name. You called the Red Feast.’

‘Yes.’

‘Then I am glad to meet you.’ He extended his hand and Threx took it, squeezing hard. ‘I am… Korghos Khul.’

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

As the heavens burned, so it seemed did the world. The eerie glow of the Blood Moon lit the sky with flickering trails and fronds of red, while the ruddy light of a score of immense fires swathed the flanks of Clavis Volk. The whole island shook to the pounding of drums and voices raised in laughter and song. Wines, beers and spirits from across the Flamescar Plateau flowed free, with much exchanging and sampling of different brews between the tribes. It was not only alcohol that fuelled the festivities. Other narcotics were smoked, ingested and inhaled, relaxing or stimulating, hallucinogenic or soporific.

This was celebration in its rawest form, an elemental force of life given shape before the bloodshed of the coming days. The quiet-arms was in effect, so that any angered word or belligerence was quickly shouted down or quashed, the offenders ejected from the firesides to sleep off their aggression in the dark.

Apart from the bulk of the celebrations, a smaller group of champions held a dedication ritual. As host of the Red Feast, Threx presided over this event, attended by sixteen of the most respected chieftains from the plains.

Space had been made for the gathering at the edge of the Skullbrands’ encampment, where a pit had been dug and benches cut from timbers taken from the surrounding woodlands. In place of a traditional fire, the coals of the Pyre had been used to fill the pit – an idea of Nerxes’ that Threx had adopted. By the light of the magical flames, fifteen lauded warriors sat down on the benches, platters of food and jugs of drink supplied by a procession of Skullbrand thralls. Each of them had brought one other as a companion, be they family member, standard bearer, Sigmar-tongue or courtly advisor.

Threx watched over the others from a throne hewn out of a single log, its back simply but effectively carved with the horned skull device that was his symbol. He wore only his kilt and boots, his skin covered with ash as was custom for such an important occasion.

The Ashen King raised a goblet to Korghos Khul, who sat to the left with Lashkar beside him. Though the assembly was meant to be of the most influential chieftains, its complement was at the discretion of the host. He had spent some time with Khul since dragging him from the sea, and the two had found much common ground.

On the other side, to Threx’s right, sat Yourag, with Soreas as his guest. Threx wrinkled a lip as he looked at the two of them, deep in conversation with their neighbour, Skolor Helfir, highest chieftain of the Direbrands. He stroked his long moustaches, nodding thoughtfully at whatever it was that Yourag said.

‘I still don’t understand why we included them,’ Threx said to his chosen attendant, Nerxes. ‘We give the Korchians too much credit.’

‘Yourag has the backing of nearly two dozen other tribes,’ his cousin replied. He plucked a grape from a bunch held in his lap but did not eat it. ‘If it looks like you’re breaking with the traditions of the Red Feast you will lose all respect and the coalition against us will grow even stronger.’

Threx sighed, silently admitting the wisdom of Nerxes’ advice.

‘It still doesn’t look too good,’ his cousin muttered, glancing between Yourag talking to the Direbrands and Korghos sat silently watching the others. ‘We’ve recruited one man. Yourag is making alliance with the largest tribe on the plateau.’

‘Did you speak to any of the others? Who else has heard of the Khul?’

‘A few of the northern tribes. Seems they’re something to do with the Aridians. Very good fighters, and loyal. What have you learnt from the man himself?’

‘He needs the same as us – an army.’ Threx leaned forward, elbows on knees. ‘There’s a floating citadel full of Bataari sorcerers that wants him dead, and to enslave his people.’

‘We came for alliances, not more unwinnable wars to fight.’ Nerxes popped the grape in his mouth and chewed thoughtfully. ‘Maybe we could… No, that wouldn’t work.’

‘What? What is your idea, cousin? Seems to me that the more ridiculous your suggestions, the more likely they are to succeed.’

‘We might have gone about this the wrong way. With the Khul, I mean.’ Nerxes scratched his chin, once more looking between Korghos and Yourag. ‘We should introduce Korghos to Skolor Helfir. It might be that the Direbrands would prefer to fight these terrible sorcerers than get involved in a squabble between family members.’

‘And if not? What if Korghos joins the alliance against us?’

‘I…’ Nerxes fell silent as Kexas entered the wavering circle of light cast by the Pyre-pit.

‘It is time,’ intoned the Keeper of the Pyre, lifting his hands towards the night sky. ‘The Blood Moon gazes full upon our gathering, and beneath its immortal eye the Red Feast will commence.’

He turned and looked at Threx, who also stood, axe in hand. Around the semicircle, the champions rose in turn, each bearing a sword, axe, spear or other armament. Threx lifted his weapon to salute the Blood Moon, as did the others, a half-ring of glinting metal pointed to the heavens.

‘We are the children of the Flamescar,’ said Kexas. ‘Many things divide us. Gold. Love. Hate. Lands. Traditions. But we are united under the Blood Moon. Those that sit at this place still believe in honour. They still believe that a strong leader is at the front of battle. They still believe that they live with the land and its beasts, beneath the air and its birds. They believe that the gift of fire is sacred, the source of warmth and food, the light in the dark. This is what it is to be of the Flamescar peoples. To sit beneath the Blood Moon, to breathe the free air, and to treat with each other as equal men and women. No walls between us. No roofs above us. Family of the Flamescar.’

Kexas stepped back, allowing Threx to approach the Pyre. He passed his axe to the Keeper and stood in front of the flames, hands outstretched as though warming them. Feeling their energy, he let his blood respond, tingling in his hands and arms until the flames moved. Wiggling his fingers as though plucking the strings of an instrument, he made the flames dance.

There were delighted laughs from some, disquieted murmurs from others.

‘Do not let this mockery deceive you!’ shouted Soreas, pushing past Yourag to point at Threx. ‘The Pyre is a forbidden power that true sons and daughters of Sigmar should rightfully shun. It is old magic, once fed on the blood of foes, now sustained by the sacrifice of innocents.’

‘The mockery was yours,’ snarled Kexas. ‘When you conspired to fake the powers of the Pyre you brought shame on our people.’

Voices welled up in accusation of the Skullbrands, others calling Soreas’ interruption of the Red Feast’s rites an insult to them all. Threx suppressed a smile, glad that his mother’s indignant outburst had turned some of those present against her,

‘Enough!’ The single word was uttered by Skolor Helfir, cutting through the babble. All eyes turned to the leader of the Direbrands, who sheathed his sword and held out his hands, a gesture for peace. ‘This is not the place to bring argument. Save your ire for the trials to come.’

Threx was taken aback and couldn’t help but feel that Skolor was trying to usurp his position as host. This was his Red Feast; it should be his word that commanded such respect. He stalked back to his throne, catching a warning look shot in his direction by Nerxes. Swallowing his irritation, Threx took up a goblet and raised it in toast to the leader of the Direbrands.

‘My thanks, Skolor. Words of wisdom you might have stolen from my tongue.’ He took a mouthful of the mead, using the moment to quell the emotions raised by Soreas’ outburst.

‘I have something to say.’

Threx turned at the quiet intervention, about to remonstrate with the person that had spoken, but held his tongue when he saw that it was Korghos Khul who had stepped forward.

‘If you wish it,’ the Khul added with a nod of the head to Threx.

The Ashen King glanced at Nerxes but received no guidance more than a bewildered shrug. Threx sat down and waved for the champion to continue, trusting that his efforts to save the man would ensure the words he spoke were in support of the Skullbrands.

‘The Red Feast is a time for settling old grudges and making new alliances,’ said Korghos. He paced forward as smoothly as a hunting cat. Threx had lived his life around warriors but had never seen a man or woman that moved with such easy grace yet with the strength of such bulk. He carried himself with a confidence that made others watch him as he circled around the Pyre to approach Threx. ‘I know that many are here because of their anger at the Skullbrands. I have seen nothing of this conflict, and I care nothing for it.’

Threx eased himself forward, sensing betrayal, but Korghos came up to him and laid a hand upon his shoulder.

‘All I know is that this man threw himself into the raging seas to help me and my companion. That is the courage and unity we will all need to show in the coming seasons.’ The Khul gave him a sincere nod and then turned to the others. ‘Whatever grievances you want to settle, whatever raids and blood feuds, insults to be avenged and hunting disputes you have between you, they are nothing. A threat such as the people of the Flamescar have never seen is coming. Ask your flame-scryers and Sigmar-tongues. War. Not the tribal bloodshed that marks our daily struggle but a conflict that will end a generation.’

There were some shouts of derision, and it was Yourag that raised his voice among the others.

‘A convenient distraction, but you won’t turn us aside from retribution against Threx Skullbrand.’

‘Do you think we crossed the Shifting Straits on a log raft to help this one?’ Korghos threw a hand out towards Threx. ‘He is a man marked for greatness, I see it in him, but until his hand held mine in the waves his name was unknown to me.’

‘What war?’ Skolor hunched forward, elbow on his knee, chin on fist, brow furrowed.

‘There must be some amongst this gathering that have heard of the Tithemasters.’

There were some nods. Gho-lod of the Windscour tribe stood up, her face a mask of concern.

‘Be careful of your next words, Korghos Khul. We’ve seen you, walking the isle, and we’ve heard your questions. Who has seen the Tithemasters? Who has paid the Tithe? If it is a rebellion you are starting, you can fight it on your own.’

‘Rebellion?’ Khul’s words dripped with scorn. ‘A slave rebels. The Khul are a free people, but perhaps the Windscour have learned to crave the yoke of others.’

Gho-lod snarled something that Threx did not quite hear and reached for the mace beside her chair.

‘The fighting does not start until tomorrow,’ Threx reminded them, standing up. A tense silence followed. ‘Let’s take a drink.’

While goblets and tankards were refilled, Korghos watched the other champions that had been brought to the host’s fire. They were of a similar age to him; some older, few younger. Each was battle-clad as was the custom, sporting weapons and armour from across their different cultures. He saw iron and steel among the bronze, from the Direbrands and those that traded with them or the nations further west.

‘They’re soft,’ muttered Lashkar. ‘They are princes among their people but you are the Bloodking.’

‘I was just thinking the same.’

Korghos’ gaze settled on Skolor. He was the oldest present, hair more grey than brown, but there was little but muscle on him, weathered in battle and at the anvil. Even so, there was a stiffness to his movement. He would be experienced, canny and disciplined, but not as fast as he once was. The one he spoke to, Yourag, looked clumsy. He kept adjusting the broad blade at his waist, as though not used to the weight of it.

The others each had their own weaknesses, revealed to Korghos by simple observation. Threx was impatient; his headstrong nature would bring him to the attack even when defence was the best tactic. Moror of the Sandarak was a heavily-set warrior clad almost head-to-toe in armour. There would be weak points. There were always weak points.

It reminded him of Serleon and he briefly wondered how the Aquitan fared. Thoughts of Serleon then led him back to the Khul, and Eruil and Marolin in particular. He could not let himself be distracted by them. It was for their future that he was here.

‘I have a proposal,’ he said, pitching his voice above the conversation and crackle of the strange fire. The talking quietened and all present turned their attention to Korghos. ‘I need an army to fight the Tithemasters, but it seems none of you but the Skullbrands are brave enough to stand beside me.’

Growled and grumbled protests greeted this announcement. Threx’s advisor, the one called Nerxes, opened his mouth to say something, but was silenced by a gesture from his king.

‘I am not leaving here without an army,’ Korghos continued. ‘You will join me or I will die on this island.’

‘You almost died getting here!’ laughed the Vargassian, Nirr the White Claw. ‘Perhaps you’d like to go back for another swim.’

Korghos levelled a stare upon the man, causing his laughter to falter and then cease.

‘Nobody cares about you, or the Tithemasters,’ said Nirr.

‘That’s not true,’ said the Windscour chieftain, Gho-lod. ‘I care. I care that you don’t provoke the Tithemasters into a war with the Flamescar. If the Khul must die, then so be it.’

In the corner of his eye Korghos saw Threx leaning towards Nerxes, listening to the advisor.

‘And the Aridians?’ said Threx. ‘They are a considerable power. Greater than some of those at this fire. If the Tithemasters destroy them, what’s to stop them turning their eye on any of us?’

‘I have a challenge to any that will meet it,’ said Korghos. ‘My people will be dead or enslaved if I fail here. So, they are the prize. I swear before this gathering, by the binding power of the Red Feast, that the man or woman that slays me can take the title Korghos and be ruler of the Khul.’

This declaration was greeted by several outbursts and a ripple of shocked muttering.

‘But…’ Korghos told them, gaze moving steadily from one rival to the next. ‘If you should fall to me, then your tribe will join the battle against the Tithemasters.’

A clamour of voices erupted at this claim, some of them mocking, others’ accusations that Korghos was trying to use the traditions of the Red Feast to trick them. A couple called on Threx to eject Khul from the gathering but were met with a fearsome scowl from the Ashen King.

‘Idiocy!’ barked Yourag. ‘We’re not here to barter our people.’

‘I am here to save my people,’ growled Korghos. ‘What are you here for, Yourag of the Korchians? To settle a debt? Or to grab the territory of a man that shamed you? Petty conflicts.’

‘I issue the same challenge!’ shouted Threx, raising his axe in the firelight. He stared directly at Yourag, a lopsided smile on his lips. ‘Defeat me and you will have the Skullbrands and the Asha Vale. If not, the Korchians will be united under the reign of the Ashen King.’

‘This has no place here,’ snarled Soreas. She stepped forward, thrusting a finger at Korghos. ‘You are every bit an abomination against the Hammer-God as the Skullbrands. Do not think we cannot smell the darkness on you.’

Other Sigmar-tongues raised their voices in denouncing him. Korghos felt the scrutiny of the others intensify but he did not back down from the stares directed at him.

‘Would Sigmar Almighty not fight against a foe that sought to take everything from him?’ He directed his words at Skolor. All he needed to do was beat the high chieftain of the Direbrands and with the aid of the Aridians nearly a third of the Flamescar people would fight with him.

‘You’ve made a big mistake, boy,’ said Yourag, advancing on Threx, hand on the pommel of his tulwar. ‘You would give up your people in a slight against me?’

‘I will kill you, and brand your skull,’ Threx said with a broad grin. ‘But your people will be better off under my rule.’

Yourag glanced back at Soreas, who shook her head, jaw clenched. Even so, Yourag drew his blade and thrust it into the ground in front of Threx.

‘It is decided. I will fight you, and when I win, the Asha Vale will become mine.’

‘See you at dawn’s first light.’

Another uproar of shock and delight spilled across the gathering, until Skolor raised a hand. When all had fallen silent he strode up to Korghos. The Khul chieftain held his gaze, though inside his nerves jangled with a mix of apprehension and excitement. This was the salvation of his people approaching.

‘No.’ Skolor Helfir shook his head. ‘The Direbrands withdraw from the Red Feast. There is nothing here that respects the will of Sigmar.’

The Direbrands’ leader turned his back and left, taking his Sigmar-tongue with him. Korghos did not shout, though his frustration burned into a rage at Skolor’s easy dismissal. How dare he condemn the Khul to slavery and annihilation without a second thought?

It was not the hunch of the shoulders nor the clenched fists that drew Lashkar towards Korghos. There was an energy about him that told of the shrine on the mountaintop, an aura of heat that washed from his body. It was not just in the Khul champion either. The Skullbrand, Threx, was alive with the same power, which flowed like steam from the blessed coals that had been brought to the island.

Gifted the sight of the Blood God, Lashkar could see the touch of Khorne as it graced the world. The blood spirit had entered into him and Korghos through the shrine, and into Threx by means of the embers of ancient wars. Approaching, Lashkar closed his eyes and allowed the essence of the fires to fill him, bringing with it images from an ancient time.

He smiled as he saw a city toppled in ruins, its great cathedral set aflame with a thousand priests and priestesses inside. The temple became an inferno, and the curses of the holy people were given shape, the last vengeance of their dying god enshrined into the tumbling, fire-wreathed remains.

And for countless generations they had continued to burn, the trapped souls of a thousand predicants.

There were other such artefacts across the Great Parch, the remnants of the time of greatness from the World Before Time. Some dormant, others awakening. Khorne was a restless, feverish entity and though an age had passed in the realms, His hunger for war could never be sated. The time was fast approaching when the Blood God’s rule would return again.

Another person might have offered support to his companion, perhaps murmured condolences or offered some platitude about trying a new plan. Not Lashkar. He was the Bloodspeaker and it was not his role to pour sand on the fire, but to fan the flames of anger for Khorne.

‘These are not your allies,’ he growled to Korghos. ‘Your power comes from Khorne now. Only those that accept his rule will pass through the fires that will come.’

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

‘What did you say?’ Korghos tore his eyes from the retreating form of Skolor to look at Lashkar.

‘Khorne demands blood. Will you be strong, or will you be weak?’

The goad behind Lashkar’s words was obvious. Its taunt was no harsher than many directed at him by opponents over the years and as easily ignored. The Khul champion remembered the booming voice of his ancestral god, the promise of reward for victory, punishment for failure. His fingers again found the sheathed half-sword on his belt, the touch of it bringing back memory and meaning. This meant more than just a pact with Khorne; it was the future of his people. Skolor’s indifference would doom the Khul.

‘Remember the shrine.’ Lashkar had Korghos’ spear in hand. ‘Remember what you need to do.’

Korghos’ fingers curled around the haft of the weapon, feeling its inner warmth as it nestled against the dream-scar in his palm. His chest burned with similar heat, the mark upon his flesh pulsing beneath his breastplate.

Threx was staring at the chieftain of the Direbrands as well, teeth bared. It was a grave insult to withdraw from the host’s fire, and news of Skolor Helfir’s actions would soon spread across the island. Such was his stature that it would shame the entire Red Feast.

‘You cannot let him leave,’ Korghos said to Threx, advancing across the space between them. ‘There will be no army if Skolor Helfir walks away from here.’

Threx turned his head, following the course of the Direbrands’ chieftain. He had almost disappeared among the rocks. The Skullbrand looked back at the flames, which burned dark from their magical coals.

‘Go!’ growled Threx. ‘Do what must be done.’

Korghos stepped past and continued across the fire-space, Threx following a few steps behind. Ahead of him, Yourag looked up from conversation with his Sigmar-tongue as she raised a hand towards the Khul. It was she that had denounced him to the others, goading Skolor into leaving. Reading intent upon Korghos’ face, Yourag’s expression changed from antipathy to surprise. He seemed to move slowly, reaching for the blade at his waist as Korghos came almost level.

Korghos heard the sound of a blade cutting air before the Korchian’s sword was out of its scabbard.

A moment later an axe buried deep into Yourag’s skull, splitting his brow. Threx stepped past, yanking the weapon free to lash out again, slamming the double-headed axe into the midriff of the Korchian.

Shouts exploded around them. Korghos ignored them, striding past the falling corpse of Yourag, intent upon the figure further along the rock-flanked trail ahead. Hearing the tumult, Skolor turned. Eyes widened with shock as he saw what was happening.

To his credit, the Direbrand did not hesitate. His hammer was in his hand a heartbeat later as he strode back up the path, eyes locked on Korghos.

‘I’ll end you this night,’ snarled the chieftain. ‘You are an abomin–’

Korghos did not waste his breath with words and struck before the chieftain was finished. This was not a duel, it was an execution. An offering. Straight and fast, the tip of his spear punched into the older man’s throat. Blood sprayed over both of them as Skolor staggered back, his hammer falling from numb fingers, legs wobbling.

The Direbrand champion raised a hand to the wound, trying to stem the flow of his life, but there was nothing to be done. Beyond him, his Sigmar-tongue raced back up the hill, an angry shout preceding him.

Korghos vaulted Helfir as he fell, driving the spear forward again. The Sigmar-tongue tried to deflect the blow, hand raised too late. The spear tip scored along his cheek and cut off an ear, along with a blood-stained curl of blond hair.

The priest’s hammer swung towards Korghos, its head crackling with sparks of blue energy. Korghos stepped forward, into the blow, and seized his arm in the crook of his own, pulling upwards to snap the Sigmar-tongue’s elbow. The Khul drove his head into the man’s nose, flattening it, more blood coating his mail as the Sigmar-tongue reeled back.

There was no mercy in Korghos. A rage propelled him forward, faster and deadlier than ever he’d been in the bladespace. Fire was in his veins now, not ice. He was here to kill, not defeat. For so many years he had held back his true nature but now it had been revealed to him by Lord Khorne.

He swiped the spear sideways, splitting his foe’s robes, the gleaming tip slashing through the vest of mail beneath. Blood-flecked rings scattered about his feet as the Sigmar-tongue staggered back again, flailing wildly with his hammer. He tripped and fell backwards, landing hard on the mountainside. Korghos loomed over him, spear aimed at his enemy’s chest.

‘Blood for the Blood God!’ he spat.

Staring down at the axe-chewed flesh of Yourag, Threx could scarce believe what he had done. A dizzying elation filled him as he drove the blade once more into the flesh of his hated enemy, severing a leg. All around him were screams and curses but he had eyes only for the blood-flecked face of the Korchian champion.

One of the many screaming voices resolved into that of his mother, who stood a couple of paces away brandishing her Sigmarite talisman like a weapon. The silver hammer gleamed blue, bathing her face in its azure light, reflecting from eyes glazed with madness. Spittle flew as she continued her tirade.

‘Forsake the Hammer-God and be damned, creature of the unholy flames. Cursed are they that slay during the quiet-arms of the Red Feast. Your soul shall wander the Grey Realm in torment, given not to lust or passion, love or hope, but only fear and despair. Not into Sigmar’s golden embrace shall you rise, but into the coldness of the Great Abyss.’

‘Shut up,’ snarled Threx. He glanced past her to see Korghos pulling his spear from the body of the Direbrands’ Sigmar-tongue. A shout behind him caused him to turn sharply, axe raised. It was Nerxes, blade and shield at the ready.

‘What has possessed you, cousin?’ he cried, staring in disbelief at Yourag’s corpse. His attention moved to the other champions, who were drawing weapons and shouting at each other as well as the Skullbrands.

‘The spirit of the Pyre, cousin,’ Threx replied with a grin. It was true. He felt the flames burning in his chest in place of his heart. Yourag’s blood ran trickles through the ash upon his flesh, carving runnels of heat over his skin. ‘This is as it was meant to be.’

Threx eyed the others, trying to work out which ones might side with him, and which would not. Korghos’ companion, Lashkar, wasted no time on such introspection. The warrior, every bit as tall as one of the Korchian giants, crashed into Halgaron Witherfolk, his bronze short sword slashing across her face. Her slender blade cut a mark across his naked chest, but the blood that spilled forth was thick and black, giving off wisps of vapour that reminded Threx of the haze the surrounded the Pyre coals.

A fist crashed against his back, sending a spasm of pain down his spine that sent him to one knee. Looking back, he saw his mother drawing her hand back for another blow, her fingers bathed in the shimmer of her holy amulet. She continued to spit a stream of curses as she levelled another punch, connecting with the side of his head.

As he fell to one knee, Threx saw Nerxes out of the corner of his eye. His cousin stood just a few paces away as though speared to the spot, head turning one way and then the other as he took in everything that was happening. For a heartbeat their gazes met.

Threx felt the power of the Pyre burning in his eyes and saw Nerxes recoil from his glare. He saw nothing else of his cousin’s reaction as Soreas drove her heel into his jaw.

The blow brought back a flash of memory, of when she had struck him before the Pyre for defending her honour. Fuelled by a formless rage, fiery tears welled up in his eyes, as she brought her hammer back once more. When Soreas’ hand next descended, Threx reacted without thought. His axe flashed in the Pyre-light. Her hand, still clutching the sigmarite hammer, spun through the air.

Beyond her he saw Korghos racing back up the path, spear in hand, its head trailing bright flame. In his other fist he held the heads of Skolor Helfir and his priest.

Shrieking, Soreas collapsed to one knee, staring in horror at the stump of her wrist. Nerxes yelled something and grabbed Threx’s arm. He was about to hurl his cousin free, snarling at his interference, when Nerxes’ words seeped through the heartbeat that thundered in his head.

‘The Pyre, cousin!’ Nerxes pointed to the firepit, where the flames reached as high as a tree, flickering between bright yellow and deep red. ‘Honour the flames!’

Soreas understood his meaning before Threx and fell to her back, legs kicking at the earth as she tried to scrabble away. Threx reached down and snatched her ankle to haul her over the sharp rocks, Nerxes at his side.

The Pyre called to him, a crackling siren song that demanded fuel for the flames. For generations it had been stifled, drowned by the worthless blood of the faithless dead. It craved something more vital, a sacrifice worthy of its power.

Threx changed his grip, snatching up the front of Soreas’ robe. He lifted her onto his shoulder, just as he had done with his father. The memory brought a grin to his face.

‘Join your coward of a husband,’ he told her, heaving the Sigmar-tongue into the flames.

The air seethed with the power of Khorne. Quelled for so long, the energies of the Skullbrands’ Pyre spewed forth like an invisible smoke, a bloody mist descending upon those present that only Lashkar could sense. Korghos strode into the fire clearing, hefting the heads of his foes high, voice breaking through the growing din of fighting.

‘Fight for me, or give your skull to my master!’ His arm swung and the severed heads arced across the open space, hair catching alight, skin bursting into flames as they hit the Pyre. In moments they had been reduced to fleshless skulls. ‘Purge the Sigmarites!’

Fed these new sacrifices, the Pyre flame towered to even greater height, coiling and leaping to the heavens where the Blood Moon stared down on the growing violence. It seemed as though a skull-visaged being looked down upon them, Khorne himself gifting his followers with his immortal gaze.

Some answered the call of Korghos, blades and hammers cutting down their Sigmar-tongue companions. Others looked on in horror, aghast at what unfolded around them. As priests of a warrior god, the Sigmarites did not fall easily, and their allies turned their weapons on those that acted in the cause of the Blood God. Lashkar drove his sword into the back of a chieftain who tried to shield his priestess from the advance of Threx and Nerxes. The man fell, spine severed, mouth agape as he slumped backwards. Lashkar gave a bestial howl as he drove the point of his blade into the open mouth, pinning his victim to the ground. The priestess snatched the blade from her chieftain’s dead hand, backing away.

Threx rushed her, a flurry of savage blows like an unstoppable storm, every slashing attack carving and dismembering. As the ragged remains of the Sigmar-tongue flopped over the rocks, his final blow took off her head.

Half a dozen leaders had joined Korghos. Lashkar could see the blood mist from the Pyre seeping into them, entering bodies and souls with more strength for every blow they bent towards their enemies. War shouts became hoarse shrieks of incoherent rage, the bloodlust spilling from one to the next like a rising tide. Korghos joined them, his spear an arc of fire that never stopped, slashing and stabbing, bearing down on his enemies with relentless fury.

‘Praise the Lord of Skulls!’ bellowed Lashkar, lifting his sword towards the Blood Moon. A trickle of life fluid fell from the blade onto his face, lighting the rune-like marking upon his brow with a golden flame.

One by one the enemies of Khorne fell. The last few tried to run but their cowardice was no salvation under the stare of the Blood God. They died as easily to blows upon their backs as to the fore, their panicked screams and dying yells cut short.

In the silence that followed, the Pyre’s crackle filled the air.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Exultation buzzed through Korghos as he stood among the dead. No trial had ever been so satisfying as the slaughter that had just taken place. He looked at the bloodied corpses scattered about the gathering space and knew that any triumph that had come before this one had been a pale imitation. His coldness had been a cage, he realised, as he looked upon the carnage that had been wrought by the beast he had kept hidden within.

The others whooped and howled their celebration, dipping fingers into the blood of their fallen enemies to smear the sign of their triumph upon their skin. Threx was laughing, hauling up the remains of Yourag. He remonstrated with the corpse as though it were still alive, gloating over the dead man.

Nerxes walked among the ruin, stabbing his sword into every body that lay there, one clean blow through each chest. Others had returned to their drinks and were lifting wineskins and tankards to lips, looking at each other with amazement and joy.

Korghos found Lashkar gazing at him, a half-smile on his lips.

‘You feel it now, don’t you,’ said the Bloodspeaker. ‘The joy of rage that is Khorne’s gift to us.’

‘I feel it,’ replied Korghos. His heart slowed as he laid a hand upon the shoulder of the man who had guided him to this destiny. ‘I have you to thank for this.’

‘Not at all, I was – am – only the vessel. Save your praises for Khorne.’

‘It is not praise that the Blood God demands,’ Korghos said, casting his gaze at the dismembered bodies.

He strode to the centre of the clearing, spear raised, Lashkar at his shoulder.

‘Heed me!’ he bellowed, his words cutting through the fugue of bloodlust that had beset the champions.

They gathered closer, ten in all, six champions and four followers. A few bore wounds from the fighting but none seemed too injured to fight. They looked at each other like excited children, teeth showing in broad grins on their blood-soaked faces.

‘It has begun,’ said Korghos, regarding each of them slowly. ‘You have all taken the first step on the path to glory, as I have done. You have freed yourselves from the shackles of the Sigmar-tongues whose lies denied us our true nature.’

He waved a hand to encompass the bloodied surroundings.

‘We have found a better, purer way to live. But this freedom does not come without price. That strength you feel, it comes from another. The great Khorne, Lord of Skulls, Blood God of the Heavens.’

‘Look upon him and know that you are his wrath,’ said Lashkar, pointing up at the sky.

All eyes followed his gesture, directing them to the Blood Moon as it hung low over the summit of Clavis Volk. Against its ruddy gleam stood a bold silhouette of the great table that adorned the peak.

‘Seal the pact with Khorne here and now and we shall know triumph after triumph,’ said Korghos. He pointed at Threx, who was watching the Khul with wide-eyed awe. ‘Already your rival has been slain. His people will bow before us and take the path of Khorne, or they shall fall to our blades.’

‘Death to the Korchian scum!’ laughed Threx.

‘And we will fight the Tithemasters with you,’ added another of the chieftains, a brute by the name of Pano who hailed from one of the Vanxian tribes. ‘The lies of Soreas brought me here, but I see the truth now.’

‘Your bond with Khorne is absolute,’ said Lashkar. ‘You fight for Khorne and no other. Give to Khorne what he desires and he will reward you with conquest like nothing before it.’

Korghos looked at Lashkar, wondering what this meant, but said nothing.

‘Greater glory awaits, but first you must pay the skull debt or face Khorne’s displeasure,’ said the Bloodspeaker.

‘Skulls,’ said Nerxes grimly. ‘The Pyre will feed on the skulls of our foes again.’

‘And there will be many more,’ declared Korghos. The gaze of Khorne was upon him but he was filled with strength, not fear. The world was changing fast now, a new age was breaking upon the Great Parch, but as he looked at his first followers he knew that the transformation would herald a time of greatness for the Khul. All that was required was for the blood to keep flowing. ‘Before the Blood Moon sets, only the followers of Khorne will walk this island!’

They busied themselves among the dead, cutting off the heads to offer to the Blood God. Korghos severed those of the foes he had slain, another two Sigmar-tongues and three others, and set them before the Pyre while he waited for the rest of his band to complete their task. When all were ready, they tossed the skulls into the fire, the flames burning them to the bone in an instant so that a cairn of ivory orbs seemed to grow in its centre.

Watching the skulls gleam amid the flames, Korghos saw again the mountain of skulls that had been Khorne’s first message to him in his dreams. He felt the Blood God’s power flowing from the Pyre, lapping at his flesh like a heat that did not burn.

‘Mighty Khorne, Blade of Ruin, we give of our dead foes so that You can glory in their destruction.’ Lashkar lifted his hands high, a blade in each, his arms reddened to the elbow by his bloody work. ‘Without Khorne there is no war. Without war there can be no victory.’

‘Praise Khorne!’ bellowed Threx, a call echoed by several of the others.

‘Blood for the–’ Lashkar’s dedication was cut short as a gout of flame lurched from the Pyre, setting him ablaze in an instant. Arms still lifted, his eyes turned to gleaming cinders and the flames took on a blood-red hue. His mouth distended and black smoke issued forth, bringing with it thunderous words. Ember glows flickered in the voice-smog.

YOUR OFFERINGS PLEASE ME. YOU ARE THE BEGINNING AND THE END. YOU ARE THE DOOM OF YOUR FOES, MY ANOINTED CONQUERORS. SHOW NO MERCY. GIVE NO RESPITE. SPREAD MY GIFT OF SLAUGHTER AND YOU WILL SEE MY RAGE INCARNATE UNLEASHED ON YOUR FOES.

The distorted frame of Lashkar thrust out a hand. The Pyre flames exploded, sending a blade of hardened flame into the chest of each champion but Korghos. Those that were struck reeled backwards and fell with blood spraying from their grievous wounds.

As they lay on the ground, twitched by spasms, the flames engulfing Lashkar guttered to a fine smoke that drifted away on the growing wind. The Bloodspeaker’s eyes rolled up into his head and he collapsed backwards, toppling to the floor like a felled tree.

Threx woke to the thudding of a drum, which resolved into his heartbeat hard in his chest. He opened his eyes and saw the Blood Moon above, bringing with it recollection of recent events. His hand moved to his chest where the shard had struck him but his questing fingers found nothing but thick scar tissue. Sitting up he saw that the others had likewise been marked, and he recognised it as the skull rune he had seen dancing in the flames of the Pyre.

A shadow fell over him and he turned his head to see Korghos standing there. He extended a hand and helped Threx to his feet, a smile on his lips.

‘I came with only my faith and my weapons,’ the Khul announced, ‘but you each have warriors on the island. Bring them here so that we might find who shall be anointed and who cannot accept the truth of Khorne’s rule. Remember the words of our master. Show no mercy, even for those you once called friend or kin.’

Threx found Nerxes gazing into the flames, his narrow face spattered with gore.

‘What do you think of that?’ Threx said. ‘Who’ll join us and who will fight?’

‘I think all will join,’ said Nerxes. ‘Any that would have turned will not have remained with you when Soreas left. They are true to the Pyre and the real power behind the Pyre’s strength has been revealed to us. Let me go to the camp and bring them here to you.’

‘Very well. Send Atraxas, Foraza and Vourza first. Then the others, ten at a time.’

‘I will,’ said Nerxes. He gave Korghos a lingering gaze and then left.

The Khul champion approached and in the light of the Pyre, Threx was certain of what he had seen before.

‘I knew this time would come,’ he told Korghos. ‘I saw myself in the flames at the head of an army. The Flamescar will tremble at our approach. Cities will burn.’

‘My army.’

Two words, simply spoken, but they hit Threx like a thunderbolt. He took a step back, staring at Korghos Khul. There was no belligerence or insult in the man’s expression, his words had been a simple statement of fact.

In his heart, Threx knew it to be true. He had seen the blessing of Khorne laid upon Korghos and realised that his own greatness was to be at the side of the Khul. Threx glanced at Lashkar, who was collecting the weapons of the fallen and piling them close at hand. A thought came to him as he looked at the ruin of bodies that lay about them.

‘You need a banner,’ Threx said. ‘A warning to your enemies. A symbol to your followers. I will make one fitting for a lord of Khorne. Let me stand at your side. Khorne has guided me to this moment, from when I threw my father into the flames to when I dragged you from the raging seas. I thought I was destined to rule, but I see now that we all live only to enact the will of the Blood God.’

‘You fought well and without you this would not have been possible. With you and Lashkar by my side I will forge an army that will crush the Tithemasters and set the tribes free from the lies of Sigmar.’

Given this endorsement, Threx set to work among the bodies, finding a Sigmar-tongue’s staff to act as the rod for the standard. He had no plan but followed each passing whim, cutting off limbs and hands, taking pieces of armour and other trophies from every cadaver. Though the skulls were for Khorne there was ample material left to fashion a suitable icon for his new champion.

Before Threx had finished, Atraxas and the others arrived. They gazed around the blood-matted area with incredulous expressions.

‘Nerxes said that there was a battle,’ said Vourza, stepping over the remains of Soreas. She looked down and grinned at the corpse. ‘You’ve been settling scores, Ashen King.’

‘I’m not the Ashen King any more,’ Threx told them. He saw that Foraza had brought his standard and gestured for the banner. ‘I have a higher calling – we have a higher calling now. The spirit of the Pyre has been made manifest. Korghos Khul has shown us the way to victory over the cursed Sigmarites.’

‘We’re fighting the Sigmarites?’ said Foraza, his expression confused as he passed over the standard.

‘They would deny Khorne, the Blood God that created the Pyre for us. If we are to praise Khorne, all worshippers of weaker Gods must die.’

Foraza nodded, though Threx wondered if his friend really understood what was happening. He watched Atraxas, who had said nothing since arriving, but his eye had been in constant motion, taking in everything about the scene. Threx adjusted his grip on his axe, wondering at his uncle’s silence.

‘You are loyal to the Pyre, aren’t you, uncle?’

‘Where are the heads?’ said the leader of the Hall Guard. Threx flicked his gaze towards the Pyre in answer. ‘Ah.’

‘Did you brand them?’ asked Foraza.

‘Not yet,’ growled Threx, annoyed that it had not occurred to him to do so. ‘In the future we will. The old ways are coming back, my friends.’ He directed an inquiring stare at Atraxas. ‘Better to speak any argument now.’

‘Others will come, wondering what’s become of their leaders.’ His uncle turned and raised his voice so that it carried to Korghos and Lashkar. ‘You can’t hide what’s happened here. The Direbrands will miss Skolor. Yourag’s absence will be noted, too, and the others. You’ve slain a few here but how many other champions are waiting for us?’

‘All will submit to Khorne’s will or be slain,’ replied Lashkar. ‘The Blood God demands it.’

‘We’ll all die, right here next to the Pyre,’ Atraxas said to Threx. ‘There will be more against us than with us. We called the Red Feast to get allies, not enemies.’

‘We have the greatest ally there can be! We have the blessings of the Skull Lord to strengthen our blade arms and guide our weapons.’

Korghos approached and the group fell silent, realising their words might not be well taken.

‘Atraxas is right.’ The Khul looked at the Hall Guard commander. ‘It does not serve Khorne’s purpose to spill out our guts on this earth.’

‘Khorne cares not from whence the blood flows,’ called out Lashkar, raising a finger in admonishment. ‘Only that it flows.’

‘Khorne did not bid me to die here, but to spread the gift of slaughter.’ The Bloodking thought for a moment, thumb rubbing the blood-stained haft of his spear. A smile crept across his features. ‘You’re right though, Lashkar Khul. Khorne cares not. It is only the fight that pleases him, and we’ve near a thousand champions here hungering to fight already. They need no convincing. The Red Feast will continue. Champion will fight champion. We will let my challenge be known. Leadership of the Khul for any brave and skilled enough to seize it. For each we slay, take their skull and offer it to Khorne.’

A commotion on the far side of the Pyre betrayed the arrival of returning champions, some of them with entourages in tow.

‘I shall make the declaration,’ said Threx. ‘As host it is my right. The Blood Moon has waxed full and the trials have commenced. Glory to those that have already fallen, but the greatest glories await those that still stand.’

Lashkar crossed quickly towards them, face lit by the light of the Pyre. He looked inhuman in the flickering light, eyes sunken, the rune upon his brow burning with its own energy.

‘The cup of blood, where is it?’ the Bloodspeaker demanded. ‘The one that was passed from tribe to tribe, gathering the blood of the champions.’

Threx pointed back to the Skullbrand camp down the mountainside. ‘It stands in place of honour before my hall.’

‘You will issue a further prize,’ said Lashkar. He pointed at Atraxas. ‘Take the cup to the summit and place it upon the ancient table there. Whoever drinks from the cup shall be named the lord of the Flamescar.’

‘For what purpose?’ asked Atraxas.

‘To ensure that everyone will fight,’ growled Lashkar. ‘Khorne will fill the hearts of everyone with the lust for battle, but the offer of such a prize will truly set them against each other.’

‘I like it,’ said Threx with a grin.

‘I shall claim the cup,’ said Korghos.

‘If Khorne wills it,’ replied the Bloodspeaker.

Threx faced his tribes-kin, axe planted in the ground before him.

‘Do as he says. Pass the word to all on the island. The trials of the Red Feast have begun!’

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

As he stepped out from the shadows, Korghos let out the breath that had gathered tight in his chest. In front of him stood Orasda Vex, Bladeprince of the Steelwater tribe. His foe was garbed in stiff leather armour studded with rivets, his hands bound with thongs of the same, gripped about the hilt of a bastard sword half as tall as he was. White ink marked his dark skin, his flat features painted except for around the eyes and nose, rendering his face a skull. His tightly curled hair was bound up in an elaborate topknot and then spilled down his back in black waves.

But it was not these features that Korghos looked at. Instead he saw the twist of the right foot, splayed slightly outwards. The kink of the left elbow where it should be straight, which led to a slight hunching of the shoulder. His opponent was right-handed and would be slower striking to that side, his grip dominating the possible strokes from any given position.

Korghos felt calm, but not as the icy pool he had once been. Now he was the banked kindling waiting for the spark. As he eyed his opponent he let the fire gather strength, feeling the blood of Khorne’s blessing pumping through him, heart quickening, senses growing keener with each breath. He felt the trickle of sweat run down his face along the cheek guard of his helm. He saw the glisten of perspiration on the skin of his opponent and could smell his scent on the steady breeze.

His ears caught the sound of clashing weapons and fierce shouts. All across the slopes of Clavis Volk a hundred duels and more were taking place. The sun was not yet up, but the Blood Moon provided its own ruddy twilight, more than enough illumination for bladework.

He saw Orasda Vex glance up, past Korghos to the summit of the mountain. There was no hiding the man’s ambition; he desired to be the one that would ascend and claim dominion over all the champions of the Red Feast.

‘The prize will be mine,’ said Korghos. The brag was intended to goad his opponent, but it felt good to speak his mind, to let his thoughts free rather than shackle them with pointless diplomacy. In the trials of the Aridians he had always remained calm, his emotions locked within like the coals inside a furnace. Now Khorne’s breath fanned those emotions into a burning flame that would not be contained. ‘I’m going to kill you, cut off your head and take your people.’

‘I’ll send you to the Grey Realm first!’ snarled Orasda Vex, striding forward.

Korghos saw the anger in the man’s eyes and smiled, knowing that he did Khorne’s work. In denying his rage he had spurned the gift of the Blood God. Now he could be himself, as Lashkar had shown him.

With a shout he leapt forward, ducking beneath the powerful but slow swing of his opponent’s long blade. Korghos’ spear jabbed once, twice, and then he sidestepped left, dodging the awkward return blow.

Orasda Vex staggered, stepping backwards a pace as blood poured from his armpit. His grip wet, he lost his grasp on his sword and it slipped from his slicked fingers. His expression was more one of shock than pain as he looked at Korghos, followed by confusion, and then dread. He tried to lift an arm towards Korghos but the limb flopped back even as he slumped forward a step, almost losing his footing.

‘Not like this…’ the man whispered, pleading in his eyes. His gaze moved towards the sword, numb fingers scrabbling for the hilt.

Korghos strode to Orasda Vex and picked up the sword, pressing it into the man’s other hand, curling the fingers around the hilt. He used his own grip to keep his opponent’s tight as he drew back his arm.

‘Khorne will welcome you. I grant you a warrior’s death.’

The spear tip pierced throat and brain in one swift blow, ending the champion’s pain and fear. Korghos stood up, planted his spear in the earth and took up Orasda Vex’s sword. For the first time since the two had met in challenge, Korghos looked at the entourage of his slain foe. There were about two dozen of them, men and women, some glaring at him, others fearful. Three of them caught his attention – the ones that were smiling and nodding, grateful for the ending he had granted their warrior.

‘You are my people now,’ he told them, hefting the captured blade. ‘You may leave and hope our paths never cross again, for if they do my army will destroy you. Or you can accept the truth, that there is a power greater than you to serve. Through me you can rise to greatness too.’

Some looked away, others came closer. Korghos turned and waved a hand towards Lashkar, who stood a short distance away with blades bared.

‘Sigmar will curse you for this!’ shouted one of the Steelwater men, shaking a fist. ‘The hammer will fall upon you, Korghos Khul!’

‘You are wrong.’ Korghos swept the blade down, chopping off Orasda Vex’s head with one blow. He tossed the dead man’s sword aside and swept up the severed head by its extravagant hair, swinging it over his shoulder like a bag. With his other hand he pointed to the Blood Moon. ‘Sigmar has abandoned you. Khorne watches over the Flamescar now.’

Some fled then, tears streaming down their cheeks, their shrieks fading with distance. Six remained, each of them clad as a warrior, their eyes drawn to the Blood Moon above.

‘What must be done?’ one of them asked.

‘What prayers must we raise to this new Lord of the Steel?’ said another.

‘To slay is to pray,’ said Lashkar, approaching with long strides. ‘Anoint your blades in blood for him.’

‘Find a foe. Slay them. Dedicate their death to the Blood God.’ Korghos lifted up Orasda Vex’s head. ‘Skulls for the Skull Throne of Khorne!’

The corpse-fire now filled almost the whole space that had been cleared for the host’s feast. Flame-cleansed bones filled the shallow depression, a carpet of ash, bone and skulls, from which towering red flames reached towards the skies. The Blood Moon wavered in the wash of heat, seeming to burn with its own fire as Khorne looked down upon his followers.

Threx hurled another body into the flames, raising a cheer from the warriors gathered on the rocks above. While Korghos was busy challenging his rival champions in single combat, Threx had taken a different course. He turned to the cabal of warriors behind him, his former Hall Guards, Atraxas at their head. Their grey cloaks were now a deep red, soaked in the blood of those they had slain for Khorne. Each had carved the skull rune of their new lord upon their breastplate, and some had even fashioned crude brands, burning the symbol into cheek and arm and brow.

‘The skull bounty grows!’ roared Threx, pumping his fist in the air. ‘But the Pyre hungers for more. Not easily sated is the Blood God’s thirst.’

He bounded up the rocks, filled with a vigour he had never dreamed of. He could see the same in the eyes of his companions, Foraza and Vourza flanking Atraxas with horn and banner. Nerxes waited a little further away, ready to lead them to their next target. As he reached the ridgeline Threx saw another fire on the far side, smaller than the Pyre. Figures capered around in the light of blue, flickering flames. By the erratic light he could see stakes had been placed over the fire, bodies spitted upon them. The revellers hacked at the charring corpses, taking hands and limbs, slicing flesh from cheek and buttock.

‘The Darkbones have returned to their old ways, I see,’ said Vourza as Threx and his companions joined Nerxes.

‘There is a spark of Khorne in all of the tribes,’ said Nerxes. ‘Sigmar tried to bury it deep but it is still there. Some of us remember. Others will need reminding, or will deny their bloody pasts.’

‘And long will be the labour in Khorne’s name,’ said Threx, waving them to continue down the hillside.

‘Indeed.’ Nerxes pointed to the right, leading them to a fork in the trail that headed back towards the coast. Drums sounded from the steep cliffs ahead and the shore was lit by several campfires. ‘The Ashragans.’

‘Never heard of them,’ said Threx.

‘Allies of the Direbrands,’ Nerxes explained. ‘A cousin-kin offshoot half a dozen generations old.’

‘If they’re Direbrands, they’ll be Sigmar-bound,’ said Atraxas. ‘No allies there.’

‘Yes, and they are preparing their ships,’ said Nerxes. ‘We can’t have word of what’s happening get to the mainland.’

‘The offer will stand,’ said Threx as the advance party came upon the clifftop path. It wound back and forth down the grey wall, its bottom lost in shadows. ‘Khorne needs warriors as well as sacrifices. What happens here is just the start of our conquest.’

They fell silent as they picked their way down the treacherously steep trail, their passage lit only by the Blood Moon. The first smudge of the coming dawn lit the sea horizon but the Eye of Khorne would not truly set for three more days, such was its strange procession across the heavens at that time of year.

The slap of scabbards and jingle of mail was impossible to mute completely and when they were a few dozen paces from the pebbled shore they heard the crunching of steps below them.

‘Who is there?’ a sentry demanded from the shadows at the base of the cliff. ‘Declare yourselves!’

‘It is Nerxes, the emissary of the host.’ As he spoke, Threx’s cousin moved ahead, stepping out into the moonlight. ‘The Red Feast has begun and declarations are to be made.’

The guard hesitated, glancing back towards the dim figures moving in the light of the fires, loading their belongings onto two beached longships.

‘Why so many?’

‘The host himself comes,’ said Nerxes. He stepped closer but the sentry backed away, hand on the horn that hung on a strap over his shoulder.

A hiss cut the air and a moment later a throwing axe thudded into the man’s chest, sending him sprawling. Nerxes leapt on him as a choked cry escaped his lips, sword piercing his throat.

The force hurried past, Threx at their head, their feet raising a noise from the shifting pebbles underfoot.

‘What’s their chieftain called?’ asked Threx as they came into the firelight.

‘Surrodia, I think,’ replied Nerxes.

‘The host of the Red Feast has come!’ bellowed Foraza at a nod from his lord. ‘Give audience to Threx Skullbrand!’

The Ashragans responded quickly, dropping their loads, drawing weapons as the Skullbrands continued to advance past the closest fire.

‘I would speak with Surrodia,’ announced Threx, raising a hand to stop his company. The red cloaks spread out around him, while Foraza planted the new banner in the beach, its shadow a distorted version of the Khornate rune made of blades and body parts.

‘I am here,’ a woman called from the prow of the closest ship. ‘I have no words for a kinslayer and false-tongue.’

‘I think we have your answer,’ said Atraxas. Threx ignored his uncle and paced forward, slipping his axe from its loop.

‘As host I have placed the cup of Okhon upon his feasting table,’ said Threx, pointing towards the summit with his weapon. ‘The champion that drinks from it will be made king.’

‘I have no interest in your blood game, Threx. Go, or my warriors will send you to the darkness.’

‘I have another offer,’ said Threx, still walking. A knot of Ashragans gathered in front of him. Others were running from the far end of the cove. ‘Khorne demands you give something to him.’

‘Rot in the Abyss, Skullbrands,’ shouted Surrodia. ‘I will give you nothing.’

‘I speak to you all,’ said Threx, moving his gaze to the fighters gathering in front of him. ‘Only two offerings will Khorne accept. Your weapons pledged, or your skulls reaped.’

‘Death to the Skullbrands!’ roared Surrodia, leaping down to the ground, a golden blade in her hand. Her warriors surged forward and Threx heard the crash of feet on pebbles behind him as his bloody cohort counter-charged.

Finally, Threx could live as he wanted, slay as he desired, without remorse or judgement.

‘Skulls it is,’ he said with a grin, leaping to the attack, his axe carving a shining arc in the ruddy moonlight.

Though he had not slept, or eaten, or drunk for three days, and had fought a hundred duels and more in that time, Korghos felt as energised as when he had started the killing. His existence had become one of continual battle, cutting down foe after foe beneath the ruddy gaze of Khorne. Clavis Volk seemed a place apart, the sun barely touching the volcanic rock, the bloody haze of the looming moon cast upon everything.

He no longer issued challenge nor made offers to the companions of the slain. All that he saw was an enemy to be overcome. The higher he climbed the mountain, the more determined his foes became. He was cut in a score of places but the pain was secondary to the need to be victorious.

His goal was in sight. Striding up the winding path that led to the bare summit of the island, he could see the stones that lined the way were marked with ancient runes. The markers themselves were of red stone, unlike anything else on the black-and-grey isle, brought from somewhere else.

As he had been, he realised.

‘I am the spear tip,’ he said, his words not directed at anyone in particular, but answered by Lashkar anyway.

‘You are. With you, Khorne will pierce the shield of Sigmar and the Great Parch will know its true lord again. These lands, these people, are descended from the warriors of the true Gods! My paintings showed it all. The one that rose among them to destroy the cities of the civilised damned. Aelves and duardin and humans had to bend all their might to stop him. Fractured, the people were split, but the Great Parch remembered them, gathered them to itself like a child brought to the embrace of a loving parent.’

‘The past does not concern me,’ declared Korghos as his booted foot stepped upon the level stone that topped the mount. In one hand he grasped the half-sword of his wife. Still sheathed, for its value was not as a weapon but a link to something far more important. ‘The future awaits. I shall have an army with which to destroy the Tithemasters.’

He stopped, hearing the sounds of battle as they continued to ring in the gorges and woods that flanked the high peak. He could feel the spirit of Khorne moving through the island, a tremble beneath his feet as the Blood God readied to enter the realm from which he had been warded for so long.

‘The cup shall be mine,’ said Korghos, taking another step. The table was a few dozen paces away, the blood-filled bowl set upon it as instructed.

The ground shook harder, causing red liquid to spill onto the table. It ran along scores in the surface much like the carving of the peak-top shrine where he had met Lashkar.

‘The pact is almost sealed,’ said the Bloodspeaker, hurrying ahead of him.

Korghos thought the Bloodspeaker was going for the cup himself and dashed after Lashkar with a shout, spear readied. Another earth tremor sent him reeling into the table, banging a thigh hard against its edge. He saw that the blood-channels described the rune of Khorne, as he had suspected, but it was set into a grander design, that of a bestial, roaring face that was mastiff and bear, bull and snarling cat all together.

‘No!’ he shouted as he saw Lashkar reaching for the bowl.

Korghos pushed himself away, hand braced against the table as the ground lurched once more.

‘You are not betrayed, Korghos Khul,’ Lashkar told him.

He held the bowl over his head, eyes ablaze with a fiery light. All seemed to grow silent, the clash of arms and screams of combatants ceasing for an instant. The stillness was broken by a sudden cry of pain that then stopped abruptly.

‘Eight hundred and eighty-eight champions have given their lives on this sacred isle,’ said Lashkar. ‘All that you desire will come to pass!’

He upended the bowl, covering himself in blood. It did not slop to the ground but clasped tight to him, becoming a second skin. An immense jolt threw Korghos to his back as the Bloodspeaker tossed away the bowl, which cracked upon the hard ground.

From his supine position Korghos saw the table from a new perspective. Above it the sky wavered, flickering in and out as though it were a candle flame behind a curtain. He saw a rough outline, like a vast circle on the heavens, and realised that the sacred Table of Okhon was not a table at all but the plinth of a Realmgate, one of the portals that crossed the planes of reality. The blood was an offering, just as when the Bloodspeaker had brought the Khul from Ghur.

But where did this gate lead, Korghos wondered?

The features of Lashkar contorted as Khorne’s avatar took hold, rearranging flesh and muscle into a body more suited. Horns and jagged spines broke the bloodskin, black as night. The eyes turned pure white, gazing at Korghos from a brow creased in fury. Wings of fire spread as the apparition grew, becoming taller and broader with each thunderous pulse of Korghos’ heart. A flaming whip cracked into life in a taloned fist, and a jagged-edged sword larger than the Khul’s champion formed in the other. And the face was that of the beast upon the table, bringing with it a memory of where Korghos had seen it before.

The first time he had laid his gaze upon that monstrous visage had been in the cave of the painter. The wall had been painted with the face of a man, an image of a nightmare reflected in his pupil.

Now Korghos looked upon that very same creature with his own eyes.

Yet it was not terror that filled him but elation.

YOU HAVE SERVED ME WELL, KORGHOS KHUL. I PROMISED YOU AN ARMY AND YOU SHALL HAVE IT. BUT I MUST HAVE ONE ALSO, TO CRUSH AND KILL AND MAIM FOR MY PLEASURE AND POWER.

The skies above the island swirled, the Blood Moon seeming to crack open with fire. Korghos pushed himself to his feet and from his high vantage could see that the seas crashed against the shore with unparalleled fury, rising higher and higher, sweeping away hundreds of people on the lower slopes.

The avatar of Khorne grew larger and larger. As it ascended, a figure staggered forth: Lashkar, whole and seemingly unharmed. He managed a few more steps and then fell to the ground at Korghos’ feet, blackened tongue lolling from his mouth. His chest rose and fell, though, showing that he still lived.

The image of Khorne bestrode Clavis Volk, sword in hand. That dire blade swept across the heavens, its tip leaving a ragged tear across the sky. Blood boiled from the rent, falling as hot rain.

Where each droplet hit the ground, a vapour rose. Shapes formed from the bloody mist – thin, hunched creatures with elongated heads and slender black horns, wielding glinting triangular swords, their eyes the same dead white as their creator. Monstrous hounds grew from the blood rain, their flanks scaled like a drakon, teeth of bronze in their massive jaws. Other things, bladed and deadly, towering and brass-like, emerged from the fog of power. Creatures upon the backs of brazen juggernauts whose hooves sparked flame from the stone. Immense beast-faced monsters fashioned in the likeness of the Blood God, armed with whip and axe, or burning flail, or tripartite blades that screamed for blood.

Korghos watched in numb silence as the army grew and grew, until the isle was drenched in blood and the servants of the Skull Lord were beyond counting.

THIS IS OUR PRIZE. BEHOLD MY HOST OF IMMORTALS. BEHOLD THE DAEMON LEGIONS OF KHORNE!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Gav Thorpe is the author of the Horus Heresy novels Deliverance Lost, Angels of Caliban and Corax, as well as the novella The Lion, which formed part of the New York Times bestselling collection The Primarchs, and several audio dramas. He has written many novels for Warhammer 40,000, including Ashes of Prospero, Imperator: Wrath of the Omnissiah and the Rise of the Ynnari novels Ghost Warrior and Wild Rider. He also wrote the Path of the Eldar and Legacy of Caliban trilogies, and two volumes in The Beast Arises series. For Warhammer, Gav has penned the End Times novel The Curse of Khaine, the Warhammer Chronicles omnibus The Sundering, and much more besides. In 2017, Gav won the David Gemmell Legend Award for his Age of Sigmar novel Warbeast. He lives and works in Nottingham.

An extract from Scourge of Fate.

In the Death-Realm of Shyish, the village of the Necris burned.

Its people burned with it, their slaughtered bodies flung onto the pyres kindled from their homesteads. Those who attempted to flee were chased down, killed and immolated. The Black Pilgrim’s instructions had been clear – neither flesh nor bone was to escape the flames that night.

The pilgrim himself saw little of the grisly work. He had ridden on from the village, leading his razor-fanged mount up the narrow, snowy tracks that wound their way into the Barrow Hills. He carried on now on foot, the firelight of the burning village long ago swallowed up behind him, bitter darkness and eddying snow pressing in on every side.

Hold your course, mortal. The voice echoed through the pilgrim’s head, colder than the biting wind.

He climbed higher. He was a towering figure, tall and broad-shouldered, his natural bulk accentuated by his armour. The black plate was baroque, edged with burnished silver bands and inscribed with dark runes of protection. Over his shoulders was draped a pelt cape, the hard blue scales of a slain Dracoth, now thick with snow. His helmet bore a slit visor and a crest of red-dyed horsehair, flanked by two horns that curled outwards like those of a ram. At his left hip was a heavy sword, sheathed in a scabbard of cured aelf-hide, while two long daggers were crossed over his chainmail cingulum. A shield of thick warpsteel was strapped to his left vambrace, embossed with an iron crest – a sea wyrm coiling beneath an eight-pointed star.

Glory awaits you.

The voice in the figure’s head was growing louder, its sickly tones quickening with excitement. It wished for nothing more than to be free, and the Black Pilgrim represented a chance for just that.

The man – if man he was – passed between the burial cairns of the ancient dead, the stone mounds almost lost beneath the thickening snow. He ignored them – he had not come this far for some brass trinket or rusting blade. His destination lay ahead, rising out of the swirling darkness, a pillar of cold stone set into the fallow earth at the heart of the hilltop.

The barrow of the Frost King, eternal lord of the Necris.

Step closer, my champion.

The Black Pilgrim halted at the barrow’s entrance, which was framed by two cornerstones of snow-clad rock. For a moment, he might have been a statue, cast from black iron, set to guard the king’s tomb for eternity.

The illusion was shattered as he reached out with his right hand, the spiked gauntlet passing just beyond the entranceway flanked by the two great stones. Immediately, a thick coating of hoar frost closed like a vice over the black metal, threatening to shatter it. The figure withdrew, flexing his fingers and breaking the ice with a crack.

He raised the gauntlet again, this time to the left-hand stone. A crunching blow shuddered away the snow that clung to it in a white cascade, revealing the markings carved into the rock.

The figure spent some seconds assessing them. Then, with abrupt force, he slammed the edge of his shield against the first of the etchings.

Did they truly believe their corpse-wards would keep him at bay?

The Black Pilgrim broke them with his shield, each in turn, until all were reduced to shattered stone strewn around the entrance to the barrow. Their power dissipated and he stepped into the darkness beyond, no icy death-spell closing about his heart.

He had come to retrieve a fellow servant of the True Gods, and he would not be dissuaded.

At first, he could see nothing in the barrow’s depths. He murmured a prayer to the Silver Fin, asking for guidance. Slowly, the interior of the burial place resolved itself around him, though whether that was because his eyes had grown accustomed to the darkness or because great T’char had answered him, he knew not.

The tomb was large, a circular space of drystone walls against which were set a dozen plinths. They were carved with mortuary emblems – skulls, bones, hourglasses and all the weak esotericism of the servants of the so-called Great Necromancer. Upon them rested the remains of twelve warriors, all skeletal, clad in ancient battle armour and with long, two-handed blades clutched to their rusting breastplates.

They occupied the pilgrim’s attention only briefly. His gaze was drawn to the far end of the chamber, to the stone sarcophagus that stood there, flanked by the twelve plinths. Its upright lid bore a crudely worked depiction of a skeletal figure standing in triumph, praised by the outstretched arms of living tribe folk prostrate beneath it.

Weak. So very weak.

Yesss, hissed the sickly voice of Nakali in the pilgrim’s skull, slithering around like the Golden Serpent. He shrugged it off, approaching the sarcophagus and slamming his warpsteel shield against it without hesitation.

The blow reverberated through the barrow, and sent a split running from the lid’s top to its bottom, breaking the effigy in half. He clenched his fangs and slammed home a second blow, then a third. The tomb continued to shake, and finally with a cracking sound the front of the sarcophagus crumbled and came crashing down before him.

He took a step back. A figure lay slumped within, another skeleton. This one was more finely armoured than its guards, and bore upon its helm a circlet of bronze. It was not the barrow king’s attire that held the pilgrim’s attention though, but the weapon it clutched.

The sword was large, its hilt gripped in two bony fists. The length was black steel, its double edge jagged and irregular. The pommel was crafted in the likeness of a golden serpent, its long fangs bared and its forked tongue darting out. The crosspiece was likewise fashioned into a two-headed snake, also cast in gold.

It was no rusting barrow-blade. It was an exquisite weapon, forged in the daemon furnaces of the Varanspire. It was what he had been hunting for, the debaser of the Lightning Temple and the great serpent-daemon of Slaanesh.

Nakali.

There was a glimmer of illumination. It was not the wholesome flicker of flames, but was cold and bitter, like grave-dirt caught in the back of the throat. The pilgrim realised that blue deadlights had flickered into being in the sockets of the barrow king’s skull.

The Frost King wakes, Nakali hissed. Quickly, champion!

He reached out with his right hand to snatch the sword from the king’s grasp, but before he could touch it the skeleton shuddered. There was a rattle as its bones re-formed and straightened, dragged tight as though by the sudden twitch of a marionette’s strings. It stood fully upright, its armour scraping against the stone of its tomb. With a snap, its head turned to face the pilgrim, and the deadlights in its sockets flared with an unnatural, immortal awareness.

Fool! Nakali shrieked.

The Black Pilgrim drew his own sword, Serpent’s Fang, the sensation of the heavy blade in his fist sending a familiar thrill through his body. It was always a blessing to kill, even when the enemy was already dead.

The Frost King stepped from its shattered resting place and hefted its own sword: Nakali, desperate to be free, desperate to be saved from the deathless grip of a warrior who could never be tempted by its whispers or tainted by its perverse aura. Though nothing but bone, the ancient undead champion carried the heavy blade without any difficulty, lent strength and vitality by the sorcerous tricks of its False God.

‘Come to me, corpse,’ the pilgrim demanded. ‘That I may release you from your long bondage.’

He attacked. Serpent’s Fang met Nakali’s edge, the clash of Chaotic steel ringing through the barrow, and he knew at once that the king’s weapon was superior. The realisation brought a smile to his thin lips. It was good to know he was not wasting his time.

He turned his right-handed stroke into an overhead blow, then a thrust, relying at first on his strength, then seeking to drive the reanimated corpse into the stone at its back. Neither tactic worked – the death magic binding the thing together was at least as strong as he was, and the master of the Necris had no human regard for self-preservation. It refused to take a backward step as he rained blows down upon it, its motions clumsy but enough to parry each strike. It was not trying to attack, he realised. After another flurry of blows, he understood why.

More light had filled the chamber. He heard the rattle and clatter of bones and the scrape of worn armour, and noticed that the twelve guards had risen from their plinths. At first their motions were jerky and uncoordinated, but as they moved to surround him he knew his time was up. Soon every barrow and cairn across the hillsides would have awoken.

‘Tzatzo!’

The pilgrim roared the name, the sound shaking the burial place just as surely as the first impact of his shield against the sarcophagus. The undead were unperturbed – they had no eardrums to burst, no brains to addle. The word had not been uttered for them, though.

The Frost King attacked. Nakali clashed against Serpent’s Fang once, twice, and then scored a jagged blow down the pilgrim’s left pauldron. He realised the corpse was becoming stronger and faster as it fought, the magics animating it taking a firmer hold of its remains the longer it was awake.

He took its next blow against his shield. Nakali rebounded violently from the hexed warpsteel, and he seized the chance to thrust Serpent’s Fang into the king’s open guard. His sword punched through the rusting breastplate and split its ribcage. Half a dozen shattered bones came away as he dragged the steel free, but the undead champion showed no sign of injury – it attacked, forcing him to take a step back or risk having his guard opened. He snarled with frustration, fangs bared.

The barrow-guard were upon him as well, and he was forced to turn away to meet them. They were slower and weaker than their king, but they were a distraction he could not afford. He shattered the skull of one with an upward thrust of his shield and cut another from collarbone to pelvis with a tight, spinning blow. The broadsword of another clattered ineffectually from his back, snagging in his Dracoth-pelt cape, but he was forced to turn to the king before he could break the one who dared strike him.

The undead master of the Necris had used the distraction well. It struck with an overhead blow. Made with the likes of Nakali, it would have cut open even a favoured champion of the Four. The pilgrim barely managed to get Serpent’s Fang up to meet it, and the clang of the two blades striking one another jarred up his arm. The blow was too much – with a clatter, the upper half of Serpent’s Fang came away, sheared in two, its tip impaling the frost-covered soil at his feet. He just managed to take enough of a step back to avoid Nakali’s descent.

The moment seemed to slow. Death was reaching for him, its icy fingers scraping along his skin and tightening around his heart and throat. He brought the shorn hilt of Serpent’s Fang up with all his strength, angling for the Frost King’s arm as it swung downwards, cutting towards the exposed bone just above its brass vambrace.

Even in death, Serpent’s Fang served the pilgrim well. The blade’s remains – a wicked stub – bit through the skeleton’s limb, splintering the ancient bone. Its fist came away, and with it Nakali, the sword spinning through the air for longer than seemed possible.

As the Frost King’s shorn limb disintegrated, the pilgrim reached out and, with a bellow, he grasped the sword’s hilt.

A landscape of writhing flesh consumes him. There are drumbeats on the perfumed breeze, primal and brutal. The vision comes apart, rent open with blood and screaming. In its place stands a boulder, a great block of pulsating green stone. Its outer surface cracks and splits, and verminous creatures spill out, gnawing the verdant substance with maniacal energy. It is consumed whole, and the flesh returns, crawling, writhing with lust-maddened need. Ahead of him, the Black Pilgrim sees a tree, its bark and boughs formed from intertwining bodies and grasping, fleshy limbs. A serpent is coiled about its groaning form, its scales golden and glittering with a lustre that fixes his eyes in place. It hisses his name, slowly, as though savouring it for the first time.

Vanik.

It lunges at him, its long fangs bared, and he lashes out with one hand, the motion born of instinct. The serpent is gone. The sky above is a black thunderhead, flickering with lightning. A single bolt slams down with a deafening crash, striking him, shattering him, splitting him into a thousand thousand broken shards–

He returned to the present, to reality. Somehow, he was still whole. The roar died in his throat.

Vanik blinked and, in the darkness, realised that his assailants had been flung back against the barrow’s walls. A shock wave of daemonic power had picked them up and hurled them away, the Frost King included, and now the barrow-guards lay shattered and broken around the edges of the tomb. The Frost King itself was slumped against its broken sarcophagus, head hanging to one side, a single flicker of deadlight still lingering in one eye socket.

Vanik looked down. Nakali was clenched in his gauntlet. The whole blade was vibrating, buzzing with the ecstasy of release.

Free me, the daemon’s voice slithered in his skull, full of hideous desire. I know your thoughts now, pilgrim. Release me, and all your desires will be realised.

‘Never,’ he replied, out loud. There was a cracking, scraping sound, and he half turned before the daemon could reply.

A femur was scraping through the barrow’s frozen dirt, as though tugged by an invisible string. Vanik realised that all of the shattered bones around him had begun twitching and rattling – they were coalescing, each one reknitted by whatever sorcery animated the tomb’s guardians. A pathetic necromantic trick. Even as he realised what was happening, the Frost King twitched. Its other eye socket ignited with deathly illumination once more, and it reached out with its one remaining skeletal hand, gripping the side of the sarcophagus.

Free me, Nakali reiterated. It is the only way we can escape this place.

‘No,’ Vanik said again, even as the reanimated barrow-guards began to rise around him, bones crunching and clacking. He had heard a noise from outside the tomb. A familiar scrabbling of claws on icy dirt.

The entrance to the barrow burst inwards, old stone and grave-dirt cascading down around the creature that had forced its way inside. It was a massive beast, moving on all fours and clad in thick barding, as though it were a Freeguild warhorse.

But it was not a warhorse.

It was his steed, Tzatzo.

The creature shrieked and lunged with her elongated, quill-studded head, her twin sets of serrated fangs clamping over the skull and upper ribcage of one of the barrow-guards. It came apart with a snap of splintered bone, and the rest of it turned to dust in her jaws. Tzatzo shrieked again, furious at having found neither flesh nor blood on her prey.

Vanik sheathed Nakali, but the blade snagged and snarled against the aelf-hide scabbard, and it took what felt like an eternity for him to break his grip and remove his gauntlet from its hilt. Had he grasped it with the bare skin of his palm, he doubted he would have had the strength to ever release it again.

Nakali snarled, but Vanik ignored the daemon – his mind was his own again. He moved to Tzatzo’s side and from there past the broken remains of the barrow entrance. The Chaos steed was screaming and snapping, her great fangs breaking apart the skeletal guardians while their blades slid from her flanks, unable to pierce either her armour or her reptilian hide.

‘Come!’ Vanik snapped at her. The Frost King had fully recovered itself and was approaching from across the tomb, the sword of one of its guards in its bony grip. Tzatzo snorted in disgust and turned, a violent hind-leg kick sending more bones scattering across the barrow. Finally, she cantered outside.

Snow was still descending, swirling thicker than ever. He grasped Tzatzo’s mantle and put a foot in one stirrup, pulling himself up into the saddle. He could hear ethereal screeches in the air, and the drumming of hooves. In the distance, barely visible through the snow and darkness hemming them in, he made out mounted figures emerging from the other barrows and cairns surrounding them – spectral horsemen, come to avenge the insult he had dealt their master. His pride stung, he felt the mad desire to turn his steed and face the oncoming warriors. To his surprise, it was Nakali who dissuaded him.

Don’t be a fool, the daemon snarled. Nakali clearly had no desire to run the risk of remaining an immortal prisoner of the Necris.

Vanik overcame his ennui and turned Tzatzo right, back down the winding track. There was little enough time as it was – delay any longer, and claiming the sword would count for nothing.

Below, in the heart of the valley of the Necris, the hunters had become the hunted. The screams of burning villagers had turned into the icy howls of the disembodied – the newly dead had risen.

Vanik came upon the scene as his retinue, the Eightguard, re-formed in the centre of the village’s remains. The hovels surrounding them were ablaze, lighting up the snow-streaked darkness all around and providing the illumination that was driving the shadows back and keeping the small war party alive.

The dead were assailing them from all sides. Though the bodies of the villagers were charred embers, the necromantic energies that wreathed Shyish had already resurrected their spirits. The pallid, ethereal things were now shrieking down at the Chaos knights, kept in check only by ensorcelled blades and the flames that had consumed their corpses, which they seemed to fear.

Vanik rode in amongst the melee, Tzatzo blowing hard, her thick muscles bunched in rage. The spectral riders were close behind, unimpeded by the snow or the rocky earth of the high hills. Seeing their lord thundering into the light of the fire, the Eightguard opened their circle, admitting him into their midst. As they did so, a clutch of the wailing phantoms swooped from the darkness above, out of the ash and snow, their screams making the living warriors’ ears ache.

Vanik tugged Tzatzo round hard, sawing on the steed’s chains, and brought up his shield. The things that had once been the villagers were nightmarish, their ghostly forms echoing images of sloughing flesh, liquefied organs and hideously burnt faces. Ethereal flames clung to them as they dived down, talons flaring with witchfire that reached for the Chaos knights.

One crashed into the pilgrim’s shield with the force of a duardin’s greathammer. He grunted but held, trusting in the warpsteel to repel the undead sorcery. The apparition burst apart around the thick metal, leaving it blackened and scorched but failing to pass through. The howls of the other spirits redoubled as the Eightguard resisted them, their Chaos-blessed blades capable of harming the otherwise incorporeal nightmares. The True Gods would not abandon their servants so readily.

‘Is it done, lord?’

Vanik twisted in his saddle. Shielded at the centre of the circle of riders was his retainer, Modred. The youth was wearing no greater protection than a black leather doublet and plain cap, and was sat astride a wild-eyed, nameless nag. Both rider and mount were dwarfed by the towering armoured warriors surrounding them.

‘It is,’ Vanik said curtly. ‘The blade is mine. You have looted the village?’

‘We have, lord,’ Modred said, indicating the small chest strapped across the nag’s rear. He cringed as another spirit screamed overhead, trailing witchfire.

‘And a living prisoner?’ Vanik demanded. ‘You saved one from the fire?’

‘Yes, lord,’ answered one of his knights, his bannerman, Kulthuk. The Black Pilgrim realised that the body of one of the villagers had been slung over Kulthuk’s saddle, unconscious.

‘Then let us be gone,’ he said, urging Tzatzo towards the track that led from the blazing village. ‘Skoren Blackhand has already claimed his prize, and there is no more time for us to waste. There is no glory in this place. Only death.’

With phantoms shrieking at their heels, Vanik and the Eightguard lashed their steeds towards the dawn.

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This book is dedicated to Martin Morrin,
who helped me to take my first steps upon the Red Path...

A BLACK LIBRARY PUBLICATION

First published in Great Britain in 2019 by Black Library, Games Workshop Ltd, Willow Road, Nottingham, NG7 2WS, UK.

Produced by Games Workshop in Nottingham.
Cover illustration by Akim Kaliberda.

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