'Sometimes just that I'm somewhere else, looking through another man's eyes. It's as though I'm remembering things I've not done.'

'Hmm. What about your magic? Has it been released or was it just the battle?'

'I don't know, I hadn't thought of trying it again yet.' 'Well, do so now. Nothing grand, just draw energy into your hand and imagine it as fire.'

Isak did as Bahl ordered. For a moment he felt nothing. Suddenly, energy rushed to his hand, coursing like a stream of water over every inch of skin and into his hand. The air shimmered and swirled, yellow threads building and spinning together until a flame shot up from Isak's hand.

'Good, that's enough. Now stop.'

With a slight reluctance, Isak halted the flames and they melted into nothing. He flexed his fingers, savouring the tingle of magic in them as it faded away.

'Well, it looks like your block has gone, whatever the problem was. I'll start teaching you the finer points of control when you're feeling stronger.'

'Thank you.' Isak paused. 'Lord Bahl, I'm sorry. It won't happen ain.'

'I know you didn't mean it, but you do need to make sure it doesn't happen again. Next time it'll kill you.' There was an edge to his words that chilled Isak.

'Just so you know, it was I who bandaged your chest.'

Isak's stomach clenched. This wasn't a conversation he wanted to

have. He didn't have any answers himself, so explaining it to someone

else would be next to impossible.

'I don't expect you to tell me all your secrets,' Bahl said. There are

some things that are your own business. But tell me, here and now,

whether there's anything I need to know. I will not allow anything that might endanger the tribe or work against my rule. There is nothing you will have done that is so foul that we cannot counteract it, as long as we know where the problem lies.'

'There's nothing,' Isak muttered. 'I don't understand it myself, but I don't think it's anything for you to be concerned about.'

'Good, we seem to have enough of that already. Just remember that others feel the same about their own affairs. Some of my business has nothing to do with you. You will extend me the courtesy of neither asking nor investigating.'

'Of course, my Lord. What did you mean when you said "enough of that"?' The two white-eyes were walking slowly west and Isak suddenly realised that they were close to where the battle had been fought. This was where the cavalry had passed him to reach the stream… The wind caught Bahl's long white cloak and carried it high, away from the packed mud of the ground and off towards the heart of the mountains where home lay. Count Vesna and Suzerain Tori and a couple of messengers trailed behind them, all waiting for a moment of their Lord's time. None of them looked hopeful of being acknowledged soon.

Bahl looked up at a wood pigeon winging its way high over the camp to the woods beyond. From their left, a sharp-eyed falconer set his charge after it: an army always needed more food, no matter how small – but the pigeon was gone by the time the falcon had climbed far enough. Bahl nodded enigmatically, then as Suzerain Ked appeared and began to speak urgently, he nodded at Isak, who fell back to give them some privacy.

'He agrees with you, said almost the same as you did about fighting on your own ground,' said a voice from behind Isak. The Krann turned in puzzlement. Suzerain Tori had a satisfied expression on his face, as though he had been testing Isak and was happy with the outcome.

'There are also enemies within the tribe, and now we've dealt with these elves, at least for the meantime, Lord Bahl intends to adjust his focus,' he said to Isak. 'I assume you did appreciate the fact that of all those who owe Lord Bahl allegiance, only eight suzerains and eleven counts answered the call to battle?'

Isak nodded. He hadn't wanted to comment at the time in case it was normal behaviour and he looked a fool for saying anything.

'We have the same number again whose whereabouts illness or infirmity cannot explain. You must have learned enough by now to recognise that any victory should be followed by decisive action, lest subsequent events make it hollow.'

'Unfortunate accidents-?'

'Are always a possibility in this life, yes,' Tori finished for him. 'It's something you should take a keen interest in.'

'Me? If you are trying to tell me that Lord Bahl-'

'Hah! I'm not telling you anything, young man. I am, however, suggesting that it would be good to let men know you are more than what you showed on the field, and…' The suzerain's voice tailed off.

'And what?' demanded Isak, scowling.

For the first time, the man actually looked a little uncomfortable. He lowered his voice to make sure only Isak and Vesna could hear. 'When we searched the enemy bodies, we found- well, people will draw their own conclusions. A lot of them had a scroll hung about their necks, written in Elvish, of course, but Ked is enough of a scholar to read some of the runes. It was apparently something he had to translate when he was studying the language as a boy. I don't know the full text, but we've all heard the rumours.'

'What is it, for the love of Larat? You look like a scared child.'

Tori held up his hands to mollify Isak's impatience and cleared his throat. 'My Krann, it's called the Prophecy of Shalstik, supposedly the most significant prophecy about this Age, but written thousands of years ago. This army we have just faced down was an army of the prophet's disciples. With an Estashanti in their ranks, and the sheer numbers, from different houses at that, the elves must have organised themselves as soon as you were Chosen – perhaps even before that.'

'Anyone with money will be able to find a translation somewhere,' interrupted Vesna, 'Every scholar of ancient languages will have one version or another, or at least know where to find one.'

'What does it predict?' Isak asked weakly.

The return of the Last King, who they believe will come to take his revenge upon the Gods – and he was the last mortal before you to wear that armour. My Lord, they seek to reclaim their holiest of relics and I fear they won't stop at this defeat. Ked could only remember the first line properly. He said that all Elvish is open to interpretation, but-' Now Tori looked pained, his face that of a man bringing bad tidings, 'but that line was: In silver light born/In silver light clothed. For the Last King to lead them in their revenge, they need that armour.'

Isak didn't reply. He didn't trust his voice. All he could do was turn and look back the way he'd come, back to his tent where the cold lines of Siulents seemed to shine through the cloth and into the pit Of his stomach.

Oh Gods, whatever horror they bring down upon us, it will all be my fault. And I don't just have to worry about people resenting that, what if a duke or suzerain thinks to ask someone from the wagon-train? Not even Card would see any harm in telling them I was born on Silvernight.