‘Those words should be chiselled in stone,’ said Asmidir softly, from behind them. The two clansmen said nothing. Neither was comfortable in the presence of the black man. He smiled and shook his head, then politely bade them good night and headed for his own small hut.
‘I don’t like that man,’ said Grame.
‘He can be trusted,’ said Ballistar, from where he was standing unnoticed by the door. ‘I’d stake my life on it.’
‘I didn’t say he couldn’t be trusted, little man. I just don’t like him; there’s no heart in him.’
Snow began to fall once more and the bitter wind came down from the north. Fell pulled his cloak around his shoulders. ‘I’m for sleep,’ he said. ‘I feel like I haven’t closed my eyes since autumn.’
Ill stay up for a while yet,’ said Grame. ‘She gave us much to think about.’ He grinned at Ballistar. ‘I still have a jug of Gwalchmai’s throat burner. You’re welcome to a dram.’
Ballistar chuckled. ‘Just the one, mind.’ Fell left them and wandered away.
Obrin’s anger was hard to contain as he stood before Sigarni. ‘If you want me to die, why not just ask one of your soldiers to do it? Or you could cut my throat now!’
‘I am not looking for you to die, Outlander.’ The coldness of her tone only served to inflame him further.
Obrin forced a laugh. ‘Come now, lady, there’s no one else here. I see the way you look at me: loathing and hatred. You think I’ve never seen it before? What I don’t understand is why you’d want to send a hundred of your own men to die with me.’
‘Are you finished?’ stormed Sigarni, rising from her chair. ‘Or have you still some whining to do?’ She stood directly before him, her eyes blazing. ‘You are entirely correct in your assessment of my feelings towards you. Perhaps towards all men, including clansmen. There is no room in my heart for love. No room. In less than twelve weeks an army will descend on these mountains, and I must have a force to oppose them. Not only that, but they must be denied supplies. They have three forts built deep into our territory – tell me what they contain?’
‘You know the answer.’
‘Tell me. Exactly?
‘Food and supplies, weapons – bows, arrows, lances, swords, helms. But more importantly they each contain one hundred fighting men, and are impregnable against all but a huge encircling force. The palisade walls are twenty-five feet high, the entrance guarded by drop-gates. Any force approaching would be open to bowshot for one hundred paces all around the fort. Once they arrived they would have to scale the walls. I’ve done that, lady, and I can tell you that a man with a good sword can kill twenty men scaling. You can’t defend yourself when you’re scrambling up a rope.’
‘I am not asking you to scramble up ropes, Obrin. I did not ask you to assault the fort on Farlain land. I said you were to take it. Now will you listen to my plan?’
‘I’m listening,’ he said, ‘but I spent half my life building those damned forts. I know what goes into their construction.’
‘I want you to ride up to the drop-gate, with your hundred men, and I want you to relieve the defenders of their command.’
Obrin’s jaw dropped. ‘Relieve? What are you talking about?’
‘When we were both at Asmidir’s home I asked you about the forts. You said the men who manned them would expect to serve no more than two months, then a relief force would arrive.’
‘But the snow? There’s no way through those southern passes.’
‘They won’t know that, will they? You are a former officer …’
‘Sergeant,’ he corrected.
‘Whatever!’ she snapped. ‘Some of them may know you and that is good. They have been trapped in those forts and will have no knowledge of your … change of loyalty. We still have the weapons, and what passed for uniforms, of the mercenaries who attacked Cilfallen. We also have the horses. I want you to choose a hundred men and take over the Farlain fort.’