He shook his head. ‘I fear they took nothing. They gave you something … something vile, like a poison that eats into your heart. I am your friend, Sigarni. More than that, I love you. I would die for you. But you alone must find a way to defeat the monsters tormenting you.’
‘What do you mean defeat them? I killed them!’
‘You misunderstand me,’ he said gently. ‘They may be dead, but you hold them to you. They exist in every thought you have; you see their faces on all men — even your friends. I cannot advise you, for I have no … no perception of what you have been through. But you are now a fortress, barred against those who love you. Yet you have the enemy trapped within also. I think you will have to find a way to raise the portcullis and allow your friends in.’
‘Nonsense,’ she retorted. ‘There is no portcullis.’ Before he could speak again, she swung away and walked to her horse. ‘Let’s get to the village,’ she said.
The two of them rode in silence.
The narrow lanes of Cilfallen were strewn with Outland corpses. Sigarni gazed on them dispassionately and guided her horse to the south of the town. The bodies of the mercenaries – stripped of all weapons – were slowly being carted across the bridge to an open field. Fell was sitting on the retaining wall surrounded by several of his foresters; they rose when they saw Sigarni. She dismounted and approached them. ‘You did well,” she said. ‘Did you suffer any losses?’
‘Three men wounded, none seriously. Four of the villagers were killed. Eleven others sustained wounds, most of them minor.’ She turned towards the waiting foresters, recognizing them all. Three of them had been casual lovers. The men stood silently, their expressions guarded.
‘You have now seen how the Outlanders keep the peace. Know this: In the spring they will come with an army. Their mission will be to annihilate all clansmen, and their families, and their children. I intend to fight them – just like today. I will drench the Highlands in their blood. Today we are few, but that will change. Those who wish to serve me should make their wishes known to Fell. Those who do not should make plans to leave the mountains. There are only two sides now: Outland and Highland. Those not with me will be deemed traitors, and I will hunt them down also. That is all.’
Spinning on her heel, she walked back to where Asmidir waited with the horses. ‘I need to see Tovi,’ she said. They found him at the bakery, with the ovens heating. He had discarded his sword and was kneading a batch of dough.
‘One last time,’ he said, with an embarrassed smile. ‘I don’t know why I wanted to.’ He gazed around the long room with its racks of empty shelves. ‘This place has been my life.’
‘Now you have another life,’ she said sternly. ‘You were a warrior, Tovi; you understood discipline. You and Grame and Fell will train
the Loda men. We will fall back into the forest and there I shall leave you. You will gather fighting men, organize stores for the winter, and put out scouts to watch for any further incursions into our territory. You understand this?’
‘We can’t win, Sigarni. I understand that.’
‘We just did!’
‘Aye,’ he said, wiping the dough from his hands and moving to stand before her. ‘We defeated a band of ill-led mercenaries. We tricked them and trapped them. What happens when the Baron marches with his regular soldiers? I watched your man Obrin fight today. He was deadly. What happens when there are thousands like him against us?’
Sigarni stepped in close, her eyes cold, her voice hard as a blade. ‘Has all your courage gone, fat man? Has it melted into the blubber around your belly? I am Sigarni. I am of the Blood. And I wear the Crimson. I do not promise victory. I promise war and death. Now you have two choices. The first is to take your family and run, leave the Highlands. The second is to drop to your knee and pledge yourself to serve me until the day you die. Make that choice now, Hunt LordP