her. ―Greetings, Bane Barsarbe. My name is Azhure, and I have come from the village of
Smyrton.‖
The woman nodded slightly. ―GoldFeather has mentioned you.‖
Azhure breathed a little easier. ―Yes. I have talked many times with GoldFeather over the
years. Bane Barsarbe, please listen to me.‖ Her voice became urgent—what were they doing
standing here, passing pleasantries? ―Shra and the Avar man she was with were caught by the
villagers of Smyrton some days past. I could not free them until a few hours ago, but the
BattleAxe of the Axe-Wielders, who arrived in Smyrton yesterday with his force, caught us just
short of the tree-line. The Avar man—‖
―Raum,‖ Barsarbe said quietly, her eyes worried as she listened to what Azhure had to
say.
―Raum told me to take Shra and escape into the trees. He turned to fight the BattleAxe.‖
―Raum must be dead by now,‖ said Grindle, preparing to run and help.
―Wait,‖ Barsarbe counselled, ―let her finish.‖
Azhure looked worriedly at the two of them. Would they be able to help Raum? ―Raum
fell and broke his ankle. He could not escape the BattleAxe. But GoldFeather was there, and is
talking to the BattleAxe.‖
―Raum and GoldFeather are both dead,‖ Grindle growled.
―He treated Raum and Shra well,‖ Azhure pleaded, not sure why she was defending Axis.
―And I think he would have liked to save them. He had Shra freed from the prison where she had
been thrown. Perhaps he can be persuaded by argument.‖
―Maybe she is right,‖ Barsarbe said. ―And GoldFeather will know how to treat the
BattleAxe. We can do nothing for the moment.‖
―We can do our best to save Raum!‖ the man cried. ―How can we lose another Bane? He
is my brother!‖
Barsarbe‘s hand tightened on Grindle‘s shoulder. ―I will not condone violence, Grindle,
even to save Raum. It is not the Avar way. And if you run out there and add your anger to the
scene then Raum will probably die. Your presence will not serve to save him, Grindle. We must
trust in GoldFeather.‖
Suddenly Barsarbe turned and stared down the path leading to the Forbidden Valley.
Azhure strained her ears, but could hear nothing.
―It‘s GoldFeather and Raum,‖ Grindle said shortly, thrusting Shra into Barsarbe‘s arms
and running down the path. Barsarbe passed Shra to Azhure and ran after Grindle, her hands
lifting her robe to her knees to enable her to run more freely.
Azhure found the four of them around the first bend. Grindle had lifted Raum into his
arms and was striding towards her. Raum‘s face was a mask of agony, his neck dark with blood,
his hands slipping from Grindle‘s shoulders where he tried to hang on. His foot swung limply at
the end of his leg, bone glistening through the bloodied skin of his ankle. Azhure stepped to one
side as Grindle hurried past and her throat constricted as she realised the extent of the break to
Raum‘s ankle. She knew the injury was close to being fatal because of the undoubted infection
that would set in.
Barsarbe, supporting GoldFeather who looked exhausted, brushed past Azhure. ―Follow
us,‖ she grunted, and Azhure hurried forward and put her free arm about GoldFeather‘s waist,
relieving Barsarbe of some of the taller woman‘s weight.
They walked through the forest for about an hour, moving deeper and deeper into the
Avarinheim. Grindle disappeared out of sight within a few minutes; Azhure was amazed that he
could move so fast while carrying Raum‘s weight. After a while GoldFeather recovered
sufficiently to wave Barsarbe and Azhure back, and although she still walked a little unsteadily
she refused any further support. As the older woman‘s colour improved Azhure ventured to ask
her how she had managed to persuade the BattleAxe to let them both go.
GoldFeather shrugged. ―I do not know completely, Azhure.‖ She shivered in memory.
―His hand tightened on the hilt of the sword and I was sure that Raum was dead. But…then he
asked me if the Icarii sang.‖ She frowned. ―When I told him that they did, he seemed, well, he
seemed almost frightened and then he let me take Raum. He was a very strange BattleAxe. I
must speak with Raum more when he is able. Perhaps he can tell me more.‖
―For a BattleAxe he has compassion,‖ Azhure said quietly. ―When he arrived in Smyrton
yesterday he was so furious at the treatment Hagen had dealt to Raum and Shra that he attacked Hagen, gave Shra to me to tend, and had his lieutenant Belial personally supervise two
Axe-Wielders who cleaned Raum‘s cell and made him comfortable.‖
―Belial…the man you attacked?‖
Azhure looked uncomfortable. ―Yes, GoldFeather.‖
Both GoldFeather and Barsarbe stared at Azhure for a moment as they walked, both
frowning.
Azhure looked even more uncomfortable as her guilt rose, and GoldFeather turned a little
to Barsarbe. ―There is much to speak of here, Barsarbe. Perhaps we can wait until we are in your
camp and have tended to Raum. But whatever she did, remember that Azhure saved Raum and
Shra‘s lives.‖
Barsarbe‘s frown did not leave her face, but she turned her eyes from Azhure. Azhure
remembered Barsarbe‘s remark to Grindle; obviously the Avar abhorred physical violence. What
will they think when they find out I caused Hagen‘s death last night, Azhure thought frantically.
Will they insist I leave the Avarinheim? They walked silently for some minutes, GoldFeather
well aware of Azhure‘s increasing distress. Finally she touched Azhure‘s arm gently. ―The Avar
are a peaceable people, Azhure, but they will also be grateful for what you did for Raum and
Shra. If you had to commit violence to save them, then they will take that into account.‖
Azhure relaxed a little. ―I hope so, GoldFeather. I only wanted to help. I did not think that
I would…that I would…‖
GoldFeather smiled to reassure the girl. ―Shush now, Azhure, I know how badly you
have wanted to help.‖
Azhure was quiet for a moment. ―GoldFeather, I cannot go home now. May I stay with
the Avar?‖
GoldFeather turned and raised her eyebrows in query at Barsarbe. ―We will have to ask
the Clan,‖ Barsarbe said eventually, her voice terse.
Shortly afterwards they arrived in a modest camp in a small glade close by the banks of
the Nordra. The camp consisted of two circular leather tents stretched over lightweight curved
wooden supports. A small fire smouldered on a stone hearth before them, a pot simmering to one
side of the coals. Grindle had laid Raum down beside the fire and two women and a number of
children hovered anxiously about them, looking immeasurably relieved when Barsarbe and
GoldFeather appeared. The children hung back shyly, uncertain about Azhure‘s presence, but the
two Avar women continued to kneel by Raum‘s side, Grindle standing behind them looking as
angry as he had when Azhure had first told him that he was injured.
Barsarbe pushed the younger of the Avar women to one side and crouched down,
inspecting Raum‘s neck and ankle. She looked anxiously at the other woman. ―I‘ll have to work
quickly on this, Fleat. Can you find me some splints?‖ The woman nodded and rose and
Barsarbe turned to one of the children, a boy about fourteen summers. ―Helm, I‘ll need some
pots of fresh water if you can heat me some, and Skali,‖ to a girl a year or so younger than the
boy, ―will you fetch me my basket of herbs?‖ The boy and girl nodded and rushed off, and
Barsarbe started to wipe some of the blood away from Raum‘s neck to inspect the gash made by
Axis‘ sword. Raum was only barely conscious now. She looked up at Grindle. ―Grindle, you will
need to keep Raum still while I clean and set the ankle. Will you hold him?‖
Grindle knelt down by Raum‘s shoulders. ―Can you save him, Barsarbe?‖
She smiled reassuringly at the man. ―Grindle, I will do my best. At least the wound is
fresh, it has not been left to fester. I have saved worse than this.‖
GoldFeather waved over the young Avar woman. Dressed in a tunic and leggings like
Grindle, the woman was carrying a small infant strapped to her breast. She stepped up to
GoldFeather and Azhure, and smiled as she saw that Azhure held Shra.
―Shra!‖ she exclaimed, relief flooding her face, and the little girl held out her arms to the
woman. ―She is well,‖ Azhure reassured the woman.
GoldFeather smiled. ―Pease is Shra‘s mother, Azhure, and Grindle is her father. Pease?‖
The woman looked up from her daughter. She looked too small and frail to hold both infant and
daughter, yet she seemed to cope with ease, and Azhure thought that although the Avar women
were much shorter and more fine-boned than their menfolk their frail appearance hid
considerable strength. ―Pease,‖ GoldFeather continued. ―This is Azhure, and she has helped
return both Shra and Raum to your Clan. But she—and I—are exhausted, and we would be