Keeva stepped forward from where she had been standing in the shadows of the trees. ‘There must be something you can do,’ she said, dropping to her knees beside the Grey Man.
‘How many hours?’ Waylander asked.
‘Ten – perhaps twelve at the most,’ Ustarte told him.
‘The boy must not know,’ said Waylander, rising to his feet. He walked back through the trees to where Emrin and Niallad were sitting by the trail.
As Niallad saw him he scrambled to his feet. ‘I did not mean to shoot,’ he said.
‘I know. It barely pierced the skin. Come, walk with me.’
Niallad stood very still, fear showing on his face. ‘I will not harm you, Niallad. We need to talk.’ Waylander led the boy to a cluster of rocks beside a fast-flowing stream, and there they sat as the sun sank below the mountains. ‘Evil creeps up on a man,’ said Waylander. ‘He starts out on a mission he believes is just, and with every killing he darkens his soul just a little more. He lives neither in the day nor in the night. And eventually this man of twilight, this . . . Grey Man finally steps into the dark. As a young man I tried to live a decent life. Then one day I arrived home to find my family butchered. My wife, Tanya, my son, my two baby girls. I set out to hunt down the nineteen men who had taken part in the raid. It took me almost twenty years to find them all. I killed every one. I made them suffer, as Tanya had suffered. They all died in dreadful agony. I look back on the torturer I became and I barely recognize the man. His heart was stone. He turned his back on almost everything of value. I cannot tell you now why he … I accepted the contract to kill the king. It no longer matters why. The simple fact is that I did accept, and I did kill him. And in killing him I became as evil as the men who murdered my family. I tell you all this not to excuse myself or to ask for forgiveness. Forgiveness is not yours to give. I tell you simply because it may help you in your own life. You fear being weak. I see that fear in you. But you are not weak, Niallad. One of the men who slaughtered your parents was in your power, and you upheld the chivalric code. That is strength of a kind I never possessed. Hold to that, Niallad. Hold to the light. Keep that code in your heart with every decision you make. And when, one day, you are faced with a rival, or an enemy, make sure you do nothing that would bring you shame.’
With that Waylander rose and the two walked back to the horses. Waylander gathered up his bow and loaded it. He called the four prisoners to him. They shuffled forward uncertainly. ‘You are free to go,’ he said. ‘If I see you again you die. Now get out of my sight.’
The four men stood for a moment, then one walked away into the forest. The others waited to see if Waylander would shoot him. When he did not the others followed. Waylander approached Emrin. ‘There should be no pursuit now,’ he said. ‘Their horses are far away. So take the high road and bring Niallad and Keeva to the capital. If the lad is strong enough he will win over the other nobles and become the Duke. I want you to stand beside him.’
‘I will, sir. Where are you going?’
‘Where you can’t follow, Emrin.’
‘No, but I can,’ said Keeva.
Waylander turned to her. ‘You told me you did not wish to become a killer. I respect that, Keeva Taliana. If you walk with me now you will have to use that bow.’
‘There is no time for debate now,’ said Keeva grimly. ‘I shall come with you to stop the magicker. Just in case – for any reason – you are unable to do so.’
‘Then let it be so,’ he said. ‘And now we must go. We have some hard riding to do.’