reclaim my throne.’ He pulled open his shirt. ‘Remember this? We made this scar together. And we took an oath together. It wasn’t the promise of a child. That was the promise of a king. I have been in exile for most of my life. Need I remind you how many lives were given to keep mine safe for this very reason, your own father’s included?’
‘I don’t need reminding,’ Gavriel replied sharply.
‘Then don’t fight me on this. It is the right solution.’
‘It’s the right solution if Kilt agrees but I can’t imagine he will.’
‘He gave his word to my father that he would protect me. Now this is the only way that Kilt can keep that promise.’
‘He hasn’t done a bad job so far.’
Leo opened his mouth to respond, then closed it again, looking frustrated. He appeared to take a steadying breath. His voice was hard when he spoke again. ‘I’m going to trammel him, Gav, and I’ll probably need your help.’
‘I’m not sure I’d —’
‘I’m not asking. I’m telling you that I require your help.’
It was Gavriel’s turn to fall silent. As he regarded Leo he realised his father must have been put into an identically difficult position time and again with Brennus. And Regor de Vis had never failed his king. He nodded. ‘As you wish, your majesty.’
‘Good. Jewd will be the problem rather than Kilt. You may need to disable him, but he is not to be harmed permanently.’
Gavriel didn’t reply.
‘We may also need Elka’s help.’
‘That will be her decision.’
‘Well, she’s hardly going to do it for me, Gav. I’m hoping that you will persuade her.’
‘I can try, but I’ll tell you now she answers to no one.’
Leo gave him a glance and Gavriel wasn’t sure whether to read pity or disdain in it. Either way, it was condescending and he was shocked at how hurt he felt.
‘When do you want to do this?’ he demanded, making sure his voice sounded anything but servile.
‘Immediately. Loethar must not get wind of what we’re planning. We will have to tie him up or drug him.’
‘I saw the look he gave you, Leo. I think you’re underestimating Loethar if you don’t already think his mind has taken him there.’
And Gavriel knew he was right when Leo turned away, unable to meet his gaze.
The youngster caught up. ‘You walk fast.’
‘Sorry,’ the man said, his voice slightly hoarse.
‘How do you feel?’
‘Powerful,’ he replied and they both laughed.
‘I would consider it far more powerful to be a bird.’
‘More freedom perhaps, but not more power. Look how I can swing my arms, notice my long stride, and listen to this.’ He began to sing.
Roddy laughed delightedly and the newly formed man called Ravan stopped singing and swung the boy around in a moment of unfettered pleasure. ‘I like your laugh, Roddy.’
‘I like your voice,’ the boy replied as he was set back down.
‘Anything’s better than that dreadful caw I used to have.’
‘You were a most handsome bird.’
‘Now I’m an even more handsome man.’
‘That you are. Can your long stride get us all the way to where we need to be?’
‘Easily. It’s not so far.’
‘Further on foot than as the crow flies, though,’ Roddy said and they both chuckled. ‘What do you think our real task is?’
Ravan had been thinking about this ever since he had seen Sergius speaking to him from the flames. ‘Our role is to help the princess.’
‘But how?’
‘I don’t know yet, Roddy. We have both been given powers and we have to work out not only what but how to use them.’
‘How will we know her?’
‘I don’t know the answer to that. But we have to push on and hope we’ll discover all that we need to know.’
‘Do you remember what Sergius said when he was dying?’
Ravan smiled. ‘He spoke about several things.’
‘The bit about telling people about Piven.’
Ravan paused again, frowning as he thought back over the conversation with the dying Sergius. ‘He did say that, you’re right. That’s very sharp of you, Roddy. I had overlooked it.’
‘Well, I was just wondering who we had to tell and where they may be.’
‘I think I know exactly who he meant.’
‘You do?’
‘I suspect he meant anyone who is loyal to the Valisars.’
‘Who might that be?’
‘That would be Leonel and his supporters.’
‘The prince? But they say he died in the wars.’
Ravan let Roddy down off his broad shoulders and squatted so that his friend did not have to stare up at him. ‘Leonel did not die in the wars. He survived, escaped Loethar’s clutches, and fled into the forests north of here. He has grown up, tall and strong with a fierce desire to be king in more than name.’
Roddy’s eyes shone. ‘Really?’
Ravan nodded. ‘I think we need to find him and let him know that his sister returns and that his brother is now his enemy.’
‘Will he believe us?’
‘He has to. We must make sure he does.’
‘How long will it take us to reach the forest?’
Ravan frowned. ‘Too long. We’re pretty far west still, so we need to swing east now if we want to make it into the Davarigon region of Droste.’
Roddy smiled. ‘Then we’d better run!’
‘We could never keep pace with each other. My legs are too long.’
The boy regarded him seriously. ‘When you were changing, just before the beautiful serpent woman arrived, I thought I saw something.’
‘Oh yes, what was that?’
Roddy bit his lip and squeezed his eyes shut as he made himself remember. ‘It was like a dream. I could see you running.’
‘Running, eh? Perhaps because I was about to be given the legs of a man.’
‘No, it was as though I was being shown something. I see things sometimes. I keep them to myself because they can be bad. There was a time when I had a vision of the crops failing. Another time I saw that the Robbun family’s only son would die of the shaking fever — and that was a whole anni before, when he was healthy.’
‘I see. Those aren’t nice visions to have.’
Roddy nodded. ‘My mother told me to keep them to myself. So when I saw the fire in my mind — the one that I told you about, that brought me here?’ Ravan nodded. ‘Well, I didn’t tell anyone that it would happen but every day I waited for it. And one day it came and I was ready.’ He pulled a rueful face.