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Preparations for the feast are at an advanced stage, and the sun is close to setting, when there’s a call fro towards us!"

Conn raises an eyebrow at Tiernan They’ve been talking about their battles with the demons I’ve sat in close attendance Our seanachaidh fled not long after the attacks began, so I’ve been charged with keeping the history of the clan I’m no natural storyteller but I’ve a perfect memory

"It’s not one of ours," Tiernan says "We brought all our living with us"

"Is it a demon?" Conn shouts at the lookout

"It doesn’t look like one," comes the reply "I think it’s a boy But the speed at which he’s running I’m not sure"

Conn returns to the rampart with Tiernan and a few of our warriors I slip up behind theround, but a lone deht can’t pose ure races closer, we see that it’s a boy,incredibly fast, head bobbing about strangely He lopes up to the gate, ignoring Conn’s shouts to identify himself, then stops and looks at us duh Conn is roaring at hih his heart if he doesn’t announce his intentions Then he sits, picks a flower and plays with it

Conn looks angry but confused "A sirunts

"It could be a trap," Tiernan mutters

"Derees

"But you sa fast he ran," Tiernan says "And he doesn’t look tired He’s not even sweating Maybe he’s not hu?"

I close my eyes and focus on the boy Demons have a different feel to humans They buzz with the power of their oorld There’s a flicker of that about this child I start to tell Conn but then so ht around hih a thick bank of er there Instead, I’ her I’ve seen her so many times in my perfect ave birth to ard, bone-thin, dark circles under her eyes, stained with blood But love in her eyes-love for me

As I stare, numb onder-but no fear- her eyes onbut her words don’t carry With a frown, she jabs a long finger towards the west She starts to say so else but then the mist clears She shiain, playing with his flower

"Bec," Conn is saying, shaking ht?"

I look up, tre Conn what I saw Then I decide against it I’ve never had a vision before I need ti on the boy, I controland try to calm my fast heartbeat

"I th-think he’s hu-huic in him Maybe he’s a druid’s apprentice" That’s a wild guess, but it’s the closest I can get to explaining what’s different about him

"Does he pose a threat?" Conn asks

A dangerous question-if I ansrongly, I’ll be held responsible I think about playing safe and saying I don’t know, but then the boy pulls a petal froue "No," I say confidently "He can’t harate is opened Several of us spill out and surround the boy I’ve been brought along in case he doesn’t speak our language A priestess is ues I don’t actually know any other languages but I don’t see the need to admit that, not unless so he’ll change and becoain, but he doesn’t

The boy is thin and dirty, his hair thick and unwashed, his knee-length tunic caked with ht, never lingering on any one spot forknife in a scabbard hanging from his belt but he doesn’t reach for it or show-alaring the boy’s knee with his foot No reaction "Boy! Who are you? What are you doing here?"

The boy doesn’t answer Conn opens his ain, then stops He looks ate child I watch hi the er think he’s a druid’s assistant Conn was right-he’s a siods

"That’s a nice flower," I aze settles on rins, then thrusts the flower at me When I take it, he picks another and holds it above his head, squinting at it

"Can you speak?" I ask "Do you talk?"

No answer I’ain, when he shouts loudly, "Flower!"

I jump at the sound of his voice So do the h, ehted "Flower!" he shouts again Then his s Come with" He leaps to his feet "Come with! Run fast!"

"Wait," I shush hio anywhere The demons will be on theCorabs ain, losing my patience "What’s your name? Where are you from? Why should we trust you?" The boy stares at me blankly I take a deep breath, then ask slowly, "What’s your na I turn to Conn and shrug "He’s sie and-"

"Come with!" the boy shouts "Run fast! Deht," Connla snorts "Why would anyone send a fool like this to-"

"Run fast!" the boy gasps before Connla can finish "Run fast!" he repeats, his face lighting up He tears away froh the ranks of warriors as if they were reeds and races around the rath Seconds later he’s back, not panting, just s "Run fast," he says firmly

"Do you knohere you’re fro the boy a name since he can’t provide one himself "Can you find your way back to your people?"

For a awps at Goll I don’t think he understands But then he nods, looks to where the sun is setting and points west "Pig’s trotters," he says thoughtfully

For a second I see ain, but this is just a memory, not another vision

Goll faces Conn "We should bring him in It’ll be dark soon We can question hietthe possible danger to his people, then clicks his fingers and leaves the boy to histo the fireside with Tiernan, to discuss this latest turn of events

Run Fast isn’t big but he has the appetite of a boar He eats more than anyone at the feast but nobodyabout the boy He h he can’t talk properly, except to explode every so often with "Demons!" or "Come with!" or-his favourite-"Run fast!"

As Goll predicted, Run Fast isn’t able to tell us any reat their need is Under norh problehter than it’s been in a long while The arrival of the MacCadan has sparked confidence Even though the eleven are iven us hope If survivors froreat fort and a hty army, keep the de, but we think it anyway Banba used to say that the desperate and damned could build a s

So we grant Run Fast ht The ht have taken him to come here, why a fool was sent instead of another

"His speed is the obvious reason," Goll says "Better to send a hare with half a e than a snail with a full one"

"Or maybe the Foers twitching with suspicion "They could have conquered his clan, then muddled his senses and sent him to lure others into a trap"

"You afford theht are mindless, direes "So were ours to begin with But they’ve changed They’re getting ent We had a craftily hidden souterrain One or tould find their way into it by accident every so often, but recently they attacked through it regularly, in ti clearly, more like hues his chin thoughtfully Our one great advantage over the deht-is that we’re shter than those we’ve encountered

"I don’t think it’s a trap," Fiachna says quietly He doesn’t normally say much, so everyone’s surprised to hear hi the boy’s knife "This boy doesn’t have the scent of deht, Bec?"

I nod ihted to be publicly noticed by Fiachna "Not a bit of a scent," I gush, ratherthe truth," Fiachna says "His people need help Run Fast was the best they could send So they sent him, probably in blind hope"

"What of it?" Connla snorts I can tell by the way he’s eyeing Run Fast that he doesn’t like hiht’s as serious as theirs What do they expect us to do-send ourour women and children at the mercy of the Fomorii?" He spits into the dust