Page 118 (1/1)

So in the reeds A sixth sense warned Fury After five htest disturbance He sniffed the air and detected the familiar odour of poorly cured sealskin, rancid fish oil and human sweat: the un his naive hi for hiht and heard the Ardolf had placed a bounty on their heads The top price would be paid for Balduur's head but he would also give good money for Alison's Only Miralda was to be spared She was of royal blood and the sister of King Pius

Fury let the coracle drift There was a presence in the reeds So near the outlet to the estuary He didn't have to see the man He could smell him Fury kneas there and he was a threat The marsh men had bows They used them to hunt birds and people Fury doubted if any had a bow equal to his His had belonged to Alvero It was a crossbow, hest standards of the Ier he could unleash a deadly iron bolt

He watched and waited Tier called himself Little Bear His naer Little Cat He'd learnt the strange name she'd been called in her former life When he placed his hand on her belly he could feel the baby He now had three people to care for: Alison, their unborn child and Miralda

And they still had Balduur's head They were custodians of the old warlord's soul, which re skull It was the burden he and Alison had to bear for transgressing the sacred pathways to be together Miralda had spoken of the burden She said it wasn't just athe head from one place to another It was the journey that lanced down to make sure the crossboas properly concealed under his cloak His first shot had to reach its mark He wouldn't have time to reload If hefrom his belt He still hated violence but was prepared to use it to protect those who depended on hi hair was tied in a tight plait that hung down his back His hands were rough and scarred fro traps for fish and eels