King of Thorns

‘Those were desperate times, Jorg,’ Makin said, studying the floor.

‘All times are desperate,’ I said. ‘You think we’re safe here, on our mountainside? This castle might look big from the inside. From a mile off you can cover it with your thumb.’

I looked at Gorgoth. ‘Maybe I need a new geometry. Maybe we need to find this dena and see if the story can’t be rewritten.’

‘The child’s power is out of control, Jorg,’ Coddin said, a brave man to interject when I’m in full flow. The kind of man I needed. ‘It will only grow more wild.’

‘I’m taking him to Heimrift,’ I said. Gog is a weapon and I will forge him there.

‘Heimrift?’ Gorgoth relaxed his fists, knuckles cracking with loud retorts.

‘A place of demons and fire,’ Makin muttered.

‘A volcano,’ I said. ‘Four volcanoes actually. And a fire-mage. Or so my tutor told me. So let’s put the benefits of a royal education to the test shall we? At least Gog will like it there. Everything burns.’

5

Four years earlier

‘This is a bad idea, Jorg.’

‘It’s a dangerous idea, Coddin, but that doesn’t have to mean it’s bad.’ I laid my knife on the map to stop it rolling up again.

‘Whatever the chances of success, you’ll leave your kingdom without a king.’ He set a fingertip to the map, resting on the Haunt as if to show me my place. ‘It’s only been three months, Jorg. The people aren’t sure of you yet, the nobles will start to plot the moment you leave, and how many men-at-arms will you take with you? With an empty throne the Renar Highlands might look like an easy prize. Your royal father might even choose to call with the Army of the Gate. If it comes to defending this place I don’t know how many of your uncle’s troops will rally to your cry.’

‘My father didn’t send the Gate when my mother and brother were murdered.’ My fingers closed around the knife hilt of their own accord. ‘He’s unlikely to move against the Haunt now. Especially when his armies are busy acquiring what’s left of Gelleth.’

‘So how many soldiers will you take?’ Coddin asked. ‘The Watch will not be enough.’

‘I’m not going to take any,’ I said. ‘I could take the whole damn army and it would just get me into a war on somebody else’s lands.’ Coddin made to protest. I cut him off. ‘I’ll take my brothers. They’ll appreciate a spell on the road and we managed to traipse to and fro happily enough not so many years ago with nobody giving us much pause.’

Makin returned with several large map scrolls under his arm. ‘In disguise is it?’ he said and grinned. ‘Good. Truth be told, this place has given me itchy feet.’

‘You’re staying, Brother Makin,’ I told him. ‘I’ll take Red Kent, Row, Grumlow, Young Sim … and Maical, why not? He may be a half-wit but he’s hard to kill. And of course Little Rike—’

‘Not him,’ Coddin said, face cold. ‘There’s no loyalty in that one. He’ll leave you dead in a hedgerow.’

‘I need him,’ I said.

Coddin frowned. ‘He might be handy in a fight, but there’s no subtlety in him, no discipline, he’s not clever, he—’

‘The way I’d put it,’ said Makin, ‘is that Rike can’t make an omelette without wading thigh deep in the blood of chickens and wearing their entrails as a necklace.’

‘He’s a survivor,’ I said. ‘And I need survivors.’

‘You need me,’ said Makin.

‘You can’t trust him.’ Coddin rubbed his forehead as he always did when the worry got in him.

‘I need you here, Makin,’ I said. ‘I want to have a kingdom to come back to. And I know I can’t trust Rike, but four years on the road taught me that he’s the right tool for the job.’

I lifted my knife and the map sprung back into its roll. ‘I’ve seen enough.’

Makin raised his eyes and tipped his maps unopened on to the table.

‘Mark me out a decent route will you, Coddin, and have that scribe lad copy it down.’ I stood straight and stretched. I’d need to find something to wear. One of the maids had burned my old rags and velvet’s no good for the road. It’s like a magnet for dust.

Father Gomst met Makin, Kent and me on our way to the stables. He’d hurried from chapel, red in the face, the heaviest bible under one arm and the altar cross in his other hand.

‘Jorg—’ He stopped to catch his breath. ‘King Jorg.’

‘You’re going to join us, Father Gomst?’ The way he paled made me smile.

‘The blessing,’ he said, still short of wind.

‘Ah, well bless away.’

Kent went to his knees in an instant, as pious a killer as I ever knew. Makin followed with unseemly haste for a man who’d sacked a cathedral in his time. Since Gomst walked out of Gelleth by the light of a Builders’ Sun, without so much as a tan to show for it, the Brothers seemed to think him touched by God. The fact we all did the same with far less time at our disposal didn’t register with them.

For my own part, for all the evils of the Roma church, I could no longer bring myself to despise Gomst as I once had. His only true crime was to be a weak and impotent man, unable to deliver the promise of his lord, the love of his saviour, or even to put the yoke of Roma about the necks of his flock with any conviction.

I bowed my head and listened to the prayer. It never hurts to cover your bases.

In the west yard my motley band were assembled, checking over their gear. Rike had the biggest horse I’d ever seen.

‘I could run faster than this monster, Rike.’ I made a show of checking behind it. ‘You didn’t take the plough when you stole it, then?’

‘It’ll do,’ he said. ‘Big enough for loot.’

‘Maical’s not bringing the head-cart?’ I looked around. ‘Where is he anyway?’

‘Gone for the grey,’ Kent said. ‘Idiot won’t ride any other horse. Says he doesn’t know how.’

‘Now that’s loyalty for you.’ I shot Rike a look. ‘So where’s this new wife of yours, Brother Rikey? Not coming to see you off?’

‘Busy ploughing.’ He slapped his horse. ‘Got a job of it now.’

Gorgoth came through the kitchen gate, looming behind Rike. It’s unsettling to see something on two legs that’s taller and wider than Rike. Gog popped out from behind him. He took my hand and I let him lead me. There’s not many that will take my hand since the necromancy took root in me. There’s a touch of death in my fingers, not just the coldness. Flowers wilt and die.

‘Where we going, Brother Jorg?’ Still a child’s voice despite the crackle in it.

‘To find us a fire-mage. Put an end to this bed-burning,’ I told him.

‘Will it hurt?’ He watched me with big eyes, pools of black.

I shrugged. ‘Might do.’

‘Scared,’ he said, clutching my hand tighter. I could feel heat rising from his fingers. Maybe it cancelled the cold from mine. ‘Scared.’