by Tim Stead
“Havil?”
Cain remembered that Narak had been fond of Havil. “Old King Havil still reigns in Tor Silas,” he said. “His people love him, as they always have, and he still struggles to be circumspect, even at eighty-three.”
Narak was silent for a while, staring into the fire.
“I’ll never get used to it, Cain,” he said eventually. “It seems a blink of an eye since I walked away from Fal Verdan, a few bright summers, and all the mortal men I knew are withered or dead.”
“Aye, it troubles us all,” Cain said. It was true, especially the men he’d served with at the wall, Tragil, Coyan and the Duranders, Tilian. He’d forced himself to be their friend until the end, and it was only Sheyani that kept him sane. He wondered how Narak and the others had coped with this for so many centuries.
“You have children?”
“No,” Cain replied. He didn’t want children if he had to watch them grow old and die. Not yet, anyway.
Narak nodded, and their eyes met. The Wolf understood. Somehow the bleakness of long life seemed lessened in that moment.
“And the dragons,” Narak asked. “What do the dragons do when they are not flying about my head?”
“They do as you bid them,” Cain replied.
“As I bid? I think not.”
“They are become judges,” Cain told him. “As you told them at Fal Verdan, they know the truth and cannot be lied to. Their courts serve justice in all six kingdoms and at Col Boran out of courtesy.”
Narak closed his eyes and rested his head against the tree behind him. He was silent for a long time, and perfectly still in the flickering firelight. Cain waited. Minutes passed.
“If I am not ready now, I shall never be,” Narak said. He opened his eyes. “We will travel to Tor Silas, and I will speak with Havil. After that I greatly desire to see Pascha again. Who knows what will come of it?” He grinned and drained his cup of wine and held it out to Cain to fill once more.
“We will leave in the morning,” he said.
One – The Frozen Land
Two – Encamped at the White Road
Three – The Volunteer
Four – The Prisoner
Five – Narak, Snow Wraiths
Six – The Duke
Seven – The Western Chain
Eight - Pascha
Nine – Havil, Sithmaree
Ten – The Hero
Eleven – The Making of Farheim
Twelve – The Siege Begins
Thirteen – Dun Vilant
Fourteen – The Assassin
Fifteen - Sara
Sixteen – Tilian Rides South
Seventeen – Skal & Morianna
Eighteen - Cain
Nineteen - Tilian
Twenty - Sara
Twenty One - Tilian
Twenty Two - Sithmaree
Twenty Three - Narak
Twenty Four – Jerac Fane
Twenty Five – Kayde, Jimmer
Twenty Six - Pascha
Twenty Seven - Cain
Twenty Eight - Narak
Twenty Nine - Skal
Thirty – Cain
Thirty One – Jerac Fane
Thirty Two – Pascha
Thirty Three – Cain
Thirty Four – Jerac Fane
Thirty Five – Skal
Thirty Six – Narak
Thirty Seven – Cain
Thirty Eight – Pascha
39 – A Thing to Remember
40 – The Ghosts Come Home
Forty One – Narak
Forty Two – Cain
Forty Three – Pascha
Forty Four – Skal
Forty Five – Narak
Forty Six – Cain
Forty Seven – Pascha
Forty Eight – Skal
Forty Nine – Narak
Fifty – Cain
Fifty One – Narak
Fifty Two – Pascha
Fifty Three – Narak
Fifty Four – Pascha
Fifty Five – Narak
Fifty Six – Tilian
Fifty Seven – Skal
Fifty Eight – Pascha
Fifty Nine – Narak
Sixty – Pascha
Sixty One – Pascha
Sixty Two – Tilian
Sixty Three – Pascha
Sixty Four – Kalik
Sixty Five – Tyrak
Sixty Six – Pascha
Epilogue – The Great Forest