The Wolf Mile

by C. F. Barrington

  ‘No one would solve that clue if they didn’t factor in the time component,’ Tyler said puffing out his cheeks.

  ‘It’s fired from Mill’s Mount Battery, a platform on the north wall which sits below the coffee shop. Guess what this was before a coffee shop? A cart shed.’

  Tyler grinned wolfishly. ‘Brilliant, Holmes.’

  ‘So that means the final clue must be for the Field Asset. This wasn’t so simple. I used the search terms “field Edinburgh” and lots of irrelevant information came back. But as soon as you showed me this last clue the other day – Throttled by gunpowder in the old Kirk. You will find me where the lion’s mouth drips – something rang a bell with me from a lesson at school. I remembered our class being told a famous story about Mary, Queen of Scots. How her husband was Lord Darnley and he was supposedly killed by an explosion in the lodgings he had been staying in somewhere in the Old Town. There was definitely an explosion under his bedchamber, but when his body was discovered there were marks showing he’d been strangled.’

  ‘Throttled by gunpowder.’

  ‘So I searched again using the “old kirk” reference in the clue and “field” and bull’s eye! Kirk O’Field. The site where Darnley’s body was found. None of it remains today, but the land was granted to the city in the 1500s to found a new university and it’s generally believed that Kirk O’Field now lies under Old College on Nicolson Street.’

  ‘I know the place. It’s the university’s principal site.’

  ‘I’m afraid I’ve failed with the bit about the lion’s mouth. I’m sorry.’

  ‘Don’t be stupid, laddie. You’ve done amazingly. I would never have solved these without you.’ He stubbed out his cigarette. ‘We’ll find the damn lion once we’re in Old College, have no doubt of that.’

  ‘Supplies, Distance, Field and Time.’ Asmund was leaning over the map in the Council Chamber and had his finger on the northern wall of the Castle. ‘Clever bastard, whoever conjured that lot up.’

  ‘It’s as well we have our own clever bastard,’ said Freyja, looking across the table at Punnr.

  ‘Indeed,’ agreed Sveinn, who hadn’t taken his eyes from the map as Punnr had explained the solutions. ‘So two Raid nights remain and we find ourselves armed with the answers to both the remaining clues. I believe we hold the advantage. Your thoughts on our strategy therefore, my Jarls and Housecarls. What should be our next steps?’

  ‘We go for the Castle first,’ said Freyja with conviction.

  All eyes turned to her. ‘Pray elaborate,’ said the King.

  ‘Because we were unable to solve the Castle clue before the last Raid, we had to track the Titans and follow them to Calton Hill instead. This means – in theory – that both Palatinates are now in sync. We both found the Calton Hill Asset on the same night and we’re both now armed with the clue that directs us to Kirk O’Field under Old College. So we’ll both be going for the same location on the next Raid night.’

  ‘And this time the Titans will be expecting us,’ Halvar said.

  ‘Precisely. The full force of both Palatinates in the same place on the same night.’

  ‘Bring it on!’ said Bjarke. ‘We’ll feed them to the worms.’

  Freyja ignored him and looked at the King. ‘In my opinion, it would result in a scale of conflict not seen in a Raiding Season before and will put our White Warrior in immense peril. So the preferable option would be to avoid such confrontation and seek the Castle Asset unchallenged, leaving Old College until the final Raid when the Titans will be elsewhere.’

  ‘You speak sensibly.’

  ‘Bollocks,’ Bjarke spat. ‘I’m not running from a fight with those mini-skirted Sky-Girls!’

  ‘And that is what makes you the great warrior you are, Jarl. Every time I have to face a Titan phalanx in the field, I give thanks to Odin that I have you leading my shieldwall. But on this occasion it’s the Raiding – not the Blood – Season and we don’t have to go shield to shield with the foe. We can obtain the next Asset and keep our White Warrior safe, all without the need for a full confrontation. I am decided. For the third Raid, we go for the Castle. Prepare your plans.’

  ‘My lord.’ It was Radspakr who spoke. He had been quietly observing the dynamics around the table.

  The King turned to him. ‘You wish to disagree, Thane?’

  ‘Merely to proffer a slightly differing viewpoint, my lord, in the interests of robust debate.’

  ‘Speak then.’

  Radspakr produced a stick of chalk from his robe and walked to one of the stone walls. ‘If I may divert the Council’s attention for a moment. I believe we can now deduce the order in which Atilius planned for each Palatinate to find the Assets as this….’ He began to scrawl two columns down the stones.

  Valhalla Titan

  Raid 1 Princes St Gardens Calton Hill

  Raid 2 Castle Old College

  Raid 3 Calton Hill Princes St Gardens

  Raid 4 Old College Castle

  ‘If each Palatinate had solved the riddles in a timely fashion, they would have been sent to the locations in the order you see before you. Atilius was being punctilious about keeping us apart. However, the first two Raids have resulted in a very different situation, like so….’ He moved along the wall and began to scratch with the chalk again.

  Valhalla Titan

  Raid 1 Princes St Gardens Failed to solve clue

  Raid 2 Failed to solve clue Calton Hill

  Tracked Titans to Calton

  ‘So, if I may, I will take a moment to review the current situation. As Housecarl Freyja justifiably pointed out, both Palatinates ended the last Raid armed with the Calton Hill clue. So we know the Titans will be sending their forces to Old College next time. We must assume that they also believe we will be focusing on Old College.

  ‘Additionally, thanks to our camera-happy audience at Princes Street Gardens, we should also assume the Titans know one of the Assets is located in the Gardens.

  ‘However, the foe know nothing of the Castle. They will only gain that clue if they successfully find the Asset in the Gardens, as we did on the first Raid.’ Radspakr turned back to his audience. ‘So, the very sensible proposal on the table is that we leave Old College until the final Raid and go instead on this next Raid to the Castle, thus avoiding a direct confrontation with the foe and thus protecting our White Warrior. My lord, I contend that such a plan is flawed in the extreme and would risk throwing away the very tangible advantages that we currently hold.’

  ‘How so?’

  ‘Firstly, it gives the Titans a free run at the Old College Asset. Assuming they can solve the clue, it gives them a chance not only to find the Asset unopposed, but even to consider a further run on the same night for the Gardens.’

  Halvar interrupted. ‘Whether or not we send our White Warrior to the Castle during the next Raid, my Wolves will remain free to hunt the Titans at Old College.’

  ‘But you will not be enough to stop their full force.’

  Halvar held Radspakr’s look for several seconds, then glanced at Freyja.

  ‘Secondly,’ the Thane continued. ‘If we go for the Castle Asset next, as Housecarl Freyja proposes, we run a huge risk of being seen by the foe. It will take only one lone Titan scout on the rooftops of the Mile to spy just one of our warriors advancing on the Castle, and we will have presented evidence of the location of the final Asset right into the laps of the Titans.’

  There was silence around the table for a few heartbeats and then Freyja spoke. ‘My lord king, the Thane speaks wisely as a counsellor, but not as a soldier. The fight at Old College would be bloody and terrible, no quarters barred. Not only would we place our White Warrior at great risk, we would lose many others. And it might mean both Palatinates then meet bloodily again on the final Raid at the Castle. We will suffer many casualties before the Blood Season.’

  Asmund concurred. ‘Death would roam the streets of Old Edinburgh without constraint. I fear even the libitinarii would be hard p
ressed to eradicate all signs of such a bloodbath.’

  ‘Aye,’ nodded Halvar. ‘The Pantheon still needs to act with some restraint during the Raiding Season. We can’t unleash the dogs of war while still in the city. And be under no illusion, my lord, if you follow the Thane’s advice, that is exactly what you would be doing. None of us could hold our warriors back in such a confrontation.’

  Sveinn kept his eyes on the map, stroking his beard, giving himself time to hear his advisors.

  Radspakr tried again. ‘Lord King, we hold an ace in our hands. You have always shown us that wars are won by those who conceal their greatest strength until the moment of greatest need. We must hold that ace close to our bosom and the foe must never know we hold it until it is too late for them.’

  ‘I note you won’t be in the frontline at Old College,’ Halvar glared at the Thane.

  Radspakr ignored him. ‘My lord, I should also remind the Council that the Castle Asset is Time. Even as a non-combatant, I can see that this must be the most important of all the Assets. Armed with it, a Palatinate will be given two weeks’ notice of the date of the Grand Battle. Precious time to train, equip, plan and resource. Without it, a Palatinate will find itself deposited in the Highlands and thrown against the foe with no chance to prepare.’ He leaned towards Sveinn and his voice became forceful. ‘We cannot give the Titans even a sniff at this Asset. Have the courage to face them down at Old College, then play our ace on the final Raid.’

  A silence fell across the room. The cases had been presented and the time for debate had passed, as Sveinn continued to stroke his beard. ‘We have three nights until the next Raid. Let me think on this. In the meantime, you would do best to prepare your troops for either eventuality.’

  The Council adjourned and Halvar stomped off to the Practice Rooms on West Tunnel. Each was already in use by warriors refining their fighting skills.

  ‘Get out,’ he snarled at two of them in the end room and as they hurried away, he picked up a discarded wooden sword and launched himself at the strike bag hung from the ceiling. He slashed in, left, right, left, right, again and again until he had almost ripped the bag from its chain. Finally he desisted and pressed his forehead against the heavy sack, panting.

  ‘Something is amiss,’ said Freyja from where she had been leaning against the doorway observing him.

  ‘That bastard’s bent on sending us into an all-out blood fight when there’s no call for it.’

  ‘He does seem surprisingly keen on that outcome.’ She came into the room, her boots clicking on the flagstones, and circled Halvar to face him from the other side of the strike bag. ‘Is there anything you should be telling me?’

  ‘What makes you say that?’

  ‘A raven’s instinct.’

  ‘It’s Radspakr you should be asking. Why’s he even throwing in his damn opinion? He said himself it’s forbidden for him to involve himself in Raid planning. I swear, if we go shield to shield with the Sky-Rats it’ll be a bloodbath. And Radspakr and Sveinn, and Atilius and all his bastard Vigiles cronies had better understand that. We can only hope Sveinn makes the correct decision.’

  ‘He won’t. I could see it in his eyes. Radspakr spoke well. He pressed all the right buttons. Sveinn won’t be able to resist a chance to deceive the foe. He will withhold his ace and send us against the Titans in two nights.’

  ‘Then I fear for Punnr, Freyja. We can’t protect one man in a full confrontation. Not when every Sky-Rat aims to bring him down and he’s dressed like a frigging snowman!’

  Punnr spent the rest of the night drinking in the vaults with an expression that ensured he was left in peace. Then he dozed fitfully in a corner chair with his feet on a bench, until kicked by one of the Hersirs. There would be sunlight outside and the Horde’s stronghold was already empty for another day. He showered, turned off the pump and began to pad across the floor, when he realised someone was sat on a bench opposite.

  ‘Nice shower?’ asked Ulf, grinning. ‘You took your time and I didn’t want to interrupt.’

  Punnr faced him, hands on his hips. ‘Have a good look, arsehole. See anything you’d like?’

  Ulf’s eyes flickered and his grin weakened. ‘Now, now. I’m sure we can keep this on friendly terms.’

  ‘What do you want?’

  ‘I just wanted to say I’m delighted we’ll be able to renew our acquaintance at the next Raid. It’ll be just like old times.’

  ‘What’s that supposed to mean?’

  ‘Accept my apologies. I had assumed our great White Warrior was included in all the Palatinate’s planning these days now he’s Sveinn’s protégé. My, how your star has risen!’ He glanced meaningfully between Punnr’s legs. ‘Many of us wonder what you must have done to so impress our king. He’s really smitten.’

  Punnr swung away and began to dry himself. ‘Piss off.’

  ‘Now that’s no way to speak to your Bodyguard – we mere underlings who will sacrifice every cell in our worthless bodies to keep you safe and sound.’

  Punnr paused. ‘Bodyguard?’

  Ulf rose and stalked towards him, this time grinning with malicious joy. ‘Erland, Havaldr and I are being assigned to your Shieldmen for the next Raid. Our Jarl Bjarke believes we’re best equipped to have your interests at heart, seeing as how we have such a shared history.’ With an explosion of speed, Ulf grabbed Punnr’s genitals, shoved an elbow into his throat and forced him backwards against the wall. He brought his face up to Punnr’s and leered at him. ‘So don’t you worry your pretty head about anything, our lily-white dove safe behind our shields. We’ll be there for you every step of the way.’ He corkscrewed his hand, making Punnr gasp in agony. ‘Whoops. Look what I seem to be holding. I can’t think how that got there.’ He stepped away, giving a final wrench as he let go, which sent a shaft of white-hot pain through Punnr’s guts, making him fold into the wall with a groan. ‘Be seeing you, my Lord. Can’t wait for the fun to begin.’

  XXXIV

  Tyler stepped out of the South West Gate into the brightness of Victoria Terrace. Clouds scudded across a blue sky and a low sun strained to reach into the closely knitted streets. He lit a cigarette and leaned on the balustrade at the edge of the terrace, which looked down on the rows of quaint shops on Victoria Street sloping away to Grassmarket square. It was almost nine and people already milled in and out the sandwich outlets or waited for the gift shops to open. A lorry struggled up the hill. A woman went by escorting four poodles. A group of foreign students argued about which way to go. Tyler watched them and blew smoke out across the drop.

  Below him, ignorant of his presence, Halvar walked down the street towards Grassmarket. For a few moments, Tyler eyed him. With the exception of the train journey before Christmas, he had never seen any of the senior officers in the real world beyond the confines of the Horde and it took a while for his brain to register the Housecarl in his jeans and North Face jacket. Then he stamped out his cigarette and sprang to a set of steps that led down to the street below. Halvar was further down the road, beyond a group of customers exiting a coffee shop with takeaways. Tyler gave chase and caught the big man by the elbow just where the road flowed into the wide stone savannah of Grassmarket.

  ‘What are you doing, you fool?’ Halvar snarled and yanked his arm away.

  ‘I must speak with you.’

  ‘Get gone, maggot.’ He strode out into the square, but Tyler wouldn’t be shaken off.

  ‘Bjarke’s changed my Bodyguard for the next Raid. He’s assigned Ulf, Havaldr and Erland.’ Halvar kept walking and Tyler fell in beside him. ‘Why would he do that? You saw what happened at the Sine Missione. They’re the last people on this earth I can trust with my protection.’

  ‘You’re mistaken.’

  ‘I wish I was, Halvar, but Ulf gave me the message loud and clear.’

  ‘The little snake’s just toying with you. Bjarke may or may not be aware of the bad blood between you, but he will know that Ulf and his crew are too inexperience
d to be given such key roles during the Raids.’

  ‘That’s exactly why it makes no sense. God knows, I’m prepared to risk life and limb for Valhalla in a fair fight, but I’m not prepared to be struck down from behind by some treacherous bastard.’

  ‘Go home, Punnr.’

  ‘Nothing has felt right since I first spoke to Radspakr about Morgan. Nothing.’

  Halvar came to an abrupt halt and stared at the younger man. ‘You spoke to Radspakr about Morgan? He knows you’re her brother?’

  ‘He wouldn’t believe me at first, but then he looked into it and told me she was killed by Titans a year ago.’

  Halvar stared at him, then checked around the square and began to stride towards the south eastern corner. ‘Follow me.’

  Tyler trailed him out of Grassmarket, across Candlemaker Row and up a flight of steps beneath an arch. They emerged onto the peaceful greenery of Greyfriars Kirk and Halvar led him around the perimeter, passing the elaborate graves and tombs of Edinburgh’s ancient elite. They swung by the Kirk itself and some distant part of Tyler’s brain noticed a yew tree and guessed it was the spot where he and the other Thralls could once have deposited their Odin amulets if they had wanted to resign from the selection process. Halvar headed to the far corner of the graveyard, bordered by the ancient remains of the city walls, and stopped on the furthest patch of grass, hemmed in by tombs.

  ‘Give me a cigarette.’