AWARHAMMERNOVEL

Konrad

Konrad-01

DavidFerring

(AnUndeadScanv1.0)

Thisisadarkage,abloodyage,anageofdaemonsandofsorcery.Itisanageofbattleanddeath,andoftheworld’sending.Amidstallofthefire,flameandfuryitisatime,too.ofmightyheroes,ofbolddeedsandgreatcourage.

At the heart of theOldWorld sprawls the Empire, the largest andmost powerful of the humanrealms.Known for its engineers, sorcerers, traders and soldiers, it is a land of greatmountains,mightyrivers,darkforestsandvastcities.AndfromhisthroneinAltdorfreignstheEmperorKarl-Franz, sacred descendant of the founder of these lands. Sigmar. and wielder of his magicalwarhammer.

But theseare far fromcivilised times.Across the lengthandbreadthof theOldWorld, from theknightlypalacesofBretonniatoice-boundKislevinthefarnorth,comerumblingsofwar.InthetoweringWorld’sEdgeMountains, the orc tribes are gathering for another assault. Bandits andrenegadesharrythewildsouthernlandsoftheBorderPrinces.Therearerumoursofrat-things,theskaven,emergingfromthesewersandswampsacrosstheland.Andfromthenorthernwildernessesthereistheever-presentthreatofChaos,ofdaemonsandbeastmencorruptedbythefoulpowersoftheDarkGods.Asthetimeofbattledrawsevernear,theEmpireneedsheroeslikeneverbefore.

CHAPTERONE

Theycamefromthewestandfromtheeast,fromthesouthandfromthenorth.TheycamefromeverycorneroftheEmpire,fromeverylandintheOldWorld—andfrombeyond.

Manyofthemwerehuman,orhadoncebeen;butmanywerenotandhadneverbeen.Almostallweredeadlyenemies.Underanyothercircumstances,sucharendezvouswouldhave

ledtoinstantslaughteraseverywarriorinstinctivelyfelluponhisancientfoesandswornrivalsinanorgyofblood.

Yettheyhadnotcometogetherinpeace.Noneknewthemeaningofsuchaconcept.Bytheendoftheday,therewouldindeedbethecarnagethattheyallcraved.Butthisdeathand

destructionwouldnotbewroughtamongst thosewhohadconverged, insuchanunnaturalalliance.Notatfirst.Insteadtheywouldbethedealersofdeath,thedeliverersofdestruction.

Theyhadbutonethingincommon:eachandeveryoneofthemwasaservantofChaosinsomeformor another.Between them, theyworshipped everyChaos power:Khorne and Slaanesh,NurgleandTzeentch,andalltheotherdarkdeities.

Theywereunitedforthissingleunholymission.Amissionofmayhemandofmurder,ofmutilationandofmassacre…

Itwasnotyetdawnbythetimehereachedthebridgeandstartedtocrosstheriver.Thegreatmoon,Mannslieb,hadalready set. Its lesser companion,Morrslieb,wasat its smallest andgaveeven lessilluminationthanusual.

He stopped halfway over thewooden bridge, leaning on the rail andwaiting severalminutesuntiltheskybegantolightenbeforeventuringanyfurther.Thenheheadedupthehillsidetowardstheforest,movingasslowlyasthesunseemedtorise.Itwasawintersun,lowanddull.

Hisbreathcondensedinthecoldair,andheshiveredmomentarily.The rags hewore did little to keep out the chill.His old bootswere paddedwith cloth from

within, partly because they were too large for him, and wrapped in more strips of fabric on theoutside, in a vain attempt to keep out the wet. But the grass was saturated withmorning dew, thegroundthickwithmud,andhisbootswerestillwetfromthepreviousday.

Hehardlynoticed.Thiswashowithadbeenallhislife,orforaslongashecouldremember.Itseemedthatfromthefirstdayhecouldwalk,hehadcomeherealone,barefootinthedustortrudgingthroughthesquelchingmud.

Itwouldgetworsebeforeitgotbetter.Theiceandthesnowwhichweretocomeoverthenextmonthortwowouldmakehisdailytaskevenmoredifficult.

He stared into the forest, trying to penetrate the thick boughs, sensing what was hiding deepinside.Evenonthebrightestsummerday, theforestwasadarkanddankplacewhere lightseldompenetrated.

Most of the trees had shed their leaves, but this somehow seemed to make them even moredangerous. Without the foliage, hiding places were fewer. Yet the trees themselves became morethreatening, their thick trunks and bare branches like some kind of living creatures, waiting topounce.

Allwasquiet,buthewasnotfooled.Thewoodswerealivewithallmannerofbeings.Insectsandbirds and animals, the normal kindofwildlife.Then therewas the other kind, the kindwhichwasanythingbutnormal.

Hewas scared.Outhere, hewas always afraid.Whenhewasyounger, hehad thought that hewould lose his fearwith the passing years. Instead, the opposite had happened. Then, he had beenscaredof theunknown.Now,heknewmoreofwhathemightbeupagainst—andsohewasevenmoreafraid.

Probablythatwaswhyhewasstillalive.Ifhewerenotalwaysalert,evervigilant,hewouldhavebeendeadlongago.Takenbyoneofthethingsthatlurkedinthedepthsofthetwistedforest.

Noneofthemenfromthevillageevercameherealone.Whentheyenteredthewoods,theydidsoingroups,andtheymadesurethattheywereheavilyarmed.Thewoodcutterswerealwaysguardedwhentheysetabouttheirwork,fellingaclumpoftreestoclearanotherareaofforest.

Buttheseprecautionswerenotenough.Lastyear,agroupofsixwoodsmenfromthevillagehadenteredthetreesearlyonemorning.Byevening,theyhadnotreturned.Theyneverdid.Allthesearchpartieseverfoundwereafewscrapsofbloodiedclothing.

Heblewonhishandsforwarmth, rubbing themtogetherforaminute.Hisdaggerwas tuckedinsidehistunic,andhepulleditout.Theknifeinhisrighthand,thecoilofropeinwhichtotiethefirewoodinhisleft,hefinallysteppedtowardsthetreesontheedgeoftheforest.

Everydayheenteredatthesamepoint,tookthesameroute.Hekneweachtreeandroot,everysapling and bush. If something were not right, he would know instantly. But every day he had todivergemorefromhisregularpathinthesearchforwood.

Itwasalwaysasearch.Therewasnopointinbreakingoffbranchesbecause,evenatthistimeofyearwhentheyseemedsodead,theywouldnotbedryenoughtoburn.Hewasasmuchahunterasthosewhostalkedwildanimalsforfood,shootingtheelkortheboarwiththeirarrows.

Thetreesattheedgeofthewoodswerewidelyspaced.Thedeeperonewent,themorecloselypackedweretheancientboughs,asthoughtheytoohuddledcloseforprotectionfromthebeingsthatdwelledwithintheirdepths.

But such defence seemed no more successful for the trees than it was for the woodcutters,becauseeverysooftenoneofthemightytrunkslaystretchedoutontheground,asifavictimoftheforest’sunknownpredators.

Hehadseenthe thingsmanytimes,sensedthemfarmorefrequentlyHehadnoideawhat theywereorwhattheywerecalled,andhedidnotwanttofindout.

Tohim,theywereallmonsters,andhepreferredtokeepasfarawayaspossible.Neitherhumannoranimal,theywerelikeahideouscrossbetweenthetwo,asthoughspawned

fromsomeobscenemating.Creaturesoffurandfleshandfeather,handsandhoovesandhorns.Yettheywerestupid.Theirmutationsseemedtohavebredoutalltheirnaturalsenses.Theyhadneitherthebrainsofhumansnortheinstinctiveawarenessofanimals.

Manyatimehehadbeenwithinafewyardsofsuchloathsomecreatures,withonlythetrunkofanarrowtreeforprotection,buttheyhadneitherseenhimnorheardhimnorsmelledhim.

Ifoneeverhad,thenhewouldhavebeendead.Thiswaswhyhehadgrownevermorecautious.Hisluckcouldnotholdforever.

Hispulsebegantoraceashereachedtheedgeoftheforest,andhegrippedthehiltofhisknifeeven tighter inhis sweatypalm.All thoughts of the coldwerebanished fromhismind.Hemovedslowly,buthisheadkeptturningfromsidetoside,listeningwhilehiseyesdartedaboutevenfaster.

Therewasnothingtohear,nothingtosee—butheknewsomethingwasthere.Nottoofarahead,oneofthethingslayinwait.Perhapsitwaslurkinginambush,knowingthat

hecamethiswayeverydawn.Orperhapsitwassimplychancethathadbroughtthebeingtothispointintheforest,somefiftyyardsaway.

Althoughout of sight becauseof the trees that stoodbetween, he couldvisualize it crouchingnearthegnarledrootsofaforkedtrunk.

Healsowaited.Hehadlearnedtobepatient.Thattoohadsavedhislifeonmanyanoccasion.Hestoodmotionless,hardlydaringtobreatheincasethevapourfromhisnostrilssignalledhis

location,hisheartthuddingfasterthanever,hismouthdrybuthisbodydampwithsweat.The creatures were mostly inhabitants of the night. During the hours of darkness they crept

towardsthevillage,searchingforanyunpennedanimals.Withthearrivalofdaylight,theyretreatedtotheforest.Butdayornight,theywereequallydeadly.

Afterwhathappenedthepreviousyear,ahunthadbeenorganizedtocleartheforest.Therehadevenbeensoldiersbrought in.Hehadneverseensuchawonderfulsight.Theyhadridden into thevillage,thesunsparklingontheirarmour,theirbrightpennantsflowingbehindthem.Untilthatday,hehadhardlyconsideredwhatexistedbeyondthevillage.Hewishedhecouldhavebeenasoldier.

Someofthetroopswerebilletedintheinn,muchtohismaster ’sdispleasure,whosecontributiontotheclearingoftheforestwastopayfortheirboard.

Buthewasdelighted,becausehecouldlistentothesoldiers’talesoflifeoutsidethevalley,ofthingshehadneverheardorimaginedcouldexist.Hehadhappilypolishedtheirhelmets,burnishedtheirarmour,groomedtheirhorses.

Someofthemevengavehimpennies,thefirstmoneyheeverowned.Heburiedthebrasscoinsin thestable,nearwhereheslept,becauseheknewhismasterwould take themoneyfromhimandbeathim.Hehadbeenbeatenregardless,buthehadkeptthemoney.

Hehadalsokeptadagger,whichhestolefromacaptainwhohadneverrewardedhimevenwithawordofthanks,despitealltheworkhehaddone.Hewantedsomethingfromtheoutsideworld—andhehadneverseensuchastrangeknife,eitherbeforeorsince.

Thehandlewasmadeofsomekindofwhitebone,carvedintotheshapeofaserpent’shead,butitwas thebladewhichmade theweaponunique. Insteadofhavingstraight sides fromhilt topoint,bothcuttingedgesweremadeupofaseriesofcurveswhichrippledclosertooneanotheruntiltheymetatthetip.

Thetroopershadsweptthroughtheforest,clearingthewoodlandsofthecreatures.Buttheforeststretchedforever,andbeforelongthethingsreturnedagain.

Nowtherewasonenearby,waitingashewaited.Heheardasoundandhespunaround,becauseitcamefrombehindhim,towardsthevillage.It

wasthesoundofahorse,itsshodhoovesclatteringacrossthewoodenbridgeafewhundredyardsaway.

Henarrowedhiseyes,focusingontherider.Itwasveryrareforanyoneelsetobeupsoearly.Often,hewouldhavecollectedahugebundleoffirewoodandbeenbackinthevillagebeforeanyoneelsewasabout.Thiswasmore rare inwinter,however.Becauseof the fewerdaylighthours,morepeoplewereawakeatdawn.

He recognized the rider—he recognizedeveryone from thevillage—andshewas themostunlikelypersontoseeatthishourofthemorning.

Hewouldhaveexpectedhertolieinbedverylate,whileherfather ’sservantsdidalltheworkand tended to her everywhim. She lived in themanor house at the head of the valley.Her fatherowned that, as he owned the rest of the valley.Everyone in the village lived on his land; even theinnkeeperhadtopayrentforthetavern.

Shewasdressedinwhitefurs,andherhorsesnortedasitcanteredoverthenarrowbridge.She

halted for a few seconds, looking back in the direction she had come, then tugged on the reins,turninghermount’shead.Butshedidnotturnthesteedcompletelyandreturntothevillage.Instead,sherodetowardswherehewas.

Andwherethethingwas!

Althoughhehadbeenwatchingher,hehadnotforgottenthecreature.Hewastotallyawareofit—whileit,inturn,wastotallyobliviousofhim.Butithadheardtherider,anditstartedmovingtowardstheedgeoftheforest.

Theboundaryhadbeenpushedbackovertheyears,furtherandfurtherfromtheriver,toleaveawideareaofhillsidestretchingupfromthewater ’sedge.

Theridercouldhavechosentokeeptothetrackbythesideoftheriver.Shedidnot.Forsomereason,sherodeuptheslope.

Herroutetookherparalleltotheforestitself,closertohim,whilethethingcloseduponher.Itwasstillbeyondhislineofsight,buthecouldtellthatthebeingwascuttingdiagonallythrough

thetreesinaroutethatwouldtakeittowardstherider.Sherodeonquickly,confidently.Hewatched,waitingforhertorealizewhatwashappening,to

wheelherhorseandgallopaway.Butshekeptoncoming,asthoughunawareofthedanger.Whatwasshedoing?Whywassheouthereallalone?Hecontinuedtowatch,tryingtoworkoutwhatwashappening.Thecreaturewasveryclosenow.

Shewouldhavetofleealmostimmediately,orelseitwouldbetoolate.Then,suddenly,heguessedtheawful truth:shedidnotknow!Shehadabsolutelynoideawhat

wasabouttohappen.Buthedid.Heknewexactlywhatwouldoccur.Hisheadturnedashefollowedthetrackthatthe

thingmusttake.Inafewsecondsthecreaturewouldbeuponher,leapinghighandtopplingherfromhermount.

He sprang from the trees and into the open, and he ran, dropping the rope, shouting out awarning,headingstraightforwheretheinhumanassailantwouldlaunchitselfatitshelplessvictim,yellingoutagain,tellinghertogetback,back,closingthegap,wonderingifhecouldpossiblyreachherbeforethecreaturedid,butknowingthathecouldnotachievetheimpossible—becausewhathehadobservedwasinevitable.

Shesawandheardhim,becauseshereinedinherhorseashespedtowardsher.Butitwastoolate,alreadymuchtoolate.

Hehadhalvedthedistancebetweenhimselfandherbythetimethemonsterburstfromtheforest.Thenhesawitforthefirsttime,reallysawit,asitleaptintotheair.

Itwasrepulsive,amockeryofboththehumanformandaparodyofallanimals:ahugebodycoveredinmatteddarkgreyfur;afacelikethatofadog,butwithhornsandlongfangs;shortlimbs,endinginclawsandtalons—butitalsogrippedarustysword.

Itroaredasitjumped,springingupattherider.Shewasleaningback,tuggingonthereins,andinstead of carrying her straight out of the saddle, the thing knocked her aside. She toppled to thegroundasherterrifiedhorserearedupandthenbolted.

Themonsteralsolandedonthesoftearth—butbeforeitcouldturnuponitsdefencelessprey,hewasthere.

Hedivedupon itsback,his left armgoingaround itsneck, tugging itsheadupwards, andhisdaggerplungedintothecreature’sthroat.

Itscreamedandwrithedasitsbloodfountainedfromthewound.Hedrovetheknife intoits toughhideagain, thenagain.Ateachstroke, thecreaturescreeched

outitsangeranditsagony,andittwistedandturned,finallythrowinghimoff.Itwasfarbiggerthanhewas.Evenwithoutitsblade,asingleblowfromonemightypawwould

havecrushedhim.Herolledasideasitstaggeredupright.Oneforearmwenttothegashinitsneck,asiftryingto

staunch the flow of blood. The blood was as unnatural as the being itself, a sickly yellow-greencolour.

Thebrutestaredat thewetnessonitspaw,seemingnot tounderstandwhatitwas.Itopeneditsmouth to bellow out its rage, andmore vile blood trickled from between its canine jaws. Its eyesnarrowedasitstaredatitstormentor,anditlurchedtowardshim.

He felt the fetidodourof itshotbreath,andhegagged.Hewassmaller,buthewas faster.Hedodgedaside,avoidingtheslicingsword.Hehadseentheblowcoming.

But what he did not see was the whiplash of the creature’s long, thin tail, which caught himaround the ankle anddraggedhim to the ground.He landedwith a thud, tried to roll away—butcouldnot.Thesnake-liketailhadhimgrippedtightly.

Thecreaturehadbecomestill,glaringdownathim.Itsblooddrippedontohistunic,theliquidhissingasitburnedlikeacidintothewornfabric.Hewriggledandsquirmed,unabletotearhimselffreefromthesnarearoundhisfoot.

Thenamelesspredator loomedabovehim, itsbulkblockingout thedawnsun.Trappedby itsominousshadow,hefeltcold,colderthanhehadeverfeltinhiswholelife,colderthanhewouldeverfeelagain—becausesurelythiswastheendofhislife.

Allwasdark.Hecouldseenothing,nothingnowandnothingahead,nothingbutthemonstrousshapeabovehim.

Buthe refused to surrenderwithouta fight. Insteadof trying topull away from the tailwhichheld him chained down, he slid through the mud towards the creature, kicking his leg forward,gainingalittlebitofslack,thengrabbingtheslimytailinhislefthand—andhackingatitwiththeknifeinhisright.

Oneslash,two,three.Threemorecriesofagony,eachlouderandlongerthanthepreviousone.Thenthetailwassevered.Bloodspurtedandsplashedoverhishands,butheignoredthepainasthefoulliquidateintohisskin.

Themonsterlurchedtowardshim,itsswordswingingwildly.Insteadofattemptingtodiveaway,hesprangupwardstomeetit,holdinghisdaggerinbothhands—andthethingimpaleditselfonthepointoftheblade.

The knife sank into the tough hide up to its hilt, and the being’s wounded screamwasmoreagonized and fearsome than ever. It dropped its own weapon, and its razor-sharp talons clawedfranticallytowardshim.

He weaved away, slipping beyond the reach of the creature’s final clawing grab. It slammedheavilyintotheground,andthewholeforestseemedtoshakewiththeimpact.

Itlayonitsside,stillandsilent.He stood several yards away, also still and silent, ready to leap away if it should somuch as

twitchasinglemuscle.Itseyeswerestillopen,staringathim,butafterafewsecondstheybegantoglazeover.

Herubbedhishandsonhisclothes, tryingtoeasethepainof theliquidfirewhichhadburnedintohisflesh.

Hewonderedwhattodo,andheglancedaroundwarily.Ifthereweremoreofthecreaturesnear,theywouldsoonsmelltheblood.Theyhadnoloyaltytotheirkind,andherewasafeastforthem.

Hisknifewasembeddedinthebeing’schest.Hehadtoretrievetheweapon,buthestilldidnot

wanttogotooclosetothemonster.

***

Heheardamovementbehindhim,andhespunaroundrapidly,poisedforescape.Butitwasonlytherider,whowasbynowsittingup.

“Myclothes!”shesaid.“They’reruined!”Shewascladinrarewhitefurs.Hercoat, trousersandbootswerecoveredinmud.Wouldshe

havepreferredblood?Herown?“Helpmeup!”Forthefirsttimehewonderedwhyhehaddonewhathehad,riskinghislifetosaveher.Itwas

suchastupidwaytobehave,hethought.Hehadnotthought,however—thatwastheanswer.Hehadactedinstinctively,hisbodycontrollinghisbehaviour,nothismind.“Didyouhearme?Helpmeup!”Shewashuman.Thatwasanotherpartoftheanswer.Allhumanswerealliesagainsteveryother

livingbeingintheworld.“Where’smyhorse?”Heignoredherandsteppedtowardsthedeadcreature.Hehadtoretrievethedagger.Itwasallhe

had.Shesuddenlyscreamed,andhesprangbackinsurprise,thinkingshehadseenthemonstermove.“Isitdead?”Shehadbecometotallystill,hereyesfixedonthething’scorpse.Itseemedthatshehadonlyjust

noticedit.Hepickedupastickandmovedcloseragain,proddingthecreature.Therewasnoresponse.It

wasdead.Ithadnotthebrainstopretend.“Whathappened?”The fallmust have stunned her. Aswell as not seeing the fight, she could not remember the

creatureknockingherfromhermount.Heheard the suctionof themud as she liftedherself up, then the squelchof her boots as she

walked slowly towards him. He bent down over the creature, holding his breath because of itsobnoxiousstink.Heseizedthedaggerhiltwithbothhandsandtuggedashardashecould.Itwouldnotbudge.

Heturnedhisheadforabreathoffreshair,bracedhisfeetagainstthedeadmonster ’storso,thentriedagain.

“Whatareyoudoing?”Shemovedcloserforananswertoherownquestion.There was a slight movement of the knife. He wrenched again. Then he felt a pair of arms

aroundhiswaist,pullinghim,pullingthedagger,andthebladebegantoslideslowlyfree.Suddenlyitwasout.Theybothtoppledoverbackwards.

Hepreventedhimselffromfallingandmanagedtoretainhisbalance,butsheletgoandendeduponherbackinthedirtagain.Heignoredher,examiningtheknife.

Theweapon seemedundamaged.He had never used it before, not like this.He had only everpretended,playedatfighting,attackinglogsandambushingtrees.Buthehadneverriskedbluntingtherippledmetalbycuttingwoodorevenstabbingthepointintoasapling.

Hestareddownat thedeadcreature,andhe felt triumphant.Hehad foughtwithabeingmuchbiggerthanhimself,andhehadbeenvictorious.Heleanedforwardandcarefullywipedhisbladeon

themonster ’sdarkfur.Whenitwasclean,hetuckeditintohisbelt.Heproddedtheswordwithhisfoot.Itwaschippedandcorroded.Hedidnotneedit,didnotwant

it.Thenheturnedandlookedatthegirl.Shewasabouttwelveyearsold,whichwashisownage—

orsohebelieved.Herhairwasshortandjetblack,hereyesdark,herskinverypale—whereitwasnotsplatteredwithmud.

This time he did help her up, his bare hands around her gloved ones, and he winced as herfingersgrippedhisinjuries.

“Oh!”shegasped,staringatthefreshwounds.He tried topull away,but shekeptholdofhishands, then she stared intohis eyes.He looked

away,notmeetinghergaze.“You’retheboyfromtheinn.Theysayyoucan’tspeak,butyoushoutedtome.Itwasawarning,

wasn’tit?”Hemadenoresponse.Hetriedtopullloose,butshewasholdinghiswrists.“Wasn’tit?”sheprompted.Henodded.“Youhavemyeternalgratitude,”shetoldhim.“Yousavedmylife.”Heshookhimselffree.Hehadtogo.Hehadfirewoodtocollect.Heshouldnotbehere,notwith

her.Ifhismasterfoundout,hewouldbebeaten,beatenmorethanusual.“Givemeyourhands!”Itwasadirectcommand,thekindhehadobeyedallhislife.Heheldouthishandstoher.Shetuggedherwhitekidskinglovesoffwithherteeth,thentookhisrighthandbetweenhers.She

wasalmostthesameheightashewas,althoughherhandsweresmaller—andwarmer.Sheraisedhishandtohermouth,blowingbetweenherfingersontohissoreflesh.Itseemedthat

herpalmsbecamewarmerstill,heatinghishandasifitwereinfrontofafire.Shesaidsomething,afewsoftwordswhichweretooquietforhimtohear.Afterafewseconds,

sheopenedhereyesandreleasedhishand.Thewarmthhadnumbedthepaincausedbythecreature’svenomousblood.Shetookhislefthandandrepeatedheractions.

Helookeddownathishandsandgaspedinamazement.Thewoundshadclosedup,scartissuehadformed:theywerealreadyhealing!

Hestumbledbackafewpaces,inawaymoreafraidofthegirlthanhehadbeenofthemonster.Shewasasunnaturalasthecreaturehadbeen:shewasamagician…

“Don’ttellanyone,”shewarned,andputtheindexfingerofherrighthandtoherlips.Thenshesmiled.“Ifyoucantellanyone,Imean.Youshoutedawarning,butdidyouuseanyrealwords?Orwasitjustasenselesscry,likeananimal?Canyouspeak,boy?”

“I…Ispeak,”hewhispered.“What?”“Ispeak,”hesaidlouder,defiantly.Hespoketohimselfwhenhewasaloneintheforest,butthiswasthefirsttimehehadeverlet

anyoneelseknowthathecoulddoso.Untilnow,theonlysoundsthathepermittedtoescapefromhislipsweretheyellsofpainwhen

hewaswhipped.Notthatthebeatingshurtverymuchanymore;hewasusedtothem.“Myfatherwillrewardyou,”thegirltoldhim.“No!Tellnoone!”

“Why?”He shookhishead,notwanting to explain,notknowinghow to.Noonemustknowwhathad

happened.Hismastermustnotfindoutthathehadaknife,thathecouldspeak.Heglancedoveratthedeadcreature.

“Abeastman,”saidthegirl.Beastman.Herememberednow.Thatwasthenamethesoldiershadusedwhentheyhadhunted

forthecreatureswhichhadslainthewoodsmen.“Partman,partbeast,”shecontinued.“ThereareallsortsofthemintheForestofShadows,I’ve

beentold.”Sheglancedintothecloselypackedranksofdarktrees.“Ihopetherearen’tanymoreofthemaround.”

“Nonenear,”hesaid.“Youcan’tbesure,”sheanswered,thenshelookedawayfromthewoodsandbackathim.“But

you are sure, aren’t you?You know.You knewwhere that onewas before it could even be seen.How?”

“Isaw.”Hehadseenit—butshehadnot.Thatwaswhythecreaturehadbeenabletocomesocloseto

her.And that,he realized,waswhy thosesix treecuttershaddied.Theyhadnotseen thebeastmen

whichhadstalkedthemthroughtheforest.Thesamemusthavebeentrueofall theotherswhohadbeenabductedandmurderedbysuchcreatures.

Shewaswatchinghim,lookingintohiseyesagain.Heglancedaway,andafteramomentshedidthesame.

“Where’smyhorse?”sheasked.Heturned,searchingforit.“Byriver,”hesaid,pointing.“Good,”shesaid.“I’llbe in real trouble if I lose thatanimal.”Sheglanceddownathermud-

encrusted furs. “I shouldn’t beouthere, somaybe itwouldbebest ifwebothkeptquiet.Butwhataboutthat?”Shegesturedtowardsthecorpseofthebeastman.

“Soongone,”hetoldher.Thecreaturewasnothingbutdeadmeat.Withinafewhours,theboneswouldhavebeenpicked

cleanbythecarrioneaters.Afewhoursmore,andeventheboneswouldhavebeendevoured.“Willyoucomewithmetomyhorse?”Itwasmorethanaquestion,lessthananorder.Henoddedhisagreement.Shepickedupherfur

capfromthedirtandwalkedaway.Heglancedat the sword.Hedidnotwant to touch it, butneitherdidhewant to leave it there.

Someotherbeastmanwouldfinditanduseit.Hetuggedhissleevedownoverhispalm,thenpickeduptheweapon.

Hefollowedthegirltotheriverbank,thenthrewthebladeintothemiddleoftheriver.Whentheyreachedthegrazinghorse,hecuppedhishandssothatshecouldusethemasastepup

into thesaddle.Shedidnotmove.He raisedhiseyesandsaw that shewas looking into themoncemore.Hergazeflickeredfromhislefteyetohisright,thenbackagain.Hestareddownattheground,waitingforhertostepintohishands.Shefinallydidandmountedherhorse.

Hewipedthemudfromhispalmsonthesidesofhisleggings,thenglancedatthescarsonhishands.Whenhe looked up at the girl, she put her finger to her lips again, bidding him to remainsilent.

Buthewasalwayssilent.Orhadbeenuntilthismorning.

Even though she was splattered with filth and mud, she seemed so poised and elegant. Incomparison,hewaslikeabeggardressedinfilthyrags—yethesupposedthatwasalmostwhathewas.

“Iwon’tforgetthis,”shetoldhim.“Myfathercan’trewardyouifhedoesn’tknow,butIcan.Isthereanythingyouneed,anythingyouwant?”

Heshrugged,notknowingwhattosay.Hehadnothing,hadneverneededmorethanthat.Hedidhavehisdagger,however,andthatwaswhatpromptedthethought.

“Arrows,”hesaid.“Andbow.”Shenodded,ahalfsmileonherpaleandmuddyface.“Youshallhavethem,”shetoldhim.“MynameisElyssa.What’syourname?”

CHAPTERTWO

Theywereunitedforthissingleunholymission.Amissionofmayhemandofmurder,ofmutilationandofmassacre.Alliedasneverbefore,theeventsofthisdayshouldberecordedintheannalsofhistory—hadtherebeenanyoneleftalivetochroniclesuchevents.

By the timethesunhadfinallyseton today’s fouldeeds,asredas thebloodwhichstainedthefields and the crops within them, the streets and the homes within them, and by the time the longshadowsofnightcreptacrossthescorchedearthandthesmokingruins,therewouldbenotraceofanylifeinthevalleybelow.

Itwouldbeasthoughtheplacehadneverexisted,itsinhabitantshadneverbeenborn,hadneverlived.

Thevanquishedcouldneversaywhathad transpired,andneitherwould thevictors—becauseeventheconquerorswouldnotsurvivethisday.

Once thecommonenemywasslain, itwas inevitable that themarauderswould turnuponeachother ina frenziedfeud.Andthenthebloodwouldflowevenmore freely,morecrimsonandscarlet,darklyshadingthemidnightlandscapeastheyslewandsacrificedoneanothertotheirownlordsofChaos.

Thuswhathadoccurredwouldbecompletelyforgotten,erasedfromallknowledgeasabsolutelyasthevillagehadbeenobliteratedfromthefaceoftheworld,itsinhabitantsannihilated.

Noonewouldeverknowwhathadbeen—orwhatmighthavebeen…

Hehadnothing.Notevenaname.Itwas always “boy!”or “you!”or “hey!”or “vermin!”or “little rat!” or somemoreobscene

description.Nameswereforpeoplewhohadarealhome,atruefamily,aproperplacetosleep.Forthosewhodidnotliveinabarnwiththeanimals,forthosewhodidnothavetofightoffthedogsforthescrapsofmeatfromdiscardedbones—bonesmeantforthehounds.Hismastertreatedhisdogsbetterthanhis“boy”.

Names were given by parents, but parents were something else he did not have. AdolfBrandenheimerwashismaster,buthewassurethattheinnkeeperwasnothisfather.Nofatherwouldtreathissoninsuchafashion.

NorcouldEvaBrandenheimerbehismother,forthesamereason.Ifanything,shetreatedhimworsethenherhusbanddid.Itwasshewhousedtochainhimupwiththepigswhenhewasachild.Oneofhisearliestmemorieswasofcryingandofherbeatinghimwithaleatherstrap.Themorehecried,themoreshebeathim.

Hehadlearnednottocry,justaslaterhehadbecomeimmunetopunishment.Childrenresembledparents,heknew,andhewasgladthathelookednothingliketheoverweight

Brandenheimers and their six fat children. Even if he had been properly fed, there would be nosimilaritiesbetweenhimandthetavernowner ’sfamily.Heknewthathecouldnotpossiblyberelatedtothem.

Butwhowerehisparents?AndwhywashewiththeBrandenheimers?Thosewere questionswhich had often puzzled him, but therewas noway of discovering the

answers.Nooneevertoldhimandhehadnointentionofasking.TherehadneverbeenanyreasontospeaktotheBrandenheimers,whichwaswhyhehadneverdoneso.Tothem,hewasmerelyanotheroftheiranimals,abeastofburden.

Animalsdidnotspeak;hedidnotspeak.Animalsdidnothavenames;hedidnothaveaname.

Manyweekspassed,somanythathethoughtElyssahadforgottenhim.Theirpathshadcrossedinthevillage on two or three occasions, but they had ignored one another, as they had always donepreviously.Thatwas thewayhe assumed thingswould continueuntil he heardher horseupon thewoodenbridgeonecoldandicymorning.

Hewasusedtobeingignoredortreatedwithcontemptbyeveryoneelseinthevillage.Hewasthelowestofthelow,andshewasthecompleteopposite—theonlydaughterofWilhelmKastring,therichestandmostpowerfulmaninthewholevalley.

It was pastmid-winter, the secondweek of Nachexen. The sun had ceased its southward drift andslowly,inexorably,thedayshadbeguntogrowlonger.Oneachone,asever,hehadbeencollectingfirewoodfromtheforest.

Forhim,everydaywasthesame.Hebeganeachdaybycollectingwoodandlightingthefires;heendedeachonebymakingsurethattheembersineveryhearthhadbeendampeddown.Itwasallhecouldremember—andallthatlayaheadofhim.

Sometimes,however,itseemedthathehadlivedouthiswholelifeinadream.Itwasasthoughhismemorieswerethoseofanotherperson,thathehadbeentoldofhislife,notexperiencedit.

Elyssahaltedhermountonceshewasacrosstheriver,andshestaredaround.Itcouldhavebeenthatshewasoutforadawnride,deliberatelydisobeyingherfather ’swishesasshehaddoneonthedaywhentheyfirstencounteredoneanother.

He stepped into the open, even though he had not finished collecting thatmorning’s quota ofkindling.Hedidnotcallout.Ifshewantedhim,thenshewouldseehim.

Shekickedherheelsintohermount’sflanksandrodetowardshim.Aminutelatershereinedinherhorsebyhisside.

“I’mgladyou’rehere,”shesaid.“Always,”hetoldher.“Atdawn.”“This is the first time I could get away.”Therewas a bundle tied to her saddle; she passed it

downtohim.“Theseareforyou.”Heunwoundthelinenandfoundabow,aquiver,tenarrows.Theyweremagnificent.Theywere

theweaponsofawarrior,notofahuntsman.Theyweremeantforwar,forkillingenemies,notforstockingthelarderwithanimalcarcasses.

Theywereallblack.Thebowwasofsleekblackwood,thegripboundinsoftblackleather.Ateach tip, near the notch for the string, a golden crest was embossed in the wood. It showed twocrossedarrows,andbetween thepointswasamailed fist.Even thebowstringwasblack.Thesamegoldarrowsandfistdesignwaswroughtintotherippledblackhideofthequiver.

Heexaminedeachof theshafts in turn, takinghis timewhilehe tried to thinkofsomethingtosay.Theywereidentical.Ebonyshafts,coalblackfeathers,headsofmidnightmetal.Asinglenarrowbandofgoldencircledthecentreofeachoftheyards,andthecrossedarrowsandclenchedfistmotifwasetchedouttoshowtheblackwoodbeneath.

HestaredupatElyssa.Allhecoulddowasshakehisheadinbewilderment.Hewantedtospeak,butcouldnotfindanywords.

Thegirlwassmilingasshewatchedhim,andhenoticedhergazeshiftfromoneofhiseyestothe other. He glanced away quickly, pretending to examine the perfectly matched feathers of theflights.

Whatcouldshesee?Itseemedasthoughsheknewabouthiseyes.Nooneelsedid,sohowcouldElyssa?Thenheremembered:shewasamagician…

“Theybelong tomy father,” she toldhim,as shedismounted.“Buthe’sneverused them,he’sprobablyforgottenthatheevenhasthem.Lookatallthedust.”

Sheranherfingersacrossthesoftleatherofthequiver,thenshowedhimthedirtonherglove.Heimitatedheraction,studyingthedustonhisfingertips.

“Howareyourhands?”sheasked.Heshowedher.Therewasnosignofthewoundswhichthebeastman’sfoulbloodhadburnedso

painfullyintohisflesh.Hehadbeenhurtmanytimesbefore,butinjurieswhichhadbeenmuchlessserioushadleftscarsthatwouldalwaysmarkhisbody.

Elyssapulledoffherrightglovewithherteeth,andshetouchedthebacksofhishandswithherwarmfingers.Hereyeswerewidewithwonder,asthoughshecouldnotbelieveshehadhealedhim.Butshesaidnothing,andhedidnotask.Hepreferrednottothinkofit.

Sheasked:“What’syourname?”Shehadaskedthesamequestionontheirfirstmeeting,andhehadnotreplied.Thistimehesaid:

“Noname.”“Youmusthaveaname.Everyonehasaname.”“No.”“Butwhatdoyoucallyourself?”“Me,” he said, and he laughed. Itwas a strange noise and he surprised himselfwith it. Itwas

strangebecauseitwasasoundhehadnevermadebefore.Hehadneverhadareasontolaughuntilnow.

Elyssaalsolaughed.“Imustcallyousomething,”shesaid.“Don’tyouwantaname?”Heshrugged.Hehadmanagedsofarwithoutone.Untilshehadaskedhimseveralweeksago,he

hadneverreallybeenawarethathehadnoname.“CanIgiveyouone?”Helookedatthebow,thequiver,thearrows.Theywerethefirstthingsanyonehadevergivento

him,andhewasdelightedwiththegift.IfElyssaalsowishedtogivehimaname,thenshecould.Henoddedhishead.

Herhorsehadbeguntocropatthesparsegrass,andshestrokedtheanimal’sneckasshespoke.“WhenIwasveryyoungIusedtohaveafriend.Notarealfriend,I’veneverhadarealfriend.

HewasaboywhowasalwaystherewhenIwantedhim.Buthedidn’texist,nottoanyonebutme.Imadehimup.Ihaven’tseenhimforalongtime.”

Shepausedandlookedathim.“Willyoubemyfriend?”Helookedather,meetinghergaze,staringintoherdarkeyes.HewastotallyinaweofElyssa.

Theywere exactopposites.Shehadeverything,hehadnothing.Hehad savedher life and shehadrepaidhim,butwhydidshestillwanttoknowhim?Andwhyhadhespokentoher,brokenhissilenceforthefirsttime?

Shewasawizard.Thatwaswhy.Hewasunderherspell.Shehadenchantedhim,andtherewasonlyonethinghecouldsay.

“Yes,”hesaid.“Thenyoucanhavethenameofmyfriend,”shetoldhim.“YournameisKonrad.”

“Konrad,” he whispered, slowly speaking the two unfamiliar syllables for the first time.“Konrad,”hesaid,louder,likingthesound.

Itwasanamehehadneverheard,butanamehehadalwaysknown.Anditwashisname,hisveryown,thenamethathadbeenawaitinghimallhislife.

“Konrad!” he yelled, raising the bow in one hand, the quiverful of arrows in the other.“Konrad!”

Thebowandarrowswerenotaseasytohideasthedagger.Hefoundaplaceforthebowandhalfthearrowsbeneaththebridge,tyingthemtoaledgeunderthetimbers.Hekepttheotherfiveshaftsinthebarnbehindtheinn,wheretheywouldbeprotectedfromtheworstoftheweather.

Hedidnot even tellElyssawherehehadhidden them. In thebeginninghewasverycautious,unsure of the girl.He had never trusted anyone in his life, and at first he believed that shemightbetrayhim.Shecouldeasilytellherfatherthathehadstolenthebow,thequiver,thearrows.

TheentirevillagewasWilhelmKastring’sdomain.Thefateofeveryonewithinthevalleywasinhishands.Lifeordeath,itwasKastring’sdecision.

Elyssawasnotmeanttoleavethegroundsofthemanoralone,withoutanarmedguard.Hewastheonlyonewhoknewthatshedid.

Ifnecessary,shecouldensurehissilencewiththeevidenceoftheblackweapons.Buttherewasnonecessity.Hewasalwayssilent,excepttoher.Elyssahadusedtheword“friend”

—whichwaswhattheybecame,overtheweeks,themonths,theyears…AndhebecameKonrad.OnlyElyssaeverusedthename,ofcourse,becausenooneelseknew.Butthatwasalsohowhe

thoughtofhimself.Shehadgivenhimaname,anditwasasthoughhislifehadtrulybegunoncehehadhisownidentity.

ElyssasaidthatshehadinventedaboycalledKonradasaplaymatewhenshewasyoung.Inaway,itwasasthoughshehadalsocreatedhim,thesecondKonrad.

Elyssa,too,hadbeenreborn,becausewithouthim—withoutKonrad—shewouldhavehadnolife.Hadhenotslainthebeast-man,thecreaturewouldhavestolenherlife.Thankstooneanother,theyhadbothbeenbornanew.

ThebowwastoobigforKonradatfirst,butintimehegrewtomatchitssize.Hepractisedwiththefivearrows,morningaftermorning,targetingthetrees,weekafterweek,untilhebecameanexpert,monthaftermonth.

The first shafts becamewarpedby the cold anddamp, the points bluntedby somuchuse, theflightsdamaged.Buthelefttheotherfivewherehehadfirsthiddenthem,althoughheinspectedthemregularly, runninghis fingers across thewoodandmetal and feathers, admiring the craftsmanshipwhichhadweldedthethreeintoasingleunity.

Hepolishedthequiver,keepingtheleathersupple.Hewonderedwhatkindofweirdcreaturehadsuchskin,andhewonderedaboutthearrowandfistdesignwhichwasemblazonedoneachitemofthesetofweapons.ItwasnottheKastringcrest.

Theanimalwiththeweirdhidemusthavebeenoneofthosesemi-mythicalbeastswhichexistedatthefarendoftheworld.Orperhapseveninthenextvalley.ToKonrad,theywereequallyasdistant.

Likehisstrangeknife,theblackleatherandtheunfamiliarcrestweresymbolsoftheunknownlandsthatlaybeyondtheforest,theriver,thehills.Thethoughtofsuchwondersbothfascinatedhimandmadehimuneasy.

Hebeganteachinghimselfarcherybyfiringhisarrowsintotreeboughs.Trees,however,didnot

move.Hefinallydecidedheneededalivingtarget,totryhisskillsagainstoneoftheinhabitantsoftheforest.

Abeastmanwastheobviousprey,buthedidnotwanttotanglewithoneunlessitwasabsolutelynecessary.Heknewhowfortunatehehadbeenthatdaylongago,managingtoslayoneofthetoughmonsterswithonlyhisdagger.Therewasnopurposeinaskingfortrouble.Iftheylefthimalone,hewoulddothesame.

Beforehehadthebow,heusedtosnarerabbitstosupplementhismeagrerationsattheinn.Thusarabbitbecamethefirstvictimofhisarcheryskills.Ashebecamemoreproficient,hewasabletoshootbirdsoutoftreesandeventohitfast-movingtargetssuchassquirrels.

Thatwashowhelostthefirstofhisarrows;itvanishedhighinthetreesandhewasunabletofinditdespiteclimbingintothetallestbranches.

Hecouldhavelivedoutintheforest,herealized.Therewasplentyoffood,ifoneknewwheretolook.Therewereedibleplants,birds’eggs,seeds.Evenwithouthisbow,hecouldtrapsmallanimalsandcatchfishfromtheriver.

Hepreyedonthesmallercreatures—butifhetriedtosurviveoutinthewilds,hewouldhavebecomeprey for the largerbeasts thatdwelled in thedarkest reachesof thewoodland.Hekilledawildboar,thelargestcreaturehehadeveraimedat.Ittooktwowell-placedarrowstofellthebeast.Butbeforehecouldreachtheanimal,itwaspounceduponbythreepackwolves.Theytoreitapart,eatingwhattheycould,beforedraggingthecarcassawaytodevourattheirleisure.

Thatwashowhelosttwomorearrows.AllKonradcoulddowaswatch.Hewasunabletomoveincaseoneofthewolvesshouldnoticehimanddecidehewasatastiermeal.Hehadnotevenknownthattheywerenear.Couldhehavebeensointentonstalkingtheboarthathehadnotsensedthem?

Thebowstringsnappedseveral timesover theyears,andherenewed it,althoughhecouldnotreplace the black twine. Even the bow itself finally splintered and broke. It was black all the waythrough,not stainedwithsomedarkdye.Hemourned its lossanddugagrave,burying itnear theplacewherehehadfirstencounteredElyssaandthebeastman.

Bythefollowingdawn,somenocturnalforestcreaturehaddugupthebrokenbow,searchingfordeadflesh.Itcouldhavefoundnone,buttherehadbeennosignoftheblackwood.

Althoughhewasabletocarvehimselfanewbow,hecouldnotreplacethepreciousarrows.Theshaftofanotherbroke,whichleftonlyone—andthefivehehadhidden.

Hecouldnotreplacethearrows,butElyssacould.Althoughtheywerenotnearlyasgoodastheoriginals,itmeantthathecouldsavetheotherfive.Hewasnotcertainwhyhewassavingthem,buthewasconvincedthatonedaytheywouldserveapurpose.

Theseasonspassed,andsodidtheyears.Verylittlechanged.Elyssacametomeethimatdawneverysooften.Perhapsshewouldbethereforafewconsecutivedays,perhapsonceaweek,perhapseverymonthorso.Shetoldhimthathewasheronlyfriend;heknewthatshewashis.

Hervisitsweretheonlythinghehadtolookforwardto.Hewasdisappointedwhenshedidnotarrive,alwayssadwhentheyhadtopart.

Sheoncereferred toafeastat themanorhouse,held inhonourofaneighbouring landowner.Konrad told her what he had been eating at the same time, and she had been both horrified anddisgusted.

Afterthat,shealwaysbroughthimapackageoffoodwhenevertheymet—sweetdelicaciesthelikeofwhichhehadnevertasted,spicymeatsandsavourypastries.

“SometimesIthinkyoupreferthefoodtomycompany,”Elyssaoftenjoked.“True,”hewouldagree.Forthefirstfewminutes,hedidnothavetimeformuchconversation;hewasalwaystoobusy

eating.Theytalkedtogether,becausetheyhadnooneelsetotalkwith,andtheygrewtogether.Konrad

becametallerwitheverypassingmonth,growingfromboyhoodtowardsaman.Elyssawas tall foragirl,butherheightcouldnevermatchKonrad’s.Althoughstill slim,her

shapefilledoutasshedevelopedintoawoman.Whenevershewaswithhim,Konradbecame lesspunctualabout returningwith themorning’s

firewood.HepreferredtospendmoretimewithElyssaandrisktheangerofhismaster.Sometimeshedidnotevenbothertakingbackanykindling.

Onemorning he noticed the innkeeper ’s expression as he swore at Konrad, beating him forreturningbothlateandempty-handed.Hehadalwaysbelievedthathismasterhatedhim,butthelookinhiseyesthatmorningwasnotofhatred—itwasoffear.

Untilthen,Konradhadstillbeenscaredofthelandlord.Butnotanymore.Brandenheimer ’swhiphadevenlesseffectonKonrad’sbroader,strongerback,andtheregularbeatingsbecamelittlemorethanameaninglessroutine.

Konradknewthathislifewouldnotcontinuelikethisforever.Thepasthadbeenthesame,butthefuturewouldnotbe.

Hecouldnotforeseewhatwouldhappen,yethewasconvincedthatsomethingwouldoccur.Itmightnotbesoon,not thatyear,perhapsnoteventheoneafter,buthewaspositivethateverythingwouldchange.

“Iaskedmyfatheraboutyou,”saidElyssa.Nomatter thetimeofyear,Elyssaalwaysworeacloak.Shewouldspreaditonthegroundso

thatherclothesdidnotbecomesoiledby thedirtorstainedby thegrass.Dirtandstains,however,madelittledifferencetothecastoffsthatKonradalwayswore.

ButthiswasVorgeheim,theheightofsummer,andneitherofthemwaswearinganything.Theyhadbeenswimmingtogetherintheriver,andnowthemorningsunwasdryingtheirbodies.

The bow lay byKonrad’s side. It could be strung in a second, an arrow notched in a secondmore. The beastmenwere fewer during the summer, and itwas severalmonths since he had beenawareofanyinthevicinity.

KonradwatchedasElyssacontinuedcombingoutherblackhair;ithadgrownlongerasshehadgrownolder.

“Askedhimwhat?”hesaidtensely.“Whoyouwere,”shereplied.Suddenlyhisheartwasracing,asthoughhesensedthatthereweresomedeadlypredatorlurking

intheforesttwohundredyardsbeyondthem.Hegrabbedthehiltofhisknife,clenchingittightly.She glanced at him and smiled. It was one of her wicked smiles. Elyssa had a streak of

maliciousness in her character. She could also be very capricious, her mood changing for noapparent reason. Sometimes she came across the bridge on her horse, then turned back beforereachinghim;sometimesshedidnotbringanyfood,andsheofferednoexplanation;sometimesshehardlyspokeawordwhiletheyweretogether.

“Youdon’tknowaboutyourpast,”shetoldhim.“Butmyfatheroughtto.Heknowseverythingthathappensinthevalley.”ShestudiedKonrad,thenadded:“Oralmosteverything.”

Konrad’sheartpounded, andhecould feel thebloodpulsing throughhisveins.Hisbodywasdamp,andnotwithriverwater.AlthoughhewantedtohearwhatElyssahaddiscovered,equallyhedidnotwanttoknow.

Thiswassomethingtheyhaddiscussedseveraltimes,thewaythatKonradcouldnotpossiblybe

oneof the innkeeper ’s family.Butwhowas he?Noone else in the village had someonewhowastreatedsobadly,likeaslave.EvenWilhelmKastring,thewealthiestmanintheregion,employedallhisservantsandpaidthemawage;hedidnotownthem.

Konrad said nothing, waiting for Elyssa to continue. But shewas teasing him,wanting to beprompted.

“And?”hedemandedanxiously.“Whathappened?Whatdidhesay?”“HeaskedhowIknewaboutyou. I said I’d seenyou in thevillage, thatyouwere treated like

somekindofanimal.Iwonderedwhyandwhoyouwere.”“Whatdidhesay?”“HesaidIwas tokeepclearofyou, thatIshouldn’tspeaktoyou.I toldhimthatyoucouldn’t

speak.WhenheaskedhowIknew,Isaiditwaswellknownthatyouweredumbandstupid.”Hereyessparkledwithamusement.

“Whatelse?”Elyssa frowned, becoming serious. “It’s odd, becausewhen I pressed himmore, hewas very

uneasy. Itwas almost as if hewas… scared.He didn’twant to answer.Hewarnedme again that Ishouldavoidyou.”Sheforcedalaugh.“Ialwaysobeymyfather.That’swhyI’mnothere.”

Konrad dug his dagger angrily into the dirt. Hewished that Elyssa had not asked her father,wished that she had not told him— not that she had really told him anything at all. Such lack ofinformation was somehow worse. From his reaction, it seemed that Wilhelm Kastring did knowsomething.

“Scared,”Elyssahadsaid,and thatwassimilar towhathehadseen inAdolfBrandenheimer ’sexpression. People in the village avoided him, they always had. Could that be out of fear, notcontempt?

Andifso—why?Elyssaputherhandonhisarm,butheshruggedheroff.“Don’tbeangry,”shesaid.“Iwasn’t

expecting that kind of response fromhim. I’ll be prepared next time. I can usually get aroundmyfather;I’mhisfavouritedaughter.”

ElyssawasKastring’sonlydaughter.Shehadthreeelderbrothers.“There’smore,” sheadded. “Thenextdayheaskedmeabout thebowandquiverof arrows I

gaveyou.”“What?Heknows?”“No!”Elyssashookherheadrapidly.“Hedoesn’tknowyouhavethem.Hemusthavegonedown

intothecellarslookingforthem.That’soneoftheplaceswhereIusedtoplay.Theywerehiddeninasmallroom,theonlythingsthere.Thelockhadrustedaway,thatwashowIfoundmywayin.”

“Whatdidyousay?”“IsaidIdidn’tknowwhathewastalkingabout.Ididn’tknowanythingaboutbowsandarrows,

thatheshouldaskmybrothers.”Sheshrugged.“It’sjustcoincidence.”Konradglancedatthelastblackarrow,atthetinycrestcarvedoutofthegoldband.“Don’tworry,”Elyssasaid.“Heknowsnothing.He’dforgottenallaboutthem.”“Untilyoumentionedme.”Heshivered,andnotbecausehewascold.ShemovedbehindKonrad

and started to comb his hair. He tried to block all thoughts of the blackweapons from hismind,insteadrememberingwhenElyssahadoriginallycombedhishair.

Thatwas after theyhadbeen in the river together for the first time, almost in this exact spot,downstream and out of sight of the village. It was the summer after he had saved her from thebeastman.

Konradhadalwayshatedwaterandavoidedit,butthegirlhadpersuadedhimtoshedhisclothes

andentertheriverwithher.Shewasalwaysverypersuasive—andstillwas.Becauseofher,hehadlearnedtoswim.

“I’venot seenyouwithout anydirtbefore.You’requitegood looking,” shehad toldhim thatday, after they emerged from the water, then she laughed and added: “For a peasant.” She hadexaminedhisbody,runningherfingersoverthepalescarsonhisbackandonhislimbs.“Wasthattheinnkeeper?Didhedothat?”

“Orhiswife.Orhischildren.”“Thesearetoooldformetoheal,”shesaid.“Ican’tdothat—yet.”Helookedatthegirl,waitingforhertocontinue,butshesimplysmiledandputherindexfinger

toherlips,thenreachedforhercomb.Shedraggedthecombthroughhisknottedhair.Itwasthefirsttimeithadeverbeencombed.She

wastreatinghimlikeadoll,herealized,likeherimaginaryKonrad.Buthedidnotmind.Heenjoyedeverymoment of her company. For the first time in his life hewas not alone, and every dawnhehopedforherreturn.

Whentheypartedthatday,herolledinthefilth,tanglinghishairanddirtyinghisface.Hehadnotwantedhismastertoknowthatanythingoutoftheordinaryhadhappened.

Nowadays,however,hereturnedtothetavernneatandclean,althoughstillcladinrags.Henolongercared.TherewasnothingthatBrandenheimercoulddotohimthathecouldnottake.

ThatdayontheriverbankwasalsowhenElyssafirstmentionedhiseyes.Hehadbeenawareofherlookingatthemonseveraloccasions,andhehadalwaysturnedaway.

“Youhavethestrangesteyes,Konrad,”shehadsaid.Immediatelyhehadshieldedthemwithhishands,eventhoughitwasafutilegesture.Itwasfar

toolate—andshewasawizard,shecouldseethroughhishands.“Youshouldn’thidethem,”shesaid,tugginghisprotectivepalmsaway.“Whatdoyouknowaboutmyeyes?”heasked,pressinghisfaceclosertohersthaneverbefore,

staringdeepintoherdarkeyes-almostasblackasherhair,asblackasthearrowsshehadgivenhim.“Whatcanyousee?”

“Whatcanyousee?”sheechoed.“Nothing!”heasserted,closinghiseyesastightlyashecould.“Everything,”hewhispered.Shehadneverreferredtohiseyesagain.Untiltoday.Everythingwasexactlythesame.Almost.Thetime,theplace.Allthathadchanged

wasthem.Theyhadbothgrown,physicallyaswellasemotionally.Theywerecloserthanever,knewtheotherbetterthantheydidanyoneelse.Buttheywerealsofurtherapart,awareofhowseparatetheywereinallthingsexcepttheirfriendship.

“Youhavethestrangesteyes,Konrad,”saidElyssa.Again.Insosaying,shebroketheirunspokenpact.Hehadnevermentionedhermagic,theminorfeats

ofwizardrythatshecouldperformwithsuchapparentease,andshehadnevermentionedhiseyes—or,moreparticularly,hislefteye.

Hisblindeye.

CHAPTERTHREE

Noonewouldeverknowwhathadbeen—orwhatmighthavebeen.The futureof thewholeworld lay inacombinationofminor factors,allrelatively trivialwhen

compared to the greater whole. But each of these insignificant elements comprised a part of theoverall scheme of things, and few could saywhichwould provemore important in the centuries tofollow.

Aftertoday,theworldwouldcontinueonitsordainedpathtowardstheultimatetriumphofChaos.Anotherobstacleonthatgloriousroutewouldhavebeeneradicatedassurelyasthevillageitselfhadbeentotallyeliminated.

Most of the attackers knew notwhat the effect of their raidwould be orwhy it should occur,neitherdidtheycare.Forthevastmajority,allthatmatteredwastheconflictitself—thebattlethatwastocome.

Evenifitwerenorealbattle,butmoreakintothegoryworkofabutcherinaslaughterhouse,itmadenodifference.Theendresultwas thesame:painandagony, tortureanddeath.Deathofone’senemies,one’sallies,one’sself,allwereaspectsofthesameeternalwar.

The one certainty in life was ultimate death, and in this the brutal invaders would not bedisappointed.Theylivedfordeath—andtheymustdie…

KonradcouldnotseewhatElyssacouldsee,whateveryoneelsecouldsee.Hecouldnotseehisownface,hisowneyes.

Thatwaswhatshehadmeantbyhimhavingstrangeeyes.Shewasreferringtotheirappearance,althoughshemayalsohavemeantmore.Elyssa’sowndarkeyesweredeepwhirlpools,andwiththemshe could see farmore than she ever told him— just as he could see farmore than he had everrevealedtoher.

ThefollowingdayElyssareturned,andshebroughtamirror.Shecamesoonafterdawn,asever.Therewasseldomanyoneelsearoundsoearly,atleastinthisvicinity.

The area where the beastman had been killed was now in a clearing, the forest having beenpushedbackovertheyearsbythetreecuttersandwoodsmen.

ElyssaandKonradmetfurtherawayfromthebridge,wheretherewaslesschanceofthembeingobservedbyanyonefromthevillage.

“You’veneverseenyourself,haveyou?”shesaid,asshegazedatherownimageinthemirror.Shepushedalockofjetblackhairawayfromherforehead,overherleftear.“Here.”Sheheldthemirrortowardshim.“Butbecareful,Idon’twantyouruglyfacecrackingtheglass!”

Hewasnotreallylisteningtoherwords.Allhisattentionwasfocusedonthethingsheheldinherhands. Itwasoval in shape, framedbywhat seemed tobea silverborder.Even thehandleandbackingwereof silver, studdedwithglittering redandyellowpiecesof tinyglass.He saw the skyreflectedinthesmoothglassassheofferedhimthehandle.

“What?”hesaid,notaccepting.“Itwasajoke.”Shepushedthemirrortowardshimevenmore.“Ajoke?”Hedrewbackfurther,shakinghishead.

“Anuglyfaceissupposedtobreakglass.”Themirrormusthavebeenworthafortune.Theredandyellowdecorationswerenotglass,he

realized,butsomekindofpreciousstones.Silverandjewels—andallsothatElyssacouldlookatherself.

“You’rescared,aren’tyou?Scared,scared,scared!”Inaway,Elyssawasright,butKonradrefused toadmit it.Hegrabbed thehandle, thenslowly

raisedthefaceofthemirrortohisownface,notknowingwhattoexpect.He had first seen his reflection in the surface of the river. That gave him no true idea of his

appearance,or—moreimportantly—ofthewaythathiseyesappeared.Asfarashecouldtell,theywerethesame,butitwasdifficulttobesurewhenonlyhisrighteyecouldtrulyseeanything.

Thepolishedsurfaceofasoldier ’sshield,severalyearsago,hadbeenofnomorehelp.Itservedmoretodistorthisfeaturesthantodefinethem.

Glass itself was a rarity. There was no such thing as a mirror in the tavern, or probablyanywhere else in thewhole village except at themanor house. He had only heard theword fromElyssa,andhermirrormusthavebeenfabricatedinsomedistantland.

Konradlookedathimselfforthefirsttime.Hegaspedinsurprise,blinkingattheyoungstrangerwhoblinkedbackathim.Thefirstthinghe

noticedwasthemaneofuntamedhair,neitherfairnorred,butsomewhereinbetween.Hehadheldclumpsofhishairinhishandspreviously,whenitgrewtoolongandhehadcutitwithhisknife,butthiswasthefirsttimehehadseenhimself—oranyone—withhairofsuchacolour.

HeglancedoverthetopofthemirrorandnoticedElyssagrinningathim.Heraisedthemirrortohideherfromview,bringingitclosertowardshisface—towardshis

eyes.They looked identical, no different, both pupils pale green. But the early morning sun was

behindhim,themirrorreflectingredintobothhisdilatedirises,andheshiftedhispositionsothathewasnolongerdazzledbythebrightraysoflight.

Ashemoved themirror,ashispupilswidened,hesawthatoneof thembecamedarker,moregreen,whiletheotherbecamelighter,yellower—turningintogold…

Hiseyesweredifferentcolours.Onewasgold.Onewasgreen.ThatwaswhatElyssamust havemeant byhimhaving strange

eyes.Butonecouldsee.Andonecouldnot.Hewasholdingthemirrorinhisrighthand,andheraisedthefingersofhislefttohiseyes.His

imagedidthesame.Hetouchedtheskinbeneathhislefteye.Buthisreflectiondidnot—ittouchedtheskinbelowhisimage’srighteye.Hefrowned.

Elyssa had beenwatching this, and she laughed.He caught a glimpse of her reflection as shemovedaroundbehindhim.She stoodon tiptoeand leanedoverhis right shoulder, andhe sawherfacebyhisface.

Itwasdifferentsomehow,notanaccuratepictureofthewayshelooked.Shewaslikeherowntwin,whosehairwassweptbackoverherrightearinsteadofherleft.

Andalthoughshestoodtohisright,herimagewasontheleftofhisimage…Hesawherreflectionsmile,watchedasherlipsmouthedthewordsthatheheardinhisrightear:

“It’samirror image,Konrad.Left isn’t left, right isn’t right. Idon’t looklike that,notexactly,andyoudon’tlooklikethat,notexactly.Watch.”

Shemovedtohisotherside,fromrighttoleft.Butherimageswitchedfromtheleftsideofthereflectiontoitsrightside.

“Whatyouseeinthemirrorasyourleft,”sheexplained,“isreallyyourright.”Theimageofhereyesmethis.“Andwhatyouseeasyourrightisreallyyourleft.”

Hehadonegoodeye.Oneblindeye.Oneofhiseyeswasgold.Onewasgreen.Butwhichwaswhich?HelookedawayfromElyssa’simage,insteadconcentratingonhisownreflection,tryingtoworkoutwhathecouldsee.

He sawayoungman inhis late teens, the strangerwhoalready seemed familiar,who lookedperplexedmorethanworried—andwhohadeyesofdifferentcolours.

Konradcouldonlyseeproperlyoutofhisrighteye,andsohegraduallyclosedhisleft.Itwasthegoldeyethathisimageslowlyshut,althoughitseemeditwastherightone.

Thatwas adistortion causedby theglass, henowknew.Hecouldnot trust themirror, buthecouldtrusttheevidenceofhisrighteye,hisgreeneye.

Withonlyoneeyeopen,hecouldseeexactlythesamepictureinthemirrorashehadbeenabletowithboth eyesopen.Thatwaswhathehadanticipated.The right eyewashisonegoodeye.Hecouldseenothingwithhis leftbecausewheneverheclosedhis right, itwasas thoughheshutbotheyes.Almost.

“See?”saidElyssa.Hesawher.Hesawhimself.Henodded,andhesawhisimagenod.Heopenedhisothereye,saw

itglintgolden.Heknew that his eyeswere different, althoughhehadnever imagined that theywould appear

differentinsuchaway.Atfirstglance,thegreenandthegoldwerenotthatdissimilar;butoncloserinspection,thedifferencewasreadilyapparent.

Elyssawastheonlypersonevertohavementionedthis,whichwasonlytobeexpected.Shewastheonlypersonevertohavespokenwithhim,insteadofathim,theonlypersonevertohavelookedathimlongenoughtohavenoticedtheapparentdifference.

Thenheclosedhisrighteye.And,asever,itwaslikeclosingthemboth.Hecouldseenothing,nothingthatwashappeningnow…

Inthedarknesstherewasabriefglimmeroflight,faintanddistant.Ifheconcentrated,focusedhislefteye,hisgoldeneye,hisblindeye,hecouldmakeoutanoutline.Itwasanoval,theshapeofthemirrorthathestillheld.Andwithinthemirrorwastherefectionofaface.

Whathesaw,herealized,wastheimagethathestillheldinhisbrain.Itwasthelastthinghehadseen.Themirror.Withinitafacestaringbackathim,botheyesopen.Twodifferenteyes,onegreen,onegold.

Butitwasthefaceofsomeoneelse!Itwasanolderman,hisfacelinedandbloody,shadowedandbearded.ItwasafacethatKonrad

hadneverseenbefore,yetitwasafacethathecouldnotfailtorecognize.Itwashisownface.Hewasstaringathimselfashewouldbemanyyearsfromnow.Hewasstaringintothefuture.“No!” he yelled, squeezing both his eyes further shut to dispel the image, then opening them

wide, catching a brief glimpse of his own—young— reflection in the glass, before hurling themirrorasfarawayfromhimaspossible.

HeheardtheglassshatterthenElyssacryoutinangeranddisbelief,felttheblowagainstthesideofhisheadasthegirlhithimashardasshecouldwiththepalmofherhand,sawherhurryovertowherethemirrorhadlandedandbeginpickingupthescatteredfragmentsoffracturedglass,allthetimeyellingathim.

Konradwasawareofexactlywhatwasgoingon,buthefeltcompletelyremovedfromitall,asthoughitwerehappeningatsomeothertime—asthoughhewereremembering.

Rememberingwhathadhappened.Orwhatwasyettohappen…

Elyssaheld theunbrokenmirror inher lap,and theysatsidebysideon theriverbank,near tooneanother,butnotasnearastheyusuallysat.

Itwasasthoughshehadjustarrivedandwasabouttoshowhimthesilvermirror,thatnoneoftheeventsofseveralminutesagohadhappened—yet.

Hefelt totallyconfused,hismindandhissensescompletelymixedup.Past,presentandfutureseemedinextricablyintertwined,andhecouldnottellwhichwaswhich.

Heknewexactlywhatwouldhappen.Butthatwasbecauseithadalreadyhappened.Thiswasnow.Therewouldbenorepeat.Elyssahadshownhimthemirror,andhehadthrownitaway.

Hepreferrednottoconsiderwhathadoccurredinbetween,whenhehadstaredintothemirrorandseenthereflectionofhimself—theimageofhisfutureself.

Themirrorhadbroken.ButElyssahadfoundeveryshardofglass,fittedthemallbackwithinthesilverframe, thenrubbedherhandsacross thesplinteredsurface,herfingertipsbecomingredwithbloodasshesmoothedawaytheroughness,allthetimewhisperingenchantments.

Although he was vaguely aware of what she was doing, there had been too much else onKonrad’smind.Hehadbeenthinkingabouthislefteye:hisgoldeneye,hisblindeye.Hisblindeyethatcouldsee,thatcouldtellhimwhatwasgoingtohappen-andthathaddonesoformostofhislife.

Theminutes dragged bywhile his respiration and heartbeat slowed almost to normal.He feltcalmernow,nolongeronthevergeofpanic.

Elyssa had said nothing to himdirectly since cursing him for throwing away themirror. Shemust have realized that something serious had occurred for Konrad to have behaved in such amanner.

She lookeddown into themirror, either studyingherown reflectionor else checking that theglassshowednosignofdamage,thenglancedoveratKonrad.Theireyesmetforthefirsttimesincetheyhadlookedateachother ’simageinthemirror.

“Itwasonlyajokeaboutyourfacebreakingtheglass,Itoldyouthat,”shesaid.“Youdidn’thaveto takemeatmyword.Toomuchofa shock,was it, seeingyourself?” sheadded, and she smiledironically.

Heshookhisheadslowly,puthishandsoverhiseyesandrubbedthem,whilehewonderedwhattosay.

“Whatdidyousee?”askedElyssa.Hestaredather.Shecouldnothavebeenreferringtohisownimage.Howdidsheknowhehad

seensomethingstrange?Thenherealizedthatshewasguessing.Hisvisionwasasubjecttheyhadneverspokenabout,nomatterhowimportantitwastohim.He

keptitwithinhimself,partlybecausehedidnotunderstand,partlybecausehedidnotwantElyssatoknow.Itwassomethinghecoulddo,atalenthehadwhichshedidnotpossess—andwhichitseemednooneelsedid.Inaway,itwastheonethingthathehadofhisown.Hedidnotwanttoshareitwithher,andhewasunsurewhy.

Shewashisonlyfriend,theyoughttohavebeenabletotalkaboutanythingandeverything.Theyneverdiscussedherwizardry,however,althoughshedidnotmindhimknowingofhertalents.

Heglancedatherfingertips.Hewasunsurewhethershehadcutherselfonthebrokenglass,orwhetherthespilledbloodwasthepriceforthemagicshehadexpendedtorepairthemirror.

Justasshekeptherskillstoherself,soitwaswithwhathecoulddo.Therewasanother factor:evenafterall this time,hestilldidnot fully trustElyssa.Hehadno

evidenceforthisbelief,andsuchanotionwasbeyondanyreasoning.Shewastheonepersonintheworldthatheknew,hadtotalfaithandconfidencein,wouldhavedoneanythingfor—yettherewasanalmostinfinitesimaltraceofsuspicion.

Hehadnotwantedtoopenuptoherfully,becausethenshewouldknoweverythingabouthimandwouldhaveaholdoverhim.

Theideamadenosense,heknew,butrationalityandfeelingcouldnotbereconciled.Anditwasalltodowithhiseyes,oroneofthem.Itseemedthathislefteyewasblind—yethe

couldstillseefromit.Seenotwhatwashappeningnowbutwhatwouldhappen…Mostofthetimetherewashardlyanydifference,hislefteyewasaheadofhisright—aheadof

whatwasactuallyhappening-byafractionofasecond.Thatwashowhehadbeenable toavoidBrandenheimer ’sbootorhiswhip.Heknewwhere it

wouldstrikeaninstantbeforeitdid,andthushehadbeenabletoavoidthefullforceofeveryblow.HenoticedElyssawas studyingherself in themirror again.As shedid so, she idly licked the

bloodfromherfingers.Bynow,hewasbeginningtodoubtthattherehadbeenanydifferentimageinthemirror.Itmust

havebeenatrickofthelight—exceptthattherehadbeennolight,becausehiseyeswereshut.Thenitmusthavebeenatrickofhiseyes.

He could not possibly have seen his future self; he had never been able to foresee anythingfurtheraheadthanaminute.Herefusedtobelieveit,thereforeitcouldnothavehappened.

He would not tell Elyssa what he had mistakenly thought he had seen, but he had to saysomething.

“I’dneverseenmyeyesbefore,”hetoldher.“Ididn’tknowtheywereadifferentcolour.Thatwaswhatsurprisedme.Ididn’tmeantobreakthemirror.Ididn’tknowglasswassoeasytobreak.”

Shewaswatchinghim,andhecouldtellfromherexpressionthatshedidnotbelievehim.Thebestwaytoconvinceherwastotellthetruth,upuntilapoint.

“WhenIclosemyrighteye,”heexplained,“mylefteyebecomesblind.Whenmyrighteyeisopen,Icanseeoutofmyleft—butwhatIseeisn’tpreciselythesame.Idon’tseewhatishappening,butwhatwillhappen.”

“Youhavethegiftofforesight?Youcanseethefuture?”Konradshrugged.“I supposeso,but it isn’tanygreat talent.Atbest, Iknowwhatwillhappen

withinafewseconds,perhapsevenaminute,whichmeansIcanactaccordingly.”“That’swhathappenedwhenwefirstmet?Yousawthebeast-man?”“Iknewitwas lurking in the forest.Whenyourodeup, I realized thatyoudidn’tknowitwas

there,youcouldn’t see it like Icould. I’dalreadywatched it springoutof the treesandknockyoufromyourhorse.ThenIsawithappenagainafewmomentslater.Luckily,itdidn’tkillyouwithitsleap.”

“Thatwasbecauseyouwarnedme.”Konradshrugged.“Possibly.”“Canyouseeanythingnow?”“Nothing.”Heshookhishead.“Nothinganydifferent,Imean.Icanseeyousittingthere,that’s

all.”Hestaredbeyondthegirl,attheforest.“There’snodanger.”“Soit’sdangerthatyousense?Youcanseeifsomethingdangerousisabouttohappen,andyou

canstopit?”“Ican’tstopit.Icanseewhatwillhappen,andIcanmakethebestofit.Ifthere’sawildanimal

near,Icanavoidit.Iknowwhichrouteitwilltake,andsoIchooseanotherpath.”

Elyssawascorrect:hecouldseedanger. Itmightbe relatively trivial, suchas theangleof thestickwithwhichAdolfBrandenheimerwasabouttothrashhim.Oritmightbefarmoreimportant.Thiswaswhathadsavedhislifesomanytimesintheforest.

Andsometimesithadalmostkilledhim.Hecouldnotrelyonhisforesight,becausehehadbeenletdownontwovitaloccasions.Thefirst

was when he had fought with the beastman that had attacked Elyssa. It was as if he had suddenlybecomeblind,becausehedidnotknowwhatthecreaturewasgoingtodonext,whichwayitwouldstrike.

Hisrighteyehadtoldhimwhatwashappeningnow,buthislefthadtoldhimnothing.Everythinghadbecomeblack, the future consisted of an emptyvoid—andhe thought hewas going to die. Itappearedthathehadseennofuturebecausetherewasnofutureforhimtosee.

Hehadnotdied.Instead,itwasthebeastmanthathadbeenkilled.Inaway,themostfrighteningaspectofthefighthadbeenhissuddenblindnesstowhatwasabouttohappen.

Thesecondtimewaswhenhehadkilledthewildboar.Thecreaturehadthenbeenpounceduponbythreepackwolves-andyethehadnoideathatthewolveswereinthevicinity.Hehadalmostfallenvictimtothethreepredators.

Itwasdanger that extendedhis rangeof vision.But toomuch seemed to overloadhis senses,makinghimasvulnerableasanyoneelse.

Hisforesightcouldonlybemeasuredinseconds—until today,whenhehadseenmanyyearsahead.

Elyssawasstillwatchinghim,waiting forhim tocontinue, to tellherwhathehadseen in themirror.

Hehadbeenconfused,astonishedatseeinghisownreflectionfortheveryfirsttime.Thatwasall.Hehadseennothingelse,becausetherewasnothingtosee.

“Ifyoucanonlyseedanger,”saidElyssa,“thenyoudon’tknowwhat’sgoingtohappennext…”

Konradstaredather,wonderingwhatshemeant.Her facewas totallyexpressionlessassheput themirrordownonthegrassbehindher.

Sheleanedforwardandunfastenedoneofhersandals,kickingit towardshim.It landedbyhisside.Then she untied the other one, and sent that flying through the air at him.Konrad caught theleathersandalbeforeitcouldhithischest.

Shewaswearingasilkblouseanda longvelvetskirt.Thepaleblueblousewas fastenedbyaseriesofribbons.Onebyone,sheslowlyundideachofthem,alternatingherlefthandandherright,workingherwaydownfromhernecktoherwaist.

Thefrontofherblousehungloose,andKonradglimpsedherbreastsasshestoodup.Therewasanarrowsilverbeltaroundherwaist,butitwastherepurelyasanornament,becauseherturquoiseskirtwassecuredbyabowatthehip.Sheundidthebow.

Thegarmentconsistedofasinglepieceoffabricthatwaswrappedtwicearoundthelowerhalfofherbody—andElyssabegantounwrapit.

Facinghim,shegraduallyunfoldedherskirtuntilherleftlegwasbarefromwaisttoankle.Herlefthandrestedonherhip,holdingbothedgesofthegarment.Thensheliftedherhand,lettingitfallfree.Asshedidso,shespunarounduntilherbackwastohim.

SheglancedatKonradoverhershoulder.Allsheworewasherblueblouse,whichsheslowlypeeleddownoverherarmsandallowedtodroptotheground.

He had seen her nakedmany times before, but never like this. She had always pulled off herclothesasquicklyaspossible,neversoteasingly.

Veryslowly,sheturnedtofacehim.Allsheworewasherjewellery—thesilvernecklaceandbelt,andthematchingbraceletsaroundherwristsandankles.Otherwise,shewascompletelynude.

She stoodwithherhandsonherhips,her legsastride.WhatalwaysamazedKonradwashowpaleElyssa’s long-limbed bodywas.Apart from the jet black of her hair and the soft pink of hernipples,herbodywascompletelywhite.

Helickedathisdrylipsashegazedatthegirl.“Youwanttogoforaswim?”hesaid.Sheshookherhead.Sheraisedherrighthand,beckoningtohimwithherindexfinger.Konradobeyed.Hestoodupandwalkedforward,stoppinginfrontofher.Elyssaliftedherother

hand,andshetuggedatKonrad’sraggedshirt.Itcameoffeasily,exceptthatthesleevebecamecaughtonhisrightwristbecausehewasstillholdingherleathersandal.Elyssatookthesandal,castitaside,pulledtheshirtfree,thenreachedforthestringthathelduphisoldbreeches.

Theystoodafootapart,staringintoeachother ’seyes.Elyssa’sweresodarkthatitwashardtotellwherethepupilbecametheiris.

Konrad’sbreechesdroppedaroundhisankles.HewasevenmorenakedthanElyssa;heworenosilver.“Areyousureyoudon’twanttogoforaswim?”hemanagedtoask.

Elyssa’s face showed the first flicker of movement: she smiled for a moment. “There’ssomethingelseIwant,”shesaid,andsheleanedtowardshim.

Konradgaspedinsurpriseandpleasure.Theyhadoftentouchedeachotherbefore,butonlybyaccidentorinplay.Thiswascompletelydifferent.Assheheldhim,hemovedslightlynearer,andheliftedhishandstoElyssa’sbreasts.Ashegentlycaressedthem,herememberedthefirsttimehehadtouchedhersoftfemaleflesh.

Afewyearsago,shehadaskedhimtoteachherarchery.Hehadstoodbehindher,showingherhowtoholdthebowandarrow.Whilehedid,herbuddingbreastshadpushedagainsthisarms.Hehadrubbedhimselfagainsther,hopingshewouldnotnotice.Butshehad—andwhenhedrewaway,shehadpressedherselfupagainsthim,urginghimtoholdhertighter.Sincethen,theyhadcomeintophysical contactmany times, either clothed or nude. Sometimes it had been in fun, but lately suchencountershadbecomemoreserious.

Theykissed.Theyhadkissedbefore,althoughneverlikethis.Untilnow,theirlipshadmerelybrushedlightly

togetherwhentheysaidfarewell.Butsuddenlytheirmouthswerelockedeagerlytogether.Elyssa’s lipsparted,andhe feltherwet tongueagainsthis lips.Konradopenedhismouth,his

owntonguedartingouttomeethers.Theirbodieswerepressedascloseastheirlips.Theywereincontactfromheadtotoe,tryingto

holdeachotherevennearer.Elyssa’snakedbodyfeltwarmerthantheheatfromthesun,andKonradwasunabletotellifitwasherracingheartbeatthathecouldfeelorhisown.

Simultaneously,theybothpulledaway,pantingforbreath.Theygazedateachotherforseveralseconds.Therewasnoneedforwords.Theybothsmiled,thensankdowntotheground.

Elyssalayuponhersatincloak,andKonradlayuponher.Theymeltedtogether,becomingasone.

Konradgazedupattheclearbluesky;Elyssawasstretchedoutonherside,watchinghim.Hechewedastalkofgrassandtriednottosmile.

Elyssapickedupthemirrorandcaughtthereflectionofthesun,shiningitinKonrad’seyes.Heputhishandinfrontofhisface,tryingtoblockoutthedazzlinglight,andheturnedtolook

ather.Hecouldnotseeherverywellbecauseofthebrightnessofthemirror,butitseemedthatshewasstaringathimwithanexpressionhedidnotrecognize.Thenhenoticedthatitwasmorethanher

expressionwhichwasunfamiliar.JustasKonradhadseemedtoseehisolderselfinthemirrorawhileago,foraninstantitwasas

ifhewereobservinganotherElyssa.Nolongeragirl,shehadbecomeawoman.Hermischievousfeaturesweretwisted,exaggeratedintoamalevolentstare.

Andhesawmorethanthat.Worsethanthat…Helookedawayimmediately,squeezinghiseyestightlyshut,butitwastoolate.Absolutelovehadturnedtototalhatred.Theparadiseofthepresenthadbecometomorrow’shell.Konraddidnotneedhiseyestoknowthefuture,didnotneedasilveredmirrortoforeseewhat

wouldbe.Evenwithoutthem,hewasawarethathisonlyfriendwouldsomedaybetrayhimandcausehisultimatedestruction.

CHAPTERFOUR

Theonecertaintyinlifewasultimatedeath,andinthisthebrutalinvaderswouldnotbedisappointed.Theylivedfordeath—andtheymustdie.

Todayeveryoneandeverythingmustdie.Thevictorswouldthemselvesbecomevictimswhenallyturneduponally.

Therewouldbenomistakes,astherehadbeentwoandahalfthousandyearsago.That day therewas a survivor, and because of this one oversight the inevitable ascendancy of

Chaoshadbeendelayed.The onewho had escapedwas named Sigmar— SigmarHeldenhammer, who had founded the

Empire…

Thedaysofsummerwerelongerthanthoseofwinter,whichmeantthatKonradworkedmorehoursatthistimeofyear.Inwinter,hewasusuallyupbeforethesunbecauseheneededallthetimetherewas.Insummer,hesometimessleptonafewextraminutes.

As ever, he spent his nights in one of the barns behind the inn, lying among the strawwhichwouldbecomethefodderforthelivestock.Atleasthedidnothavetoeatgrassandhay;itwasabouttheonlythingthathedidnotsharewiththeanimals.

Helaystillforawhile,staringupthroughthecracksintheroof,watchingastheskylightened.Hewas thinking aboutwhatElyssa had told him last year, about her father beingworried that theblackbowandarrowshadgonemissing.Shehadnotmentionedthissince,andhewasunsurewhathadremindedhimofthesubject.

Heyawnedandsatup,gazingovertothefarsideofthebarn, towherehekeptthequiverandarrows.Itwasseveralweekssincehehadcheckedthem.Heclambereddownfromtheloft,pulledtheladderawayandsetitupagainsttheoppositewall.Thenheclimbedagain,upintotherafters,hauledhimselfontooneofthebeamsandworkedhiswayalongtothestrutwherethequiverwastied.

ItwasstillinthesamepieceoflineninwhichithadbeenwrappedwhenElyssagaveittohim,allthose years ago.He sat down, balancing himself on the beam, and loosened the package from itshidingplace.

Asheuntiedthefinalknot,hepaused,listening,seeing…

Therewasariderapproaching.Elyssa?Hecaughtaglimpseofher,also,adistantvision.Butthefirstriderwassomeoneelse,astranger.

Adangerousstranger…TherehadtobegreatdangerforKonradtohavebecomeawareofthenewcomerandforhim

alsotohavebeenconsciousofElyssa’swhereabouts.Shewasabouttoleavethegroundsofthemanorhouse,toheadacrossthebridgetomeetupwith

Konrad.Butifshecamethisway,asshemust,shewouldinsteadencountertheotherrider.Withoutneedingtothink,Konradhadalreadyacted.Hewasdowntheladder,rushingacrossthe

barnandoutofthesidedoor.Hedidnotneedtolookaroundtoknowthatthestrangerwaslessthana

hundredyardsaway,approachingthewellinthecentralsquare.Konradsprintedthroughtheemptyvillage,alongthecobbledstreetwhichleduptothemanor.HehadnotseenthehorsemaninterceptElyssa; itwasonlyanassumption.Buthewasbetween

themnow,hecouldheadoffthegirl,andthetworiderswouldnotmeet.Heheardhoovesonthecobbles.Theywereaheadofhim.Elyssa’shorse.Hehadnotheardthe

stranger ’shorseyet,herealized.Thenewcomerwastoofarawaytobeheard,stilltoofarawaytobeseenwithnormalvision.

Elyssawas just ahead of him, reaching the first of the cottages at the bend on the incline.Hedashedaroundthecorner,seeingher,reallyseeingherforthefirsttime.

Shereinedinhermountassoonasshenoticedhim.“Back!”hecalled,tryingnottoshouttooloudincasetheintrudershouldhear.“Whatisit?”Hegrabbedherhorse’sbridlewithhislefthand,andforthefirsttimehenoticedthathewasstill

carryingthelinenbundlewhichcontainedthequiverandfiveblackarrows.Hetuggedattheanimal’shead,tryingtoturnit.

“You’vegottogetoutofsight,”hewarned,hisbreathcominginshortbursts.Helookedbackoverhisshoulderandsaw—nothing.

Hesawthecurveinthestreet,thehousesoneitherside.Theriderwasnotinviewyetandshouldnothavebeenforseveralseconds,butKonradwasunabletotellwherethehorsemanwouldbewhenheappeared.

Itwasasifhehadvanished.Hehadnot,thatwasimpossible,butthiswasfurtherevidenceoftheextremedangerthattheintruderpresented—likethetimewiththebeastman,thetimewiththepackwolves,thetwopreviousoccasionswhenKonrad’stalenthaddesertedhim.

“Comeon!”Elyssadidnotquestionhimorargue.Sherecognizedthelookofanxietyinhisface.Sheheldout

herhand,reachingdowntohim.Konradtookit,pullinghimselfupbehindher.Shespunthehorse,kickingherheelsintoitsflanks.Theygallopedupthehill,towardsthewallsofthemanor.Theshodhoovesseemedverynoisyinthestillmorningair.

Konradglancedanxiouslyback,yet therewasstillnothing tobeseen,nothing tobeheard,nosignthattherewasanythingamiss.

He tried to picture what he had seen. A single rider, the dawn sun glinting from the bronzearmourwhichcompletelycoveredhim.

Eventhehorsewastotallyhiddenbyitsownmatchingarmour.Elyssa’ssteedreachedthemanor.Thedrawbridgewasdown,thewoodengatesstoodopenand

theyrodein.Themanorwasnotdesignedasafortress.Thebridgewaslittlemorethananornament.Even if itcouldhavebeenraised, thenarrowmoatwouldprovide littleobstacle toanydeterminedattackers.Thegatescouldeasilyhavebeenbattereddown,thewallsbreached.

Konradhadneverbeeninsidethegroundsoftheresidencebefore.Itwasforbiddenterritorytomostofthepeasants.Atthemoment,hepreferredtobetherethantobeoutside.

Heleaptfromthebackofthehorse,thenranbehindoneofthegateswhileElyssadismountedandtiedupherhorseoutofsight.

Theriderwasfinallyinview,unhurriedlycomingupthecentreofthenarrowroadtowardsthemanor.Hismount’shoovesmadenota soundupon thecobbles.He rodecloserandcloser in totalsilence.Itwasasifthewholeworldhadbecomequiet.

Therewasnothingtobeheardanywhereinthevillage:nodogbarked,noanimalinanyofthebarnsmadeasound.Beyondthevillage, therewasnoteventhecryofabirdorawildbeast inthe

distantforest.“Whoishe?”whisperedElyssa,byhisside.“Idon’tknow.”Hekepthisvoiceaslowashers.Theknightwastoofarawaytohearthem,butit

wouldhaveseemedunnaturaltobreaktheeeriesilence.“He’slikeaghost.”Konradshivered.Shewasexactlyright,herealized.Itwasasifbothriderandhorseweredead,

becausesurelynolivingcreaturescouldmovewithsuchabsolutequiet.Hehadfivearrows,butnobow.Evenwithabow,hewouldnothavebeentemptedtoshootatthe

rider.Hisextrasighthadsenseddanger,butwhatusewasanarrowagainstasupernaturalentity?“ShouldIcallmyfather?Summontheguards?”Konradshookhishead.Thatwouldbefutile.As the horseman came closer, Konrad could see more detail. Rider and steed were clad in

matchingplatedarmour, allofburnishedbronze.Thearmourwaselaboratelywrought, thehelmetpatternedwithintricatedesigns.Therewasthenarrowestslitinthevisortogivevisionfortheeyeswithin—iftherewereanyeyeswithin.

Itseemedthathewasmounteduponsomefantasticbeast,whosecarapacewasofshiningmetal.Theheadofthehorse,ifsuchitwas—couldanyhorsecarrytheweightofsomuchmetalaswellasitsarmouredrider?—theanimal’shead,wasprotectedbyahelmet fromwhichprotruded two longspikes,justabovetheeyeslot.

Similarly, a double spike emerged from the crownof theknight’s helmet,making theweareralsoresemblesomehornedbeast.Thereweremorespikesattheknucklesandknees,toesandelbows.Thearmourwasdamagedinafewplaces,dentedandbuckled,showingsignsofpreviouscombat.

Theridercarriedacircularshield,bronzed,withaheavycentralspike.Aswordhungathisside,bronze handled, scabbarded in bronze. He also carried a long war lance, also of bronze, heldverticallyinonegauntletedandspikedfist.

“Whatdoeshewant?”askedElyssa.Therider ’sheadhadbeenslowlyturningfromsidetosideasheapproachedthemanor.Notout

of caution, because it seemed that he had nothing to fear, but because he appeared to be taking ineverydetailofhissurroundings.Hehaltedontheothersideofthedrawbridge,andhelookeddirectlyatwhereKonradandElyssawerehiding.

Hecouldnotpossiblyseethem,butKonradfeltthestranger ’seyesonhim—anditseemedasthoughhehadcomehereforKonrad,thatwasthesolereasonforhisincursion.

“I’mnotfrightenedofhim,”saidElyssa.Therewasnobravadoinhervoice.Shemeantexactlywhatshesaid,whichmadeKonradfeelevenmorenervous.

Shesteppedforward,andhehurriedlygrabbedholdofher,pullingherbackbehindtheancientwoodendoor.

“Iwanttotalktohim!”sheprotested.Heputhishandoverhermouthtosilenceher.“Buthedoesn’twanttotalktous.Thatisn’twhy

he’shere.”She shookherhead free. “Howdoyouknow?Youdon’tknowanything!You’re just a stupid

peasant!”Hestaredather,notbecauseofwhatshehadsaid.Herwordsmeantnothing.Butforamoment

he had caught a distant glimpse within her dark eyes, a glimpse beyond her anger, beyond thismoment.

Hesaw…Hesawdeath.Realdeath.Elyssa’sdeath.

Foraninstant,lessthantheblinkofaneye,hehadwitnessedElyssatotallydevoidoflife,robbedof the essence of being. Itwasmore than death, itwasworse than death, itwas a descent into thedeepestabyssofultimatedespairanddepravity.

Involuntarily,heloosenedhisgrip.ItwasasthoughhedidnotwishtotouchElyssaforfearofcontaminatinghimself,thathemightalsobecomeavictim.

Heclosedbothhiseyes,hopingtoeraseallmemoryofthebriefbutabsolutelyhorrifyingimage—butknowingevennowthathecouldneversucceed.Thevisionmightfadewithtime,butitwouldlivewithhimforever.Thememorywouldliveon,butElyssawouldnot.

Shehadsprungawayandintotheopen,andheheardhercallout:“Whatdoyouwant?Whoareyoulookingfor?”

Konrad rushed after Elyssa, drawing his knife to protect her from the rider. It was a futilegesture,heknew.Hecouldnotsavethegirlfromtheknightaseasilyashehadrescuedherfromthebeastmansomanyyearsago.

Even as he leapt out, he saw that hewas not needed. The stranger had turned andwas ridingslowly back down the hill. The armour rattled and squeaked, the hooves clattered on the cobbles.Horseandmountwerenotghosts,thoughtKonrad,ashewatchedthemvanishthroughthedesertedvillage.ThenheturnedtolookatElyssa.

Thestrangerwasnotdead,butElyssasoonwouldbe.

***

Hewas leaving. Konrad had no ideawhere he could go, but he could not stay in the village anylonger.

Hehadbeenconsidering the idea for some time,promptedbyvarious reasons.Hewasgoingbecausehecouldnolongerstay,andtoday’seventswerethedecidingfactor.

Itwasveryrareforastrangertoarriveinthevillage.Itwasnotonanytradingrouteormajorhighway,eventheriverwasnotnavigable, itwas toonarrowandtreacherous.Nobodyeverpassedthrough.Theonlypeoplewhoarrivedcamesolelytovisitthevillageitself,andtherewereveryfewofthem.

Todayall that seemed tohavechanged.Theknightwas likenovisitor, andhehadnot stayed.Afterridingthroughthevillage,asifconductingatourofinspection,thehorsemanhadwithdrawn.

ItseemedasthoughhisarrivalanddeparturehadgonecompletelyunnoticedexceptbyKonradandElyssa.Konradhadbelievedthateveryoneinthevillagewashidingawayfromthestranger,andhe expected they would appear once the bronze knight had gone. Instead, the morning was nodifferentfromanyother.

Itwasnodifferentfortherestofthevillage—butverydifferentforKonrad.Forthefirsttimethathecouldremember,hedidnotsetofffortheforesttocollectfirewoodfortheinn—becausehewouldneverreturnthereagain.

Bychance,hehadalreadycollectedthequiverandfivearrows.Butwas itchance?Itwas thearrivalof thestrangerwhichhadcausedhimtokeepholdof the

linenbundle;anditwasthearrivalofthestrangerthathadfinallyspurredhimtoquitthevillage.Thequiverandarrowswerealmostallheowned,allheneeded.Thefewcoinshehadbeengiven

orfoundovertheyearswerenolongerburiednearthetavern.Hehadchangedtheirhidingplace,andtheywerenowtiedunderthewoodenbridge,alongwithhisbowandtheotherarrowsthatElyssahadgivenhim.

“Youshouldn’tbehere,”Elyssahadsaid,oncetheknighthaddisappearedfromtheirsight.

Shelookedback,anxiouslygazingtowardsthemanorhouse.Therewasnosignofanyoneelse.He had never expected that the place would be like this. He had imagined there would be armedguardspostedonthewalls,atthegates,thatwheneverElyssacametomeethimshesomehowescapedviaasecretpassageway.

Perhaps sentries always patrolled the grounds — on every day except this. Today, like thevillagers,theywereallhiddenawayinfearofthestrangehorseman.

Konraddidnotreallyknow.HeknewverylittleaboutWilhelmKastringandwherehelived,andElyssa rarely spoke about her father or her home.Kastringwas themost important person in thewholevillage,andsoKonradhadassumedthatthemanorhousewouldbelikeafortress.Untiltoday,hehadonlyseenthehouseanditswalledgroundsatadistance.

Itwas the largestbuildinghehadeverseen,built totallyofstone.Even theroofwas tiled,notthatched likemost of the village. There were several smaller buildings within the grounds of themanor, and even the least of themwas built of brick, farmore substantial thanmost of the othervillageconstructions.

“ThenI’llgo,”Konradreplied.HehaddroppedhisquiverwhenhehadletgoofElyssaafewminutespreviously,andnowhe

pickedupthelinen-wrappedbundle.Henoticedshewaswatchinghim.“Rememberthis?”heasked.Shenodded.“Myfatherwillkillyouifheknowsyouhaveit.”“Howwillheknow?”Konradlookedather.Sheappearednodifferentfromthewayshealwayshad.Oralmostalways

had. A few minutes ago he had visualized her as being dead, or worse than dead. Last year, heremembered,hismindhadfilledwithavisionofhowshewouldappearwhenshewasolder—andwhenshewouldbetrayhim.

Thetwoimageswereincompatible.Elyssamusteitherdieorgrowolder,shecouldnotdoboth.In either case she could betray him, but her treacherywould be over nothing so trivial as a blackquiverandafewarrowswithastrangegoldemblem.

Konradcouldtrustnoone,nothing,notevenhisownperceptions.Thatwaswhyhemustleave,althoughbyleavinghecouldnotavoidhisownsenses.

Elyssadidnot reply, andKonrad turned away.Hewalked through thewoodengates, over thedrawbridge,andstartedtomakehiswaydowntowardsthevillage.Themainstreetwouldleadhimtothebridge,thenacrosstheriver.Therewasaroutebeyondthebridge,throughtheforest.Itwasonlyadirttrack,butitmustleadsomewhere.

Hedidnotlookback.Afewsecondslater, therewasnoneed,becauseheheardElyssa’shorsefollowing. She rode far enough behind so that it did not appear they were together— althoughKonradwasunsurewhethertheyweretogetherornot.

The villagewas beginning to come alive at last, doors and shutters opening, peoplemovingaround.Barndoors stood ajar, and animalswere beingherdedout into the fields.Now that itwasdaytime, there was less danger from the predators that lurked within the woods. Guarded by theherdsmen,thecattleandthesheepcouldfeedinrelativesafety.

Konradpassedneartothetavern,butthebuildingwasstillandsilent.Theinnwasthelastplaceinthevillagetosleepatnight,thelasttoblowoutthecandlesandoillamps,anditwasalwaysthelasttoawakeneachmorning.

When he reached the bridge over the river, he clambered beneath and retrieved his bow, hisarrows,hismoney.

They reached the place where they usually met, and Elyssa dismounted, spreading her latest

cloakontheground.Konradsatdownnearby.TherewasonlyonereasonforhimtoshareElyssa’scloak.Andthis

wasnotthedayforthat.“I’ve no food for you,” she said. “The cook has disappeared. No one has seen him since

yesterday.Myfather isveryangryandhasbeencomplainingeversinceabout theawfulmeals thathe’sbeenserved.”

Konradhadoftenseenthecookbuyingprovisionsinthevillage.Hewasanoddlookingperson,verysmallandround.ItwasonlyrecentlythatKonradhaddiscoveredwhyhelookedsostrange:hewasahalfling,theonlynon-humaninthevillage.

“Whowashe?”Elyssaasked,afterawhile,anditwasobviousshewasnotreferringtothecookatthemanorhouse.

“That’swhatIwasgoingtoaskyou.”“Perhapswewouldknowtheanswerifyou’dletmespeaktohim.”“Youthinkyou’dhavebeengivenareply?”Elyssashrugged.“Ididn’tmeanwhatIsaid.Aboutyoubeingastupidpeasant.”Heglancedather,andtheireyesmetforthefirsttimesincetheyhadleftthemanorhouse.Her

eyeswereasdarkandenigmaticasever,buttheysparkledwithlife,notdeath.“Evenifyouare!”sheadded.Hegrabbedherfoot,pulled,andshefellontoherback.Theybothlaughed,andsuddenlyallthe

tensionbetweenthemwasgone.Theywerefriendsagain,thewaytheyusuallywere.Elyssasatup,thensaid:“I’mgettingmarried.”“What?”“Youheard.I’mgettingmarried.I’veknownforawhile,butIdidn’tmentionitbeforebecauseI

didn’twanttothinkaboutit.”“Whoareyoumarrying?”“Someonemyfatherknows.HelivesinFerlangen.HeownsFerlangen.”Konradhadheardthename.Ferlangenwasthenearesttown,orsohebelieved,buthewasnot

surehowfarawayitwasorinwhatdirectionitlay.“So,”Elyssaadded,“itlooksasthoughI’llbeseeingsomeoftheworldatlast.”Hewassureshesuspected thatheplanned to leave,because itwasasubject thatshehadoften

mentioned.Shehadfrequentlyurgedhimtogo,sayingthatifshewasinhispositionshewouldhavequitthevillagewithouthesitation.

Hehadnofamily,sheoftensaid,noreasontostay.Heowednobodyanything.Whydidhenotsimplyleave?Ifshewereaman,shewouldhavegonelongago.Butitwasdifferentforherbecauseshewasagirl,sheargued,andbecauseofwhoshewas.

Nowthathe intended to takeElyssa’sadvice,hewasunsurewhetherornot to tellher.Havingmadeuphismindtogo,hedidnotwanthertodissuadehim.Shehadsuggestedtheideawhentherewasno likelihood thathewoulddepart. Inaway itwasas thoughshewere trying tofoistherownambitionsuponKonrad.Butheknewhowchangeableshecouldbe—andhowpersuasive.

“Haveyoumethim?”Konradasked.Sheshookherhead.“Doyouknowanythingabouthim?”“He’sold,nearlyforty.Buthe’srich,veryrich.”Sheshrugged.“Agirlcan’thaveeverything.”Shelookedawayand,morequietly,added:“Agirlcan’thaveanything.”“Doyouhavetomarryhim?”

She looked at Konrad. “Does the sun have to rise every day? That’s what it does. It can donothingelse.IhavetomarryOttoKrieshmier.Icandonothingelse.”

“Doyouwantto?”“WhatIwanthasnothingtodowithit.”“Thatisn’tfair.”Elyssasmiled,thenshelaughed,laughedoutloudforalmostaminuteuntilshewasfinallyable

to control herself. She used her silk scarf towipe the tears from the corners of her eyes.Konradcouldnottellwhethertheyweretearsoflaughterorsadness.

“Fair?”shesaid.“Youtalktomeaboutfairness?Whataboutyourlife?Hasthatbeenfair?Hasit?Nothingisfair,Konrad.Thereisnosuchthing.Youshouldknowthat.Ihavenocomplaints.Howlongisitsinceyousavedmylife?Fiveyears?Nearlysix?Maybethatwaswhenmylifeshouldhaveended,thatwasmydestiny.Everydaysincethenhasbeenextra.Ihavenocomplaints.EvenifIdiedtomorrow,Ihavebeengratefulforeveryextraday—thankstoyou.”

Asshespoke,she tookholdofKonrad’shand—andfor thefirst timeever,her fingerswerecold,icycold.Asifshewerealreadydead…

“What’swrong?”sheasked,staringathim.“Nothing,”heanswered,squeezinghercoldhand.Hewaslying,andtheybothknewit.Hehadthoughtofaskinghertogowithhim.Itwouldbelessofawrenchiftheyfledtogether,

becausehewouldbetakingtheonlythingthathecaredabout,theonlythingthathedidnotwanttoleave.

But,paradoxically,shewasalsothemajorreasonthathemustgo.Hewasnotsimplyleavinginordertoescapethevillage,hewasleavingtoescapeElyssa.

Hecouldnotpretendhehadnotexperiencedthevisionsthathehadseen.Leavingwithhercouldnotchangewhathehadwitnessed,couldnotsaveher.

Perhaps Elyssawas correct. She had been destined to die. Saving her from the beastman hadextendedherallottedspanoflife,thatwasall.One’sfatecouldnotbeavoided.

“I don’t knowwhy, but I had a strange feeling that the riderwe sawwasmy husband-to-be,”Elyssasaid,suddenly.“Ithinkthat’swhyIwantedtotalktohim.ItwasasthoughhewassomeoneIknew—orwould know. I had this silly idea that he had come to carryme awayon his horse, toabductmebeforethewedding.”

“Butyousaidhewaslikeaghost.”“Well,so