‘ I cannot. You don’t understand. When I came back … you cannot imagine. I had seen where we all ended up, you see? When I came back, the drink called me. Helps me forget. Helps me hide. What I saw broke me, that’s all. Please, you can see that – how it broke me. I’m begging —’
‘ Factor don’t take to beggars, not here. Y’got nothing to pay your way in, be off – back into the woods, dry as a hag’s cubbyhole, true enough. Now, for that mace, well, I’ll give ya three crowns. Even you couldn’t drink three crowns’ worth in a single night. Three. See, got ’em right here. What do you say? ’
‘ Father .’
‘ Get lost, lad, me and your da’s working out a business transaction here .’
‘ No deal, Guard, not for that weapon —’
‘ It’s your da’s to do with as he pleases —’
‘ You can’t even lift it .’
‘ Wasn’t planning on lifting it. But up on the wall of my brother’s tavern, well, that’d make quite a sight, don’t you think? Pride of place for you Teblor, right over the hearth .’
‘ Sorry, sir. I’m taking him back to the village now .’
‘ Until tomorrow night – or next week – listen, lad, you can’t save them that won’t be saved .’
‘ I know. But the dragon-killer, that I can save .’
‘ Dragon-killer? Bold name. Too bad dragons don’t exist .’
‘ Son, I wasn’t going to sell it. I swear that —’
‘ I heard, Father .’
‘ I wasn’t .’
‘ The Elders have agreed, Father. The Resting Stone waits .’
‘ It does? ’
‘ Hey now, you two! Boy, did you say Resting Stone? ’
‘ Best you pretend you never heard that, sir .’
‘ That vicious shit’s outlawed – king’s command! You – Da – your son says the Elders are going to murder you. Under a big fucking boulder. You can claim sanctuary —’
‘ Sir, if you take him inside the fort, we will have no choice .’
‘ No choice? No choice but to do what? ’
‘ It’s better if none of this ever happened, sir .’
‘ I’m calling the captain —’
‘ If you do that, this will all come out. Sir, do you want to start the Teblor on the path to war? Do you want us to burn your fledgling colony to the ground? Do you want us to hunt down and kill every one of you? Children, mothers, the old and wise? What will the First Empire think of a colony gone silent? Will they cross the ocean to investigate? And the next time your people come to our shore, will we meet you not as friends, but as enemies? ’
‘ Son – bury the weapon with me. And the armour – please …’
The youth nodded. ‘Yes, Father .’
‘ This time when I die, I shall not return .’
‘ That is true .’
‘ Live long, son, as long as you can .’
‘ I shall try. Guard? ’
‘ Get out of my sight, both of you .’
On to the forest trail. Away from the trading post, the place where Teblor came down to surrender everything, beginning with dignity. He held his son’s hand and did not look back. ‘There is nowhere to drink in the realm of the dead .’
‘ I am sorry, Father …’
‘ I’m not, my son. I’m not .’
Ublala sat up, wiping at his eyes. ‘They killed me! Again!’
Ralata stirred beside him, twisting to lift her head and study him with bleary eyes. A moment later her head disappeared again beneath the furs.
Ublala looked round, found Draconus standing nearby, but the warrior’s attention remained fixed on the eastern horizon, where the sun’s newborn light slowly revealed a rocky, glittering desert. Rubbing at his face, the giant stood. ‘I’m hungry, Draconus. I’m chilled, my feet hurt, I got dirt under my nails and there’s things living in my hair. But the sexing was great.’
Draconus glanced over. ‘I had begun to doubt she would relent, Toblakai.’
‘She was bored, you see. Boredom’s a good reason, don’t you think? I think so. I’ll do more of that from now on, with women I want to sex.’
One brow arched. ‘You will bore them into submission, Ublala?’
‘I will. Soon as we find more women. I’ll bore them right to the ground. Was that a dragon you turned into? It was hard to see, you were all blurry and black like smoke. Can you do that whenever you like? You gods got it good, I think, being able to do things like that. Hey, where did that fire come from?’