Adalina watched as Marlo approached the prone form of her father. Her mother staggered forwards in a futile effort to close the space. She locked eyes with Heridan and called out:

  "Heridan! Stand by your kin! Stand by your gods!"

  He stared back at her, his eyes full of grief and his face full of pain. She looked into it as though she were trying to drink up the darkness and suck it out of him. Do something, Heridan! Do something! she willed in her mind. He did not move. A growl of anger to the side came from Beresa, who struggled against the grip of two Sullin warriors that had intercepted her.

  Adalina turned her attention to Marlo as he raised his sword. He looked at her with a cruel leer.

  "See how it ends for those who oppose us!" he declared. He brought his blade down.

  His sword did not reach her father. Instead of the thud of metal meeting flesh, there was a flash of steel and a loud clang. He paused in shock, then looked up from the sword that had struck aside his own.

  "Heridan! What are you do-"

  Marlo did not finish the question. Faster than Adalina thought possible, the black haired warrior swung his blade round and thrust it forwards. It plunged into Marlo's chest. Heridan raised his leg and kicked the convulsing body, pulling his sword free. Blood sprayed like a geyser into the air as Marlo fell. Heridan turned, his face red and his eyes burning with rage. He pointed a bloody hand at Erlends and boomed:

  "Luthold spoke the truth! They are in league with Dombarrow!"

  "Traitor!" Erlends screamed. "Traitor!" His face twisted in anger and in a moment his own sword was out.

  The crowd stood frozen.

  Heridan charged at Erlends. He rained a flurry of blows upon the Sullin chief with such a force that after one of Erlends' parries he fell to his knees. Erlends recovered and dodged back far enough to prepare an attack of his own. Adalina had watched the two men together. She had seen them fight side by side and wondered secretly if the younger, blonde warrior might be a match for her beloved's father. But she saw the truth now. There was no match for such precision and fury. Heridan struck Erlends' blow aside like a leaf dashed in the current of a river. The Sullin's sword flew from his hand and Heridan roared as he pushed forwards. Erlends began to flee, and it was then that Adalina understood a second strategy beneath his encroaching defeat. He had retreated far enough that soon Heridan would be surrounded by the rest of the Sullin warriors. We cannot win this fight without him.

  "Hallin!" called Adalina. "Rally to him! Leave your children and fight for our clan!"

  Pandemonium broke out.

  There were no drawn battle lines at first, but rather a cluster of Sullin warriors moving in on Heridan and a throng of Hallin who now approached them from behind. The struggle formed into concentric circles which, in turn, dissolved into confusion. Otmer charged into the fray, wielding his enormous hammer and crashing through the melee. Aimar, though not a natural fighter, managed to land his spear on one of the Sullin that held Beresa back. Suddenly released, the diminutive warrior bounded through the fighting, launching in agile leaps from one enemy to the next. Arcs of blood followed behind her as her smooth, curved blades danced between air and flesh. Even Pasha appeared on the periphery, darting in and out and throwing stones and insults.

  Above her head, a horn sounded twice across the treetops.

  Adalina drew the knife from inside her clothing, but avoided engaging anyone directly. Heridan should have been commanding the clan in battle, but his anger had so consumed him that he could not even command himself. Adalina tried to fill his place, calling those who hung on the side-lines to enter the fray where she saw any signs of the Hallin falling back. Slowly, lines began to form and the two clans battled each other toe to toe. Even with the advantage Heridan had given them, the Sullin began to manoeuvre into a stronger and more disciplined position. Every time the Hallin adjusted, Heridan lunged further forwards and forced them all to break their position. Hallin and Levonin children huddled behind roundhouses. Out of the corner of her eye, Adalina saw a group of Sullin warriors moving towards a large group of them. They intend to take captives!

  The horn blew again, louder and stronger, and this time another horn returned the call. It came from the edge of the village itself. Even Heridan stopped for a moment to take stock.

  A whistling sound preceded the thumping of feet. From the trees on the edge of the village, a host of Levonin scouts and warriors appeared. Each was dressed just as Feren, with loose skins that covered their loins. Their painted bodies glittered with jewellery. They were not armed in the manner of either the Hallin or Sullin, but carried whips or flails in one hand and knives in the other. They leaped over logs that lay in their path and ducked under boughs in front of them without slowing. The mass of them together resembled a wave that washed over the village from one side to the other. They swarmed first between the roundhouses and towering trees, whipping and tripping the Sullin warriors who had separated from their group to gather children as captives. In front of Adalina, one Sullin fell as a cord wrapped itself around his ankle and swung his leg into the air. A moment later the owner of the weapon descended upon him with a knife. Adalina feared, briefly, that the Levonin warrior would attack her next. Can they tell Hallin from Sullin so easily? He took one look at her and moved on.

  Stolen story; please report.

  The Levonin swept in between the Hallin, passing over the bodies of the wounded and fallen and into the battle line itself. The Sullin backed away, still fighting as they did so under the instruction of Erlends, who now hung near the back directing the retreat. When they had almost reached the tree line, Erlends bellowed across the battlefield:

  "Your son will pay in blood for this betrayal, Heridan! And all your lives are forfeit, too!"

  "Stop him!" yelled Heridan in return. "He has Ingo! I will hunt you down, Erlends!"

  Then the Sullin were gone between the trees.

  "Don't pursue them!" commanded Adalina. "We can't leave the children unprotected." They could not afford to divide their forces now.

  The battle stilled. There were no cries of triumph or celebrations of victory. Men and women began to stagger about in silence, looking for their loved ones and children. She looked around her. Here and there little spring flowers still poked up amid the churned up mud and the inert bodies. How could there be such beauty and silence in the same place as such wicked violence?

  By the meeting place, her mother lay beside her father, stroking his face and propping up his head. Winilind looked up and caught Adalina's gaze. She smiled with tears in her eyes. He's alive. Her heart settled a little. She walked to where Heridan stood at the edge of the village, still staring into the woods in the direction the Sullin had fled. Slowly, she approached from behind. He did not hear her or turn. She touched his arm and he jumped slightly, then looked down.

  "Have I made the oracle true?" he asked hoarsely. "Have I really lost him now?"

  "I'm so sorry, Heridan."

  "For what?" He smiled at her sadly. "For teaching a grown man right from wrong?"

  She squeezed his arm and whispered: "If he is alive, we will find him. One day, Heridan. One day." They embraced and she felt his tears on her cheeks. Then he pulled away and said:

  "Go, Ada. She wants to speak with you."

  Adalina turned to see Elder Mildred standing behind her. The elder's face was spattered with blood and mud. Surely she was not fighting, too? Adalina could not imagine it. Perhaps the elder had already been tending to wounds.

  "Come with me, both of you. We must speak with our hosts."

  Adalina followed behind Heridan and Elder Mildred. The elder walked with a resigned exhaustion, as though she accepted now that she would never rest. Heridan walked upright as though a load had been removed from him. Aimar joined them and, as they approached the new meeting place, on an edge of the village where no blood had been spilled, Adalina slowed to a halt. Elder Mildred turned.

  "I'd bring your father with me, or your mother in his stead, but I can't after what they revealed at assembly. Come, girl."

  Adalina joined them and all four sat on the ground. In front were the two Levonin elders they had already met, and one more. The third elder was younger than the other two. From the strength of his chest and arms and the coiled up whip that he wore at his side, Adalina surmised that he had been with the warriors when they returned to the village. His high cheek bones and clean shaven face made him look like a chiselled statue. He looked down at them.

  "I am Thancar. You have met my peers."

  They each introduced themselves to him, then Elder Mildred spoke.

  "My clan brought the poison of the Sullin south. For that, we apologise. My people did not see the depths of their treachery."

  Gilda replied: "In bringing them here, you have revealed them. We'll mourn the dead, but be thankful that our enemies are now in the open. Our oracle warned of not one but three enemies of the gods that covet the forest: an enemy from outside, an enemy from below and an enemy from within. The Republic invades and Yurusuuru awakes. We knew of these threats. But when we heard that both of your clans were coming south with all of your warriors, we did not know if it would be Hallin or Sullin who would wield the knife."

  "I like to think you had your suspicions?" Elder Mildred asked in an acerbic tone.

  "Suspicions, of course," Gilda replied. "The Sullin have long been drifting from our ways. But we had to see and hear for ourselves. Betrayal can come from surprising places. Sometimes we ourselves do not know where we stand, until the blades are drawn."

  Heridan looked down at this comment. Adalina interjected:

  "We cannot afford to divide the clan. We all fought as Hallin today. Let us stay that way as we depart."

  "Well said," agreed Mildred. She turned back to the Levonin. "We understand that you will stay, that you will remain by the lake and keep our enemies away from it. I don't ask you to lay your secrets bare, but only to consider if there is something we should know. What is the meaning of the lake to you? The medicine men are all gone. What do you stay to defend?"

  The three Levonin looked from one to another and consulted in silence. Eventually, Gilda replied:

  "We do not fully understand it. We only know that the fate of the whole forest, perhaps even this world, is tied to something that dwells at Lake Silence. The medicine men spoke of a force for renewal, hope and change. A hidden benefactor who gave the first gift to their kind, who protected the great spirits of the forest and the humans who lived here. It was strong in times past, when bears and sea ravens were common sights. We believe that power is fading, but if any of our enemies reach it before it dies, they may be able to harness it for themselves. The Republic are ignorant of the forest, but they of all people could find a way to corral the forces of nature into their own ends. The Sullin have no skill in that regard, but they could guide the Republic here. And Yurusuuru... She is older than the forest itself. She knows what dwells here better than we do. Daily, her servants try to retake the paths that lead to the lake and daily we shed blood holding them at bay. Perhaps our clan will die like this. Or perhaps we'll survive long enough for our fortunes to change and we'll walk among the old creatures of the forest once more. Who knows? But of one thing we are certain: if we let her or anyone else reach that sacred place, everything the Seveners have held dear will be lost."

  Elder Mildred looked to Heridan and Adalina. She answered:

  "You almost persuade me that we, too, should stay. But we have our own oracle to follow."

  "Your way will not be easy, either," Thancar said. "The Sullin are out there, angry and desperate to please their masters. And those masters of theirs are beginning to learn the hidden paths. I do not think this battle was your last, before you leave the forest. Stay here long enough only to gather your strength and supplies, then go. Go well, Hallin, and may the gods go with you."