The Grave thief

'Can I guess why you chose this place?'

Isak turned his head to where Mihn was sitting, a motionless figure silhouetted against the light creeping through the warped boards.

'Couldn't it be that I just wanted somewhere out of the way and one stable's as good as another?' Isak gestured around at the hay loft they were sitting in. Oxen shifted in the gloom below. 'It's warmer than standing about in an alley, isn't it?'

'Indeed it is, but I suspect this is one stable you've been in before.'

Isak shrugged. 'Perhaps. Doesn't mean it's significant.'

Isak doubted Mihn would be fooled. The taciturn northerner never indulged in idle chatter; he rarely initiated conversations at all, even if several months in Morghien's company had made him a little more open. Morghien had lingered in Tirah for a fortnight before the road called too loudly and he gave in to his itinerant nature. During that time Isak had seen the unspoken bond between them, similar to the one he himself had with Mihn. It was as if Mihn had forgotten what it was to have friends, but was slowly getting used to the notion again.

'I do think it significant, my Lord. You are not much of a romantic, so I doubt nostalgia is why we're here.'

'Are you mocking me?'

'No, Isak, I'm concerned. Scree has changed you, in more ways than one. The witch of Llehden agrees with me, and I'm not just talking about the appearance of the Reapers in Irienn Square.'

'What are you talking about then?' Isak snapped, barely remembering to keep his voice low.

The wind, a mournful moan overhead that rattled the roof of the stable, had been building throughout the day until now, past midnight, it was whipping at the city. There had been a light flurry of snow earlier that week, and Isak was sure he had felt the cold deepen as those first flakes fell.

'I'm talking about you,' Mihn said patiently. 'You don't joke as much as you used to. It's almost as if you have forgotten that you once used laughter to draw others to you-'

'I'm Lord of the Farlan,' Isak broke in, 'I shouldn't need laughter to make them obey me.'

'That's not what I mean; you used to do it as naturally as breathing. Being Lord of the Farlan does not mean they will thoughtlessly follow you, only that they will obey your orders.'

'Your point?'

'That you appear haunted. I've seen you glance over your shoulder, even when you're eating and your back is to the wall — and you move your chair further back than anyone else's. Yes, I noticed.'

Isak looked down at the stable floor below. 'What would you have me say?'

'That I am your bondsman and you trust me with your secrets.'

'Of course I trust you.'

'Then let me help,' Mihn said calmly. 'I am yours to command, whether I know the purpose behind your order or not.'

'And that'll help, will it?' Isak said sourly.

'You're a white-eye, my Lord. Your nature is not to accept things meekly. That you look so unsettled leads me to believe you have not yet found a way to fight it. When you do that, you'll find purpose relieves much of your anxiety.'

Isak gave a soft, hollow laugh. 'You could be right, but I have a few problems I can see no solutions to.'

'Name them.'

He looked at Mihn, almost expecting the man to be joking, but he was deadly serious.

'Okay, since you ask: first, this religious fervour that's driving everyone to madness, demanding idiocy in the place of policy. Next, since the fall of Scree I have dreamt of nothing but death, and it grows insistent.' He scowled and scratched his cheek. 'And there are no traces of those of Azaer's disciples who survived Scree, we still have little clue as to what the shadow's motives are, and I'm at a loss where to even begin.

'So do you have solutions for me now?'

'No, my Lord,' Mihn replied gravely, 'but I have advice, whatever small use it might be. You must always play to your strengths. A blacksmith will lay out those tools he possesses before starting work, and so must you.'

'Have all my suzerains stand in a line?' Isak asked, a brief grin lightening his face.

'No, Isak, the tools of the man, not the duke.'

'They're few enough,' he said grimly, noting Mihn's use of his first name, not something he did often. 'I'm a white-eye, which means I've as many bad qualities as good.'

'You've never hidden from those before,' Mihn pointed out. 'I've seen the look on your face whenever anyone mentions the battle on the Chir Plains — it's one of determination rather than embarrassment.'

Isak raised a hand to stop him as they heard footsteps outside the stable door. There was a rattle as the door was pushed open and a face appeared in the gap. Vesna looked all around the stable before catching sight of Isak in the hay loft.

'Go on, quickly,' Isak said to Mihn, pushing himself to his feet.

'Take the religious matter: this is an unsavoury element of society as a whole. Consider your temper, it remains volatile even now; what did you do about it?'

There was a frown on Isak's face as he stood, towering over Mihn, then he said, 'I accepted that it was part of me, it was never going to go away so it needed to be shackled.' He started carefully down the creaking ladder.

'Exactly; you brought it within and channelled it to a more useful end. It was either that or be eternally at war with yourself.'

'You might have a point there.' Isak smiled weakly. 'And the other problem? My dreams of death? It seems foolish to just accept death — and something that's rather difficult to work around! Aryn Bwr tried it and look what happened to him! I'd prefer to be completely dead than a broken passenger in another's mind, even if I had the skill to achieve that.'

Mihn nodded soberly. 'Of course, but even there perhaps the principle remains sound? Your life is bound by prophecy and the forces driving that — without those on your heels you might not be so haunted by your own existence. There are tales of men tricking Death himself; might that free you from these burdens?' He gave a sigh and gestured to the stable floor. 'On the other hand, you told me yourself that Lord Bahl's dreams were used as a weapon against him; this may be nothing more than a mage's artifice directing you down a certain path.

'However, this discussion must be continued another day, my Lord. The dukes await you.'

Three more men had now entered the stable. They looked wary, and stood with their hands on their swords. The Duke of Perlir was flanked by burly hurscals dressed in plain brigandines — sworn soldiers knighted for their prowess, Isak guessed, noting a swirling blue tattoo on the neck of one man. The duke could hardly have been more of a contrast to his guards. He was a slim man with a long waxed moustache, and his clothes of red, brown and gold were fine enough for a formal ball. After a moment scanning the stable he gestured to his guards and the three of them unclipped their scabbards and knelt with sword-hilts pointing towards Isak in formal greeting.

'Duke Sempes,' Isak said as warmly as he could manage, 'thank you for coming. Please, rise.' Instead of offering his hands upturned Isak gripped the duke's arm in greeting, receiving a slightly puzzled but appreciative look.

'I thank you, my Lord. The whole of Perlir grieves for the loss of Lord Bahl; he was a greater man than many gave credit for.'

'I have considerable shoes to fill, that's for certain,' Isak said, but broke off as another trio entered the room, led by a white-eye bigger than General Lahk and followed by a scowling copper-haired woman. A devotee of the Lady, Isak realised, as the Duke of Merlat sidled in after her, his eyes darting around nervously.