‘Rebraal, you took on one hundred and thirty with nine. At the end they had a hundred dead,’ said Ilkar.
‘So I failed. And here is the result.’
Ilkar opened his mouth to argue but could see instantly it was pointless. It wasn’t Rebraal who had failed, it was the Al-Arynaar as an organisation. They and even the TaiGethen were guilty of complacency. It was tragic that so many elves would pay for the mistake without ever knowing why.
‘So let’s put it right,’ said Ilkar. ‘Now.’
‘Who did this?’ Rebraal shook his head. ‘Who did it?’
‘I don’t know,’ said Ilkar.
And he wanted to. Badly. Because if he didn’t find out, all Balaia was liable to pay.
‘They are your people,’ spat Rebraal.
Ilkar regarded him blankly. ‘No, Rebraal, they are not. The Raven are my people and we will help you catch whoever did this.’
‘You. Your clumsy Raven. Leave it to the TaiGethen.’
‘What?’
‘They will cleanse the forest and then we will all exact revenge.’
‘Dear Gods, no, they won’t cleanse the forest. Rebraal, this was no bounty raid. You were attacked by a highly organised small army and they will have serious back-up. Can’t you see that? The TaiGethen are brilliant hunters but they’re up against something big here and they need to think differently. As do you.’
‘ “Gods.” And which God is it today? Another of the nameless?’
‘Who cares, Rebraal? But we need to remake the statue and reclaim the writings. Gods do not enter into it.’
‘So you believe.’
Ilkar grabbed Rebraal’s shoulders and turned him. ‘Listen to me, big brother, because this is how it is. There’s a plague engulfing the elven race. Eventually, maybe tomorrow, you and me will both die. Either you can ignore The Raven and trust to your old ways, or you can live in the present and believe the best mercenaries in Balaia can help you. And we will make a difference. We will.’
‘Why should I believe you?’
‘Because I’m your brother and I only want to help you. Just come and talk to us.’
Ilkar could see the desperation in Rebraal’s eyes conflicting with his native pride and mistrust.
‘It can’t possibly hurt just to listen,’ urged Ilkar.
‘Quickly then.’
Ilkar smiled. ‘Come on.’
Outside, The Raven were gathered in the shadow of the temple. The sky was an unbroken blue above and a breeze was keeping humidity at bay for a few glorious moments. The idyll, however, was broken by raised voices. Hirad and Ren.
‘I thought he might be in danger,’ protested Ren.
‘And you thought the best way to help him was to put yourself, and so us, in the same position, is that right?’ said Hirad.
‘He needed cover,’ said Ren.
‘We were providing cover,’ snapped Hirad. ‘We were shielded, we had a line of swords, we had offensive magic ready to go and, we thought, a bow.’
‘You weren’t fast enough. He needed quicker help.’
‘Gods burning, I don’t have to listen to this.’ Hirad’s face darkened.
‘Let—’
‘There’s only one thing you have to understand, Ren. If you fight with The Raven, you do it our way. Our way works. You do not break the line ever because that causes people to die. Am I getting through?’
Ilkar watched Ren react. Saw her stubborn folded-armed stance and the sullen expression on her face.
‘I did what I thought was right,’ said Ren.
‘And it could have killed us all,’ returned Hirad. ‘What if the apron had been trapped? Or there were fifty enemies in the trees? What then, eh?’
‘I just—’
‘Ren.’ Hirad lowered his voice a little though the passion remained. ‘No one is doubting your skill or your desire. But the reason The Raven are still alive and still the best is because we trust each other and we can rely on each other. Utterly. If I don’t trust you and I can’t rely on you to be where you should be, it means I won’t die for you. And then I can’t fight with you. That’s The Raven’s way.’
Ren was silent. There really wasn’t much to say after that. The eyes of them all were upon her. Her gaze flicked towards Ilkar.
‘Doesn’t matter who shares your bed, either,’ said Hirad. ‘He agrees with me, I can assure you of that. Erienne and Denser understand. In battle, there are no favourites, there’s just dead and alive. And we do things our way because it’s the right way. Either deal with it or go away. That’s the choice.’
‘Are you going to stand there and let him talk to me like this?’ Ren demanded of Ilkar.
‘I never stop people when they’re right,’ said Ilkar. He shrugged. ‘It’s something you had to hear.’
Ren’s expression told him the debate was far from over but she backed away from Hirad nonetheless.
‘What was all that about?’ asked Rebraal, who had been looking on with a carefully neutral expression. ‘I didn’t catch too much of it.’
Ilkar smiled. ‘Call it administrative guidance. Come on, we’ve got things to discuss.’
With Ilkar translating where necessary, The Raven got to work.
‘What’s the story up to now?’ asked Hirad.
‘Apologies if I’m repeating any of this for any of you,’ said Ilkar. ‘The temple was attacked by a force of around one hundred and thirty strangers. Probably a hundred were killed but enough survived to take the temple. The TaiGethen cleared the temple three days ago but at least five groups got away carrying writings and, more crucially, the thumb from the statue of Yniss. The TaiGethen and the ClawBound are hunting the escapees.’
‘Is that it?’ asked Hirad.
‘So far.’
‘It’s not enough,’ said The Unknown instantly. ‘How many people are in each group? How many mages are there with them and where are they headed?’
‘Very little is certain, but it looks odds-on that they’re heading for the Shorth Estuary to take ship.’
‘Then that’s where we have to get to, and very quickly by the sound of it,’ said The Unknown. ‘I mean, if regaining all these things is so important, then we can’t risk one of those bastards getting away. Not one. And chasing them through the forest, that’s exactly what you’re risking.’
‘The TaiGethen have the skill. They will catch them,’ said Rebraal.
‘You can’t take that chance,’ said The Unknown. ‘Believe me. Look, your TaiGethen can chase if that’s what they want. But we have to get to the estuary. If a hundred and thirty came here to attack, you could be looking at a similar number held in reserve. We have to put ourselves between them and the runners. Close off their escape. That way, we can catch them. All of them. After all, they’ve nowhere else to go. The TaiGethen risk driving them into the hands of their helpers, don’t you see?’
Rebraal did see. It was clear in the relaxation of his expression. ‘What should we do?’
‘Get there and get there fast,’ said The Unknown. ‘But be mindful the enemy reserve could be in the forest, not just confined to their ships. You need the TaiGethen and any other forces in the forest to try and slow up the runners. Catch and kill them if they can but not spook them into a dash because they might just make it. Now I’m praying you’ve got boats nearby because we need to be on them as soon as we can, with as many of your people as you can spare from here.’
Rebraal bit his lip. He could see the sense but his mistrust ran deep.
‘You’ve got to make your people understand,’ said Ilkar, dropping back into elvish. ‘We want to help. Not just to save the elves but because Balaia needs mages freed so we can rebuild Julatsa for the future. You must trust us. You must.’
Roars of big cats, growing in volume, echoed through the forest, punctuated by growls, whines and almost dog-like barks. The Raven surged to their feet, spinning to find the source of the noise as two throats took up the calls from very close by. Across the apron and around the temple all work ceased. The Al-Arynaar, calm, stood listening and waiting as the sounds reverberated all around them, as did Thraun, that smile as if he understood on his lips. The calls cycled over and over before dying away, leaving a few moments of silence before the rainforest creatures rediscovered their collective voice.