Half a War. Джо Аберкромби

sour about defeat against such famous names. Will any of them consent to fight me?’

      Thorn sat on some steps nearby, wincing as Mother Scaer squeezed at a cut on her shoulder and made the blood run. ‘I’ve fought enough for one evening.’

      ‘I too.’ Gorm handed his shield to Rakki. ‘Let the flames take this unready fool and his small-buckled armour.’

      Raith’s feet stepped forward. His finger lifted. His mouth said, ‘I’ll fight the—’

      Rakki caught hold of his arm and dragged it down. ‘No you won’t, brother.’

      ‘Death is life’s only certainty.’ King Uthil shrugged. ‘I will fight you!’

      Father Yarvi looked horrified. ‘My king—’

      Uthil silenced him with one bright-eyed look. ‘Faster runners have stolen the glory, and I will have my share.’

      ‘Good!’ came the voice. ‘I am coming out!’

      Raith heard a bar rattle back and the doors were swung wide, shields clattering as the half-circle of warriors set themselves to meet a charge. But only one man stepped into the yard.

      He was huge, with a swirling tattoo on one side of his muscle-heavy neck. He wore thick mail with etched plates at the shoulders, and many gold rings upon his bulging forearms, and Raith grunted his approval for this looked a man well worth fighting. He hooked his thumbs carelessly into his gold-buckled sword-belt and sneered at the crescent of shields facing him with a hero’s contempt.

      ‘You are King Uthil?’ The man snorted mist into the drizzle from his broad, flat nose. ‘You are older than the songs say.’

      ‘The songs were composed some time ago,’ grated the Iron King. ‘I was younger then.’

      Some laughter at that, but not from this man. ‘I am Dunverk,’ he growled, ‘that men call the Bull, faithful to the One God, loyal to the High King, Companion to Bright Yilling.’

      ‘That only proves your choice is equally poor in friends, kings and gods,’ said Father Yarvi. The laughter was louder this time, and even Raith had to admit it was a decent jest.

      But defeat surely dampens a sense of humour, and Dunverk stayed stony. ‘We will see when Yilling returns, and brings Death to you oathbreakers.’

      ‘We will see,’ tossed out Thorn, grinning even as Mother Scaer was pushing the needle through the meat of her shoulder. ‘You’ll be dead, and will see nothing.’

      Dunverk slowly drew his sword, runes etched into the fuller, the hilt worked in gold like a stag’s head with its antlers making the crosspiece. ‘If I win, will you spare the rest of my men?’

      Uthil looked scrawny as an old chicken against Dunverk’s brawn, but he showed no fear at all. ‘You will not win.’

      ‘You are too confident.’

      ‘If my hundred and more dead opponents could speak they would say I am as confident as I deserve to be.’

      ‘I should warn you, old man, I fought all across the Lowlands and there was no one who could stand against me.’

      A twitch of a smile passed across Uthil’s scarred face. ‘You should have stayed in the Lowlands.’

      Dunverk charged, swinging hard and high but Uthil dodged away, nimble as the wind, his sword still cradled in the crook of his arm. Dunverk made a mighty thrust and the king stepped contemptuously away, letting his steel drop down by his side.

      ‘The Bull,’ scoffed Thorn. ‘He fights like a mad cow, all right.’

      Dunverk roared as he chopped right and left, sweat on his forehead from wielding that heavy blade, men shuffling back behind their shields in case a stray backswing took them through the Last Door. But the Iron King of Gettland weaved away from the first blow and ducked under the second so Dunverk’s sword whipped at his grey hair, steel flashing as he reeled away into space again.