these bastards, right? So make sure some of your sprinters can cast, won't you?'
The Raven had enjoyed a peculiar rest. They, plus Kas, Ark and Eilaan, had camped on the idyllic shores of Triverne Lake for three days and four nights. They had seen no sign of demons. They had seen no sign of anything barring forest creatures, in truth. Curious. They'd sparred and trained, talked and rested but it all had a surreal quality. None of them could ever ignore the fact of what was to come.
If they'd been in a storm before then surely this was its eye.
Understanding Rebraal and Auum's likely timescale for evacuating Julatsa, they ate a quiet breakfast on yet another cold and clear morning before heading back for the longboat to row themselves to the main shore of the lake. No one spoke the whole way across the placid water either. Hirad had wanted to break the ice but had seen the look in The Unknown's eyes and kept himself quiet.
He shook his head. He found it absurd that in this one longboat the future of Balaia and at least three dimensions rested. To him, it felt like a funeral procession. Prophetic perhaps. Hirad left them all to it for the row but couldn't keep himself quiet when they'd reached the eastern shore, hidden the boat and moved to shelter.
'Brooding doesn't suit you, Unknown. Thinking about the family?'
'Not this time, Hirad.' The Unknown shook his head.
'So? I'm not going to guess just to amuse you. Tell me.'
The Unknown smiled briefly and looked across at Hirad to gauge his expression. Hirad mugged at him, stretching his eyes.
'This is serious. Think about what we're about to attempt. Think about the weight we carry, the lives of those reliant on us. Like never before, this is no game. We need to watch ourselves, Hirad,' he said. Hirad didn't reply. 'We need to watch what we do, how much we take on ourselves and how much we rely on those around us. Not overstretch.'
'Right.'
'Hirad, we are not sharp. How can we be? It'll take time even to get close and that means we cannot rely on each other the way we could.'
'I'm not with you.'
'I can't say it much plainer, Coldheart. What we were five years ago is a memory. What we were two years ago is probably unattainable. If we fight on those memories, we won't survive.'
Hirad frowned. 'We knew we weren't enough on our own. That's why we've brought a crowd with us.'
'You aren't listening to me.' The Unknown took a quick glance behind him and hushed his voice. 'I'm just asking you to wise up and understand that The Raven we all remember isn't the one walking here. It's got nothing to do with belief in ourselves. But we've sat around for two years. You know what that does and Darrick has seen its effects in our stamina, in our speed and teamwork. It's a matter of degrees but it's critical.'
'Unknown, in case it escaped your attention, I spent my time running with the TaiGethen and Thraun with the ClawBound. I am faster than I have ever been.'
'Fine!' The Unknown slapped his hands against his thighs. 'But I am not and nor is Darrick, Denser or Erienne. Nor are Ark and Kas come to that. Remember your little spin move outside Blackthorne? It almost got you killed. I was only just in time.'
'But you were there.' Hirad felt confused and a familiar anger grabbed at him. 'So what's the problem?'
'The problem, Hirad, is that you cannot rely on us as you did. And that means that for now at least, you have to slow down. Stay in line and in touch.'
'If you think I'm going to ignore an opening to kill because you think you're too old and slow you're wrong. I fight my way. Like I always have. And you yours. And we look out for each other. Like always.'
The Unknown stopped and faced Hirad, his eyes hard, face reddening slightly. 'Why do you always have to be such a stubborn bastard? I'm trying to help you stay alive here.'
Hirad could sense The Raven bunching around them. He thought to walk away but stayed. 'No you aren't. You're trying to clip my wings. Undermine my belief in you all and I can't understand why you'd do that. Where we're going, we'll need every advantage we've got and what I've learned from Auum is a big one.'
'And stopping any of us dying is another,' growled The Unknown.
'All I know is, we survive because we don't compromise. Because we do things our way. We're The Raven, Unknown.'
'Think it had slipped my mind? Gods drowning, it's because we're The Raven you need to understand this. Face reality. We're too old to be doing this but there is literally no one else. And we have to stay alive. We have to.'
'It's a tactic I like to employ myself,' snapped Hirad. 'Don't you stand there and tell me you can't watch my back. Don't ever say that.'
'When did I say that, Coldheart? What I recall telling you was that if you persist in trying fancy elven moves I'm not ready for, I might not be fast enough to save you if you get in trouble. Big difference. My hip is weak. You have to be aware.'
The Unknown was standing very close now and shouting into his face. Hirad could feel his heart beat and hear their voices echoing from the bleak faces of the Blackthorne range foothills. Hirad should have backed away, he knew he should.
'You're always there. That's why I have the courage to fight.'
'And what if I'm not, eh?' The Unknown's eyes searched his face. 'It'll be too late to realise I might have been right when you're lying in a sludge of your own intestines.'
'You're giving up, Unknown. You're giving up.'
The Unknown grabbed Hirad's face and pulled him close enough to kiss. 'No, dammit, I'm being real because if I ever let you down I could never live with myself. What are you being?'
Hirad stepped back a pace, The Unknown's admission ratding through him, shuddering his every nerve. He had no answer to it, how could he? The Unknown had begun by trying to advise him and had ended baring his soul.
Hirad became acutely aware of the silence that surrounded them, punctuated by the swirls of wind across hillside and lake. He stared into The Unknown's eyes, still at a total loss.
'This is it for us,' said The Unknown. 'I so want us all to live.'
'Movement,' said Kas abruptly.
Hirad bit down on his response, on his shock and confusion at what The Unknown was saying. Instead, he and the big man gave
themselves room and drew their swords. Thraun and Darrick moved easily alongside them while Denser and Erienne took station behind, already preparing to cast.
'Direction,' said The Unknown.
'Due north, moving against the low ridge,' said Kas. He, Ark and Eilaan were slightly detached from The Raven but working as an individual unit as they had trained.
'Running?' asked Darrick.
'Yes,' replied Kas.
'Good,' said Darrick. 'Probably not demons, then.'
'Let's hope you're right,' said Hirad.
The Raven moved north along the lake front. Presently, they could see shapes moving against the horizon. Three of them, quick-stepped and sure. Auum's Tai. It wasn't long before Hirad could see Auum's expression, one of irritation and exasperation.
Hirad smiled and put up his sword, waiting for them to approach.
Auum, Duele and Evunn ran up to them, barely breathing hard.
'This is your idea of concealment,' Auum said to Hirad.