David Gemmell - The Ironhand's Daughter

'Kollarin will find him. Ballistar is strong; he will recover. Go in peace, Taliesen.'

The old man bowed once more and walked to the door. Sigarni stretched herself out on the narrow pallet bed.

And drifted into the bliss of a dreamless sleep.

When she awoke Ironhand was sitting beside her. The old King was clad once more in his silver armour, with a great winged helm upon his head, his beard braided. 'How long have I been asleep?' she asked.

'Three hours. Fell is outside the cabin and is allowing no one in.'

'Now is the time for decisions,' she said, sitting up and rubbing the sand of sleep from her eyes.

'And it frightens me.'

'As it should. A little fear is like yeast to the spirit, encouraging it to grow strong.'

'What if I make a mistake now?'

'Then all die,' he told her bluntly.

She took a deep, calming breath. 'What advice can you offer me?'

'You are the Queen of the Highlands, my daughter, and I am proud of you. But now you must learn the one, terrible lesson of monarchy. That you are alone. The decision is yours. Win or lose, you carry the weight. For what it is worth, however, I will offer one thought - seek out the wife of Torgan.'

'You know her?'

'I was with you when you spoke last to her. She made you smile, and she made you cry. Both were good for you.'

'Then you cannot say which defensive plan would be the best for us? I was relying on you, Ironhand. You have fought so many battles. You won them all.'

'No, I didn't. Wish I had. I was always too headstrong. I just won the important ones. Seek out the woman, then make a decision. Stick to it, and be firm in your leadership. If you have doubts, hide them. You are the Battle Queen. They will all look to you, now and always.'

'You will be with me on the battlefield?'

'Aye, then I will seek Elarine and the fields of glory.'

The image shimmered and vanished. Sigarni rose and called out to Fell, who entered the room and knelt beside her. 'You were talking in your sleep,' he said.'I could not make out the words.'

'I am going for a walk. Will you join me?'

'I am at your command,' he told her.

'I am asking you as a. friend, Fell,' she told him, holding out her hand. For a moment only he stared at it, then their fingers touched. She looked into his deep brown eyes, and watched his smile grow.

'I love you, Sigarni,' he said, his voice thickening. 'Always did, always will. Welcome home.'

Together they walked from the cabin and down the hillside. The snow was melting fast, and spring flowers were everywhere. 'Is Torgan still here?' she asked.

'As far as I know. He and his wife have taken lodging with Fyon Sharp-axe. Are you going to give him a command?'

'Yes,' she said, 'under you.'

'Why? The man insulted you - and all of us.'

'But he's a Highlander, Fell, and a brave man. He deserves a second chance - for his wife and family if for nothing else.'

'Why the change, Sigarni? What has happened to you?'

'Perhaps it is High Drain,' she said, with a smile. 'Perhaps he spoke to me. When I went through the Gateway to that strange land I could almost feel its emotions. Yet the people there could not.

I think it is the same here. The land cannot abide hatred, Fell. And I have no place left in my heart for it. Tomorrow we fight the Outlanders — because we must. We will destroy them if we can -

but only because we must. Torgan was wrong, but he believed himself right and acted with the best interests of his clan at heart. Now he suffers shame. I shall end that.'

As they approached the end of the tree line Sigarni turned towards Fell and curled her arms around his neck. 'I hated you when you left me, and when I heard about the death of your wife I was glad.

It shames me to admit, and I feel sorrow now.'

Dipping his head he kissed her tenderly. 'This is all I ever wanted, Sigarni. I know that now."

'Leave me here, Fell. I will see you later - at the meeting hall. There I will announce our battle plan.'

'And after that?'

'We will go home. Together.'

Sigarni walked down the winding lane to the home of Fyon Sharp-axe. Loran, Torgan, and the huge warrior Mereth were sitting in the sunshine with the Hunt Lord. All rose as Sigarni approached.

'You are welcome, lady,' said Fyon, with a short bow.

Loran fetched a chair for her, and they sat. Torgan remained standing, then turned towards the house. 'Wait,' said Sigarni. 'I would value your counsel.'

'Do you wish to shame me again?' he asked, standing tall, his eyes angry.

'No. I want you to be at the meeting tonight. Tomorrow you will command the Farlain wing, under Fell's leadership.'

Torgan stood stock-still, and she could see the anger replaced by wariness. 'Why are you doing this?' he asked.

'I need strong men in positions of authority. You may decline if you choose.'

'No! I accept.'

'Good. The meeting begins at dusk. Is Layelia in the house?'

'Yes,' said Torgan, still stunned. 'Shall I fetch her?'

'No. I will find her.' Sigarni rose and left the men to their conversation. As she passed Torgan he called out to her.

'Wait!' Dropping to one knee, he bowed his head. 'My sword and my life,' he said.

It was an hour before dusk as Sigarni set out from the Pallides village. The afternoon was clear and bright, the sun dappling the new leaves on the trees. She felt belter than she had in days, her mind cleansed of doubt. Whatever the outcome now, she felt that her plan was the best chance for Highland success.

Breaking into a run, she raced up the track, her body revelling in the exertion. As she ran she noticed a mist spreading out from the undergrowth. At first she ignored it, but it thickened suddenly, swirling around her. Sigarni slowed. The trees were indistinct now, mere faint shadows in the grey. Glancing up she saw that the mist was also above her, blocking the sun.

Unafraid, yet with growing concern, she walked on, heading upward. The trail was no longer beneath her feet, but if she continued climbing she would arrive at the encampment. A line of bushes appeared directly before her and she tried to skirt them, moving to the left. The undergrowth was thicker here, the ground flat.

Her irritation grew, but she pushed on.

After a while she came to a gap in the mist, a small hollow inside a ring of oak trees. The mist clung to the outer ring, and rose up over the dip to form a grey dome. There was a man sitting on the grass at the centre of the hollow, portly and friendly of face. Looking up, he smiled broadly.

'Welcome, Sigarni. At last we meet in perfect circumstances.'

'I saw you die at the Falls, ripped to pieces,' she said, her hand closing around the hilt of her dagger.

'Happily that was an acolyte of mine. I say happily, though I miss him dreadfully. Happily for me, I should have said.'

'You will not find today so happy,' she told him, drawing the blade and advancing towards him. Her legs felt suddenly heavy, as if she was wading through knee-deep mud. The knife was a terrible weight in her hand ... it dropped slowly towards her side, then tumbled from her trembling fingers.

'You are quite correct,' he said, 'I do not find this a happy experience. You have done well among your barbarian friends and, were you to live, I believe you could cause the Outlanders considerable embarrassment. Sadly you must die - would that it were different.' Pushing himself to his feet, he drew a slender curved blade and advanced towards her. Sigarni fought to move, but could not. The knife came up and he took the neck of her tunic between the pudgy fingers of his left hand and cut away the cloth, exposing her breasts. 'I apologize for this apparently unseemly behaviour,' he said amiably. 'I have no intention of soiling your virtue. It is just that I need to make the correct incision for the removal of your heart.'