The name Ragred meant nothing to Karan. She struggled furiously but he was strong enough to hold her down with one hand, so she went still. She had been in a lot of fights in her time and had won more than she should have, given her small size. She pretended to be beaten and waited for her chance.

“Where’s Sulien? What have you done with her?”

Ragred’s smile revealed a mouthful of white, well shaped teeth. In so hideous a man this little quality made him seem even more frightening. He shifted his weight and Karan drove a knee into his groin. His grip relaxed for an instant; she headbutted him in the nose and rolled aside while he was still dazed.

Pain rang up and down her thigh. She hopped away to a safe distance. “Where’s my daughter?”

His squashed nose gushed blood down his face and all over his perfect little teeth. “If you come here, I’ll tell you.”

Karan should have run but she didn’t. Had he found Sulien? She had not been out of sight for long, but one blow from his fist or foot or elbow or knee would be enough to take her from this world.

Ragred took a step towards her. “Where is it?”

She checked behind her; there were no obstacles to fall over. She took a step backwards, and another step. “Where’s what?”

“The chain.”

“What chain?” said Karan, though he could only mean the one that had belonged to Fiachra. It was the only valuable thing she possessed. She had given it to Sulien.

The bloody teeth snapped together. He extended his warty right hand.

She retreated another step. “What do you want it for?”

Ragred stepped forwards gingerly, evidently still in some pain. Karan backed towards a patch of rough ground where the angled shale broke the surface.

As she turned, he sprang further than she would have thought possible. She tried to get out of his way but he flung out an arm, caught her by the hair and jerked her towards him so hard that she thought her scalp was going to tear off. Her feet left the ground, she landed on her back and before she could recover he was on her.

He shoved a hand down her shirt and groped around. She struck at him furiously but she might as well have been whacking a piece of teak. He caught both her wrists in one hand and thrust his repulsive visage at hers.

“Where… is… the… chain?”

Ragred wrenched at her right pocket, tearing it. Then Sulien appeared behind him, creeping up with a fist-sized piece of rock, and Karan had never seen such fury on a child’s face.

She tried to signal Sulien with her eyes – Run away – but she took no notice. Karan dared not call out to her; one bound and Ragred could have them both.

He was groping with his free hand when Sulien brought the rock down on his skull with all her strength. He sprayed bloody saliva all over Karan, then slumped on top of her.

But he was not quite unconscious, and his hand held her wrists in a grip she could not break. She tried to push him off but he was too heavy. Sulien was to Karan’s left, bouncing from one foot to the other.

“Stay – back,” gasped Karan, unable to draw a full breath.

Sulien bit her lip, then bent for the rock again. Ragred’s long arm swung out and back.

“Look out!” cried Karan.

Sulien sprang aside. His fingers grazed her left shin but could not grip.

“Run!” yelled Karan.

Ragred sat up and put a knee on her chest. “Come here, girl, or your mother dies.”

Sulien stood frozen, looking from Karan to Ragred.

“If he gets you too, he’ll kill us both,” said Karan. “Run!”

Sulien ran.

Ragred hauled Karan to her feet, held her by the shirt and backhanded her twice across the face, a pair of heavy blows that rocked her head from side to side. She could feel her cheeks swelling.

“She’ll be back,” said Ragred. “Nowhere to go, has she?”

He licked his little white teeth clean. Karan watched in fascinated repulsion.

“I’m not by nature a violent man,” he said softly, “but I can’t go back without the chain. The quicker you give it to me the less damage I’ll do to you.”

Karan felt sure he was going to kill her and nothing she could say would make any difference. He headed after Sulien, dragging Karan by the wrists. Several minutes later she saw something dart through the trees behind them. Something strong but awkward, with arms and legs moving in jerky arcs. She lost it but saw another, thirty yards away. Should she tell him? He might react badly. She must.

“They’re after you,” said Karan.

His head jerked round. He must have sensed something wrong, for his eyes were wide and darting.

“Who?”

“Whelm.”

He stiffened; he was afraid of them. He stopped for a second, searching for tracks, but the ground was hard here and there were none. He went on, then stopped again, looking around wildly.

They were stalking him, appearing and disappearing between the trees, and for the first time she saw real fear on Ragred’s face. Whelm were slow and awkward but tireless, and they never gave in.

Suddenly they were all around. He lurched in a circle, trying to keep them all in sight and holding Karan in front of him as a shield. As they moved in, he closed his hands around her throat.

“Back,” he gasped. “Or I choke her to death.”

But the Whelm were immune to such threats. Idlis would do everything he could to save her, but if she died during the rescue he would be released from his obligation.

Ragred kept rotating, kept squeezing. Karan was gasping, kicking her legs and trying to tear his hands away, but could not break his grip. Spots floated before her eyes; she could feel the darkness rising and the Whelm were still twenty yards away. By the time they reached Ragred she would be dead. The light faded…

“Mummy!” Sulien was shrieking in her ear. “Mummy! Wake up.”

Karan was on the ground and Ragred was half across her, his fingers closing and opening around her neck.

“Get off, you bollocky bastard!” screamed Sulien, whacking the back of Ragred’s head with a stick.

What had happened to him? His breath was gurgling in his throat. Sulien caught one of his nodule-studded wrists and heaved with all her weight, but it barely moved. His fingers clenched and again Karan began to choke.

Idlis lurched up, put his narrow boot on Ragred’s face, took hold of his wrist and heaved. He could not budge it either. He drew a wavy-bladed knife, put it against Ragred’s wrist and forced it outwards, cutting his hand off. Blood pumped all over Karan’s front.

Ragred let out a howl and convulsed backwards, but only the upper part of his body moved. The severed hand clung to her throat for a moment then the fingers slowly relaxed. Idlis flicked it away with his knife. Sulien caught Karan under the arms and tried to drag her away.

Ragred shrieked, “What have you done to me?” His stump flailed, spurting blood in all directions.

He tried to get up but his lower body remained where it was. He clawed at his back and Karan saw a double-bladed throwing axe embedded there. It must have severed the spinal cord. She shuddered and came to her knees. Idlis had just missed her with a similar axe twelve years ago, during his month-long pursuit after her escape from Fiz Gorgo with the stolen Mirror of Aachan.

Ragred’s fingers touched the axe handle.

Idlis put the blade to his throat. “Why?” he said thickly.

Ragred did not answer. Idlis pressed the point into his neck. Blood flowed. The other Whelm closed in and Ragred looked at them in naked terror.

With Sulien’s help, Karan came to her feet. “Let me,” she croaked. The words stung her bruised throat.

She approached Ragred warily. He had gone a muddy grey; he must be bleeding internally. But he was a strong man; he might heave the axe from his back and hurl it at her.

“Ragred, in ten minutes you’ll be dead. You said you weren’t a violent man. You can prove your quality before you die.”

He did not answer.

“Your master’s hold on you is about to break. Who is he?”

She thought he was going to defy her, then he said, in a wisp of a voice, “Snoat.”

“Why does he want the chain?”

“Hopes… recover… Shuthdar’s spell.”

“I didn’t know Snoat was interested in mancery.”

“It’s why… framed Llian. And took him.”

“Snoat has Llian?” Karan hissed. Sulien let out a cry. “Why?” said Karan. “He couldn’t cast a spell to save his life.”

Was this better than him being on the run from the law? In the short term, perhaps. Snoat would keep Llian safe until he got what he wanted. But after that… Karan knew that he hated Zain.

“Don’t know…” Ragred was fading rapidly now.

“Is Llian all right?”

“For… now.”

“Where is he?”

“Pem-Y-Rum.”

“Where’s that?” Karan said frantically.

“Estate near Chanthed. Snoat soon… put him down.”

His severed wrist was hardly bleeding now. He toppled onto his face, bubbles popping thickly in his throat. His arms thrashed. Idlis walked across, put his iron-shod boot on the uppermost blade of the double-bladed axe and shoved. The thrashing stopped. Ragred was dead.

And the clock was ticking for Llian. If Karan could not free him, Snoat would put him to death. Soon.