Aalis had recovered somewhat from her collapse. She cleaned the unavoidable mess of birth while Revna was adoringly distracted by her baby. Giordi helped Aalis as best he could. She noticed he was very quiet and subdued. “Giordi?” She asked softly. “Are you well?”

  “Revna’s situation,” he glanced at her then back at Aalis, “could have just as easily been caused by myself. It never occurred to me that the consequences of my ‘harmless’ fun would be so dire.” His blue eyes were troubled. “Being here, enduring this with Revna…I’ve been such a selfish ass.” Aalis touched his arm and he smiled sadly. “It’s a hard lesson…one that was well overdue.” He breathed in deeply. “Would it be alright if I went outside for some fresh air? I…need to breathe.”

  Aalis nodded. “Of course. I will look after Revna.”

  Giordi gave Aalis a grateful look before escaping the confines of the tent. He walked away from it, taking several big, shuddering breaths. Like he was undergoing shock, his body quaked and he felt ill. Though he had told Revna that all would be well, Giordi had spoken out of hope and not out of what he felt would be the reality. He grasped a post and almost doubled over, trying to stop the world from swimming. When the dizziness ebbed he heard footsteps approaching and boots appeared in his downcast sight.

  Giordi looked up and sighed. “Figures…”

  The nomads were starting to build the main campfire, preparing for the night. The shadows were starting to lengthen, the days shortening as the season of winter began to frost everything with its chilly blanket. Caste watched them work, leaving the tent for Yolana to bathe in private. His fingers grasped the metal pendant of the Order of the Grail, the four points in the circle was familiar and reassuring. It was cool in his grasp and gave him something firm to hold onto. And not just the physical object. Out here, in the wilds, in the company of nomads no less, Caste felt the tug of the tide dragging him away from the Order’s statutes. It would be a simple thing to throw it all away. Well…perhaps not simple but he could see how ones like Clariet and Severo had lost their way, going where the tide pushed or pulled them…sometimes drowning in their confusion.

  Caste could not let that happen to him.

  He couldn’t lose focus or faith.

  He had to let go of the pendant, his hands clutching each other from the safety of his generous sleeves, escaping the chill.

  “It is so cold.” He started and looked to the side to see Emeri standing near him. Not close enough to be considered next to but certainly closer than she had been of late. She pulled her shawl tighter around herself, eyes on the building of the fire. “Fort Omra was further south…but here on the prairie…it seems unguarded from winter’s chill.”

  Caste swallowed, not quite sure what to say. He’d slandered her people to the absolute extreme of any theory he had ever heard tossed around the Order of the Grail. Ones like Jerom or Fereak saw nothing wrong in abusing their positions of power. Caste had to make intimate association with Emeri’s people as damning as possible so that they would avoid them, even if only out of self preservation and not of respect.

  She hated him for what he had said. That he understood and did not blame.

  But it was the strange lack that unsettled Caste the most since leaving Fort Omra. He hadn’t realised just how alone he was, conditioned that it was how it was meant to be. He never recognised the yawning gap of loneliness before that now nipped at him with the absence of Emeri’s bright and engaging self. He didn’t want to become used to it. He didn’t want to feel the grief of loss. It was too painful.

  Emeri bit her bottom lip.

  “That could have been me…up there,” she said, still not looking at him, “in eight months…” Caste winced at the memory, Jerom’s ugly face and Emeri’s whimpering terror. She swallowed. “I don’t think I ever said thank you for stopping him…” Caste closed his eyes, his insides feeling like they were two wrestling wild cats. “Thank you, Caste.”

  He didn’t know what to say. He couldn’t think of anything and the silence was expanding to the point where she might have thought he was ignoring her. That terrible day was etched in his mind, traumatic and cruel…and some of the cruelty had been his. He had just made up his mind to blurt out that he was sorry and turned towards where she had been standing only to find she was gone.

  Caste grunted, annoyed with himself and partly relieved.

  He wasn’t sure where his apology would go or how it would end.

  The shadows grew longer, the wood lit from the coals that had slumbered beneath the ashes of the fire of the night before and red, bloody chunks of meat were skewered onto spits and put over the flames.

  The evening meal was well on its way to being cooked when Caste noticed a large crowd descending from the meeting hall, Chief Elk’s son leading the way with Elk himself following. And between them, his hands bound with rope, was Giordi.

  “Not again…” Caste exclaimed and sprinted to the tent, finding Judd, Verne and Suvau standing outside. “Giordi’s in trouble again!”

  “What now?”

  “No idea.”

  They ran back to the campfire where Elk was speaking sternly, the nomads gathering at the sounding of the horn. Caste marvelled that the nomads seemed to know exactly what each note of the horn meant. Giordi probably could tell the different notes apart but all Caste could hear was one long blast and simply followed where everyone else was going.

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  Caste edged around the pillars, Judd, Verne and Suvau coming with him.

  Chief Elk’s words sounded like a declaration, not a trial. Giordi was on his knees but unlike his previous berating in front of the chief, his expression was not full of shame but anger.

  “What’s he saying?” Verne asked.

  “Elk’s son, Sten, is accusing Giordi of attacking Revna.”

  “What?” Judd exclaimed then lowered his voice at a glare from Chief Bear. “That’s preposterous! It was Sten who knocked her over when she went to protect him.”

  “I’m only telling you what I’m hearing.” Caste reminded Judd who clamped his protestations back behind his teeth.

  “What does Revna say?”

  “Apparently she’s weakened and indisposed because of her Terra interfered birth,” Caste shook his head, “and cannot be questioned.”

  “So it’s Sten’s word against Giordi’s?”

  “He’s got a witness.”

  “One of the other cowards that was with Sten last night, kicking Giordi before I arrived no doubt.” Suvau grunted.

  “Chief Elk is reminding his people that nomad harming nomad is against clan law,” Caste swallowed, “Giordi is condemned to be whipped and tied to the post outside the palisade.”

  “I’ve had enough…” Judd’s mouth turned down and he went to stride forward. He nearly lashed out at Caste who grabbed his arm. “Let go of me!”

  “Judd, you can’t!”

  “I refuse to watch this farce of justice be outworked!”

  “You’re talking about Terra justice!” Caste was dragged along with him, his heels digging in yet doing little to slow Judd down. “That doesn’t exist here! You have no authority. Neither does the Order!”

  Suvau’s big hand clamped on Judd’s shoulder and stopped his advance. “Your cleric is right, Judd.”

  Caste breathed out, relieved Judd had been stopped.

  “You’re telling me I have to stand by and watch Giordi suffer a punishment that he doesn’t deserve?”

  “You chose to accept nomadic hospitality! This is part of it, being accountable to their laws!”

  “Chief Elk wouldn’t do this if he knew the truth!”

  “We weren’t there! Our witness has no power!”

  “Uh, you might want to lower your voices…” Verne remarked and they both looked at Chief Elk who was glaring at them. Judd and Caste suddenly realised they’d been speaking much more loudly than intended, stealing attention away from Elk.

  Caste lowered his head subserviently while Judd had to press his lips together to not start ranting again. Chief Elk lifted his chin and continued to speak, handing Sten a whip. His son took it with a gleeful expression and Judd doubted there would be any skin on Giordi’s back by the time Sten was through.

  “Stamat!”

  Everyone, including Chief Elk and his son, turned at the loud cry. Revna was halfway down the incline, taking each step slowly and carefully. Aalis walked beside her, holding her newborn son. Revna wobbled slightly, the euphoria of giving birth and embracing her son fading enough for her to realise just how sore and battered she was. Yet she made every step count, keeping her gaze on her father.

  “Look at Sten’s face,” Verne whispered, “he’s soiling himself.”

  “I wonder what the punishment is for false accusation and false witness?” Judd muttered while Caste breathed out in relief.

  Revna walked up to her father and spoke to him softly. Judd looked at Caste who shrugged, unable to hear what was being said. Chief Elk replied to his daughter. She smiled and gestured to Aalis who held her son out to his grandfather for inspection. Elk seemed somewhat surprised and remarked again to Revna. She spoke to Aalis who stepped back and Revna drew her father aside. Quietly they spoke, Revna indicating to Giordi.

  “Does this seem a tad more involved than a simple, your son and my brother is a liar?” Judd asked.

  “I was just thinking that.” Verne admitted.

  Chief Elk’s expression darkened and his hands tightened.

  “Uh…this isn’t going how I thought it would…”

  Chief Elk’s words, though unable to be heard, were clearly hard and sharp. Revna did not shy away from them. Giordi exclaimed something, picking up part of their conversation but she shook her head at him then knelt in front of Chief Elk, her head lowered.

  Whispers of confusion and doubt rippled around the nomads.

  “I think she might have just told Elk the truth,” Caste gasped, “and not just about the attack…about Giordi and everything.”

  Judd suspected that Elk’s anger was not an easy thing to ignite yet as he watched, the grey and white chief raised his hand to strike his daughter. Giordi ripped his rope bonds out of Sten’s hands and lunged in front of Revna. He caught the blow on his shoulder, stumbling.

  Chief Elk snarled at him and Giordi held up his hands, speaking slowly.

  “Why is Elk angry at him?” Judd demanded. “Giordi is innocent!”

  “I don’t think Elk appreciates being lied to.”

  Chief Elk glowered at Giordi, his words hard and cold like the ground and air, frosted and without mercy. He looked between Revna and Giordi and seemed to be delivering an ultimatum. Giordi put his arm out to stop Revna and nodded. Revna protested but Giordi shook his head and pointed at the baby. Revna sobbed and pleaded with her father but he refused to entertain her, taking the rope that still bound Giordi’s hands, snatching the whip from the cowering Sten and leading the minstrel through the crowd of onlookers.

  “Caste, we’ve got to find out what’s going on.” Judd hissed as they were closed off from following, the nomads gathering tightly to watch what was happening.

  “How do you suppose I do that?”

  “Go speak to Revna. Verne…” Judd turned to the archer but he was already sprinting to the gate, taking the long way around but going so fast he reached the gate as Chief Elk pulled Giordi through it. Judd lost sight of them, pushing and shoving, finally expelled from the crowd and had to wait for Verne to find him. “Well?”

  “All he said was, don’t let Revna hear me scream.” Verne’s face was like milk. “Judd, Elk’s going to whip him, tie him to that post and leave him out there all night.”

  Judd raked his hands through his hair. “Caste…where in Maul is Caste?”

  They fought through the nomads gathering at the palisade as Chief Elk led Giordi to the post. Caste was just coming back from speaking with Revna who was weeping onto Aalis’ shoulder.

  “Revna said, after giving birth, she realised she wasn’t afraid of her father anymore. And when she realised that Giordi would be a target all his life as a nomad by her brother, she told Elk the truth.” Caste wheezed, the frantic dash across the campsite emptying his lungs. “Elk was furious and was going to punish her but Giordi intervened. Elk said that someone had to be punished for defying his law.”

  “Did he think to look at his own son?”

  “Elk’s anger has always been stretched between Giordi and Revna.” Suvau shook his head. “It had to be one of them that bore the punishment.”

  “Giordi made a promise to look after Revna. This is his way of doing it.” Caste looked at the orange sun that was sinking below the horizon. “Judd, the nights are long here and Giordi is going to smell of blood. The likelihood that he will survive…”

  Judd closed his eyes, willing himself to be still and calm.

  “Suvau, can you have Yolana and Emeri watch over Revna?” He asked quietly and without waiting for a response he continued. “Please make sure they do as Giordi asked, that Revna can’t hear what’s happening.” He looked at Caste. “You and I need to talk to Bear before the gate closes.”