The Heroes

he’d made a bastard of a mistake. ‘Just while the battle’s on, though,’ he added, rowing back from the waterfall fast as he could. ‘I’ll hold the gap ’til you find someone better.’
    ‘Good man.’ Dow held out his hand, and they shook, and when Crawlooked up again it was into that wolf grin, not a trace of weakness or fear or anything even close. ‘You done the right thing, Craw.’
    Craw watched Dow walk back up the hillside towards the stones, wondering whether he’d really let his hard mask slip or if he’d just slipped a soft one on. The right thing? Had Craw just signed up as right hand to one of the most hated men in the world? A man with more enemies than any other in a land where everyone had too many? A man he didn’t even particularly like, promised to guard with his life? He gave a groan.
    What would his dozen have to say about this? Yon shaking his head with a face like thunder. Drofd looking all hurt and confused. Brack rubbing at his temples with his— Brack was back to the mud, he realised with a jolt. Wonderful? By the dead, what would she have to—
    ‘Craw.’ And there she was, right at his elbow.
    ‘Ah!’ he said, taking a step away.
    ‘How’s the face?’
    ‘Er … all right … I guess. Everyone else all right?’
    ‘Yon got a splinter in his hand and it’s made him pissier’n ever, but he’ll live.’
    ‘Good. That’s … good. That everyone’s all right, that is, not … not the splinter.’
    Her brows drew in, guessing something was wrong, which wasn’t too difficult since he was making a pitiful effort at hiding it. ‘What did our noble Protector want?’
    ‘He wanted …’ Craw worked his lips for a moment, wondering how to frame it, but a turd’s a turd however it’s framed. ‘He wanted to offer me Splitfoot’s place.’
    He’d been expecting her to laugh her arse off, but she just narrowed her eyes. ‘You? Why?’
    Good question, he was starting to wonder about it now. ‘He said I’m a straight edge.’
    ‘I see.’
    ‘He said … I remind him of Threetrees.’ Realising what a pompous cock he sounded even as the words came out.
    He’d definitely been expecting her to laugh at that, but she just narrowed her eyes more. ‘You’re a man can be trusted. Everyone knows that. But I can see better reasons.’
    ‘Like what?’
    ‘You were tight with Bethod and his crowd, and with Threetrees before him, and maybe Dow thinks you’ll bring him a few friends he hasn’t already got. Or at any rate a few less enemies.’ Craw frowned. Those were better reasons. ‘That and he knows Whirrun’ll go wherever you go, and Whirrun’s a damn good man to have standing behind you if things get ugly.’ Shit. She was double right. She’d sussed it all straight off. ‘Andknowing Black Dow, things are sure to get ugly … What did you tell him?’
    Craw winced. ‘I said yes,’ and hurried after with, ‘just while the battle’s on.’
    ‘I see.’ Still no anger, and no surprise either. She just watched him. That was making him more nervy than if she’d punched him in the face. ‘And what about the dozen?’
    ‘Well …’ Ashamed to say he hadn’t really considered it. ‘Guess you’ll be coming along with me, if you’ll have it. Unless you want to go back to your farm and your family and—’
    ‘Retire?’
    ‘Aye.’
    She snorted. ‘The pipe and the porch and the sunset on the water? That’s you, not me.’
    ‘Then … I reckon it’s your dozen for the time being.’
    ‘All right.’
    ‘You ain’t going to give me a tongue-lashing?’
    ‘About what?’
    ‘Not taking my own advice, for a start. About how I should keep my head down, not stick my neck out, get everyone in the crew through alive, how old horses can’t jump new fences and blah, blah, blah—’
    ‘That’s what you’d say. I’m not you, Craw.’
    He blinked. ‘Guess not. Then you think this is the right thing to do?’
    ‘The right thing?’ She turned away with a hint of a grin. ‘That’s you an’ all.’ And she strolled back up towards the Heroes, one hand resting slack on her sword hilt, and left him stood there in the wind.
    ‘By the bloody dead.’ He looked off across the hillside, desperately searching for a finger that still had some nail left to chew at.
    Shivers was standing not far off. Saying nothing. Just staring. Looking, in fact, like a man who felt himself stepped in front of. Craw’s wince became a full grimace. Seemed that was getting to