The Heroes

there is. Reckon we’ll need every ready hand when it comes to a battle. Yours too, maybe.’
    ‘Oh, you’ll have to hold me back!’ Calder slapped the hilt of his sword. ‘Can’t wait to get started!’
    ‘You ever even drawn the fucking thing?’ sneered Tenways, stretching his neck out to spit again.
    ‘Just the once. I had to trim your daughter’s hairy cunt before I could get at it.’
    Dow burst out laughing. Golden chuckled. Ironhead gave the faintest of grins. Tenways choked on his spit and left a string of glistening drool down his chin, but Calder didn’t much care. He was better off scoring points with those who weren’t quite a lost cause yet. Somehow he needed to win at least one of these unpromising bastards over to his side.
    ‘Never thought I’d say this.’ Dow sighed and wiped one eye with a finger, ‘but I’ve missed you, Calder.’
    ‘Likewise. I’d much rather be trading horseshit in a stable than back at Carleon kissing my wife. What’s to do?’
    ‘You know.’ Dow took the pommel of his sword between finger and thumb, turning it this way and that so the silver mark near the hilt glinted. ‘War. Skirmish here, raid there. We cut off some stragglers, they burn out some villages. War. Your brother’s been hitting fast, giving the Southerners something to think about. Useful man your brother, got some sting in him.’
    ‘Shame your father didn’t have more’n one son,’ growled Tenways.
    ‘Keep talking, old man,’ said Calder, ‘I can make you look a prick all day.’
    Tenways bristled but Dow waved him down. ‘Enough cock-measuring. We’ve a war to fight.’
    ‘And how many victories, so far?’
    A brief, unhappy pause. ‘No battle,’ grunted Ironhead.
    ‘This Kroy,’ sneered Golden back across the stable, ‘the one in charge o’ the Union.’
    ‘Marshal, they call him.’
    ‘Whatever they call him, he’s a cautious bastard.’
    ‘Baby-stepping coward fuck,’ growled Tenways.
    Dow shrugged. ‘Naught cowardly about stepping careful. Wouldn’t be my style with his numbers, but …’ And he turned his grin on Calder. ‘Your father always used to say, “In war it’s the winning counts. The rest is for fools to sing about.” So Kroy’s going slow, hoping to wear out our patience. We Northmen ain’t known for it, after all. He’s split his army in three parts.’
    ‘Three big bloody parts,’ said Ironhead.
    Golden agreed, for once. ‘Might be ten thousand fighting men each, not even counting all the fetchers and carriers.’
    Dow leaned forwards like a grandfather teaching a child about fish. ‘Jalenhorm to the west. Brave but sluggish and apt to blunder. Mitterick in the centre. Sharpest of the three by all accounts, but reckless. Loves his horses, I hear. Meed to the east. Not a soldier, and he hates Northmen like a pig hates butchers. Could make him short-sighted. Then Kroy’s got some Northmen of his own, spread out scouting mostly, but a fair few fighters too, and some good ones among ’em.’
    ‘The Dogman’s men,’ said Calder.
    ‘Fucking traitor that he is,’ hissed Tenways, making ready to spit.
    ‘Traitor?’ Dow jerked forwards in Skarling’s Chair, knuckles white on its arms. ‘You dumb old rashy
fuck
! He’s the one man in the North who’s always stuck to the same side!’ Tenways looked up, slowly swallowed whatever scum he’d been about to spit and leaned back into the shadows. Dow slid down limp again. ‘Shame it’s the wrong side, is all.’
    ‘Well, we’re going to have to move soon,’ said Golden. ‘Meed may be no soldier, but he’s put Ollensand under siege. Town’s got good walls but I ain’t sure how long they can—’
    ‘Meed broke off the siege yesterday morning,’ said Dow. ‘He’s heading back north and most o’ the Dogman’s lot are with him.’
    ‘Yesterday?’ Golden frowned. ‘How d’you know—’
    ‘I’ve got my ways.’
    ‘I didn’t hear anything.’
    ‘That’s why I give the orders and you listen to ’em.’ Ironhead smiled to see his rival cut down a peg. ‘Meed’s turned back north, and in quite the hurry. My guess is he’ll be joining up with Mitterick.’
    ‘Why?’ asked Calder. ‘Slow and steady all these months, then they just decide to take a rush?’
    ‘Maybe they got tired o’ cautious. Or maybe someone who has the say-so did. Either way, they’re coming.’
    ‘Might give us a chance to catch ’em off guard.’ Ironhead’s eyes were sparkling like a