Each of the men in the work party jostled to be the one who walked next to Konrad as they made their way back into the village. The story of him becoming a champion had travelled fast and shouts of congratulations rang out from doorways.

Konrad spotted Alice standing in a crowd outside the fishery; he waved to her and one of the women said something that made the others burst out laughing.

Alice’s face glowed bright red and she slipped back inside.

“Coming for a drink, Luca?” Gerrard called.

“No he’s not,” Hera shouted from the doorway of their home.

“Aye, in a bit,” Luca replied.

“You had a hard day I’ll bet, filthy to boot,” Hera said looking them both up and down. She then cast a dark look at the group of curious villagers who were gathered around the well in the center of the village stealing glances at Konrad.

“If you want to head off for a bit by yerself, no-one will blame you Kon. Go find Spirit, make sure she’s okay. That Reed boy and Erwan from up in the hills have both been asking folk where they can find her.”

“What’s Erwan want with Spirit?”

“She is his dog, she was only lent to you cause of your leg and all. I dare say he’s heard about you being chosen and wants her back. He’s got a flock of sheep up there to protect.”

The idea of losing Spirit was worse than any fear he had of leaving home. It hadn’t occurred to him that Spirit wouldn’t be with him.

“Thanks ma.”

Konrad took the Clods road back out of the village and turned at the small stone bridge. When he thought he was far enough away he gave a sharp whistle, but there was no sign of Spirit in any direction. He hoped that she had managed to avoid Clayton and his friends.

A heavy shape sprang out of the shadows of the hedgerow in front of him and Spirit jumped up and licked his face.

“I see you’ve been enjoying your new skills, I knew they wouldn’t be able to catch you. Come on, I’m going to find Alice.”

The sun was a low glow on the horizon and he followed the river bank as it wound back towards the town to the back of the Reed fishery. The huge traps in the river were slowly filling up with the fish that would be pulled out the next day, and the large wooden doors were firmly closed.

“Alice,” he hissed.

The back door opened a crack and a single eye peered out.

“Who is it?”

“It’s me.”

“Konrad? Sorry, it’s strange you climbing up the back way.” She stared pointedly at his leg. “I don’t know when I’ll get used to that either.”

“You’re telling me, I had to spend all day in the field hacking wheat. Having two working legs isn’t as much fun as I thought it would be.”

“I thought you’d be in the tavern, there’s plenty of folks who want to buy you a drink. Citizens come down from the town even.”

“I’ve had enough of people asking me about last night.”

“Oh,” Alice replied.

“You don’t count though, I don’t mind telling you.”

Her smile brightened and she slipped out the door. “Now that you can walk we don’t have to stay in here where it stinks of fish.”

They made their way down to the river bank and climbed down to the water, pulling off their shoes and socks and dipping their feet. Konrad washed the dust and grime from the fields away and lay on the grass.

He told Alice all about his meeting with the gods. She gasped and laughed in all of the right places, crying with laughter when he explained that Spirit was now a shadow creature.

“Where is she now? Clayton's awful angry with her. Sam Gladwells still in bed with a bandage around his head.”

“She’s right next to you.”

Spirit jumped out of a patch of darkness in the river bank and hurtled into Alice, licking her face as she shrieked with laughter.

“That’s amazing,” she breathed, watching Spirit slink off and disappear from view once again.

“A champion and his shadow dog. What are you going to do now, head off on adventures?”

“I guess so, I already have two and they said that there will be more.”

“It’s going to be wonderful Kon, you’re going to be able to travel all over.”

There was a wistfulness to Alice’s voice and he knew that of the two of them it was her that had dreamed of adventures for as long as he could remember. She had spent hours reading to him aloud from her books, telling him about the Faelen demons, the gods and champions, and the magical creatures of Parthenea. Now it was him who would get to see it all and not her.

“I’ll come back and visit.”

“Champions don’t come back, they live in big houses in cities, rich and powerful.”

“Come with me then?”

Alice laughed out loud and stopped, perhaps noticing Konrads hurt look.

“I’m sorry Kon, I didn’t mean it like that. I have to stay here and work. I have the fishery to manage. My da won’t live forever and Clayton’s too dense to run any of it.”

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“Well I’m not going to be famous, I’m a champion of the small gods. I’ll take Fra Dun’s house just like we talked about. And you’ll be with Frankin Tate and a dozen children.”

Konrad gave a halfhearted laugh but Alice only frowned and looked down, pulling little clumps of grass out and throwing them in the river.

“That’s not actually far from the truth.”

“What do you mean?”

“Franklin’s da is an important man in Talen Vale. My da keeps joking that he wants me to marry him, only I don’t think he’s joking.”

Konrad felt a hollow space opening up in his stomach.

“You don’t have to do it, Alice. I can help.”

“What are you going to do, fireball them into cancelling a wedding?”

“Why does everyone think I can do fireballs,” Konrad muttered.

“Seriously Kon, don’t worry about it, it’s my problem. You’ve important things to do now.”

Alice stood and smoothed her dress.

“I have to get home and you should go to the tavern. The others will want to celebrate with you. They didn’t get a chance with Otto and they deserve it as much as you.”

Konrad watched Alice make her way back along the river bank and felt Spirits wet nose prod against his face.

“You have to keep your head down for a while okay?” He said and rubbed her snout. “I’ll find a way out of this.”

* * *

Konrad hadn’t spent much time in the tavern before as it was mostly a place for the Clod work parties to gather.

Gerrard, Jasper, his father and the others sat and slowly drank their way through cups of ale. The first few were raised up in toast for Konrad and he was forced to re-tell his story again. But soon their talk returned to their usual topics; weather, crops, the money they hoped to make this season, and how close they were to paying off their loans and owning their land outright.

Konrad had spent his whole life on the outside wanting to be a part of the work parties and the tavern drinking, but now that he was here it was nothing like what he had imagined.

Much later that night, Konrad and Luca stepped out into the cool night air and he caught his father as he stumbled. Konrad had only sipped at his drinks, while Luca had drunk his ale with a stoic resolve of a man hoping that the answers he needed were at bottom of the next cup.

“You’re a good lad Kon.”

“Thanks da.”

“Otto was a good lad.”

Konrad stayed silent, he never knew how to talk to his father at the best of times, and talking about Otto was a subject they never broached.

“Set me down here by the well, I need a drink.”

While his father dropped his head in a bucket of water and slurped loudly, Konrad gazed around at the village. Yesterday all he wanted was to stay there and be a part of things. But now he couldn’t wait to leave.

“You know he came back once?” Luca said quietly, his voice distant.

“Otto?”

Luca nodded and rubbed at the water dripping from his face into his beard. His eyes were glazed over.

“One night. You and your mother were asleep.”

“Why didn’t you wake us up?”

“You were only a child. Plus he told me not to. He was different, hard and sharp. Tell the truth, I was scared of him.”

“What did he want?”

“He said he’d done some bad things, and that he was sorry. But he said that he was going to make it right, to protect us. He looked so lost, damn near broke my heart.”

For the first time in Konrad’s life he saw a tear flow down the lines of his fathers face and he looked away embarrassed.

“Everyone is so proud of him, thinking he’s out there being a hero. But he looked like he was suffering. I shouldn’t ask you this lad, but I have to. I want you to look for your brother.”

“Da shh,” Konrad whispered.

“No let me get this off my chest. He needs help, I don’t know what. But you’re a champion now and you’re a good lad.”

“No da be quiet, there’s someone coming.”

The sound of boots scuffing on the cobbles came from nearby and Clayton Reed walked unsteadily out of the dark.

“What are you doing here Clod?” he drawled, his voice thick with drink.

“This is the Clod village,” Konrad replied, standing in front of his father.

Clayton looked around, closing one eye then the other. “So it is,” he burped.

“Perhaps you should go home.”

“I’ll go home when I’m good and ready Clod. You’re staying right here though. My da says you don’t have the Father’s priests to help you this time so you can stay and work an honest job.” Clayton swayed on the spot and wagged a finger in Konrad’s direction. “Honest work. Not like Otto.”

“Don’t talk about my brother Clayton.”

“Nasty work being the Father's champion. The sword and shield of the Mother!” Clayton cried, waving an imaginary sword in the air. “Dangerous though, Otto’s probably dead in a ditch somewhere—”

Luca punched Clayton. It was a simple blow but it had a thousand hours of hauling and lifting and struggle and toil behind it. Clayton flew backwards and landed in an unmoving heap on the cobblestones.

“I shouldn’t have done that,” Luca whispered.

“We have to get you out of here da.”

Konrad hefted his fathers arm over his shoulder and walked him back to their small house, laying him on the grass outside where he quickly fell into a stupor.

Konrad then raced back to find Clayton still sprawled out on the cobbles. The village square was deserted but someone could walk out of the tavern at any moment.

“Oh gods,” Konrad whispered.

“This is a mess isn’t it?”

The small figure of Lyran was standing next to the unconscious Clayton, peering at him inquisitively.

“What are you doing here?”

“You called for help, you’re very lucky that I was able to come.”

As she spoke her image faded drastically.

“Is he dead?” Konrad asked.

“No, but he is quite drunk.”

“What should I do?”

“Suffocation would be the most humane, just hold his nose and mouth shut. Do you have a shovel?” She asked looking around.

“I’m not going to kill him, I thought you did no harm?”

“You could categorise this as a mercy killing, having mercy on everyone who has to put up with him.”

Lyran looked at Konrads expression and sighed. “Very well, there is something else I can try, but I insist on you completing my quest first. This will take almost everything I have.”

“I’ll do anything, please try.”

“Leave him here, go home.”

Konrad hesitated and Lyran shooed him away. “He’ll live, go home.”

Konrad spared a glance behind him as he left the square and saw Lyran leaning in close to Clayton’s face.

* * *

News of Clayton Reed’s attack filtered through the village until it reached the dusty ears of the work team. Clayton had been found in a pile of manure in the stables in Fallow Vale town, far from the Clod village. He claimed that he’d had been attacked.

Jasper maintained that he’d had been kicked by a donkey and when Gerrard asked why Clayton would be interfering with a donkey, drunk out of his mind in the middle of the night Jasper laughed so hard he had to go and sit down.

“Do you remember seeing the Reed boy last night Kon?” Luca asked.

“No da, but I was blind drunk, don’t remember a thing.”

Luca gazed thoughtfully at his son and resumed his work.

The hard toil of the previous day was repeated and at the end of the day the wagon rolled up to collect their harvest. However the figure sitting in the flat seat holding the reins was not Clayton Reed, but his father, Daniel.

The atmosphere in the work party was tense. The usual jokes and banter had been replaced by respectful mumbles of ‘yes Mister Reed,’ ‘no, Mister Reed,’ whenever he asked a question.

“So here’s our champion,” Reed said when Luca and Konrad brought their bushels to the wagon.

“If I’d have known I wouldn’t have been so hasty the other day when you were brought in. Those wounds seemed to have healed up well.”

“I feel much better thank you.”

“Healing a broken arm in a day, you might go and visit my Clayton, seems someone knocked seven types of snot out of him last night. You wouldn’t know anything about that would you?”

“I learned my lesson not to go onto the citizens road mister Reed,” Konrad said carefully. “Does he remember what happened?”

“Curious that you would ask that. He can’t remember a damn thing.”

The silence extended between them and Konrad looked at the floor as he had been taught.

“Fra Dun has told me that you want to pay out your land price. Now I’ve heard nothing from this priest of yours, so I’ll have to do as is fair and I see fit.” He raised his voice so that it would carry to the other Clods in the work party.

“I don’t play favourites, even to a champion. Let no-one say that Daniel Reed doesn’t treat all men and women fairly. The price is fifty gold pieces.”