The Haelling was smooth that night, and the barge needed little guidance as the river's own current guided us through Trent. I was fearful of the seasickness that had already afflicted several of the passengers, including two of Alum's housecarls, but I was grateful to be unaffected.

I did not awaken naturally. An hour or two after sunrise, Alum put his hand on my shoulder and gently shook me, and as I blinked open he whispered to me so that no others could hear.

'We've sighted longboats downstream. They display Tokuan flags,' he said.

Fear instantly gripped me, not least of all because I was confused and dehydrated from my uncomfortable sleep. I had a crick in my back and a bruise in my shoulder from a nail that had not been properly hammered down during the Thomasin's construction. Now my passage was opposed by those who had murdered my kin.

'We need to turn around,' I said, without much thought. The inside of my mouth felt like rubber, and as Alum replied I groped around for my canteen.

'It would be of no use. Their longboats are much swifter upstream than this barge, heavily laden as it is,' he replied. 'We must beach the vessel.'

'Why is it not already being done?' I asked, sitting up. It had occurred to me that these decisions could have been made without me. My abrupt awakening should have been to an instruction to depart the ship, not to make a decision.

In confirmation of my suspicions, Alum averted his gaze most awkwardly. 'The bargemaster wishes to beach the boat on the southern bank of the river. I told him otherwise, but he won't listen.'

My eyes widened. What made me so special that I could convince a bargemaster to follow his Prince's commands when the Prince himself could not? I was beginning to see that the adversity I had suffered had served to strengthen me far moreso than Alum's easy Hollowhold upbringing. Life in Haelling Cove would be a rude shock to him, I realised.

I sighed and took to my feet. My riding habit was dirty from our travels so I gave it a perfunctory brush with my hands and straightened it at the hems. Then Alum led me to the bargemaster.

'Tell her,' Alum commanded him in a most unlordly tone. I frowned, knowing that I would have to have words with him. Yet I also felt liberated by the idea, and not unduly angry. With Wilbern, I had simply accepted his flaws. With Alum, I could speak my mind. It was a good feeling.

'My lady,' the bargemaster began, 'We have only a few minutes left to decide.' Alum raised his eyebrows and flared his nostrils in impatience, and the bargemaster got to the point. 'I won’t land at the Dreadwood Forest. There be great evil in that woodland.'

'They're tales for children, you peasant!' Alum roared irritably. Had I sounded like that once? I did not admonish him for feeling disdain towards the common classes, but if one sought to acquire their services, even I knew that one had to display a little bit of tact.

'They are most certainly not,' I said to Alum, and then turned to the bargemaster before he could respond. Time was of the essence, after all. 'Your fear of the Dreadwood Forest is well-founded, but your logic is not. If we land on the southern bank, the Tokuans will pursue us. If we land on the northern bank, we will be left alone.'

'I'd rather a race than a slaughter, my lady,' he replied. I could see the fear in his squinty brown eyes.

'We travel with half of the Prince's Guard. They can protect us from the creatures of the forest. They cannot protect us from an overwhelming number of Tokuans,' I said, trying to reason with him as simply as possible. If necessary, we could appeal to his crew, but I had no doubt that they would function more effectively at their captain's command.

The bargemaster bowed his head. 'Is it true that you travelled into the Dreadwood Forest after dark to apprehend Baron Steib of Trackford?'

I nodded with a vigorousness fuelled by anxiety. 'That was not my first venture into the forest,' I bragged, deliberately leaving out the dark end to that particular adventure. It seemed to light the spark of hope in the bargemaster's tentative eyes, and he exhaled loudly and deeply.

'As you wish, my lady.' He then knelt to the wooden deck and put his hand on the planks. 'She was a good ship. I'll be sad to see her torched.'

'I'm glad you see the necessity of that,' Alum said, but it was not at all what the bargemaster had intended, so he amended, 'We cannot let the Tokuans capture her.'

'I'll not burn the Thomasin, my lord. She survived the first raid, perhaps she'll surprise us this time,' the bargemaster said, and it was only his description of our sighting of the Tokuans as a raid that forced me to fully comprehend what was happening. They had already passed Haelling Cove and Trackford. Was Timoth still alive? Had Trackford finally been razed? I felt a deep pit growing in my stomach but dared not venture into it. I was needed in the present, for it was clear that Alum and the bargemaster did not see eye to eye.

'I'm afraid she must be burned,' I said to the bargemaster in what I hoped was a consoling and sympathetic tone. Despite his rustic mannerisms, I respected his love for his vessel and for his craft and would prefer to have his consent, or at least his quiet acquiescence. 'We cannot allow the Tokuans to claim her.'

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'With respect, my lady, I don't see what use they'd have for her. The Thomasin can't manage an open water voyage,' he replied.

'They will be able to use her to raid up and down the Haelling while they're here,' I replied. I had no doubt that they would ply the tributaries of the great river on this occasion, having already looted most of the more accessible riverside towns. I would not be a party to aiding their mobility.

'Can we hole her?' the bargemaster asked. He did not elaborate, but I understand instantly. It was a good idea: the vessel would be unusable without repairs which the fast-moving raiders would be unwilling to offer, but when the Tokuans departed the Thomasin would still be accessible to her owners. It was a compromise I could accept, and gratefully I did so.

'It must be an obvious hole, lest the Tokuans attempt to float her and discover it too late to save her,' I added, but the bargemaster was already smiling at my acquiescence.

'Aye. Thank you, my lady,' he said respectfully. Then he turned away from us and began barking orders to his crew.

The vessel immediately turned towards the northern bank of the Haelling. We had only a minute or two before we would strike the sand, so Alum and I set about waking those who still slumbered and passing word of our plans. The atmosphere on the vessel instantly darkened when word of the Tokuans was passed around, but their masts were still scarcely visible in the distance. I reminded myself that they were travelling upstream, and we had sighted them at a good distance. I hoped that there would be time to save the horses, for I did not relish the thought of travelling on foot.

The Thomasin was beached on the heavily-forested shores of the Dreadwood Forest at a slow speed in an attempt to preserve her hull integrity. Thankfully it was high tide and she was unlikely to be swept back out with the current. I fell to my knees as we thudded into the sand and was helped up by Alum. My legs shook uneasily as I stumbled awkwardly onto the river bank.

Alum and the bargemaster conducted the evacuation of the Thomasin, and to my joy it was a much less challenging endeavour than loading it had been. Once the ramp had been lowered, the unbridled horses were willing to follow those led by Alum's housecarls onto the beach where their owners could take command of them. Still, when the vessel was finally emptied, the longboats were close enough that I could make out the sailors atop their decks. With some reluctance, I commanded the bargemaster to send two of his deckhands back on board to hole the barge.

'Time to go,' I said, hoping that my tone did not betray my anxiety. It was still early in the day, and I prayed that we were in the westernmost half of the Dreadwood Forest. If we were lucky – and made good speed – it was possible that we could reach Trackford without having to spend a night in the woods.

To my surprise, our large party ready to depart. They were presumably driven unusual haste by fear of Tokuan pursuit. Alum and I led the way on the road, with Regeda immediately behind me and the bargemaster riding at the rear with the rest of his crew. It must have been tough for them, but I had few sympathies to spare for peasants. My concerns were reserved for myself, and for Ebonreach. What fresh tragedies had befallen it in my absence?

We had to stop with irritating regularity and were constantly delayed by the pedestrians in our caravan. Yet I did not sense that we were pursued, and I still held out hope that we might reach Trackford before sunset. I did not recognise our surroundings, but I wasn't sure I would even if I’d been there previously. The forest was very thick and one tree looked much like another. The canopy was domineeringly high and clad in tentative green as the spring dawned upon the forest. It occurred to me that faeries could be watching us, so I instructed my retinue to pass the word around to refrain from interfering with the forest, and not to venture from the trail.

At one point, Alum spoke to me in a most unprincely tone. He sounded forlorn and regretful, so I let him ramble on a bit before responding. 'Saemara, I wish to apologise for how I behaved at the ferry dock. I guess I was so used to being recognised, and obeyed. My father's power was so close at hand in Hollowhold; none dared challenge me. And there was more wealth in the capital. Even the palest peasant had glass windows and silver jewellery. Under the sky, the peasants are dark-skinned and seem to possess only the clothes on their back. Most are bereft even of proper courtesy. But I know I need to adjust my perspective. The common folk here have pride; they don't take lightly to being presumptuously told what to do. I'm more than happy to defer to your experience, Saemara. I only beg of you that you do not think less of me for my earlier failings. I was bred to fight, not to rule'

'You were?' I asked him. Alum gave a hearty, good-natured laugh in response.

'Second sons are usually given to a monastery and trained to become a priest, or trained to be a fighter and a commander of men. I was the latter. In the coming times, you may have need of such traits.’

'I already know one who embodies them,' I replied, thinking of Timoth.

I recalled how the two of them had clearly been the strongest fighters in the practise arena in Hollowhold, and wondered how I’d managed to become the ally of such men. What skills could I bring to the table? Beauty? Persuasion? Many had those talents, and the latter often deserted me just when I needed it most, though it seemed to have stabilised of late. In fact, the more I considered it, the more I felt that I should have paid more attention to my diplomatic studies. Would I still be useful once Alum learned the ways of Ebonreach?

Then something else Alum had said struck me. 'In the coming times?' I echoed. He made it sound as if I should be preparing for more than mere Tokuan raids. 'What are you expecting?'

‘Do you not understand what we have done? I do not intend harshness with my words, Saemara, but have you been so engrossed with our plight or with our betrothal that you have not considered the ramifications of our actions? All around us, the future of Halivaara is taking shape. Those Tokuans are not the only threat we face. Ebonreach relies on trade from and through Trent to supply its economy, but you have humiliated its ruler in front of the entire Kingdom. By disappearing with you, I have done the same to my father and brother. It was not a choice I made lightly, but their disapproval of my actions may embolden those who would seek to do us harm.'

I shook my head. 'I can't think of all that right now. Perhaps I could if I was only concerned about our current plight and our engagement, but I also carry fear for the safety of my home. Trackford was lucky to survive the last raid. Haelling Cove has spent every coin in its reserve rebuilding. The Reach will be decimated by another attack.'

Alum bowed his head in understanding and said no more.