Chapter 8: The Torn Pass

Corvus did it at the ford, at noon, with the whole army watching and the sun out for the first time since Seren had come.

The clerk stood beside him holding the tally book open against his chest.

Corvus took it from him.

He turned to the page, and Seren knew which page.

Then Corvus tore it out, slowly, all the way down the binding.

The sound carried.

"This says Caerwen gave us a prince with the salt," he said to the army. "It's wrong."

He held the page over the brazier the cooks had carried down.

"Nobody gave him to anyone. He was never theirs to give."

The corner caught.

The page curled and went brown and then black, and the words went with it.

Seren watched his line burn and felt something in his chest go loose that he hadn't known was tied.

Garrow led a horse down the bank.

It was the bay mare Seren had taken to Hollin, saddled, with a bedroll and a full water skin.

Corvus held out a purse and a folded paper with his seal on it in red wax.

"A pass," he said. "It gets you through any Varran post and onto any ship at the coast."

"Your sister's in the south. Or anywhere. Nobody will stop you."

Seren didn't take it.

"The treaty," he said. "If the consort leaves..."

"Then I've lost my consort. I'll answer for it to the king."

"He'll take your command."

"Maybe." Corvus didn't look away from him. "Take the pass, Seren."

Eight thousand men were watching, and none of them made a sound.

Seren took the pass.

He took the purse.

He got on the mare.

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