QUOTE : wrapped my heart in fury to keep the despair at bay as I knelt on the sodden grass of the riverbank to retrieve my sword from my bedroll. Before I could reach it, the moon disappeared behind the clouds again. As the river turned back to blackness, I caught the glimpse of a shadow looming up behind me in the reflection. I spun around, thinking Aeddan had found me first. My hand went instead for my dagger, only to remember I’d left it lying in the embers of my home fire. It wasn’t Aeddan. A broad-shouldered man swung his fist like a mallet at my head. I fell, consumed by a dark red tide.