Black Rose Pt. 44

(After the brutal fight, the big ol' girl chat!

No sex. No violence. Just talk, medical care, and two very tired and battered people trying to figure each other out.)

Chapter 44

Jokes

Solveig staggered, holding a hand to her wounded cheek, and Freya caught her and guided her over to the nearest chair, and sat her in it.

Freya looked around the room again.

Men lying on the floor, wounded and whimpering.

A thin young man in a dirty white shirt, with a bloodied head.

A large man, fastening his breeches, bleeding, his face and body badly beaten, but still standing.

Some of the men were barely wounded at all.

Manfred Rosso lay on the floor, unconscious.

Five was standing and watching Freya, waiting for orders, but Freya could see that she, too, was exhausted and in pain.

This has to end. Now.

'Who here is unhurt,' she said.

Two of the men raised hands. The two she'd intercepted upstairs, also did so. It had taken only a few punches and some sharp words to bring them to order.

'This fight is over,' she said. 'Look to the wounded.'

She looked at Five and beckoned to her.

Five came over. Freya took in the bruises, the cut on her ear, her split lip, the weariness in her face, the sag in her shoulders.

You have been on your feet for more than a day, and you have had no rest, and you have been beaten hard. But not so hard as some times I can think of.

Freya lowered her face and looked Five in the eyes, and Five straightened up and looked back at her.

'I need your voice. Can you speak for me?'

'Course,' Five said.

'Good. Now, after an action...'

'Right,' Five said, remembering, and after a moment she turned around and squared her shoulders.

'You know what to do, gents,' she said. 'Anyone who can move and has kit, get bandages and dressings. If you can move and don't have kit, get in the kitchen and stoke the stove and heat water. There should be some already but if there's not, make some. We need poultices and clean bandages and clean tools. If we work quickly, those who can live, will live.'

She turned to Gatta Alessandro, who was lying on the floor, barely conscious, blood leaking from his torn ear.

'This man needs bandaging, right now,' she said. 'Don't just look to your best mate first. Look to who's most in need of help. Is that clear?'

There was an affirmative rumble from the men, and they started into action. Freya touched her shoulder affectionately.

'Well done. I will take the bodies away.'

'Where you gonna put them?'

'In another room. Outside they'll be food for birds, and these men may have their own rites.*'

Five squeezed her hand.

Hadn't been looking forward to that. At. All.

Freya looked at Solveig, and then turned to Five and made her turn away from the girl.

'I did not hear all. Only what the two sent for me knew. Why is she here?'

'You know her?' Five said, glancing at Solveig.

'A little. What happened to her?'

*

Norbert was sitting in the corner, clutching his box, calming himself down.

It wasn't so much all the mutilation and blood.

In the Academy, he and some friends had cut up corpses, in an attempt to learn better how they worked. Norbert hadn't been bothered by the insides, but some of the others were.

It was more trying to figure out what, exactly, had happened.

The young woman with the bottle had walked in, and lorded it over everyone, and told the story of her life, which had admittedly been pretty terrible, but then she'd been mean to everyone, and she'd turned on her friends, companions, whatever they were. And she'd sent most of the men off on errands.

And then she'd attacked Allon Tanit and killed him, and it was like she'd just gone crazy, except that he'd realised she was doing it to... free the ones she'd hurt, which was very confusing. And then Robert Falco had shot her in the face, and was about to shoot her again when the tall woman killed him, and took over command.

He was still trying to grasp everyone's thought processes when the tall young mercenary with the red hair, Guillaume, crouched down in front of him.

Norbert liked Guillaume. He was tough, but not mean, like Allon Tanit and Robert Falco were mean, and Roberto Calvi had been.

On the journey south, since they'd joined these men, Guillaume had noticed that Norbert was always hungry, and had always quietly made sure that he had enough to eat.

'Hey, kid,' Guillaume said. 'You all right?'

Norbert nodded.

'You didn't get hurt? Lot of glass flying around.'

'No.'

'You hungry?'

'I'm all right.'

Guillaume nodded, and pointed at the box.

'You got anything in there that's good for injuries?'

'Oh,' Norbert said. 'Yes.' He stood up. Guillaume stood up too.

'Well, make yourself useful,' he said. 'Offer people help, yeah?'

'I will.'

'Good man,' Guillaume said, and grasped Norbert's shoulder and gave it a little shake, then he turned and went over to one of the wounded.

*

After Five had quickly recounted Solveig's tale as far as the night in the inn, Freya stared at Owyn, looking perplexed.

'Steady on,' Five said. 'I know, all right? But they've been travelling around, the three of them, for months, and if she spoke truth, he's taught her to handle herself, which, let me just say, once the fighting started, she was a fucking animal, and the ones she didn't put down, she scared off. And she had him at her mercy, Freya. She'd a knife in one hand and his balls in the other. And she didn't do it.'

Freya stared at Owyn, and at Five.

'Can't explain it,' Five said. 'It ain't forgiveness, and it ain't like she's soft in the head, god knows. It's something else, but she won't see him harmed.'

'He came close to selling her!'

'I agree,' said Five, shaking her head with a helpless look, 'but... he seems like he's trying. Mind, what she said while she was telling us all this, I reckon it were half an act. I dunno what she really means by him.'

They both looked at Solveig, sitting hunched and pale apart from the others, because nobody wanted to go near her, and at Owyn, stiffly dressing himself with the bookman's help.

'But would you go against her word,' Five said quietly, 'just cause you think he deserves it?'

Freya frowned.

'Or,' Five said, 'do we go with what *she* wants? Because she'd every chance to fuck him over, and she didn't take 'em.'

Freya shook her head, perplexed.

*

She is a girl of Hargest. She knows not what she wants, or what is right.

... No. No, no, no.

That is what they have always said about me.

Damn. As always, there is never time. The wounded must be seen to. I must talk to Rosso.

It is so late, everyone is spent, too much blood has been shed and we are still miles from Hargest.

And whatever was wrong with me is not gone. I still feel it, a dull ache. Not as bad, but not cured.

She looked up at Five.

'You truly believe that she will not have him harmed?'

'I don't know what she's thinking,' Five said. 'Maybe she has some plan. But... suppose you had that cult bloke in your hands. In't it up to you to say what you'd do with him?'

Freya closed her eyes for a moment.

It is, and it is not.

There is a code. Honour must be restored. But it is so distant, now, and I have changed so much. And did the old man even understand what was being done to me?

When a child that knows no better strikes a stranger, do we drag it before the law?

Where does vengeance end, she thought. I do not know. Maybe Solveig of Hargest does.

*

Freya nodded.

'You are right. We will do what she wants.'

Thank fuck, Five thought.

'Thank you,' Five said. 'God's truth, I can't work her out. She's got some rein on herself. She did this to me. As part of her whole lah-di-dah.'

Five pointed at her slit ear, and Freya inspected it.

'I mean,' Five said, 'don't exactly add to my heavenly beauty, but you get handled the way she's been, not surprised she's at the end of her rope.'

'That can be mended. See that it's cleaned and dressed.'

'I will. But, Freya, honest... it's not him has me worried. It's her.'

Freya pulled her in for an embrace, and spoke into her good ear.

'See to her wounds, and do your best to sound her out. I know you will.'

'I will. How do you feel? How is your...'

She glanced down at Freya's side. Freya shrugged.

'I am not all well, but, well enough. Do not worry.'

Freya touched her face to Five's. Then they disengaged, and Freya went over to the nearest corpse, and grabbed it.

*

Five went over to Solveig, who was slumped in the chair with her hand over her cheek, staring into space.

She gave a start as Five came over, and pulled herself upright, looking up at Five, her previously imperious beauty somewhat dulled by bruises and scratches and blood.

Then she looked away, as if she couldn't face Five, and she rolled in her seat, twisting her body away from her.

I know where you are, Five thought. I've been there.

But still, what the otherworlding fuck, Solveig of Hargest? Did it really have to be this way? You couldn't think of anything else?

On the other hand, it was you versus a roomful of hard men. I didn't do nearly so well. Neither did the mercenary.

Anyway, won't do no good being cross. You need medicine.

She held out her hand. Solveig looked up at her.

'Let's get that seen to, then,' said Five. Solveig nodded, and struggled to her feet.

'First,' she said, 'could you help me outside, please.'

It came in a thick mumble. Firtht, could you hep me outthide, peathe. Five didn't want to think about the state of the girl's mouth. She helped Solveig limp to the hall and pushed open the front door.

Solveig went out in the wind and rain, leaned with one hand against the wall, and stuck her fingers down her throat. Five looked away and after the sound of a couple of gags, she heard Solveig cough and vomit. She waited till the fit had passed, before looking at her. Solveig was wiping her mouth and shaking her head to clear it.

'You all right,' Five said.

Solveig nodded. 'Didn't want all that fucking Iskabah in me. Drunk enough.'

'You reckon,' Five said, raising her eyebrows. 'Anyway. All right now?'

Solveig blinked and closed her eyes for a moment, and opened them again, and looked at Five, and such exhaustion and hopelessness crossed her face that, in Five's heart, pity strove briefly with dislike.

Five came over to her and put Solveig's arm around her shoulders and helped her limp inside again. Five found her water bottle and gave it to Solveig, who rinsed her mouth out and spat it onto the hearthstone, where it sizzled.

'So,' Five said. 'White Bird Ridge.'

Solveig nodded.

'How'd you know I'd know what you meant?'

'Didn't. Thought you must be Freya's partner. Knew you were a soldier. Hoped you'd know your history.'

'You know what it was that done it,' Five said.

'What.'

'I saw you holding the bottle. You were holding it like you were gonna drink from it. Then you switched to holding it like you were gonna hit him with it.'

Solveig made a hhhh-hhhh sound, which Five realised was her laughing.

'Red Fred saw,' Solveig said.

'He did.'

'Will he die?'

'No idea.'

Five sat her in a chair by the fire.

Solveig was trembling. Tiredness, Five thought, but also what she's just done. The shock of it.

Five knelt in front of her.

'All right,' Five said, swallowing. 'Take your hand away and open your mouth as wide as you can.'

Solveig lowered her hand and winced, as it had got stuck to her cheek from the dried blood, and it pulled at her flesh as it came away, before the clot broke and the wound immediately started to bleed again. She opened her mouth and Five looked inside.

God. Bit of a fucking mess in there.

'So?' Solveig said, staring at the ceiling.

'It's not looking wonderful,' Five said, 'but if you take care of it, you'll be all right. Be a while before it calms down, though.'

'I can help,' said a voice at her elbow. She turned.

The boy was there, and he was carrying the wooden box on a strap over his shoulder.

'Alright, lad, just sit tight and I'll get to you in a moment,' Five said.

'No,' he said. 'I can help. Truly.'

He was a good-looking lad, with curly dark hair and dark skin, and for all that he looked dirty and underfed, there was something so pathetically eager about him that Five felt sorry for him, and sighed.

'Look, this lady's been hurt, but I know what I'm doing. Can you just sit down and wait, and we'll get you something to eat when we've seen to everybody else, all right.'

'The crossbow pierced the flesh in her cheek,' he said. 'If we don't clean the wound it could get inflamed, and she could be scarred for life, or die of wound rot. She'll probably be scarred for life anyway, but I have things that can help. Just let me help.'

Five looked at Solveig, who was looking at the boy sceptically, and Solveig looked at Five, and then they both looked at the boy.

'Um,' said Five, 'who are you again?'

The boy stood up straight and looked at them both.

'My name,' he said, 'is...'

'Never mind your fucking name,' Five said, 'how can you help? What have you got? Because if you've nothing, then you're wasting my time.'

She could see the boy forcing himself to not tell her his entire story, and he rolled his head from side to side and forced himself to swallow what he was going to say. Then he looked up at her again.

'I went to the Academy,' he said. 'I trained as an alchemist. Never mind that. The point is, I know how herbs work and I've made some things, and I have them here in this box and I can put something on the lady's wound that will make sure it doesn't get inflamed, and also, you know oil of clove, well, I have something much better than oil of clove, which will help a little with the pain, because that looks like it must hurt very much.'

'What is it,' said Five.

He knelt down and unlocked the box, and opened it to reveal rows of small glass bottles with wooden stoppers and small glass jars with metal lids. He took out a jar and a bottle and held them up.

'This,' he said of the jar, 'is a salve which... well, anyway, if you put some of it on your wound, it'll stop it from getting inflamed. Well, it should. And this,' he said of the bottle, 'is essence of pappafer, dissolved in spirit. It helps with pain.'

'How do I know,' said Five.

He looked baffled.

'Because I'm telling you,' he said after a moment.

'And who the fuck are you, again?'

'I was travelling with the company,' he said. 'Allon Tanit and Robert Falco, two of the men you, you, you killed, they, they had me with them because they put me to work making, um, poisons. I didn't want to but they made me do it.'

'You make poisons?'

'Yes.'

'How do I know this stuff you're offering me isn't poison?'

He looked at her, then uncorked the bottle and poured a drip of the liquid onto his tongue and swallowed.

'There,' he said, 'you see?'

'How do I know you haven't built up some sort of immunity to that, and if we take it, it'll kill us?'

'Oh,' he said, shaking his head, 'that almost never works.'

'Look,' Five said, 'I dunno who you are, you're a kid with a box of potions, for all I know you're a master fucking poisoner putting an illusion on us all.'

'Oh no, I couldn't do that,' he said. 'I haven't the skill. There are very, very few who can do that.'

'Fine,' she said, 'but it's not that rare. I've met a bloke who could.'

He surprised her; his eyes widened and he went pale and grabbed the hem of her shirt.

'Did you?' he said. 'What was his name?'

'What?' she said. 'I don't know.'

'What did he look like? Was he tall?'

'He was fairly tall, what's it matter?'

'How old was he?'

'I don't know, sixteen, seventeen,' Five said, losing patience. 'Look, if you've got anything normal in there, thyme oil for a poultice, anything like that, give us it, and then just go in the kitchen and make yourself useful, and if you don't, just... go in the kitchen. I'm trying to heal this lady and you're being annoying.'

Five saw him decide not to ask more questions; she saw the veil of secrecy come over his face. He reached into the case and took out a small, squat glass bottle. Five took it, opened it and sniffed. The clean, earthy tang of thyme hit her.

'There,' she said, closing it, 'that's useful. Thank you.'

'But if you don't use something more powerful on the wound, she will have a scar,' he said in a more calm voice.

Solveig looked at him levelly.

'From the way my life has gone, past year,' she said, 'a disfiguring wound to the face would not be entirely unwelcome.'

He nodded, but it was like he just wanted to agree with her and didn't really know what she was on about. Solveig sighed.

'All right,' she said.

'Lady,' Five said, 'take care.'

'I'll take a chance,' she said.

'Fine,' Five said to the boy, 'but not now. I've to clean all this up first. Go round the others, and when we want you, I'll call you, all right?'

'Yes, miss,' said the boy, nodding, and went off.

A mercenary come over and handed Five a bowl of hot water and some clean cloths. She thanked him and he went off. Solveig looked at Five, as Five wetted the cloth and began to clean the blood off Solveig's face.

'Should be doing this for you,' Solveig murmured.

'You know what, I agree,' Five said. 'But you're not. So I'll do it for you.'

'Don't know your name.'

'Don't have one. People call me Five.'

'Why.'

'I was the fifth of Snorri Midlafsson's squires. He never got round to naming me. Did you guess that about me? That I was at Casman with Freya?'

Five stared up at her, and Solveig paused before shrugging.

'Brother swore Freya hadn't been killed. Brother never lied. Not in his nature. In mine, though. Lied most my life.'

It came out as Ide motht my ife, and Five couldn't make sense of it.

'What?'

'I'm good at,' Solveig said, and Five could see her preparing her swollen tongue to get around the word.

'... Lying,' she finally said.

'Right.'

'Believed Freya wasn't dead. Didn't think what came of her, till Paul and Owyn and I were in the south.'

She paused. Talking was clearly something painful, but something she had to do.

'Swore an oath, we three,' she said finally.

'I know,' Five said. 'They said. You too?'

'Yep. Swore to protect each other.'

'So, let me get this straight,' Five said, dabbing the bloody cloth in the water and cleaning more dried blood from Solveig's face. 'You and them two swore to protect each other, this after Owyn whatshisface had...'

'Ah,' Solveig said pensively.

'What?'

'Go on.'

'After they used you liked that?'

'Mm,' Solveig said and gave her a rather sheepish look.

'What?'

'Yeah. Have been used like that. Wasn't that night. Wasn't them.'

Five stared at her.

'But...'

'Had to make them feel sorry for me,' she said, gesturing at Rosso's men.

'But then, who...'

'Doesn't matter,' Solveig said.

'Were you telling the truth tonight, or weren't you?'

'More than not. I mean, near everything I said happened, happened.'

She stopped, and closed her eyes for a moment, and swayed slightly. Then she opened them. She looked so exhausted that you didn't want to press her, but there was no point in knowing only half the truth.

'So,' Five said, dipping the bloody cloth in the water and turning her attention to Solveig's hands.

'Owyn...' Solveig said.

She searched for the word. Clearly talking was painful.

'He and they had the idea. But he didn't do it. Other two came to me. We talked, and I would have. But, boy didn't want that. Wanted me to not want it. More fun for him.'

She smiled sardonically.

'Ah.'

'Mmm. So, we fought. Got me naked, but I got away. Bookman found me, gave me his jacket, went to get clothes for me... they took him.'

Five looked at her, and he realised that it was indeed guilt. Solveig's gaze darted over the bookman, who was helping the swordsman clean himself up, and dressing the man's wounds.

'What'd they do to him,' Five said.

'He'll say. If he wants. Not for me.'

Five looked down at Solveig's bruised and bleeding hands.

'So,' she said, 'what then.'

'Went downstairs, hired Owyn to help us.'

'And he did?'

'Almost didn't,' Solveig said. 'But, yeah.'

Five carefully daubed the dirt and blood off Solveig's knuckles. She felt Solveig looking at her.

'Well,' Five said at last, 'that's not the story you had us believe.'

'No,' Solveig murmured.

'Still,' Five said, glancing at Owyn Durberry 'I can see why you'd want to hurt him.'

'What would be the point,' Solveig whispered, half to herself.

'Vengeance,' Five said.

'When it was over,' Solveig said, 'on road together. Could see him, telling himself he weren't that bad, but.'

She paused, and blinked, and took Five's water bottle, and gulped and swallowed.

'Saw each other every day. Wake up, there he was. Went to bed, not want to sleep 'cos he was a few feet away. But, dream about it all over again. Imagine, live with someone who nearly did that to you. Months and months.'

Solveig glanced over to Owyn Durberry in the corner. She shook her head again.

She shook her head, wonderingly, and then looked at Five, her eyes wide in astonishment.

'What happened? Him, same thing. Every day he woke up, saw me, reminded him of what he almost did. Became a new man. Taught me to fight.'

Five finished bandaging Solveig's hands and pointed at her torso. She sat back.

Solveig unbuttoned her shirt, and took it off, and Five inspected her bruised stomach and ribs.

Solveig looked down at herself dispassionately, wincing as Five gently tested her for broken ribs. It wasn't like anyone else was sneaking a glance at her.

'Teach you to fight like that, did he?'

'Few things.'

'What you mean,' Five said, glancing up at her.

'Taught me to not care how I win. The rest, worked out myself.'

'All right,' Five said. 'Let me see that eye.'

She knelt up, and Solveig leaned forward, putting her shirt back on, and Five inspected her scratched and swollen eye.

'Other thing,' Solveig said, buttoning her shirt. 'How it ended.

'After boy was dead, merchant wanted to go to the baron. Thought he'd get the bounty. Owyn said, no. Protecting Paul. Merchant got... high and mighty. Owyn gave me his sword. Meant me to scar the merchant. Send him on his way.'

'But...'

'Tried to cut his head off,' said Solveig, staring at the wall behind Five.

Five blinked.

'And did you?'

Solveig slowly swivelled her eyes down to meet Five's.

'Eventually,' she said.

It was that look she'd had earlier in the evening that had made Five feel cold.

You have been flayed, Solveig, Five thought. You need a skin on you.

'I think one of you's mad,' she said, 'and I don't think it's him.'

Solveig stared into space and was silent.

'So,' Five said, 'why did you want to find Freya.'

*

The square-faced girl was looking up at her, unsmiling.

You are jealous of your lady. I don't blame you.

'Wanted to know if my brother was right,' she said.

'Well,' Five said, 'now you know.'

'You asked how I knew who you were,' Solveig said. 'When we were searching for Freya, heard about Serpent Queen. At first, didn't credit it. Then thought, must be some barbar. Then, got to Venceborn.'

Five looked at her sharply, and Solveig smiled.

'Yes,' Solveig said. 'What we heard, sounded a nightmare. Met a young man, told us. Told Paul, not me.'

'Why him,' said Five, frowning.

'When you got this face,' Solveig said, gesturing at her own face, 'people will tell you anything, to please you. Impress you. Don't suppose that's a problem for you.'

*

They stared at each other for a moment, and Five took a moment to wonder how much worse it would make the wound in Solveig's face if she just slapped her.

Then she noticed that Solveig was trying very hard not to smile.

'By all the old gods,' Five said, and she couldn't stop herself from smiling with a kind of admiration, 'you really are a cunt.'

'I know.'

Five shook her head. 'All right,' she said, 'go on.'

'Anyway, people tell Paul the truth. Boy, Iago, told him he'd met women'd killed the Venceborn worm. Mentioned Freya.

'Wanted to believe she weren't dead. 'Cos, what happened to her at Casman was... not what happened to me, far worse, but...'

Solveig paused, and she probed the inside of her mouth with her tongue. Five could see that she was doing it because there were things she didn't want to talk about. Or think about.

'Well,' Solveig said, 'idea she might be alive... gave me hope.'

She paused again, and looked distractedly around the room, and swallowed.

'So, put Serpent Queen together with Freya, began to wonder if, same person. 'Cos Freya'd survived, someone probably helped her. Knew Serpent Queen had a girl partner. Knew couldn't have been a Hargest soldier. But, is stronger than can't be. Only impossible thing, a girl got into Hargest army. When I got here, found you, made sense to think, Freya hidden, you you.'

She looked levelly at Five.

'Dunno if this'll make sense to you. You're brave, strong, faithful. Always try to do right thing. Paul's same.'

Solveig looked over at the bookman, and Five saw the strange look in her eye: compassion mingled with resentment.

'Owyn not a good man,' Solveig said. 'Not so much evil. Selfish.'

She was silent for a moment.

'I'm same,' she said.

'So what are you saying? That what happened, you deserved it?'

'No.'

'Good.'

'Owyn weak and selfish, but good enough he'll try to do right, if someone forgives him.'

'And suppose he does,' Five said, washing her hands. 'Suppose he does some great deed in your defence. You'll forgive him?'

Solveig fell silent for a long, long moment, staring past Five's shoulder, her face bleak.

'Past that now.'

'Why do you keep him around?'

'Strong. If he respects who's in command, he'll move mountains.'

She was silent for a moment.

'Also,' she said quietly, 'keeps his word. And, good company.'

Five regarded Solveig for a long moment, and Solveig began to shift in her seat.

'All right,' Five said, 'let's do this. Show me.'

Five inspected the puncture wound in Solveig's cheek. Solveig sat, her eyes staring at a corner of the ceiling, her face expressionless. Five could only tell how much pain the girl was in from her blinking, streaming eyes and rapid breathing.

'You know,' Five said, 'you don't have to pretend to me that this don't hurt.'

'Yeah,' Solveig muttered. 'Not just a cruel, violent bitch. Cruel, violent, whiny bitch.'

'It's not for you to worry what people think of you,' Five said.

'How can I not?' Solveig said.

'I don't think you know what you've done.'

'Killed good men?'

'They weren't specially good men,' Five said. 'I wouldn't lose sleep over them.'

'Can't sleep anyway.'

'I know.'

Solveig lowered her eyes and looked at Five.

Solveig's left eye was cut and swollen from Gatta Alessandro's punches. Her right eye was badly bloodshot.

'How,' was all Solveig could say as Five dabbed at her swollen cheek.

'I was right in front of you,' Five murmured. 'You let me in on what you were gonna do. So I... suddenly saw you different.

'You think no-one knows you, don't you? You reckon you're that good at keeping secrets.'

Solveig kept looking at Five with reserve.

'Must've been hard,' Five said, 'sharing your brother with the army. Not seeing him, worrying about him as much as any wife.

'And then you show him your love, and he don't want to know.'

She continued to wipe at the dried blood on Solveig's cheek.

'And after that, it's just one bad joke after another, with you, in't it?'

She looked up at Solveig, smiling grimly.

'Go to kill yourself, can't find a place to do it. Go to an inn to get drunk in peace, get grabbed and stripped like a dockside whore. Then you barely scrape out of it, but one of 'em's your new bodyguard.

'It's a fucking comedy, your life, in't it?'

Solveig stared back at her.

'Except no-one's laughing,' Five said.

'Except you.'

'Not laughing,' Five said.

'What do you know?' Solveig said, bitterly.

'About what,' Five said, staring at her, keeping her voice level. 'About my life being a joke? Look at me. Look at what I look like.'

*

Solveig stared at the square-faced, brawny, sunburned girl with her cropped hair.

Five went back to cleaning Solveig's face.

'All my life,' she said, with a bitter smile, 'till about ten months ago, I passed for a boy. Cause everyone said I was. And I didn't know about anything except cooking and cleaning and shovelling shit, and I was bottom of the pile in Hargest, so what did I know?

'People like me, who don't fit? Folk don't want to look at us. We get shoved off in a corner, and told to make ourselves useful.

'I'm not... beautiful, like you. You can see that. But I weren't made like other blokes, either. Whatever blokes give off, I don't. But I worked hard, and I earned trust, and I got on with my shit life.

'And then I got sent on a mission. To Casman. To serve food to all the real men, and clean their fucking plates, and pour their beer.'

Five was taking out bandages and laying them in front of her, watching what she herself was doing, not looking up at Solveig.

'And while I was there,' she said, 'I saw the worst thing I've ever seen.'

Five's voice cracked on the final word and she paused, and bit her lip and stared at nothing for a moment.

'And then everything went to shit, and I got hit on the head, and when I woke up, it was just me and Freya, in the middle of nowhere.'

Five rubbed her face with her hand.

'I've had it bad enough, and so have you,' Five said.

And then looked up at Solveig.

'But she's had it worse. That... that thing, doing that to her. I saw it happen. So did a lot of people.

'Anyway, I didn't know if she'd ever wake up. But I knew I'd one chance to do something in this life that wasn't being useless. Take her back to Hargest. So I dragged her for miles and cleaned her up and when she woke up...

Five was silent for a moment.

'Well, we haven't gone to Hargest, as you see. But if I'd left her there, she'd be dead. I was lucky. I got given a chance to do something.'

Five looked at her.

'And I've been repaid. A thousand times over. She's the best of us. She's brave, and she makes me brave. And she's skilled, like no-one is, and she makes plans, and she don't lie, and she don't leave people behind.

'You've not been so lucky. I know that. But I know how you felt.'

Five leaned in close to Solveig and whispered.

'I saw, when you were just about to hit him. I saw the look in your eyes. Don't pretend you weren't aching to fuck him up. I know what you felt like.

'We were in Venceborn,' Five said. 'Fighting the worm. You know about that. Anyway, we were holed up in this hut, in the garden, and Freya was planning what to do, and, I bloody lost it. Just went to pieces. Sat there saying she should kill us both, cause I couldn't fight.

'So she said she could give me the nerve. And she took out some Death's Tears. You know what they are?'

Solveig nodded, frowning.

'Yeah. She told me if I took 'em, I might go mad. You know what they can do. But I took 'em.'

Five smiled bleakly at nothing for a moment, and then looked puzzled, and then frowned, and then shook her head slowly.

'I don't know how it happened,' Five said, 'but, you can see, it worked.'

Five looked at her and gave a wry smile.

'What did you do,' Solveig said.

'We attacked them,' Five said slowly. 'I'd never killed anyone before. I killed five of them, like that.'

She snapped her finger and thumb.

'It was so...'

She nodded, thoughtfully.

'So easy,' she said, staring into space. 'Once I started. Just, doing a job. Then, later, it hit me, and I said, I can't do that again. Don't make me do it again. I felt like the most worthless shit.

'And now,' Five said, and fell silent.

'What,' Solveig said.

Five looked down at the bandages, in a little row before her.

'Every day,' Five said slowly, 'I see their faces. I know their names.'

She looked up at Solveig, and deep in her eyes there was a leaden glint.

'Every day,' she murmured, 'I kill 'em again. Every day.'

Solveig thought of Ernold Foder, gargling on his own blood on the floor of a room.

'If you had to do it again,' Solveig said quietly, 'would you?'

'Fuck, yes,' Five said, passionately. 'To save her and me both? In a heartbeat. Yes.'

Solveig stared at her.

'But,' Five said, 'I love her. Do you love them two?'

She glanced at Owyn and Paul.

'That's not the word,' Solveig admitted. 'But I've no-one else.'

'So what are they to you? A bookman who tried to help you, and the man who helped ruin your life?'

'Owyn didn't ruin my life,' Solveig said. 'I did. Let myself...'

*

Five watched as Solveig painfully got her tongue around the word.

'... Love, the one person I couldn't have. Owyn just made it worse.'

'And yet you killed, what, three blokes, and maimed two others, who were menacing them.'

'Yeah.'

'Why would you do that?'

'They're my friends,' Solveig said, and she bowed her head.

Five watched her for a moment as she sat hunched over, her shoulders shaking.

'Lady,' Five said at last, glancing at Owyn Durberry, 'you're not like him.'

'Don't call me that. I'm not one.'

'Fine,' Five said. 'Solveig of Hargest, either you're wrong about him, or you're wrong about you. Or both.'

'How.'

'Tell us,' Five said, 'when you walked in that door with your friend as your prisoner, how much of a plan did you have?'

Solveig looked up at her, and wiped her eyes.

'Thought I'd get their attention,' she said, scowling. 'Then, make 'em sorry for me. Then, scare them. Then... take down as many as I could.'

She paused, staring at the floor, miserable.

'Give Owyn and Paul chance to escape. Even if I didn't.'

'Fuck's sake, girl,' Five said, shaking her head.

'I know. Stupid.'

'It was risky,' said Five.

'Once again,' Solveig said, 'sorry I hurt you.'

'Solveig,' Five said, 'shut up.'

Solveig sat back, startled. Five sat back on her heels.

'It worked. You did it.'

She looked at Solveig, smiling slightly.

'Owyn Durberry faced a dozen men and got the shit kicked out of him. It was stupid, but he was being brave and loyal, and everyone thought he was great, till you told us that story.'

*

Solveig stared down at Five, who was holding her hand and looking up at her with a wary half-smile.

'But then you came in,' Five said. 'You split 'em up, and bossed 'em round, and spun that fucking yarn about the things had been done to you, and it was true enough that we didn't know what the shit was going on. That Tanit bloke? Biggest prick in the room, by my reckoning.

'I saw how he looked at you. At the start, he thought you were some stupid girl with fine airs. I could see him, waiting till when he could stop your mouth with his cock.

'And by the end, he was groping your cunt and begging for your favour, and he was all set to throw down Manfred Rosso and put you in his place.

'I've been at the bottom of the pile me whole life, and there's no better place to learn how to read people, but you bloody had me convinced that you were the most vicious cunt in the kingdom. I hated you, Solveig. I fucking hated you. Pretty sure we all did, apart from Tanit, who thought you were god's gift to him.'

Solveig sat, hunched over, her bandaged face frozen in misery. She looked around the room, unwilling to meet Five's gaze.

But Five leaned down and looked up at her.

'Don't you see, though?' Five said. 'Don't you see what you did? You risked everything.

'If it hadn't worked, you'd have gone down as a villain and an idiot. But it did work. Cause you threw everything away. Everything we all want--loyalty, honour, whatever. You pissed on all of it, so they'd fear you enough to do what you told them. Even though they thought you were a cunt.'

Solveig looked up at her.

Five was looking at her with something very much like admiration.

'You ruined your name, to save your friends. And yeah, you've to live with that now. But you've still saved 'em.'

Solveig stared at her. Five reached out and squeezed her forearm, and leaned forward.

'So don't tell me you're so bloody weak and selfish. Cause maybe you are fucking mad, but if you'd go that far to help your friends, you're all right by me.'

Solveig was stunned.

Five gave her a brisk pat on the shoulder, then knelt back, turned around and beckoned the boy over to them. He brought his box over and opened the lid.

'Let's see this magic fairy gunge of yours, then,' Five said.

'It's not magic,' said the boy, annoyed. 'It's made using fundamental principles of natural philosophy.'

'Whatever. Hand it over.'

'I don't use magic. Magic is nothing but a trick.'

'If you say so.'

He handed them to Five, and she flipped open the lid of the jar.

'How much do I use,' she said.

'Just enough to fit on your fingertip,' he said.

Five took a blob of the salve and carefully wiped some of it on the older, smaller and cleaner cut on Solveig's forehead, and dabbed the remainder around the hole in her cheek. She handed the boy back the salve, took the bottle.

'Say ahh,' Five said. Solveig opened her mouth. Five shook a little inside her mouth. Solveig felt it land on her bleeding gum and winced, but then a warm numbness quickly spread over the side of her face.

She sighed, and her shoulders relaxed, and she raised her eyebrows.

'By fuck,' she said. 'That works.'

'I told you,' he said, smiling. She handed it back to him.

'Good boy,' Solveig said. 'Go and give it to someone more deserving.'

He took it, replaced them both in his box, nodded, hesitated, and scurried off.

'Does it really work?' Five said.

'Mmm,' Solveig said.

Five took a cloth poultice and poured a little of the oil on it, and had Solveig touch it to her cheek, then she took a clean bandage and unrolled it, and rolled it around Solveig's head so that it covered the wound in her cheek and was tied under her jaw.

*

Five sat back on her heels and inspected the job. It would protect Solveig's wound and would need to be changed, but it would serve. The kid's salve would either work, or wouldn't, or it would cause the wound to go black and rotten. In which case Solveig would either die, or they would cut out the dead flesh, cauterise it and dress it all over again.

*

Solveig sat back in the chair and sighed.

'Didn't know what I would do if I found you,' she said softly. 'Just wanted to know if Siegfa was right. And now I know he was.'

She looked around the room at the destruction she'd caused. Freya had dragged the corpses out of the room. Men were lying on the floor, their friends bandaging them. Nobody was looking at her. Paul was washing Owyn's cuts and bruises.

She looked at Five, and at Five's swollen eye and bloody mouth and mangled ear. Five looked as tired and in as much pain as Solveig felt, but from somewhere she had acquired the strength to take over command, and tend the wounds of someone she had the best reasons in the world to hate and mistrust.

I am like Owyn, she thought. I need a pole star, by which to orient myself.

And you have just shown me one.

The girl who was a boy.

I never paid attention to you while you walked around Hargest's banquet hall serving food and clearing tables, because I thought my place was with my brother and his friends.

But when it came to it, they were not there for Freya. You stayed, and you kept her alive. And you have done much more, for it seems she loves you, the way I wanted Siegfa to love me.

What has happened to you? Were you always so strong, and just never had a chance to show it until now?

Or have you grown up?

She stood up.

'May I call you Five.'

'Everyone else does.'

Solveig stood up and stepped aside from the chair, and indicated it.

'Then, please, Five,' she said. 'Let me look after you.'