Carel grimaced at the boy. 'You're as sulky and bad-tempered as your father. I think you've inherited more than you lot normally do.'

'Perhaps he's just particularly unpleasant,' retorted Isak sourly.

'Perhaps so, but he's not too bad a man to others. Your problem is that you have the look of your mother. He sees her in your face, and

brings out the worst in him. If you didn't get at him so, you might not have to spend your life trying to stop yourself fighting back.'

Isak turned his head sharply to meet the mercenary s knowing expression. As he looked into those dark eyes he saw the twinkle of humour that had brightened his childhood and relaxed. Carel might be

the only one who could see his internal struggle, but he was also the only one who understood it.

'White-eyes are pretty much the same, whatever the tribe,' he continued, tapping out his pipe on the rail beside him. The curl of a smile hung on his lips as he fixed a fond gaze on the youth. 'You remember I told you about Sergeant Kulet? Now that one was a bastard, the worst white-eye I've ever met. Man killed his entire family when he was sixteen – well, 'cept his mother of course, but we can't blame any of you white-eyes for the size you were as a baby. The ones to blame are the Gods, and most folk aren't that stupid.

'Anyway, the Swordmaster wasn't allowed to execute Kulet. The high priest of Nartis stepped in and said a birthmark on his face showed Kulet'd been touched by Nartis.' Carel gave a snort of scorn. Touched by a daemon more like, if you ask me, but that birthmark was as blue as a temple door, no doubt about it. We kept him just drunk enough to spend most of the day telling jokes – the bugger could make me laugh even more than your foolery can – otherwise he'd get bored and start a fight in the barracks. But when you saw him on the battlefield – well, merciful Death! If you had Kulet next to you, you were glad. He fought like a man possessed, never gave ground, never left the man next to him vulnerable. You knew you were safe in his lee.'