Free Bloodmind by Liz Williams

taken the Rock. You intimated that you’re aware of that.’
    ‘Of course,’ Eld said, with a touch of impatience. ‘Why else do you think I went to so much trouble to get you out?’
    ‘Both Morrighanu and vitki are from Darkland. I was assuming you’re on the same side.’
    A bark of laughter, like a fenris’ cry. ‘You said it yourself. Both Morrighanu and vitki are from Darkland. I’ll explain later, Vali. As far as I can.’
    Twilight was falling when we crossed the channel. I was concerned that there might be spy-wings along the coast, but Eld assured me that Morvern was a
law unto itself even in this time of war and the coast would, literally, be clear. He left the sled where it was and released the fenris team. I did not see where they went, but was glad to have
them gone. Even the broken pavement of the ice seemed safe in comparison to their presence.
    ‘We’ll have to go across on foot,’ Eld said, pointing to bobbing ice and racing water, so cold that it ran green-clear through the cracks. I said nothing, but the expression on
my face must have told him everything he needed to know. He gave a slight smile.
    ‘Believe it or not, I know what I’m doing. The selk have been better scouts than any human or device could ever be. I worked out the route with them when I came this way and
it’s keyed into my map implant. All you have to do is follow me and you’ll be all right.’
    All you have to do is trust me. My paranoia was beginning to work overtime.
    ‘Very well,’ I said, not without effort. ‘Lead the way.’
    Ultimately, it did not take long to cross the channel, but at the time it seemed like several days. It was easier to connect my seith to Eld’s, though I did not like doing so as I was not
sure what I might be betraying. But the man seemed to know everything about me as it was, just as the Morrighanu now did, and I liked that even less. It was as though an invisible line stretched
between us, towing me along as we stepped or jumped from slab to slab. A surprising quantity of the ice was steady, seemingly stone-solid even though I could see through it to the twisting water
beneath, but some of the slabs rocked and heaved as we set foot on them. Eld and I danced and balanced our way across the middle part of the channel and as we did so I wondered just how much the
configuration of the ice had changed since he last came this way. It must only have been a little time ago, but things change quickly in the northern spring. Then, through the green race of water,
I saw three round heads emerge, blink, sink once more and knew that the selk were keeping an eye on us. I could have done with the knowledge of their presence earlier, but it was good to know that
they were there.
    And then at last we were standing on a snowy shore, looking back across the channel. I could feel the difference in the air, as though the land itself had turned and was watching me. We had
reached Darkland.
     
ELEVEN
    How to explain it? When I kill, I feel a great love and sympathy for my prey. It’s as though I can see their souls going down into the dark and that darkness is a
mother’s womb, no place to be feared. It is clean and pure, especially when done outside in the snow of the forest, and I make sure that they suffer no pain. I bring the illusions to them,
drawing visions from the earth and from their own blood. Sometimes, I like to think, I give them what they most wish to see and then I am doing them a great service, am I not, in freeing them from
the slavery of the flesh?
    Besides, everyone dies.
     
TWELVE
P LANET : N HAM (H UNAN )
    We gave her the new name when she was well enough. She herself chose to be called Khainet, an invented name, as all must be. We held the ceremony up in the bell tower,
about ten days after Seliye and I had brought her down from the mountains. She did not have much speech at that point, naturally, none of the rescued women did, but she was learning fast and she
picked