Ankyra Sound fife

Set before Rosalyn is found

They still regarded each other as one might strangers on a late night bus, but the Saltwinter alliance held fast. Rosalyn and Njal had left recent tracks, and the sour-faced queen of the caves still prowled the dark - Vlad could sense her mean-spirited presence in his very bones.

Caoimhe would not last, of course, but Vlad would allow her to arrive at that conclusion without help. Caiaphas would take one look at her sweet, open face - the witch queen's exact opposite - and say something so ugly that limpets would drop from the cliffs in shock. Part of him looked forward to the show - perhaps Caoimhe would surprise them, but Saltwinter was no place for hopses and dreamses.

It was a place for much gud creb, though. Vlad brought such a specimen, still wriggling, to the mouth of the cave - and shouted into it. "DEENER OF CREB EES SERVINGS."