‘But-’

Lightning beamed around at everyone and spoke louder, for our benefit: ‘I’m sure that some of us will be happy to listen to you after the meeting…for a very reasonable fee.’

A ripple of nervous laughter discharged around the room. We darted quick smiles to and fro.

‘But-’

‘I will brook no more argument. You don’t understand; this is a very important conference.’

The Emperor waited patiently but Tornado said, ‘Get her out of here, Lightning.’

Cyan glowered at him. Lightning said, ‘She’s just trying to be noticed. Find yourself a sense of humour.’

‘This is not, like, a cabaret.’

Lightning said to the room, ‘See how ready she is to roll up her sleeves and lead the fyrd? Don’t you wish she was your daughter?’

We laughed more openly this time. Cyan did not take well to being discomfited in front of the Circle. ‘Peregrine manor seems no more than one of Micawater’s musters,’ she said. ‘If I mayn’t lead my men, I’d like to win their trust as a captain perhaps.’

The Emperor looked at Lightning, clearly requesting him to end the interruption. I was about to chip in, myself, but Lightning, with his hands on his hips and an amused expression, seemed well in charge.

‘No,’ he said. ‘You may not. You may watch our operations from the town walls.’

‘I’m joining in, so tough! You can’t stop me! When you’re engaged, I’ll ride out!’

He spoke to her only, with serene persuasion. ‘You are being unreasonable, blood of mine. Unless you sit down I must find you new accommodation. Say, the upper chamber of a peel tower?’

Cyan hesitated, trying to figure this out. ‘Are you threatening to lock me up? You can’t do that!’

He sighed, exasperated. ‘These men will escort you safely to your new apartment.’ He gave a nod to the Micawater fyrdsmen standing with spears either side of the door. They began to walk towards Cyan.

She glanced with round eyes from them to her father. ‘No! I only wanted to-’ A guard took her arm but she booted him in the ankle and snatched herself free.

She pointed at Lightning. ‘I Challenge you!’

An intake of breath around the room.

Lightning stood still, mouth downturned, transfixed. Emotions welled up one after another in his expression: profound hurt. Bafflement. Pride, too, and anger. The anger surfaced quickly and quenched all the rest. ‘Do you?’ he said, measuredly.

Cyan stuttered and recovered herself. ‘I, C-Cyan Peregrine, Challenge you, Saker Micawater, for the position of Lightning within the Castle’s Circle.’

I looked around at all the shocked faces. Even the Emperor had raised his eyebrows. Tornado turned his eyes up to the ceiling, his mouth in an amused twist.

San announced, ‘I uphold the Challenge. After the current campaign.’

‘Very well…’ Lightning managed a dry whisper to Cyan. ‘Now get out of my sight.’

‘But…’

‘But what? What do you mean, but? Haven’t you done enough? Do you know what you’ve just said? Now the words are out, you can’t take them back! I’ll have to shoot against you now!’ He took a step. ‘How could you do this to me? After all I’ve done for you. You repay me by…Throwing it back in my face! Not a thought of what I’ve given you. I saved you, on the ship. I reached out! I keep reaching out!’

He spread both hands and shook them towards her. His face and neck flushed so red they were blotched with white. He yelled in fury, ‘Think before you speak! How can you Challenge me? I taught you to bloody shoot! Any man here has a better chance than you do. Any Select archer is stronger than you. What do you want? My attention? Now of all times? You always had my fond attention-now you have my Lord Emperor’s and Her Highness’s and all the bloody journalists’ attention as well!’

He took a breath, turned and punched the table. Punched it with the other hand, and leant his weight on it to breathe, leaning over the map, his head bowed and massive shoulders hunched like a lion’s. Cyan was too petrified even to cry.

He continued, more quietly, ‘Nothing I do is good enough. Is it? Nothing I can buy you. All those days I shirked target practice and spent with you. Look at yourself-’ contempt turned in his voice ‘-cashmere and my sister’s ruby pendant. You want for nothing, I made sure of that. You don’t know how privileged you are. I protect the farmers grafting in your fields. I look after the ships lying in your harbour. In return, you interrupt me! You try to get yourself killed and borne off to the Wall! Fractious, captious, ungrateful, delusional child! You’re just like your mother. She took advantage. She betrayed me, and now you do, too. Oh, you are no flesh and blood of mine!’ He collapsed into his chair. ‘…Fyrdsmen, take her to tower ten.’

Their footsteps died away in silence.

‘We will resume,’ the Emperor stated. ‘Tornado, what is the current casualty rate?’

Nobody listened to the Strongman. We were watching Lightning. He sat, chin on chest, staring at the floor, numbly unaware of his surroundings. Minutes went by and he seemed to have retracted totally into himself.

His shoulders were so taut they drew horizontal creases across his waistcoat’s chest; under his shirt sleeves his forearms’ pleated muscles were like iron. His hands dangled on the rests covered by his greatcoat, but all of a sudden he relaxed and the breath went out of him. He stood up, and muttered, ‘I must have some fresh air.’

As if running on instinct he swept a deep bow to the Emperor and said glassily, ‘My lord, will you excuse me?’

The Emperor inclined his head.

Lightning folded his arms because his hands were shaking, and left the hall.

His few enemies in the Circle looked smug; a couple leant to each other and whispered-the Archer humiliated by his impudent, imprudent daughter. I glanced around the room-most of the Eszai seemed determined to pretend it never happened. They never let someone else’s misfortune affect them.

‘Like mother, like daughter,’ I said loudly.

‘Shut up, Jant.’ Eleonora crossed her legs with slow deliberation. But I had broken the tension and the meeting continued.

I remembered, ten years ago, the Emperor saying that Lightning should listen to the child. I wanted to dash out and offer him my sympathies, but I was obliged to attend to the battle plans. In the past, I would have gone after him regardless of the consequences, but that was many years ago, and I am so very different now. Maybe in one of your romantic novels, Saker, your daughter would have loyally complied with your wishes and fought by your side, but real life doesn’t work like that. Real life doesn’t work at all.

LIGHTNING’S CHAPTER

My own daughter just Challenged me! In front of the Circle and the Emperor-and my lady Eleonora! I think I’m burning up. By god, by god. What has she turned into? With all I’ve done for her! Try as I might, rack my brains as I do, I can’t think what I could have done better. Does she think I don’t love her?-I would have changed the world for her! May the rivers Mica, Dace and Moren flood the world and drown it if she ever had cause for a fraction of one complaint.

I have failed, for her to turn out like this. I don’t know how. Yes, I do. I have not spent enough time with her. First there was the swarm and then Tris and-why can’t she be patient?

The girl is my just deserts for being a damn fool. I went against my nature with Ata; I didn’t really love her. She sent for me and I found her sitting, sobbing at her table on the ship. Such a strong woman should never be driven to tears. I put an arm around her to comfort her…fool that I am.

I must have spoilt Cyan. Yes. Yes, that’s true. My pampering her desires must have led her to think she can demand the world…How dare she?…She doesn’t realise that worlds are hard to come by.