‘That must have convinced you!’ Silvia said to Antonio. ‘Those monsters were tougher.’

‘Yes,’ said Antonio from his safe distance, ‘they were a little tougher, I’ll grant you. But no, I’m still not fully convinced. You folks have some clever tricks up your sleeve, I’ll grant you, but you haven’t shown me what you’re really made of yet. Let’s try just one more monster group, and then I’ll make my final decision.’

This time Olivia made a sort of growling noise of frustration, which Antonio must have been able to hear.

‘Stay patient, stay patient, granddaughter,’ said Primus.

Horatio puzzled at this odd role-reversal on Primus’ part. Before they had found Olivia he had been so impatient to keep up the pace and get to her as quickly as possible. Now he was the one making the calming and slowing comments, as Horatio himself had had to do before.

Then he realised why. Of course. Primus had been desperate to keep up the pace before they had found Olivia. What he really cared about was keeping his granddaughter safe. He probably didn’t mind if they spent the next few weeks running up and down the shore fighting low-level monsters, so long as Olivia was out of harm’s way. He probably wasn’t in a particular hurry to get them over to the Frozen Wastes and to find the Clarent Sword, where the Braxians might be headed too, and where there would likely only be more danger for Olivia and the rest of them.

‘Alright,’ Horatio said to Antonio. ‘One more monster group. But that’s all. Then you make your decision.’

‘Of course.’ Antonio grinned at him, then struck a match on his boot in order to light a pipe which he stuck in his mouth.

They picked their way across the beach looking for more monsters. Again monsters eluded them. The sun began to blend into the Western horizon, lending the sky and sea a beautiful orange glow amidst the silhouettes of the darkening dunes. It had almost set completely by the time they finally found one last collection of monsters, and charged into battle to appease Antonio.

Battle 4