He made a strange sucking, whistling sound whenever he breathed.”

The youths had started to back off now. No one wanted to be quite so close to the horse any more. “All I have to do is whistle and he’ll break your skull. He’ll take pleasure in it, for he’s a vicious brute if truth be told.”

“You’re lying,” said Bors. He did not sound so sure of himself now. He glared at Kormak caught between fear, anger and losing face in front of his gang. “That nag is no warhorse.”

“Would you like to bet your life on that,” Kormak said. For a long moment, they exchanged glares.

“Sure,” said Bors. “Why not?”

Kormak whistled.

Chapter Two

IN THE INSTANT all eyes went to the horse, Kormak kicked Bors very hard between the legs. The youth screamed and bent double. Kormak reached down and pulled the knife from Bors’s scabbard, then brought its pommel down on the back of his head, sending him sprawling on the snow-covered cobblestones.

Before the gang realised what had happened, he stepped towards the weasel-faced youth with the drawn dagger. He was ready to parry any strike the youth might make but the boy was still looking at the horse. Kormak knocked the knife from his hand then smacked him on the side of the head, dropping him.

By the time the gangs’ eyes were back on him, he had picked up the dagger and had a blade in each hand. They stared at him as if he were a magician, still not quite understanding what had happened. One of them brandished his knife and Kormak shook his head and drew back one of the daggers as if to throw. “I would prefer not to kill any of you,” he said. “But I will if you make me.”

Bors looked up at him, groaning. “Bastard,” he said.

Kormak stood on his hand. There was a sound like a small twig snapping. “I’ve had enough lip from you for one day,” he said. “Any more and I break the rest of your fingers.”

The gang still looked at him. He advanced with a menacing look on his face and they turned and ran, leaving him with the two he had downed and young Jan, who had run up and was starting to apply the boot to Bors. “You’ll stomp me, will you?” He said.

“Enough,” said Kormak told him, suddenly tired of it all. “Or I’ll skin you myself.”

The boy backed away quickly. “Run along,” Kormak said. “You won’t have any more trouble with this bunch at least not today.”

Jan looked at him. “I won’t forget this, sir,” he said. “You saved me from these moon-lovers and I’ll remember that.”

“Sod off, cat-eater,” said Bors from the ground. “You won’t always be so lucky.”

“I’m serious, sir,” said Jan. “If you ever need somebody to watch your back, I’ll be there.”

He seemed very serious.