It takes them almost four hours to get over the border. Even Cato is beginning to lose patience with the Benterian border guards by the time they are finally allowed to enter Benteria. He’s also forced to part with more than fifty gold coins to pay taxes for their horses and goods. No amount of protesting that they are personal goods makes any difference.

Alex and the others have kept a low profile, but Jamie has managed to play his part like a seasoned actor on the stage. He has an uncanny ability to appear bewildered, frustrated and sad, all at the same time, keeping in character enough to ask his ‘father’ how long they are going to take on several separate occasions.

Jamie had taken Alex’s words of warning and the plans for the next few days pretty well, all things considered. Like Alex himself, he was not happy about the prospect of having to be as ruthless as they might need to be, but he could see that they would have little choice when they came down to a fight.

The town, on the north-western side of the border, is every bit as run-down and squalid as it appeared from across the border. The houses and businesses just look a little shabby and unkempt. Everything that Jamie has heard about the state of the roads also seems to be justified, if not even understated.

Everything just seems a little neglected, as if any pride in the appearance or maintenance of the whole place had been cast aside. Luckily, being mounted would save them from the worst of the roads, but it still made the going slower than any of them would like.

For the first few miles, there’s little to distinguish this side of the border from the other. The mountains are just as tall, there’s just as much snow on the peaks and there seem to be just as many wagons and riders making their way in both directions.

The only real change for any casual observer is that the view is now beginning to open out in front of them as they walk along. It is far from offering a sight of the country ahead, but there are the first hints that the valleys below are broad and forested.

“It could be a beautiful country,” Jamie suggests. “If only the people and their king took pride in what they have.”

“I feel that perhaps, given the chance, the people would be fine with that. It’s all down to the king and his endless ambitions,” Cato tells him with a hint of sadness. “You’ll find that most of the people are good, hard-working and proud of their country. They’ve just been worn down by endless taxes and decrees.”

“Well, I guess that’s what happens when you are unable to change your king,” Jamie mutters. “If you get a bad one, you just have to put up with it until he dies.”

“Or until someone kills him,” Brion points out. “I’m not suggesting that it’s the right thing to do, but it does happen sometimes.”

“Just remember,” Alex tells them all. “We’re relying on them being unhappy with their lot. Men who are tired of their situation tend to do a poor job. We’re counting on it.”

“Maybe more places should try popular rule, like the island of Alatria?” Cato suggests. “That sort of thing seems to work well for them. By all accounts, they are prosperous and happy.”

“I don’t know,” Peta adds. “It took a great king with a vision to give up his crown and change things there. I’m not sure that many other rulers feel anything like the same way.”

“From this side of the pass, it seems so high,” Jamie adds. “It looks as if we are going to have to travel downhill for ever.”

“I know what you mean, but it’ll only be a little over two days until we get down to the river and the first bridge. From there it’s a case of following the western bank for about a week. We’ll stop a little early tonight. I’d hoped to get much further, but the time at the border has wasted the day.”

“We’re camping?” Jamie asks.

“Yes. But a little back from the road if we can find a suitable spot,” Alex tells them all. “We will start looking for a place before we get to the steepest part of the pass.”

“Steepest?” Jamie asks. “I thought it was already steeper than on the Tanerian side.”

“Indeed, but it gets really serious about six or seven miles further on. The road twists and winds down the side of the mountain in a series of very sharp and steep bends that are pretty dangerous. Wagons coming up struggle and wagons going down have to rely on their brakes more than any driver would like.”

“So that’s for tomorrow, then?”

“Yes. There’s no place to really stop and make camp and I’d not want to try it in the dark. Then there’s the rock-falls and landslides to contend with.”

“I’m beginning to wonder what madman decided to come this way,” Garvan mutters with a chuckle.

“This one,” Alex reminds him. “I do have reasons, as you all know. Anyway, I’ve travelled almost all of the high passes across the spine and they are much the same as this. Actually, a couple of them are much worse. At least we don’t get to deal with volcanoes until we are heading out of Benteria.”

“I think I’m coming round to Brion’s way of thinking,” Jamie moans. “Why did we even start on this journey? Bad roads, landslides, bloody volcanoes. What more does a journey need.”

“Well, you actually forgot the bit about a greedy king trying his best to stop us,” Cato tells him with a look of total despair.