"My lord, we've never heard of such a clan in the North," one of the Thenn warriors said.
Lynn recognized the voice—it belonged to the annoying "conversation killer" from earlier. The others shot him dirty looks.
Lynn raised one hand toward the sky and spoke in a deep, almost prophetic tone:
"My people live among the distant stars. I sailed from those stars and fell to this land."
A wave of hushed whispers spread through the group. They actually seemed to believe him.
Lynn found it surprising, but kept his face neutral.
After more careful conversation, he finally learned the full story.
The Thenns had been driven from their homes by the threat of the Others. They were preparing to follow Mance Rayder in his march on the Wall. While moving the last group of their people, they had seen the fiery meteor fall from the sky.
Their valley lay deep in the northern Frostfangs, very close to the Land of Always Winter. So Magnar Styr had taken a small band of warriors to investigate the crash site.
They had barely reached the scorched ground when the wights found them. The rest was what Lynn had witnessed.
Once they learned that the falling star was actually Lynn's "starship," the Thenns made no effort to hide what they wanted.
They wanted the noble and mighty "Son of the Stars" to become their new Magnar.
A White Walker had killed their god-like leader in the space of a few breaths. Lynn had avenged the Magnar in a single breath.
The Thenns followed strength.
One day later, Lynn traveled with the Thenns toward the Frostfangs.
To help him keep up, they built him a simple sled. In return, Lynn used his medical kit to stitch their wounds and shared his compressed biscuits and self-heating rice meals.
The Thenns didn't react with the wild amazement Lynn expected. They simply said the food tasted good.
The Thenns lived in one of the few decent places beyond the Wall—a rich valley with abundant game and geothermal heat that let them grow some fruits and vegetables. They weren't starving. They also mined copper and tin to make fine bronze weapons. Their only curse was living too close to the Land of Always Winter, making them the first clan hit hard by the Others.
They were fierce warriors. Their absolute obedience to the Magnar gave them better discipline than most free folk. They were well-equipped too—bronze helmets and weapons, leather armor sewn with bronze scales, and shields rimmed with copper.
They called themselves the last of the First Men and still kept their own lords and laws.
Some said the Thenns were more civilized than other wildlings and closer to the people south of the Wall. After getting to know them, Lynn disagreed. They were still brutal and loved raiding and killing.
They weren't truly "free" either—they simply had nothing. The Thenns understood obedience because they actually had something worth sharing and protecting.
Lynn had no real interest in becoming chief of a bunch of wildlings. He longed for the prosperous Free Cities across the Narrow Sea. Yes, they were full of decadent slavers, but they were far more advanced.
If the lands beyond the Wall were basically primitive society, then south of the Wall was feudal medieval, and the Free Cities were a mix of slavery and early capitalism.
But right now he couldn't even get past the Wall, so he would stick with the Thenns for the time being. At least they shared food and kept him from starving.
After crossing another low hill, the scout at the front suddenly shouted.
Lynn looked up. In the distance, a long black line snaked slowly but steadily across the snow like a dying worm.
It was the last group of migrating Thenns—around five hundred people.
They picked up the pace. Whenever the ground got too rough, the Thenns took turns pulling Lynn's sled with ropes.
By now his suit's external battery had died. He removed it, making the suit much lighter and easier to move in.
He had been ready to throw the heavy battery pack away, but one Thenn had quickly snatched it up, saying he wanted to turn it into a shield. The others looked jealous.
That man immediately earned the nickname "Star Shield."
After marching most of the day, they finally caught up with the tail of the main column.
An hour later the front of the procession stopped. People began chopping wood and pitching tents, using handcarts and sheep carts to form the rough outline of a camp.
When Lynn entered the makeshift camp, every eye turned to him with awe. The warriors who had returned ahead with news of Styr's death had already spread word of Lynn's origin and deeds among their people.
Some believed the stories, some doubted them, but no one dared speak against them. The men who had followed Styr were the strongest warriors of the clan, and Lynn matched their description perfectly: pale armor, a dragon coiled on his shoulder. The only thing missing was the "fire demon sword" actually being on fire.
That night the Thenns lit dozens of large bonfires around the camp.
Lynn wondered if that wouldn't attract the Others.
The Thenns explained that White Walkers and the dead feared sunlight and flame. They rarely attacked living people directly. Instead they followed at a distance, slowly picking off stragglers. Anyone who wandered off or fell behind was never seen again.
If they didn't light fires, they would wake up to find dead men inside their tents—or the dead would come looking for them.
That explained why they had cut so much wood.
The largest tent was cleared out. Lynn was invited inside along with two new faces.
They sat around a stone hearth where a whole deer was roasting. The baby dragon lay listlessly on the warm stones like a big red bat, eyes fixed hungrily on the half-cooked meat.
The Thenns discussed their clan's future with worried faces, frequently glancing at the "Son of the Stars."
Lynn had removed his helmet and gloves for better ventilation and ease of movement. Every so often he used a small bronze knife the Thenns gave him to slice off bits of charred deer meat and feed them to the dragon. It seemed to prefer the burnt parts.
Young "Star Shield" Nymo sat beside him, carefully wrapping fresh leather around Dark Sister's bare hilt. He promised that once they reached the main camp, the clan's best craftsman would make Lynn a proper new hilt and scabbard using the finest materials.
The heavy rectangular battery pack rested against Nymo's leg, now wrapped in straps. Lynn had warned him not to drill holes in it.
"Long Spear" Kassa, the man who had shared his wineskin with Lynn earlier, sat on his other side. The title "Long Spear" was common among free folk. He was the oldest in the group but still looked under forty. Given how harsh life aged people here, he was probably only in his early thirties.
The two men flanked Lynn like loyal bodyguards.
The discussion continued until the deer was reduced to bones. Even the bones were cracked open and sucked dry because supplies were scarce.
Finally, Lynn had to respond.
He cleared his throat gently and said, "I am not of your blood. If I become your Magnar, it may cause conflict within the clan."
Some eyes dimmed with disappointment. Others grew angry, ready to devour any opposition that didn't even exist yet.
Lynn raised his hand to silence them.
"You should choose your Magnar according to your own traditions. But if you are willing to follow me, then I promise I will lead you."
Kassa's eyes lit up. "Like how Styr followed Mance?"
"Star Shield" sneered. "Mance is all pretty words."
One of the new faces shot back, "But he defeated three Magnars."
Lynn felt a headache coming on. He quickly added:
"I have no desire to challenge the King-Beyond-the-Wall. Right now the Others bring a killing cold. Crossing the Wall is the only choice. The free folk must stand together."
Everyone fell silent until Kassa spoke again.
"I will stand for Magnar… and I swear I will follow the Son of the Stars forever."
Aside from the dead Styr, Kassa was the strongest warrior present. He looked around at every man in the tent until they all nodded. Then he drew his knife, sliced his palm, and smeared the blood across his face.
"Free folk do not kneel," he declared, "but we give blood oaths."
"Blood and oath!" the others roared together.