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Tobi looks across the battlefield of scarred trees and dead men. “There,” he shouts, “I see him. At the back.”

“Kerik,” Lukas calls, “They’re retreating. We need to get him now.”

Kerik rides up, acknowledging what Lukas is saying and shoots the magic that had been explained the night before. A kind of spelled net, that can capture Atticul and draw him in. It flies into the air, glittering, but does not go far enough, fluttering down into the trees. Kerik swears and starts to canter forward, pressing a hand to Lyr’s chest. He tries again and this time Perl swoops in from above, sending his own power into the net. It goes further, but not far enough.

“I don’t,” Kerik splutters, “I can’t do it. I can’t control it over such a distance.”

Tobi realises they have been fools. Did they expect Atticul to risk riding at the front of his army, when he has so many warriors he can hide behind?

They have won the battle, but they have failed.

44

XAN

As they retreat back, Xan leads the Plumian battalion into Urynwud. He cheers for them, commends their valour and tells them they are freed men now, fighting for Emperor Damon who will liberate Pluma and send them home. He has taken all the enslaved Plumians from Azuria. He has found another way.

“And,” he finishes, “Pluma will be united and free.”

He swings down from his horse, blood humming with the pleasant warmth of a successful battle. He strides over to congratulate Damon, taking his forearm in the Azurian custom, then embracing him and clapping him on the back.

As he pulls back, Damon grins at him and shakes himself. He seems to grow shorter, smaller, before Xan’s eyes. And then, Xan realises he is not looking at Damon Darekul at all, but his brother. The one with the lycat.

Before he can find the Artemian words to voice anything about this, the lycat comes bounding over with her mouth bloody. The brother who is not Damon, throws his arms around her neck, collapsing to the ground and rolling around with her.

Warriors are everywhere. Harok, the great forest king is directing them, sweat on his brown and one of his arms bloody from a shoulder wound. Horses are being taken away, the injured are being treated by racing physicians, servants are moving amongst everyone with ale and bread. One of the physicians comes over to Harok and after a hurried exchange in Ambolk, leads him away.

But none of that matters. Where is Jemel?

He sees Perl, the fae, coming towards him. He addresses him in Plumian. “Xan, you brought the Plumians. You may not have seen me. I was, uh, I was flying. But I saw you. Without the Plumians coming to us, I doubt we would have been able to turn the army.”

Xan looks at Perl. “Damon was not real.”

“It is a long story. Damon was injured the night before the fight. And Doroth is dead.”

“Doroth?”

Perl shakes his head. “It matters not. Come inside. We will meet soon in the hall to discuss what to do next.”

“Next? You stopped the demons?”

“No. We failed to capture Atticul. But he did not get access to the vault of the Bellator, so we can rest a moment.”

He leads Xan inside Urynwud, into a large, busy hall, noisy with men and warm with fires and braziers. It seems to have a large white tree growing in the centre of it.

So this is Urynwud. The hidden fortress of the Amber Forest. Another man, another of Jemel’s brothers comes up behind them and slings and arm over Perl’s shoulder, “Faerie, come,” he says. And then more Artemian Xan does not pay attention to.

“Ah,” Perl says, turning to Xan, “I must take my leave of you. Please. Wait here in the hall. There is plenty to eat and drink.”

“Where is Jemel?” Xan says. Jemel was not in the battle, which was unsurprising, but he is also not here in the hall. And something happened. Something with a man called Doroth. Xan remembers that name now. Doroth was the priest who had been sent away from Attar. The one who bid Jemel translate works from the library. And he is dead? What happened? Did something happen to Jemel?

Xan looks at Perl. Perl’s expression is dark. Something is wrong.

“Where is he, fair one?” Xan says again.

“I will take you to him. What happened with Doroth caused him pain.”

“Is he hurt?”