He bunched his fists and swatted the face of the first man who reached him, killing him in an instant. The next warrior – perhaps the leader, for he was the only one wearing insignia – scored Eiric’s thigh with the point of his spear, but Eiric clasped his hand around the man’s throat and squeezed until his spine snapped.

Then Caleb joined the fight, his huge club pounding at soldier after soldier. An inner voice screamed at Eiric as he tore the humans in half and stamped down on their torsos. But all he could think about was his friend, the first of Triton’s group to support him, now on his back and staring up at the sky.

The clearing was tranquil, high in the misty tablelands, with evergreens on all sides and a carpet of lush grass. Liana, a slight eldran with flowing silver hair, green eyes, and a heart-shaped face, moved through the resting eldren, filling gourds from an earthenware jug and taking water to those of the wounded who were unable to walk.

Lifting the jug, she saw that it was empty, but then an older eldran entered the glade with a heavy ewer held in each hand.

‘Zachary,’ Liana said. Setting the jug down, she hurried over and took one of the ewers from him, grunting as she struggled with its weight. ‘You shouldn’t strain yourself.’

‘Are you saying I’m too old to help?’ he asked, his eyes twinkling.

Zachary was growing old. There were threads of white in his silver, shoulder-length hair, and in the thin eyebrows arched over his brown eyes flecked with gold. His face was narrow and his features were sharp, almost gaunt, with a crescent-shaped scar on his left cheek. But his back was straight, and he was tall enough to tower over her. His eyes were still the warmest and wisest she had ever known.

‘Of course not,’ Liana said.

‘We are the same, you and I. We both chose not to fight. But even if we disagree with Eiric’s actions, our values dictate that we must do our part to help.’

Liana smiled at Zachary, and together they refilled the smaller jugs. When their work was finished, she stretched as she walked to the edge of the clearing to gaze at the low mountains close to the edge of Sindara. It was safer for the wounded here, far from the relentless fighting. The energy of their homeland aided their recuperation and they weren’t exposed to the elements. From her position she could see a hint of the gaping holes that were the mines’ entrances. She couldn’t hide the worry from her face.

‘I’m sure he is safe,’ Zachary said, coming to stand beside her.

‘He is the king, and we both know that they’ll do everything they can to kill or capture him.’