‘It was my sister’s,’ the witch said in response. ‘She received it as a gift, but I never found out who from. It was very special to her. Now she means you to have it.’

‘A majikal item,’ Astrid said. It was more of a statement than a question. Before meeting Lann and Fleya, the world she inhabited had not involved majik or the Art. And though she had seen the great good it could do, she still harboured deep-seated anxieties about this new supernatural landscape and the things that came from it.

‘It is, yes.’

Astrid frowned. ‘My father always told me to be careful when accepting gifts, and that those given most freely were often those that carried the most risk. You yourself told me you wished Lann hadn’t taken the sword when it was offered him, and that it was as much a curse as it was a blessing. How do I know this gift won’t prove to be the same for me?’

Fleya shook her head. ‘Items of majik always demand something from their bearer.’

‘Lann?’ Astrid said. ‘Why should I take this thing?’

‘I don’t know,’ he said gently. ‘There may be a price, as with the Dreadblade. All I know is that, last night, I saw my mother in this place, and she left this here so I might give it to you.’

‘Lette was here?’ Fleya gasped, staring out to the spot where Lann had crouched down to pick the item up. When she finally managed to tear her eyes away she turned them on Astrid. ‘My sister was the best and kindest human I have known. If the armlet could cause harm she would not have left it for you.’

Astrid gingerly reached out and took the bangle. Still not sure she was doing the right thing, she slipped it over her wrist and up on to her arm; as she did so, it was as if a filter were removed from her vision.

The first thing that struck her was the glow that surrounded each of the nine stones. The auras were like nothing she’d ever seen before: blue and green shifting patterns danced off their outer surface. There was nothing sinister about that other-worldly radiance; quite the opposite: she felt it was a place of safety, of … sanctuary. She turned to comment on this to Fleya but the words were strangled in her mouth by what faced her. Gone was the beautiful woman she had first seen in the mirror on the fateful night before Lann declared himself her brother’s champion. Instead, a wizened and shrunken version stood before her. The sudden transformation caused her to gasp in surprise.