I’m nearing the ground when a twig snaps above me. I look up and can’t see Ash, but I know with certainty that he wouldn’t snap a twig. He’s as silent as I am in trees.

A branch creaks to my right, jolting me with fear. With the dim light and the thick canopy of branches, everything is lost in shadows. I could scream in frustration. All I want to do is walk away so I can process this horror of a night. But if someone else is up there, Ash is alone to confront them. And as angry as I am, I can’t let him fight while I run off.

I pound my fist onto a branch and squeeze my eyes shut. Damn it all. I really hate you, Ash. When I open my eyes again, I scour the trees in the direction the creak came from, searching for any sign of movement.

There isn’t enough of a moon to see well, but there also isn’t wind to mask sounds. I take a breath and focus, listening. For a couple of seconds, there’s nothing but the occasional buzzing of insects in the forest. Then suddenly there’s a thump nearby and the sound of boots hitting bark.

I whip around to my right, and sure enough, I catch a glimpse of a dark figure moving through the trees above me.

I’m creeping silently along the branch when I hear another dull thud, not like boots this time, but the unmistakable sound of a fist connecting with flesh. It’s followed by another thud and a grunt.

I stop abruptly. On a smaller branch above me, I can just make out Ash struggling with the cloaked figure. My stomach bottoms out as I realize he doesn’t have his dagger. I see Ash throw a punch and his opponent jumps out of the way and down two branches. Ash pursues, and once again my view is blocked.

I hustle from branch to branch until I’m near the center of the courtyard, then grab a vine and climb up it so fast that I burn my hands. I catch sight of Ash again just as he lands a kick. I want to yell to him, to tell him that I’m coming, but breaking his concentration in the trees would be the worst thing I could do.

Ash’s opponent recovers his balance and tackles Ash. They collide and slam into the branch below them.

I scurry across the branches faster than I should and stop about ten feet above where they’re wrestling. I crouch down, finally close enough to make out the other person’s face in the gloom—Felix. He gets to his feet, but Ash doesn’t stand with him. Get up, Ash! My heart pounds one deafening thud.

Felix steps back and kicks Ash so hard that I can hear the impact of his boot on Ash’s ribs. The blow sends Ash tumbling off the branch. He quickly grabs at a vine, getting what looks like a loose hold, only to smack into another branch and fall through the darkness below.