After a while, Isak tried to speak. ‘I can’t do this … Not now … We must keep fighting.’

Joe watched Isak’s struggle to tamp down his grief, putting his feelings somewhere deep and locking them away so he could carry on with this battle. His brother took a few breaths, swallowing it all down. ‘And my sister?’ His face turned hard, almost unrecognisable, lit by distant flame as the freed soldiers took their fight to the palace. ‘What have they done with Tarya? I thought, when I saw Heral …’ He couldn’t go on. 266

‘No, she’s in there. We think. With Vigo. And their daughter.’

‘Daughter?’

Joe nodded, with a fleeting smile. ‘The Brotherhood were planning a trial, tomorrow. That’s why we acted tonight.’

He saw Isak slump with relief. ‘That’s good. That means she’s alive. They must’ve worked out how to block her thoughts from Heral using a yew barrier. That’s the only reason he’s not smashed that palace to pieces already. If we can just work out where they’re keeping them …’

Just then Belara growled a deep mrraaa.

‘And that’s where I come in,’ a new voice said. ‘Didn’t I tell you it would work?’ Yannic was strutting towards them with his thumbs in his pockets.

Isak pushed Joe behind him and drew his short sword. ‘Hold! Stop there.’

‘It’s all right, Isak, he’s with us,’ Joe cried, pushing past to stand between them.

‘Oh, yes, I’d better ditch this.’ Yannic stripped off his black jacket and tucked it under one arm. ‘And don’t forget to tell your sister just how grateful you are. She can turn that gratitude into gold. Now, shall we go find her?’

‘Who is this?’ Isak spat and swore.

‘Yannic, Tarya’s spy.’ Joe hurried through an explanation.

Another explosion made them all turn back to the palace. The fighting had lasted hours now – Joe had lost all track of time. Surely it was almost over? The Brotherhood couldn’t last long, outnumbered by the duke’s army and more than a dozen fully grown dragons.267

‘I’m going to get my sister out of there.’ Isak put one hand on Belara’s back, and prepared to mount. ‘You, Yannic? If you’re really one of us, you can prove it now.’

But before anyone could move, a voice screamed in the darkness, filled with desperate fear. ‘Joe Thornsen? Where are you?’

Joe was filled with dread. That was Winter’s voice. ‘Winter? What’s happened, I thought the duke’s soldiers were free, that they’d … I thought …’ His words petered out.

Winter stumbled out into view, her arms outstretched, like a sleepwalker. Her face was a mask of terror, lit by the flames. Fidell ran at her side, eyes wide, ears flat, tail tucked down low.

Joe didn’t want to ask. He wanted to hide his face in Ren’s scaly back and pray to wake up, somewhere safe, somewhere else. He gulped, his mouth dry and sour with fear. He made himself ask, ‘What is it? What’s happened now?’