Zara glows. ‘You see. Humanity has its own power.’

‘Humanity has all the power,’ Yanny mutters, standing. ‘Only not in the forest right now. Come on, then – let’s get this over with.’

Zara pulls a face at me. ‘Makes him grumpy, being sick.’

‘I’m not sick. Just tired.’ He pulls his coat on and turns to Nan. ‘Thank you, Mrs Brigg, for dinner. It was lovely, but I really must go.’ He stalks to the door, but it’s laden with charms, and he jolts back when he touches it. ‘Stella –’ he gestures to the door – ‘if you please?’

‘Goodness sake,’ I say. I pull down the silver bells, unlocking the door and opening it to the brittle, dark night. ‘After you. Peg, will you put the bells back up?’

‘No, I’ll just leave the place unprotected,’ Peg says sarcastically.

I glare at him. I’ve got enough strop on my plate without him joining in.

Teacake scoots out ahead of us, and I give Nan a quick, grateful smile, and she nods with another one of those ‘we’ll be talking’ looks on her face. I blow her a kiss and head out after the others into the wind and the rain, unhitching all the charms around the silver wire so we can get out. Only, they’re not live. I forgot to set them again once we were inside.

‘Stella?’ Peg bounds up to my shoulder. ‘Have the barriers been down all this time?’

‘No – I just . . .’ I stare at him. ‘I took them down to let Yanny in, and then I whispered the spell so he’d be able to enter in peace. The silver at the door was working . . .’

‘But not the fence.’

‘It was only for an hour or so. What do you think might’ve happened?’

‘Probably nothing,’ he says. ‘Go on. I’ll get everything back up. Be safe, Stella. Keep your power close.’

Teacake looks up at him and opens her tiny pink mouth to yowl.

‘Yes, that’s very reassuring,’ he says. ‘I’m sure the forest will quail before you, furball.’

A look passes between them that I can’t read, and then she hisses, and bounces off to join Yanny and Zara as they start the trudge towards the dark mass of the forest.

‘What was that with Teacake, Peg?’ I ask, looking after them. ‘Is there anything I should know? How many secrets are you keeping?’

‘Oh, many,’ he says. ‘But as for that little sph—’ He chokes, as if he have a furball of his own. ‘As for that little kitten, I should say she’s exactly what she looks like: silly.’

Centauride/Centaur

Half horse, half human in appearance, powerful, and always on the front line of any conflict in the fae forest realms. Their magic is in the strength they bear, and in the weapons they wield. The bows, swords and daggers forged by their kind are unparalleled in craft or power.