‘You’re right,’ I say reluctantly, remembering how I was able to get rid of the shadow last night. There’s no more time for waiting; I need to see if I can do the same in Winterspell. I need to get past the shadows to the palace. ‘I should’ve done more, sooner,’ I say, feeling wretched.

‘But what?’ Zara demands. ‘You have to have a plan before you go flouncing off in there!’ ‘No matter who she is, Lost Prince or not, she’s still just one small person, Yanny! You can’t just rush in and save everything, even if you really want to. You have to think about how – and you have to work together . . .’ she looks between us hopelessly. ‘We all have to work together, don’t we? Isn’t that what this is all about? Sticking together, no matter what? Nobody’s got it easy; everybody’s fighting. Even if it doesn’t look like it, even if everything is quiet on the surface, everyone’s got a war going on somewhere. Do we all have to shine like the moon just so that you can see when something hurts? Nobody knows what they’re doing – we’re all just trying our best. And we should be doing that together, not keeping secrets and blaming each other!’

Her eyes are bright with unspilt tears, and I don’t know what to say. What do I know of how her life has fallen apart with her parents’ separation? How have I helped her?

‘I’m sorry,’ I say.

‘Stop being flipping sorry about everything!’ she howls. ‘Just be you!’ She stares between us both, and her eyes are just as fiery – just as stormy – as I’ve ever seen in any fae.

‘So when are you going to do this saving of us all?’ Yanny asks a few moments later. ‘I suppose in the depths of night, when the shadows are at their strongest, and the moon is a crescent in the sky, and all the bells are ringing?’

‘Don’t be silly,’ growls Peg, making us all jump. ‘We’ll do it at dawn. When the centauride calls. That’s the time to do it.’

‘We?’ I ask.

‘Just you try stealing off alone,’ he says, his scales flashing as he rounds on me, eyes ablaze. ‘See where that gets you.’

Teacake jumps off the shelf and sits by him, her chest puffed, so they seem in agreement about that, if little else.

‘But I don’t want to put any of you in danger.’

‘It isn’t up to you,’ Zara says with a sweet, steely smile. ‘It isn’t only your fight. And you aren’t the only one who feels it.’

‘I didn’t mean . . .’

‘Sure you didn’t.’ Yanny sighs. ‘It’s a sprite thing. Superior – always have been. I’ll leave you to your studies – I have to get back. Some of us can’t be waiting around for their magic to just happen.’ He twiddles his fingers in a mock-mystical sort of way.

‘I’m not just waiting!’ I protest. ‘I promise—’