I could feel the exhaustion in my bones, a trembling that ran parallel with the tremor of power. I reached for the magic, tried to yet again shake Ragan off his feet. The quake I sent was weak; it didn’t move the monk at all. He gave me that infernal smile as he swept forward with his sword, his movements so fast I could barely track them.

I blocked only on instinct, bringing my staff up to intercept blows I didn’t see coming. My arms shook. Mephi snapped at his legs and he sidestepped easily. Ragan was stronger with the cloud juniper berries, stronger than I’d ever been. His sword sliced a line across my thigh, and then a cut across my shoulder. I could feel him forcing me back, circling around me so that my back was at the slopes. I couldn’t seem to stop him. Rain trickled into my wounds, making them sting. They’d heal, but the next cut I didn’t dodge could be the one that spilled my guts onto the ground.

Could Alanga heal from that?

In the distance, trees groaned and cracked. The battlefield grew silent. A rushing sound filled my ears, reminding me of the crash of waves against the cliffs at Anau. What fresh horror was being visited upon us?

Ragan stepped back, allowing me a reprieve. I could feel him studying me, judging the best way to kill me. My gaze flicked over the battlefield, over the soldiers, the guards, all doing their best to fight off shamblers and war constructs alike. I caught sight of a familiar face hovering at the edge of the plateau to my left and squinted against the rain. Was that Philine? Had the Ioph Carn joined the battle too? But then the woman, whoever it was, disappeared behind a tree. I readjusted my stance, tried to steady my breathing.

“We can’t hold him off,” Mephi gasped beside me. “We’re not strong enough. Not yet.”

“Run away,” I said to him. “Get far away from here. You can still live, Mephi. There’s still the Endless Sea to swim in and fish to eat, and morsels to be begged off street vendors.”

“Jovis,” he said, his voice clear above the din, “don’t be an idiot.” And then he darted past me, past Ragan’s uplifted sword, to seize Lozhi between his teeth.

Ragan froze. He’d brought Lozhi to the battlefield to unmask Lin. But in doing so, he’d made himself vulnerable too. Lozhi didn’t move, his body limp in Mephi’s jaws. The creature was smaller than Mephi, but he still had teeth, claws and horns. He could have fought back if he’d chosen to. Instead, he whimpered. Pity filled my heart. The beast didn’t deserve what Ragan had done to him. But I would use him as collateral if I had to.

“Leave,” I told Ragan. “Leave, or your ossalen dies.”