Vince felt sorry for it, and he was about to engage it with a plea to surrender when Dastion’s pike slammed through its neck from behind. The dwarf heaved and twisted, and the figure’s head snapped to one side. It was dead before he shook it loose from his weapon.

No one spoke. They’d known what was coming, but the sudden killing still struck them all hard. Vince glanced at Dastion, and the dwarf averted his eyes. Vince was glad he saw no glory there, no gloating. Killing should never feel good.

They went on, Dastion first, Vince and Angela behind with Sammi between them. She walked quickly with the relics bundled up against her chest, and Vince wondered what she was thinking. She’d said nothing about the slaughtered Kin. He hoped she would be ready soon. If not, this would all be for nothing.

Another shape darted towards them from the shadows and Dastion lashed out. He missed and went spinning, and the shape faded and then reformed closer to them, a shimmer in the darkness, a shadow in shadows.

Angela cried out, jerked to the side, and slapped at her head. Vince went towards her and felt something stinging against his own scalp, like a raking of invisible claws.

Sammi whispered words he could not hear and the assault ended as suddenly as it had begun. He and Angela went close and checked each other, hands bloodied from their wounds. Her head was cut beneath her hairline, his left ear was scraped and tattered.

Dastion came at them with his pike raised, but Sammi held out her hand.

“It’s sleeping,” she said. “Not for long, but I found its dreams and called it down.”

“What is it?” Angela asked.

“Wisp,” Sammi said, and Vince immediately thought of Ahara. None of them had seen the wisp since the Fold had formed and closed two years before, and they were still unsure whether it had been for or against Mallian even then. Now, perhaps this was Ahara showing its true allegiance.

“It welcomes the dreams,” Sammi said. “It’s confused.”

“It’s not the only one,” Vince said. “You can do this to any of them?”

“The ones whose dreams I see, I think so,” Sammi said, frowning. “But don’t rely on me, Vince. Not yet. I’ve got more important things to work on, and I’m almost there.”

From lower in the valley, down by the river, they heard a long, high howl of pain. It sent a cool shiver down Vince’s spine.

“We’re close,” Angela whispered. They were nearing the last place they’d seen Mallian, where the three infected Kin had been released from the old cooler room. Vince gripped his wooden spear and realised how ineffective it would be. Blood trickled down his face, and his broken arm pulsed with pain.