‘Help me,’ said Rochant, ‘and you’ll be reclaiming your own life too. They took you from your home and left you to die in the Wild.’

‘They did?’

The cook nodded sadly. ‘Killed your cousins and your father, would have killed you as well if old Roh hadn’t stopped them.’

It struck him then: this place should have been his home. He should have grown up surrounded by lovely smells and warm places to sit. He should have had a father and a mother, cousins, friends, people to watch out for him, people to hold him in the dark.

Sa-at didn’t often feel angry, but he felt angry now. ‘Okay,’ he said. ‘I’ll help you.’

Rochant met his eyes, approving, and all of his tiredness fell away in a rush of pride.

The cook clapped her hands together. ‘I’ll go dig out some biscuits and a little of your favourite cheese, my lord. I can see it’s going to be a long night.’

Pari and Arkav bounded beneath the bulk of Lord Rochant’s floating castle, their armour glowing in the night. In great loping strides they came to the crest of rock at the edge of the great chasm. Waiting there were the Bringers of Endless Order, seven robed silhouettes. One of them broke away from the others to approach, the one who had agreed to help them, Pari was sure of it. In her armour, she felt sharper, more confident in her intuitions.

‘Good evening,’ said Pari.

‘Are you ready to begin?’

‘Not quite. Those lanterns you made for High Lord Tanzanite, the ones she gave to Lord Arkav. You designed them to work against the armour, didn’t you?’

‘We made what was asked of us.’

‘She knew Yadavendra wouldn’t go without a fight and so did you.’ She looked at Arkav. ‘But how did you know to use them as a weapon?’

‘High Lord Priyamvada told me before we left,’ Arkav replied. ‘She said they were a last resort.’

‘Why didn’t you tell me? No, let me guess, she told you not to.’

‘Yes.’

‘Did she say why?’

‘She said I could be trusted to show proper restraint in their use.’ He shrugged, his wings glinting in the dark. ‘I agreed with her.’

‘After all this, you didn’t trust me?’

‘I trust you with my life, Pari.’ A hint of humour showed in his eyes behind the helmet. ‘I just don’t trust you to show restraint.’

‘Believe me when I tell you I’m showing a lot of restraint right now.’

A lone howl sounded in the dark. The first of the predators setting out from the Wild. She turned back to the lead Bringer. ‘Was it really necessary to do this at night?’

‘Yes. The place you are going to is closer now than in the day.’

‘I don’t follow.’