“Pull everyone back!” Josh yelled, and when he turned to look at his sister, she was shocked to see that his pupils had turned gold and were speckled with black and red that matched the hues on the stone sword he held. Mars’s eyes had been red, she remembered. Josh reached out and, before she could say anything, caught her arm. “We’ll pull them back behind the moat,” he said. “Then we’ll set the moat on fire.”

Sophie blinked. She saw Josh, standing tall and straight, Clarent blazing in his left hand, and then her eyes silvered as the Witch’s memories flooded her and she saw the ghostly image of Mars in red and gold armor superimposed over her brother. He too carried his sword in his left hand.

Josh spotted the Bard and drew in a deep breath. “Shakespeare!” Strong and commanding, his voice echoed in the silence, and both the Bard and Palamedes looked over. Josh waved and pointed to the walls, which were now gray with wolves pouring over the battlements. “Retreat! Get back behind the moat!”

The Bard started to shake his head, but the big knight simply caught the smaller man around the waist and slung him across his shoulders. Ignoring the kicking and protesting, the Saracen Knight turned and raced back toward Flamel and the twins, with the Gabriel Hounds, in both human and dog form, close at his heels.

“Well done,” Palamedes said as he came level with Josh. “We were about to be overrun. You saved us.” The Saracen Knight dumped Shakespeare off his shoulder, setting him upright on the ground. He pushed back his helmet and grinned at the immortal. “Oh, if only you were still writing, Will; think what a tale this would make.” He looked over at Josh. “That’s it. The last of the Gabriel Hounds are with us. Let’s fire the moat.”

“Not yet. Let them get closer before we set it alight,” Josh said confidently. “That’ll hold them.” He stopped then and looked at Palamedes as doubts bubbled to the surface of his consciousness. “I mean… will it? Have you fought the Wild Hunt before?”

The huge knight nodded. “I’ve fought them. I’ve yet to see a living creature that will willingly cross fire. And despite his appearance, Cernunnos is part beast.”

“They’ll not cross it.” A red-faced Shakespeare turned to look at them. His glasses were crooked on his face. “I added a tincture or two to the oils. Some minerals, herbs and exotic spices that the Elders and Next Generation find repulsive for some reason. The moat is lined with mercury, and I’ve also mixed iron ore and various oxides throughout the liquid. Not even Cernunnos will be able to pass through the flames.”