To east and west, it was as if the Underworld had climbed up onto Malel’s skin and unleashed its horrors upon them.

In the west, Melody and Tokob came together. She imagined the shock through the ground and air as the two forces met, the impacts of spears and clubs on armour, through flesh, the stamps and falls and screams shivering the sky, splitting the earth, enough to make Malel weep for her children. Or perhaps hide her face in shame.

‘… lost the goddess’s protection,’ Eja Esna was saying when she could drag her gaze back to the group. The ejab chest heaved ragged breaths and her words were garbled, hard to read. ‘Vaqix died in the womb and then she’ – a finger jabbed in Xessa’s direction – ‘put that abomination in there and now Malel has taken her blessing from us. We’ve lost everything. Better to open our own throats, or throw ourselves at the Pechaqueh and let them kill us, than to live on without the goddess.’

What frightened Xessa most was that no one contradicted her. For long seconds no one signed, no one spoke. Heat chased cold through her limbs.

‘We have not lost her blessing,’ Apok said eventually. ‘We have not. It is Malel for whom we fight. There will be no quiet surrender or despairing suicide. There will be no wild charge into the enemy ranks with the sole aim of dying. We are warriors and the lives and freedoms of every Toko, every Yalotl, depend on us. Will you let them down, Esna? Will you allow your brother’s children to be slaughtered without doing all you can to spare them? Are they worth so little?’

Esna stumbled back as though the words were knives. Her lip wobbled but she shook her head.

‘Then go with Lutek and fight. All of you, with Malel’s blessings, fight and win.’

Lutek slung her arm around Esna’s shoulders and steered her down the steps and Toxte took Xessa’s hand, pressing a kiss to her lips and hair, avoiding the paint on her brow and cheeks so he didn’t smear it. She kissed him back hungrily and recited her new daily prayer. I am eja. I will defend my people against all their enemies. Whether they bleed green or red, they will not beat me.

But save this man, Malel. Spare my husband.

What were they hearing as they jogged uphill? Aside from breath and blood and feet pounding the paths, what else could they hear? And did those sounds – of life and the deaths that ended it, of screams and the clash of weapons – provide strength or steal it? Xessa was glad not to know.

Ekka ran between her and Toxte. The dogs had never been trained for this, but they were protective of their owners and aggressive with strangers, and they had taken to the fight as though born to it.