The giant’s eyes seemed to spark at the name. Lines of runes could be seen now, glinting across its arms and body as they crackled with forgotten energy. It blinked and raised its hands to stare at them. Then it moved closer to the fire, peering down at Liska and the others.

‘THERE WAS A CITY. AND A TREE OF GOLDEN BARK AND SUN-COLOURED LEAVES. THERE WERE OTHERS LIKE ME. AND ANIMALS WHO TALKED. MANY SMALL PEOPLE WHO MADE THINGS WITH MAGIC. I THOUGHT I HAD DREAMT IT, OVER AND OVER. WAS THIS ALL REAL?’

‘Yes,’ said Elowen. ‘Yes, it was. I was there too when I was a young child. It was a beautiful place, full of light and happiness. And then the shadow tree tried to destroy it all. You treekeepers and the shapewalkers brought the heart of Lysalm here, and there was a mighty battle . . .’

The giant looked around the inside of the cavernous tree stump. It reached out a craggy hand to touch the soil.

‘I REMEMBER WAKING UP HERE ALL ALONE. THERE WAS DEATH AND DESTRUCTION EVERYWHERE, BUT MY MIND WAS CLOUDY. THERE WAS NOTHING BUT CLOUDS FOR SUCH A LONG, LONG TIME. AND THEN I SAW THOSE CREATURES THE HUNTER HAD . . . THE THINGS THAT WERE MY ENEMY . . . AND THE MEMORIES STARTED TO RETURN . . .’

Lug leaned over to whisper in Liska’s ear. ‘Does this mean it’s not going to eat us?’

She ignored him. There were things she needed to know. ‘Can you remember how many seepers . . . creatures . . . the hunter had with her?’

The giant looked down at her, frowning for a moment at the sight of a talking, winged fox. ‘YOU ARE A SHAPEWALKER. I CAN SENSE THE MAGIC FLOWING THROUGH YOU. BUT IT IS STRANGE SOMEHOW. DIFFERENT TO THAT I ONCE KNEW.’

‘Yes,’ said Liska. ‘We come from another city like Almberg. With a different tree. The hunter and her friends are trying to destroy it. Can you tell us how many creatures she had with her?’

‘FIVE, I THINK,’ said the giant. ‘I KILLED TWO OF THEM. I CAN STILL SMELL THEIR POISON . . .’

‘Five,’ said Liska. ‘That means Beric must have destroyed two as well. But she still has three left. And she knows we are here. She’ll be on us as soon as we leave this place.’

‘That’s if we even get to leave,’ Lug muttered. He was staring up at the giant in a mixture of fear and awe. It was colossal even compared to the treekeepers back in Arborven. In its prime, it must have been taller still, and brimming with power.

‘WHY ARE YOU HERE, IN THIS DARK, DEAD PLACE?’ the giant asked. ‘WHY ARE YOU NOT WITH YOUR TREE?’

‘Our tree is under attack,’ Liska explained. She briefly told the giant about Bitterblight and their quest to find Nammu’s heart. At the mention of what they were trying to do, great sorrow seemed to pass over the giant’s face.