Hurry up. It was too dark to see anything on the tundra now but Thresher was out there, edging ever closer.

As if summoned by her thoughts, Liska saw the gleam of a fire suddenly appear far out on the frozen plain. Her breath caught in her throat.

‘A campfire,’ said Fishbone, spotting it as well.

‘She’s stopped for the night?’

‘Makes sense,’ said Fishbone. ‘She can’t run on forever. And she is a humie like you. She will freeze without heat.’

‘And I suppose she doesn’t have to rush any more. She knows we’re at the tree. We’ll have to go past her on the way back. She’s got us cornered. She can just sit there in her camp and wait for us to come to her.’

‘Or the f-fire’s a t-trick and she’s sneaking up to us right n-now.’ Lug’s weak, wavering voice came from inside his pile of blankets. Liska was so glad to hear it she didn’t even mind that he was moaning again.

‘Lug! You’re awake!’ She hurried over to him with a cup of snowmelt water and some roasted groundhog. Helping him to sit up, she put the cup to his cracked, frozen lips and then hugged him as gently as she could.

‘I c-can’t feel my h-hands,’ he said.

Liska took a quick peek inside his mittens at his purple fingers and decided it was best to tell a white lie. ‘They got very cold,’ she said. ‘Because you took your stupid gloves off. It might take some time for the feeling to come back.’

‘I’m s-sorry,’ Lug stammered. ‘I j-just wanted to hold Mister Wriggles.’

‘No, I’m sorry,’ Liska interrupted him and then wrapped him up in another hug. ‘I should never have made you come. But I don’t think I’d have had the strength to leave if you weren’t with me. So I’m glad I did, too.’

She felt Lug squeeze her back and then he spoke into the fur of her cloak. ‘Did I m-miss anything?’

‘Well,’ Liska sat back and pointed to the giant tree and the cascade of magical blue light that was surrounding it. ‘We’re at Nammu! We actually did it! Oh, and Elowen is turning its guardian into a treekeeper with an ancient magical ritual.’

‘What? H-how can she do that?’

‘Turns out she’s an elder arbomancer.’ Liska grinned as Lug pulled the exact same face she had earlier. ‘Her family created the treekeepers back home. Edda is actually her uncle.’

‘An elder?’ Lug blinked in disbelief. ‘I thought she would t-turn out to be a sapsmith. Or maybe even a vermispex like me. But an elder . . .’

‘I know.’ Liska spread her hands and shrugged. ‘And – even better – we’ll have a giant tree person on our side when we have to fight Thresher. If Elowen finishes the spell in time.’