‘Will they hold?’ Liska asked. Her eyes scanned the flocks of flying shapewalkers, looking for her parents, her sister.

‘Let’s hope so,’ said the walker. ‘You should probably get down below, just in case. This is no place for young cubs.’

Stay put, get down below . . . Liska was sick of being told what to do. She was about to complain to the walker when an injured griffyx came spiralling down to crash on the tower roof. Its shape began to melt even as it landed, and Liska was horrified to recognise her mother.

‘Mother! Are you hurt?’ She ran to her and saw one of her legs was covered with the grey seething liquid that the seepers were made of. She was grimacing in pain. Liska grabbed her hand as two healers rushed over and began trying to scrape the smoking, stinking substance off her body, dousing it with buckets of water as they worked.

‘Roots below, it burns,’ her mother said through gritted teeth. ‘Liska! Darling! What are you doing here? Are you hurt? Are you keeping out of danger?’

‘The battle woke me,’ Liska said, blinking back tears and squeezing her mother’s hand. ‘Will you be alright?’

‘This will need oil from the tree,’ said one of the healers. ‘She’ll have to go to the infirmary.’

‘I need to fight!’ Liska’s mother tried to stand but the other healer held her down.

‘You’re no use like this,’ the healer said. ‘Get treated and fight another day.’

‘There might not be another day,’ Liska heard her mother mutter, and it made Liska’s breath catch in her throat.

‘Is this it? Are we going to lose?’

Two more healers with a stretcher had come over and began shifting Liska’s mother on. With all four of them holding her down she finally gave up struggling and let herself be lifted.

‘Liska,’ she said, pulling her daughter into a desperate hug. ‘Listen to me. We’re fighting our hardest, but if the city falls, if we can’t stand . . . promise me you’ll run. Don’t try and fight these things. You’re too small, too young . . . Find a mountain cave or somewhere safe. Away from the rot . . .’

If the city falls . . . Could this really be it? ‘Mother . . .’ Liska broke her grip to stare into her mother’s eyes. ‘What about Nammu’s heart? Why don’t you come with me to find it? We’d both be safe and we might save Arbor—’

‘Not that again!’ her mother snapped, snarling at the pain in her leg. ‘You’re not listening! I need to be here to fight! And you’re too young for battles and quests! Get somewhere safe and if the city falls . . . run. Do you understand?’