‘Lug?’ Liska sniffed the air, trying to pick up his scent. ‘We have to find him! We need to leave tonight!’

‘Really?’ Instead of objecting, Elowen reached behind the door for a pack of her own. She slung it on to a shoulder and then picked up Liska’s too. ‘What are you waiting for, then? Let’s go!’

*

They ran through the trees of Arborven, heading for the Undrentree in the centre. Before they even got close, they could hear the rumbling of hundreds of voices. The whole of the city had been called out and were gathered in the square.

Standing at the edge of the treeline, Liska could see the towering treekeepers rearing up from the mass of bodies. They seemed to be guiding cockatrice and manticore shapewalkers as they swooped down from the sky, landing briefly so that mages could leap on to their backs before beating their way skywards again, back to the forts.

‘They’re sending them to use their magic in the battle,’ said Elowen, her face lit up with excitement. ‘How clever!’

‘It’s not a circus,’ snapped Liska. ‘The whole city could be destroyed.’

‘Sorry,’ said Elowen. ‘It’s just . . . I’ve hardly seen a soul for over a hundred years. All these people . . . the Undrentree . . . it’s just as I remembered. So exciting!’

‘Come on,’ said Liska, her nose to the ground. ‘We need to find Lug.’

She dashed around the edge of the gathering, sniffing every blade of grass. Finally she picked up a swampy, nervous smell she recognised. A few seconds later she spotted Lug standing by a pile of baggage looking terrified.

‘Lug!’ she shouted, running up to him. ‘What are you doing here?’

‘Liska! And Elowen!’ Lug jumped at the sight of them. The worm mage was a trembling wreck. ‘The city is under attack!’ he blurted. ‘All the mages have been summoned. My parents are in there, ready to help fight. They made us evacuate the Scrubbings in case the rot creatures break through the mountain wall.’

‘What are you doing here on your own?’ Liska asked, looking at the mound of vermispex bags and boxes next to him.

‘I’m . . . um . . . supposed to be watching everyone’s stuff,’ Lug said. ‘It’s a very important job, actually.’

‘Well, forget about being a baggage boy,’ said Liska. ‘We’ve decided we need to leave now. I wasn’t going to go at all, for a bit, but then the attack started and my mother’s hurt, and she told me to run . . .’

‘Wait. What? We’re going now?’

‘Yes,’ Liska pawed at his robes. ‘The city could fall at any minute. We would have to run anyway so we might as well go now. If there’s a chance to get Nammu’s heart and stop all this . . .’