Liska looked around them, at the deep shadows in the shells of the buildings. There could be people here like Elowen, rising from centuries of slumber to peer out at these strangers suddenly appearing in their city. The thought made her shudder and shuffle closer to the fire.

*

Bright sunlight, shining through her eyelids.

Liska yawned and rolled over on her blanket, wincing at how much her back ached from sleeping on a stone-paved floor, and discovered the head of a half-eaten mouse had been left just inches from her face. Sightless eyes stared up at her and a tiny pink tongue poked out from a corner of its mouth.

‘Yuck!’ she shouted, jumping up. ‘Who put that there?’

Fishbone was curled up next to her, watching her with a glinting, yellow eye. ‘Me,’ he said. ‘Is a present. Or breakfast. Do humies eat mouse heads?’

‘Not this one,’ said Liska. ‘Thank you, though. I guess.’

She stretched her arms and legs, feeling as though she had slept for hours and hours. Then she looked up at the sun and noticed it was nearly at its mid-day position. She had slept for hours! Why had nobody woken her?

She looked across the plaza, past the ashes of their campfire, and saw Elowen and Lug standing by Myrtle, stroking her nose as she made sad, mewing noises.

Still seething about the time they had wasted sleeping, Liska walked over.

‘What’s going on?’ she said. ‘Why did you let me sleep so late?’

‘I’m sorry,’ said Elowen. ‘I spent the night wandering the ruins. I lost track of time.’

‘Fishbone and I have only just woken up ourselves,’ said Lug. ‘We were so tired. If Myrtle hadn’t started crying, we’d probably still be snoring now.’

‘What’s wrong with her?’

The wyvern was rubbing its nose up against Lug, whimpering softly.

‘I think she’s hungry,’ said Lug. ‘Poor little thing. I wish I could help but I have no idea what to feed her.’

‘She should be able to hunt,’ said Elowen. ‘Baby wyverns hatch from their eggs and then fend for themselves.’

‘Then why isn’t she doing it?’ Lug scratched her nose, looking worried.

‘She doesn’t want to leave you,’ Liska said. ‘But she knows she has to.’

Lug shot her a look, thinking that she was teasing him, but saw she was being serious.

‘What makes you say that?’

Liska shrugged. She couldn’t explain exactly. It was how Myrtle was moving, the way she looked at Lug. It just seemed obvious.

‘Liska is a shapewalker, remember,’ said Elowen. ‘She is more than part animal. She understands their body language and what goes through their heads.’

‘Oh.’ Lug looked even sadder. He wrapped his arms around Myrtle’s neck. ‘Then I suppose I have to make her leave. Although I wish she could stay forever. Do you think she’ll be able to find us again?’