She clenched her jaw. Shouting wouldn’t help. “Could you keep these for me?” She held out her journal and the parcel. “I bought a toy boat as a grave present for Thorn, and I don’t want it to get broken. Can you keep it safe, please?”

“Storm, come on…” His expression told her that looking after a toy boat didn’t seem terribly heroic.

“Just for a little while. I won’t be long.”

Cloud sighed. “Can I have a look at the boat?”

She smiled, relieved. “Absolutely. It’s amazing so take care of it, please.”

Storm left him unwrapping the parcel and hurried into the garden until she was out of sight. The fire had not been a coincidence. Not after that dream! Once more the Earth spirit had saved her. And where was Scoundrel? Worry wrinkled her brow, and Storm called for the cling-monkey as she walked. No scampering shape came running to her out of the moon-shadows. He made it out of the window, said her mind-voice. Scoundrel can look after himself.

Storm walked deep into the garden, as far away from the smoking house and the stink of damp soot and charcoal as she could get. At last she stopped beside a small lake. Moonlight fell out of the sky into the water, and she saw a large carp circling peacefully, its body gleaming white in the moon’s beam. As she watched, entranced, the fish jigged sideways and its body spasmed. It stiffened and floated to the surface.

Shocked, Storm fell to her knees to see if the beautiful fish was really dead. Something blazed overhead, searing the air where her head had been a breath ago. There was a blinding flash, the smell of burning, and a small tree on the far side of the lake burst into flame.

The carp, suddenly very much alive, flipped over and dived towards the depths. Instinctively, Storm filled her lungs and plunged headlong into the water after it. She heard fire crack on the bank where she had been kneeling only a heartbeat before and kicked even harder towards the safety of deep water. Once she was well below the surface, she somersaulted until she was head skywards and peered up towards the world of air, trying to locate her attacker. She was aware of the white-gold carp swimming slowly round and round her.

Thank you, Dolphin! Storm spared a moment to express gratitude to the Elemental, even though her heart was trying to beat a path out of her chest.

As for her attacker, Storm had no doubt who was waiting up in the air to strike again the moment she surfaced. If she was going to survive she must do Water-magic more difficult and complex than any she had ever managed. Help me again, Dolphin, or I die, Storm pleaded.