I looked through the futures, saw gunfire. “Group at the bottom of the hill, your one o’clock. They’re aiming for Vari.”

Landis lifted a hand and a glowing ball of dark red energy formed above one finger. He frowned down at the people below who were sighting on Variam. “Should have taken the hint, boys.” The glowing spark flew downhill, disappearing into the night.

Fire bloomed, followed by a clap of thunder. For an instant everyone on the hillside was illuminated in fiery red, then a wave of hot air rolled over, making me stagger. The three men who’d been about to open fire were gone. In their place was a circle of scorched and glowing earth, shapeless masses burning at the centre.

The men still standing broke and ran. To the right, the construct Vari and Luna had been fighting tried to leap; Luna sent a pulse of some kind through her whip, flashing into the doglike body. The construct staggered and collapsed, its animating spell misfiring as Luna’s curse set it against itself. Vari burned away its head with an incineration spell. “Boss!” he called at Landis. “They’re running!”

“Let them go,” Landis said. “This was just the small fry. Verus?”

“They’re gone,” I said, scanning the futures. “Can’t sense any mages or adepts. They must be back at the estate.”

“Yeah, and now they know we’re here,” Caldera said, walking up, glancing down at the last scattered men fleeing into the trees. Behind her, the third construct was broken on the grass. I hadn’t even noticed her take it down. “Get behind me. The guys coming in aren’t going to be so happy to see you.”

“What do you—?” I saw what was going to happen. “Jesus. When you said you were bringing company, you weren’t kidding, were you?”

“What, you thought I was going to come charging in on my own? That hero shit is for rookies.” Caldera glanced sideways. “Landis . . . ?”

Landis made a reassuring gesture. “I’m here in a purely supporting role, my dear. You’re the senior.”

“Thanks.” Caldera turned back towards the slope. “Here?”

“Here,” I said. “Five seconds.”

Caldera nodded.

Another gate opened up on the hillside, followed by another. Council security men came through, two by two, guns levelled. Torches shone on our faces, and I squinted against the glare. “I’m Keeper Caldera,” Caldera said, arms folded. “These guys are with me. Point those things somewhere else.”

The Council security glanced at each other, then lowered their guns. “Clear!” one of them called back through the gate.

The next one through was Slate. “You’d better have—” he started to say to Caldera, then he saw me and his face darkened. “You!”

“Okay, look,” I said. “I can explain.”

“You can do it in a cell. You, you.” He gestured to the security men. “Arrest him.”

“Belay that order,” Caldera said.

“Do it!”

“If you touch him,” Caldera told the two security men calmly, “then I will shove whichever body part you use to do it up your own arse.”