On the hill whence all shall meet

A greater doom lies at their feet.

Lady Araynia sat beside the campfire, gnawing anxiously on a fingernail. She was wrapped in a woollen cloak taken from their purloined supplies, though heat had begun to rise again off the desert plains, banishing the last traces of the Winter's chill. Her skin felt sweaty but she was cold on the inside, tired and aching from trying to sleep on the hard rock, yet also restless, filled with a need to do… something, but she didn't know what. Li sat out on the edge of the rocky shelf close beside Ben, their legs dangling over the precipitous drop, Tander's long silvertine spear across both of their laps like a protective guard rail. The boy was speaking softly, pointing at cloud formations or things in the distance. He was doing an admirable job of keeping the Angel girl and himself distracted from their present worries.

Araynia couldn't say the same for herself.

I should have stopped him, she thought bleakly. I should never have let Tander pick up that dagger!

But she knew there was not a thing she could have done about it, short of blasting the Angel with magic, which was a horrifying thought in itself. And besides, he had been quite correct: the accursed dagger could not have remained lying where it was on the ground. It had to be taken away, and the Sky Legion Lieutenant was the only one of them capable of doing so with any degree of protection. He had been wearing silvertine armour, after all.

She knew it had been a calculated risk, on his part. She understood why he had done it.

But he had been gone a long time.

Or perhaps it only felt like a long time, when one was forced to sit and wait and do nothing when one's companions were in danger…

A sack of food sat beside the fire. For lack of anything better to do, Araynia reached over and rummaged through it, finally pulling out some paper-wrapped hard biscuits. She took a bite of one and chewed a bit. Then she tossed it aside, struggling to swallow the mouthful.

Her eyes fell inevitably upon Ferrian, who lay where the Dragon had left him, under his blanket, staring unseeing up into the flickering ceiling of leaves.

Her heart twisted into a painful knot. She felt sick.

And a dreadful, knowing certainty fell upon her:

They couldn't stay here forever, waiting for Tander or Flint to return. Soon, Araynia was going to have to take the Dragon, and, she supposed, Ben and Li with her, and find the Sword of Healing.

The thought of leaving anyone behind was terrible, but the Sword was too important, and she was tired of sitting here feeling utterly useless without it.

Thoughts of the Sword made her uncomfortable in more ways than one.

Oh, Gods, she thought, feeling insurmountable walls slowly, but surely building themselves around her, leaving her trapped whichever way she looked. What am I going to do?!

She leaned forward, dropping her face into her hands.

Through the chinks in her fingers, she noticed a glimmer of blue light.

At first, she thought it was merely sunlight catching the gemstone's cut facets. But there was an abiding glow, and it pulsed slowly – now strongly, now dimming again.

Widening the gaps in her fingers, Araynia stared at it. The pendant's magic had never done that before – never come alive without her having summoned it first. She wasn't even touching it; the sapphire dangled from its silver chain around her neck, hanging free from her body as she was bent over.

She went very still.

Oh no.

Was that… Requar? Was he… trying to communicate with her?

No! she thought wildly. No, no, no, not now! She wasn't ready to talk to him yet! She wasn't mentally prepared to—

The mellifluous voice of the Dragon washed suddenly through her mind, sweeping away all other thoughts.

Soldiers approach, from the city. Humans, armoured and armed with silvertine. Seven in number. They bear blue and black standards.

Araynia sat up straight. "Soldiers?" she said aloud.

Yes, Lady Araynia.

"Hey!" Ben exclaimed, jumping to his feet. "What do you think you're doing?!"

Startled, Araynia looked over at him, flushing, thinking the boy was addressing her; then she realised he was staring at something behind her.

She turned.

What she saw was so unexpected that for several seconds she just stared, uncomprehending.

A young winged woman crouched in the corner of the clearing, where the embankment rose into the trees. Her clothing was layered upon her slim frame in an odd mix of random scavenged fabrics, like a vagabond. Her hair fell about her shoulders in a long, tangled, golden-hued mess, tied back loosely with a pink silken scarf. Her wings were soft, muted shades of pink, brown and white, blending with the background scenery. Only glints of gaudy jewellery and fine embroidery beneath the rags spoiled her camouflage.

She was hunched beside Ferrian's pile of discarded, bloodstained clothing, like a scavenger caught picking at a carcass. Strange, wide pink eyes snapped up to meet Araynia's own shocked gaze, but they were blank, unfocused, seeming to look right through her.

The Angel clutched something to her chest – a tattered bundle of ripped-up paper and leather, tied together by salvaged string.

What remained of Reeves' Book.

With a gasp, Araynia leapt to her feet. "What… Who are—?!"

The Angel was gone, quick as thought, scattering into the trees like a startled pigeon.

Araynia stood in place, stunned.

Ben gave a cry of dismay.

Then something white flashed past.

It was Li.

The little Angel girl took off into the forest before anyone could move.

Li sped through the sunlit trees, swerving deftly around the tall pale trunks, determined to catch the stranger.

The eucalyptus trees soared straight and high from their perches upon the hill, light and airy compared to the towering pillars of Arkana. Li manoeuvred through them with ease, keeping the Angel woman just in sight ahead of her. A thrill passed through her, heart racing with the chase, sadness shedding off her like old feathers, brought with the rush of wind across her face and wings, and the unfamiliar but invigorating scents of the forest filling her nose and lungs. Here was a chance to prove herself, finally; to do something the others could not, to show them that she wasn't a useless orphaned child, and a chance to fly, fly, fly!

The stranger darted every which way – high through branches, low through foliage, trying to lose Li. They raced along the top of the ridge, heading south – away from the highway, away from the city, away from the Dragon and everyone else.

Just her and Li.

The Angel woman looked over her shoulder now and then, seeming surprised that Li was still following.

Why did she steal the Book?! Li thought furiously. She had caught a glimpse of it in the woman's hands just before she fled. How dare she!

Li didn't know what was in that Book, or why it was so important: only that it belonged to Reeves.

And if it belonged to Reeves, then Li desperately wanted to find out what was in it. She knew that it was some kind of secret, something that he didn't want anyone else to know about. Tander had tried to reassure her that his Commander wanted to do something good for the world, that he was trying to bring everyone together, to find the Angels a new home, but Li was sceptical.

She didn't trust Reeves. She hadn't from the moment she first met him in that Human city called Sel Varence, in the embassy, even before he threw her over the balcony, like a massive jerk.

Li knew what a lying adult looked like. Her parents had lied to her about something important too, she was pretty sure, and she had never found out what that was. And now they were dead, so she guessed she never would. She was tired of people hiding things from her! It made her angry.

She didn't understand why Tander believed what Reeves had told him.

Couldn't he see what a horrible person Reeves was??

Maybe the secret was something so bad that Tander would finally get mad at him and stop doing what he said.

Li was determined not to lose that Book.

The Angel woman vanished abruptly.

Li swept onto a branch and crouched there, keen copper eyes searching the undergrowth. She knew that the woman had given up trying to flee and was now attempting to hide.

She was good at it, too. The bushes and ferns here were dense, clustered closely together over fallen logs and draped with streamers of bark. There were all kinds of plants that Li had never seen before; strange red flowers reaching out like many-fingered hands, spiky trees, a type of long grass with razor-sharp edges that Li found very unpleasant to touch.

A patch of sunlight spilled through a gap in the canopy upon a large swathe of the razor-grass.

Li stared at it.

Something bounded noisily through the grass – a flash of white that was quickly gone.

One of the furry bouncing animals that Ferrian had called wallabies, before cooking and eating one. Tander had taken Li away so that she didn't have to see him doing it.

Li hadn't known that Humans ate animals, and was disturbed. Tander had explained that it was unfortunately normal in this country; but it was one of the many strange things that Li had to get used to outside of Arkana.

She breathed in the odd tangy smell of the forest, sitting tense on her branch, ready for flight, eyes fixed on the patch of grass, alert for any movement.

In the middle of the grass was a dark shadow.

Li stared at it intently.

There! A tiny flash: a blink of gold.

With the silence of an owl, Li dropped from the tree, swooping down upon her prey…

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A piercing shriek erupted as Li connected with the shadow, and instantly found herself in a thrashing mess of feathers, clothing and cutting grass.

The woman clawed at Li, howling and screeching like a wild animal.

Li held on for all she was worth. The woman held the Book closely to her chest with one arm, battering at the girl with the other. Li hunched from her blows as best she could, but still got an elbow to the face and fingernails raked over her cheek. She felt the woman clutch and rip at her feathers. Ignoring the pain, she snatched for the Book.

The woman grabbed her wrist, squeezing it hard, twisting it.

"Oww!" Li cried. "Let go! Let GO of me!!" She lunged for the Book again with her free hand.

The woman shoved the Book further into the folds of her clothing.

"Give it back!" Li shouted, hitting her furiously. "Give it back! It's not yours! It belongs to Reeves!!"

The woman gave a strange little tinkling laugh. Then she caught Li's other wrist, holding the Angel girl in place. Her bangles clinked, and golden earrings spun within the tangles of her hair, glittering in the light. Her gaze was strange. She stared at Li unblinkingly, but it was as though she were looking at something far in the distance.

Li realised then that the woman was blind – or at least, her vision did not work the same as it did for other people.

The pink eyes widened. "Oh my…" she breathed. "You have seen it! You have gazed upon the Unholy One, and it has gazed into you!"

Li squirmed in the woman's grip. "What are you talking about?"

"The Watcher!"

Li glared back at her, still struggling.

The Angel woman shook her, suddenly, furiously. "You must not be swayed by its promises! YOU MUST NOT!"

"Why should I listen to you?!" Li retorted angrily.

The woman pulled her closer, her eyes wild and intense. "Because I see TRUTH! I see TRUTH! I see—"

With a sharp breath, the woman went still and silent, like a statue. Instinctively, Li did likewise, apart from her heart, which raced around inside her chest. Suddenly, she felt afraid, as though something dangerous approached and any movement might get them both killed.

But the expression on the woman's face was not one of fear, but of sadness. "Oh, child," she whispered. "You were there. You saw the Holy Tower fall!"

Li began to struggle again. "Yes? So what? So did everyone!"

The woman did not reply. Closing her eyes, a shudder passed through her body. She bowed her head into a waterfall of golden hair tangled with leaves.

She did not let go of Li.

She stayed like that for a long moment. Li fought to be free of her grasp, even kicking at her, but the woman was surprisingly strong, and seemed oblivious. Then she began to speak, her voice soft and lilting:

"Ancient stones, white as bones

Crushed a thousand lives and homes.

Tower fallen; all is lost

Too few to count the final cost.

Angels scattered, dying, fled

The Goddess forsaken us or dead.

A shadow looming in the west

To take the souls of those who rest.

Black wings rise, to snatch our fate

Born of anguish and of hate.

Our Seraphim have turned to dust

But we survive because we must."

When the Angel woman lifted her head again, there were tears glimmering on her cheeks. "Your name is Li'Zan," she whispered. "You found the bodies of your parents in the ruins of Fleetfleer, in the darkness of Arkana's mighty forest. They had perished, along with so many others. Parents who loved their children, who feared to lose them… but their daughter resented them for it, and finally… lost them."

Li stared back at her, eyes wide and frightened. "H-how do you know that?"

The woman released her then, eyes lowering. Her slender arms folded into her clothing, hugging the place where the Book was concealed. "I must go," she whispered.

And then she leapt to her feet and was gone again, winging away through the softly rustling trees.

Li was so stunned that she sat where she was for a long moment. Then, brushing a sleeve across her eyes, she picked herself up, untangling herself from the tendrils of sharp-edged grass. She stared out at the forest, in the direction the woman had gone. Then, balling her hands into fists, eyes hardening in determination, she continued the chase.

Tander flew swiftly, catching the warm summer air currents, soaring towards the forested ridge two miles west of Bridgetown. He could see the White Dragon hunched on top of the hill, glittering, pearly and magnificent in the sun; an anomalous jewel embedded amongst the drab green of the trees and dull reddish stone of the plateau. Even at a distance, he saw that her head was lifted and slightly cocked, her great silver eyes staring intently – not at the Angel's approach but at something on the ground in front of her.

As Tander neared and the wide clearing of The Line grew more distinct, he caught flashes of silver, and spots of white and brown and blue in a cluster on the roadway.

Mounted soldiers. He recognised them instantly as Imperial troops; a small team from the army encamped on the opposite side of the Chasm, sent out to investigate…

Your return is welcome, Tander, the Dragon's voice rippled through his mind, like sparkling water.

Well met, Dragon, Tander replied. What is going on?

Human soldiers. They have come wielding questions, seeking answers.

Tander sighed. This was a complication he didn't need at the moment. All right. I'll speak with them.

He circled the Dragon, then swooped down to the highway. Alighting on the damp paved road, he carefully set down the injured, bloodsoaked stranger just as a flurry of what looked like torn pieces of paper blew around him. There was a shriek from the middle of the road.

Tander looked up to see two Angels fighting, swiping and clawing at each other like cats.

One of them was Li.

The other was Rose Rex.

"What in the world…" he said, standing. "Li!"

At his sharp tone the woman and the girl fell apart, looking up in shock. Li was filthy, scratched, and holding a clutch of paper in her hands, but when she caught sight of Tander she dropped everything, her reason for fighting suddenly forgotten. "Tander!" she squealed. She ran over and threw herself against him.

"Is that… Reeves' Book?!" he said, aghast.

Panting, the girl pointed accusingly back at the woman. "She stole it!"

Tander looked over at Rose. The woman was groping and flailing about on the ground, desperately trying to scoop up the fallen pages.

To Tander's left, a group of half a dozen Imperial soldiers sat atop their horses, watching dumbfounded. To his right the Dragon crouched, her body filling the entire cutting, blocking the road. She peered down at the scene curiously, the forest mirrored in her eyes, as though uncertain what to make of it.

Tander took a deep breath, shaking his head. "Where is Lady Araynia? This man is going to die without her help!"

As though summoned by his words, the noblewoman appeared in the trees on top of the embankment beside the Dragon, accompanied by Ben.

Letting out a whoop of joy, thrusting Tander's spear in the air, the boy ran along the top of the bank until he found a place to descend, then slid down in a small avalanche of rocks and dirt. Araynia looked anxiously for a sensible way down until the Dragon raised a gleaming paw and lifted her gently to the road.

Swerving around the Angel woman clutching papers to her chest, Ben came to a racing halt in front of Tander.

"Tander!" he laughed. Bouncing on the spot, he punched the air. "You're so. Freaking. COOL!!"

Tander rubbed at his cheek self-consciously. "Eh…"

Then the boy looked down and gasped, taking an astonished step backwards. "That… that's the thief!"

Tander frowned. "Thief?"

Ben pointed at the wounded man. "That's the guy who robbed us! He stole the Eliminator! And Hawk!"

Lady Araynia arrived a second later, throwing herself to the thief's side. Asking no questions, saying nothing, her pendant went straight onto his wound. Blue light flared at once.

Gasps passed through the assembled soldiers, and their horses nickered and stomped on the stones in agitation.

One of the soldiers dismounted, a short but burly man with a blue-feathered helmet and a huge mace hanging at his belt. He came forward a few steps, then went to one knee on the pavement in a deep bow, big hands pressed to his chest, thumbs locked and fingers spread. "Honoured Legionary," he rumbled in a deep voice.

"Tch," Tander muttered, embarrassed and slightly irritated. He waved a hand. "Enough of that, please…"

Ben stared at the kneeling soldier. "What's he doing? Who are they, anyway?"

Tander took off his own winged helmet, scuffing his hair back into place. "They are part of the Imperial Majestic Army, led by General Pine. It is an important part of Sirinese culture to honour and show respect to Angels." He gestured at Rose. "That is likely why they did not intervene in this fight. They are forbidden from touching an Angel or interfering with their business without their consent."

He looked around the clearing, running an exasperated hand through his hair. "And for Goddess' sake, will someone pick up all this paper! This is an incredibly valuable artefact that is being demolished!"

The Imperial Lieutenant leapt to his feet at once and began barking orders to his men. Two of them dismounted and hastened to gather up the ripped pieces of the now extremely mutilated Book.

"Argh, there will be nothing left of the damned thing to translate, at this rate!" Tander exclaimed bitterly.

Li stared shamefully at her feet. "Sorry, Tander."

Tander closed his eyes, rubbing his forehead. He was still rattled after his encounter with the trigonic dagger, and worry for Flint banged insistently against the back of his head. There was a lot going on here, and not a lot of time to sort things out, and he could feel his patience slipping. He forced himself to calm, and knelt beside Li.

He gave the girl a rueful smile, and tweaked her nose. "You're a stubborn little sparrow, aren't you?"

"But that Angel was trying to steal it, though!" Ben said defensively. "Li was just trying to get it back!"

Tander sighed. "That's Rose Rex. She is a Divinator. She is supposed to have the Book."

Ben and Li both stared at him incredulously.

"Wait… what?" Ben said.

Tander looked up at him. "Reeves hired her to examine the Book. That's why we were bringing it to Bridgetown. He hoped that she could divine some insight from it – who it belonged to, where it came from, who wrote it, for instance. She has an innate magical ability to see the memories and emotions that are attached to things."

Ben looked over at Rose, who was cowering on the other side of the road, clutching the tattered remains of the Book protectively, looking miserable. The soldiers were still wandering around collecting the pieces in empty sacks. Ben sighed in annoyance. "Well, why didn't she just ask for it, then?!"

Tander got back to his feet. "Because that is not her way. Rose is… different. She has trouble interacting with other people and she does not see the world the same way as we do. Please, try not to judge her too harshly."

"If I might have a word, Sir?" the Imperial Lieutenant interjected, and bowed again, apologetically. "Honoured Legionary."

Rubbing his forehead again and trying not to wince, Tander stepped away from Li and Ben. "Of course." He held out a hand to the soldier. "Lieutenant Tan'Daran of the Sky Legion. You may call me Tander."

The other man hesitated, then grasped his hand, dwarfing it. "Lieutenant Magnus Driffin of the Imperial Majestic Army," he growled through his huge round black beard. "It's a great privilege to meet one o' the esteemed Sky Legion." Driffin bowed once more, stiff and sharp, his feathers bobbing with the movement. Then he straightened, his wide, pale blue eyes glancing around. "Ehhh, speakin' o' which… is your Commander around?"

An awkward silence fell. Tander rubbed the back of his neck. His face felt a little hot. "Er… no, I am afraid not. He… uh…"

"He went crazy and flew off into the desert!" Ben stated, grinning gleefully.

Scowling, Tander went over and took his spear back from the boy. "Yes, thank you for that, Ben," he muttered.

Driffin's startled blue eyes went even wider, making him look on the verge of panic. "By the Gods! Crazy, y'say?"

"We ran into some… difficulties… with a Black Pyramid," Tander said tightly. He shook his head. "I haven't time to explain it all. Sergeant Flint has gotten himself into trouble and I have to go back into the city to help him."

Ben gasped. "You saw Flint?!"

Tander nodded. "Yes. He appears to have ended up on the wrong side of the Redwicks. He was about to be executed in the Chasm, but I rescued him just in time."

The boy went pale. "Oh, crap."

At that moment, the blue glow of Araynia's healing magic diminished and went out. The noblewoman's shoulder's slumped. "It is… done," she whispered tiredly.

Then she fainted.

Ben leapt forward and caught her before she hit the ground.

Driffin rubbed his beard, looking troubled. "Mind explainin' what all this is about?"

Tander was checking the thief. The injury to his chest did appear to have completely vanished, and his breathing was steady, though he remained deeply asleep. Tander stood. Walking over to Driffin, he placed a hand on the man's shoulder, making him flinch. Tander ignored his reaction.

"That's another explanation that will have to wait," he said, then hesitated. "But… there is something I must ask you: do you know what has become of the man clad in silvertine, radiating deadly light? He goes by the name of Sergeant Hawk?"

Driffin stared at him, then nodded. "Aye. We locked him up in the southern watchtower, on the Chasm's edge. Sirinese side o' the border."

Tander stared back. "And he is secure? He no longer poses a threat?"

Driffin shrugged. "His mind ain't all there, that's for sure. He was babblin' some nonsense, but he wasn't glowin', and nobody was throwin' themselves at 'im."

"Wait, wait!" Ben exclaimed, getting to his feet and running up to them. "Hawk can speak?!"

"Aye, lad. General Pine had a word with 'im."

Ben's eyes were wide. "Well, what did he say?"

Driffin frowned. "Ain't my place to say."

"Hey!" Ben said angrily. "He's my frien—"

Tander raised a hand, cutting him off. "Later, Ben. Driffin, would you please take my companions into the city and ensure they are looked after?"

Driffin eyed the Dragon. "Eh, as you wish, Sir. But I was sent here lookin' for the Winter Sorcerer."

Another silence fell, this one deep and humourless. Over by the side of the road, Rose stared at them, expression haunted.

"He is… infected with trigon," Tander said quietly.

Driffin was wordless for a long moment, looking shocked. Then he sighed into his beard, shaking his head despondently. "Can't bring 'im into Bridgetown, then," he muttered. "It's against the law. Ordained by the Emperors."

Tander shook his head. "Well we can hardly leave him lying up here on the hill, either." He turned and looked up at the Dragon.

She stared down at him, eyes deep and fathomless, like forest pools. The other soldiers cast nervous glances up at her.

"Ferrian must go where the Lady goes," the Dragon said aloud, her booming musical voice ringing across the ridgetop, causing another flurry of panic from both horses and men. Driffin took a startled step backwards, hand on his mace. "The shadow within him spreads with frightening quickness. Before long, Winter will return, and it will be a storm like none ever seen before. If he is not healed before it arrives, he shall be lost." Her great eyes closed. "And so shall we all."

The Dragon rose then, lifting to her full height. She turned, her head curving back into the forest. Timbers cracked and smashed to the forest floor, making the ground shudder beneath their feet.

Then the Dragon's head turned back, with something in her mouth, and with great tenderness, deposited it onto the roadway.

It was Ferrian, wrapped in his blanket.

"I give my beautiful son's life into your care," the Dragon said to them. "Do not fail him." She blinked slowly. "I will watch for the Watcher."

Then the Dragon unfolded her immense feather-tipped wings and lifted off, sending more bark, leaves and branches crashing down around them, and wheeled away from the ridge, out over the rocky plateau.

Silence was left in her wake, and pale, sombre faces.

"And we thought Hawk was bad," Ben said quietly. "Or Carmine. Or the Pyramid." He looked over at the still form of Ferrian, lying in his bundle on the paved road.

Standing on the sunlit hilltop, in the glorious warm light, with fragrant leaves fluttering around them, everyone stared at Ferrian.

And suddenly the morning didn't seem so bright.

Oh, Gods, Mekka, Tander thought. I hope you've found the Sword of Healing. And Commander Reeves.

If you have not… we are doomed.

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