There were no other attacks that day, even as the sky turned dark, and people begun to try and sleep. Lanterns and torches cast little light under the cloud-tainted sky, the darkness feeling oppressive, every strong gust raising worries that little bit more. Even when Hakara and Gervint helped, enchanting small stones to shed light and throwing them over the walls, all it did was make the darkness seem even more dangerous. The singing of the harpies could occasionally be heard above the wind, people needing dragging back and shaking to snap them out of the trance.

Stathis kept on the move, making sure everyone was kept busy. She kept an eye on Tunera as well, who seemed to be managing, quietly reassuring her people, talking to the guards and keeping their morale up, making sure that everyone was eating and resting as best they could. Semari had curled up next to a fireplace, managing to sleep despite the chaos.

She climbed to the top of the highest tower to relieve the guard on duty. Parth was there, arrow nocked and ready, her elven eyes probably better able to see in the darkness. Unexpectedly, Janaxia was also there, black cloak mingling with the darkness, hands on the battlement, only recognisable from the strange lumps her horns caused under her hood.

‘Parth, hi. I wondered where you were, Janaxia. Didn’t expect to find you up here.’

Parth nodded at her, before returning to stare at the darkness, bow looking ready to fire. It took Janaxia longer to respond, sounding as though she was barely awake. ‘Good evening, Stathis.’

‘You two doing OK? If either of you need to take a break, I can take over for a while.’

Parth spoke, voice so soft it was barely audible over the wind and rain. ‘Eyes that don’t see. I will stay.’

‘OK. Just make sure to get at least some rest, you’re the best ranged attacker we’ve got. Good work against those eagle-things, by the way.’

‘Good eating.’

‘Is that what we had in that stew?’ That would explain the strange, gamey taste. Still, the large portions of meat had helped morale, and it was better than having festering corpses around the place. ‘Why are you up here Janaxia? Can you even see anything out there?’

From here, the land seemed to be utterly swallowed up by the night – there was no sign of the stars or any of the moons above them, and the light spells Hakara and Gervint had cast were no more than pinpricks of light, illuminating strange-looking corners of buildings in the town. And beyond that, nothing, just blackness. There were no other towns or settlements to cast a glow on the horizon, just the unbroken veil of night, not even the relief of lightning to break the solid blackness. Stathis shivered, then sneezed. ‘I’ll be glad to get out of this armour at some point, before it rusts onto me. I guess your clothing is probably better for once.’

‘Indeed.’

Stathis moved next to Janaxia – her cloak was a soft black, almost invisible against the surrounding darkness. ‘You doing OK? I didn’t see you during the attack.’

‘Are you trying to imply I am not contributing?’

‘No, I guess you were on the other side of the walls or something. Just had me worried, that you’d been grabbed by those eagle-monsters or something.’

‘Perytons. They have a proper name. Do try and educate yourself, please.’ Despite her chiding tone, she sounded a thousand miles away, barely concentrating.

‘OK, thanks. You sound pretty dazed. Do you need some rest? We’ve all been up for far too long, and the night watch is always tiring.’

There was a long pause, rain cascading down, drumming off Stathis’ armour. ‘The night watch? Yes, I suppose it must be. But I will remain here a little longer.’ The wind blew, making her cloak ripple and billow. There was a soft motion behind them, Parth moving slightly, arrow still nocked.

‘What’s up, Janaxia? You’ve been acting weird for a while now.’

‘I am simply a little tired. I’m sure it will pass.’

‘Sure. Hey, what did that scroll Gervint give you say?’

That seemed to shake her slightly from her stupor. ‘How do you know about that? Wretched old man. I do hope you haven’t been engaging with him?’

‘He said you’ve been buying a lot of scrolls? He doesn’t seem a fan, although if you learn more things like summoning Mavrosa, then that’s useful.’

Her cloak rustled. ‘Well, one wouldn’t wish to stagnate.’

‘So what did that scroll say? I know you can read it, and I’m curious.’

‘Simply nonsense. Nothing you need concern yourself with, just a cruel joke’

‘I really don’t know what you’re talking about, but I’ll take your word for it. Seriously, you sound exhausted.’ She moved closer, to try and comfort Janaxia, who shifted away, turning her back to Stathis. She glanced at Parth, who was still on watch, ready with an arrow. ‘Go get some rest. Or I’ll pick you up and drag you there.’

The darkness sighed. ‘Very well, I suppose I am rather out of sorts. I will slumber, and perhaps feel better later.’ Janaxia turned away, without letting Stathis see her face, retreating down the steps, out of sight.

Stathis waited until she was out of earshot, the echoes of her footsteps retreating away. ‘Well, that was strange, even for Janaxia. You got any idea what the hell that was about?’

Parth had eased off her bow. ‘Darkness gathers.’

‘Are you talking about Janaxia, or just generally? Can you see anything in this?’

Parth stared into the darkness, either looking for enemies, or pretending to. Her senses were sharp, but there was no light at all, surely beyond even her perceptions? ‘A distraction.’

‘I’ve no idea what you’re talking about. But, since you’re here, can you tell me what the hell is going on, as you clearly know something. I know you don’t like talking, but this really isn’t a good time for it.’

‘Ancient blood, ancient terror.’

‘Yeah, there’s something dead and bound beneath the castle, I get that. But some actual context would be appreciated. Is the witch trying to free it, kill it, what? Are we in any danger? And please don’t just goddam ghost away again.’

‘Power is here, broken and scattered.’

Stathis resisted the urge to cheer at the almost complete sentence. ‘Right, so you think something might be trying to possess Janaxia? She is acting strangely. Can we just dump holy water on her? Not that there’s a priest until Carissia gets back.’

Parth hesitated before answering. ‘Maybe. But a choice, a warning.’

‘Enough with the cryptic bullshit! Yes, you’re an elven queen, you’ve got your own stuff going on. I guess you were renewing the seals on the stone circles or something? So what’s going on with the witch? She’s been around long enough for your lot to know about her.’

‘Ancient secrets.’ Parth started moving away, Stathis moving out and grabbing her shoulder. There was a scent of woodland, of mossy groves and musky flowers, the air around them turning misty. There was a moment of sickening vertigo, the floor beneath her suddenly soft, her feet sinking downwards. Stathis pulled herself upwards, like treading water, before taking in the changed surroundings. Rather than solid darkness, now all she could see was vague silvery light, the ground shrouded by glowing mist. She clutched at Parth, trying to steady herself.

Looking up, the heavy clouds were gone, the sky filled with countless shining motes of power, moving in vast streams and flows. And the moons shone with their own power, orbs of cold, white light suspended in the canopy of heaven, beneath the stars. Stathis detached herself from Parth, carefully putting her feet onto the floor, now solid.

She looked down, the castle walls appearing faintly misty. Through them, she could see sparks moving around, a large cluster in the hall. Were they souls? There was one by the fire, lightning sparking in a tight cluster – that must be Semari. She turned to look at Parth, seeing thorn-like shadows twisting around her, the scent of woodland growth even stronger now. Parth was covering her eyes with a hand. ‘Too bright.’

Stathis raised a hand, her body glowing with solar energy, shining out with a warm, sunny glow, reflecting off the surrounding stonework. She tried to calm herself, forcing her power down, letting the light and warmth wash away, until Parth uncovered her eyes. Stathis looked down again, finding what looked like a red-tinged and sleek ice-storm, curled up into a ball – Janaxia had gone to bed as well. Next to her was a neat rectangle of solid blue, only thing in sight that was clearly defined – it must be Hakara’s re-cast sanctum spell. And further down, beneath the castle… dense clusters of mist, a dirty, rust-and-blood colour, a seeping taint of darkness. Spirals and curls in the stone, a maze cut into the bedrock, although without a centre, at least that could be seen.

‘What the hell is that?’

Parth rolled her eyes. ‘Sealed, defeated, but not truly dead.’

It was hard to see, but it looked like there was something down there, twisting and moving in the mist, barest glimpse of some shape, battered and scarred flesh rising into view for a moment. ‘Right. So it’s not going to break out, right? Can you see stuff like this all the time?’ That would do something to explain why she always seemed distracted.

‘The true world. Essence, purified and raw.’

‘Interesting. Anyway, are you going to tell me what the hell is going on, or am I going to have to drag you somewhere and get you really drunk first?’ Stathis had no idea how movement here worked – she’d seen Parth move through solid objects, but the floor beneath her seemed solid enough, even though she’d been sinking down moments before.

‘Ancient secrets must remain bound. Choices must be made. All hangs in the balance.’

‘Right, so prophecy stuff. What’s the deal with the witch?’

‘Prophecy must remain veiled, lest the path fall.’

Stathis groaned. ‘Seriously? You can’t tell me stuff, because it’s meant to be cryptic bullshit? If I ever meet a prophet, I’m going to punch them in the face, then the dick! Can you at least give me anything explicit to work on? Should I just tie Janaxia to a bed, and don’t you dare smirk!’

Her warning had no effect, but at least Parth’s expression was serious. ‘No. The Golden Sapling must bloom. An ancient power must rise. Darkness must be chained, or death shall arise.’

‘Right. So that’s Tunera then? And the ancient power?’ Parth shrugged. ‘Oh, come on! Work with me here. I got you your damn sword back. Should I prepare for giant monsters, cultists, weird magical bullshit, Semari going on a drunken bender, what? Or is this just an elf thing, because some ancient monster wasn’t killed properly, and it just needs some more stabbing to finish the job?’

‘Steel shall not win the day. Pure hearts, not strong arms.’

‘Thanks, that was almost an answer. Have you ever considered how much easier this would be with full responses?’ Parth glared at her. ‘OK, fine, keep your secrets. Just give me a heads up about this stuff, please?’ She jumped, aware that she was now eye-to-eye with Parth, due to slowly sinking into the ground. ‘And can we get out of here? I don’t want to end up inside a wall.’

Parth sighed, then touched her, and she blinked back into the real world, bitterly cold and wet. Parth remained in her ghostly form, sinking into the floor. Stathis sighed. Were simple, useful answers really that much to ask? And now she was on watch, despite being unable to see a damn thing in the darkness. She yawned, hunching up against a wall, trying to make herself as comfortable as possible against the cold wind.