ORCHARD BOOKS

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First published in the UK in 2011 byOrchard Books

This ebook edition first published in2011

ISBN 978 1 40831 370 1

Text © R J Anderson 2011

The right of R J Anderson to beidentified as the author of this work has

been asserted by her in accordancewith the Copyright, Designs and

Patents Act, 1988.

A CIP catalogue record for this book isavailable from the British Library.

Orchard Books is a division ofHachette Children’s Books, an

Hachette UK company

www.hachette.co.uk

To my husband,A man of peace and integrity

Prologue

‘Faeries of the Oak,’ said Rob, ‘weare at war.’

The young rebel leader paced thedais, torchlight glinting in his darkeyes and turning his fox-colouredhair to flame. Above him soared thehigh ceiling of the Queen’s Hall,braced by the roots of the livingOak, while below and before himthe great chamber was crowdedwith faeries.

There must have been twohundred of Rob’s followersstanding or leaning or even sitting atthe back of the room, looking almosthuman in their modern clothes.After them came the upright butmarkedly smaller group of theChildren of Rhys – Garan and hismen from the magical Green Isles ofWales – who could have beenextras from a Robin Hood film. Butat the front of the crowd stood fortyor so females dressed in simple,homespun clothing of a style that

had not been popular since JaneAusten. It was to this last group thatRob was speaking, and judging bythe tense lines of their bodies andthe slight quiver of their wings, theOakenfolk were listening. Standingin the shadows along the wall,Timothy Sinclair – the lone humanin the room – silently marvelled.After nearly two centuries ofisolation, he hadn’t thought theOakenfolk would respond well tobeing addressed by a stranger, butthey’d all come to attention the

moment Rob opened his mouth.‘About a hundred and fifty years

ago,’ Rob continued, ‘a faerycalling herself the Empress rose topower in the world beyond thisOak. With cunning and dark magic,she enticed our forebears intogiving her one drop each of theirblood. By tasting that blood, theEmpress learned all their truenames…and so bound them, andtheir children, and their children’schildren, to obey her everycommand, forever.’

As Rob spoke that last sentence,Timothy watched for the faeries’reaction. The rebels who hadfollowed Rob here from Londonlooked resigned; they had grown upunder the Empress’s rule, after all.Garan and the other Children ofRhys wore expressions of gravepity. But the Oakenfolk, who hadnever heard this story before, werewide-eyed and trembling withhorror.

‘The Empress’s ambition,’ Robtold them, ‘is to control every faery

in Great Britain, and ensure thatthey do only what she believes isbest for them. And so, when shelearned of the Oak’s existence andfound that your people had escapedher power, she swore that shewould either conquer you…orstamp you out.’

That last part was a littleoversimplified, but Timothy couldunderstand why. If Rob explainedthe whole truth about the Empress’sorigins and her connection to theOak, the Oakenfolk would be more

frightened than ever. And if theyknew that what she wanted mostwas to stop faeries from beingfriendly with human beings, some ofthem might even be tempted to sidewith her. There were more than afew Oakenfolk who dislikedhumans, even now.

‘But you are not alone,’ Rob toldthe Oakenfolk. ‘Like your newallies from the Green Isles, whohave sacrificed so much to join withyou and help you in your struggles—’ he nodded to Garan and his men

— ‘we rebels believe in thisWyld’s right to remain free, and areready to support you in any way wecan.’ He straightened his shoulders,resolute. ‘We may be strangers toyou, but make no mistake about ourloyalties. Every one of us isprepared to fight to the death, ratherthan allow this Oak to fall.’

In the hush that followed,Timothy had to resist the urge toapplaud. Beside him Linden, thebrown-haired girl who was hisclosest friend among the Oakenfolk,

gazed at Rob with shining eyes andlips parted in admiration; and evenThorn, a stocky female who was themost sarcastic faery Timothy hadever met, looked grudginglyimpressed. Had Rob succeeded inwinning the Oakenfolk over?Timothy hoped so, but he knewbetter than to count on anything yet.

‘It’s easy for you to talk offighting,’ spoke up a harsh voice,and the faeries in the front rowscuttled aside as Mallow – a broad,tough-looking faery who was the

Oak’s Chief Cook and troublemaker– pushed her way towards the dais.‘But some of us have better things todo than waste time waving swordsabout. What makes you think wewant to get involved in this war ofyours?’

‘You are already involved,’ saidRob, ‘whether you wish it or not.Soon the Empress is going to attackthe Oak, and when she does youwill either have to fight, or becomeher slave.’

‘And whose fault is that?’

Mallow demanded. ‘None of usOakenfolk would be in danger at allif those two—’ she jabbed a fingerat Linden and Timothy— ‘hadn’tbeen fool enough to go haring offinto the Empress’s territory andmake a spectacle of themselves.’She folded her arms dismissively.‘So let them fight with her. Leavethe rest of us out of it.’

Timothy had meant to stay out ofthe discussion, but that was toooutrageous to let pass. ‘So you’drather Linden had stayed in the Oak

and let you all die,’ he said,‘instead of risking her life to findother faeries and get you back yourmagic?’

‘What business is it of yours,human boy?’ retorted Mallow. ‘Youdon’t know what it’s like to be afaery, with magic or without. Whobrought you in here anyway?’

‘I did.’ Queen Valerian rose fromher throne at the back of the dais,regal despite her plain robes andmild appearance. ‘I gave Timothy acharm that would make him small

enough to visit us. And I asked himto be present at this meeting, so thathe might report the outcome to therest of our human allies.’

Which made it sound as thoughthere were a whole horde of humansready to defend the Oak, so it wasno wonder the newcomers in theaudience looked impressed. But thetruth was, all they had was Timothy,his cousin Paul, and Paul’s wifePeri, also known as Knife – whohad once been a faery herself.

‘Is that so?’ said Mallow. ‘Well,

if Knife’s so interested in whatwe’re up to, why isn’t she here? Ithink we all know where herloyalties really lie.’

‘How dare you?’ Linden roundedon her, small fists clenched.‘Knife’s done more for our peoplethan anyone. For years she’sprotected us, hunted food for us,brought us knowledge and ideasfrom the outside world. Withouther, we’d have died out a long timeago.’ Her voice quavered withemotion. ‘She’s given up so much to

help us – and it makes me so angrythat nobody seems to care!’

Linden was one of the shortestfaeries in the Oak, and at fifteen shewas certainly the youngest. But atthat moment she looked as fierce asKnife herself, and everyone aroundher took a hasty step back, evenMallow.

‘Knife’s loyalties are not inquestion,’ said Queen Valerian.‘She has her own plans for how toprotect the Oakenwyld againstattack, and has already begun

training her fellow humans to fightwith her. Is that not so, Timothy?’

Timothy nodded gingerly. He stillhad a pulled muscle in his neckfrom sparring with Peri thatmorning.

‘Mallow, you have every right toask questions. But if you cannot becivil, then you will be asked toleave.’ Valerian turned to Rob.‘Please continue. How can weOakenfolk, few as we are, defendourselves against such a powerfulenemy?’

‘My people are skilled inmagical combat and the use ofweapons,’ said Rob. ‘We arewilling to train anyone who wishesto fight.’

A hand crept up from the midst ofthe crowd, and everyone turned tolook at the tiny red-haired faerywho had raised it. ‘But what ifsome of us aren’t good at fighting?Or just…can’t bear to hurt anyone?’

‘Coward,’ muttered a male voicebehind Timothy, and Timothy had toresist the urge to whip around and

punch the rebel flat. Wink – shortfor Periwinkle – might be flutteryand timid-seeming at times, but noone who knew her would everaccuse her of cowardice.

‘It takes more than swords to wina battle,’ said Rob. ‘We will needfaeries to set protective wardsabout the Oakenwyld, to craftarrows and supply provisions, andto treat the injured. Even the leastwarlike among you can make adifference, if you are willing.’ Heinclined his head to Wink, and she

beamed back.‘That’s nice,’ Mallow said dryly.

‘But if this Empress controls all theother faeries, then she’s got us faroutnumbered already. There’s noway we can win.’

‘If I believed that,’ Rob replied,‘I would never have brought mypeople here. This Oak is anexcellent stronghold, with room fortwice as many faeries as we havewith us today. I believe that oncethe news of our stand against theEmpress begins to spread, it will

not be long before this Wyld is fullof our allies.’

‘Full of fools wishing for a quickdeath, you mean,’ said Mallow.‘Who’d get involved in a warunless they have to? And how areyour so-called allies – or even youand your rebels, for that matter –supposed to stand up against theEmpress, when she could call yournames and tell you to go stick yourheads in the privy at any minute?’

‘I can think of someone’s headI’d like to stick in the privy,’

muttered Thorn, and Timothy had topretend he was coughing to hide alaugh. Trust Thorn to beunimpressed by Mallow, even whenthe rest of the Oakenfolk wereintimidated.

‘The Empress may call all shelikes,’ said Rob, ‘but we will nolonger answer. The Stone ofNaming, which Linden and Timothybrought back with them from theGreen Isles, gives a new name toany faery who holds it – a namewhich the Empress does not know.’

He gestured to Garan, who heldup the ordinary-looking whitepebble for the Oakenfolk to see.‘My followers and I have alreadytouched the Stone, and can vouchfor its power. And I am confidentthat once the faeries in thesurrounding Wylds learn of theStone’s existence, they will beeager to join us, if only we can setthem free.’

Mallow looked sceptical, butmade no further protest. The faeriesin the audience began to whisper to

each other, and the buzz in thechamber grew until Queen Valerianmotioned them all to silence.

‘I have set three faeries in chargeof defending the Oak,’ she said.‘Rob will lead the rebels, andGaran the Children of Rhys; and asfor the Oakenfolk, your commanderwill be Thorn.’

There was a general murmur atthis, most of it approving. TheQueen went on: ‘At all times mythree generals will work together,along with myself and my council

and also with the humans in theHouse, to ensure that theOakenwyld is protected.’

She spread out her hands to thecrowd, taking them all in with asingle gesture. ‘The Empress couldcome upon us at any moment. Wemust be prepared, but above all wemust be united, if we are to survive.And so I ask you all to set asideyour prejudices and fears, and trusteach other. For if we do not havethat trust, then even the Stone ofNaming will not be enough to keep

us from falling into the Empress’spower.’

All the faeries were silent. Atlast Queen Valerian said, ‘You maygo,’ and they scattered like blownfeathers, out the double doors andinto the corridor beyond.

A few minutes later, Timothy sat atthe table in Queen Valerian’s studywith Linden on one side andCampion on the other, feelingslightly ridiculous. What sort ofwisdom did he have to contribute to

a faery council of war? Only a fewweeks ago he’d been just anotherteenage boy at boarding school,with no idea that faeries evenexisted. When he’d come to stay athis cousin Paul’s house in theKentish countryside, he’d knownthat the huge old oak at the bottomof the garden was hollow, but neverguessed that there was a colony ofsix-inch-tall magical people livinginside. And when Linden hadpopped up out of his rucksack anddragged him into the wildest and

most dangerous adventure of hislife, he’d had no clever strategy tosave her, or the Oakenfolk, or evenhimself. All they could do was keeprunning until they found help, andhope the Empress didn’t catch themfirst.

But Knife – more and moreTimothy found himself thinking ofher by that name, even though he’dgrown up calling her Peri – wascounting on him to give her a fullreport of this meeting when he cameback to the house. So here he was,

shrunk down to a tenth of his usualsize, trying not to make a face asWink poured them all cups of hotchicory. Sitting uncomfortably in hislow-backed chair, because unlikethe female faeries for whom all thefurniture had been built, he didn’thave wings. And telling himself tostop thinking about the e-mail he’dgot from Miriam that morning,because finding out that a girl he’dliked only thought of him as abrother was really not thatimportant. Not compared to what

was happening here.‘…except for Mallow poking the

bees’ nest,’ said Thorn, andTimothy realised he’d missed partof the conversation. He took a sip ofchicory to punish himself, andresolved to listen more carefully.

‘Mallow’s attitude is the least ofour concerns,’ Queen Valerian said.‘What we need now is to determineour next course of action. Once wehave finished arming and preparingthe Oak against attack, what then?Garan, your thoughts?’

‘As long as the Empress is stillmustering her forces,’ Garan said,‘the Stone of Naming is our bestweapon against her. I believe weshould send emissaries to all theWylds within flying distance, andfree as many of the Empress’ssubjects as we can.’

‘I agree, but we will have tomove carefully,’ said Rob. ‘I cantell you where most of the Wyldsare in this part of England, but Ialso know that the Empress hasspies and lieutenants in every one of

them. Our emissaries will have tobe not only persuasive, but alsodiscreet. And they will need to beskilled in self-defence, or the Stonemay be taken from us before we canuse it.’

‘Any of my people would becapable,’ replied Garan. ‘But giveme a little time, and I will find youthe best. There is only one thing Iask: that when we offer the Stone tothose enslaved by the Empress, wedo so without condition. The gift ofRhys the Deep cannot be bought or

bargained for, and it was histeaching that faeries should begenerous with one another.’

‘Maybe that works in thoseGreen Isles of yours,’ Thorn said.‘But here, we bargain. And there’snothing dishonourable about that.Every faery knows that if you wantsomething valuable, you have to beprepared to give something equallyvaluable in return. Otherwise,what’s to keep us from beingcheated?’

‘Besides,’ Rob added, ‘you gave

up the right to control the Stone ofNaming when you gave it away toLinden. We owe you a great debt,but—’

‘I gave Linden the Stone,’ Garansaid, ‘because I knew that she hadbeen raised among humans as wellas faeries, and so would appreciatethe nature of a gift. And I think thatTimothy knows that some things aretoo precious not to be given away.’

Timothy did, but he could alsosee why Rob and Thorn wereconcerned. He was just about to say

so when Valerian spoke:‘This is too deep a matter to be

settled by debate. As your Queen,and the only one here who is giftedwith the Sight, the final decisionabout how to use the Stone, and theconsequences of that decision,should be mine.’ Her searching greyeyes moved from Thorn to Rob, andfinally to Garan. ‘Will you allowme to bear this burden?’

It was hard to argue when she putit like that. After a brief hesitation,all the commanders nodded.

‘But if we do not send out theStone quickly,’ said Rob, ‘we maynot have the chance to use it at all. Itis not in the Empress’s nature to beindecisive, or over-cautious. Assoon as she is able, she will strike.’

Garan nodded. ‘Then we must besure the Oakenwyld is warded onevery side, and watched by nightand day. Our resistance may befeeble, but at least the Empress willnot catch us unawares.’

‘Well, aren’t you two cheerful,’said Thorn. ‘Nice to know my

fellow commanders take such apositive view of our chances.Wither and gall!’ She shoved herchair back from the table and stood,glowering. ‘Even without her magic– even human – Knife is worth tenof you. She’d take on the Empresssingle-handed if she had to, and notwaste a moment complaining aboutit.’ Then she stomped out.

‘It appears,’ said Valerian, ‘thatour discussion has come to an end.’But she did not seem distressed byThorn’s reaction. Timothy

suspected that the Queen alsoregretted that Peri could not lead thefaeries into battle, but they all knewthat would never work. TheOakenfolk were still uneasy withthe choice Peri had made bybecoming human to marry Paul, andfew of them would be willing tofollow her orders.

The Queen dismissed the council,and they all headed off to theirvarious duties. But as Rob passedby Linden, he whispered somethingin her ear that made her blush and

smile. And when Timothy glancedat Garan, the blonde faery’s browwas furrowed, as though somethingtroubled him.

‘What is it?’ Timothy asked,when the others had gone.

‘It may be folly even to say it,’replied Garan, ‘for it is no businessof mine. Yet I cannot helpwondering why Rob takes such aninterest in Linden. Not that she isunworthy of his notice,’ he addedhastily, ‘but they are so different.’

‘I asked him that myself, only a

couple of days ago. He says that hefinds her lack of cynicismrefreshing. But if you’re worriedabout his intentions, I wouldn’tworry too much.’

‘Why is that?’ asked Garan.‘Because,’ said Timothy, ‘Linden

is Knife’s foster-daughter, and ifRob so much as hurts her feelings,then Knife will skin him and leavehim for the crows.’

Garan’s mouth curled in areluctant smile, and too lateTimothy remembered that the

Children of Rhys had a hard timeseeing humour in violence. He wasabout to apologise when Garansaid, ‘It is not merely concern forLinden that moves me, I admit. It isthat when I look at her and Rob, Iam reminded of some things I leftbehind, when I came here from theGreen Isles. Things I did not evenrealise I would miss, until theywere gone.’

Timothy was about to say I knowwhat you mean, but he swallowedthe words. Yes, he missed his home

in Uganda, where his parents stilllived as missionaries – but at leastthere was a chance that he could goback there some day. Garan and hisfellow exiles didn’t have thatoption. By helping the Oakenfolkagainst their Elders’ will, they hadcut themselves off from theirhomeland and people forever.

It was probably better just tochange the subject. ‘That remindsme,’ Timothy said. ‘We’ve all beentalking about using the Stone ofNaming to free the Empress’s

slaves, but your people weren’texactly happy when they found outyou’d taken it. What are we going todo if they decide they want it back?’

‘The Children of Rhys will notcome after the Stone,’ said Garan.‘To journey so far onto themainland would expose them to allthe violence and corruption theyhave pledged themselves to avoid.Besides, my people are sworn topeace, and pursuing the Stonewould bring them into conflict withus, if not with the Empress as well.

Naturally they grieve the loss ofsuch a precious artefact, but to fightus for it …’ He shook his head.

Timothy knew he ought to berelieved. But with an evil faeryEmpress plotting his death and thedeaths of all his friends, it was hardto be happy about anything. And ifthey ever lost the Stone ofNaming…well, all of them might aswell just give up, because there wasno way they could win this warwithout it.

‘I hope you’re right,’ he said.

one

‘Rhosmari! Look what we found!’Rhosmari daughter of Celyn

stood on the front steps of the Houseof Learning, smiling as the faerychildren pelted over the grasstowards her. The sea wind blewloose spirals of hair about her face,and automatically she undid theclasp at the nape of her neck andtwisted the clove-coloured strands

back into submission again.She had only just finished when

her students came panting up thesteps and crowded around her,pressing shells and bits of sea-glassinto her hands for her inspection.Fioled trailed after them,dishevelled and looking exhausted.‘Your turn,’ she said.

‘Come inside,’ Rhosmari told thechildren. ‘It’s time for a story.’

Soon they were all settled in theTeaching Room, the studentswriggling like seal pups on the

carpet by her feet while Fioledarranged their newly gatheredtreasures on the shelves behindthem. ‘I have exciting news to tellyou,’ she whispered to Rhosmari,‘but it can wait.’

Rhosmari folded her handstogether, assuming her mostscholarly posture. ‘Today,’ she toldher students, ‘we are going to learnabout the Rhysian Games, and howthey came to be. None of you areold enough to compete in them yet,but—’ A small hand went up,

surprising her; it was not like any ofthe children to interrupt. ‘Yes,Bleddyn?’

‘Did Garan really steal the Stoneof Naming and give it away tostrangers?’

For a moment she was speechlessat the question. She glanced back atFioled, but the other girl wasabsorbed in picking seaweed off apiece of driftwood and did not meether gaze.

‘Yes,’ said Rhosmari at last. ‘Butwe aren’t here to talk about that

right now—’‘My father said he and the others

left to join a war,’ said another boy.But before Rhosmari couldintervene, the girl next to himdemanded, ‘What’s war?’

It was the wrong time to bediscussing this, thought Rhosmarihelplessly. They were too young forsuch dark subjects. But how couldshe blame them for being curiousabout what Garan had done, whenhalf the population of the GreenIsles was talking about it?

‘It’s when faeries disagree sostrongly, they take up weaponsagainst each other,’ she said.

‘Like in the Games?’ asked thesmallest of the girls, her nosewrinkled in confusion.

‘No, Merywen, not for sport.’Rhosmari could hear the strain inher own voice now; it was an effortto keep it level. ‘To hurt, and to – tokill.’

‘Are Garan and the others goingto be killed?’

Very likely , thought Rhosmari,

but she could not bring herself tosay it. ‘I hope not.’

‘Will we ever see them again?’The soft voice belonged to

Cudyll, the youngest of Garan’scousins. She wanted to change thesubject, but this child at leastdeserved an answer. ‘If Garanrepents and brings back the Stonebefore anyone is hurt,’ she told him,‘then the Elders may give himanother chance.’

What she did not add was that ifGaran or any of his men had shed

blood, no penance would beenough: they would be barred fromthe Green Isles forever. And thatafter the harsh things he had said tothe Elders, he might as well havecommitted murder in their eyes.

‘But what if we don’t get backthe Stone? Will other faeries beable to see our islands? Will theycome here and try to fight us too?’The questions flew at her fromevery side, so quickly that she couldnot tell which of the children hadspoken. Had they been plaguing

Fioled like this all morning? Nowonder she looked tired.

‘No,’ said Rhosmari with all thefirmness she could muster, ‘theGwerdonnau Llion is still safe. TheStone’s power is only to give newnames to faeries who have hadtheirs taken away, and no one isgoing to do that to us. The Elderskeep watch over our people, andmaintain the wards that protect us.And you all know about the herb wecall Rhys’s Blessing, which keepsour islands invisible to strangers.

The Stone is very precious and weare sorry to lose it, but no enemycan hurt us here.’ She regarded themlevelly. ‘Now, are you ready to getback to our lesson?’

The children nodded, but they didnot look satisfied. And though theystayed quiet after that, Rhosmaricould tell that they were not reallypaying attention to her stories aboutthe Rhysian Games. At last she gaveup and sent them outside to play.

As their chattering voices faded,the House of Learning settled back

into its usual tranquility. EvenFioled had disappeared for themoment, and Rhosmari was alone inher favourite place: a low-ceilingedrectangle of weathered beams andplastered stone, open windowsbrimming with sunlight, curtainsrippling in the ocean breeze. Allaround her, on shelves andpedestals, were the marvellousobjects that the Children of Rhyshad brought back from their visits tothe human world: a jellyfishsculpted from iridescent glass, a

slim book of poetry bound in tooledleather, a silken scarf dyed all thecolours of flame. And on the farwall, just beside the doorway to theArchive, hung a harp, light andelegant as a gull’s wing.

Her father had brought back thatharp from Milford Haven whenRhosmari was a small child, and fora few glorious hours he hadremembered how to play it. She hadsat beside him all the while,entranced by the notes rippling likemagic from her father’s fingertips –

and when the music ended, she hadwept. It seemed so cruel to her thenthat faeries had no creativity of theirown, and that the talents theyabsorbed from their visits to thehuman world could not last oncethey returned to the Green Isles. Buther father had cupped her chin in hishand and brushed away her tears,and told her that he had put all thosesongs into a loreseed for her, so shecould listen to them again as oftenas she liked…

The floorboards creaked behind

her, and Rhosmari turned. Fioledhad come back, in fresh clothes andhair still damp from her bath. ‘Areyou all right?’ the other girl asked.‘That can’t have been easy for you.’

‘I’m fine,’ said Rhosmari. ‘But ifthe children are talking like this,then their parents must be as well.Have our people become soignorant about what the Stone ofNaming is? Do they really thinkwe’re in danger without it?’

‘I don’t know.’ Fioled wrung outthe end of one pale braid and tossed

it back over her shoulder. ‘Buteveryone’s been shaken up by whatGaran did. Taking the Stone wasbad enough, but flying off to themainland and taking half the singlemales in the Gwerdonnau Llionwith him? It’s the biggest shockwe’ve had since…’

She stopped before she could saythe words, but to Rhosmari shemight as well have shouted them.Since your father died.

‘So of course people are upset,’Fioled continued, reddening a little,

‘and afraid that something evenworse is going to happen next.That’s only natural. What I don’tunderstand—’ she gave Rhosmari asidelong look— ‘is how you can beso calm about it. Especially afterwhat Garan did to you.’

Rhosmari pressed her lipstogether in annoyance. Why dideveryone want to talk about that?He was gone, and there was nothingshe could do about it. ‘You said youhave exciting news?’ she asked.

‘Oh, yes!’ Fioled was instantly

transfigured. ‘Lady Arianllys toldme this morning that I’ve beenchosen!’

There was no need to ask whatthe other girl meant. Every monththe Children of Rhys cast lots forthe privilege of going to the Welshmainland, to buy goods from thehumans and witness their amazingpowers of creativity. Only five orsix Rhysians were sent each time,and they never stayed longer than aday, but even a brief visit to thehuman world was said to be an

unforgettable experience.‘I’m happy for you,’ Rhosmari

said, and meant it, because ifsomeone had to take her place shewould rather it be Fioled thananyone else. But it was hard to hidethe bitter knowledge that her namehad been drawn first, and then forsome reason the Elders hadforbidden her to go.

Or at least, her mother had.‘Oh, Rhosmari.’ Fioled’s face

softened with pity. ‘I’m sorry. Butyour turn will come soon, I’m sure

of it. And I promise I’ll tell you allabout it when I get back.’

Rhosmari nodded. ‘Did LadyArianllys say anything else, whenyou talked?’ she asked. ‘I haven’tseen her today, and she didn’t leaveany instructions.’

‘She was called away to ameeting with the Elders,’ Fioledtold her. ‘But she did ask if wewould recopy a few of the olderloreseeds, because they’rebeginning to wear out. Here.’ Sheled Rhosmari into the Archive and

pulled out a tray of sleek oval pods,worn smooth and dark by the touchof many hands. ‘These top oneswere cast by your father. Maybeyou should do those, so the qualitywill be better.’

From a scholarly viewpoint,Fioled was right. Loreseeds weremagical recordings of importantevents, but they tended to weakenwith repeated viewings and had tobe renewed. Rhosmari’s father hadbeen a great lorecaster, saving manyof their people’s most ancient

records from destruction – but hisspeciality had been the history ofthe Children of Rhys before theGreen Isles, and the loreseeds hehad spent his life preserving wererecords of battle and war. Once as ayoung child Rhosmari had sneakedinto his workshop and touched oneof those seeds, and the images thatexploded in her mind had given hernightmares for weeks.

She had witnessed death already.She did not care to see it again.

‘I can’t,’ she said. ‘Not those

ones. Give them to someone else.Maybe Broch—’ She caughtFioled’s eye and stopped,embarrassment flooding her as sheremembered that Broch had leftwith Garan and would not becoming back. ‘Well, one of theothers anyway. I’ll take these.’

She pulled out another tray, thisone full of proceedings from theHall of Judgment, and sat down atthe table with it. Watching theElders settle disputes betweenneighbouring farmers or announce

the winners of the two hundred andforty-eighth Rhysian Games mightbe dull, but at least she would sleeptonight.

Long after Fioled had left for theday, Rhosmari remained in theArchive with her tray of loreseeds,copying one after another. But whenthe last of the sunlight on the watersof Cardigan Bay flickered and wentout, she realised that she could notavoid her mother any longer. Theevening meal would be served at

any moment, and it was her duty tobe there.

Reluctantly she slid the tray backonto its shelf, closed up thebuilding, and walked out into thenight. Waves surged and hissedagainst the nearby shore, while thelonely cry of a seabird echoed fromthe other side of the strait. Rhosmariclosed her eyes and inhaled,drawing deep of the salt-spiced air.Then she Leaped.

In an eye-blink the meadowvanished and her ancestral home

rose up before her, an airy-lookingcottage with sandstone walls andgenerous windows overlooking thesea. She went in, to find Lady Celynwaiting for her in the dining room.

At first glance this room couldhave been part of the House ofLearning, with its age-darkenedtimbers and creamy walls. But inother ways the two places could nothave been more different. The brassand pottery artefacts displayed uponthe shelves had been in the familyfor centuries, but all were

surrounded by spells that renderedthem untouchable, so that not even afingerprint or a speck of dust couldmar their appearance. The dishesand cutlery were arranged atprecise intervals, and even thefireplace glowed more steadily thanany natural flame ought to burn. Itwas a place of order, and evenbeauty – but not of comfort.

‘You look tired,’ her motherremarked as she gathered her silkenrobes and sat down. ‘Was it ateaching day?’

‘Yes,’ said Rhosmari, taking herown seat at the other end of thetable. She waited as the servant girldished out the first course, a creamyfish soup delicately threaded withsaffron, then joined her mother inspreading out her hands in gratitudeto Rhys and the Great Gardenerbefore picking up her spoon andbeginning to eat.

As always, they dined in silence,for it was Lady Celyn’s belief thateach dish should be savouredwithout distraction, to show respect

for the hands that had prepared it.Which was why Rhosmari’s motherhad no difficulty keeping servants,despite her exacting standards; theyall knew she took notice of goodwork, and rewarded it accordingly.

If only Rhosmari could find herso easy to please.

What did I do wrong? shewanted to ask. How did I fail you,that you would punish me thisway? But her courage failed whenshe looked up and met Lady Celyn’seyes, cool as jet in the smooth

chestnut mask of her face. Rhosmariand her mother resembled eachother closely, with the same warmskin, full lips and ripplingabundance of hair. But at thismoment they might as well havebeen strangers.

‘Now,’ said her mother when thelast crumb of berry tart had beenconsumed and the golden plateswhisked away. ‘I have beenconsidering what we are to do nowthat Garan is gone.’

‘Do?’ asked Rhosmari.

‘I believe it would be hasty to tryand arrange another betrothal foryou straightaway,’ her mother said,‘but perhaps in a few months…’

Rhosmari’s hand closed hardaround her napkin, crumpling it.‘That is what you want to talkabout?’ she said. ‘Another marriagecontract? You think I am old enoughto be betrothed, but not old enoughto go to the mainland when my nameis drawn?’

‘It is not a matter of age,’ LadyCelyn told her. ‘It is simply not the

right time for you to go. The nexttime you are chosen, perhaps.’

Which sounded reasonable on thesurface, but they both knew that itmight be years, or even decades,before her name was drawn again.‘I don’t understand,’ said Rhosmari.‘Why is it the right time for Fioled,but not for me?’

‘Because Fioled is not mydaughter.’ Celyn spoke mildly, buther tone was edged with warning.‘There are evils in the human worldthat you know nothing about.’

‘I am sixteen years old,’ saidRhosmari, ‘and I am being trainedas a scholar. I am not ignorant of—’

‘Of some things,’ Lady Celyn cutin, ‘you are indeed ignorant, and Ihope you always will be. But thismatter is not under debate. I amyour Elder as well as your mother,and it is your duty to accept myjudgment.’

Rhosmari knew better than topress the matter further. Shelowered her gaze.

‘Besides,’ her mother continued,

‘the situation here is unstable, andwe Elders have many decisions tomake. It may be that we must delayour visits to the human world for atime, in order to concentrate onmore urgent matters.’

‘Such as?’ Rhosmari asked, notreally expecting an answer.

‘Such as how to recover theStone of Naming,’ replied LadyCelyn.

Rhosmari’s surprise overcameher resentment. ‘You think we can?’

‘I think we must. The loss of the

Stone has thrown our people intochaos. There are all kinds ofsuperstitions about its powers, andmany consider its disappearance tobe a bad sign. It has even beenclaimed that Rhys is angry with usand that we are under a curse.’ LadyCelyn leaned back in her chair, theamber pendant at her throat glowingin the firelight. ‘The Elders havebeen blamed for not guarding theStone more closely, and forallowing Garan and his followers toescape. There has been talk of a

conspiracy to protect Garan, andsuspicion has fallen on everyonewho was close to him…includingyou.’

A cold stone dropped intoRhosmari’s stomach. ‘Me? Why?’

‘You were seen speakingprivately with Garan, only a shorttime before he declared histreachery to the Council anddisappeared.’

‘He was asking me to release himfrom our vows of betrothal!Everyone knows that!’

‘Perhaps, but they also think youmust have known why he wasasking. To break his pledge to youso soon after Timothy and Lindencame to us for help in their waragainst the Empress? Surely yoususpected something was wrong?’

She had, but not in the way herfellow faeries seemed to think. Icannot love you as a husbandshould, Garan had told her, and itwould be wrong to pledge myselfto you when my heart lieselsewhere. What could Rhosmari

make of that, except that he hadbeen enchanted by Linden’s wide-eyed prettiness, and wanted to bewith her instead?

But when Garan admitted tostealing the Stone of Naming andflew off to help the Oakenfolk,Rhosmari realised she had beenmistaken. Being attracted tosomeone you’d just met, evenstrongly, was not enough to makeyou betray your own people,disgrace your family, and leave theonly homeland you’d ever known.

And it certainly wouldn’t be enoughto talk thirty-seven other faeries intocoming with you.

‘I did not help Garan ap Gwylanor support him in any way,’ saidRhosmari, willing her voice not toshake. ‘I will swear that in the Hallof Judgment, if you like.’

Celyn dismissed this with agesture. ‘There is no need.Whatever foolish talk may arise, theother Elders are satisfied that nodaughter of mine could have takenany part in Garan’s crimes. And we

have already taken steps to assureour people that we do not toleratethieves and traitors, or those whosympathise with them.’ She sippedher wine slowly, as thoughsavouring some private triumph.‘All we need now is to find theStone and bring it back.’

‘How can we do that?’‘I cannot say for certain until I

have the support of the otherElders,’ replied her mother. ‘But Iknow what I mean to recommend.We must send out an armed party to

find Garan and his fellow rebels,and make them give us back theStone…if necessary, by force.’

‘Force!’ Rhosmari’s mouth wentdry with shock. She pushed backher chair from the table, trying toput as much distance betweenherself and Lady Celyn as possible.‘No! How could we do such a thing,without breaking every law Rhysand our ancestors laid down forus?’

‘We have sworn not to shedblood in violence,’ said her mother.

‘But nothing prevents us fromrestraining other faeries, or eventaking them captive if need be. Whydo our people train for the RhysianGames each year, if not to ensurethat we never lose our ability todefend ourselves? Even you have—’

‘The Games were meant to be analternative to fighting, notpreparation for it! I know the Stoneis precious, but nothing can beworth taking up arms against ourown people!’

‘If Garan is prepared to bereasonable, then neither he nor anyof his allies will have anything tofear.’ Lady Celyn’s fingers coiledabout the stem of her goblet, turningit slowly on the table. ‘All theyneed do is hand over the Stone, andwe will depart as peacefully as wecame.’

‘But what about the Empress?’asked Rhosmari, pleading now.‘Linden and Timothy told us that shecontrols nearly all the faeries on themainland. How can you send a band

of armed warriors into her territoryand expect her not to notice?’

‘She may,’ said her mother. ‘Butif we are challenged, we willexplain that we have no plan tointerfere in her conflict with therebels, and that this is a privatematter. If she is sensible, she willlet us pass without furtherhindrance. And even if she choosesto oppose us, I think three hundredChildren of Rhys should be enoughto withstand any attack.’

Three hundred. Rhosmari felt

faint. ‘But…if there is fighting,some of them will die.’ She closedher eyes, seeing in memory theimage of her father’s broken body.‘Mother, you cannot do this.’

‘It is not for you to tell me,daughter, what I should do.’ Celynrose from the table, a pillar of topazand obsidian in the firelight. ‘Ichose to tell you of my plan becauseI believed you were mature enoughto appreciate its wisdom. Clearly Iwas mistaken, but that is of noaccount. My fellow Elders will

decide what is best for our people,and I am confident that they willagree with me.’

And without waiting for a reply,she swept out, leaving Rhosmaristaring blindly into the flames.

The cottage was dark, darker eventhan the cloud-veiled sky outside.The servants had left, and LadyCelyn had retired for the night. ButRhosmari paced the floor of herbedroom, unable to sleep.

Would the council of Elders

agree to Lady Celyn’s proposal?Would they really endanger thelives of so many Children of Rhys,just to get back the Stone? ToRhosmari it was unthinkable, but ifthey believed that there was noother way to restore peace and winback their people’s confidence, theymight be willing to take the risk.Lady Celyn was not only eloquentand persuasive, but she was one ofthe strongest leaders the Green Isleshad. If she wanted an army, shewould very likely get one.

But an army was not just acollection of individuals: it wasmade up of fathers and brothers,mothers and sisters, daughters andsons. Every loss, every death,would leave a terrible emptinessbehind. How could Rhosmari faceher young students, knowing whatwas coming to them? Could shereally stand by and allow it tohappen?

The thought was intolerable.Somehow, she had to find a way tostop her mother’s scheme. But how?

She had no authority or specialinfluence that would make theElders listen to her. She had nopower to hold back an army.

But she might know someonewho did.

Pulse quickening, she hurried tothe window and peered out acrossthe strait at the neighbouringislands. Most of their coves andinlets were lost in shadow, but hereand there gleamed a distant star oflight. And if she was not mistaken,one of those lights belonged to Lord

Gwylan and Lady Arianllys.Determined to act before she losther nerve, Rhosmari tugged on hershoes, wrapped a shawl aboutherself, and Leaped.

two

‘I’m sorry to disturb you,’ saidRhosmari, passing a hand over herrain-beaded hair. ‘But I needed totalk to you and Lord Gwylan rightaway.’

‘My dear, there is no need toapologise,’ said Lady Arianllys,stepping back from the doorway tolet Rhosmari in. Her dark hairtangled about her shoulders and her

eyes were shadowed withweariness, yet her expression heldonly concern. ‘I know you wouldnot have come unless it was urgent.’She drew her dressing gown closerand called back over her shoulder,‘Gwylan?’

The door to the adjoining roomcreaked open, and Garan’s fatherstepped out. He had a close-trimmed beard and his hair wasmore wheat than flax, but otherwisehe resembled his son so closely thatthe two of them might have been

twins. ‘What is it?’ he asked.She had never seen Lord Gwylan

look so bleak, not even when Garanleft. Something must have gonebadly wrong for him today – butthere was no time to ask about itnow. ‘I have something important totell you,’ Rhosmari said, and wenton to explain why she had come.

‘I know my mother means well,’she finished, ‘but I cannot sit by andsee this happen to our people – andif there is any chance at all that youcan prevent it—’

‘Be at peace, Rhosmari,’ LadyArianllys told her. ‘We understandyour fears, and indeed share them.And yet…’ She glanced at herhusband. ‘I fear there is little wecan do.’

‘But how can that be?’ Rhosmariasked. ‘My mother’s scheme has notbeen approved yet. Surely LordGwylan could talk to the otherElders, and—’

‘It is too late for that.’ Gwylan’svoice was heavy. ‘As of today, I amno longer part of the Twelve.’

The breath stopped inRhosmari’s throat. She couldmanage only one hoarse word:‘Why?’

‘Because,’ he replied, ‘in theireyes and the eyes of the people, Iam no longer fit to rule. Or as yourmother put it, how can I be trustedto govern the Green Isles if I couldnot govern my own son?’

Rhosmari took a shaky stepbackwards and sank into a chair.Lord Gwylan had long been themost moderate voice on the

Council, and the only Elder sheknew with the courage to stand upto Lady Celyn. No wonder hermother had looked so satisfied atsupper. No wonder she had beenconfident that her plan would beapproved…

‘But we do not blame yourmother,’ said Lady Arianllys. ‘Forshe only did what she believed wasright and best for our people. Andthough the Elders’ decision waspainful, it was not unexpected: assoon as Garan left the Gwerdonnau

Llion, Gwylan and I knew this daywould come.’

‘But it’s so unfair,’ Rhosmarisaid. ‘You didn’t help him. Hedidn’t tell you anything…did he?’

‘He hardly needed to,’ saidGwylan. ‘I read it in his face, themoment we Elders told Linden andTimothy we could not give them themagical help they sought. I lookeddown from the dais and saw my sonstanding there, and I knew that hewas determined to take the Stoneand free the faeries enslaved by the

Empress, just as Rhys used it to freeour people from tyranny a thousandyears ago.’

Rhosmari drew in her breath.‘Then you agree with him? Youthink he was right to take theStone?’

‘That does not matter now,’ saidArianllys. ‘The Stone is gone, andthe Children of Rhys are terrified.Something must be done to restoreour people’s confidence. But if yourmother’s plan is not the answer,then what is?’

‘I don’t know,’ said Rhosmari. ‘Ithought…if I came to you…’ Shelooked up pleadingly at the LadyScholar. ‘You haven’t foreseen anyof this? You don’t know if mymother will succeed, or if we willget back the Stone, or…any of it?’

Arianllys was quiet a moment.Then she said, ‘I have not seenanything that will help you. Myvisions come rarely, and they areseldom clear or certain.’

Rhosmari dropped her head intoher hands. If Lord Gwylan could not

stop her mother from carrying outher plan, and the greatest scholarand prophetess in the Green Isleshad no wisdom to offer, then whathope was there?

Then a thought came to her, andshe straightened up again. Perhapsall was not quite lost. After all,even if Lady Celyn did succeed inconvincing the Elders, she wouldhave to present their decisionbefore the assembly and win theapproval of the other Children ofRhys as well. And then the Elders

would have to choose which faerieswould serve in the army, andappoint commanders over them, andsupply them all with weapons andprovisions before sending them outon their journey. It might be a week,or even two, before all was ready.

So there was still time to find analternative, a way of recovering theStone without conflict or violence.It might not even be that difficult.Despite the rash things Garan haddone, Rhosmari could not believehe was a traitor: he had only meant

to help the faeries on the mainland,not to harm the Children of Rhys.Perhaps, if someone from the GreenIsles were to go to him and tell himwhat the loss of the Stone had doneto their people, he might realise hismistake and give it back.

But who could make such ajourney? When Garan fled, he hadtaken all of his closest comradeswith him; Rhosmari was the onlyone left outside his family whoknew him well. His parents hadalready suffered enough on his

account, and their wisdom andmoderation were needed here. Noone else knew the details of hermother’s plan.

Which meant that there was onlyone person who could do it.

No.Please, no. Not me.She had longed to visit the

mainland, but not like this. Notalone and unprepared, with nothingto protect her from the evils ofwhich her mother had so oftenwarned. Even if Rhosmari could

find the courage to expose herself tosuch danger, it might take her daysor weeks to accomplish hermission. And all the while shewould be running against time,afraid that her mother’s army mightovertake her at any moment.

Yet what else could she do?I do not desire evil, Garan had

said to her once, but it seems to methat to stand idle while evil isbeing done is no virtue either.Rhosmari had not understood at thetime, but now she did. She had to do

this, no matter what the risk toherself, because to allow herpeople to go to war would be agreat evil.

And because one young faery,travelling alone, might escape theEmpress’s notice where a troop ofarmed warriors could not…

Rhosmari closed her eyes,gathering courage. Then she stoodup and said, ‘I will go. I will findGaran, wherever he is, and ask himto give us back the Stone.’

Lady Arianllys caught her breath,

and Lord Gwylan looked more grimthan ever. Rhosmari tensed, afraidthey would try to stop her – but thenArianllys moved forward, wrappingher arms about Rhosmari andholding her close.

‘May Rhys and the GreatGardener watch over you,’ she said,‘and bring you safely to yourdestination. And when you havefound Garan…give him our love.’

Rhosmari dug through the chest atthe foot of her bed, pushing past old

shoes, half-finished journals and hermedals from the Rhysian Gamesuntil she found her pack. She wouldneed to dress warmly, for once sheleft the magical climate of the GreenIsles there would be nothing toprotect her from the harsh mainlandweather. Yet there were no winterclothes in her wardrobe, so shecould only bring her grandmother’scloak and a few extra pairs ofstockings, and hope for the best.

She had none of the coins andpapers that humans used for

currency, but she had a pearlnecklace that her father had givenher. Surely it would fetch a decentprice, if she could find someonewilling to buy it. Lady Arianllyshad supplied her with a map thatshowed the nearby towns on themainland, and a small packet offood to see her through the first dayof her journey. Apart from a comband toothbrush Rhosmari couldthink of little else that she mightneed, for if all went well it shouldonly take her a day or two to reach

her destination.And she knew, now, what that

destination would be. According toGwylan and Arianllys, Garan hadgone to the Oakenwyld, whereLinden and her forty or so sisterfaeries lived. Rhosmariremembered Linden saying that theOak was close to the town ofAynsbridge, and that their humanfriends Paul and Peri McCormick –Timothy’s guardians – lived behindthe great tree in a house calledOakhaven. Surely, with that much

information, the place should beeasy to find.

Rhosmari closed up the pack andcinched it tight, all the whilereminding herself not to think aboutwhat she was doing. It did notmatter that she was leaving behindher home, her family, and the onlylife she had ever known. It was notimportant what Fioled and the otherscholars would think when she didnot appear at the House of Learningtomorrow, or whether Rhosmari’smother would guess what she had

done. She dared not consider theperils that awaited her, or all thethings that could go wrong. Shemust simply go, now, before it wastoo late.

Yet her feet seemed to have putdown roots into the floor, and herchest felt so tight she could hardlybreathe. Rhosmari gripped thebedpost as her knees buckled. Hadshe lost her wits, to believe that shecould get away with this? Or eventhat it was necessary?

But I can’t turn back now , she

told herself. No matter whathappens, I have to try.

Besides, Lord Gwylan and LadyArianllys were waiting for her.They had warned Rhosmari that itwas too windy for her to fly acrossthe strait, and that the waves weretoo treacherous for her to take aboat. Nor could she Leap, becausemagic could not transport heranywhere that she had not set footbefore. But if she met them at acertain place when she had finishedpacking, they would show her a safe

way to the mainland.Rhosmari swung the pack up off

the bed and hugged it in front of her,like a protective shield. She wasready now. Any moment—

‘Rhosmari?’The voice was her mother’s,

husky with sleep. The latch of herdoor began to lift, and with a stab ofpanic Rhosmari Leaped, throwingher mind across miles of land andwater and then hurling her bodyafter it.

She landed on the beach at Ynys

y Porth, smallest and southernmostof all the Green Isles. The oceanbreeze blew gently and the night airwas mild, but as Rhosmari hurriedto meet Gwylan and Arianllys, evenher hooded cloak could not stop hershivering.

‘My mother knows I’m gone,’ shepanted. ‘She’ll start looking for meany minute – and if she finds outyou’ve helped me escape—’

But Lord Gwylan shook his head.‘She will not be quick to assumeyou have run away,’ he said. ‘She

will only think that you have gonefor a walk because you could notsleep.’

‘But—’‘The path to the mainland is not

far,’ said Arianllys soothingly.‘You will be gone before LadyCelyn knows it. Let me show you.’She led them across the tide-dampsand. At the far end of the beachwas a staircase, its steps so worn asto be almost invisible. Theyclimbed to the top of thepromontory, then descended on the

other side into a pebbly coveRhosmari had never seen before.

‘Here is the way you will take,’Lady Arianllys said, touching thecliffside. A crumbling archwayrippled into view, mottled withmoss and lichen and sealed by adoor of carved limestone. Arianllyslaid her palm against its surface andthe portal grated open, revealinganother set of stairs leadingdownwards.

‘This is Gruffydd’s Way,’ shesaid, ‘a tunnel built centuries ago

for the use of our human friends. Itis so little used nowadays that fewof our people even remember itsexistence. But though it is old andneglected it is still sound, and willtake you safely under the ocean allthe way to the mainland.’

Dread crawled up Rhosmari’sspine, wrapping cold fingers aroundher throat. To climb down intoabsolute blackness, beneath thedamp earth and an unfathomableweight of sea, feeling the wallspress closer about her with every

moment—‘No,’ she faltered. ‘Please. I

can’t do this.’‘You must,’ said Gwylan. ‘There

is no other way for you to leave theGreen Isles without your mother andthe other Elders knowing it.’

‘Wait,’ Arianllys said. ‘Let metalk to her.’ Then she turned toRhosmari and said, ‘May I ask youa personal question?’

Rhosmari managed a nod.‘Do you love my son?’She was taken aback. Love?

What did that have to do withanything? Certainly she had likedand respected Garan, and hisappearance was not unpleasant –though he did have the poured-milkhair and pallid skin common amongthe Children of Rhys, both of whichRhosmari was glad to have escapedherself. She had seen no reason notto pledge herself to him, knowingthat the alliance would benefit boththeir houses and likely make one orboth of them Elders someday.

And yet, though Garan had

always been gracious and kind toRhosmari, he had never touchedher, or shared with her the deeperthoughts of his heart. Nor hadRhosmari told him of her ownprivate longings and fears. Therehad been no reason to believe thattheir marriage would be anydifferent from the partnerships ofmost faeries – a practicalarrangement that would producetwo or three children and bringthem respect within the community,but nothing more.

‘Not like that,’ she toldArianllys. ‘I do care for him, but…’

‘Then it was not for his sake thatyou chose to undertake this journey.But is there not someone in yourthoughts that you would like to seeagain? A certain young human wholives near the Oakenwyld,perhaps?’

Heat flooded Rhosmari’s cheeks.‘No!’

The Lady Scholar smiled gently.‘I apologise,’ she said. ‘I wasunkind to test you so. Yet on the day

when Linden and Timothy camebefore the Elders…Gwylan mayhave been watching Garan’s face,but I was watching yours.’

‘I don’t understand,’ saidRhosmari, struggling betweenembarrassment and confusion. ‘Whyare you asking—’

‘Because in order to find thecourage you need to travelGruffydd’s Way,’ said Arianllys,‘you must fix your thoughts onsomething greater than your fears.And love gives great strength…but

so does conviction.’ She put a handon Rhosmari’s shoulder. ‘If youtruly believe that finding Garan andthe Stone is the only way to saveour people…’

‘I know. I have to do this. It’s just—’ Rhosmari bit her lip, andglanced at the tunnel again.

‘There is no need for fear,’Gwylan told her. ‘No enemy orstranger can open Gruffydd’s Way,only the Children of Rhys and thosewe deem worthy of our trust. On themainland side, the entrance will be

invisible and impenetrable even toyou, unless you approach it at lowtide and place your hand where yousee this mark.’ He pointed to asymbol carved beside the doorway,a circle bisected by a waveringline. ‘Not even Garan and hiscompanions know this secret, soguard it well. Are you ready?’

Rhosmari nodded.‘Then I wish you success on your

journey, Celyn’s daughter.’ Hetouched his fingers to his foreheadin respect, and stepped aside.

Lady Arianllys bent and kissedher. ‘Take good care,’ shewhispered. ‘For you are dear to meas my own child, even though youwill never marry my son.’

‘Is that a prophecy?’ askedRhosmari with a feeble attempt athumour, but Arianllys did notanswer. She only turned towardsher husband and buried her faceagainst his chest. Was the LadyScholar actually crying? But beforeRhosmari could ask what waswrong, Gwylan raised his hand in

farewell, and the two of themdisappeared.

Rhosmari turned to face thecliffside. The tunnel gaped beforeher, wide as a sea serpent’s throatand no less daunting. Even whenshe kindled a glow-spell and sent itfloating through the archway, shecould see little of what lay ahead.Only rough-hewn walls and unevensteps leading down into a blacknesslike spilled ink, too thick for hermagic to penetrate.

She didn’t want to go in there.

But she had to.Rhosmari closed her eyes and

whispered a prayer for courage.Then she hefted her pack,straightened her shoulders, and tookher first step into Gruffydd’s Way.

Shadows swarmed aroundRhosmari, dragging at her feet andtangling in her hair. Every step intodeeper darkness was an agonisingeffort of will. Her glow-spellhovered beside her, but its scantradiance brought no comfort. At any

moment she might faint, and the lightwould sputter and go out.

She did not belong here, trappedbetween water and rock. She was achild of open skies and softpastures, but this tunnel hadtransformed her into a blind,crawling earthworm. Her handgripped the stair rail until the roughstone scored her palm, but evenpain could not distract her from thebone-numbing cold. What madnesshad made her believe that she coulddo this? She had not even reached

the bottom of the stair, and her legsshook as though she had beenrunning.

Perhaps it was not too late to turnback. She could Leap home again,shove her pack into the back of thewardrobe with her bow and quiver,and forget that tonight had everhappened…

No. Only a fool and a cowardwould think such a thing, and shewas neither. She was the daughterof Lady Celyn, and her people werecounting on her. She would get

through this tunnel somehow, evenif it took her all night—

Rhosmari!Her stomach lurched as that

familiar voice spoke into her mind,faint but unmistakable. Faeries ofthe same blood, or who hadmutually agreed to the arrangement,could speak mind to mind acrossshort distances – and now LadyCelyn was Calling her. If Rhosmaridid not answer, it would be obviousthat something was wrong…but ifshe did, her mother would know

immediately where to find her.What was she going to do?

Then she realised the answer.Outside the tunnel, on the beach ofYnys y Porth, two great stonescalled the Sentinels marked theboundary between the Green Islesand the mortal realm. There wereno Sentinels here, at least not as faras she could see, but still the bordercould not be far away. And onceRhosmari crossed that magical line,it would be difficult for Lady Celynto stop her.

Answer me! The Call pierced hermind like an icy needle. Rhosmaripressed a hand to her ear, but shecould not shut it out. How longwould it be before Lady Celynpicked up one of Rhosmari’sbelongings and cast a trackingspell? Urgency gripped her, and shebegan to hurry down the steps asquickly as she could go.

At the foot of the stair her glow-spell beamed straight ahead,revealing curving walls thatstretched out far into the distance. It

was even colder here, but the tunnelwidened with every step, and thetightness in Rhosmari’s chest beganto ease.

Where are you, daughter? Speakto me at once!

This time the Call was so clear,so penetrating, that Lady Celyn hadto be nearby. Rhosmari broke into arun, racing down the tunnel as fastas her shaky legs would carry her.The pain in her head was intense,but she forced herself to ignore it.Where was the boundary? It had to

be close, and yet—There! She could not see it, but

she sensed it: a glimmering skin ofmagic stretched across the tunnelsome fifty paces ahead. Rhosmariwas panting now and her sides hadbegun to cramp, but she keptrunning. Just forty paces left…nowthirty…twenty…

A wave of heat rippled upRhosmari’s back. The air knottedaround her, jerking her to a stop inmid-stride. She struggled, but theinvisible net would not break.

There was no escape – her motherwas coming—

She was here.‘Fool of a girl!’ snapped Lady

Celyn. Loosed from its customarybraids and wrappings, her hairhaloed her face like a storm cloud.‘How dare you run off to see thehuman world, when I expresslyforbade you to go?’

The accusation was sounexpected it made Rhosmari gasp.‘That’s not what I was doing!’

‘Indeed?’ said her mother. ‘Then

why are you here?’Rhosmari lifted her chin,

determined not to show her fear. ‘Iam going to the mainland, to findGaran and get back the Stone.’

For an instant Lady Celyn lookedstartled. Then her eyes narrowedagain. ‘So,’ she said. ‘You have solittle respect for your Elders, oryour people—’

‘That’s not true! I only wanted tohelp!’

‘I am not interested in yourmotives,’ said her mother coldly.

‘Whether you are arrogant ormerely naive makes no difference.Either way, this folly ends now, andyou are coming home with me.’

‘Why?’ Frustration seethedinside her. ‘Why send an army afterGaran, when a single faery might beenough? If you only wait a fewmore days, and give me the chance—’

‘Enough!’ Lady Celyn slashedher hand through the air. ‘I have toldyou that the mainland is no place foryou. Are you truly so incapable of

seeing reason?’Rhosmari wrestled against the net

of spells again. There were gaps inthe mesh big enough for her to thrusther hand through, but what goodwould that do her? Unless…

‘I see you are determined,’ saidher mother. ‘So be it.’ She drewherself up, tall and pitiless as agoddess. ‘You will come back tothe house as my prisoner, and I willweave such spells as will keep youthere, until you swear by your truename that you will never try to

leave the Green Isles again.’Horror gripped Rhosmari. ‘You

wouldn’t.’‘I will do whatever I think

necessary to protect you fromyourself,’ Celyn retorted. ‘Yourgrandfather – my father – was killedby the humans on the mainland, andI will not allow my only daughter toshare his fate. Will not, do youunderstand?’

Rhosmari sank back against thenet, stunned by the revelation. Sheknew what it was to lose a father,

and Lady Celyn’s words tore at herheart. To think that humans could beso evil, and cause such pain…

And yet what her mother wantedto do to her was evil, too.

‘Then you are no different fromthe Empress,’ Rhosmari saidshakily, as she pulled herselfupright again. ‘For you want toforce me to obey you, instead ofallowing me to choose for myselfwhat is right. And though you aremy mother and I love you, I will notlet you make me your slave.’

And with that she extinguishedher glow-spell, plunging the tunnelinto darkness.

It only took a moment for LadyCelyn to kindle her own light, but itwas enough. In that instantRhosmari willed herself small anddarted free of her mother’s web ofspells as it collapsed. With a flurryof her new-grown wings shelaunched herself into the air,shooting down the tunnel like aloosed arrow – and as she flashedover the boundary to the mortal

world, Lady Celyn’s cry of protestcut off as though she had beenchoked.

Still Rhosmari dared not hesitate.On this side of the border hermother’s powers were weaker, butso were her own. Her wingsblurred as she urged them to greaterand greater speed. Yet she wasflying blind, and if the tunnel wereto curve even a little, she wouldsmash into the wall and knockherself senseless – or worse.

But no spell pursued her, nor

could she hear Lady Celyn calling.And when at last Rhosmari sloweddown and looked back the way shehad come, she could not see thesmallest spark of light. Unwillingeven to set foot into the humanworld, her mother had gone.

Rhosmari glided to the floor ofthe tunnel and transformed herselfback to her usual size. Her lungsburned and her eyes stung, as thoughshe had been breathing smoke. Butshe wiped her face on her sleeve,kindled another light, and doggedly

continued on.

Now that she had no choice but togo forward, Gruffydd’s Way nolonger seemed as terrible toRhosmari as it had before. Thetunnel was high and spacious, itswalls so far apart that even theoutspread wings of an albatrosscould not have touched both at thesame time. The stones beneath herfeet felt solid, and the roof showedno sign of collapsing. Still, everytime she glimpsed a shining thread

of water or felt the air growclammy, she quickened her stridejust in case.

How many hours had passedsince she left the Green Isles?Without sun, moon or tides to tellher, Rhosmari had no idea. All sheknew was that she had neverwalked so far in all her life. Shehad already broken her journeytwice to eat some of the food LadyArianllys had given her, for all thatflying had given her a ferociousappetite. But now her stomach felt

empty again.She had half convinced herself

that her mother had trapped her insome cunning illusion, and that shewould wander through Gruffydd’sWay forever, when the floor beganto slant upwards. Only a few stepsahead lay the foot of a staircase, itsbroad steps rising into darkness.She had reached the mainland atlast.

Rhosmari paused, surveying theascent. This tunnel had been builtfor humans, not the smaller Children

of Rhys; she would likely find theclimb easier if she made herselfhuman height. How tall had Timothystood, when he visited them?Perhaps just a little shorter thanthat…

She knocked a fist against herforehead in frustration. Not Timothyagain. Why had Lady Arianllysreminded her? She had done herbest to put him out of her mind,especially once she realised that heand Linden were to blame for whatGaran had done. And yet when he

told how one of the Empress’sservants had tried to steal hismusical talent, Rhosmari hadshivered like a pluckedbowstring…

Enough of that, she told herselfseverely. Collecting her scatteredthoughts, she counted stones up thetunnel wall until she reached ameasurement that seemedreasonable to her, then grew littleby little until she had matched it.

The stairs looked far lessdaunting now. Gratified, she began

to climb.Up and up Rhosmari went, the

walls around her narrowing withevery step – but she did not mindthat much, not when she knew shewould soon be free. The stillness inthe tunnel broke into a rumble, thenswelled to an echoing roar, butRhosmari recognised the sound ofwaves crashing against rock, andwelcomed it. Finally the stairtwisted back on itself and stoppedat a door of carved stone, identicalto the one Lady Arianllys had

opened for her hours ago. Herglow-spell picked out the outline ofa wave-crossed circle; she touchedit, and the door rasped open.

Never had the ocean breezetasted so sweet, though its coldnesstook her breath away. She saw nomoon, but her night vision revealeda great stretch of sand and foam-capped waves, with the shadowybulk of an island in the distance.Rhosmari stepped out of the tunnel,and when she looked back, the exitto Gruffydd’s Way had vanished.

All that lay behind her now was aslanting cliffside, with tufts of grassand gorse springing here and therefrom the rock.

Her heart fluttered. What if shecould not find the door again? Butwhen she looked closer sheglimpsed the familiar symbol,delicately etched into the rock.There was still a way home for her,and perhaps – if the Elders chose tobe merciful – for Garan and hisfollowers as well.

She tried not to think about the

possibility that if she failed to bringback the Stone, the Elders might notlet her return to the Green Isleseither.

three

When at last the sun crept over thehorizon, it unveiled a rugged androlling landscape, divided into apatchwork of small fields dottedwith sheep. There were no trees insight, only a few wandering tanglesof shrubbery. It had a wild beauty,but it made Rhosmari feelvulnerable, and for the first time shecould remember, lonely.

But stranger things awaited her asshe approached the town of StDavid’s. Until today, she had onlyever seen one human, but now theywere everywhere. Driving in carsand riding bicycles, both amazingsights in themselves; strolling alone,in couples, in families; walkingdogs that yapped and strained attheir leashes when she passed by.Even at this early hour, the roadswere busy with them, and everytime one of them crossed her path itwas an effort not to stare.

Never before had she seen suchbulky figures, for though faeriesmight be lean or stocky they werealmost never fat. Nor had sherealised what a shock it would be tolook into the faces of the olderhumans and see wrinkles, floridspots, and hair streaked with white.Of course she knew that humanlives were brief compared to thoseof faeries, their bodies far morevulnerable to sickness and decay.But it was one thing to read about it,another to see it firsthand.

Yet fragile as humans might be,they still had formidable powers.They used cold iron freely, workingit into posts and railings, and on herway up from the cathedral Rhosmarialmost put her hand on an iron gatebefore she realised the danger andsnatched it away. Iron sappedfaeries’ strength and stopped themfrom doing magic – and in thishostile place she could not afford tobe defenceless, even for a moment.

Especially now that she knewthat humans had killed her

grandfather.How had it happened, and why?

Only Lady Celyn could tell her, andthere was no chance of asking hernow. But despite Rhosmari’sresolve to find Garan and the Stone,it made her queasy to think of it.Until today she had resented hermother for keeping her from themainland – but now she understoodjust how dangerous the humanworld could be.

And yet it did not lookdangerous. The streets of St

David’s were cosily narrow, linedwith buildings of white plaster andgrey stone. Bells tolled out from theancient cathedral that gave the cityits name. Rhosmari was alreadybeginning to feel hungry again, andwhen she passed an open windowand the smell of frying sausagedrifted towards her, her stomachgroaned with longing. She couldonly hope she would soon findsomeone to buy her necklace.

Fortunately, there was ajeweller’s shop tucked away in a

little corner of the High Street, notfar from the city square. She waiteduntil the man turned the sign in thewindow from CLOSED to OPEN – buteven then she could not get past thedoor, for faeries could not enter ahuman dwelling without invitation.She was reduced to peering in thewindow and making hopefulgestures until the man came to lether in.

‘What can I do for you?’ Thejeweller’s voice was gruff, and helooked at her as though he did not

like what he saw. But Rhosmarirefused to let herself be daunted, forhe held no weapon, and did not lookquick or strong enough to do her anyserious harm.

‘I have a pearl necklace I’d liketo sell,’ she said.

As the pearls poured out acrosshis counter, the man’s brows shotup. He picked up the necklace in hisbig, calloused hands and examinedit with a lens, then bared his teethand rubbed the strand across them.When at last he laid the pearls

down again, it was with almostreverent care – but then he shookhis head.

‘You’ve had your fun,’ he saidcurtly. ‘Now get out of my shop. Idon’t do business with thieves.’

If he had slapped her in the face,Rhosmari could not have been moreshocked. ‘I am not a thief!’

‘I suppose you just found thepearls then, washed up on theshore? Or did you inherit them fromyour old aunty, the Queen ofSheba?’ He snatched up the

receiver beside him and beganjabbing at it. ‘I’m calling the police.They’ll sort this out—’

She knew what that meant, andshe knew it must not happen. Indesperation Rhosmari flung up herhands, and magic enveloped theman in its sparkling glow.

At once the jeweller stopped, hisangry look fading to bewilderment.‘Now who was I calling?’ hemurmured. He set the phone backdown, blinking and rubbing one eye.‘Sorry to keep you waiting, miss.

How can I help you?’But by the time he finished

speaking, Rhosmari and her pearlswere gone.

Rhosmari hurried down the street,heart hammering with the nearnessof her escape. Why had thatjeweller refused to believe that thenecklace was hers? Was it becauseshe was young? Or was theresomething else about herappearance that made himsuspicious?

She paused to consider herreflection in a shop window, butnoticed nothing unusual. The onlything that might give her away as afaery were the points on her ears,but her thick, loosely clasped hairhid them in any case.

Well, she would just have to findanother shop that sold jewellery andtry again. It was not a pleasantthought, but neither was the hollowfeeling in her stomach, nor hergrowing conviction that someonefrom the Green Isles would come to

arrest her at any moment.Shouldering her pack, Rhosmari setoff again.

It took her several minutes ofsquinting at one window afteranother, but at last she found it: atree-shaped rack of pins andnecklaces, tucked between a stackof glazed pottery and a sculpture ofa leaping dolphin. She knocked onthe door, and waited.

‘Was it stuck?’ asked the woman,as she ushered Rhosmari in. ‘That’sa funny thing, it’s never done that

before.’ But she spoke cheerfully,and her expression was kind.Heartened, Rhosmari showed herthe necklace.

‘Good heavens, that’s a lovelypiece,’ said the woman. ‘Andantique, too. I don’t know anyone inSt David’s who could give you theprice of it. You’ll be better to takeit to Haverfordwest at least, if notSwansea or Cardiff—’

‘I need the money now,’ saidRhosmari. ‘Please. I’ll takewhatever you can give me for it.’

The woman looked from thepearls to Rhosmari and back again,her brow creasing. ‘You’re introuble, are you, dear?’

Rhosmari bristled, but the womanheld up a hand. ‘Don’t worry. Idon’t mean to interfere. But itwould help me to decide, if I knewwhy you needed the money sobadly.’

‘I have to get to London,’ saidRhosmari. ‘It’s important. Andurgent.’

‘Do you have friends there?

Relatives who can look after you?’‘Not in London,’ Rhosmari told

her. ‘But…I know some peoplewho live not far from there. In aplace called Aynsbridge…’

A bird fluttered against thewindow as she spoke, distractingher. But by the time she glancedaround, it was gone. She turnedback to the woman and finished,‘That’s where I have to go.’

Fortunately, those details wereenough to put the shopkeeper atease. She named a price that she

could afford to pay, though shewarned that it was far less than thenecklace was worth, and assuredRhosmari that if she returned to theshop within six weeks she wouldgive her the chance to buy it backagain. Relieved, Rhosmari acceptedthe money, expressed her gratitudeas best she could without actuallysaying thank you – for faeries didnot say those sacred words unless itwas a matter of life and death – andleft the shop with a lighter heart.

She was crossing the square on

her way towards the City Hall – thewoman had told her she could catcha bus to Haverfordwest from there –when she heard it. Cark, came therasping cry, and when Rhosmarilooked up there were two ravensperched on the tall, circle-framedcross at the centre of the square.

There was nothing unusual aboutthat, at first glance. But as theirunblinking gaze met Rhosmari’s,apprehension shivered through her.Those were not ordinary birds –they were faeries, male faeries, in

raven shape.Yet they were not members of the

Council Guard, or anyone else sherecognised. That ought to havereassured her, but she could nothelp feeling uneasy just the same.On their way to the Green Isles,Timothy and Linden had beenpursued by two raven brothers whoserved the Empress. What if thesewere the same Blackwings, come tocapture Rhosmari and take her totheir mistress?

But no, she was being ridiculous.

According to Linden, few of themainland faeries had even heard ofthe Children of Rhys, and stillfewer believed in their existence.There was no reason that Corbinand Byrne Blackwing should beinterested in Rhosmari at all, letalone pursue her.

Just then a smaller bird flashedacross the square, tiny as a flungstone, and in a shirr of blackfeathers the ravens launchedthemselves after it. In seconds allthree of them had vanished, and

Rhosmari was alone.

After that unsettling experience,Rhosmari did not linger in StDavid’s even long enough to eat, letalone buy gloves for her cold-cramped hands. When the next busleft for Haverfordwest, she was onit.

Crowded by humans on bothsides, nose wrinkling at the meatypungency of their smell, she satstiffly in the back of the bus as itskirted the coast and squeezed its

way through the little towns ofSolva and Newgale. But she soonforgot her discomfort, as everypassing mile and every curve of thehighway brought new andentrancing sights before her eyes. Itamazed her that the human worldcould be so unpleasant in someways, yet so beautiful in others.

At last the bus reachedHaverfordwest railway station, andthe door wheezed open to let themout. Most of the passengers headedstraight inside, but Rhosmari

hesitated. Her studies had taught herabout the existence of trains andeven a little of how they worked,but no faery she knew had everridden one.

Still, it was the fastest way to getwhere she was going. Rhosmarifollowed the last few humans intothe station, watching and listeningas they paid for their journeys. Thenshe stepped up and did likewise,and soon emerged onto the platformwith ticket in hand. Butapprehension had stolen away her

hunger, and when a rich smell ofmeat and pastry wafted out of thenearby cafe she found herselfedging away from it, nauseated.

As the crowd on the platformswelled from a few to many, theatmosphere became charged withexpectation. But instead of gazingdown the track like the rest of them,the human beside Rhosmari keptlooking at the sky. Was it about torain? Automatically she followedhis gaze – and her heart jolted. Tworavens were flapping towards the

platform, their wingbeatspurposeful and sure.

And they were angling straightfor her.

She must not panic. She must stayjust where she was, and behave asthough she had no reason to fear.Even if they were the same ravensshe had seen in St David’s earlier,they might not mean any harm.Perhaps they only wanted toobserve her a little more closely.

The ravens swooped lower, andRhosmari braced herself for a

confrontation – but then they veeredaway over the rooftops, out of hersight. Had she been mistaken? Hadthey just been ordinary birds afterall?

A hand clamped around her arm,jerking her back beneath the stationoverhang. She cried out – but thesound went nowhere. Someone hadcast a spell of silence over her, andthere was nothing she could do tobreak it.

A lean body pressed against herback, and she smelled the sharp

evergreen scent of an unfamiliarfaery. His lips moved beside herear, breathing an urgent whisper:

‘Help me.’Startled, Rhosmari twisted to

face the stranger. He was a wiry-built male not much taller thanherself, with sharp features and palehair slanting across his forehead.There were grey shadows beneathhis greyer eyes, and his cheekslooked hollow with hunger.

‘Hide me from the Blackwings,’he begged. ‘I will give you

whatever you ask for, do anything inmy power to repay you, but do notlet them take me. Please.’

Rhosmari’s insides went cold. Sothe ravens were the Empress’sservants, after all. But were theyonly chasing this wild-eyedstranger, or did they want her aswell? It was hard to believe thatthey would have followed her allthe way from St David’s toHaverfordwest merely bycoincidence…

She was still trying to decide

what to do when the Blackwingsstepped onto the platform in humanshape, twin brothers with raven hairand the menacing grace of veteranhunters. With a shared glance and anod to each other, they began towalk in opposite directions,studying each of the passengers inturn.

There was no more time forhesitation. ‘Stay close to me,’Rhosmari mouthed to the stranger,and cloaked them both in the mostpowerful invisibility glamour she

could devise. The Blackwings’ eyesslid towards them… Over them…

And past them, without so muchas a pause. Rhosmari relaxed – thentensed again, struck by freshanxiety. The Blackwings hadalready seen her standing on theplatform when they flew in. Nowthat she had disappeared, how longwould it be before they guessed shewas hiding the stranger?

Distracted, she did not even hearthe train approaching. But then camea metallic squeal, and the space

beside the platform became a blurof carriages. The strange faerynudged her elbow, and sheunderstood: they had to get on thetrain as soon as it stopped, and praythat the Blackwings did not follow.

The train slid to a halt, doorshissing open. The humans crowdedforward, and Rhosmari and hercompanion crept invisibly afterthem. They slipped inside thecarriage, pressing back against thewall.

Outside, the Blackwings paced

the platform, unaware that theirquarry had gone. But then theshorter of the two stopped, asthough struck by realisation. Hisnostrils flared; he turned towardsthe train—

The door sang a wavering noteand whirred shut, sealing thecarriage. In seconds the train hadglided away, leaving the station andthe Blackwings behind.

The blonde faery let out hisbreath. ‘I am in your debt. My nameis Martin.’

Which was his common name,nothing more – faeries never gaveaway their true names if they couldhelp it. But still, the introductionshowed a measure of trust. ‘I amcalled Rhosmari,’ she said.

‘A lovely name,’ said Martin. ‘Itsuits you.’

He spoke lightly, as though thewords were mere courtesy. But thelook in his eyes said otherwise, andRhosmari had to drop her gaze.

‘I am grateful beyond words,’Martin went on, ‘for your

willingness to help a stranger. Fewfaeries I know would be sogenerous.’ He touched a button onthe wall, and another door slid opento reveal a narrow-aisledcompartment lined with seats. ‘Areyou hungry? Let me get yousomething to eat.’

‘I have money,’ said Rhosmari,but Martin shook his head.

‘I told you,’ he said. ‘The debt ismine.’ He gestured to the seats.‘Make yourself comfortable. I’ll beback.’

Inside the compartment the airsmelled stale, but at least it waswarm. Rhosmari took a seat by thewindow, as far as she could getfrom the humans sharing the trainwith them, and let her pack slide tothe floor at her feet. At first she wasa little unnerved by the speed withwhich the countryside flashed by,but soon she began to find itcomforting. Surely now it would beimpossible for the Blackwings tocatch up with them.

Soon Martin returned, holding

two small loaves covered in filmywrapping. He gave one to her andsat down, casually crossing one legover the other, as though he hadridden a train many times before.Rhosmari unwrapped her loaf andpried off the top to find it stuffedwith a generous portion of whitemeat, some surprisingly fresh-looking greens, and a scattering ofdried berries. Where had it comefrom? She gave Martin aquestioning look, but he had alreadybitten into his own loaf, and she

was too famished to wait anylonger. She spread her hands out inblessing and began to eat.

‘Why did you do that?’ askedMartin, and Rhosmari nearlydropped the bread before sheremembered that this was not hermother’s table.

‘Do what?’ she answered, whenher mouth was clear. She knewthere was nothing actually wrongwith talking during a meal, but stillshe could not help feelinguncomfortable and even a little

guilty.‘That gesture you made before

you ate. I’ve never seen anyone dothat before. What does it mean?’

How could she answer, withoutexplaining that she was one of theChildren of Rhys? ‘It’s a tradition,’she said at last, ‘that my mothertaught me. A way to show gratitudethat we have something to eat.’

‘Ah,’ said Martin, but to herrelief he did not press her further.They finished their meal in silence,and Rhosmari was just brushing the

last crumbs from her skirt when thedoor at the end of the compartmentopened and a brisk-looking manstepped in. ‘Ticket, please,’ he saidto the woman on his right, andbegan working his way down theaisle towards them.

Martin reached into his jacket.Rhosmari stooped to look for herown ticket, but Martin was alreadyholding out two cards for the man’sinspection.

‘But I—’ she began, only to besilenced by Martin’s warning look.

As soon as the man handed back thetickets and moved on, Martin gaveRhosmari a conspiratorial smileand flicked the cards with a finger.At once they turned blank, and hetucked them back into his pocket.

So he had tricked the man?Rhosmari was speechless. Sheknew that male faeries had a specialtalent for changing the shapes ofthings, but she had not realised itcould be used so deceitfully.

‘Oh, come now,’ said Martin.‘Don’t look so shocked. You ate

that sandwich I gave you readilyenough.’

So he had stolen their dinner, too.Rhosmari felt as though she hadswallowed a handful of dust. Butwhat could she do? The food wasgone now, and she had no ideawhere it had come from. Shepressed her lips together and lookedaway.

Martin gave a short laugh. ‘Areyou really so virtuous? How it mustgall you to serve the Empress. Or…do you?’

Rhosmari glanced at him warily.‘Do you?’

‘What do you think?’ He raisedhis brows at her. ‘Would theBlackwings be trying to kill me if Idid?’

‘Kill you! Why?’‘Because the Empress

commanded it,’ he said. ‘Why else?She ordered me to kill someone. Itold her I would rather not. Andwhen she tried to force myobedience and found she could nolonger do so, she declared me a

traitor and a spy.’Rhosmari’s fingers tightened on

the arms of her seat. Could nolonger do so. If Martin was free ofthe Empress’s control, then he musthave touched the Stone of Naming.But how, and when? Did she dareask, or would that be giving toomuch away?

‘I have a question,’ said Martin.‘Why did you help me? Are you notafraid of what the Empress woulddo to you if she found out?’

‘I have a question first,’ said

Rhosmari. ‘How did you defy theEmpress?’

Martin studied her closely, asthough weighing her with his gaze.At last he said, ‘Have you heard ofthe Stone of Naming?’

Even if she had been capable oflying, she could not have broughtherself to do so. ‘Yes.’

‘Then you must also have heardabout the Battle of Sanctuary, whereRob and his fellow rebels fought theEmpress. You know Rob?’

‘A little,’ said Rhosmari

cautiously. Rob was the one whohad first told Linden and Timothyabout the Stone of Naming, andurged them to look for it. Though ifshe remembered the story correctly– and after viewing the loreseed somany times, she ought to – Rob hadnot known where to find theChildren of Rhys, and neither didany other faery on the mainland.Timothy had figured out that part allon his own…

No, she was not going to startthinking about Timothy again. In a

firmer voice Rhosmari said, ‘Goon.’

‘I was at Sanctuary when thebattle took place,’ said Martin.‘After the Empress and herfollowers fled, Rob offered theStone to anyone who wished to befree, and of course I accepted theoffer. But I was not ready to join therebellion, so I struck out on myown.’ He gave a rueful shrug. ‘Youcan see how well that succeeded.’

‘She captured you?’‘In a sense. She believed that I

was still loyal to her, and I decidedto play along, thinking I would soonfind another chance to escape. Butwhen I refused to kill Rob, sherealised her mistake…and I havebeen running from the Blackwingsever since.’

Rhosmari was silent, mullingover his words. So the Stone hadlast been seen in London, with Roband the rebels. But that had beendays or even weeks ago. Wherewas it now?

‘I thought at first that if I could

find the rebels again, I would besafe,’ said Martin reflectively. ‘AndI heard a rumour that they had goneto a place called the Oak, so Idecided to look for them there. Butby the time I arrived…well.’ Hegrimaced. ‘You know the rest ofthat story.’

Apprehension flickered inRhosmari’s chest. ‘What story?’

‘About the Oak, and whathappened to it.’ He gave her acurious look. ‘You really have notheard?’

Her pulse was racing now. IfGaran had gone to the Oak to helpLinden and her people, and thenRob had followed them there withthe Stone… ‘Tell me,’ she said.‘Please.’

Martin spread his hands, asthough to apologise for what he wasabout to say. ‘The Empress attackedthe Oak a few days ago, and burnedit to the ground. A few of the rebelsand Oakenfolk escaped, but manywere captured, and the rest…aredead.’

four

‘No!’ The word tore out ofRhosmari before she could stopherself. ‘The Oak destroyed? Thatcan’t be!’

‘I understand,’ said Martin. ‘Icould hardly believe it myself. WithRob and his rebels there, I wouldhave expected more of a battle. Butwhen I got to the Oakenwyld, it wasalready over.’

Rhosmari’s hands were shaking.She pressed them against her thighsto still them. Had Garan beenkilled? Her fellow scholar Broch?Or Llwynog, whose common namemeant fox, but who was so mild-mannered that everyone called himLlinos, a harmless little bird,instead? What of Linden, and herhuman friends? Timothy, and Paul,and Peri – had the Empress killedthem too?

And what had become of theStone of Naming?

Rhosmari squeezed her eyes shut,breathing hard. She could not affordto fall apart. She had to concentrate.She had to think.

‘I’ve upset you,’ said Martin. ‘Iapologise. But I thought every faeryin Britain must have heard the newsby now. Where have you been, notto know about all this?’

She shook her head, toodistracted to answer. The Oak wasgone, the rebels scattered. She hadno idea where the Stone had gone,or whether she had any hope of

finding it in time to forestall hermother’s plan. Perhaps she shouldjust give up now, and turn back?

But if she returned to the GreenIsles empty-handed, that would onlyprove to everyone that Lady Celynhad been right, and the only way toretrieve the Stone was to send theChildren of Rhys out in force…

‘Well,’ said Martin, ‘I know atleast one thing about you now: youdo not serve the Empress. And Icould almost swear that you havenever belonged to her, unlikely as

that seems.’ He leaned closer. ‘Sowhy leave the safety of your Wyld,if you have managed to avoid theEmpress until now?’

Rhosmari kept silent, but Martinpersisted. ‘You obviously wantedthe Oakenfolk and the rebels tosucceed. Was that why you weretravelling this way? Were youhoping to join the rebellion, andfight with them?’

‘Fight? No!’ Of course she feltsorry for the Empress’s slaves, andwould like to see them freed. But

only the Stone of Naming could dothat, not violence and bloodshed.

Although, if she found the Stoneand took it back to the Green Isles,the mainland faeries would neverhave the chance to use it…

Rhosmari rubbed wearily at thebridge of her nose. Why dideverything have to be socomplicated? ‘No,’ she repeated. ‘Ionly wanted to find someone wholeft our Wyld to join the rebels, andask him for – for help.’

‘Ah, that makes more sense,’ said

Martin, settling into his seat again.‘I was finding it difficult to imagineyou as a soldier. I have no love forfighting myself, particularly in whatseems to be a losing cause.’ Hisgaze flicked to the window. ‘Yet Iam not ready to surrender to theEmpress, either. Perhaps…we canhelp each other.’

‘How?’ asked Rhosmari.‘We can look for the rebels

together,’ he said. ‘I know Rob wellenough to guess where he and hispeople would be most likely to

hide. I know how to get almostanywhere in this country by train,which is a good way to stay aheadof the Blackwings, or anyone elsewho might follow us. And we eachhave magical skills that the otherdoes not, so the two of us canprotect each other better than eitherof us could do alone.’

He did have a point, Rhosmarihad to admit. And he was in herdebt, so he had good reason forwanting to help her. ‘And once wefind the rebels?’ she asked.

‘Then I’ll go my own way,’ saidMartin. ‘As I said, I have no interestin martyrdom. But if you need anescort back to your home Wyld…’He gave a shrug that was not quiteindifferent. ‘I would be glad to dothat, too.’

Now she understood. He must bethinking that if he helped Rhosmari,her people would give him refugefrom the Empress. But the Elderswould never allow a thief and adeceiver to set foot in theGwerdonnau Llion, unless they

were certain he had repented of hisways.

‘All right,’ she said at last, ‘it’s abargain. But no more tricks. If weneed food, or lodging, or transport,we pay for it honestly.’

‘Then you’ll have to pay for bothof us,’ said Martin. ‘I have nomoney at all. But if it means somuch to you…’

‘It does.’‘Then I accept your terms.’

The train station at Cardiff was the

noisiest, most confusing placeRhosmari had ever seen. Humanshurried in all directions, laughingand arguing and embracing oneanother, shouting into little boxesthey held in their hands or bobbingtheir heads to rhythms that theyalone could hear. Though mostfaeries – Rhosmari included – werechary of touch, she was grateful forMartin’s steadying hand on herelbow as he steered her through thecommotion.

‘I know this city,’ he said, as they

emerged into the brightly lit hall atthe end of the corridor, a placelined with booths selling food andmerchandise and swarming withpeople of all colours and ages. ‘Ihave friends here, and I know aplace we can stay.’

His confidence surprised her.Faeries did not often speak ofhaving friends, even on the GreenIsles. ‘Where?’ she asked.

‘This way,’ said Martin. Heplunged through the crowd to thestation entrance, dodged a pained-

looking human couple with a trio ofsquabbling children, and led theway outside. ‘Cardiff,’ heannounced with satisfaction,spreading his arms to the loomingbuildings and the darkening sky.

Rhosmari had never been in alarge city before, and ordinarily shewould have been fascinated. Butright now she was too tired to domore than squint and nod.

‘Come on,’ said Martin. Unlikeher, he was practically springingwith energy – but then, he had slept

on the train. Before Rhosmari couldprotest he caught her hand, fingerssnaking through hers in a way thatmade her shiver, and dragged hertowards the street.

As they came out onto the mainroad, Rhosmari winced andshielded her eyes. Everything hurtto look at: signs blazing above shopwindows, streetlights gloweringoverhead, the headlamps ofvehicles blinding her as theyrumbled past. ‘Is it far?’ she asked.‘I—’ Then a wave of smog

assaulted her and she doubled upcoughing, unable to finish thesentence.

‘You’ll get used to it,’ Martintold her, looking more amused thansympathetic. ‘And we’ve a fewstreets to go yet – but we’ll be theresoon enough.’

Minute after dreary minute theywalked, while the night closed inand the air turned from cool to cold.Rhosmari was numb all over by thetime they stopped, in front of anarrow door whose painted sign

r e a d BARDHOUSE THEATRE

COMPANY. There was a buttonbeside the doorway; Martin pressedit and waited.

‘Shh,’ warned a hoarse voice, asthe door cracked open and a tousledhead poked out. ‘They’ve alreadystarted. If you want to audition,you’ll have to—’ The manstraightened up, eyes rounding withsurprise. ‘Mad Martin! I thoughtwe’d seen the last of you! Who’sthis, your girl?’

‘Not so much, I’m afraid,’ said

Martin. ‘We met on the train. Goodto see you again, Toby. Mind if wecome in and watch for a bit? Ithought Rhosmari might enjoy—’his voice dropped into a mockingdrawl— ‘a unique culturalexperience.’

‘Oh, you’ll have that here, allright,’ sighed Toby, pushing hishands through his hair until it stoodon end. ‘I’ve never seen such adismal lot of amateurs, and Lyn’sbeen carving them up like Christmasgeese. But if you’re up for the

punishment, I won’t stop you. Watchthe ladder—’ and with that, hebacked inside.

Rhosmari stared after him,weariness forgotten in theastonishment of discovering thatMartin’s friends were human. Butshe had little time to dwell on it,because Martin had already steppedover the threshold, and she had tofollow.

They emerged into a narrowentryway, with a paper-litteredstudy just visible to their right and a

staircase heading upwards on theleft. A battered stepladder stood toone side of the corridor, with astriped cat sleeping underneath.Martin slid past it without so muchas a glance, but Rhosmari crouchedto look at it more closely. Therewere no cats on the Green Isles, andthis was her first encounter withone. Was it tame? Would it let hertouch it?

‘Come on,’ Martin hissed overhis shoulder, and reluctantly sherose and joined him. They stepped

through a curtained arch into a deep,windowless room half lost inshadow. Rows of chairs filled thespace from top to bottom, anglingdownwards to a starkly lit platformat the front. With a nod to theirhuman guide, Martin slipped into aseat, and Rhosmari sat down besidehim.

‘What is this place?’ shewhispered. But Martin only pointedto the stage, where a drab-lookingwoman stood clutching a book toher chest. Her gaze was fixed on

someone in the front row, herexpression full of nervous hope asshe asked, ‘How was that?’

‘It was bloody awful,’ said alaconic female voice. ‘Not thistime, love.’

The woman wilted and slunk offthe platform. ‘Next,’ said the bored-sounding woman, and a girl withfrizzy brown hair scraped back intoa knot climbed up to take her place.She gave a wavering smile, clearedher throat, and began:

‘The quality of mercy is not

strained; it droppeth as the gentlerain from heaven upon the placebeneath. It is twice blest: it blessethhim that gives and him that takes…’

Unlike the woman who had comebefore her, she held no book in herhands; she seemed to be reciting thespeech from memory. Unfortunately,she was concentrating too hard ongetting the words right to put muchexpression into them, and Rhosmarifelt an unexpected flash ofsympathy. She leaned forward inher seat, willing the girl to relax

and not be afraid.The result was startling. At once

the girl stood taller and began tospeak with more confidence,investing the speech with suchpassion that it almost seemed thewords were her own. Her eyesshone and her gestures becameeloquent as she urged her unseenhearer to consider her argument,examine his heart, and choosecompassion over the letter of thelaw:

‘I have spoke thus much, to

mitigate the justice of thy plea;which if thou follow, this strictcourt of Venice must needs laysentence ’gainst the merchant there.’

She finished with a little bow,then stepped back and waited. Thestark lights picked out the freckleson her skin and the flush in hercheeks; she was breathing quickly,and Rhosmari felt her nervousnessas though she were on trial herself.

‘Well, now,’ came thepronouncement from below. ‘Thatwas more like it.’ With an energy

that belied her languid tone, a short,steely-haired woman leaped upfrom her seat and seized the girl’shand in an approving shake. ‘Goodwork, Lucy. Come back tomorrow.Next!’

‘It seems you don’t need me toteach you to appreciate theatre,’Martin murmured to Rhosmari asanother human made his way ontothe platform. ‘But who would havethought an honest faery like yourselfwould take so readily to an art builton trickery and lies?’

‘Lies?’ Rhosmari was takenaback. ‘But I thought that girl wasgiving a speech – an argument—’

‘Of course she was. But in doingso, she was also playing the part ofa woman disguised as a man,pretending to be a lawyer in a courtthat never existed,’ said Martin,leaning back and lacing his fingersbehind his head. ‘That was fromWilliam Shakespeare’s play TheMerchant of Venice.’

A play. Rhosmari knew thathumans sometimes put on disguises

and acted out stories to amuse anaudience, but she had never seen itdone before. ‘That’s not a lie,’ sheprotested. ‘How can it be, when noone is really deceived?’

‘Ah, but they want to bedeceived,’ Martin replied. ‘And thecloser an actor comes to makingthem believe that the emotions hepretends are real, the better theylove him for it. Watch.’ He noddedat the stage as a dark-eyed boy whomoved like a candle flame steppedforward and began to speak:

‘I am a Jew. Hath not a Jeweyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs,dimensions, senses, affections,passions…?’

By the end of his speech,Rhosmari was blinking back tears.The earnestness with which theyoung man delivered his lines, thepride and despair alternating uponhis face, communicated his yearningfor justice with a power that madeher ache. When he spoke of wantingrevenge on those who had wrongedhim, it made her uneasy – and yet

she understood why he might feelthat way. And when she glanced atMartin and saw how his eyes hadnarrowed and his hands tightenedupon his knees, she realised that hetoo was moved and trying not toshow it.

When the boy finished there wassilence, tense as a held breath. Then—

‘I knew it!’ bellowed the womanin the front, spinning around to jab afinger at Martin. ‘It’s you! I shouldhave known you were back the

moment this rabble startedperforming like real actors. Butwhat’s the good of having a musewho won’t stay put?’ She strode upthe aisle, seized Martin and gavehim a resounding kiss on bothcheeks.

‘I haven’t the slightest idea whatyou mean,’ said Martin with dignity,scrubbing his lip-printed face.

‘No, of course he doesn’t,’ saidthe woman, turning to Rhosmari.‘He only likes to hang about thesmallest theatre in Cardiff because

we’re cheap. As if I don’t know theTylwyth Teg when I see one.’ Andwith that startling pronouncementshe barked back over her shoulder,‘Steven, I want you back.Tomorrow at seven.’

The boy’s face blazed with asmile. He snapped his heelstogether and bowed, then leaped offthe platform and vanished through adoor at the foot of the stage.

‘Lyn has this delightful notionthat I’m some sort of faerybenefactor,’ Martin told Rhosmari,

so casual it made her blink. ‘Iwouldn’t have thought she’d begoing senile at her age, but younever know with these theatrepeople – ow!’ He clutched his armwhere the woman had pinched him.‘Careful, now. If you make meangry, I might put a curse on yourbox office receipts.’

‘They couldn’t be much worsethan they are already,’ retorted Lyn.‘Just ask Toby, he’s been weepingover the books for weeks. Why doyou think we’re casting

Shakespeare with spotty-facedadolescents and the cleaningwoman’s second cousin? Wecertainly can’t afford anyonebetter.’ She let out a sigh. ‘But afew of them show promise, andthose last two had a real gift. Atleast we’ll have something to workwith this season.’ She eyed Martincritically. ‘So how long are yougoing to hang about? A few days? Aweek?’

‘It’s worse than that, I’m afraid,’said Martin. ‘Rhosmari and I are

only here for the night. Do you thinkyou could spare us a corner?’

‘Oh, don’t tell me you’re skintagain,’ said Lyn. ‘I thought yourpeople had gold lining everypocket. You’re a very disappointingsort of faery, you know.’

‘Try Rhosmari,’ said Martin.‘She’s a much better one.’

Lyn looked Rhosmari up anddown and snorted. ‘Oh, that’slikely. All right then, both of you,come with me. I’m sure we can finda bed for you somewhere.’

‘There you go,’ said Lyn a fewminutes later, flopping a mattressonto the floor of the study. ‘Sorryabout the paint stink, we’re stillcleaning up after the upstairs toiletflooded last week.’

‘All part of our usual charmingstate of chaos,’ added Toby,shoving a box under one of thedesks. ‘Though I’ll get this officefixed up eventually, I promise. Younever know when some randombloke and his girl will come throughand want to use it as a hostel.’ But

he spoke cheerfully, with a nudge atMartin’s side and a wink forRhosmari. ‘Right, Lyn, are we donefor tonight? Sure these two aren’tgoing to murder you in your sleep?’

‘Reasonably,’ said Lyn, in a drytone. ‘Off you go.’

Toby grinned and kissed hercheek, then sidestepped the ladderand disappeared. Lyn stood amoment, surveying the room – thetwo desks heaped with papers, theglass-fronted machine displayingdizzying patterns in the corner, the

mattress taking up most of the floor– and said, ‘Not exactly theLanesborough, is it? But there’ssheets and blankets in the cupboardunder the stairs, and I can at leastoffer you a fry-up in the morning, ifyou bestir yourselves around eightor so. Not that you’ll likely have achoice, with that fat lump crawlingall over you,’ and she jerked herhead at the still-sleeping cat.

‘Bless you, Lyn,’ said Martin,without a trace of irony; it was theclosest most faeries ever came to

saying thanks, and Rhosmari wasstartled to hear it. ‘We’re in yourdebt.’

‘That you are,’ Lyn replied. ‘I’mgoing upstairs to cuddle withBurbage – just knock if you needanything.’ And with that she stalkedup the staircase, flicking off thecorridor lights behind her.

‘Is Burbage the cat?’ askedRhosmari, when the woman hadgone.

‘Actually, I believe Burbage isher laptop computer,’ replied

Martin. ‘The cat doesn’t have aname, as far as I know.’ He leanedback against the desk, handssplayed casually on the pale wood.‘And I’ve a feeling she’s not quitesure what to make of you, either.’

Rhosmari glanced around theroom, uncomfortable with hissteady gaze. ‘You seem to know herquite well. I thought the Empressdidn’t want her people beingfriendly with humans?’

‘She doesn’t,’ said Martin. ‘Buteven when I belonged to the

Empress, just because she couldcontrol me didn’t mean that shealways did. And I was careful notto give her reason to think she mightneed to, either.’ He pushed himselfupright and walked out into thecorridor, adding over his shoulder,‘You’ll want some bedsheets?’

‘Yes, please,’ said Rhosmari.Martin returned with an armful of

linens, snapped out the bottom sheetand began fitting it over themattress. It was a servant’s task, yethe did it without self-consciousness

– and with an ease that suggestedhe’d done it many times before.

‘You still haven’t told me howyou met Lyn,’ Rhosmari said,watching him. ‘How did she guessyou were a faery?’

‘Lyn is remarkably perceptivethat way,’ said Martin. ‘She doesn’ttrust her instincts enough to admitit’s anything more than a joke, butshe recognised what I was themoment I first walked into hertheatre. I suspect there’s faeryblood in her somewhere.’ He

tucked in the top sheet and turned itdown, adding, ‘She would haverecognised you too, if she letherself. But you didn’t fit her ideaof what a faery should look like, soshe dismissed it.’

Rhosmari frowned. How couldshe look any more like what shewas? It was true that her ancestorshad come to Wales from a far-offcountry, so she was one of perhapsfifty faeries in all the Green Isleswho did not share the blandcolouring most common to the

Children of Rhys. But why shouldthat matter? She was no lessmagical than the others, and no lessloyal to her homeland. It made nosense that anyone would compareher to Martin, and think she was nota true faery.

‘In any case, Lyn is just one ofseveral humans I’ve come to knowsince I discovered theatre,’ Martincontinued. ‘Most of myacquaintances are in London, wherethere are hundreds of acting troupes,and a play is born every minute. But

whenever the Empress gave meliberty to travel, I took the chance tobroaden my horizons.’ A little smileplayed along his lips. ‘And I haveto admit that of all the theatres I’vevisited, this little place is myfavourite.’

Rhosmari gazed down at themattress, now neatly made up withsheets and blankets. ‘What I didearlier, when that girl was givingher speech…I didn’t even realisethat was possible. I know ourpeople make humans more creative

just by being near them, but I couldfeel the difference. And now Iwonder if I did her more harm thangood.’

‘You wanted to help her,’ saidMartin. ‘And you did. But theability to deliver Portia’s speechcame from within her, not you. Allyou did was take away hernervousness and give her a chanceto prove herself. And it isintoxicating to see your poweraffect them, isn’t it?’ He yawned,stretching both arms above his head

and arching his back so far shecould see his hipbones. ‘Anyway,I’m going to sleep. Good night.’

Rhosmari tensed. Surely hedidn’t mean… Of course he hadmade up the bed, but he couldn’treally think… And there was noway she would even consider…She would just have to tell him—

But before she could find thewords, Martin turned and walked tothe door. And then, with a lastmocking glance over his shoulderthat told her he knew exactly what

she’d been thinking, he transformedhimself into a tiny black and whitebird and fluttered away.

five

‘You’ll be coming back next timeyou’re in Cardiff,’ said Lyn afterbreakfast the next morning, givingMartin a pointed look as sheunlocked the front door. ‘We’redoing Merchant in June and MuchAdo in August, and I’ll want to seeyou at both.’

‘You don’t really need me, Lyn,’said Martin. ‘You’ve got a couple

of fine young actors there, andyou’ll bully the rest into genius yet.How do you know you’re not partfaery yourself?’

‘Ha! With this old face? Notlikely.’ She stepped outside withthem, into the wan grey light. Thesky was rumpled with cloud, andthe breeze smelled of dust andimpending rain. ‘So you’ll be allright, then? I’ve a sense you’re insome kind of trouble.’ Her eyesflicked to Rhosmari. ‘Or is it youthat’s the trouble?’

‘Rhosmari is far too well-behaved to cause trouble foranyone,’ replied Martin. ‘Don’tworry, we’ll be fine.’ He touchedhis fingers to his forehead. ‘Peaceand good fortune to you, Lyn. Youwon’t regret your kindness.’

The human woman gave a tightsmile. ‘I’ll hold you to that.’ Forone last moment her gaze lingeredon Rhosmari, as though she werestill not quite sure what to make ofher. Then she shook her head,waved them both off, and went back

inside.

By daylight, Cardiff looked morefriendly to Rhosmari than it had thenight before. It still felt strange tobe surrounded by pavement andmetal, and buildings so tall theymade her feel dizzy to look at them.But here and there she glimpsedtrees beginning to bud, and grassyspaces where gold and purplecrocuses bloomed. And though thefumes of passing vehicles stilltainted the air, there were more

pleasant smells, too: the aroma offresh bread wafting from a bakery,the dusky scent of coffee, a floralswirl of perfume as a group ofyoung women hurried by.

‘Did you sleep well?’ Martinasked Rhosmari as they walked. ‘Idid. You’d be surprised howcomfortable it is to sleep as a bird,as long as you don’t have to worryabout predators swooping down onyou.’

‘Like the Blackwings?’ askedRhosmari, glancing at the sky. Not

that there was any point: the air wasfull of dark shapes, and even herfaery senses could not have told areal bird from a false one at thisdistance.

‘I doubt they’d eat me,’ Martinsaid, as though he were consideringthe possibility. ‘Though they couldcertainly make my life unpleasant.But enough of that talk. We need todecide where to start looking for therebels.’

‘You don’t think there are anyhere?’

‘There might be, but I don’t knowof anyone specific – and even if Idid, we don’t have anything to trackthem with.’ He stooped to peer athis reflection in a shop window,combed his hair smooth with hisfingers, and straightened up again.‘Besides, Rob was born and raisedin London. I doubt he’d take hisfollowers into Wales, not whenthere are still places in England leftto hide.’

‘Then perhaps the rebels are inLondon?’

Martin appeared to consider this,but then he shook his head. ‘I thinknot. The Empress might have lostSanctuary, but many of the Londonfaeries are still under her control,and the rebels would find it hard toestablish a stronghold there. Isuggest we go north, to somewherelike Birmingham or even as far asManchester. There are strong Wyldsin both those places, and if Rob islooking for allies it would makesense for him to try there first.’

He obviously had no doubt that

Rob had escaped the battle.Rhosmari wished she could be halfas sure about Garan and the otherChildren of Rhys who had gonewith him. Garan and Broch had bothdone well in the Rhysian Games,and Llinos had served in theCouncil Guard, but none of themhad ever experienced real warfare,any more than she had.

‘And even if we don’t find therebels themselves,’ Martincontinued, ‘we may meet somesympathisers who can point us in

the right direction. Or at least tell ussomething about them.’

Rhosmari could not argue withthat. Even bad news would bebetter than uncertainty. ‘Then we’llgo to the Wyld that’s the farthest,’she said. ‘If the Blackwings are stillfollowing us, it will take themlonger to catch up with us there.’

‘Wisely thought,’ said Martin.‘Manchester it is. But before we go,I have a suggestion. Take a little ofyour money and buy a coat, insteadof that old-fashioned cloak. It will

make it harder for the Blackwingsto pick you out from a distance, andyou will likely find it warmer aswell.’

At first she was tempted to arguewith him: the cloak was warmenough, and surely it could not bethat old-fashioned. But it was truethat she had not seen anyone else onthe mainland wearing one. Couldthat be why the jeweller in StDavid’s had been suspicious ofher? Had he thought she was toopoor to afford a proper coat, let

alone own a pearl necklace?Embarrassed to think that she had

made such a foolish error,Rhosmari swallowed her objectionsand followed Martin to a clothingshop not far from the railwaystation. They negotiated their wayinside, and once she found a fittedjacket that matched the soft brownof her boots, she felt ready to giveup her cloak without regret.

Martin seemed pleased with herchoice – or perhaps he was justpleased with himself, because as

Rhosmari was counting out hermoney he gave the girl behind thecounter a smile that made her lowerher eyes and turn pink.

‘Did you put a charm on her?’asked Rhosmari as they left theshop. She did not mean to soundaccusing, but the amount she hadspent on the coat was less than sheexpected.

‘Hardly,’ said Martin. ‘It’s asecond-hand shop, that’s all.Beguiling’s not one of my talents; Icould have stopped time and stolen

the coat more easily than I couldhave confused her into charging youthe wrong price for it. Why are youso suspicious?’ He leaned closer,his breath warming her ear, andmurmured, ‘Or…were youjealous?’

Rhosmari felt her face grow hot.Unable to think of a reply, sheraised her chin and walked faster.

Martin laughed.

They left Cardiff by the next train,heading for Manchester. Rain

streaked the windows of thecarriage as they sped along,blurring Rhosmari’s view of thecountryside until she could see littlemore than her own shadowyreflection.

‘Tell me more about theEmpress,’ she said to Martin, as shesettled back into her seat. ‘Wheredid she come from? Why is she sodetermined to bring all the faeriesunder her control?’

Martin shrugged. ‘All I know isthat she is powerful, and ruthless,

and that she despises humans –although that may be more ironicthan any of us guessed. She lookslike a porcelain angel, all blondecurls and sweetness; but at thebattle of Sanctuary I glimpsed hertrue face, and it was withered withage. Either her use of dark magichas corrupted her body, or…’ Heran a finger thoughtfully across hischin. ‘Or else she was once humanherself.’

Rhosmari found that hard tobelieve. Surely the Empress would

not find it so easy to hate humans ifshe had spent most of her life asone? ‘She must be quite old, then,’she said. ‘Does she think she canlive forever? Or does she havesome plan for carrying on herempire after she is gone?’

‘She has several trustedlieutenants,’ said Martin, ‘who haveserved her for many years. Andnaturally, Corbin and ByrneBlackwing are among them. Butthere is another faery namedVeronica who is even closer to her

in spirit, and there are rumours thatshe has already begun to learn thesecrets of the Empress’s power. Soif you were thinking that all weneed to do is wait a few more yearsfor the Empress to die…’ He gave athin smile. ‘Then you would bewrong.’

Reluctantly, Rhosmari nodded.Of course the solution could not beso simple. She was beginning tounderstand why Garan had felt hehad to help the mainland faeries intheir struggle – though for the

Children of Rhys’s sake, she stillwished that he had not.

‘But enough of that gloomy talk,’said Martin. ‘Tell me about theWyld you came from.’

His expression held onlycuriosity, and she felt sure he meantno harm. Yet how could she entrusta near-stranger with the secrets ofthe Children of Rhys? ‘I…can’t,’she said.

‘Oh, come now, you must be ableto tell me something. What aboutthis countryman of yours, who left

to join the rebellion? Why is it soimportant for you to find himagain?’

Rhosmari bit her lip, tornbetween the temptation to confesseverything and the fear of whatmight happen if she did. She longedto share her burden with someone.Yet Martin owed his own freedomto the Stone of Naming. What wouldhe say if he knew – or evensuspected – that she had come totake it away?

‘I’m sorry,’ she said at last. ‘I’m

grateful for all you’ve done for me.But I can’t.’

Martin’s jaw tightened, and shecould see that she had offended him.But all he said was, ‘Very well.’

The streets of Manchester weredreary with rain, and as Rhosmarifollowed Martin out of the trainstation she turned up the collar ofher jacket. Humans passed by themon both sides; few gave Rhosmari asecond glance, and those who didlooked more approving than

otherwise. She was glad to havetaken Martin’s advice, and left hercloak behind in Cardiff.

‘Where are we going?’ askedRhosmari, when they had walkedalong the pavement for severalminutes.

‘Somewhere private,’ Martinreplied. It was the first time he hadspoken in hours, but to her relief hedid not sound angry, onlypreoccupied. ‘Finding spells takeconcentration, and I don’t want us tobe interrupted.’

‘Finding spell?’ asked Rhosmari.‘Is that like a tracking spell?’

‘Not exactly. For a tracking spellyou have to be looking for aspecific person, and you needsomething of theirs to use as afocus. With a finding spell, you’reonly seeing if there are other faeriesnearby.’

She had never heard of such athing before, but that was no greatsurprise; it made sense that separategroups of faeries would developtheir own magical specialties. She

would be willing to wager thatMartin had never heard ofloreseeds, either.

‘The only thing is,’ Martin wenton, ‘is that to cover an area thislarge, we’ll have to cast the spelltogether. Ah. Here.’ He grabbedRhosmari’s arm and whisked herinto a narrow space between twobuildings. ‘Come behind theseboxes, so no one can see us from thestreet. Are you ready?’

Rhosmari gave a cautious nod.She had never cast a spell in

partnership with another faerybefore. Yet magic was in her blood,and instinct told her everything sheneeded to know. She faced Martin,and stretched out her hands to meethis.

She was not prepared for thecaress of his thumb across herknuckles, nor the possessive way hetwisted her hands upright and lacedtheir fingers together. Blood surgedinto Rhosmari’s cheeks, and shealmost pulled away – but then shefelt the magic beginning, and did not

dare to break it.Martin closed his eyes, drawing

on their shared power and sendingit outward. Hastily Rhosmaricollected herself and did likewise,willing the spell to grow andexpand. For a long time she feltnothing but a steady pulse of magic,rippling over the buildings aroundthem and spreading in waves acrossthe city. But then…’

‘There they are,’ murmuredMartin as a starburst flared inRhosmari’s inner vision, followed

quickly by another. ‘Two of them atleast. Let’s see if we can findmore.’

The stars glowed brighter, thenwinked out. An instant later theysparked back into Rhosmari’sawareness again, closer and hotterthan before.

‘They’ve sensed us!’ exclaimedRhosmari, and snatched her handsaway. But were the other faeriesallies, or enemies? There was noway to tell. All she knew was thatthey were coming, and quickly.

‘I’ll mask our scent,’ said Martin.‘You make us invisible. Don’t moveor speak until I tell you it’s safe.’

They crouched behind the boxes,watching the mouth of the alley.Humans strolled past without evenglancing in their direction. On thefar side of the road, a lorry beepedits way into reverse. Rhosmari wasbeginning to wonder if she andMartin had been anxious fornothing, when a slender figurestepped off the pavement andheaded down the alley towards

them.The faery was female, with skin

the colour of old ivory and a shiningblack waterfall of hair. She stoppedjust short of their hiding place, afrown creasing her brows. ‘Whereare you?’ she asked in a liltingvoice.

All at once Martin backed upagainst Rhosmari, pushing herdeeper into the shadows. Themuscles of his shoulders weretensed like steel. ‘What is it?’ shewhispered – but then a second faery

stepped up behind the first, and shealmost cried out for joy. It was notjust his ocean-breeze scent thatthrilled her, it was the familiar linesof his face, with its mild expressionthat had always seemed so at oddswith the spear he used to carry asone of the Council Guard.

‘Llinos,’ she mouthed, andleaped up to greet him – but Martinyanked her back down. His breathscorched her ear as he hissed,‘Don’t move.’

How dare he try to keep her

away from her own people? For thefirst time in her life, Rhosmari wasangry enough to fight. She droppedthe invisibility glamour andstruggled free of Martin’s grip,crying out, ‘Llwynog! Llinos!’

Martin swore. With a snatchinggesture he summoned two of thecrates stacked against the wall andsent them flying through the air,knocking Llinos and the femalefaery off their feet. Rhosmari madea strangled protest, but Martin hadalready cast a second spell,

stunning both the newcomersunconscious. Then he clapped ahand over Rhosmari’s mouth anddragged her to the back of the alley.

She kicked and writhed, butMartin did not slow his pace. Hewrestled her through the narrowpassage, across the short gap behindthe buildings, then down anotheralley that opened onto the street.Rhosmari let her legs buckle,turning herself to dead weight in alast attempt to break free, butMartin was too strong. One hand

still covering her mouth, he heavedher upright and pushed her againstthe wall.

‘Are you insane?’ he snapped,eyes blazing inches from her own.‘Those faeries belong to theEmpress!’

Furious, Rhosmari shook herhead, but Martin did not relent. ‘No,I am not mistaken. The female isLily, one of the Empress’s oldestand most devoted servants. And themale…he’s under the Empress’scontrol as well. Didn’t you see his

eyes?’Rhosmari’s confidence faltered.

His eyes? She had not thought tolook closely at them. But Martin hadto be wrong. Llinos could not be theEmpress’s servant…could he?

‘There is a look that all theEmpress’s slaves have when theyare carrying out her orders,’ saidMartin. ‘And having been forced toobey her any number of timesmyself, I know it all too well.Whatever that male was to youonce, you can’t trust him now.’ He

added in a quieter voice, ‘I’msorry.’

A gasp burst from Rhosmari’slips as Martin took his hand away.She turned her face to the roughstone of the wall, shaken. To thinkof gentle Llinos controlled by theEmpress, his will and consciencetwisted into doing her bidding – shehad never imagined such a thingwas possible.

But if it could happen to Llinos, itcould happen to Rhosmari, too.

‘Please,’ said Martin. His eyes

were wild now, and he keptglancing at the sky as though fightingthe urge to go there. ‘Trust me thismuch, this once. We cannot let themcapture us. We have to get away.’

Part of her still wanted to deny it.But Martin obviously believed shewas in danger, for he had fought torescue her – even though he couldsimply have turned himself into abird and flown away. And now hewas begging her to flee and she wasstanding there like a witless child,waiting for the tide to come in.

‘You’re right,’ she managed tosay. ‘I’m sorry.’

Then Martin’s hand lockedaround her wrist, and they took offrunning.

To Rhosmari it seemed that theyfled through the streets at random,darting down laneways and shovingthrough clusters of baffled humansin a frantic effort to escape. Buteventually they ended up back at thetrain station, and somehow Martingot them both inside, and before her

whirling mind could take it all inthey had scrambled onto anothertrain, moments before it pulledaway. She staggered down the aisleand collapsed into a seat, armswrapped around her heaving sides.

Martin sat down next to her,looking grim. ‘I was a fool to castthat finding spell,’ he said. ‘I shouldhave guessed the danger. But Inever imagined that when we metthe Empress’s servants, one of themwould be someone you knew.’

Rhosmari’s head throbbed with

misery, and every breath stabbed ather heart. She had always knownthat the Empress’s trick of stealingfaeries’ names was evil, alwayspitied those who had to live underher control. Yet she had seen it as aproblem that afflicted the mainlandfaeries, not the Children of Rhys.

Now she knew better, and itterrified her. To imagine beingtrapped without power of escape,forced to do the very opposite ofwhat her mind believed and hersoul desired, bent wholly to the

Empress’s bidding—‘Rhosmari.’ Martin laid a hand

over her wrist, gently healing thebruises he had given her. ‘Who wasthat male back there? Was he theone you were looking for?’

‘His name…’ She fought to pushthe words past the dry tightness inher throat. ‘He was…’

And then her eyes welled up, andshe turned her face blindly againstMartin’s shoulder as the trainrattled out of the station, heading forBirmingham.

six

‘No good,’ panted Martin as hedropped out of his bird form andlanded on the rooftop besideRhosmari. ‘They didn’t knowanything about the rebels, and I hadto back off before they gotsuspicious.’

Nearly three days had gone bysince they left Manchester, and inall that time they had found no other

faeries who could help them in theirquest. Afraid to cast another findingspell, they had been reduced tosearching the streets of Birminghamusing their wits and senses alone.Rhosmari’s sense of smell waskeener than Martin’s, so she hadbeen the first to pick up a trace ofthe elusive green fragrance thatmeant their fellow faeries werenearby. But when they finallysucceeded in tracking the othersdown, Martin had advised her tostay well back and let him do the

talking.‘None of the Empress’s servants

have seen us together yet,’ he toldher, ‘not even the Blackwings, andI’d like to keep it that way. Besides,I know how to tell which faeries aresafe to talk to and which onesaren’t.’ He arched a pale brow ather. ‘Can you say the same?’

He was right, of course. Moreand more, Rhosmari was gratefulfor the way Martin looked out forher, how faithfully he was repayingher for saving his life. Though she

still had not confided in him abouther mission, it was not because shedoubted his trustworthiness. It wasonly that she feared, now more thanever, that Martin would try to talkher out of taking the Stone back tothe Green Isles…and that afterseeing what had happened to Llinos,she might be tempted to agree withhim.

So she had made herself smalland flown up to crouch on therooftop, straining to hear Martin’sconversation with the two strange

faeries as they stood on the streetbelow. She had caught only theoccasional word, but she could tellthey were no less wary than he was,and not inclined to speak freely.Were they still under the Empress’spower, and afraid that she wouldpunish them if they disobeyed? Orwere they like Martin, free buttrying to remain neutral as long asthey could?

Not that it mattered now. Martinhad returned, and the other faerieswere gone.

‘It’s getting late.’ Martin glancedup at the sky, where a wan half-moon was creeping out between theclouds. ‘But there’s a theatre a fewstreets over, and they’ve got aperformance of My Fair Ladystarting in half an hour.’ He held outhis hand to her. ‘Come with me.’

Rhosmari hesitated. It had beenanother long, worry-filled day, andshe could not help being tempted bythe distraction. But after paying forfood, transportation, and two nights’lodging, her money was dwindling

at an alarming rate.As usual, Martin anticipated her

objections. ‘I met the stage managerearlier,’ he said. ‘He used to workwith Lyn and Toby. All I have to dois stop by the back door and pick upour free tickets, so…’

He wiggled his fingers at her, andwith a reluctant smile, Rhosmaritook his hand.

‘Here you are,’ said Martin,handing Rhosmari her ticket as herejoined her outside the theatre.

‘Shall we?’Together they joined the queue

with the human theatregoers. Asthey neared the entrance, Rhosmariwas glad to see a pair of humansholding the doors open – it was aclear invitation, and made it easyfor even a faery to go in. AtMartin’s direction she gave one ofthem her ticket, and was perplexedwhen he ripped it in two andhanded part of it back to her.Perhaps he would expect her to givehim the other half on her way out,

she thought, and tucked the torn cardinto her pocket.

They stepped through thedoorway into a small, musty-smelling lobby. The place was fullof humans, milling about andchatting about finances and theweather. But faeries did not makeidle conversation, so she andMartin waited in silence until theinner doors opened and they couldgo in.

‘This way,’ said Martin, glancingover his shoulder as he ushered her

to a seat on the far side. At firstRhosmari was disappointed thatthey were so far away – everyoneelse seemed to be sitting closer tothe stage. But when the lightsdimmed and music swelledunexpectedly in the darkness,Rhosmari caught her breath. Shehad expected a story in words, butnot one in melody as well, and itwas all she could do to keep fromsqueezing Martin’s arm in delight.

At first the actors seemed self-conscious, their speech stilted and

their gestures artificial. But themore she focused on them, the morenaturally they behaved, and whenthey burst into song and began todance, Rhosmari’s heart soaredwith pride. She had been almostafraid to go near humans after whather mother had told her, but surelyher grandfather’s death must havebeen an accident, or at least anaberration? Watching thesegloriously creative beings, sharingwith them in the joy of storytellingand song, it was hard to sympathise

with Lady Celyn’s mistrust ofhumans – let alone the Empress’shatred of them.

Yet the play itself puzzled her.Why were these two older mentrying to make the young heroineinto a different sort of person thanshe was? Why was she working sohard to behave like a haughty lady,instead of remaining her simple,warm-hearted self? She was stillpuzzling over it when the curtainsclosed on the first part of the story,and everyone filed out of the theatre

while they waited for the secondhalf to begin.

‘What do you think?’ Martinasked.

‘The music is wonderful,’ saidRhosmari, ‘and I like the girl –Eliza. But I don’t understand whythose men want to change the wayshe speaks, just so they can trickother people into believing thatshe’s wealthy instead of poor. Itseems dishonest, and how is itgoing to help her?’

‘You don’t understand humans,’

Martin told her. ‘It’s not just thecleverness of the trick that matters,or even the wager they’re bothhoping to win. It’s that by passing aflower-seller off as a duchess,they’re challenging the veryassumptions that cause humans tojudge and despise each other.’

‘But that makes no sense,’ saidRhosmari. ‘Why would anyonedespise Eliza? She hasn’t doneanything wrong.’

Martin shrugged. ‘Humans makejudgments based on all kinds of

foolish things. The way otherhumans speak, the clothes theywear, the colour of their skin…butyou must know that already.Looking as you do, you could hardlyhave gone far in this world withoutmeeting someone who thinks less ofyou because of it.’

Looking as you do. Was hereferring to the cloak she had leftbehind in Cardiff? But no – he hadsaid more—

Her gaze drifted towards one ofthe mirrors on the wall. Reflected

there she saw the dark ripples ofher hair, clasped behind her neckand frizzed a little with neglect. Shesaw her brown-gold complexion,arched nostrils and generous lips –all the features she had inheritedfrom her mother, the most beautifuland highly respected woman in allthe Green Isles.

‘That’s ridiculous,’ she saidflatly.

‘Oh, I agree,’ said Martin. ‘Butfor centuries humans have fought,oppressed, and even killed each

other on account of suchdifferences. So when you thinkabout—’ He stopped, frowning.‘What’s wrong?’

Rhosmari stood frozen, no longerstaring at her reflection but past it,into memory. Why is it the righttime for Fioled to go to themainland, but not for me? she hadasked, and her mother had replied,Because Fioled is not my daughter.

Until now she had thought LadyCelyn was saying that her businesswas to protect her only child, not to

tell other people what they shoulddo with their children. But nowRhosmari understood what she hadreally meant: that no daughter ofLady Celyn’s would ever be safe inthe human world, any more thanCelyn’s father had been. Killed bythe humans…and I will not allowmy only daughter to share his fate.

So that was why Rhosmari’sgrandfather had died? Not becauseof anything he had done, butbecause of the way he looked?

Sickness scorched Rhosmari’s

throat. All at once the thought ofstaying in this place, among thesepeople – these humans – wasunbearable. Ignoring Martin’sprotest, she plunged through thecrowd to the exit, and vanished outthe door into the night.

When Martin found her, Rhosmariwas sitting on a bench two streetsaway from the theatre, her kneeshuddled beneath her skirt and hercollar turned up around her face.She did not look up as he

approached.‘What are you doing here?’ he

demanded. ‘You’re going to missthe rest of the play.’

Rhosmari said nothing, onlyfolded her arms closer to her chestas another group of humans strolledpast. How could she explain herselfto Martin, even if she wanted to?Her sense of injustice, of violation,of betrayal, went too deep forwords. She was angry at her motherfor not telling her exactly whathumans were like, and she was

angry at Martin for telling her. Shewas angry at humanity for being socruel and ignorant, and she wasangry at the part of her that stillhoped, despite everything, that oneparticular human might bedifferent…

‘Rhosmari,’ said Martin, ‘tell mewhat’s wrong.’ He reached out, butshe shied away and he dropped hishand. ‘What can I do?’

She shook her head, wanting himto understand that this had nothing todo with him – but also wishing that

he would leave her alone. If hepressed her any more she might loseher temper, and she did not want toadd regret to the misery she feltalready.

‘So even now, you find meunworthy of your trust.’ His voicewas low and bitter. ‘For days Ihave travelled with you, helpedyou, watched over you day andnight. What else must I do to provemyself in your eyes? You actappalled at human prejudice, but itseems to me that you judge your

fellow faeries no less harshly.’Rhosmari’s head jerked up.

‘That’s not true!’‘Isn’t it? Then why have you

never told me your history, as Ihave told you mine? You force meto guess at where you came from,why you are here, what it is youwant – and even when I play yourlittle game, you refuse to tell mewhether or not I have won.’

He paced in front of her, fistsclenched. ‘Is it because I onceserved the Empress? I did not

choose where to be born, nor tosurrender myself to her power. Is itbecause I used a false ticket on thetrain? You may find it easy to behonest, coming from a Wyld that isprosperous and free. But I grew upon the streets of Brixton, and havehad to struggle and bleed foreverything I own.’

‘Martin, I—’ began Rhosmari,but at the same moment he wincedand touched his ear.

‘We have to get out of here,’ hesaid, with a sharp glance at the

darkened sky. Without waiting for aresponse, he seized Rhosmari by theshoulders, hauled her to her feet andgave her a shove. ‘Now!’

Rhosmari stumbled on thepavement and nearly fell. Martincaught her, but the moment he sether upright he grabbed her hand andstarted to run. He yanked herthrough a cluster of young humanswho swore and made gestures atthem as they raced by, then around acorner to a side street. Rhosmaritried to shake free of his grip, but

his fingers had locked around herwrist like a manacle, and the onlyway to make it hurt less was to runfaster.

‘Where…are we…going?’ shepanted, but then Martin stopped sosuddenly that she ran into him. Twodark-haired, near-identical faeriesblocked the pavement a few stepsahead, with smiling mouths andeyes full of mockery and menace.

‘What a pleasant surprise,’ saidthe first Blackwing. ‘First theEmpress sends us to hunt one faery,

then another, and here we find bothat once.’

‘Indeed it is,’ agreed his brother.‘It almost makes up for all thosedays of eating carrion.’ He smackedhis lips and laughed.

Martin pulled Rhosmari behindhim. ‘Get ready to run,’ hewhispered. Then he straightened upand faced the Blackwings. ‘Howdid you find us?’

The taller Blackwing’s eyebrowslifted. ‘Do you really want me toanswer that question, Martin?

Though it would be amusing to seewhat you would make of it if I did.’His eyes slid to Rhosmari, glitteringmalice. ‘You chose the wrongcompanion, girl. This one is acoward, and his only loyalty is tohimself.’

‘Your words are wasted,Corbin,’ Martin said. ‘She doesn’ttrust me anyway.’ He droppedRhosmari’s hand and stepped aside.‘What if I offer you a bargain?’ heasked, pointing to her. ‘I’ll hand herover without a fight, as long as you

let me go.’Rhosmari recoiled – and found

that her legs would no longer move.Fear constricted her lungs as shetried to struggle free, but Martin’sbinding spell was too strong.

Now it was Corbin’s turn tolaugh. ‘Do you see that, Byrne?’ hesaid to his brother. ‘He’s done halfour work for us. Ah, Martin. Do youeven know which side you are onany more?’ He spread his hands,magic rippling between them like aglowing chain. ‘But we serve the

Empress, not our own pleasure…and we have had enough of yourbargains.’ Then he whippedaround, and flung the spell atMartin.

Martin leaped aside just in time.He darted behind Rhosmari, asthough to use her as a shield. ‘Countto twenty,’ he whispered, with atouch that sent a shimmer of heat upher spine. ‘Then run.’

And with that he flashed into hisbird shape, and launched himselfstraight at the Blackwings.

Small as he was, Rhosmari hadnever seen anything move so fast.Corbin flung up his hands an instanttoo late: in a red flash of magicMartin’s wing clipped the side ofhis head, and he collapsed to thepavement unconscious. The littlebird zoomed around again, aimingfor Byrne – but the other Blackwingwas not so easily caught off guard.He fired off a spell that shearedpast Martin’s wing and sent himspinning aside; then he transformedhimself into a raven, and took off

after him.Martin fluttered upward, but his

wingbeats looked uneven, and hewas already losing speed. Byrnehad nearly closed the distancebetween them when the two birdssoared up over the rooftops, andwere lost in the shadows of thenight.

Rhosmari stood frozen on thepavement, the remaining Blackwingat her feet. Her chest ached, and hermuscles felt like jelly – but sheknew it would only be a few

minutes before Corbin woke upagain. She summoned all herreserves of magic, straining at herinvisible bonds in a frantic attemptto break free.

Eighteen, whispered a voice inthe back of her mind. Nineteen.Twenty…

And just like that, she couldmove again. Rhosmari took a stepbackwards, her gaze on Corbin’smotionless body. Then she whirledand fled.

The sensible thing for Rhosmari todo, perhaps, would have been totake what little money she had leftand leave Birmingham at once. Butshe had no idea where to go next, orwhat to do when she got there. Andif Martin ever managed to escapefrom the Blackwings, it would bedifficult for him to find her again.

She could not abandon him likethat. Not now that she understoodwhat he had done for her.

Rhosmari had never tried to Leapanywhere since she came to the

mainland, for nearly every placeshe went was unfamiliar, and therest were too crowded with people.But now in desperation she picturedthe little hotel where she had beenstaying for the past two nights, andthrew herself towards it. Landing onthe doorstep, she dashed up thestairs to her room, locked the door,closed the window, and cast anaversion charm that woulddiscourage anyone but Martin fromtouching either. Then she switchedoff all the lights, made herself

invisible, and waited.For two hours she huddled atop

the narrow bed, acutely aware ofthe noises around her – everyfootstep on the stair or voice in thecorridor, every thump or coughfrom the rooms on either side. Therumble of traffic on the nearby roadseemed ominous as thunder, andwhenever a shadow flickered pasther window, she jumped.

At last, sheer exhaustion caughtup with her, and Rhosmari had sunkinto a feverish doze when she heard

a tap at the window. Abruptlyawake, she flung back the curtainand found Martin’s tiny, heavingform crouched on the sill outside,one wing extended at an awkwardangle. The feathers around hisshoulder were clotted with blood.

Rhosmari slid the window openand gathered him in. She set thelittle bird down upon the edge of thebed, then stepped back as Martintransformed with a groan back intohis faery self. He wore trousers butno shirt or jacket, and the wound on

his shoulder was bleeding freely.Rhosmari clapped her hands to hermouth.

‘Don’t just stand there,’ saidMartin in a faint, irritable voice. ‘Ican’t heal myself, you know.’

‘I can’t heal you either,’Rhosmari told him shakily. She hadnot seen so much blood since herfather died, and its hot, metallicsmell was making her queasy. Butshe had no talent for magicalhealing, even if she dared to try.

‘Water,’ Martin told her flatly,

one hand pressed to his shoulder.‘Soap. Bandages. Go.’

Rhosmari hurried to the tiny sink.Obeying Martin’s orders, shepoured cupfuls of water over hisshoulder and patted the wound witha soapy cloth until the worst of themess was gone. Then she took thecase off the pillow and tore it intostrips to make a bandage. By thetime she had wrapped the deep gashin several layers of cloth, thebleeding had slowed.

‘Good. Yes,’ said Martin, and

then he eased himself onto his goodside and lay still. Faeries usuallyappeared ageless, but the painetched into his face made him looklike a human of forty. Rhosmaripulled up a chair beside the bed.

‘You shouldn’t have done that,’she whispered. ‘Byrne might havekilled you.’

‘Ha,’ said Martin, though hislaugh sounded feeble. ‘What elseshould I have done? Flown off andleft you there?’

‘You could have.’ And for a few

horrible moments, she had believedthat he would. Not until the bindingspell he had put on her dissolvedhad she realised it had all been aruse to make the Blackwings thinkshe was helpless…and that he hadrisked his own life to give her achance to escape.

Martin’s eyes met hers, wearybut unflinching. ‘No,’ he said. ‘Icouldn’t.’

Rhosmari looked down at herhands, knotting and unknotting in herlap. ‘I…was wrong not to confide

in you,’ she said. ‘I was worriedthat…’ She stopped and took a deepbreath. ‘I was worried about a lotof things. But I think you have aright to know.’

Martin did not answer, onlywatched her with his heavy-liddedgaze. The blood was seepingthrough the bandages on hisshoulder, staining the white clothdark. She had to look away beforeshe could go on, ‘You asked meabout the Wyld I came from. Well,my home is a place we call the

Gwerdonnau Llion, or the GreenIsles of the Ocean…and my peopleare known as the Children of Rhys.’

seven

When Rhosmari had finished tellingMartin her story, he was quiet solong that she feared he had fallenasleep. But then he said, ‘So yourpeople have never known war. Noteven the oldest ones?’

‘None that are still living,’ shereplied. ‘The first generation ofRhys’s followers were warriors,but their chieftains had abused the

gift of their true names by—’‘Wait. They gave their names to

these chieftains?’ Martin’s facecontorted in disbelief. ‘How couldanyone be so stupid?’

‘They did it out of loyalty,’ saidRhosmari defensively, though deepdown she agreed with him. ‘In thosedays it was considered an insult,and an act of cowardice, for faeriesnot to give their true names whenswearing fealty to their rulers. Itwas proof of their devotion, and oftheir faith in the good character of

their lord or lady. But when thechieftains became greedy for powerand began forcing their followersinto battle after battle, that giftbecame a curse.’

‘Until this Rhys showed up withhis Stone of Naming, and led yourpeople to a magical land wheretheir chieftains could no longer findthem,’ said Martin. ‘Howconvenient. So what is it like, thisGwerdonnau Llion of yours? Itsounds peaceful, but a little dull.’

‘Not at all,’ Rhosmari said. ‘We

have as much to do as any faery onthe mainland. We work and playand learn, we marry and raisechildren. And if we lack anything,we send out a party to visit thehuman world, and trade with themfor whatever goods or knowledgewe need.’

‘So you can come and go fromthe Green Isles whenever youplease?’ asked Martin. ‘And talk toany other faeries you wish, even ifthey are not of your people?’

Rhosmari hesitated.

Martin gave a thin smile. ‘I didn’tthink so. You Children of Rhys maythink yourselves rich, but you lackthe most important thing of all –freedom. You talk about how Rhysand the Stone rescued your peoplefrom bondage, but it seems to methat you only left one form ofslavery for another. Even if yourElders do not hold your true names,they still control you, as surely asthe Empress controls the rest of us.’

‘It’s not like that,’ said Rhosmari,but even to her own ears the

objection sounded weak, and shecould think of nothing else to say.

‘This is not the first I have heardof your people, you know,’ Martinsaid. ‘Why do you think I went toWales in the first place? I thoughtthat if I could find the Children ofRhys, they might give me refugefrom the Empress.’

So the news of Linden andTimothy’s journey to the GreenIsles had spread among themainland faeries, and now theyknew – roughly – where her people

lived. Rhosmari’s fists clenched inthe folds of her skirt. How longwould it be before the Empressknew as well? Or had she alreadyquestioned Llinos, and found outeverything?

‘But after what you have toldme,’ Martin continued, ‘I think Iwill be better off here. Andobviously your betrothed—’ He puta slight edge on the word— ‘felt thesame, or he would not have left theGreen Isles to join the rebellion.’

‘But you must understand,’

Rhosmari said, ‘that what Garan didcaused great trouble for our people?And that we need the Stone, too?’

Martin lay unmoving, his gazedistant. ‘I am not much concernedwith that,’ he said at last. ‘I have myfreedom already. You can sort thatout with the rebels when we findthem.’

So he was not going to try to stopher, after all. Rhosmari exhaled, hertension draining away. If she hadknown it would end so well, shewould have had this conversation

with him days ago.‘Well,’ said Martin. ‘You should

sleep.’ He began to get up, butRhosmari stopped him with a handto his chest. His skin felt so hot, shefeared he might be feverish – butthen, she was more than a littleflushed herself.

‘Lie down,’ she said. ‘You’restill weak, and you need the bedmore than I do. I’ll sit up and watch,while you rest.’

Martin frowned, as though aboutto protest. But then he took her hand

from his chest, raised it to his mouthand kissed it. ‘As you will,lioness,’ he said, and closed hiseyes.

Rhosmari woke the next morning tothe touch of sunlight on her face.She jumped up from her chair –only to stumble and almostcollapse. Her foot had fallenasleep. She hopped over to thewindowsill and leaned on it, flexingher toes to make the pins andneedles go away.

‘Sorry,’ she whispered to Martin,who had opened his eyes and wasregarding her blearily. ‘I didn’tmean to wake you.’ Or doze offwhen she was supposed to bekeeping watch, either. She couldonly hope he hadn’t noticed that.

‘No need to apologise,’ he said,sitting up and swinging his legsaround. ‘I’ve rested long enough.It’s time we were on our way.’

He moved more easily now,strength and energy returned. With asnap of his good arm he whisked the

top sheet off the bed, andtransformed it into a long-sleevedshirt. ‘Byrne let something slip lastnight, when he was taunting me,’Martin added as he eased hisbandaged arm into a sleeve. ‘Aboutknowing where the rebels are. AndI’m pretty sure I know the place hewas talking about.’

‘Where?’ asked Rhosmari.‘Waverley Hall, just south of

London. It’s a human house, butthere’s a wood nearby where therebels could easily make camp.’ He

shrugged his way into the rest of theshirt and began to button it closed.‘I know it’s a risk. It might even bea trap. But I think it’s worth lookinginto.’

Could the rebels be that easy tofind? After days of fruitless huntingand running from the Blackwings,Rhosmari could scarcely believe it.And yet her heart beat a little faster,just the same.

Martin muttered an oath. ‘I can’tget this button done,’ he said,flapping his loose right cuff at her.

‘Do you mind?’

They had to travel three hours bytrain, then another by bus, andfinally take a meandering walkalong a footpath before they reachedthe grounds of Waverley Hall. Butwhen Rhosmari caught sight of thehouse, her weariness vanished. Itwas as big as the Hall of Judgment,a size to command respect, and itsred-gold brick made it warm andwelcoming, even to a faery raisedamong white cottages and the sound

of the sea.Yet as they walked up the drive,

she noticed that the formal gardenwas not as well tended as it shouldhave been. It was only March, soshe knew not to expect manyflowers, but still there was anunkempt look about it. Weeds hadsprung up in the gravel, and thepaths were littered with brokentwigs and dead leaves.

‘Stop,’ said Martin. ‘Can yousmell them?’

Rhosmari inhaled, drawing deep

of the fresh country air – and there itwas, the tingling herbal scent thatmarked a faery presence. ‘Yes,’ shesaid, and broke into a smile.

‘I thought so,’ said Martin. ‘Thewood, then.’ He started across thelawn, and with a glance around tobe sure no one was watching,Rhosmari hurried after him.

It was odd, how quiet this placewas. She would have expectedthere to be at least one or twohumans about, for a house andgarden of this size must take a lot of

care. But when she ventured to sayso, Martin only shrugged.

‘Wealthy humans often go awayfor the winter,’ he said. ‘No doubtthe owners will be back in a weekor two.’

She was following Martin alongthe back of the house when a littledog crawled out from behind theshrubbery. It was barrel-shaped,with sandy fur and a deeplywrinkled face, and when Rhosmaribent closer, two anxious browneyes gazed back at her.

‘It’s all right,’ she said, and thedog waddled up and licked herfingers. Yet it was terribly thin forits round shape, its ribs showingthrough on both sides and its bellyconcave. She fingered the metal tagthat hung from its collar and found itengraved with the dog’s name:ISADORA.

‘Martin?’ she called, but he hadalready vanished around the corner.She gave the dog an apologetic patand hurried to catch up with him.

‘Where were you?’ he asked.

Rhosmari explained about thedog, but he showed no surprise.‘Dogs escape from their owners allthe time,’ he said. ‘It likely brokeits lead and ran off days ago, andonly now decided it was hungryenough to come home.’

It was hard for Rhosmari toimagine such a squat little dogrunning anywhere. But Martin waswalking again, and there seemed nopoint in arguing with him.

By the time they reached the edgeof the wood, Rhosmari was tingling

all over with anticipation – andanxiety. What if Garan was dead?Or, like Llinos, a slave of theEmpress? At any moment one of therebels would step out to greet them,and then she would know.

But no one came. And though sheand Martin crossed the wood fromone side to the other and back again,there was no sign of a faerypresence. In fact, the scent of themseemed to be fading, not gettingstronger.

‘Stupid!’ exclaimed Martin,

startling her. ‘I should haveguessed. They’re not here at all.They’re in the house.’

‘In there?’ asked Rhosmari,frowning at Waverley Hall. Theidea seemed ridiculous: even if theowners were in the habit of lettingout rooms to strangers, the costalone would make it impossible.After all, she had paid for only afew days’ food and lodging, and shehad hardly any money left… Didshe even know how much she had?

Automatically Rhosmari slipped

her hand into her skirt pocket. Butwhen she pulled out the first bit ofpaper she found, it proved to benothing but a narrow piece of cardwith one end torn. At first she waspuzzled, and then she realised that itwas her theatre ticket from lastnight. Except…that one had beenblue, with the name of the playprinted on it. And this was white,and blank.

‘The Oakenfolk are friendly withhumans,’ said Martin, still lookingat the house. ‘Perhaps they know the

people who live here, and strucksome kind of bargain—’

‘You lied to me.’ Rhosmarispoke flatly, the card clutched in herhand. ‘You’re a faery, and you lied.How is that possible?’

‘What?’ Martin rounded on her.‘What are you talking about?’

‘You told me the stage managerhad given you the tickets. But thetruth was, you never talked to him atall. That’s why you picked theworst seats in the theatre, to makesure no one would challenge us for

them. Because you lied,’ and sheflung the false ticket onto the groundbetween them.

Martin’s brows crooked, asthough she had troubled him. Butwhen he spoke, his voice was cool.‘So? You needed a distraction; Igave it to you. And the play was allthe better for our presence, so youmight well say we paid for it. But ifyou are so offended by a bit ofharmless trickery, then by all meansgo back to Birmingham and settlethe account to your satisfaction.’

And with that he turned his backon her, and strode away.

Rhosmari stood alone beneath theslow-dripping trees, her angerreceding as she realised that he hada point. They had helped the actorsby being there. Perhaps it was notthe straight bargain she would havepreferred, but Martin had obviouslywanted her to see the play, and shehad forced his hand by being soanxious over money. Which of themhad shown the more generousspirit?

And that reminded her ofsomething Timothy had said to theElders, when they refused to helpany Oakenfolk who could not passtheir test. What good are your laws,he had demanded, if they only helppeople who are perfect already?He had called the Children of Rhysself-righteous. And thoughRhosmari still mistrusted humans ingeneral, she was beginning to thinkthat Timothy had been right.

‘Wait!’ she cried to Martin, buthe did not look back. She ran to

catch up with him. ‘I’m sorry,’ shepanted. ‘I was just…surprised.’

And she had been. In herexperience, faeries could speak thetruth in a misleading way, and somecould even be sarcastic orfacetious. But she had neverguessed that any faery could lieoutright. Perhaps Martin hadlearned it from his human friends…But that was not important now.

‘I know you meant to be kind,’she said. ‘And you have been. Itwas ungracious of me to accuse

you, especially after you riskedyour life for me last night. Will youforgive me?’

For a moment Martin’s faceremained expressionless, and shefeared he would refuse. But then henodded, and took her hand, and theywalked back to the house together.

‘You should be the one to knock,’said Martin, as they climbed thefront steps. ‘If there are Children ofRhys among them, they willwelcome you. Then I will wait until

you convince them I can be trusted –that is, if you still think I can be.’

There was a bitter twist to hislast words, and Rhosmari flushed.‘I trust you,’ she said withdeliberate firmness, and then shetook hold of the brass ring upon thedoor and knocked.

At first there was no answer, andby the time the little dog camewheezing up the steps and collapsedbeside her feet, Rhosmari wasbeginning to wonder if anyone hadheard. She lifted the ring to knock

again—The door creaked open, revealing

a frail-looking human woman withcropped white hair. The dogscrambled towards her, but shestopped it with her foot and saidpolitely, ‘Yes?’

‘We’re looking for our friends,’said Martin before Rhosmari couldspeak. ‘May we come in?’

The woman frowned, and tiltedher head to one side as thoughlistening. Then she stepped back,motioning them to enter. ‘Is that

your dog outside?’ asked Rhosmari,but their hostess had already shutthe door.

‘This way,’ she said.The inside of Waverley Hall was

as grand as the outside, withsumptuous carpets, soaring ceilings,and gilt-framed paintings hangingeverywhere. But here, as in thegarden, there was evidence ofneglect: dust filmed the mirrors, andmuddy smears streaked the marblefloor. They walked through theentrance hall, the slight echo of their

footsteps the only sound, then downa broad passageway to the foot of astaircase.

‘Up there in the study,’ said thewoman. ‘The first set of doubledoors on your right.’

Rhosmari glanced at Martin, whonodded at her to go first. Perhaps hewas still unsure of his welcome, butshe need have no such worries –especially not if Garan was waitingfor her, as she prayed he would be.Taking a deep breath, Rhosmari puther hand on the stair rail and began

to climb.On the wall to her right, as she

ascended, hung a series of portraits:one richly dressed man afteranother, no doubt the formerresidents of the house. Each wasmarked with a brass plaque, whichshe could not help reading out of thecorner of her eye: GeorgeWaverley, James Waverley, PhilipWaverley—

She stopped, startled. For amoment, Philip Waverley’s portraithad wavered, like a poorly

maintained glamour. But when shetouched the frame it felt solid, as noillusion could be…

‘Go on,’ said Martin impatientlyfrom behind her. Embarrassed,Rhosmari hurried up the steps to thelanding, then along the corridor to ahandsome set of double doors. Theright one was ajar, inviting her toenter; she pushed it open, andstepped in.

The room before her was darkand luxurious, with mahoganyfurnishings and windows draped in

wine-coloured brocade. A greatdesk dominated the floor, with awing-backed chair behind it. And inthat chair sat a delicate-lookingfaery with honey-blonde curls andeyes like frosted steel, whilestanding in the shadows to eitherside—

No!Frantic, Rhosmari tried to

conjure an image of the woodoutside the house, so she couldLeap away. But her thoughtsscattered, and her body refused to

lose its substance. Choking off acry, she whirled to flee.

Martin caught her before shecould take more than a step. With aflick of a finger he spelled the doorsclosed behind them, then used hisgood arm to twist Rhosmari aroundso that she faced the Empress andthe Blackwings once more.

‘I think you’ll find, YourMajesty,’ he said, ‘that I have wonour wager.’

‘Indeed you have,’ replied theEmpress, her gaze travelling over

Rhosmari appreciatively. ‘Welldone. Heal him, Byrne.’

With a grudging air the shorter ofthe raven brothers came around thedesk and clapped his hand ontoMartin’s injured shoulder, hardenough to make the other faery hissthrough his teeth. But when he tookhis hand away, the colour cameback into Martin’s face. He swunghis newly healed arm in a circle andacknowledged Byrne with an ironicbow, before turning to the Empressand bowing to her as well.

‘I apologise for thisunpleasantness,’ Martin murmuredto Rhosmari. ‘But given a choicebetween my freedom and yours, I’msure you understand which one Iprefer.’

Rhosmari could not bear to lookat him. He had accused her ofjudging him unfairly, of not trustinghim enough…and all the while hehad been planning to betray her.Had anything he had told her abouthimself been true? Or had he beennothing more than an actor playing a

part all along?‘I have been so looking forward

to getting acquainted with you,’ saidthe Empress, her voice silken andsweet. ‘I know we will have a greatdeal to talk about. Oh, do notstruggle – you will only hurtyourself, and there is nowhere foryou to escape.’ In a rustle of silkshe rose from her chair and walkedto where Rhosmari stood tremblingin Martin’s grip, then unsheathed asmall dagger from her waist.

‘This will only hurt a little,’ she

said.

eight

‘Will you stay for dinner, Martin?’asked the Empress, as she sheathedthe knife and returned to her seat.‘Or at least for tea – surely you canfind time for that? This occasionmust be celebrated.’

‘Your Majesty is gracious,’replied Martin. ‘But I have…othercommitments.’ His eyes slid awayfrom Rhosmari’s accusing gaze,

ignoring the still-bleeding hand shecradled against her breast. ‘I begyou will excuse me.’

‘Martin,’ said the Empress, stillpleasantly but on a crisper note, ‘Iwish you the joy of your newfreedom. But I think you may findthat such independence is lessfulfilling than you suppose.’

‘I will take that risk, YourMajesty.’ He bowed a final time,and disappeared.

Rhosmari was left alone in thecentre of the carpet, facing the

Empress. Her heart felt as though itwere trying to climb out of herthroat. But she reminded herself thatshe was the daughter of Lady Celyn,and kept her head high and her backstraight, though beneath her flowingskirt her knees were trembling.

‘Oh, child.’ The Empress’s facesoftened. ‘The worst is over, Iassure you. You are safe now.’

‘Safe.’ She forced the word out.‘How so?’

‘Because you are with me,’ theEmpress told her. ‘This estate is

warded on every side, so no enemycan approach without my knowingit. You will have a comfortable bedto sleep in, and fresh clothes towear, and food as fine as you couldwish for – Sarah, our hostess, is awonderful cook. And I will be gladof your company, for the days arelong and lonely when my lieutenantsare abroad.’ She gave a little smileas she glanced from one Blackwingto another. ‘I have been yearning fora chance to talk to one of the fabledChildren of Rhys. Corbin, bring a

chair for our guest – Rhosmari, isit?’

The Empress knew Rhosmari’strue name, a secret so precious thatshe had never spoken it aloud, letalone shared it with anyone. Shecould summon Rhosmari with athought, and force her to do anythingshe wanted. But it seemed that shedid not know everything about her –at least not yet. Biting her dry lips,Rhosmari sat down in the armchairCorbin Blackwing had provided forher, and willed herself to stay calm.

Perhaps she could still prevent theEmpress from finding out too muchabout the Green Isles, if she kepther answers brief and careful.

‘You may go now,’ the Empresssaid to the Blackwings. ‘I shall seeyou at supper tonight.’ She lifted ahand, and one after another thetwins stooped to kiss it. Then theyvanished.

‘I apologise that I cannot giveyou quite so much liberty as Corbinand Byrne,’ said the Empress toRhosmari. ‘You see, I dare not let

you go until I am certain that youpose no threat to me. So…’ Shefolded her hands together and restedher chin on them. ‘You may not usemagic anywhere within the boundsof this estate, except at mycommand. Nor can you step throughany of the outer doors of the house,or climb out any of the windows, orleave it by any other means, unless Iallow it.’

Until now, Rhosmari had thoughtthat being controlled by theEmpress would be an awful blank,

an unknowing. She had expected tolose all sense of right and wrong,and have no desire but to do whatshe was told. But it was nothing likethat at all. She still felt the same asshe always had, yet when theEmpress gave her an order, she waspowerless to disobey.

And somehow, that was evenworse.

‘There,’ said the Empress. ‘Now,are you thirsty? I can have Sarahbring us some lemonade, if youlike.’

So this was how it would begin.A long, torturous interrogation, withevery answer dragged out of her byforce. The Empress might think thatshe could disarm Rhosmari with herpleasant manner, but she wouldnever forget what Linden andTimothy had said about her.

‘How frightened you look!’ TheEmpress’s brows drew together inconcern. ‘Do you really think me soterrible? I assure you, it is not so. Itake no pleasure in cruelty, and Iabhor violence.’

‘And yet you steal faeries’names,’ said Rhosmari tightly, ‘andforce them to do your will. How isthat not terrible?’

The Empress sighed. ‘It is true,’she said. ‘I do. And I have oftenwished that there were another way.Controlling my subjects is tiresome,and demeaning for both of us; Iwould be far happier if I never hadto do it, and I try to do it as little aspossible.’

Her eyes became distant, gazinginto the shadows at the edge of the

room. ‘But I am only one faery, witha burden for my people’s bestinterests that not all of them arequick to embrace or evenunderstand. And too many times Ihave been betrayed, and had mytrust and my confidence cruellyabused, by those I believed faithful.Can you blame me for wishing to beabsolutely certain of my followers,and not merely hopeful of theirobedience?’

‘But I am not your follower,’Rhosmari said. ‘I am not one of

your people at all. You have noright—’

‘Forgive me,’ said the Empress,‘but I could not risk losing youbefore we had a chance to talktogether. You have no idea how italarmed me when I learned of theStone of Naming, and found thatyour people had given it to Rob tohelp him in his rebellion. What elsewas I to think, but that the Childrenof Rhys had taken it uponthemselves to overthrow my empireand set their own rulers up in my

place?’Shock hit Rhosmari like a cold

wave, stealing her breath away.‘You mean – you actually believed– that we wanted to start a war?’

‘I hoped not, but I had no way tobe certain,’ the Empress replied.‘Even my best sources could tell melittle about your people’s history, orwhat you were like. And all myattempts to find out where youlived, so I could send emissaries toyou with an offer of peace, were invain. So when Martin offered to buy

his freedom by bringing me one ofthe Children of Rhys…’ She spreadher hands. ‘How could I refuse?’

Rhosmari exhaled slowly. Shestill did not believe that theEmpress’s control of her peoplewas justified, and Martin’s deceitstill sickened her. But if there wasany possibility that all this was amisunderstanding, and that therewas still a chance to make peacebefore her mother sent an army ontothe mainland, then she had to try.

‘We never meant to give the

Stone of Naming to Rob,’ she said.‘It was stolen from us and given toLinden and Timothy, who took it tothe rebels. We have no desire tomake war with you, or to overthrowyour empire. All we want is to getback the Stone.’

The Empress’s lips parted.‘Truly? Then I have no need to fearan invasion, or that your peopleplan to support the rebels againstme?’ She clasped her handstogether. ‘This is the best news Icould have hoped for!’

‘My people have sworn not toshed blood,’ Rhosmari said. ‘Wewould never willingly start a warwith you. All we want is to live inpeace in our own land.’

‘You cannot imagine what acomfort this is to me,’ said theEmpress. ‘So why did you comeinto my domain, then? Where wereyou going when Martin found you?’

‘I was looking for the rebels,’said Rhosmari, ‘because I hadheard that they had the Stone, and Ihoped I could talk them into giving

it back.’The Empress threw back her

head and let out a peal of laughter.‘You really believed that theywould?’ she said. ‘Pardon me if Isound ungracious, but only a childcould be so naive. They will nevergive up the Stone, now that theyknow what it can do. Why shouldthey?’

Rhosmari held her breath, fingersdigging into the arms of her chair.So the Stone had not been lost in thebattle of the Oak, or fallen into the

Empress’s hands. It was still withthe rebels, wherever they were.

‘If I believed you had any chanceof succeeding in your quest,’ theEmpress continued, ‘I wouldrelease you this very moment. Iwould be glad to see the Stonetaken back to its rightful place,never to trouble me or my peopleagain. But I fear all that will have towait until I have dealt with thisirksome rebellion.’

She rose from her chair,favouring Rhosmari with a maternal

smile. ‘See how easy this was? AndI did not have to compel you toanswer even once. I hope we canhave more such pleasant talks infuture. But I am weary from all thisexcitement, and you must be aswell. Why don’t I call Sarah, andsee about finding you a room?’

Rhosmari did not feel likeanswering when the bell rang forsupper, but she had no other choice.She had spent most of the afternoontrying to make herself Leap back to

the village or climb out thewindow, without success, and if theEmpress had to summon her byname it would only make herhumiliation worse.

She was halfway down the stairwhen some instinct made her glanceto her left. There hung the samepicture of Philip Waverley that hadcaught her eye before, but now theglamour that had hidden its trueappearance was gone. Savageparallel slashes crossed the portraitlike the claw-marks of some

vengeful beast, tearing the canvasinto strips and rendering the faceunrecognisable.

Who had destroyed it? And whyonly that one, of all the paintings inthe house? Rhosmari had no way totell. But it reminded her that nomatter how sweetly the Empressspoke or how graciously shebehaved, she was still willing touse violence when it suited her –and was not above using deceit tohide it. Suppressing a shudder,Rhosmari descended the rest of the

stairs, and made her way to thedining room.

Silver cutlery gleamed on whitelinen, and candlelight washed theroom in gold. The Empress sat atthe head of the long table, with thetwo Blackwings at her right handand a female with pale, featheryhair to her left. ‘Ah, there you are,’she said as Rhosmari came in. ‘Ourhonoured guest. Please, sit down.’

Rhosmari pulled out a chair at theother end, as far from the Empressas she could get without leaving the

room. No sooner had she sat downthan the side door opened and Sarahcame in, staggering beneath theweight of a steaming soup tureen.Setting it down on the table, shebegan ladling out the contents withelaborate care.

‘Bouillabaisse,’ said theEmpress. ‘How splendid. Do youenjoy seafood, Rhosmari? Do yourpeople eat it often?’

Rhosmari did not want to answerthat question. She did not want tospeak at all. She would rather eat a

thousand silent meals at hermother’s table, or even starve, thanmake dinner conversation with thewoman who had enslaved Llinos,and had now stolen her ownfreedom as well.

Fortunately, the Empress did notseem offended by Rhosmari’ssilence. She turned instead to thefemale faery beside her. ‘Tell me,’she said. ‘How have you faredtoday?’

‘I tracked down three renegades,’came the proud reply. ‘They

escaped, but not before I had takentheir blood.’ She reached into herjacket pocket, but the Empressstopped her with a shake of thehead.

‘Not at the table, Veronica,’ shesaid. ‘Think of our guest.’

Colour stained Veronica’s highcheekbones, and the look she shotRhosmari was almost venomous asshe crushed a handful of crackersinto her soup. ‘Of course, YourMajesty.’

All the while the elderly woman

moved about the table, setting outbaskets of crusty bread on each endand pouring glasses of wine andwater. Rhosmari watched her,puzzled and a little disturbed.Humans did not have true nameslike faeries did; they could beconfused and made forgetful bymagic, but not easily controlled.And not even the most powerfulfaery could enter a human housewithout invitation, so this womanmust have welcomed the Empresswillingly. Did she not realise how

much the Empress despised herkind, or did she not care?

‘That will be all, Sarah,’ said theEmpress, and meekly the womanretreated, leaving the faeries alone.

‘You have trained her well,’ saidCorbin, sipping his wine. ‘I havenot tasted such excellent food anddrink in years. Still, does it notbother you to have her alwaysshuffling around?’

‘She cannot help her age,’replied the Empress. ‘Indeed, I amimpressed that she carries herself as

well as she does. Rhosmari, you arenot eating. Does the meal not pleaseyou?’

Rhosmari stared into her soup. Itssavoury smell made her stomachcramp with hunger. But she stillcould not bring herself to eat.

‘Or is it our conversation youfind distasteful?’ the Empresscontinued. ‘Are you fond of humans,perhaps?’

‘I am not fond of humans,’Rhosmari said. ‘I only think…’ Butthen she trailed off, unable to finish

the sentence. She was no longersure what she thought.

‘Perhaps you have heard that Ibelieve all humans to be worthless,’said the Empress. ‘It is not so. Ihave known humans who are gentleand good-hearted, and who causeno harm to anyone. But sadly, thereare many others who are not so self-controlled, and they bring shameand trouble upon all the rest.Humanity needs to be tended like agarden, and the bad ones weededout, or else they will destroy

themselves and us as well.’‘I think we all know one human

who could use some weeding,’ saidByrne, and Veronica made a faceinto her wine glass. Rhosmari waswondering who they could betalking about when the Empresssaid with a little sigh, ‘Ah, yes.Timothy.’

‘Why?’ The question leaped pastRhosmari’s lips. ‘What did he everdo to you, that you hate him somuch? He’s just a boy—’

‘Ah, so you have met him,’ said

the Empress, unruffled. ‘Iwondered. A talented young man,not unattractive in his way, butregrettably prone to violence. Didhe tell you, when he came to visityour people, that I had condemnedhim and his faery companion todeath? It was not true. I sent theBlackwings after Timothy andLinden for the same reason Iallowed Martin to go after you:because I wished to talk with them,and they would not come to me anyother way.’

‘I know that Veronica tried tosteal his music,’ said Rhosmariflatly.

‘She was charmed by his guitarplaying, and wanted to taste what itfelt like to be so gifted. And shewas viciously attacked for it. DidTimothy tell you that?’ The Empresslaid down her soup spoon andleaned forward, eyes holdingRhosmari’s. ‘Did he tell you howhe and his friends repeatedlyinjured and abused my Blackwings,though they had done nothing to hurt

any of them? Or did you know thatat Sanctuary, Timothy knocked medown and attempted to strangle me,and so began the battle?’

‘I— I can’t believe—’ Rhosmaristopped, flustered, and then triedagain. ‘There must have been areason.’

‘I offered Linden and her peoplea bargain,’ the Empress told her.‘An opportunity for the Oakenfolkto get back the magic they had lost,and to live peacefully ever afterunder my protection. I assured her

that I would not harm Timothy inany way, only erase his memoriesof the past few days so that hewould not be tempted to meddlewith my people again.’ She touchedher throat, her expressionsorrowful. ‘Ask yourself this: evenif they did not wish to accept myoffer, did that justify assaulting meand starting a war?’

There was more to the story.There had to be. And yet…Rhosmari put a hand to herforehead, her thoughts whirling.

Could it be that the Empress wasnot so evil as she had been led tobelieve? That Timothy and Lindenhad misunderstood her, as Rhosmariherself had done?

No. Wait. She had notmisunderstood one thing, at least.‘You captured Llinos,’ she accused.‘You made him your slave, and thenyou sent him out to find other rebelsand capture them as well. Whatexcuse do you have for that?’

The Empress and her lieutenantsall exchanged glances. Then the

Empress turned back to Rhosmariand said, ‘I beg your pardon. Butwho is Llinos?’

Disbelieving, Rhosmari dartedher gaze from Corbin to Veronica toByrne, then back to the Empressagain. Their faces looked genuinelybewildered, without a hint of angeror guilt. ‘He was with Lily.’ shesaid. ‘One of your most loyalservants?’

‘Lily, loyal?’ Veronica almostchoked on her soup with laughter.‘After Rob, Lily was one of the first

faeries to touch the Stone. She is aseager to overthrow the Empress andseize control of her realm as he is.And if this Llinos was with her,then you can be certain that he isone of the rebels as well.’

A chill crept up Rhosmari’sspine. So Martin had lied to hereven about that?

‘Do not be unkind to her,Veronica,’ chided the Empress.‘Can you not see that she is inshock? Obviously there has been aterrible misunderstanding.’

Rhosmari felt a sudden urge tosay something that would throw theEmpress off balance. If she couldbreak through that charming veneer,even for an instant, she would knowthe truth. ‘Martin told me thatbeneath the glamour you wear, youare old and wrinkled,’ she said, andthen for good measure, ‘He thinksthat you were once human.’

But the Empress’s patientexpression did not alter. ‘He isright,’ she said. ‘In my youth I lost amagical contest with a rival, who

thought the best way to humiliate mewas to turn me into a human andsend me away, helpless andfriendless, into the world. It wasmany years before I had the chanceto regain my powers and become afaery again, and in that time Ilearned such things about humancruelty as I hope you will neverknow.’

Her eyes turned wistful as shebrushed her fingers down her cheek.‘Forgive me my vanity. Since myown beauty has been lost, I wear

instead the face of my old mentorSnowdrop, the faery who firstshowed confidence in my abilitiesand taught me what it meant to be aqueen. She died a long time ago,and to see her in the mirror now…isan inspiration to me.’

Rhosmari bowed her head, thelast of her defiance fading. Slowlyshe unfolded the napkin from besideher plate and spread it out upon herlap; then she picked up her spoon,and began to eat.

‘My dear, you look tired,’ said theEmpress the next morning whenRhosmari came down to breakfast.The Blackwings and Veronica hadleft the house early, so the two ofthem were alone. ‘Did you not sleepwell? Would another bedroom bemore to your liking?’

Mechanically Rhosmari helpedherself to a pastry, a shake of thehead her only answer. She had lainawake half the night trying to thinkof ways to escape from theEmpress, and the other half

wondering if she ought to. Everytime she thought of a reason not totrust the Empress, she wasreminded of all the reasons shecould not trust the rebels either.

Garan had stolen the Stone anddisgraced his own family. Timothyhad a disturbing taste for violence –among other things, she nowremembered, he had admitted tohitting another boy at school for nogood reason at all. And Linden hadgot all her information about theEmpress from Rob, who had

deceived and betrayed the Empressmuch as Martin had deceived andbetrayed Rhosmari. There was noone she could be sure of, not anymore.

But she had not forgotten that forall the hospitality the Empress hadshown her, she was still a prisoner.Mustering her courage, Rhosmarilooked straight at the Empress andasked, ‘When will you let me go?’

‘Go where?’ asked the Empress.‘To the rebels? Surely youunderstand I cannot allow that. It

would be folly to give you into thehands of my enemies.’

‘Then—’ Rhosmari’s fingersclenched around her fork. ‘Let mego home, instead. If I leave at once,there might still be time to convincethe others not to come looking forthe Stone. They may be willing totalk to you instead, and come to anagreement—’

Then she stopped, struck by anew and unpleasant thought. What ifthe Children of Rhys joined forceswith the Empress against the

rebels? What would happen toGaran and his fellow exiles then?

‘Others?’ asked the Empress.‘You mean that more of theChildren of Rhys have followed youinto my domain?’

‘Perhaps not yet,’ Rhosmari saidhastily. ‘My – one of the Eldersbelieved that it would take a largeparty of our people to convince therebels to give up the Stone, butwhen I left nothing had beendecided. So if you send me backright away—’

But the Empress shook her head.‘I need you here,’ she said. ‘Youare my only source of knowledgeabout the Children of Rhys, andthere is still so much I want tolearn. If your people come lookingfor you, and some of them arewilling to negotiate – then perhaps Icould afford to spare you. But Ineed to be sure I can rely on theChildren of Rhys not to interfere inmy affairs.’

So she was not just a prisonerand a slave, she was a hostage. ‘I

see,’ said Rhosmari. ‘Please excuseme,’ and with that she got up fromthe table and left the room.

The Empress retired to her studyafter breakfast, though with thedouble doors closed and only theoccasional creak or rustle comingfrom within, it was impossible toknow exactly what she was doingthere. After a few minutes Rhosmarigave up listening and retreated toher bedroom. But, as the morningwore on she was startled out of her

reverie by thumping noises andloud, wracking sobs coming fromthe direction of the stairs. She threwopen her door to find two strangefaeries marching into the study,dragging a wild-eyed, strugglingfemale between them. But beforeshe could ask what they were doing,the double doors slammed shut.

Rhosmari retreated and satnumbly on the end of her bed as thedistant cries and pleas escalated toa shriek – then ended in abruptsilence. Rhosmari’s stomach

convulsed. What had the Empressdone to the other faery? Had sheturned her into a slave, or somethingeven worse?

Dreading the answer, butdetermined to know it nonetheless,she watched the study doors closelyfor the next half-hour. But when thefamiliar sweet voice called,‘Rhosmari, would you come here,please?’ and she rose to obey, shefound no one in the study but herselfand the Empress. The other faeries– or the two males at least – must

have Leaped away.‘You should not spend so much

time brooding in your room,’ theEmpress chided her. ‘You have thefreedom of the house; why not visitthe library, or admire the paintings?There are some fine landscapes inthe drawing room, and someexcellent portraits as well.’

Like the one of Philip Waverley?Rhosmari wanted to ask, but heldher tongue. The violence withwhich the painting had beendestroyed made her think it might be

dangerous even to mention it.Especially after what she had justheard.

‘You must have found all thatcommotion quite alarming,’ said theEmpress, as though she had guessedRhosmari’s thoughts. ‘I apologisefor subjecting you to it, but there arestill a considerable number ofrenegade faeries who left myservice after the Battle ofSanctuary, and who have little to doother than wander about and causetrouble. Many come quietly once

they are found, having realised thatthey were happier and better caredfor under my rule. But others are…not as reasonable.’

She twisted a ringlet of hairaround her finger, her gaze distant.Then she straightened up and said,‘But never mind that. Go andexplore the house, and see what youcan find to amuse yourself, until Iam ready to speak with you again.’

Put like that, it was an order.Hating her own unhesitatingobedience, Rhosmari turned and left

the study, shutting the doors behindher.

nine

Outside Waverley Hall the rain wasfalling, forming little puddles on thegravel and coaxing the lawn into adeeper shade of green. Rhosmari satby the window in the library, gazinglistlessly at the neglected garden.She had tried to read, but everybook she chose seemed to be littlemore than a chronicle of humanmisery, and her eyes refused to

focus on the pages for long in anycase.

After a few minutes the little dog– Isadora – crept across the muddygravel, thinner and filthier thanever. It turned appealing eyes toRhosmari and lay down facing thewindow, chin resting between itsstubby front paws. Why was ithere? The Empress did not evenseem to know that it existed, andSarah had pushed it away from thedoor as though it were a nuisance…

Someone behind her drew in a

sobbing breath. Startled, Rhosmariturned to find Sarah standing in thedoorway – but as soon as their eyesmet, the human woman clapped ahand to her mouth and fled.Wondering what could be wrong,Rhosmari followed her and foundthe elderly woman at the other endof the corridor, clutching herelbows and trembling.

‘I’m sorry,’ she quavered, asRhosmari came up to her. ‘Pleasedon’t tell her you saw me like this.I’m only an old woman who loves

her little dog, and I can’t help—’She broke off with a little sniff asher eyes welled up again.

So Isadora was Sarah’s pet, afterall. But if the dog was so dear toher, then why had she neglected it?

Please don’t tell her , repeatedSarah’s voice in her mind, and all atonce Rhosmari thought sheunderstood. ‘Did the Empress tellyou to shut Isadora out?’ she asked.‘Did she order you to let herstarve?’

Sarah wiped her eyes. ‘I know I

did wrong to look at her,’ she said.‘It won’t happen again. Please –have mercy—’

‘I’m not going to hurt you,’Rhosmari told her. ‘And I’m notgoing to tell the Empress.’ At least,she added silently, not if I can helpit. ‘I only want to know why you’reupset.’

‘But you…you’re one of them.Why would you care?’ Sarahbacked away from her, fumbling forthe handle of the door. ‘After allyour people have done to me…to

my dog…my beautiful house…’‘I had no part in any of that,’ said

Rhosmari. ‘And I want no part of it,either. I’m a prisoner here, just asyou are.’

‘I don’t believe you.’How could Rhosmari prove her

good faith? She glanced backtowards the library – andremembered the little dog stillsitting patiently with her nose to thewindow, waiting for a mistress whowould not, and perhaps even couldnot, come.

‘Where do you keep Isadora’sfood?’ she asked.

Carefully Rhosmari filled the dog’sbowl and carried it to the frontdoor. She could not step past thethreshold, but she set the dishoutside, and when she softly called‘Isadora!’ the dog struggled up thesteps to meet her. With a snort, itburied its nose in the bowl.

‘You can’t do this,’ whisperedSarah from behind her. ‘TheEmpress will find out, and then—’

But Rhosmari held up a hand forsilence, and picked up the bowlagain. Step by step, she coaxed thedog through the entrance hall andalong the passageway to the kitchen,while the human woman followedanxiously behind.

‘The Empress doesn’t knoweverything,’ Rhosmari said to her,when the kitchen door was shut.‘Does she ever come in here? Doany of the other faeries?’

The woman shook her head.‘Then I’ll come down and feed

Isadora whenever I get the chance,’Rhosmari told her. ‘She doesn’tdeserve to starve, no matter whatthe Empress says, and if there’s anytrouble then I’ll take responsibilityfor it.’

Sarah collapsed into a chair andburied her face in her hands, thinshoulders shaking. It was a longtime before she composed herselfenough to speak again. ‘She wasonly trying to protect me,’ shegasped. ‘She’s always been such agentle thing, I’d never heard her

growl at anyone before, let alonebite…’

‘Why did you let the Empressinto the house?’ asked Rhosmari.

‘She came to the door,’ Sarahsaid thickly, ‘asking if she mightcome in and look at the paintings.She’d heard we had a Wrenfieldhere, she said, the last portrait heever painted, and she would dearlylove to see it. And she seemed likesuch a nice young woman that Iinvited her in. But no sooner did Ishow her the painting than she—’

She swallowed. ‘She did that to it,with just a sweep of her hand.’

So the Empress had destroyedPhilip Waverley’s portrait herself.Rhosmari wondered what she hadbeen trying to prove – or hide. ‘Goon,’ she said.

‘After that everything went dark,and I got terribly confused,’ saidSarah. ‘I felt as though I werewalking in a dream. Before I knewit I’d shown her upstairs to the bestbedroom, and by the end of the dayI’d turned away the groundskeeper

and told the cleaning staff I didn’tneed them any more.’ She pulled acrumpled tissue from her sleeve anddabbed her eyes with it. ‘Then theEmpress got angry with Isadora andtold me not to feed her or let her inthe house any more…and since thenI’ve been all alone. With her.’

Isadora was nosing at the bottomof her dish; Rhosmari refilled thebowl and sat down on the other sideof the table. ‘How long has itbeen?’

‘Three weeks, but it feels like

forever,’ said Sarah wearily. ‘Atfirst I thought that if I could onlywalk to the village, or pick up thetelephone…but it’s impossible. Ican’t get past the end of the gardenwithout turning back again, andwhenever anyone rings or comes tothe door all I can say is how fine Iam and how nice the weather’sbeen. The only one who comes hereany more is the grocer’s man, andhe doesn’t seem to notice anythingwrong.’

No, of course he wouldn’t ,

thought Rhosmari. The Empressmust have put a glamour around thehouse, and perhaps an aversioncharm to keep unwanted visitorsaway. But she had mentioned wardsas well, and it was hard to believethat any faery, even a powerful one,could maintain so many spells atonce.

‘My husband died a year ago,’Sarah went on, ‘and I never couldhave children. I should have soldthe house after the funeral, only Icouldn’t bear to leave all those

memories behind…and how could Ihave known something like thiswould— Oh!’ She looked down,her eyes brimming again. Isadorahad crept over to the table and laidher head at her mistress’s feet.

‘She’s all I have now,’ Sarahmurmured. ‘And I can’t even touchher.’

Anger blazed inside Rhosmari atthe Empress’s cruelty. She stoopedand lifted Isadora up onto the table,then took Sarah’s hand in her ownand placed it on the dog’s head.

‘Now you can,’ she said.

‘You had a pleasant afternoon, Ihope?’ asked the Empress asRhosmari walked back into thestudy.

Seeing the Empress smile, withthe memory of Isadora’s sufferingand Sarah’s helpless tears fresh inher mind, it was all Rhosmari coulddo to hide her revulsion. But if sheallowed her feelings to show, thenthe Empress would surely want toknow what was wrong. So she

could only bend her lips into ananswering smile and hope that shehad learned something, howeversmall, from her visits to the theatre.

‘Please sit down,’ the Empresscontinued, motioning to the chairbefore her desk. ‘I have beenthinking some more about yourpeople, and the things you have toldme about them. They are sworn topeace, you say? For how long havethey upheld this law, or tradition, orwhatever you call it?’

‘For a thousand years,’ said

Rhosmari.‘A thousand! They must be a

mild-mannered folk indeed. Tellme, how many of your people arethere?’

As a scholar, Rhosmari wouldnever have thought to be glad shed i d not know something. But shewas glad now. ‘We don’t keepcount.’

‘But surely you can estimate,’ theEmpress persisted. ‘Are there fiftyof you? A hundred?’

Rhosmari shifted a little,

uncomfortable. ‘I can’t say.’‘I think you can,’ said the

Empress gently. ‘And will.’‘About eight hundred,’ said

Rhosmari, and then wished shecould bite off her tongue.

‘Oh,’ the Empress breathed. ‘Oh.That is…more than I expected.’

‘Is it?’ Rhosmari asked, hopingto get her off the subject. ‘Howmany faeries are on the mainland?’

‘Fewer than you might think,’ theEmpress replied distractedly. ‘Ourpeople are widely scattered, and

we do not have many children.’This had always been true of

faeries, if the ancient historiesRhosmari had studied werereliable. In fact, it had once beencommon for faeries to adoptunwanted human children in orderto bolster their numbers. Even theChildren of Rhys had done so in thepast, though Rhosmari could notremember it happening in herlifetime.

‘Eight hundred,’ murmured theEmpress. ‘To have allies so

numerous would be a greatadvantage. But…’ Her gaze focusedon Rhosmari again. ‘I must knowmore about your people, if I am todecide how best to approachthem…and what they are capable ofoffering me.’

Rhosmari wanted to tell theEmpress that the Elders wouldnever make a bargain with her, thatthey would quickly see through hercharming facade. But she had notthought that her mother would everconsider sending an army onto the

mainland, either, and suddenly noneof the things in which she had onceput her confidence seemed certainany more. Her throat went dry as theEmpress leaned towards her, eyesglittering.

‘Tell me more about the Childrenof Rhys,’ she commanded. ‘Tell meeverything.’

By the time the Empress let her go,Rhosmari felt sick with exhaustion– and shame. Long after she had leftthe study, she could hear the echo of

that soft, relentless voice asking onequestion after another, while shebabbled out all the secrets about herpeople and her homeland that shehad been most desperate to hide.

There was very little now that theEmpress did not know about theGreen Isles, or the Children ofRhys, or about Rhosmari herself.She knew how upset the Rhysianshad been over losing the Stone ofNaming, why Rhosmari had been soalarmed by Lady Celyn’s plan to getit back, and how she had escaped to

the mainland through Gruffydd’sWay to look for Garan and theStone herself. The Empress alsoknew what a shock it had been toRhosmari when she learned of theOak’s destruction (she had smiledat that point, which made Rhosmariloathe her even more) and when shehad seen Llinos in Manchester(which the Empress seemed to findparticularly interesting for somereason). And just when Rhosmarithought she had utterly humiliatedherself and betrayed her people in

every possible way, the Empresstook her back to the beginning andmade her go through it all again.

Rhosmari dropped into the chairbeside her bedroom window,pushing the heels of her handsagainst her eyes. How could shehave been deceived by the Empress,even for a moment? Let alone feltsorry for her, or believed they hadanything in common? It was badenough to feel that no one else wastrustworthy, but now Rhosmari wasbeginning to think that she could not

even trust herself.At least one thing was clear to

her, however: somehow, she mustget word to her people and warnthem about the Empress. No onecould approach the Green Isleswithout the Elders’ permission, andafter what had happened withTimothy and Linden they would notbe quick to welcome strangersagain. Still, she wanted them to beprepared to refuse anything theEmpress might offer – or better yet,not listen to her at all.

But how could she deliver amessage to the Green Isles whenshe was trapped here in WaverleyHall, unable to use magic or evenset foot outside the front door?

Even the moon’s beaming faceseemed to mock her, promising lightwhen all she could see wasdarkness. Bitterly Rhosmari flungthe curtains shut, and turned away.

Over the next few days Rhosmari’slife settled into a kind ofnightmarish routine. Every night she

lay awake for hours, trying to thinkher way past the restrictions thatbound her. In the morning she wouldforce down a few mouthfuls ofbreakfast with the Empress, thenescape as quickly as possible.Some time before noon, or just afterit, she would hear the screams ofcaptured faeries being dragged intothe study, never to come out again.When all was quiet, it was time tofeed Isadora and exchange a fewwords with Sarah. Then she wouldwander about the house until

supper, sit silently at the tablelistening to the Empress’slieutenants boast of theirachievements and compete for theirmistress’s approval, and finallyhead back upstairs to begin thecycle all over again.

The worst of it was that after awhile Rhosmari stopped caring. Sheknew the Empress was preparingsomething, or waiting for somethingto happen, so she could hunt downRob and his remaining followersand put an end to their rebellion.

But that hardly seemed relevant anymore. Why should it be, whenRhosmari had no idea where therebels were, let alone how to makecontact with them? And if only afew of them had escaped thedestruction of the Oak, how couldthey help her in any case?

But then one afternoon she starteddown the stairs to find Veronicabringing up her latest prisoner, andeverything changed.

‘Oh, look, Martin,’ saidVeronica. Playfully she clapped her

hands to her captive’s cheeks andtilted his head up toward Rhosmari.‘It’s your little friend. Say hello.’

Martin made a croaking noise,like a bird trying to speak. His hairhung limp over his eyes, and hisclothing was rumpled and torn.Shaking her head, Rhosmari backedaway.

‘So disapproving, Rhosmari? Ithought you would be pleased to seehim like this. He deserves it, afterall.’ Veronica poked Martin in theshoulder, and he began to climb the

stairs again. ‘Just imagine,’ sheadded in a confiding tone asRhosmari edged aside to let thempass, ‘all the interesting ways youcould punish him for what he did toyou! If I were you, I would havehim begging for mercy.’

She twirled one finger, andMartin turned around and crumpledto his knees on the landing atRhosmari’s feet. ‘Don’t,’ saidRhosmari, pressing back against thewall. ‘Stop it.’

‘Veronica,’ said the Empress

from the door of the study, ‘stopplaying with Martin and come here.You too, Rhosmari.’ When they hadall followed her into the room, sheturned to Veronica and said,‘Release him.’

Veronica passed her hand overMartin’s face, and his vacant looksharpened into fury. ‘You broke ourbargain,’ he snapped at theEmpress. ‘We agreed—’

‘We agreed that if you coulddeliver to me one of the Children ofRhys, I would let you go. And

indeed, I was intrigued to knowhow you would manage it, so Ichose to indulge you.’ The Empressstopped behind her chair, restingone arm lightly along its high back.‘But you disappointed me, Martin.Instead of accomplishing the task onyour own, you made a bargain withmy Blackwings to help you carry itout. And since you could not havecalled on them without my leave,that makes Rhosmari’s capture asmuch my doing as it was yours.’

Martin’s eyes narrowed. ‘You

never said I had to do it alone.’‘And you never suggested that

you planned to do it any other way,’said the Empress. ‘So I think I havebeen quite generous to let youwander free as long as I did.Nevertheless, that is not the reason Ibrought you here.’

She walked back towards himand took his chin in her hand, like amother rebuking a wilful child. ‘Ihave heard some very distressingreports about your activities,Martin. Have I not warned you

against spending too much time withhumans? And what made you think Iwould tolerate you doing so,whether you were under mycommand or not?’

‘The ability to play a role is auseful skill,’ said Martin levelly,but Rhosmari could see he wasshaken. ‘And only the humans haveit.’

‘That is quite true,’ agreed theEmpress. ‘And I have often madeuse of that talent myself. But I havenever found it necessary to be

friendly with humans, much lesstreat them as equals, in order to getit. Clearly you have lost sight ofyour position, and if I must takematters into my own hands to ensureyou do not forget again, so be it.’

She nodded to Veronica, whoseemed to take it as a dismissal andLeaped away, leaving Rhosmari,Martin and the Empress alone. TheEmpress let go of Martin’s jaw andcontinued. ‘Under ordinarycircumstances, the penalty for yourdisobedience would be death. Yet

you have rendered me good servicein the past, so I am prepared to bemerciful.’ She reached for herdagger. ‘Give me your hand.’

‘Wait.’ A muscle twitched inMartin’s cheek; he looked close topanic. ‘You don’t have to do this. Ican give you something else youwant, and this time, I swear, I willdo it on my own—’

‘What else can you possibly dofor me,’ said the Empress, ‘that theBlackwings or Veronica cannot dojust as well, or better?’

‘I can infiltrate the rebels foryou.’ He spoke quickly, flushedwith eagerness. ‘I can gain theirconfidence, learn their secrets –they will see that I am not underyour control, and let me join them inthe Oak—’

The Oak. Rhosmari’s heartthudded against her ribs. So eventhat part of Martin’s story had beena lie? Rob and his rebels, Garanand his men, the Oakenfolk,Timothy and the others – they wereall still alive, still free, still

together?Joy surged up within her, and it

took all the skills she had absorbedfrom her visits to the theatre not toexclaim aloud. But she managed tokeep her expression neutral, right upto the point where the Empressturned to her and said, ‘Strike him,Rhosmari.’

Immediately Rhosmari’s armwhipped out, with the full force ofher weight behind it. The blowconnected with Martin’s cheek,jarring the bones in her hand and

stinging her palm like fire. Hestaggered back and almost fell, butas he righted himself one corner ofhis mouth turned up.

‘You must have enjoyed that,’ hesaid.

Rhosmari swallowed back thesickness in her throat. She hadnever struck another living beingbefore. ‘No,’ she whispered, buteven as her lips shaped the wordshe knew it was a lie.

‘I have no interest in your offer,’the Empress told Martin. ‘As far as

the Oak is concerned, I have all theinformation I need. So one last time,before I lose my patience: give meyour hand.’

Martin looked straight into hereyes, but he did not move.

‘Or,’ the Empress went onconversationally, ‘I will haveRhosmari take control of your mind,and she will make you caper aboutthe room like a clown until you dieof exhaustion. Would you preferthat?’

Rhosmari’s skin prickled with

horror. Don’t let her do this , shepleaded silently with Martin. Justgive her what she wants. Please…

Martin’s lips moved, shaping acurse or a prayer. Then he raisedhis clenched fist, unfolded it fingerby finger, and turned his palm up tothe Empress. Rhosmari turnedaway, not wanting to watch whathappened next.

‘What is your command, YourImperial Majesty?’ said Martin,when the Empress had finished.There was no mockery or insolence

in his tone; he knew better than toopenly defy her now that she heldhis name.

‘You may join my otherservants,’ she told him, ‘who arehelping to rebuild my army. Captureas many renegades and rebels asyou can find, and bring either themor a sample of their blood to me.But do not travel far. I want youwithin summoning distance.’

Martin nodded, flicked anunreadable look at Rhosmari, andLeaped out of the room. The

Empress sighed and sat down,arranging her silken skirts. ‘It isalways so tedious forcing people todo what is best for them,’ she said.‘Why can they not simply accept myjudgment, even if they are tooignorant to appreciate it?’

Once, Rhosmari might have beentempted to sympathise. Now sheonly wanted to scream. ‘YourMajesty,’ she said unevenly, ‘may Iask a question?’

‘Of course,’ said the Empress,with one of her indulgent smiles.

‘What do you wish to know?’‘I am as much in your power as

he is,’ Rhosmari said. ‘And I havedone nothing to offend you. Youalready know everything I could tellyou about the Children of Rhys. Sowhy keep me here, and let him go?’

The Empress looked surprised,then amused. ‘You mean you stillhave not guessed?’ she asked. ‘Iknow you are not accustomed tothinking like a soldier, but surelythe answer is obvious. I need anarmy large enough to defeat the

rebels and wipe them outcompletely. And once you haveopened Gruffydd’s Way for me andmy followers, and led us to theGreen Isles in secret…I will havethat army.’

ten

Sitting alone in the blue bedroom,Rhosmari felt strangelyinsubstantial, as though someonehad hollowed her out from theinside. Her bruised palm stillthrobbed, and she could not closeher eyes without seeing Martin’shead snapping back as she struckhim. But that was nothing comparedto the horror of what the Empress

wanted her to do next – to help herinvade the Green Isles by stealthand treachery, and conquer theChildren of Rhys.

How could she have been soblind to what the Empress wasplanning? Rhosmari had been sointent on saving her people fromharm, it had never occurred to herthat she herself could become themeans of their destruction. But now,if she did not do something quickly,her people would be takenunawares, and turned into slaves of

the Empress. Not just a few of themas she had once feared, but all ofthem.

She leaped up from her seat andwent to the window, staring outacross the empty garden.Somewhere out there, the Oak wasstill alive and whole – and full ofrebel faeries, Garan and his menincluded. If they knew what theEmpress had in mind for Rhosmari,they would surely come and rescueher. But how could she get amessage to them?

She could address it to thehumans in the house, perhaps…butthe Empress kept a close eye onSarah’s correspondence, and shecould hardly be expected tooverlook something marked forOakhaven.

Could she coax a bird to thewindow, and tie a message to itsleg? No, because she would stillneed to use magic to tell the birdwhere to go.

What if she… No, that wouldn’twork either.

Rhosmari gripped the sill withboth hands, fighting back panic. Shehad to find a way to contact therebels. Any day now, or at anymoment, the Empress might gatherher forces and command Rhosmarito lead them to the Green Isles.Merciful Rhys, what was she goingto do?

She was still gazing helplesslyinto the distance when Isadora camewaddling up the gravel drivetowards the kitchen. The little doghad begun to put on weight again,

but she still needed regular meals tokeep up her strength – and witheverything that had happened today,Rhosmari had forgotten to feed her.

Well, at least she could do thatmuch to thwart the Empress, ifnothing else. But it was hard forRhosmari to take much joy in savinga dog, knowing that the lives ofhundreds of faeries were still injeopardy…and that if the Empressconquered them, it would be herfault.

When Rhosmari came into thekitchen, she found Sarah hunchedover the worktop, choppingvegetables. ‘I’m so tired of makingfancy meals,’ the older woman said,wiping her hand across her brow.‘And the grocer’s bill! It seems likeevery day I’m having to call foranother delivery. If this keeps upI’ll have nothing left to live on.’

She sounded so plaintive that, fora moment, Rhosmari almost told herabout the Empress’s plan. If it gaveher no joy to know that the Empress

would soon be leaving WaverleyHall, then at least it would be goodnews to Sarah. But she could notbring herself to share her burdenwith anyone, and she feared whatmight happen to Sarah if theEmpress guessed that they had beentalking together.

Quietly Rhosmari filled Isadora’sbowl and set it out on the kitchenstep. But as she watched the doggobble down the meal, a newmisgiving troubled her. How longwould it be before the Empress

noticed that the little dog had not yetdied, and decided to investigate?And what would happen to Isadorathen?

Rhosmari put a hand to herforehead. Every time she tried tohelp, all she seemed to do wasmake matters worse. Now she notonly had to warn the Elders and geta message to the rebels, she had tofind a way to save Isadora too…

Despairing, she turned to leave,and a picture on the far wall caughther eye. It was a painting of Sarah

at a slightly younger age, seated andsmiling with her dog on her lap anda kindly-looking man standingbehind her. Rhosmari had noticedthe painting before, but never paid itclose attention. Now somethingmade her stop and consider it again.

By rights it ought to havedisturbed her as much as PhilipWaverley’s ruined portrait, for itwas impossible not to look at thatpeaceful scene without beingreminded of how much Sarah hadsuffered since. But the bold,

vigorous way the artist had used hisbrush upon the canvas, the glowingwarmth of the colours he hadchosen, made Rhosmari feelreassured and even a littlecomforted. It seemed to tell her of abetter world that had been once, andperhaps would be again.

‘That’s a lovely thing, isn’t it?’said Sarah, coming up behind her.‘The artist’s quite well known inthese parts, so I was surprised whenhe said he’d like to paint Richardand myself for free. I told him we’d

be glad to pay, but he insisted, andby the time he was done we’dbecome quite good friends with himand his wife. It’s a shame he has touse a wheelchair, but it doesn’tseem to hold him back much…’

As she spoke, Rhosmari’s eyesdrifted to the bottom corner of theportrait, where the artist hadscrawled his name. ‘Yes, it’s verygood,’ she said, and left.

But for the rest of that afternoonand evening, she was nagged by asense that she had overlooked

something important. It was not untilnearly midnight, as she lay dry-eyedand sleepless in the light of the fullmoon, that she remembered thesignature at the bottom of Sarah’sportrait.P. McCormick.

Paul McCormick. Timothy’scousin, and the husband of Peri,who had once been a faery calledKnife…

And their house was calledOakhaven, because the Oak wasthere.

Rhosmari sat up, gripping the

mattress. Her brain had begun towork furiously, weavingconnections from one idea toanother. Paul McCormick. Isadora’sneed for protection. Sarah lamentingher grocery bill…

Excitement blazed through her,filling her with energy. She leapedout of bed and raced to the writingdesk, switching on the little lightabove it. Then she pulled out asheet of paper and began to write.

From Rhosmari daughter of

Celyn, to Paul and PeriMcCormick and the people ofthe Oak that is behind theirhouse, greetings in the nameof Rhys and the GreatGardener. I have been takencaptive by the Empress andam being held prisoner by herat Waverley Hall, along withthe house’s human owner,Sarah…

Though her blood fizzed witheagerness, she knew she must not be

hasty. She had to explain to therebels, step by step, what theyneeded to do. First they wouldencounter the Empress’s wards,which would alert her the momentany faery or human crossed theestate’s perimeter. And though theEmpress spent most of her time atWaverley Hall alone, she alwayskept at least one or two of herlieutenants – and any number oflesser servants besides – withinsummoning distance. So it wascrucial for the rebels to find a way

to dismantle the wards before theyapproached, or they would findthemselves in the midst of a battle.

And yet – Rhosmari’s penhovered over the page – even if theydid reach the house without beingseen, no faery could enter WaverleyHall without permission. And aslong as the Empress was still themistress of the house, the onlyguests she would allow Sarah toinvite were her own…

But if Rhosmari kept thinking ofall the ways in which her plan could

fail, she would never have thecourage to finish this letter at all.She kept writing, one line afteranother, until she had filled twopages in her precise, scholarlyhand. Then she sketched a roughdiagram of the interior of WaverleyHall, indicating where her bedroomand Sarah’s, as well as theEmpress’s study and personalbedchamber, were located. Now forthe conclusion:

The Empress plans for me to

help her invade and conquerthe Green Isles. If shesucceeds in adding theChildren of Rhys to her army,you will have no chance ofresisting her. So I urge you tocome quickly, for all oursakes.

When the letter was finishedRhosmari read it over again, afraidthat she might have forgottensomething – but no, it was good.With a shiver of anticipation she

signed the page, folded it andtucked it into the box with theunused envelopes, where no oneelse would be likely to find it.

Now all she had to do was waitfor morning.

When the first light of dawn creptthrough the curtains, Rhosmariwoke at once, ready to carry out herplan. But her pulse beat erraticallyas she opened her bedroom door,and when she stepped out into thehallway she felt as though she were

going to her own funeral. Shecarried the incriminating lettertucked into the waistband of herskirt, hidden from any casualglance, but that would not save herif the Empress became suspicious.It took all her courage to walklightly past the study doors, anddescend the stairs as though shewere in no particular hurry at all.

Fortunately, the Empress musthave been preoccupied, becauseRhosmari made it safely to thebottom of the stairs, and after that it

was an easy matter to find Sarah inthe kitchen, preparing breakfast.

‘Sarah,’ she said breathlessly. ‘Iknow how to get Isadora to a placewhere she’ll be safe.’

The woman looked taken aback,and even once Rhosmari explainedher plan, she hesitated so long thatRhosmari feared she might not gothrough with it. But at last she said,‘Yes. Yes, of course. It’s the onlyway,’ and hurried off to fetchIsadora’s dog carrier.

Later that morning, Rhosmari

watched from her bedroom windowas the grocer’s lorry camecrunching up the drive and wheezedto a stop by the kitchen. As thedriver unloaded Sarah’s groceriesand carried them into the house,Rhosmari clasped her handstogether and mouthed a silentprayer. Please let him be willing.Please don’t let Sarah change hermind…

The man stayed inside for whatseemed a very long time, andRhosmari began to feel nauseated

with worry. But Sarah must havepersisted, for in the end he wentback outside with a bundle ofbanknotes in his pocket andIsadora’s carrier under his arm. Ashe climbed into the lorry and droveaway, Rhosmari held her breath. Ifthe Empress had seen…if the wardsalerted her that something waswrong…

But when the lorry reached theend of the drive and turned onto theroad, she knew with a leap of herheart that she had guessed right: the

Empress took little account of dogs– or humans. And when it was safeto go downstairs again, Sarah’stearful gratitude was all thatRhosmari could have wished for.

‘You did it!’ she whispered,clutching Rhosmari’s hand in hersoft, blue-veined ones. ‘She’s safe!Oh, thank you, thank you…’

Rhosmari was glad to see the oldwoman so relieved. Yet to hearthose sacred words, even from ahuman who did not know any better,made her squirm inside. She did not

deserve to have Sarah so indebtedto her. Especially since she hadused Isadora’s rescue as anopportunity to send her letter to therebels, and not even told Sarahwhat she was doing…but then, thatwas for Sarah’s own protection.

Or at least that was whatRhosmari told herself. But deeperdown she knew the real reason: shedid not dare to rely upon anyonenow, even someone as well-meaning as Sarah. If the rebelscame to rescue them, Sarah would

share in her joy; but if not,Rhosmari would bear thedisappointment, and theconsequences, alone.

One day passed, and then another,and another. By the fourth day,Rhosmari had begun to lose hope.At the end of the fifth, she pressedher face into her pillow and wept.And on the sixth, when the Empresssummoned Rhosmari and announcedthat they would leave for the GreenIsles tomorrow, she could only bow

her head in resignation. She haddone her best, but she had failed.And now she could think of onlyone more way to thwart theEmpress’s plan.

That night, when the house wasstill, Rhosmari walked softly out ofher bedroom and down the steps tothe kitchen. She felt no fear, only ablack and roaring emptiness, as shetook Sarah’s carving knife from theblock and poised it against herheart. She would grip it with bothhands, like so, and…

But the knife would not move,and neither would her body, nomatter how much Rhosmari willedthem to come together. She wrestledagainst herself until sweat broke outon her forehead, then dropped theknife with a clatter and reeled back,gasping and spent. When theEmpress had told Rhosmari not toleave the house by any means, shehad meant it. Even the door of deathwas closed to her now. Rhosmaristumbled back up to her bedroom,and fell into exhausted sleep.

When she woke it was mid-morning, and the sunlight slantingthrough the curtains seared her eyeslike a brand. But her limbs felt tooheavy to move, and what was theuse of getting out of bed anyway?She rolled over and curled in uponherself, wishing she could go backto sleep and never wake up again.

Dimly she registered the sound oftyres crackling over gravel as avehicle came up the drive. Thegrocer again, no doubt…but if itwas his lorry, it did not make any of

the usual noises. Nor did themuffled voice – no, voices –drifting up from the yard soundfamiliar. Rhosmari clambered outof bed and pressed her ear to thewindow, straining to make out theirconversation. It sounded as thoughsome human family had come by tosee the estate, and Sarah wasturning them away.

‘No, we don’t give tours anymore,’ she said. ‘Waverley Hall isno longer open to the public. I’llhave to ask you to— Oh!’

Ice shot through Rhosmari’sveins. Someone was hurting Sarah!She whirled and dashed out into thecorridor – only to collide withMartin, who seized her by bothwrists and held her there.

‘Cleverly done, my lioness,’ hesaid, raising his voice as shouts andsplintering noises resounded fromthe floor below. ‘So you learned afew tricks from me after all.’

‘What are you doing here?’Rhosmari demanded, struggling tosee past him. ‘What’s going on?’

‘What do you think?’ he said.‘The Empress summoned me tokeep an eye on you, because yourrebel friends are attacking thehouse. Somehow they got past thewards – and now they’ve brokeninside. How did they manage that, Iwonder?’

Thumps and hoarse cries echoedfrom downstairs, followed by acrash of furniture being overturned.Rhosmari tried to twist free ofMartin’s grip, but he only said, ‘Thestudy, I think,’ and began to drag her

along with him.‘Timothy, don’t you dare!’

shouted a furious female voice frombelow, and Martin stopped. ‘Aha,’he said. ‘So that’s how they did it.The Empress really must learn tostop underestimating humans.’

But even as he spoke footstepspounded up the stairs, and a slim,dark-haired boy leaped up onto thelanding, brandishing a fireplacepoker like a sword. Cold ironringed his fingers, braced hiswrists, swung in cross-shape from a

leather thong around his neck – anarmour no faery spell couldpenetrate.

‘Let her go, Martin,’ he panted,levelling the poker.

A talented young human, theEmpress had called Timothy, butregrettably prone to violence .Rhosmari knew it was true – andyet her heart at the sight of him, justthe same.

Martin shoved Rhosmari behindhim, so hard that she tripped andfell. Then with a gesture he spelled

a vase off its pedestal, and hurled itat Timothy. Rhosmari cried out –but Timothy ducked and it shatteredagainst the wall above him,showering him with chinafragments. He shook the dust fromhis hair and advanced again.

A painting leaped off the wallbehind Timothy, threatening tobludgeon him with its heavy frame.But he twisted sideways and itskimmed past him with a hand’swidth to spare. Martin was forcedto dodge it, and Timothy sprang

forward, closing the gap betweenthem. ‘I mean it,’ he said. ‘Let hergo—’ and he swung the poker atMartin, who leaned back just intime to avoid being hit.

Rhosmari scrambled backwards,glancing around for something shecould use to help. She did not wantto get in the middle of this fight; shedid not want to fight at all. But shehad seen the feral gleam in Martin’seyes and the answering glare inTimothy’s, and she knew that if shedid not intervene, someone was

going to end up badly hurt…Rhosmari! Leap to me at once!The command exploded into her

mind, obliterating every otherthought. In a blink she left thecorridor, and materialised in theEmpress’s study.

‘So you too have betrayed me,’snapped the Empress. In her furyshe had lost control of her glamour,and for the first time Rhosmariglimpsed her real face: grey-blackhair threaded white at the temples,and features that had once been

striking grown haggard with age.‘You will pay for this – but there isno time now. Take these.’ Shesnatched up an armful of papersfrom the desk and thrust them atRhosmari. ‘Meet me in—’

The double doors crashed openand Timothy burst into the room,followed by a lean, ice-blondewoman who moved like a hunter.The woman’s arm whipped out,hurling an iron horseshoe throughthe air – but before it could strikethe Empress, she vanished.

Leap to the village and await methere! The Empress’s last orderrang out in Rhosmari’s mind, andautomatically she cast the spell toobey. But before she could fadeTimothy lunged at her, and his iron-ringed fingers closed around herwrist.

Agony seared through her. Thespell broke, all her magicextinguished in an instant. AsRhosmari’s knees buckled, Timothycaught her in his arms – but then hercheek brushed the cross upon his

chest, and everything went black.

eleven

Rhosmari woke at the touch offingers sliding into her own,pressing something cool and hardagainst her palm. She closed herhand around it, feeling itssmoothness, its rounded shape.

It was the Stone of Naming.She gripped it fervently, willing

its magic to work as she had neverwished for anything in all her life.

Light filled her mind, burning awaythe darkness, and the true name thatthe Empress had stolen vanishedfrom Rhosmari’s memory, erased asthough it had never been.

Yet she felt no emptiness, noregret. No sooner was the old namegone than the new one took itsplace, but it did not feel like areplacement; it was as though shehad been meant to bear that name allalong, and she could not imagineanything more fitting or morebeautiful.

And in that moment, Rhosmariswore to herself that she would faceany peril, endure any torture, evenfight to the death if she had to,rather than let anyone – anyone –find out her secret name again.

‘Feeling better?’ asked a voice,and slowly she opened her eyes.

She was lying on the sofa in theEmpress’s study. But it was not theEmpress’s any longer, for all thecurtains had been flung back and theonce-shadowed room was washedin light. Dust motes tumbled through

the sunshine, winking like tinyjewels, and through the openwindow came a gentle breeze andthe sound of a bird calling hweet,hweet.

And Timothy was standing there,watching her.

He was even taller than sheremembered, his skin more tanned,his eyes greener. There was a smearof blood high on his forehead wheresomething had cut him, and he waswearing the fireplace poker like asword through his belt.

‘Sorry about the iron,’ he said,holding up his ring-circled fingers.‘But your magic should come backin an hour or so – and I figuredyou’d prefer a shock to going withthe Empress.’

‘Yes,’ said Rhosmari, wincing asshe sat up. Her wrist and cheek stilltingled where the iron had touchedher, and all her muscles ached. ‘Is itover already? The Empress and herpeople – they’re gone?’

Timothy nodded. ‘And they won’tbe coming back, either. Sarah will

make sure of that.’So Sarah was all right, too.

Rhosmari sent up a silent prayer ofgratitude. ‘I didn’t think you werecoming,’ she said to Timothy. ‘Thegrocer told us he’d deliveredIsadora, but then—’

‘I know,’ he replied. ‘I’m sorryabout that, too. But it took us daysjust to figure out how to get throughthe Empress’s wards without settingthem off. And then we had to makesure we took her by surprise, so shewouldn’t have a chance to summon

more than a few of her peoplebefore she had to run.’ He picked apaperweight off the desk and rolledit between his hands. ‘It would havebeen a lot harder without yourletter, though. You’re a very detail-oriented sort of person, aren’t you?’

‘I’m a scholar,’ she said. ‘We’retrained to be specific.’

‘And logical,’ said Timothy. ‘Ilike that in a faery.’ He put thepaperweight down, hitched a legover the corner of the desk and satthere, a curious half-smile on his

face. ‘So what gave you the idea ofwriting to Paul and Peri? And howdid you know how to find us?’

‘Linden told us where you lived,’she said. ‘When you and she camebefore the Elders.’

He looked surprised. ‘You werethere that day? I didn’t see you.’

‘I was sitting behind Broch,’ shesaid, ‘and I came down afterwardsto talk to Garan. You must haveforgotten.’

Timothy shook his head. ‘I don’tthink so. Believe me, if I had seen

you…’ His mouth quirked. ‘…Iwould have remembered.’

Rhosmari put a hand to herunbound hair. She knew she mustlook ridiculous in her bare feet andrumpled nightgown, but did he haveto mock her? Summoning dignityshe stood up, still clutching theStone of Naming, and said, ‘Excuseme.’ Then she walked back to herbedroom, dressed in her travellingclothes, and tucked the Stone intoher skirt pocket.

When she opened the door again,

Timothy was waiting. ‘If you’refeeling up to it, we should godown,’ he said. ‘Garan’s anxious tosee you.’

Garan. All at once Rhosmari’sself-possession evaporated, and hermouth went dry. She had come allthis way to find him – but whatwould she say to him now?

The ground floor of Waverley Hallwas swarming with faeries, most ofthem strange to Rhosmari. Theywere busy mending the broken

furniture, scorched curtains, andother damage that had happenedduring the battle, and few of themeven looked up as she and Timothycame down the stairs. But sheglimpsed Broch’s long sardonicface among the crowd, and for amoment she thought she sawLlinos…

Then Garan came running acrossthe entrance hall, whirled heraround, and pulled her into acrushing embrace.

Rhosmari went rigid, staring over

his shoulder as Timothy slippedaway down the corridor anddisappeared. Fortunately, Garan didnot seem offended by her lack ofresponse. He loosed her to arm’slength and looked her up and down,anxious. ‘You are well?’ he said.

If she had thought Timothychanged, Garan was even more so:he had clipped his sandy hair shortand let his beard grow. It ought tohave heightened his resemblance tohis father, but oddly it did not. Itonly made him look older, and more

like a leader.‘I am now,’ she said. And with

that she reached into her pocket, andtook out the Stone of Naming.

When she left the Green Isles,Rhosmari would never haveimagined that she could ever holdthe Stone in her hand, knowing whatit meant to her people, and yetchoose to give it up. But that wasbefore she had met the Empress,and experienced what it was like tobe her slave. She would neverforget the horror of knowing that her

true name was no longer secret, orof becoming totally subject toanother person’s whims. Nor couldshe forget what a vast relief it hadbeen to touch the Stone, and bemade free.

She held it out to Garan, offeredon her open palm. ‘I came herelooking for this,’ she said. ‘But Idon’t want it any more. TheChildren of Rhys don’t need theStone. Your people do.’

‘We are still Children of Rhys,even in exile,’ said Garan. ‘But I

am grateful for your sacrifice,Rhosmari.’ Then, with a courtesythat reminded her painfully of LadyArianllys, he inclined his head toher, took the Stone from her hand,and tucked it into the pouch at hisbelt.

‘The prisoner’s awake,’ said afemale faery with blunt dark hair,stomping up to Garan and jerking athumb back over her shoulder. ‘Hewants to talk to Rhosmari.’

Rhosmari followed Garan andthe stocky female through the

passageway to the kitchen. A smallcluster of faeries parted as theycame in, and she found herself faceto face with Martin. His hands werelashed behind him and there was anugly bruise on his cheekbone, buthis eyes met hers with the samecool arrogance as ever.

‘Congratulations,’ he said. ‘Youhave your revenge. Would you liketo hit me again, for old times’sake?’

Garan shot Rhosmari a startledglance, but she ignored it. ‘What do

you want, Martin?’‘You know the answer,’ he

replied. ‘But it seems that freedomon my own terms is not an option atpresent. So untie my hands, and letme go back to the Empress.’

Rhosmari looked incredulously atthe dark-haired faery, who shruggedand said, ‘We offered to let himtouch the Stone. He told us hewasn’t interested.’

‘But why?’ Rhosmari askedMartin. ‘After everything theEmpress has done to you – why

would you choose to serve her?’His mouth twisted in a parody of

a smile. ‘I have already touched theStone of Naming once,’ he said.‘And what kind of freedom did itgive me? Freedom to run in terror,without refuge or rest; freedom tobeg, and starve, and live in squalor.At least if I belong to the Empress, Ieat well and sleep sound.’

‘You could join the rebels,’ saidRhosmari, but Martin laughed.

‘Go to the Oak and live like asquirrel in a tree? I know better than

to imagine I could ever be contentwith such a life. And they have nomore protection from the Empressthan I do.’ He raised his voice toaddress the room at large. ‘Yougain nothing by keeping me aprisoner. I can tell the Empressnothing about you that she does notknow already, and she will offerneither bargain nor ransom for mysake. So either kill me, or let mego.’

Kill me. He spoke the words solightly, as though he hardly cared

what became of him any more. AndRhosmari remembered how she hadstood in the kitchen only last night,holding a knife to her breast.

‘Let him go,’ she said.‘Who made you Queen?’ retorted

the faery who had escorted her tothe kitchen. ‘If you ask me, he oughtto be nailed to a stump and left forthe crows—’

‘Peace, Thorn,’ Garan said, hisgaze on Rhosmari. ‘She has the rightto free him, if anyone does.’

‘And we’ll have the right to

regret it,’ said Thorn sourly, but shestepped up to Martin and loosenedhis bonds. Martin shook off theropes and headed for the door, butRhosmari called, ‘Wait.’

He did not turn, but he paused.Rhosmari went on, ‘You betrayedme once, and I was willing toforgive you for it. But by joining theEmpress, you not only betray yourfellow faeries, but Lyn and Tobyand all the other humans you oncecalled friends. I know you nevercared for me, but can you say the

same about them?’Martin stood still for a moment,

his face a cold mask. Then hepushed open the door and walkedout.

‘Well, that was all very special,’said Thorn. ‘But who’s going tobreak the news to Timothy? Heseemed fairly pleased with himselfafter he knocked Martin out withthat poker.’

‘Can you blame me?’ asked avoice unexpectedly from the pantry,and Timothy stepped out into the

room. ‘The first time I met him, heknifed me and took my wallet.’

So that was why Timothy hadbeen so eager to fight Martin.Rhosmari should not have beensurprised, let alone disappointed.Yet she was.

‘Speaking of Knife,’ Thorn saidto Timothy, ‘she’s looking for you.And she’s none too happy, either.’

‘Yes, I know,’ said Timothy.‘Why don’t you go and tell herwhere I am? You like to do that.’

‘Cheeky brat,’ sniffed Thorn, but

she went. The faeries who remainedtraded furtive glances and thenhurried out after her, until onlyRhosmari, Garan and Timothy wereleft.

‘We must get Rhosmari back tothe Oakenwyld,’ said Garan toTimothy. ‘It will be hours beforethe rest of us finish putting thishouse in order, and she will besafer there if the Empress shouldattack again.’

Timothy nodded. ‘We can takeher in the car, once Paul gets back.’

He glanced out of the window. ‘Ohgood, that’s him now.’ He headedfor the yard, and Rhosmari wasabout to follow, but Garan touchedher arm.

‘We will talk later, you and I,’ hesaid.

The seriousness in his tone madeRhosmari uneasy. Did he just wantto share information, or did he havesomething more personal in mind?But Garan had already walkedaway, and all she could do waswatch him go.

When Rhosmari joined Timothyoutside, a grey car was idling in theyard, with a blond and strikinglyhandsome man behind the wheel.He rolled down the window andsaid, ‘Tim, could you find Peri andtell her I’m here?’

This must be Paul McCormick.Rhosmari bent towards the car togreet him – and saw the carrierstrapped into the back seat.‘Isadora!’ she exclaimed, and thedog yipped in reply.

Rhosmari was glad to take the

carrier and reunite Isadora with hermistress, and once she was satisfiedthat both of them were restingcomfortably, she bid Sarah goodbyeand returned to the kitchen yard. Shefound Peri – the pale-haired womanwho had thrown the horseshoe at theEmpress – sitting beside Paul in thefront of the car, and Timothyholding the back door open for herto join them.

‘Hop in,’ he said.Rhosmari had never ridden in a

vehicle so small before, much less

with three humans. And yet, afternearly two weeks as a prisoner, shewould have braved much worse toescape from Waverley Hall. Sheslid onto the back seat, and Timothyclimbed in beside her.

‘Will Sarah be safe now?’Rhosmari asked, as Paul turned thecar around and headed for the maindrive.

‘If she follows my instructions,she will be,’ Peri said. ‘And I gaveher one of my iron pendants, just tobe sure. But I don’t think Jasmine

will come back in any case.’‘Jasmine?’ asked Rhosmari.‘The Empress,’ Timothy said.

‘Remember the story Linden toldyour Elders, about the faery whostole the Oakenfolk’s magic? Well,it turns out that she and this Empressare the same person.’

‘And the first time she metTimothy, she nearly killed him,’said Peri. ‘As did Martin, for thatmatter. So of course the first thinghe does when we get to WaverleyHall is go haring off upstairs, so

they can both have another chanceto finish him off.’

She glared at Timothy over hershoulder. He bristled, and Rhosmarispoke up hastily before it could turninto a quarrel: ‘The Empress toldme that she had been human once.’

‘ S h e told you that?’ askedTimothy.

But Peri did not seem surprised.‘Three times, actually,’ she said.‘From what Queen Amaryllis toldme before she died, Jasmine wasborn human. She was adopted by

the Oakenfolk as a child, but onceshe grew up, her Queen sent herback into the human world to learnabout creativity. That was when shemet a painter named AlfredWrenfield, and fell in love withhim.’

‘In…love?’ Rhosmari blinked,trying to digest this unexpectednews. ‘You mean she chose to staywith him, instead of going back tothe Oak? Like you did with Paul?’

‘Kind of,’ said Timothy. ‘Onlywith a lot more yelling and hitting.’

‘One hundred per cent more, infact,’ put in Paul dryly. ‘Just so wehave that perfectly clear.’

Without a trace of self-consciousness, Peri leaned over andkissed her husband’s cheek. Thenshe went on, ‘Wrenfield could beselfish and unreliable, even cruel attimes. But Jasmine’s bond to himwas too deep for her to even thinkabout leaving, until he lost histemper and struck her.’

Rhosmari had never heard ofsuch a thing before, but she had

studied enough ancient faery lore tounderstand. A bond was a sacredcovenant between faeries – or inthis case, between faery and human.But if either party struck the other,all obligations between them werecancelled.

‘Jasmine returned to the Oakangry and bitter,’ Peri continued,‘and determined to keep her fellowfaeries from suffering as she haddone. Over the next few years sheworked her way up to becomingQueen, and then she cast the spell

that used up the Oakenfolk’s magicand cut them off from the humanworld. But then Amaryllis cameback from the outside world tochallenge her…and I think youknow the rest of the story.’

In my youth I lost a magicalcontest with a rival, the Empresshad told her, who thought the bestway to humiliate me was to turnme into a human. ‘So that was whythe Empress destroyed PhilipWaverley’s portrait,’ saidRhosmari. ‘Because Wrenfield had

painted it.’‘Partly,’ Peri said. ‘But she had

reason to hate Philip Waverley, too.His wife, Heather, was also a faery,but unlike Jasmine and Wrenfield,they were happy together. In fact,the two of them were so devoted toeach other that even after Jasminestole Heather’s magic and trappedher in her faery form, she couldn’tmake her forget Philip or stopwanting to be with him.’

A bond stronger than magicitself? Rhosmari found that hard to

believe. ‘So Jasmine let her go?’‘Of course not,’ said Paul

without taking his eyes off the road.‘She had her executed.’

Rhosmari sank down in her seat,staring at the back of Paul’s blondhead. She had known the Empresscould be harsh with faeries shedeemed traitors, but she had notrealised she was capable of outrightmurder.

‘And then Philip died of a brokenheart,’ said Timothy. ‘Which Ididn’t think ever actually happened.

But they’d already had two childrenby that point, one of whom inheritedWaverley Hall—’

‘And became Sarah’s great-grandfather,’ Paul added. ‘Or great-great-grandfather. Something of thatsort.’

‘And the other,’ Peri finished, ‘isValerian, the present Queen of theOak.’

Rhosmari pressed her fingersagainst her eyelids, her headswimming with all this newinformation. When she looked up

again, the car was speedingbetween banks of trees and highhedgerows, and Waverley Hall wasnowhere in sight.

‘So the Empress really is old,’she said.

‘She must be well over threehundred by now,’ Peri said. ‘I’mamazed she’s even alive.’

‘She’s stronger than any faeryI’ve ever seen,’ Rhosmarimurmured. ‘The way she canmaintain so many spells at once,and control her followers

besides…’ A chill ran through her,and she rubbed her arms. ‘Whatevershe did to get back her powers, itmust have been terrible. She saysshe only wants what’s best for herpeople, but how can she not see allthe evil she’s done?’

‘I don’t think she sees anythingbut her own ambitions,’ said Peri.‘If she ever had a conscience, it’slong gone by now.’

‘Seared as with a hot iron,’Timothy said, in a distracted waythat made Rhosmari think he must

be quoting something.‘Yes, well,’ said Paul. ‘If we

could defeat Jasmine bypsychoanalysing her, she’d be deada hundred times over. But here’swhat I’d really like to know, Tim –the next time we go up against her,are you going to dash off and playthe hero again, or are you going tofollow orders?’

Timothy gave Rhosmari asidelong glance. Then he said,‘Follow orders. Probably.’

Paul looked at Peri, and his

mouth twitched. Peri sighed. ‘Iknow,’ she said. ‘Believe me, Iknow.’

Rhosmari had expected the Oak tobe a large tree, to hold so manyfaeries. But as Paul’s car turned thelast corner and she saw it loomingup against the sky, her eyes grewround. Never had she seen such amighty breadth of trunk, or guessedthat limbs could spread so wide andnot crack under their own weight.Surely only magic could have kept a

tree of that size alive andundamaged for so long.

‘It’ll be a couple of hours beforeGaran and the others get back fromWaverley Hall,’ said Paul, as heturned into the drive of a tall, peak-roofed house and brought the car toa stop. ‘Would you like to gostraight to the Oak, Rhosmari, orwill you stay and have some lunchwith us?’

Rhosmari hesitated. She had noteaten anything since last night, soshe was quite hungry. And though

her iron-blocked magic wasbeginning to come back, she did notfeel quite ready to go into the Oakalone. But…

‘Tell you what,’ said Timothy.‘Come in and eat first, and then I’lltake you over to the Oak. I’ll evencome inside with you, if you like.’

‘You can do that?’ askedRhosmari, but Timothy only lookedsmug.

‘Timothy’s a bit in love with theOak, I think,’ said Peri. ‘Anychance to get in there will do. So

don’t think you’re putting him to anytrouble.’ She opened the door andclimbed out, adding over hershoulder, ‘Or us, either.’

Rhosmari looked up at the house,then back at Timothy, who wasregarding her hopefully. Why did itseem that every time she thought sheknew what to expect from humans,they did something to throw her intoconfusion?

‘All right,’ she said. ‘I’ll comein.’

twelve

‘Then something wet slapped myleg, so I looked behind me,’ saidTimothy, ‘and there’s Lydia in thebottom of the boat, struggling withthis… fish.’ He flung his arms sowide he would have knocked overthe water jug if Peri hadn’t caught itin time. ‘I’m not even exaggerating,it must have been half as big as shewas. How she managed to catch it,

I’ll never know. And then there’sme, with this—’

He held his fingertips about ahand’s width apart. Paul grinned,and Peri laughed. But Rhosmariwas too distracted even to manage asmile.

Here she sat, eating the plainestmeal of bread and meat and cheese,at a table so small that Timothy’sknee bumped hers on one side andthe wheel of Paul’s chair boxed herin on the other. She was listening tothree humans tell stories about

places she had never been, peopleshe had never met, and situationsthat had nothing to do with her – akind of conversation that mostfaeries would find meaningless, ifnot rude. And now Timothy had justtold them about a time when he hadbeen made to look ridiculous by hislittle sister. How could she laughwithout seeming to mock hisfailure?

But of course human ways weredifferent from those of faeries; shehad always known that, and no

doubt she would get used to them intime. What troubled Rhosmari morewas that in spite of the simple food,humble surroundings, and strangecompany, she was enjoying herself.

‘So that’s when I gave up fishingand decided to stick to the guitar.’Timothy pulled the fruit bowltowards him and helped himself toanother handful of grapes.

‘Well,’ said Paul, ‘we can’t allbe multi-talented.’

Timothy snorted. ‘Says theprofessional artist with all the

trophies for rowing and wheelchairrugby. Thanks a lot – oh, sorry.’This last was to Rhosmari, who hadflinched at the careless use ofthanks. ‘For a minute I forgot youwere a faery.’

‘I suspect she might not take thatas a compliment, Tim,’ said Peri asshe got up and began to clear thetable. Timothy started to apologiseagain, but Peri interrupted, ‘And ifyou keep digging that hole, you’regoing to fall into it. Why don’t youtake Rhosmari over to the Oak?’

‘Right. Yes. I’d just better get ridof this…’ Timothy shoved his handinto his right pocket, and slapped atangle of iron and leather onto thetable. ‘Coming, Rhosmari?’

Compared to the neglected groundsof Waverley Hall, the back gardenat Oakhaven was a work ofhorticultural art, its lawn edgedwith neat flowerbeds and hedgessquared to perfection. There were afew trees, too, some just beginningto bloom – but still, it was hard for

anything to compare with theleafless majesty of the Oak. Seenclose at hand, its bulk was evenmore daunting, and as Rhosmarifollowed Timothy out the glass doorat the back of the house, she wasglad that she would not have toenter the great tree alone.

But something still bothered her,and though she tried to put it fromher mind her thoughts kept goingback to it, like a tongue to a missingtooth.

‘I know the Oakenwyld’s not

much like the Green Isles,’ saidTimothy. ‘But the Oak itself isamazing, and…’ He stopped,frowning at her. ‘What’s wrong?’

‘Why are you being so kind tome?’ Rhosmari hadn’t meant to askthe question aloud, but it had growntoo large to stay inside her. Onlywhen it was out of her mouth didshe realise how suspicious andeven hostile she sounded.

‘Does that mean you’d rather Iwasn’t? Or were you expecting meto be rude to you instead?’

Embarrassment flushed throughher. ‘I just wondered.’

Timothy stuck a hand behind hishead and ruffled up his dark hair.‘Well,’ he said. ‘I read your letter.And I heard Garan telling the othersabout you. And I don’t know quitehow to say this, except…youreminded me of me.’

‘I did? How?’‘I came here from Uganda a few

months ago,’ said Timothy, his eyesdistant. ‘I’d lived there as long as Icould remember, and my family and

friends were there, and the church Igrew up in, and everything was safeand warm and comfortable. Then Iflew over here to go to school and itwas cold and strange and I was allalone, and everybody I’d beencounting on let me down, andwhenever I tried to fix things itended up in disaster. And that wasbefore the Empress put a price onmy head.’

He scuffed his shoe along thepaving stones. ‘Anyway, I waspretty miserable, and I figured that

after all you’d been through, youmust feel even worse. And I thoughtmaybe I could make things easierfor you, at least until Garan and theothers got back.’ He slanted a lookat her, his grey-green eyes quizzicaland a little sheepish. ‘That’s prettymuch it.’

Rhosmari did not know what tosay. She had never expected that ahuman would be able to understandhow she felt. In fact, it seemed sounlikely that part of her fearedTimothy might be another Martin,

trying to manipulate her into trustinghim.

‘That’s…generous of you,’ shemanaged at last.

‘I know,’ said Timothy. ‘I’mwonderful that way.’ Then hegrinned and she knew he wasteasing her, though not unkindly. Shegave a tentative smile in return, andtogether they followed the path tothe end of the garden, where theafternoon sunlight faded into theshadow of the Oak.

‘Here.’ Timothy crouched and

parted the grass around the base ofthe great tree, revealing a darkhollow between two roots. ‘That’swhat they call the Queen’s Gate.Have you ever made yourselfsmall? Smaller than the Children ofRhys usually are, I mean.’

‘Yes,’ said Rhosmari. ‘But whatabout you?’

‘Oh, that’s easy enough,’ saidTimothy, in a casual tone that beliedhis obvious pride. ‘Queen Valerianmade me a special charm, so I canvisit the Oak whenever I like.

Watch this.’He pulled a wooden medallion

out of his back pocket, looped thestring around his neck – and shrankto Oakenfolk size, no taller thanRhosmari’s hand was long. Notwanting to be left behind, shehastily cast a spell to do likewise.Her body tingled, wings sproutedfrom her shoulders, the worldblurred and telescoped aroundher…

It was done. She stood face toface and eye to eye with Timothy,

but now the ladybird crawling overher boot was the size of her fist, andthe Oak had grown so huge that itblotted out the sky. Grass tangledaround her legs, snagging the hem ofher skirt; she stooped to brushherself free, and when shestraightened up again Timothy hadalready vanished into the shadowyhole at their feet.

‘Come on,’ he called up to her.‘It’s not deep.’

It looked deep enough toRhosmari, who could barely make

out his head and shoulders in thedarkness. But then she saw aspidery lattice of roots woven intoone side of the hole, forming arough ladder. She turned around andclimbed down it until she feltTimothy’s hands at her waist, thenlet go and landed with a little jumpat the bottom.

He released her and backedaway, looking dazed. ‘Er,’ he said.‘Your wings…’

‘Is there something wrong withthem?’ Rhosmari twisted her head

back over her shoulder, trying tosee. She had not actually looked ather wings before, for in Gruffydd’sWay she had been too busy trying toescape from her mother to care. Inthe half-light they appeared to bepartly black and partly blue, andshaped like a butterfly’s, but thatwas all she could tell.

‘No, not at all. They’re…’ Hecleared his throat. ‘Pretty amazing,actually.’ Then he stooped andvanished into the darkness. Curious,Rhosmari followed. Tucked away

into an alcove beneath the rootstood a stout wooden door, wideenough for two faeries to enter sideby side. Timothy hauled it open, andthe two of them stepped over thethreshold, into the heart of the Oak.

‘So,’ he said, ‘what do youthink?’

Rhosmari barely heard him: shewas too busy gazing around in awe.There was no obvious reason thisplace should remind her of the Hallof Judgment, for instead ofsandstone and marble it was shaped

out of wood, with little decorationor ornament. It also had a hugestaircase spiralling up through itscentre, and a ceiling too high to see.But certainly the feeling the Oakgave her, of a place not only ancientbut solemn and powerful, was thesame. Light streamed in fromwindow-slits all around, falling in agolden lattice upon the floor, andthe air was rich with the smells ofearth and woodsmoke, roastingmeat, dried herbs…and faeries.

‘Rob and Linden are around here

somewhere,’ said Timothy. ‘Theystayed behind with a few of therebels to guard the Oak, while therest of us went to—’

‘You again!’ snapped a voicefrom the passageway to their left,and a powerfully built faery womanshouldered out of a doorway,gripping a cleaver in one hand.‘Who let you in the door this time,human boy? What’s it going to taketo prove to you that you’re notwelcome here?’

‘A majority vote might do it,’

said Timothy. ‘But apart from that,Mallow, you’re just going to haveto put up with me. Unless you’reactually planning to use that knifeyou’re holding.’

‘It’d serve you right if I did,’snapped Mallow. ‘Bad enoughhaving the Oak overrun by hairystrangers, without adding humans tothe lot. And who’s this?’ She cast abaleful eye over Rhosmari.

Rhosmari drew herself up,butterfly wings unfurling aroundher. ‘I am Rhosmari daughter of

Celyn of the Children of Rhys,’ shesaid.

Mallow’s indignant lookdwindled into uncertainty. ‘Is thatso,’ she said, lowering the cleaver.‘Well, in that case, you’d better getupstairs and see Valerian – but I’dsend him back outside where hebelongs, if I were you.’ She jerkedher chin at Timothy. ‘I’m not theonly one in the Oak who doesn’tcare for the stink of humans.’

‘That’s Queen Valerian to you,’Timothy called, but Mallow strode

back through the archway andslammed the door behind her.

‘Was that true, what she said?’asked Rhosmari as she and Timothybegan to climb the spiral staircase.‘I thought the Oakenfolk had alwaysbeen friendly with humans.’ In fact,she had hoped they might help herovercome her distrust of them, butthat did not seem so likely now.

‘They were, until Jasmine gothold of them,’ he replied. ‘But onceshe stole their magic and alteredtheir memories, most of them were

too terrified to even look at us. Itwasn’t until almost two centurieslater, when Knife – Peri, I mean –met Paul and fell in love with him,that the truth started to come out.And even then a lot of theOakenfolk had a hard timeaccepting it.’

‘What about the rebels?’Rhosmari asked. ‘Surely they mustfeel differently, or they wouldn’thave turned against the Empress?’

‘Rob does,’ Timothy said. ‘AndLily – his second-in-command –

respects humans as well, so theothers follow their lead. But most ofthem still have mixed feelings aboutit, and even a few of Garan’speople – your people – start to lookuncomfortable when anybody talksabout Peri and Paul.’

‘That can’t be right,’ saidRhosmari, stung into defensiveness.‘My people don’t despise humans;how could they? Many of ourancestors were born human. In pastcenturies we used to rescue sailorsfrom shipwrecks, and some of them

stayed with us—’‘By giving up their humanity and

becoming faeries, yes,’ interruptedTimothy. ‘Nobody objects to that.But the Oakenfolk used to do theopposite – they sent faeries out tolive in the human world for years ordecades at a time, and some of themeven married humans and gave birthto human children. That’s the partnobody likes to talk about.’

He turned to her, his handtightening on the stair rail. ‘Behonest, Rhosmari. When Linden told

your Elders about Knife becominghuman to stay with Paul, weren’tyou shocked?’

Of course she had been. Until thatmoment, Rhosmari had never evenimagined that faeries could fall inlove with humans. After all, withplenty of both male and femalefaeries on their islands, theRhysians had no need to lookelsewhere for mates. And toRhosmari, who had never visitedthe mainland, humans had alwaysseemed as remote and untouchable

as angels.But then Timothy had stepped

forward and begun to speak to theElders, his voice husky withurgency. Her eyes had lingered onthe dark feathers of his hair, the hintof golden warmth beneath hiswinter-paled skin, and she wasfascinated; no one in all the GreenIsles looked or spoke like that. Thenher heart began to flutter, andwarmth had bloomed in Rhosmari’scheeks as she felt, for the first timein her life, the kindling spark of

attraction. At that moment she couldno longer be shocked at the choicePeri had made; she was too busybeing appalled at herself.

She looked away, her pulsebeating in her throat, and said, ‘Alittle.’

The stair ended at a circularlanding, with a window-slit on oneside and an archway draped withvelvety curtains on the other.Timothy tugged a cord that dangleddown the wall, and a chime rang out

faintly on the other side. A voicecalled, ‘Who is it?’

‘It’s Timothy, Your Majesty. AndI’ve brought Rhosmari.’

‘Rhosmari!’ exclaimed the voice,and the curtain was swept aside.Before them stood a tall brown-haired faery with a glow-spellburning in her hand. Her face was apale oval, her features serene ratherthan striking, and her dress was sosimple that Rhosmari could easilyhave taken her for a servant, if notfor the silver circlet she wore

around her brow.‘You are welcome in the Oak,’

said Queen Valerian. ‘Please, comein.’

They had only taken a few stepsinto the passage when a door flewopen and another faery scrambledout. She dropped a hasty curtsy,trying to smooth her tumbledringlets and brush the wrinkles fromher skirt at the same time. ‘I’m sosorry, Your Majesty,’ she blurted. ‘Ididn’t mean to fall asleep—’

‘Perhaps not,’ said Valerian, ‘but

you needed it. There is no need toapologise, Wink. But if you feelwell enough to join us, I would beglad to have you come.’

‘Oh, yes, of course.’ Visiblyrelieved, the red-headed faery fellin behind them. They passed througha doorway into a small audiencechamber, generously lit by windowsalong one side. Three of the wallswere lined with benches, while alow-backed chair stood on a dais atthe far end. Walking up the crimson-dyed carpet, Queen Valerian sat

down, and gestured to Rhosmariand the others to make themselvescomfortable as well.

‘I have just heard from Garan,’she said, ‘and he and the others willbe with us shortly. Then we can allhear what you have to tell us,Rhosmari—’

Just then Garan Leaped into themiddle of the chamber, startling allof them. Rhosmari knewimmediately that something must bewrong: it was considered rudeamong most faeries to appear

suddenly in a room where otherswere present, unless it was anemergency.

‘I beg pardon, Your Majesty,’ hesaid, bowing to the Queen. ‘ButMallow accosted me when I camein, and she insists on being presentat our council. Do you wish us torefuse her entrance?’

The Queen lowered her eyes, asthough the news troubled her. Butwhen she looked up again, herexpression was resolute. ‘No. Lether come.’

‘As you wish, my Queen,’ saidGaran, and took his place along thewall by her side.

‘Oh, Mallow,’ sighed Wink. ‘Itnever ends with her. Why can’t shebe more like Bluebell, and justaccept it?’

Clearly there was more going onhere than just a dispute overwhether humans should be allowedin the Oak. But by now the otherfaeries had already begun to arrive,and there was no time to ask for anexplanation.

They came in by ones and twos,rebels and Oakenfolk and Childrenof Rhys in turn, and made theirbows or curtsys to the Queen beforetaking a seat. Together they made astrange company – especially whenLinden in her homespun Oakenfolkgarb arrived with a copper-hairedrebel wearing a very human-lookingsweatshirt and jeans, andRhosmari’s fellow scholar Brochsidled in between Lily and thestony-faced Thorn.

Mallow was one of the last to

arrive, and she hardly bent her kneeto Valerian at all; she only gave agrudging nod and then stood at theback of the room with arms foldedand a sour expression on her face.The Empress would have punishedher for such insolence; Lady Celynwould have had her thrown out.Queen Valerian, however, gave nosign of even noticing it. She waiteduntil everyone was seated, andspread out her hands in a gesture ofwelcome.

‘We have much to discuss today,’

she said, ‘especially now that wehave a visitor from the Green Islesamong us. Will you please come tothe front of the room, Rhosmari, andtell us how you came to be here?’

She had not been looking forwardto this. But she must face it withdignity, all the same. ‘Yes, YourMajesty,’ said Rhosmari, andwalked up the carpet to the dais.

Over the next few minutes Rhosmarirelated her story as briefly as shecould without leaving out any

important details. She told theassembled faeries why she had leftthe Green Isles, and what she hadhoped to achieve by finding Garanand the Stone. She explained howMartin had deceived her intotrusting him, only to betray her tothe Empress; and finally she sharedwith them the things she had learnedabout the Empress while under hercontrol – including her plan toinvade the Green Isles and conquerthe Children of Rhys.

‘If you had not rescued me from

Waverley Hall,’ Rhosmariconcluded, ‘I might even now beleading the Empress’s army into theGwerdonnau Llion. I owe you allmy deepest gratitude. So when Ireturn home, I promise to doeverything I can to convince theElders that you should keep theStone of Naming, and that we mustnot hinder your struggle against theEmpress in any way.’

She spoke the last words firmly,sure that the faeries of the Oakwould be glad to hear of her change

of heart. But there was only anawkward silence. Several of thefaeries traded apprehensiveglances, while Timothy studied thetoes of his shoes and would notmeet her gaze.

‘So you are the only faery outsidethe Green Isles who knows how toopen this underground passage?’asked the male rebel sitting besideLinden, who she now realised mustbe Rob. ‘And the Empress cannotenter it without your help, is thatcorrect?’

Only the Children of Rhys, LordGwylan had told her, and those wehave deemed worthy of our trust.And even Garan and his men did notknow about the symbol that markedthe entrance to Gruffydd’s Way.‘Yes,’ said Rhosmari, hoping thatwould reassure him. But still noneof the faeries looked happy.

‘Well, at least now we know whythe Empress hasn’t attacked us yet,’said Thorn. ‘She’s trying to puttogether an army we can’t possiblydefeat.’

‘She might yet do so,’ said Lilyin her musical voice. ‘Surely shehas far more slaves than we haveallies, even now.’

‘Yet she was ready to invade theGreen Isles and conquer its peoplebefore she turned her attention tous,’ said Rob. ‘Does that notsuggest anything to you?’

‘No, but apparently it does toyou,’ Thorn said dryly. ‘Go on.’

‘We have been sitting here allthis while, waiting for the Empressto attack,’ Rob said. ‘And yet today

when our forces confronted her, shefled from us almost at once. Clearlyshe is not ready to face us in openbattle – so why wait for her anylonger?’ He rose from the bench,eyes gleaming with feral light. ‘Whynot muster our forces and strikeagainst her instead?’

‘Have you cracked your nut?’demanded Thorn. ‘Catching Jasmineby surprise at Waverley Hall, whenwe knew she could only call a fewof her followers into the housebefore we took over – that was one

thing. But taking on her wholearmy? We’d be squashed like somany beetles.’

‘Once, I would have agreed withyou,’ Rob said. ‘But consider this.Nearly two hundred faeries brokeaway from the Empress’s control atSanctuary, and with the help of theStone we have freed still more ofher followers since. True, somepreferred to flee rather than join us,and that made it possible for theEmpress to hunt them down andbring them back under her control.

But even so, it takes time to rebuildan army.’

He began to pace around thechamber, his voice quickening withurgency. ‘Why was she so eager toconquer the Children of Rhys?Because her own forces were stilltoo weak and scattered for her to besure of defeating us without them.She has not forgotten her pledge todestroy the Oak; she simply cannotdo it.’ He stopped and lookedaround at them all. ‘And that meansthat attacking her now may be our

best chance of defeating her.’Rhosmari sat motionless,

scarcely daring to draw breath.Surely it was wrong to provoke abattle, no matter how evil theenemy. But the way Rob spoke…italmost made her want to believethat he was right.

Thorn, however, seemedunmoved. ‘That’s a pretty slim hookto catch a minnow on,’ she said.‘I’d like a bit more proof of theEmpress being weak before I gocharging off to fight her, if it’s all

the same to you.’Beside her, Broch’s mouth

twitched as though he wererepressing a smile, and the others inthe room relaxed, Rob’s spell overthem broken. ‘I agree,’ said Garan.‘It would be rash to attack theEmpress without being sure of herreasons for wanting to invade theGreen Isles. Clearly she believedthat conquering the Children ofRhys would be easy, and thatadding so many faeries to her armywould make her invincible. But that

does not prove she had no hope ofdefeating us without them.’

‘So what do you think we shoulddo, then?’ spoke up Mallow fromthe back of the room. ‘Sit here in thepot and wait for the water to boil?That doesn’t seem like much of aplan to me.’

‘We should continue doing just aswe have been,’ Garan replied.‘Training our people to defendthemselves, and strengthening theOak against attack. But most of allwe need to continue searching for

other faeries who wish to be free ofthe Empress, and offering them theStone. The greater our numbers, thelonger the Empress will hesitate toattack us, and every faery we setfree is one less soldier for her tocommand.’

‘And where do you plan to put allthese faeries?’ Mallow demanded.‘The Oak’s nearly full up as it is.’

‘True,’ said Garan. ‘But ourscouting parties have found theremnants of an old Wyld not faraway, which could be resettled if

need be. However, since you seemto have little faith in our suggestionsabout how to deal with theEmpress, I can only suppose thatyou have an idea you think better.Why not share it with us?’

‘All right,’ said Mallow. ‘How’sthis? I say we surrender.’

thirteen

Shouts of protest rang out fromevery side of the council chamber,loud enough to make Rhosmariwince. But Valerian held up a handfor silence.

‘Continue, Mallow,’ said theQueen. ‘What makes you say thatwe should give ourselves up to theEmpress?’

Mallow looked flustered. ‘Well,’

she muttered, ‘it’s not like she goesaround killing people just for thefun of it, is it? She just wants tokeep the humans in their place, andstop faeries being too friendly withthem. What’s the problem withthat?’

‘You do not know the Empress,’said Rob in a voice that was quietbut not in the least gentle. ‘You didnot grow up by her side, serving herevery day from the time you were achild. You do not know what it is tobe a slave, to live in constant fear,

to be unable to choose your owncompanions or make your owndestiny. You have not seen theEmpress’s cruelty towards humanswho had done her no harm, ortowards faeries who dared tobefriend them. But I have. I haveseen her deceive, and murder, andwork sorceries more foul than yourmind can begin to comprehend, andI swear to you that I would ratherdie than serve her again.’

Yes, thought Rhosmari fervently,gripping the bench to keep herself

from standing up and shouting it.How Mallow could suggest, couldeven think of such a thing—’

‘Well, that’s very noble of you,’said Mallow. ‘But not all of us areso convinced there’s such a thing asa fate worse than death. I say we dowhatever it takes to save our ownnecks, and let the humans worryabout themselves. Who’s to say theEmpress might not reconsider if weoffered her a decent bargain?’

And with that the room erupted,as several faeries leaped up at once

to argue with her. Voices rose inpitch and passion as more joined inon every side. Some agreed withRob’s plan to attack the Empress,and some with Garan’s morecautious stance; a few even seemedto think Mallow’s point of view hadsome merit. Meanwhile Timothywatched the debate with set mouthand smouldering eyes, untilRhosmari felt sure he would leap upand shout them all down at anymoment.

She cast an appealing look at

Valerian, hoping she would call theroom to order, but the Queen onlysat listening, hands folded in herlap. Didn’t she care that her peoplewere becoming angry with oneanother?

‘And here’s another thing,’ calledout a square-built rebel whose darkhair bore a single dramatic streak ofwhite. ‘If we’re going to keepsending the Stone out of the Oak,why does it always have to beGaran or one of his people whocarries it? What makes them better

than the rest of us?’Thorn half-started out of her seat,

but Broch put a hand on her arm asthe room went abruptly quiet. Alleyes were on Queen Valerian, andno wonder: she had risen from herthrone with a sizzling ball of blueflame in one hand, lifted as thoughshe were about to hurl it down.

‘I agreed to hold this meeting,’she said in her calm, deliberatevoice, ‘because some of youbelieved that your views were notbeing heard, and that they deserved

a public audience. But I suspectedthat such a large gathering wouldnot end well, and indeed this hasproved it.’

Her grey eyes rested on each ofthem in turn, grave and a little sad.‘I will not rule you as a tyrant, butneither will I allow you to tear theOak apart with your quarrelling. Ifany one of you does not trust me toact wisely and in your bestinterests, then I invite you to leavenow, and join the Empress.’

Mallow looked sullenly at the

floor, but she did not move. Neitherdid anyone else.

‘If you wish to remain,’ Valeriancontinued, lowering the flamingsphere, ‘there are some things youwill have to accept. One is thatunder no condition will I abandonKnife, Paul and Timothy to theEmpress. Nor will I ever agree thattheir lives are less important thanour own. Indeed, I regard them asvital allies in our struggle,deserving of both our gratitude andour respect.’

At that, Linden moved a littlecloser to Timothy and squeezed hishand. He gave a half-smile, but hedid not look particularly comforted.

‘Secondly, I want you to knowthat I regard all who live within thisWyld – rebels, Children of Rhysand Oakenfolk alike – as equalcitizens of the Oak, and I will notpermit either favouritism orprejudice. Some of you seem tobelieve that I have given the Stoneof Naming into the care of Garanand his men as a privilege, but that

is not so: carrying the Stone is asolemn and fearful responsibility,which only a fool would covet.Because the Stone is our only realsurety against the Empress’s power,and if it should ever be lost, thenwe will be lost as well.’

She paused as though waiting foran objection, but the faeriesremained subdued, their eyesdowncast. ‘And lastly,’ QueenValerian continued, ‘each of youwill always be free to approach mewith your concerns, and I will

consider what you have to say. But Iwill choose my own advisors, and Iwill make my own decisions, andanyone who attempts to underminemy authority will face theconsequences. We may not knowprecisely when the Empress plansto attack us or what she is waitingfor, but it is certain that she willattack us when she is ready – andwhen that day comes we must beunited, or we will fall.’

Until now Rhosmari had beenwondering if Valerian might be too

tolerant to make a good ruler. Butnow, looking into those steely eyes,she knew she had been mistaken.For all her unassuming manner, theQueen’s silence throughout themeeting had not been timidity, butdeliberate forbearance.

‘You are all dismissed,’ said theQueen, and the spell-globe in herhand dissolved in a shower ofsparks. ‘Except for Garan, Rob andThorn – I would speak to you threealone.’

‘Are all your gatherings like this?’Rhosmari asked as she followedLinden and Timothy out of thechamber, raising her voice to beheard over the clamour of the otherfaeries around them.

Linden exchanged a glance withTimothy. ‘Like what?’

‘So…disorderly.’ She knew shemight be giving insult by saying it,but she could think of no betterword. ‘So full of arguments anddivisions.’

‘I hope not,’ said Linden, with a

frankness that put Rhosmari at ease.‘We don’t usually have so manypeople all together at once,especially not with Mallow there tostir things up.’

‘And it’s not as though theChildren of Rhys don’t like toargue,’ Timothy said. ‘When Lindenand I came before your Elders,there seemed to be plenty of debategoing on about what to do with us,and it wasn’t all friendly, either.’

‘Yes, I know,’ said Rhosmaripatiently, though it was hard not to

be insulted at the reminder thatTimothy had not even noticed herthat day. ‘Of course my peopledisagree at times. But still, we allrecognise that the final authoritybelongs to the Elders, and that it isour duty to accept whatever theydecide.’

‘Even if that means sending anarmed party over to the mainland totake back the Stone of Naming byforce?’ asked Timothy as they cameout onto the landing. ‘No offence,but you don’t seem to have found

that particular decision so easy toaccept.’

Anger flared inside her. ‘Thatwas different. What my motherwanted to do was wrong. TheChildren of Rhys are sworn to livein peace with everyone, humans andfaeries alike. If we break that vow,we destroy one of our most sacredtraditions.’ Rhosmari stepped asideto let a pair of male rebels go downthe stairs, then turned to Timothyagain. ‘And then what’s to keep usfrom breaking any other laws we

find inconvenient? How can we livehonourably with one another, howcan we set an example for ourfellow faeries, unless we stay trueto our principles, whatever thecost?’

‘I’m not saying I agree with yourmother. But I’m not sure I agreewith you, either,’ said Timothy. ‘Isthat really what Rhys commandedyou to do – never fight anyone, evenin your own defence? Even if notfighting means becoming the slavesof someone who will force you to

break that law and probably all theother ones, too?’

Rhosmari opened her mouth, thenshut it again. It was true that Rhyshad urged his followers to forsakeviolence, but there had beencenturies of scholarly debate overexactly what that meant. After theshock of her father’s death,Rhosmari herself preferred to becautious; even competing in theRhysian Games had made heruncomfortable at times. But othersshe knew – including Garan –

believed that it was lawful to fightso long as the cause was just, andnot a matter of selfish greed orpersonal vengeance. CouldRhosmari really say with authoritythat she was right, and Garan andthe others were wrong?

‘I don’t know,’ she said at last. ‘Idon’t want to see anyone hurt, nomatter how wicked they may be. ButI don’t want to stand by and watchinnocent people suffer, either. I justthink…what if there’s a solutionthat doesn’t involve fighting? Some

way to stop the Empress thatdoesn’t put so many lives indanger?’

‘If you could find one,’ saidLinden, ‘we’d all be glad to hear it.Or at least I know I would. I don’tlike the idea of people being killed,either.’ She gave Rhosmari anencouraging smile, and Rhosmarismiled back.

‘I should go,’ said Timothy. ‘Pauland Peri will be waiting to hearfrom me. But…’ He turned toRhosmari, serious and intent. ‘If you

need anything, or if you – I don’tknow, you just want to get awayfrom the Oak – then you’rewelcome at the house. Any time.’

Rhosmari nodded herappreciation of the offer, but as hegalloped away down the SpiralStair she could not help wonderingwhy he had made it. She would onlybe here for a day or two, after all,and then she would be returning tothe Green Isles.

Homesickness rose within her atthe thought, and tired though she

was, she wished she could leave atonce. Having to answer to hermother and the Elders would not bepleasant, but at least now she couldbe sure they would not send heraway. Even if they felt that shedeserved to be exiled for what shehad done – and Rhosmari doubtedthat, for she had shed no blood andcommitted no violence – it wouldbe far safer to imprison her on theGreen Isles than to risk having herfall back into the Empress’s hands.

‘Come with me,’ said Linden.

‘I’ll take you to see Bluebell.’Bluebell. She had heard that

name earlier. ‘Who is that?’ askedRhosmari.

‘She’s our Chief Housekeeper.’Linden led the way down thestaircase. ‘She’ll find you a place tostay.’

‘Was she at the council?’‘Bluebell? Goodness, no.’

Linden gave a rueful laugh. ‘Shenever wants anything to do withpolitics nowadays. Why do youask?’

‘Only that Wink said she wishedMallow could be more like her. Iwondered what she meant.’

‘Oh, that,’ Linden said. ‘Well,it’s a bit complicated, but Bluebellused to be Queen Amaryllis’sattendant. And she could be a littlehaughty about it at times, but no onethought much of that…untilAmaryllis died. Then it turned outthat Bluebell believed she was therightful heir to the throne. Can youimagine?’

‘Well…perhaps I can,’ said

Rhosmari. ‘It might not be the waythings are done in the Oak, but thereis an old tradition that the faeryqueen’s heir should serve as one ofher attendants. Could Bluebell havebeen thinking of that?’

‘I think it was mostly Mallowwho talked her into believing it,’said Linden. ‘But in any case it wasall very unpleasant for a while, withMallow and Bluebell trying toconvince everyone that Valerianhad tricked Queen Amaryllis intochoosing her, and that she wasn’t fit

to hold the throne anyway becauseshe was half human. Fortunately,most of the Oakenfolk weresensible enough to see that Valerianwas a much better leader. Andwhen Rob and Garan came to theOak with their followers, they bothrecognised Valerian as Queenstraightaway and paid no attentionto Bluebell at all. So nothing cameof that.’

Except for Mallow continuing tochallenge the new Queen’s policiesat every turn, apparently. After

seeing how she had behaved at thecouncil, Rhosmari had to wonder atValerian’s patience with her.

‘But afterwards,’ Linden wenton, ‘Bluebell was so humiliated thatshe locked herself in her room forthree days, and then she came outand apologised. And she’s beenloyal to Queen Valerian eversince… Here we are.’ She turnedoff the stair onto a walkway, whichled them across to a landing ringedwith doors. Walking up to the thirddoor on the left, she rapped and

called, ‘Bluebell, are you there?’They waited, but no answer

came. Linden was just about toknock again when Garan spoke upbehind them: ‘Rhosmari?’

Surprised, she turned and sawhim coming along the walkwaytowards her. His manner wasformal, his expression as sober asshe had ever seen it.

‘I need to speak with you inprivate,’ he said. ‘Perhaps weshould go outside.’

The sky over the Oakenwyld wasuntroubled by cloud, and the breezethat blew across the garden wasmild. But as Garan led Rhosmariout onto the grass, she sensedsomething ominous in the air. It wasa feeling that had been creeping upon her ever since she delivered herreport to the council, and it hadgrown along with her body whenshe and Garan left the Oak andchanged back to their customarysize. And when he turned to her andshe saw the pity in his face, her

heart skipped a beat.‘What is it?’ she asked.He reached for her hand, which

did nothing to reassure her.‘Rhosmari,’ he said, ‘you cannot goback to the Gwerdonnau Llion.’

‘What?’ She stared at him. ‘Whatdo you mean, cannot?’

‘You are the Empress’s onlyhope of reaching the Green Isles.And now that she has set her hearton conquering the Children of Rhys,she will do whatever it takes torecapture you. Do you really

believe that you can leave the Oakand set out on your own, and haveeven the slightest chance ofreaching Wales in safety?’

‘I could Leap—’‘Martin knows every place

where you have set foot,’ Garansaid. ‘As does the Empress herself.If you had ten times the power, thenperhaps you could Leap all the wayfrom here to St David’s at this verymoment, before she has a chance tosend any of her people there. Butthe furthest you can Leap from here

is Waverley Hall, and from thereyou could not even reach Cardiff bymagic, let alone the Green Isles.’

He took her other hand in hisown, his voice lowering toearnestness. ‘We did not make thisdecision lightly, Rhosmari. Itgrieves my heart to think of youhaving to remain here against yourwill. But we cannot afford to loseyou to the Empress again. For allour sakes, we dare not even take therisk.’

Rhosmari snatched her hands

away. ‘So you plan to make me yourprisoner,’ she said in a shaky voice.‘Trap me here in the Oak while youwait for the Empress to attack,because you are too cowardly to letme go – and when she does attack,and she defeats you, she willcapture me anyway. And then theGreen Isles will fall to her, withouthope and without warning, and itwill be your fault.’

‘It is not cowardice, Rhosmari.’Garan spoke quietly, but there wasno apology in his tone. ‘To give you

safe conduct, we would have tosend our whole army with you andleave the Oak defenceless – andeven then we could not be sure ofprotecting you from the Empress.Keeping you here is the best chancewe have.’

Rhosmari put her hands to hertemples. She felt as though theground had given way beneath herand left her tumbling through a darkvoid, helpless and alone. As Garanwent on, his words seemed to becoming to her from miles away:

‘Do you think that knowing theGreen Isles are in danger gives meany pleasure? If I knew any way towarn our people against theEmpress, I would. But we have nomeans of communicating with theElders at this distance. And even ifwe did, I fear they would notlisten.’

No enemy can hurt us here. Shehad said that to her students at theHouse of Learning, believing it wastrue. And then she herself had madeit into a lie, and now Garan was

telling her there was no way to undoit.

‘I am sorry, Rhosmari,’ he said.‘I never wanted to have to tell youthis. Until the council, I thought youunderstood it already. I eventhought…’ He stopped. ‘Well. Thisis not the time.’

She raised her head, eyes burningbut dry. ‘Not the time for what?’

‘When I heard you had come allthis way to find me,’ he said, ‘Ithought perhaps you were giving mea chance to make amends. I

wronged you, Rhosmari, and I knowyou were disappointed, when Iasked to break off our betrothal.’He moved closer, his sea-greengaze holding hers. ‘I want you toknow that if it brings you anycomfort, if in any way it could makeall that you have suffered a littleeasier, I am willing to fulfil thevows I made to you, and make youmy wife.’

She was startled. ‘You mean…now?’

‘Well, not right away,’ Garan

replied, a little uncomfortably. ‘Youare only sixteen, after all. But intwo or three years’ time, if we arestill alive…’

Rhosmari let out a disbelievinglaugh. ‘And what would be the useof that? You don’t love me. Youtold me as much, before you wentaway.’

‘Does that matter to you?’ Hegave her a puzzled look. ‘I didn’tthink you cared how either of usfelt, so long as we could livepeacefully together.’

Her fingers crept to her wrist,where Martin’s fingers had bruisedher and Timothy’s rings had burned.Both of them had hurt her, but onehad been trying to keep herprisoner, while the other had beentrying to set her free.

‘Yes,’ she told him quietly. ‘Itmatters.’

Rhosmari sat at the foot of the Oak,hugging her knees as she gazedwearily across the lawn. Hedgesrose on either side of the garden,

blending into an old stone wallcloser to the house, and in front ofher stood the house itself, blockingout the sun and the sky.

The Oakenwyld was evensmaller than Waverley Hall hadbeen. And yet this was about tobecome her whole world.

Garan had told her she would besafe in the garden, for it and theneighbouring fields were underconstant watch and ward, and theEmpress’s servants could notapproach from any direction

without being seen. But he had stilltried to coax her back inside thetree with him, so that Bluebellcould show her to a room – andRhosmari was not ready for that.Not when it might be weeks ormonths, perhaps even years, beforeshe returned to her homeland again.

She tore a handful of grass out ofthe lawn and scattered it to thewind, watching the blades flutterand spiral away. No wondereveryone at the council had lookeduncomfortable when she spoke of

going back to the Green Isles. Nowonder Timothy had felt sorry forher, and—

Wait. What had he offered her,exactly? If you need anything, or ifyou just…want to get away fromthe Oak…

He had known what Garan wasgoing to tell her. Could he havemeant those words more literallythan she realised? After all, he hadtold her himself that he knew what itwas like to be alone in a strangecountry, and longing for home.

Rhosmari got slowly to her feet,eyes fixed on the house. She couldnot go there right now, at least notdiscreetly. But later tonight, wheneveryone was asleep…

Yes. She would do it. If Timothyunderstood – really understood –how she felt, then he would want tohelp her. And since he was human,and creative by nature, he mightwell be able to think of a way to gether safely to the Green Isles eventhough all the faeries in the Oakcould not.

Just thinking about it eased theache in her chest a little. Hoperenewed, Rhosmari made herselfsmall again, and climbed backdown the root ladder into the Oak.

‘Have you seen Bluebell?’Rhosmari asked a passing rebel onher way in, but he shook his head.She went back to the Spiral Stairand met three more faeries comingdown, but they couldn’t help hereither. Rhosmari climbed all theway up to Bluebell’s door and

knocked again, but there was stillno answer, so at last she gave upand followed the rest of the faeriesdown to dinner.

She had forced herself to finishher mug of hot chicory despite itsbitterness, and was scraping the lastbit of mashed roots from her platewhen Holly, one of the faeries shehad met on the stair, stopped by hertable. ‘Are you still looking forBluebell?’ she asked. ‘Because Isaw her pass by the dining hall justa little while ago.’

She paused with a meaningfullook, and belatedly Rhosmarirealised that the other faery waswaiting for her to bargain. Lindenhad spoken to her so freely, she hadforgotten that the other faeries mightbe a little less charitable aboutgiving out information.

‘I have nothing to offer you atpresent,’ Rhosmari replied,choosing her words carefully. ‘Butif there is something I can do foryou at a later time, I will be glad tohear of it.’

Holly sighed. ‘Oh, very well. Isaw Bluebell going down the EastRoot corridor. Probably to one ofthe storerooms. If you hurry, youmight still catch her.’

‘I appreciate your help,’ saidRhosmari. Hurriedly she pushed hercup and plate aside, and set off tofind Bluebell.

As she headed away from thecore of the Oak the air in thepassage grew damp and earthy-smelling, the ceiling webbed withthin roots. The lamps flickered

wanly, giving off more shadowsthan light. The old fear of closed-inplaces crept up on her, and she wasjust about to turn back when sheheard someone talking.

‘…should never have come here.I have nothing to discuss with you. Idon’t even want to be seen with youany more.’

The female faery’s tone washigh-pitched and a little lofty, but italso sounded fearful. It came frombehind a closed door to Rhosmari’sright, and her first impulse was to

go in. She reached for the handle.‘You’re being ridiculous,’ said a

flat voice, and Rhosmari jerked herhand back. ‘All I’m asking is foryou to stop fussing and listen.Haven’t I always looked out foryou? I wouldn’t bring this up if Ididn’t think it was worth yourwhile.’

‘I’ve already told you I’m notinterested. Now let me go.’

‘You’re not going anywhere untilI’m done,’ retorted Mallow. ‘Don’tyou care what Valerian’s doing to

us? It’s not just a matter of bringingmore faeries to the Oak or gettingour magic back, not any more. She’sgoing to force us all to fight theEmpress, and like as not get us allkilled, just so we can protect herprecious pet humans.’

‘That’s her right. She’s theQueen.’

‘Queen of the Oak, maybe, andthere’s nothing much we can doabout that. But I was at the councilthis afternoon, and I heard Garansay that he and his men found an old

Wyld not far from here, just waitingto be fixed up and resettled. Whyshould we stay here and wait for theEmpress to kill us, when we couldstrike out on our own and makepeace with her? I know a good fewOakenfolk, and some of the rebelstoo, who don’t much care forValerian’s human-loving ways. Wecould start a whole new colony,Bluebell – and you could be ourruler. Think about it—’

‘No, I will not!’ Bluebell’s voicerose so sharply that Rhosmari

flinched. ‘I don’t want to rule somedried-up old elm tree in the middleof a swamp. I’ve lived in the Oakall my life and I don’t want to goanywhere else, and I’ve alreadytold you I want nothing more to dowith you. So leave me alone, or I’ll— I’ll—’

‘Or what?’ asked Mallow, withmenacing softness. ‘You’ll tellValerian? Is that how weak you’vebecome? She’s nothing compared toQueen Amaryllis, and you of allpeople know it. I can’t believe it

doesn’t sicken you every day to gocreeping around the Oak obeyingher orders, when you should be theone giving them.’

Rhosmari had heard enough. Sheput her hand firmly on the latch, andpushed the door open.

fourteen

Bluebell was a small faerycompared to Mallow, with haircoiled regally atop her head and ahigh-waisted gown falling in gauzylayers to her feet. At the sight ofRhosmari, her cheeks turned whiteas sea foam. But Mallow onlyglared at her and said, ‘Do youmind? We’re busy.’

‘No, Mallow,’ Bluebell said

tremulously before Rhosmari couldanswer. ‘You and I are done.’Gathering up her skirts, she sweptpast the other faery and out into thecorridor, tossing back over hershoulder, ‘And don’t ever talk to meagain.’

Rhosmari could think of nothingto add to that. She held Mallow’sinsolent stare a moment, thenfollowed Bluebell back out into thepassage.

‘I’m sorry to have startled you,’she said as she caught up with the

Chief Housekeeper, ‘but Lindentold me I should talk to you aboutgetting a room?’

Bluebell turned to her, lookingdistracted. ‘Oh, I see,’ she said.‘Yes, of course. Let me just checkmy ledger first.’

She left Rhosmari waiting on thesecond landing of the stair, andreturned a few minutes later with aring of ancient-looking metal keys.Unlocking a door, she showed herinto a tiny room with only onewindow. The only furniture in it

was a narrow bed that saggedvisibly in the middle, and the airwas thick with dust.

‘I’m afraid this is the best I cando,’ Bluebell said. ‘I’ll have itcleaned, of course.’

‘It’s all right,’ said Rhosmari.She did not care much for luxuries,and if all went well she would notbe spending long here anyway. Butas Bluebell turned to go she added,‘I don’t mean to intrude. But Icouldn’t help hearing what Mallowsaid to you.’

‘Is that so?’ the other faery askedwith a little sniff, and all at onceRhosmari could see the haughtinessLinden had spoken of – the spark ofpride that had once made Bluebellthink herself fit to be Queen. ‘Well,it’s all empty talk and bluster.Nothing will come of it. Not nowthat Mallow knows I want nothingto do with her and her schemes.’

‘I hope you’re right,’ saidRhosmari. After all, even if she didnot feel very kindly towards theOak and its people right now, she

did not want to see them vulnerableto the Empress. ‘But it sounds asthough you’re not the first personMallow has talked to about this. Ifshe succeeds in convincing even afew other faeries to leave the Oak,that will put all the rest in danger.And if the Queen finds out that weknew what Mallow was planning,and said nothing…’

Bluebell’s eyes widened. ‘Youmean…she will think that I wasprotecting Mallow? That I am asdisloyal as she is?’ She pulled her

shawl tighter about her shoulders,as though the idea chilled her. ‘I seenow. You’re right. I must go andtalk to Valerian at once. Will youcome with me? I don’t want there tobe any doubt that I’m telling thetruth.’

Her haughty air had vanished; shelooked anxious now, and Rhosmarifelt sorry for her.

‘Of course,’ she said. ‘I’ll beglad to come.’

Rhosmari stood by the window in

her lonely room, watching the halfmoon sail through waves of cloudand listening to the sounds of thenight. Earlier that evening she andBluebell had gone up to see QueenValerian, who had given her fullattention to hearing their story.Afterwards she had questioned themboth for some time, drawing outevery detail, before expressing hergratitude and letting them go. Andthough the Queen had not said howshe intended to deal with thesituation, Rhosmari could tell that

she was deeply troubled byMallow’s behaviour, and would notallow her to continue spreadingtreachery for long.

Knowing that she had donesomething to help the Oak madeRhosmari feel a little better, but notenough to make her happy with thethought of being trapped hereindefinitely. She waited until thegreat tree had gone quiet and onlythe occasional murmur echoed inthe corridor outside her room; thenshe focused her thoughts on the

humans’ house, and Leaped.Without Timothy’s invitation, she

could never have got further than theveranda. But she landed easily justinside the glass door, and fromthere it was not difficult to pick herway through the darkened sittingroom and down the corridor.

Murmurs came from behind aclosed door to her left, and shepaused, listening. One male voice,one female: that must be Paul andPeri. So Timothy’s room had to beupstairs. But across from the foot of

the staircase stood a pair of glassdoors, with light still glowingfaintly through them – and when sheglanced inside there was Timothy,seated at a desk with his eyes on aluminous screen. Gathering courage,Rhosmari tapped on the glass.

Timothy spun around in his chair.‘Rhosmari?’ he said incredulously,and got up to let her in.

‘I needed to talk to you,’ shesaid. ‘I hope it’s not too late.’

‘No, it’s not.’ He waited for herto sit down on the sofa before

climbing back into his own seat,one foot casually hooked behind theother knee. ‘So what’s going on?’

‘Garan told me this afternoon,’she said, pushing the words past thelump in her throat, ‘that I can’t goback to the Green Isles.’

Timothy grimaced. ‘Yeah,’ hesaid. ‘I suspected that.’

‘Can you help?’ She did not meanthe question to sound so abrupt, butit came out before she could softenit. ‘Please?’

‘Help?’ He crooked one dark

brow at her. ‘You mean…talk tothem? Tell them to let you go?’

She shook her head. ‘I knowbetter than to think they will changetheir minds. But you – you ran awaybefore, and you managed to avoidthe Empress and all her servants,and find your way safely to theGreen Isles. If you could just tellme, or show me, what to do…’

Timothy watched her for a longmoment in the bluish-white light ofthe screen, his gaze travelling overher face from eyes to lips and back

again. At last he said, ‘You said theBlackwings found you and Martin inBirmingham. Did you ever find outhow? Did they ever take somethingfrom you, or did you leavesomething behind, that they coulduse to track you down?’

‘Never.’ She spoke emphatically.‘I know better than that. Martin musthave—’ All at once she stopped,chilled by memory. Martin had beencommunicating with theBlackwings, certainly. But even so,he could not have been certain that

he and Rhosmari would always staytogether; he would have wanted tomake sure they could trackRhosmari even if she was on herown. And just before they leftCardiff, he had done exactly that.

‘My cloak,’ she whispered.‘They have my cloak.’

Timothy nodded. ‘So now theyknow exactly where you are. Andthey always will, no matter whereyou go – or how.’

‘But they can’t move faster than acar,’ she said, knowing that she was

grasping at sand but unwilling togive up yet. ‘You could take me—’

‘I can’t drive. And even if Icould, I wouldn’t.’

‘Timothy—’‘If it was just you taking the risk,

or even just you and me, that wouldbe different. But this isn’t about oneor two lives, Rhosmari. Thefreedom of the Green Isles, of theOak, maybe of all the faeries on themainland, depends on you stayingaway from the Empress.’

‘Don’t you see that’s exactly

what I’m trying to do?’ pleadedRhosmari. ‘If I can only get to theGreen Isles, she can’t touch methere. But here—’

‘I know!’ His voice rose infrustration, and he made a facebefore lowering it again. ‘I knowyou’d be safer there, and I’d be gladto take you, if I thought we had achance of making it. But Garan andthe others are right. You have tostay.’

‘I see. Well, then, I’m sorry Iinterrupted you.’ She spoke bitterly,

not troubling to hide herdisappointment. Pushing herself upoff the sofa, she walked to the doorbefore turning back for the partingshot: ‘But I thought you wouldunderstand.’

‘Rhosmari, wait!’ Timothyscrambled to his feet, but he hadonly taken two steps before his legslipped out from under him. Hecrashed to the floor, muttered acurse, and grabbed at the chair topull himself up again – but beforehe could speak, Rhosmari had

Leaped away.

‘Rhosmari? Are you there?’The soft voice came from just

outside her door, breaking into hertroubled dreams. Blearily Rhosmarilifted her head from the mattress, tofind that it was morning. ‘Yes?’ shemumbled.

‘It’s Linden. I just wanted to seeif you were all right, since youdidn’t come down to breakfast.’

Her temples throbbed, and shefelt as though someone had rubbed

ash into her eyes. Rhosmari climbedoff the bed, pulled her thick hairback into its clasp, and opened thedoor.

‘Oh,’ said Linden. ‘I didn’t meanto wake you. Would you like me togo away?’

There was no anger left inRhosmari any more, onlyresignation. ‘It’s all right,’ she said,stepping back to let Linden in.

The other girl moved cautiouslyinto the room – then stopped short.‘This is the room Bluebell gave

you?’ she said. ‘I am so sorry. I’llsee what I can do about getting youa better one.’

‘It doesn’t matter,’ Rhosmarireplied, sitting down on the edge ofthe bed. ‘What can I do for you?’

Linden hesitated, then sat downbeside her. ‘Rob told me Garan hadtalked to you. About staying here.Are you…going to be all right?’

‘I’ll be fine,’ said Rhosmari,getting up again and opening thewindow for some fresh air. Fromhere she could just see the back of

the house, where Timothy and Periwere sparring on the veranda. Bothwere wearing light shirts andtrousers, and neither carried aweapon – but as Peri dodgedTimothy’s swing and whirledbehind him to slash the side of herhand across his shoulder, Rhosmariwas appalled at the speed andruthlessness with which the humanwoman moved. No wonder theother faeries called her Knife.

Linden came over to see whereshe was looking, and sucked in her

breath as Timothy staggered. ‘Hepushes himself so hard,’ she saidsoftly. ‘I wish he wouldn’t.’

‘Pushes himself?’ askedRhosmari. To her it looked morelike Peri was pushing Timothy, andthat relentlessly. But she had barelyframed the thought before Timothyducked under Peri’s swing andpoked her in the ribs, forcing alaugh out of her that echoed acrossthe garden. Then the two of thembroke off their mock fight andheaded back into the house.

‘The Empress nearly killed himat Sanctuary,’ said Linden. ‘Blastedhim with all her power – if hehadn’t been carrying iron, he’d havebeen dead for certain. And for daysafterwards, he kept having thesespasms where he’d drop things, orhis legs would go numb. I think hestill has them sometimes, though hedoesn’t like to talk about it.’

So that was why he had fallenlast night. Rhosmari had thought it aharmless accident, but now guiltcrawled over her. No wonder

Timothy had gone into WaverleyHall wearing so much iron. Nowonder Peri had been upset whenhe dashed upstairs to rescueRhosmari from Martin and theEmpress all by himself. How muchcourage must that have taken for himto face someone – indeed twopeople – who had hurt him sobadly?

‘He’s trapped here too, youknow,’ said Linden, turning earnesthazel eyes to Rhosmari. ‘Peri andPaul had to get permission to take

him out of school, because the firstday he tried to go back the Empresssent someone to kill him. If Lilyhadn’t gone along to keep an eye onhim…’ She gave a little shudder.

So the house had becomeTimothy’s prison, just as the Oakwas hers. Once again, Rhosmarihad misjudged him – and now sheowed him an apology. But perhaps,after she had so callouslyabandoned him last night, he wouldnot want to speak to her again?

‘Anyway,’ Linden went on in a

brisker tone, ‘if you’re ready tocome out, I could show you aroundthe Oak a bit. So you know whereeverything is, like the baths, and thekitchen, and the library—’

‘You have a library?’ The last ofRhosmari’s fatigue vanished. If shehad books to study, then at least shewould not be idle. And if shelooked carefully enough, perhapsshe would even learn something thatwould help them against theEmpress. ‘Are there any histories ofthe Oak I could look at? Any books

that mention Jasmine, and what shewas like when she lived here?’

Linden blinked. ‘Well, yes, wehave a few of those. Not a lot, but—’

‘Is the library far? Would youtake me?’

‘It’s just at the foot of the SpiralStair,’ said Linden. ‘Meet me on thelanding when you’re dressed, andI’ll show you.’

‘This is everything we have aboutJasmine,’ said Campion, pushing a

stack of volumes across the table.The Librarian had quicklyrecognised a kindred spirit inRhosmari, and the two of them hadstruck up a conversation about faeryhistory while Linden creptapologetically away and finallyslipped out the door. ‘But are yousure you really want to read themall? I could summarise theinformation for you.’

‘I appreciate that,’ Rhosmari saidas she pulled the topmost book offthe pile, ‘but I’d like to search

through them myself. Do you haveany loreseeds to go with these?’

Campion looked mystified, butalso intrigued. ‘No, what arethose?’

‘Living records of an event,’Rhosmari explained, ‘from oneperson’s point of view. They canstill be misleading in some ways,and open to interpretation – butthey’re very useful if you want toget a sense of how something reallylooked and sounded at the time ithappened.’

‘Do you know how they’remade?’ Campion leaned forward,eyes lit with fascination. ‘Could youshow me how they work?’

‘I’d be glad to,’ said Rhosmari.‘Perhaps later, after I’ve had achance to go through these?’

‘Oh – yes, of course.’ With ill-concealed disappointment theLibrarian straightened up again.‘Well, if you have any questions, orneed anything, just ring the bell. I’llbe next door in the archive.’

Left alone in the library’s musty,

windowless silence, Rhosmarileafed through the first of the booksCampion had given her. Snowdropthe Queen appeared to be abiography of the woman theEmpress had called her mentor.Next came A Restored History ofthe Oakenfolk and After theSundering, both by the late QueenAmaryllis, and finally three well-worn diaries that had belonged toHeather, the faery who had marriedPhilip Waverley and borne him twochildren.

As she began to read, timevanished and the world around herslipped away. She pored over onepassage after another, mulling overthe details and making noteswhenever she found something thatmight be useful. So far she had notlearned much about the Empressthat she did not know already, but…

‘Found anything interesting?’Rhosmari nearly dropped her

book. ‘Timothy! What brings youhere?’

‘Looking for you,’ he said. He

spoke easily, as though their quarrellast night had never happened. ‘Pauland Peri and I were about to havetea, and I thought you might like tojoin us.’

Was it that late already?Somehow she had missed the noonmeal and not even noticed. ‘That’skind of you,’ she said haltingly. ‘ButI owe you an apology—’

He held up a hand. ‘No need.Yesterday was hard on all of us, butyou especially. I don’t blame youfor being…’ He stopped. ‘OK,

maybe human isn’t the word I wantto use here. But you know what Imean.’

‘I think so,’ said Rhosmari,unable to keep from smiling at therueful look on his face.

‘Good. Let’s leave it at that.’ Helooked over her shoulder. ‘Is thatone of Heather’s diaries you’rereading? What for?’

So he had read them, too. ‘I’mtrying to understand Jasmine,’ shesaid. ‘If I can figure out how shethinks, then perhaps we’ll be able to

figure out a way to stop her.’‘That would be brilliant,’

Timothy said. ‘Though right now I’dsettle for just knowing when she’sgoing to attack.’ He leaned againstthe edge of the table. ‘I’d like tobelieve Rob’s right about theEmpress being weak, or at least nothaving quite as many followers asshe claims. But Queen Valerianseems to think, and Peri and I dotoo, that the Empress is waiting forsomething. Or at least she was,before she got hold of this idea of

invading the Green Isles…and nowthat she’s lost you, she’s gone backto waiting again.’

‘Perhaps, but she can’t wait muchlonger,’ Rhosmari said. ‘If shedoesn’t stop Garan and the othersfrom using the Stone, it won’t belong before they’ve freed moreslaves than she can command.’

‘Good point.’ Timothy stood upagain. ‘So it has to be somethingpretty big, to make her hold off thislong. We should probably talk thisover with Peri – but that brings me

back to tea. Are you coming?’Rhosmari closed the diary and

put it back on the top of the pile.‘Do you know,’ she said. ‘I think Iwill.’

As Rhosmari followed Timothy outinto the garden, the sky was bluefrom one horizon to the other, andthe sun was blazing through thebranches of the Oak. The air felt sowarm, the breeze so light, that if themeadow on the other side of thehedge had been water instead of

grass, she could almost haveimagined herself back on the GreenIsles…

No, she was not going to thinkabout that. But it was certainly apleasant spring day. With a glanceat Timothy’s open collar androlled-up sleeves, she slipped outof her jacket and laid it by the footof the Oak. Then she walked withhim across the lawn, where anumber of faeries had gatheredaround Rob, Garan and Thorn fortheir daily lessons in combat.

By the rose hedge on their left,Rob was showing his onlookersvarious offensive and defensivespells. To their right, Thorn wastelling a nervous-looking faery girlhow to shoot a bow. ‘Straightenyour arm,’ she said. ‘Tighten thoseback muscles…and stop stickingyour thumb out like that, you’ll pokeyourself in the eye.’

In the middle of the lawn some ofthe rebels and Children of Rhyswere sparring, the clack of woodenswords competing with the sweeter

sounds of rustling grass andbirdsong. Since all of the faerieshad remained small, there wasplenty of room for everyone; andbetween the tall hedge border thatsurrounded their training ground andthe open meadows to either side, nopassing human would be likely tonotice them. Though judging by theripple of power Rhosmari sensedaround the edges of the garden, thewhole area was protected byglamour anyway.

‘I hope you can find a way to

defeat Jasmine without fighting,’said Timothy. ‘But just in case youcan’t, I’m thinking it might be agood idea if you learned to defendyourself.’

He spoke mildly, but annoyanceflickered inside Rhosmari all thesame. ‘I already know how to dothat,’ she said.

‘Really?’‘Yes.’‘So…how, exactly? I mean,

what’s your speciality?’Of course he would ask about

that – the last thing she wantedanyone to know. ‘Does it matter? Icompeted in the Rhysian Gameseach year, like everyone else. And Idid well enough.’

‘Then you wouldn’t mind givingme a demonstration?’

There was a gleam in his eye shedid not like; it reminded her of theway Rob had looked when hesuggested they attack the Empress.‘Fight you, you mean?’ she asked.‘No.’

‘Then fight somebody else. You

don’t have to hurt them. Just showme what you can do.’

She did not reply.‘Look, if you’re shy about it—’‘I’m not shy.’ She spoke flatly,

her hands curling tight at her sides.‘I just don’t want to. Why can’t youjust believe me? Why do you needproof?’

‘I’m not asking for proof. All Iwant is a bit of evidence. You werethe one who said you didn’t believein fighting, remember – can youblame me?’

He was baiting her. Trying togoad her into betraying herself. ‘Allright,’ she said. ‘If you won’t takemy word for it, then maybe you’lltake someone else’s.’ She strodeover to where Garan stood by thegarden shed with bow in hand,showing the Oakenfolk how to aimat a target. ‘Garan,’ she interruptedhim, ‘do I or do I not know how todefend myself?’

For a moment Garan only lookedbaffled. Then his gaze shifted toTimothy, and his expression turned

blank. ‘That is not for me to judge,’he said.

Rhosmari stared at him,speechless at this unexpectedbetrayal. Then she snatched the bowout of his hands, nocked an arrow tothe string, and fired it straight intothe centre of the target, forty pacesaway.

‘Judge that,’ she snapped, andstalked off back to the Oak.

Back at the table in the library,Rhosmari buried her face in the

crook of her arm. Now that heranger had subsided, she could onlyberate herself for being so foolish.What did it matter if Timothythought her weak, or untrained, oreven cowardly? It would have beenbetter to let him despise her, to lethim and most of the others go onbelieving that she was a scholar andnothing more.

But now that she had fired thatarrow, she might as well have cometo the Oak fully armed andbedecked with all her prizes from

the Rhysian Games. No one whohad seen Rhosmari shoot would becontent to let her stay out of battle:an archer of her skill was too greatan asset for any army to lose.

Yet she still could not bringherself to fire a bow at any livingbeing, even in a cause she believedwas just. To deliberately shedblood, she would have to ignoreeverything her father’s death hadtaught her – and worse, it wouldmean giving up all hope of seeingher homeland and her people

again…‘Rhosmari.’The voice was Garan’s. She sat

up abruptly and pulled the bookstowards her as he went on, ‘I didnot mean to distress you. I know youhave no love of battle, but you aresuch a skilled archer, and Ithought…perhaps you wanted toshow Timothy what you could do.’

‘Why would I want that?’ Shespoke coolly, to deny thehumiliation rushing through her.

‘Because you wanted to be rid of

him, perhaps? Ever since herescued you at Waverley Hall, heappears to have appointed himselfyour protector. And though I havetried to tell him you are well lookedafter here, he insists on seeking youout. I know you may scoff at mysaying so, but…I believe Timothy isattracted to you.’

Rhosmari could not look at himfor fear she might laugh, or weep.She opened a book and beganleafing through it. ‘Whatever makesyou think so?’

He made a little, disbelievingsound. ‘Rhosmari…you’re holdingthat book upside down.’

Heat flooded her face. Shesnapped the book shut – and at thatsame moment, a thunderous bangresounded from the corridoroutside. A chorus of screamsfollowed, then a second crash,bringing both Garan and Rhosmarito their feet. They dashed out of thelibrary together, but as they camethrough the door Garan flung out anarm to bar Rhosmari’s path. Straight

in front of them, Mallow stood withher back against the Queen’s Gate,brandishing her cleaver at Llinosand an exasperated-looking Broch.

‘Don’t you touch me,’ she panted.‘We are here to arrest you in

Queen Valerian’s name,’ Llinostold her, quiet but adamant. ‘Youcannot escape justice, Mallow. Ifyou have done no wrong, you havenothing to fear; but if you resist, wewill have to restrain you.’

Mallow’s scullions huddled inthe corridor nearby, some open-

mouthed and others sobbing. By thetime a pale but determined Hollyhad come out of the kitchen andshepherded the lot of them backinside, Broch had disarmed Mallowand was lashing the Chief Cook’shands behind her back. ‘Moretrouble than you’re worth, aren’tyou?’ he muttered, then dodged asshe turned her head and spat.

‘Peace, Mallow,’ said Garansternly. ‘You have alreadydishonoured yourself enough.’

‘Dishonoured. Think yourself so

lordly, don’t you?’ she sneeredback at him. ‘Or should I saykingly? I’ve seen how you look atValerian. There’s more than oneway to gain a throne.’

Startled, Rhosmari glanced atGaran – but he shook his head. ‘Youhave the tongue of an adder,Mallow,’ he said. ‘But Valerian isfive times my age, or more.Compared to her, I am a mere child– and I am not a fool.’ He nodded atLlinos and Broch. ‘Take her to theQueen. I will follow.’

The male faeries began to leadMallow up the stairs, but when theChief Cook saw Rhosmari, sheplanted her heels. ‘You! You’ll besorry, you nasty little spy. When Iget hold of you, I’ll—’

Broch snapped his fingers,cutting off the sentence beforeMallow could finish it. Yet hermouth continued to move despite thesilencing spell, soundlessly vowingrevenge.

Sick at heart, Rhosmari turnedaway.

fifteen

‘Rhosmari!’It was little more than a whisper

in the darkness, but she recognisedTimothy’s voice at once. She threwback the covers and hurried to thewindow, to find his enormous grey-green eye peering in at her.

‘What is it?’ she asked, resistingthe impulse to cringe. ‘And whotold you where to find me?’

‘Linden. She told us your room’sterrible. So Peri sent me to offeryou the guest bedroom in the house.And to let you know you’rewelcome to sleep there as long asyou like.’

Rhosmari looked behind her atthe cramped little chamber, bare asa prison cell and no morewelcoming. She scratched the placeon her shoulder where the strawmattress always pricked her, andthought about Mallow locked up inthe storeroom only two floors

below.‘All right,’ she said. ‘I’ll get my

things.’Once she had made herself

presentable again, it was an easyLeap to the stone veranda behindthe house, where Peri was waitingby the glass door to let her in.‘You’ll be upstairs at the far end ofthe corridor, next to the bathroom,’she said. ‘And you can havebreakfast with us in the morning orgo back to the Oak, whichever youprefer.’

Rhosmari glanced around forTimothy, but he had disappearedagain. ‘I’m grateful for yourhospitality,’ she told Peri with alittle curtsy, and headed off to hernew room.

That night Rhosmari slept as shehad not slept in weeks, a deep anddreamless slumber. She wokenaturally at daybreak, refreshed butalso hungry – so she was glad toaccept Peri’s offer of joining thehumans for breakfast. Timothy wasalready at the table, dressed but still

sleepy-looking, with his hairsticking up on one side. ‘Orangejuice?’ he asked as she came in,then tried to cover an enormousyawn with his elbow.

‘Yes, please,’ said Rhosmari, asPaul slid a plateful of scrambledeggs onto the table, pivoted thewheelchair expertly and rolled backto Peri for the bacon. The kitchenwas pleasantly quiet compared tothe clamour of the dining hall at theOak – almost as quiet as breakfastin her mother’s house would have

been, but much more relaxed. Forsome time there were no sounds butthe clink of cutlery and the crunch ofbuttered toast, until Paul spoke:

‘I’ve been curious aboutsomething, Rhosmari. At what agedo faeries usually get married onthe Green Isles? Because Garanlooks like he might be old enough,but you seem pretty young to bebetrothed.’

‘We were betrothed when I wasfourteen, actually,’ said Rhosmari,watching Timothy pour more juice

into his glass. ‘But we’re not anymore.’

A splash of orange hit thetablecloth. Timothy hastily rightedthe jug and began dabbing up thespill with his paper napkin.‘Really,’ he said. ‘I’m…er…sorryto hear it.’

Paul and Peri exchanged glances,and both their mouths twitched. Butall Paul said was, ‘Right. Well, I’mgoing into town this morning. Doesanyone need anything?’

Rhosmari spent the rest of that dayin the Oak’s library, studying thebooks Campion had given her.Among other things, she discoveredthat Queen Snowdrop, Jasmine’spredecessor, had died undersuspicious circumstances – sosuspicious, in fact, that it wasobvious Jasmine had murdered herin order to take the throne. And yetthe Empress called Snowdrop hermentor, and was now wearing herface…which made Rhosmari moreconvinced than ever that the woman

was not entirely sane.And yet for everything she had

learned about Jasmine, she had notfound out what she really needed toknow. When would the Empressattack the Oak, and how? Where didshe get her remarkable powers, andwas there any way to stop her fromusing them? She was no closer toanswering those questions than shehad been before.

‘You should talk to Rob,’Campion told her, after the two ofthem had discussed the problem for

a while. ‘He was the Empress’scourt musician; he knows her aswell as anybody. Maybe he’ll beable to tell you something.’

So Rhosmari decided to join Roband the others at supper, hoping thatwould give her a chance to talk tohim. But when she came into thedining hall, she immediately noticedthat something was wrong. Severalfaeries were absent from the tables– including Mags, the rebel whohad complained about not beingallowed to carry the Stone – and

those that remained had separatedinto distinct groups. One corner wasmade up entirely of Oakenfolk,while their newest allies from theoutlying Wylds had gathered alongthe back of the room. Even therebels and the Children of Rhysseemed reluctant to mingle.

‘The Empress won’t even need toattack the Oak at this rate,’ Rob saidbitterly, stabbing a piece of squirrelmeat off the platter. ‘Not now thatwe have traitors and desertersdoing her work for her. How can

we make an army out of faeries whowon’t even eat at the same table?’

Linden sighed. ‘Mallow musthave done even more damage thanwe thought. I’ve tried to convincethe Oakenfolk that we all need towork together, but some of themwon’t even look at me any more, letalone listen to me.’

‘And we still don’t know whatthe Empress is up to,’ saidCampion, tilting her goblet andswirling the dregs of her honeywine around. Grateful for the

opening, Rhosmari spoke up:‘Rob, I’ve been studying

Jasmine’s history, trying to find outhow her mind works and where shegot so much power. What can youtell me about her?’

‘Her ways are devious,’ Robsaid, ‘and I do not even pretend tounderstand them. Every time Ithought I knew her, she proved mewrong.’

‘But you must have learnedsomething from your time with her,’Rhosmari persisted. ‘Please. Even

the smallest detail could make adifference.’

Rob was silent, his fork poisedover his plate. Then he laid it downand said in a low, emotionlessvoice. ‘The Empress took me intoher service when I was only a child,and I was the nearest thing she hadto a son. She offered me privilegesand power such as she offered to noone else, and I had good reason tobelieve that if the Empress everchose an heir, she would chooseme.’

There was an audible intake ofbreath from the other faeries at thetable. But Rob continued as thoughhe had not heard: ‘I travelled withher wherever she went, makingmusic at her command – she hadblack moods sometimes, and shewould call me to play my guitar forher until the shadow passed.’ Helooked down at his callousedfingers. ‘Sometimes she would keepme playing all night, and then sendme away without a word of praise.But at other times she would speak

to me as though I were the only oneshe had ever loved.’

And then you betrayed her,thought Rhosmari. And made hermore unbalanced than ever. Notthat she blamed Rob for turningagainst the Empress, any more thanshe blamed herself for it. But itseemed that every time one of theEmpress’s followers abandonedher, she tightened her grip on theothers.

‘But in all the time I spent withher,’ Rob said, ‘she gave no hint

that her power was less thanabsolute. If there were Wylds thathad escaped her influence, shenever spoke of them. If she everfaced resistance, she dealt with italone. So I cannot tell you what sheknows about leading an armyagainst her enemies, or whatstrategies she might use to assureherself of victory. Nor did she sharewith me any of the deeper secrets ofher power…save one, of which Iwill not speak. But it would nothelp you to know it.’

Rhosmari was about to ask howhe could be sure – but then Roblifted his gaze to meet hers, coldand dark as an undersea abyss, andshe shut her mouth again.

‘I have just had news fromTelor,’ said Garan after a moment,breaking the uncomfortable silence.‘He and Lily had success on theirlatest journey, and freed anothertwenty faeries with the Stone. Theyshould be back at the Oak tonight,and the others will follow— Ah,there you are, Bluebell.’ He craned

his neck back as the ChiefHousekeeper passed by their table.‘How is our prisoner?’

Bluebell looked bleak. ‘Sherefuses to eat,’ she said, holding upan untouched tray. ‘Holly told me asmuch, but I thought perhaps Mallowonly wanted attention… I wasmistaken.’

Rhosmari had not seen Mallowsince her arrest, but from what shehad heard, the Chief Cook wasbeing treated as fairly as any traitorcould expect. She had been

imprisoned in the same storeroomwhere she had once corneredBluebell, the door reinforced with astout lock and a warding spell tokeep her from getting out. She hadregular meals and some simpletasks to keep her occupied, andLlinos and Broch came twice a dayto take her for a walk in the freshair. But first Mallow had ignoredthe chores, then she had refused toleave the storeroom, and now itseemed she had decided to rejecther meals as well.

Was it mere stubbornness thatdrove Mallow, or did she havesome more sinister motive?Rhosmari did not know, but lookingat Bluebell’s drawn face she had towonder who was more unhappy; thefaery in the prison, or the one whohad put her there.

Garan must have noticed it too,because he reached out to touchBluebell’s arm. ‘You did right,’ hesaid. ‘Don’t be discouraged. Shemay not be willing to repent now,but in time she may yet realise her

fault and ask for pardon.’Bluebell shifted away from him.

‘You don’t know Mallow,’ shesaid. Then she hurried back to thekitchen with the tray, her fadedgown sweeping the floor behindher.

Over the next few days Rhosmarispoke to everyone she could thinkof who might be able to tell hermore about the Empress, includingLily and several more rebels whosenames she barely knew. But none of

them had any more ideas about herthan Rhosmari did.

Meanwhile the Oak’spreparations for war went on, withfaeries stationed at the lookoutsnight and day, and Timothy bringingover bits of steel and other safemetals from the house to betransformed into swords anddaggers. Thorn supervised themaking of bowstrings and arrows,and Wink and her helpers sewedarm guards and gloves for thearchers. But Garan must have

explained to the other faeries thatRhosmari would only shoot forsport, because no one approachedher to ask if she would take part inthe fighting.

She spent her evenings and nightsin the humans’ house, occasionallyjoining them for supper as well asbreakfast, and more than oncestaying up late into the night talkingwith Timothy. He told her the wholestory of how he and Linden had firstencountered the Empress, in moredetail than she had ever heard it

before – and with a disarmingfrankness about the impulsive,selfish, even unkind things he hadsaid and done along the way. Heobviously had a great deal ofrespect for Linden for putting upwith him – but then, Rhosmari couldtell that she had great respect forTimothy, too. And after spendingtime with both of them, she knewbetter than to suspect Timothy ofbeing dishonest like Martin.Especially after the night she andTimothy had a long talk about faery

theology, and discovered that theyhad even more in common thaneither of them had suspected.

Yet as much as she appreciatedthose peaceful evenings, Rhosmarifelt certain that they would sooncome to an end. And it frustratedher that all the other faeries weredoing their part to keep theOakenwyld safe, and she had notlearned anything that would helpthem. The atmosphere in the Oakgrew tenser every moment, nervesand tempers strained with constant

expectation of attack – and yet dayafter day passed without incident,like a form of slow torture. Was theEmpress hoping to drive them allmad? Was she waiting until theygave up and relaxed their vigilance,so she could strike when they wereleast prepared?

No, that was too passive forJasmine: there had to be more to herplan than that. Surely there must besomething Rhosmari hadoverlooked, or failed to consider.She could not bear to give up her

search for answers, and leave thefaeries of the Oakenwyld to fightwhat might well prove to be alosing battle. Especially knowingwhat the Empress would do to themall if she won…

A wave of nausea came over her,as it always did when she thought oflosing her name again. To becomeonce more a slave, a pawn, a tool inthe Empress’s hand or anyoneelse’s – it would not happen. Itmust not. She would throw herselfoff the top of the Oak, or into the

river, first.Seeing her restlessness, Campion

suggested that Rhosmari might findsomething in the Queen’s personallibrary, and Valerian readilygranted her permission to lookthere. But when Rhosmari searchedthe shelves, she could find nothingthat might be useful except a smallassortment of books on magic. Shepulled one out and carried it to thetable, but more out of duty thanhope. After all, the Oakenfolk hadnot even used magic for almost two

hundred years, so how much couldthey know about it?

Yet when she began to read,Rhosmari soon realised how wrongher assumptions had been. TheOakenfolk had some fascinatinglore regarding the use of magicalpower, unlike anything she had readbefore. As a Wyld without any malefaeries, they had found ways to castspells that were normally difficultor even impossible for females –such as healing, or permanenttransformation. Could that be how

Jasmine had risen to power soquickly? Had her Oakenfolkheritage given her skills that otherfaeries would never expect her topossess?

‘Are you getting along all right?’asked Wink as she came in, carryinga well-laden tray. ‘I thought youmight like something to eat whileyou study.’

‘That’s…very thoughtful of you,’said Rhosmari, concealing hersurprise with difficulty. From whatshe had seen, Wink was no one’s

servant but the Queen’s, and evenValerian seemed to hold her in highregard. Why was she waiting onRhosmari? Even in the Green Isles,no one would do such a thingwithout being asked – or rewarded.

Wink poured her a cup of tea andthen sat down beside her, blue eyesbright with curiosity. ‘Have youfound out anything that might help usagainst Jasmine? That is whatyou’re looking for, isn’t it?’

‘Yes, it is,’ said Rhosmari. ‘Butno, I haven’t found anything like

that. At least, not yet.’ She pausedfor a bite of honey cake beforegoing on. ‘I’m impressed by someof the things I’ve been reading aboutyour people’s magic, though. I hadno idea you could do such unusualspells.’

‘Well, it wasn’t really us,’ saidWink. ‘I mean, usually it was justthe Queen who did them, becauseshe was the only one with magic.And even she didn’t do them exceptwhen she had to, because it was soexhausting.’ Her face clouded with

memory. ‘I remember how afterAmaryllis turned Knife into ahuman, she was weak for daysafterwards…and I don’t think herpower was ever quite as strongafter that.’

Rhosmari frowned. ‘But Jasmineused a transformation spell on theOakenfolk, didn’t she, when shecast what you call the Sundering?Surely that must have been far moredifficult, and yet—’

‘She wasn’t drained afterwards,no,’ said Wink. ‘But that was

because she mostly used our magicto cast the spell, instead of just herown. And she did it by moonlight,so of course…’

Rhosmari froze, her teacuphalfway to her mouth. ‘What didyou say?’

‘I said that she mostly used—’‘No, not that. I mean, yes, that

too, but the last part. What aboutmoonlight?’

Wink picked up the bookRhosmari had been reading andflipped ahead a few pages. ‘It’s

right here, see? Deep magic – that’swhat we call the kinds of spellsyou’re talking about, the really hardones – is much more easilyperformed by moonlight. On thenight Amaryllis changed Knife intoa human there wasn’t much of amoon at all, so of course the spelltook a lot out of her. But whenJasmine cast the Sundering, themoon was full.’

At the full moon. Both Amaryllisand Heather had used those wordsin their writings, when describing

what Jasmine had done to theOakenfolk. But only now didRhosmari realise how importantthat detail might be. She put downher cup so quickly that tea sloppedonto the table, and stood up.

‘I have to talk to QueenValerian,’ she said. ‘Right away.’

Within the hour, the Oak was on fullalert. Queen Valerian needed nopersuasion from Rhosmari torecognise the danger, for tonightwould be the first full moon since

the Empress’s defeat at WaverleyHall. This was what Jasmine hadbeen waiting for – the time whenher powers would be at their height,and she could cast a spell so greatand terrible that it would devastatethe rebellion completely. It not onlyfit with her personality and herbehaviour in the past, it made senseof everything she had done up tonow. Rhosmari could only hope thatbefore the Empress could carry outher plan, the faeries of the Oakwould find a way to stop her.

Thorn, Rob and Garan assembledtheir troops by the foot of the SpiralStair – the largest open space in theOak – and explained to all thefaeries what was expected of them.Those unwilling or unable to fightwould be dispatched to reinforcethe wards around the great tree, sothat it could withstand any assaultthe Empress and her followersmight make against it. Other faerieswould cast their most powerfulglamours, aversions and silencingspells over the Oakenwyld, so that

no unwitting passerby couldstumble into the battle. Then the restwould form companies and marchoutside to defend the Oak, thegarden and the surroundingmeadows against the enemy.

After the assembly dispersed,Rhosmari joined Campion, Winkand Linden for a private meeting inthe library. It had not been easy forRhosmari to decide how to help thefaeries of the Oak, and harder stillto volunteer to do it. But now, withQueen Valerian’s blessing on her

venture and an empty loreseedsitting on the table between them,she explained to the other faerieswhat she meant to do.

‘Whether we win or lose,’ shesaid, ‘someone needs to be awitness to what really happened inthis battle. The Empress and herfollowers can say whatever theylike, but if you have this—’ Shetouched the loreseed gently— ‘thenyou will always have a record ofthe truth.’

‘Like Heather’s diaries!’ Wink

exclaimed, and Campion added,‘Only better.’

‘Lorecasting takesconcentration,’ Rhosmari went on,‘and unless you’ve viewed a lot ofloreseeds yourself, it’s hard toknow what goes into making a goodone. That’s why I’ve offered tomake this one for you – but I’ll needall of your help in order to do it.’

Briefly she sketched out the planthat she and Queen Valerian hadagreed upon. They would all go outupon the West Knot Branch, which

was the best vantage point fromwhich to view the battle. Campionwould stand with Rhosmari whileshe cast the loreseed, so she couldlearn how to do it herself. Wink,who had a special talent forinvisibility, would keep them allsafely hidden; and Linden wouldkeep her eyes open for any details –or potential threats – that Rhosmarimight otherwise miss.

Rhosmari explained all of this inthe calm, clear voice she used withher students, but her insides writhed

with every word. She knew herfather would be proud of her forcarrying on his legacy, but he wasalso the one who had taught herwhat death looked like, and what itmeant to grieve. Could she reallystand outside the Oak for hours onend, watching people she knewbeing hurt or even killed, and notbreak down or turn away? And ifshe could, what would that sayabout the kind of person she hadbecome?

‘Lorecasting,’ Linden repeated

wonderingly, as the two of themwalked out of the library after themeeting. ‘I’d never heard of such athing. Did your people invent it, or—’

‘Watch out!’ screamed a voicefrom the passage behind them, andthe two girls jumped back as acomet of blazing light scorchedpast. Dazzled, Rhosmari flung up anarm to shield her eyes as the spellexploded—

A hand clamped down on hershoulder, spinning her around and

shoving her back into the shadows.‘Don’t move,’ Rob said tersely.‘Don’t let her see you. Stay withher, Linden.’ Then he transformedhimself into a fox and took offrunning, dodging one spell afteranother as he raced towards thedanger.

‘He said her,’ whispered Linden,clutching Rhosmari’s arm. ‘Itcouldn’t be—?’

Several more faeries sprintedpast and plunged into the corridor,Broch and Llinos among them.

Shouts and cries echoed in thedistance, followed by a muffledexplosion and several moreblinding flashes. Then, at last,silence.

Rob was the first to emerge fromthe smoke. He looked tired, his facestreaked with dirt and his mouth abitter line. ‘She got away,’ he said.

‘Who did?’ asked Linden,rushing to him. ‘Who was it?’

He gathered her into the circle ofhis arm, dropping his face againsther hair. ‘Mallow. Who else?’

Rhosmari drew a sharp breath.‘But her cell was locked andwarded. Wasn’t it?’

‘It was.’ Rob straightened up,letting go of Linden with obviousreluctance. ‘Or it should have been,unless someone was careless.Where’s Garan? He was in chargeof making sure the wards weremaintained – he should know whoseresponsibility it was today.’

‘I’ll find him,’ said Rhosmari,and hurried up the Stair.

‘Garan?’Rhosmari knocked several times

upon his door, but there was noanswer. She tried the handle,expecting to find it locked – but itswung wide, to reveal a tousle-haired Garan struggling to his feet.His eyelids were heavy, hisexpression dazed.

‘Are you all right?’ she asked,catching him as he swayed.

‘I…yes, I believe so,’ hemurmured. ‘I only sat down for amoment…at least I thought I did… I

must have fallen asleep.’No harm had come to him then,

just simple exhaustion. And nowonder, after all the pressure hehad been under. ‘Mallow hasescaped,’ she said. ‘Rob needs toknow who was responsible forwarding her cell today.’

‘Escaped?’ Garan stood up,instantly alert. ‘But that cannot be.Lily renewed those wards thismorning; I watched her do it myself.Mallow could never have brokenout of her cell, unless…’

His face drained of colour, andhe clutched at his belt pouch.Rhosmari tensed, but then Garansighed and held up the white pebblethey both recognised as the Stone ofNaming. ‘For a moment I feared…but it must have been a dream. Whatwas I saying?’

‘Mallow could never haveescaped alone,’ said Rhosmari.‘You think someone helped her?’

‘I fear as much,’ said Garan.‘Perhaps one of the kitchenworkers, someone foolish enough to

be bullied or bribed into letting herout. But there is no time to look intothat now. I must go and tell QueenValerian at once.’ He stepped awayfrom her, then hesitated and turnedback.

‘What is it?’ asked Rhosmari.Garan took her hands. ‘I know

how you feel about violence,’ hesaid in a low voice. ‘But you areone of the best archers we have. Ifyou could think of yourself asfighting to save lives, and not ofkilling…I would be honoured to

have you in my company.’He had his mother’s eyes, and

Rhosmari felt a lump rise in herthroat as she remembered how LadyArianllys had wept when theyparted. Garan had left his familyand his homeland behind to fight theEmpress, and now he would neversee either of them again.

But if Rhosmari did as he asked,she would never be able to return tothe Green Isles either. ‘I can’t,’ shereplied softly. ‘I’m sorry.’

Garan nodded, resigned. Rubbing

his temples, he walked towards thedoor.

‘Garan,’ said Rhosmari. ‘Are yousure you’re well?’

‘Well enough,’ he replied in adistracted tone, and vanished.

After hearing of Mallow’s escape,Queen Valerian sent out a searchparty, but they returned empty-handed. Finally Thorn, Rob andGaran dismissed all the faeries totheir rooms and ordered them to restuntil nightfall.

Rhosmari went back to her oldroom and lay down, but she couldnot sleep. Her mind churned withworries and unanswered questions.Why had Mallow fought so hard toescape? What was her plan? Hadshe struck out on her own, or hadshe gone over to the Empress?

And why was it so hot? Rhosmarishifted restlessly on the crunchingmattress, flinging the covers awayfrom her. A breeze stirred thecurtain at her window, but itscoolness barely touched the stagnant

air inside. She longed for the seawinds that freshened the GreenIsles.

But that was not all she longedfor. She missed the smells of sandand seaweed, the slap of wavesupon rock, the distant cries ofkittiwakes and gannets. Shewondered what Lord Gwylan wasdoing now that he was no longeramong the Elders, and if LadyArianllys had seen any morevisions, and whether Fioled wouldstill get to visit the mainland. She

wished she could have saidgoodbye to her students before sheleft.

She missed her mother.Until now Rhosmari had not

allowed herself the luxury ofweeping for her homeland. She hadbeen afraid that if she started shemight never stop. Once her initialshock and anger at being trapped inthe Oak had passed, she had forcedherself to accept her fate, and rejectthe temptation to run away. Eventhough a treacherous little part of

her whispered that it might be worthgiving herself up to the Empress,just to see the Green Isles again…

And now the tears came, soakinghot into her pillow. Despite allRhosmari’s efforts to make herself apart of the Oak, it was not her home,and these were not her people. EvenGaran had become a stranger to her;he was occupied with other things.And the last person who had takenher in his arms and comforted herwas Martin.

Yet just as her grief threatened to

overwhelm her, Rhosmari wasdistracted by the sound of music.The shivering notes of pluckedstrings, lifted and borne to her onthe wind from somewhere not close,but not very far away.

She sat up, wiping her eyes onthe sheet. Was that Rob playing?But though she knew he was askilled musician, he had not touchedan instrument in all the time she hadknown him. In fact, she had seen nomusical instruments anywhere in theOak.

Rhosmari slipped off the bed andwent to the window. It was hard tosee with so many branches in theway, but she could just make out theback of the house and the slimyoung man seated on the veranda,cradling a guitar.

Timothy. Of course. How couldshe have forgotten?

He played well and fluidly,pausing only now and then to alter anote or repeat a phrase. And themusic itself was unlike any she hadheard before – melancholy one

moment and quickening tohopefulness the next, slipping into aconfident rhythm that made herfingers twitch before slowing to ahesitant and almost questioningpace. At times it seemed more likea speech than a song, the words ofsome foreign tongue that she had noway to interpret. And yet it soothedher, reassuring her that she was notalone.

The afternoon light was fading,the blue sky deepening to marine.Soon it would be nightfall, and who

knew what would happen then?Rhosmari took her hair out of itsclasp, combed it with her fingers,and twisted it back again. She ranher hands over her rumpled blouseand skirt, tightened her belt,straightened her shoulders. Then sheLeaped to the veranda, whereTimothy was sitting.

As soon as she became solid shestaggered and almost fell, weaknessrushing over her. Someone hadplanted cold iron all around thehouse. Bars of it lay beneath every

threshold, nails were hammeredinto every window sash and sill. Tokeep the Empress from attackingOakhaven with magic, Peri hadturned the house into a place that nofaery, Rhosmari included, wouldfind it easy to go near. And whenTimothy exclaimed and jumped upto help her, she could feel thenumbing power of the iron crossradiating from beneath his shirt. Sheflinched and jerked away.

‘Sorry about that,’ said Timothy,pulling the necklace off and stuffing

it into his pocket. ‘Thorn told uswhat you’d found out about theEmpress, and Peri thought weshould be prepared. We didn’texpect to see you again today.’

‘I understand,’ said Rhosmari,breathing slowly to quell herdizziness. ‘I just… I wanted to talkto you and the others. Beforeanything happens.’

‘Well, we probably shouldn’ttalk here,’ said Timothy, with awary glance at the sky. He reachedunder the threshold of the glass

door, pulled out an iron poker andcast it aside. ‘Do you think it’ll beany better if you come in?’

‘I…I’m not sure.’ Mustering hercourage, Rhosmari stepped over thethreshold – and immediately feltbetter. The iron was meant to keephostile faeries out, but she was hereby invitation, and inside the housethe effect was much less unpleasant.

‘Right,’ said Timothy. ‘I’ll justget my guitar and fix up that dooragain, and then we’ll go and findPeri.’

sixteen

They found Peri in the upstairsbedroom, peering out between thehalf-drawn curtains with an antiquespyglass. With a pile ofschoolbooks on the nightstand and aheap of unwashed clothing in thecorner, it was easy to tell this roomnormally belonged to Timothy. Butnow the bed was littered with mapsand scribbled diagrams, while an

alarming assortment of weaponsstood propped against the wall, acrossbow and a long hunting knifeamong them.

‘Spotted anything yet?’ askedTimothy, as he and Rhosmari camein.

Peri lowered the spyglass with afrustrated huff of breath. ‘It’s sohard to tell. If she’s bringing in hertroops, she’s doing what I woulddo: flying in low and using thewood to cover their approach.There could be a hundred faeries

hiding in those trees by now, and aslong as they don’t trip any of thewards we’d never know it.’

‘But you spotted the Blackwingsearlier, right?’

‘I saw two ravens,’ replied Peri.‘But they arrived more than an hourapart. It could just be coincidence— Oh, hello, Rhosmari.’ She sweptthe charts off the bed, clearing aspace for Rhosmari to sit. ‘Whatbrings you here? I thought they’d bekeeping you busy in the Oak.’

‘Everyone’s resting,’ said

Rhosmari, ‘or trying to. But Icouldn’t.’ Self-conscious, she satdown at the edge of the mattress –and Timothy promptly came aroundthe other side and flopped onto hisback, nearly bouncing her off again.

‘Sit up, you rude thing,’ saidPeri, tossing a cushion at him.Timothy caught it and tucked itbehind his head; Peri rolled hereyes and returned her attention toRhosmari. ‘I doubt anyone else inthe Oak can sleep either,’ she toldher. ‘But you’re welcome to stay as

long as you like. Once the Empressarrives, you might even be saferhere.’

‘No, I’ll have to go back,’ saidRhosmari. ‘I promised QueenValerian that I’d make a loreseed ofthe battle.’ And then, of course, shehad to explain what a loreseed was.But both of the humans wereintrigued by the idea, especiallyPeri.

‘If we’d known how to do thatwhen Jasmine cast the Sundering,’she said, ‘she’d never have been

able to make us forget our past. Ihope we won’t need your loreseedto remind us of what reallyhappened, but if we do, it’s good toknow it’ll be there.’

She said we and our so readily,as though she were still one of theOakenfolk herself. And thatreminded Rhosmari of somethingshe’d wanted to know for a longtime. ‘Peri,’ she said, ‘what madeyou decide to stop being a faery? Imean, I know you and Paul fell inlove—’ It was not easy to get

through that phrase withoutstammering, but somehow she did it— ‘but how did it all happen?’

Peri glanced over at Timothy.‘You might want to go and practisesome more,’ she said. ‘I’m sureyou’re sick of hearing all this bynow.’

‘Actually, no,’ said Timothy,crossing his legs and folding hishands comfortably over hisstomach. ‘Tell us a story, AuntyPeri.’

Was this how humans dealt with

unbearable tension – by makingjokes? Rhosmari could only marvelat their resilience. But she barelyhad time to finish the thought beforePeri began to explain how she hadhatched from a magical egg in theOak thirty years ago, and grown upto become the fierce young hunterknown as Knife.

It was a long story, andamazingly complicated. Havingstudied the faery records andHeather’s diaries already,Rhosmari knew all about what

Jasmine had done to the Oakenfolk– but Knife had been forced todiscover the truth about herpeople’s history one dangerous stepat a time, with Queen Amaryllistrying to thwart her at every turn.And in the meantime Knife had metand come to know Paul quite byaccident, never dreaming that theirshared interest in art would leadthem not only to friendship, but toan even more forbidden love.

When at last Peri finished herstory, Rhosmari felt as though she

were waking from a vivid andcompelling dream. She gathered herthoughts with difficulty, and said,‘So Queen Amaryllis tried to makeyou forget Paul, and she couldn’t doit?’

‘No more than Jasmine couldmake Heather forget Philip,’ saidPeri.

‘But how could that be? Neitheryou nor Heather had any magic toprotect yourselves. If the same kindof spell worked to make all theother faeries forget, why wouldn’t it

work on you?’‘That’s a good question,’ Peri

said. ‘What do you think?’‘The power of love?’ said

Timothy, but he sounded sceptical.‘Sorry, I don’t mean to make light ofyour feelings, but that sounds alittle…’ He made a looping motionwith one finger.

Peri gave a short laugh. ‘It does,doesn’t it? No, that’s not the answer– though it’s part of the reason.’ Herface sobered. ‘I loved Paul, yes.But that alone wouldn’t have made

any difference, if I hadn’t trustedhim enough to give him my name.My true name.’

Rhosmari felt as though a heavyweight had dropped onto her chest.Her throat clenched, and littleshivers ran all over her. ‘You…’she whispered, forcing the wordsout. ‘You gave it to him, when youwere still a faery? Even knowing hecould use it to control you?’

‘I did,’ said Peri. ‘Because Iwanted him to know how much Icared for him, even though I was

afraid I might never see him again.Just like Heather gave her name toPhilip, when—’

Timothy sat up sharply. ‘Peri – Ithink she’s going to be sick.’

‘No,’ gasped Rhosmari. ‘I just…give me a minute.’ She breathedthrough her fingers until the worst ofthe nausea subsided, then wrappedboth arms around her stomach,rocking a little. Timothy easedtowards her, one hand hoveringabove her shoulder, but she shookher head and he backed away again.

‘I’m sorry,’ said Peri, lookingblank. ‘I had no idea.’

No, Rhosmari thought,swallowing envy like bile, youdidn’t. If either Peri or Heather hadknown what it was like to becontrolled, they would never havedreamed of doing such a thing. Onlyignorance – and infatuation – couldexplain their willingness to takesuch a terrible risk.

‘Peri!’ Paul’s deep voicereverberated along the corridor.‘Thorn’s flashing us a message.’

Peri tossed her spyglass toTimothy. ‘Keep watch,’ she said,and dashed out.

Timothy rolled off the bed andwent to the window, brushing thecurtain aside. ‘I don’t even knowwhat she’s looking for,’ hemuttered. ‘It’s not like theEmpress’s troops are going to flyover the house in formation just tolet us know they’re here.’

Rhosmari swallowed again, herfingers clenching and unclenching inthe bedspread. She looked about for

a distraction – anything to pushPeri’s words from her mind – andher eyes fell to a framed picture onTimothy’s nightstand. She picked itup for a closer look.

It showed a group of humansstanding beneath an exotic-lookingtree. A tall man leant against thetrunk, his tanned face creased withmaturity and gentle humour. He hadone arm around the waist of asmiling woman, and his hand on theshoulder of a little girl – so thesemust be Timothy’s parents, and his

sister Lydia. And next to them stooda young woman perhaps two yearsolder than Rhosmari, her hair amass of glossy braids and her skin alustrous brown even deeper thanLady Celyn’s.

‘Who is she?’ asked Rhosmari,holding up the photograph. ‘Thegirl?’

Timothy lowered the spyglass.‘Oh. That’s Miriam. MiriamSewanaku, our neighbour back inUganda.’

Rhosmari looked down at the

picture again. ‘She’s beautiful,’ shesaid.

‘Yeah,’ said Timothy, turningback to the window. Then he added,very softly, ‘But not as beautiful asyou.’

Rhosmari’s eyes widened. Hadhe meant her to hear those words?

‘He also thinks you’re intelligentand fascinating, if that helps,’ saidPaul as he wheeled up to thedoorway. ‘We’re actually getting alittle sick of hearing about it.’ Hespoke lightly, but his face was lined

with tension. ‘Sorry to interrupt, butwe’ve just had news from the Oak.Another faery’s gone missing.’

‘Mallow, you mean?’ askedRhosmari. ‘That happened justbefore I—’ But Paul cut her off witha shake of his head.

‘Not Mallow,’ he said.‘Bluebell.’

‘It’s a good thing the Oakenfolkhadn’t yet realised you weren’t inthe Oak, Rhosmari, or there’d havebeen a real panic,’ said Peri,

striding to meet them in thecorridor. ‘Losing Bluebell is badenough, but losing you would havebeen catastrophic. I’ve told Thornyou’re safe with us, but we’d betterget you back there straightaway.’

‘I don’t get it,’ Timothy said, asthe three of them headeddownstairs. ‘Why would Bluebelldisappear like that? She’s never leftthe Oakenwyld in her life. Wherewould she go?’

‘Thorn thinks she went afterMallow,’ replied Peri. She led them

down the passage to the back of thehouse, then across to the far cornerof the sitting room, where sheflipped back the carpet to reveal abrass ring set into the floor. ‘Maybeto talk some sense into her, maybeto join her, no one knows. But thetiming couldn’t be worse. They’reboth likely to get caught by theEmpress, if they haven’t beenalready.’ She tugged the ring and asquare of the wooden flooring liftedaway, shedding crumbs of foam inits wake.

‘What is that?’ asked Rhosmari.‘The way out,’ Peri said. ‘We

made it for Linden when she waslittle, so she could visit us withouthaving to dodge the crows. Makeyourself small, crawl through thispipe, and it’ll bring you to a secretcorridor that runs underneath thehedge all the way to the Oak.’

Crawl through this pipe. Into ablack hole little wider than a humanhand, with roots and damp earthpressing down upon her. ‘No, that’sall right,’ Rhosmari said faintly.

‘I’ll just Leap back—’‘You can’t,’ said Peri. ‘After

Bluebell disappeared, QueenValerian warded the Oak so that noone could get in or out using magic.You’d have to walk across thegarden, and I’m not sending you outthere in plain view of the Empressand all her servants. It’s too muchof a risk.’

‘Isn’t that a bit dramatic?’ saidTimothy. ‘We don’t know if they’reeven there.’

‘I know.’ Peri’s expression was

grim. ‘The only thing I’ve beenlooking for is a way to prove it.’

‘Hunter’s instincts?’ Timothyasked in a dubious tone.

‘Something like that. There aretoo many shadows in the wood. Andthe wind smells different. You haveto know a place before you knowwhat’s normal and what isn’t – andI know the Oakenwyld better thananyone. Believe me, they’re outthere.’

Rhosmari licked her lips andsqueezed her hands together. She

could not take her eyes off thatmissing square of floor, the roundemptiness inside it. Walking intoGruffydd’s Way had been difficult,but this – this was impossible.

And yet she had promised QueenValerian that she would lorecast thebattle, and Campion, Linden andWink were waiting for her to jointhem. And if she did not saygoodbye to Garan and the othersnow, she might never get the chanceagain.

Timothy touched her shoulder.

‘Are you all right? You look sortof…green.’

‘I don’t like small, dark places,’Rhosmari admitted with a nervouslaugh. ‘I just need a moment to…toprepare.’

‘Would it help if I went withyou?’ asked Timothy, and Peri saidsharply, ‘Oh, no, you don’t.’

But Timothy had already walkedinto the kitchen and taken down theelectric torch. ‘Why not? Hardlyanybody knows that tunnel evenexists, let alone that it goes all the

way to the house. I’ll probably besafer down there than I am here.’And with that he pulled the woodenmedallion out of his pocket, anddropped it around his neck.

Nothing happened. Emotionspassed like clouds over Timothy’sface: puzzlement, alarm, and finallyresignation. He reached to take offthe medallion, but Rhosmari caughthis wrist. ‘Wait,’ she said.

Perhaps it was the magic withinher, or just her desperate need notto go into that dark hole alone. But

at the moment she touched him, themedallion’s power began to work –not only on Timothy, but onRhosmari as well. The furniturearound them swelled to giganticsize, and Peri loomed above themlike an exasperated goddess.

‘Fine,’ she said. ‘But Timothy –as soon as she’s safely in the Oak,you turn around and come backhere. Understood?’

Timothy switched on the torchand saluted Peri with it. Then heflung himself down on his belly and

wriggled headfirst into the hole inthe floor. ‘Follow me,’ he calledback to Rhosmari. ‘It’s not that far –I can see the other end of the pipefrom here. I think.’

Peri kneeled, stooping close toRhosmari. ‘It’s all right to beafraid,’ she said in a low voice.‘Just don’t let it stop you from doingwhat you have to do.’

Rhosmari gave a reluctant nod.Then she got down on her hands andknees, and crawled into the tunnelafter Timothy.

The pipe felt cool and smoothagainst her hands, its sides clammywith condensation. By the waveringbeam of Timothy’s torch Rhosmaricould see that it was made of somegreyish substance that caught thelight and reflected it dimly back.But Timothy’s head and shoulderswere a wall of shadow, and shefought the impulse to whimper as hecrawled ahead of her, moving toofast for her trembling arms and legsto keep up, leaving her behind in thegrowing dark—

Something snagged her skirt,wrenching her to a stop. She tried topull free, to press onwards, but herbones were vibrating with terror,and her muscles refused to obey.

Timothy stopped. ‘Rhosmari?’‘I’m caught. I can’t…

Something’s got me. I can’tmove…’

‘Hang on. I’m going to turnaround and have a look.’ Ascuffling noise followed, and thelight flickered wildly in alldirections before coming to a halt.

‘OK, maybe I can’t turn around.’ Hepaused, then said in a decisive tone,‘Right. Just stay still, try to relax,while I crawl ahead a bit. Thepipe’s got to connect to the hedgetunnel somewhere; maybe at thejunction I’ll have room to turnaround.’

‘Don’t leave me.’ Her voice wasa stranger’s, rasping withdesperation. ‘Timothy—’

‘I’m going to hand you the torch,so you can see where I’m going. I’llwriggle backwards a bit, and –

here, I’m shoving the torch down toyou now. Can you reach it?’

Her fingers skittered across thesoles of Timothy’s shoes. Shestretched out her arm as far as shecould – and felt the torch’s barrelpush against her palm. ‘Yes.’

‘Good. Hold the light steady. I’mgoing to hum, so you can hear meeven if I get out of sight. I’ll comeback as soon as I can. OK?’

Rhosmari gripped the torch withboth hands, blinking her stingingeyes. She watched the muscles of

Timothy’s shoulders bunch anduncoil as he pulled himself down onthe tunnel on his elbows, the anglesof his shifting hips and knees, theblack-and-white soles of histrainers… and then the shadowsswallowed him up, and even thesound of his humming was drownedout by the awful silence.

‘Timothy? Timothy?’‘What?’Rhosmari exhaled. ‘I couldn’t

hear you any more,’ she said. ‘Ithought…’

‘I’m almost at the end of the pipe.There’s something here…’ Thencame a scraping sound, a creak, anda shout of ‘Whoa!’ She heard aheavy thump, and then…nothing.

Terror swept over Rhosmari, andshe clutched the torch so tightly herfingers throbbed. He had tumbledinto a crevice, the roof of the tunnelhad caved in, some lurking predatorhad seized him by the throat anddragged him away—

‘When peace like a river…attendeth my way…when sorrows

like sea billows roll…’The song was husky and broken,

but every note rang true. It was also,mercifully, getting louder.‘Whatever my lot…thou has taughtme to say…it is well…it is wellwith my soul…’

At last Timothy’s face emergedfrom the darkness, dirt-smudged andblinking. ‘Could you point that thingin another direction?’ he asked,raising a hand against the glare ofthe torch. Grateful beyond words tosee him again, Rhosmari tilted the

beam upwards, and beneath itssoftened glow the two of them metface to face.

‘It’s really not far at all,’ he toldher. ‘There’s a door at the end ofthe pipe – I thought the tunnel wasblocked for a minute, but when Igave it a shove, it opened up and Ifell out. It’s a lot wider at the otherend.’ He pushed himself up on hiselbows and flashed her a grin. ‘Idon’t usually sing that well,especially while lying on mystomach. I blame you.’

‘Me? What do I have to do with— Oh.’

‘Oh?’‘For a minute, I forgot you were a

human.’Timothy let out a whoop of

laughter. ‘So you do have a sense ofhumour, after all.’

Rhosmari hadn’t meant to make ajoke. She truly had forgotten thatTimothy’s musical talent would beenhanced by her presence. But nowshe realised that she hadaccidentally echoed the comment he

had once made about forgetting shewas a faery…and that was funny. ‘Idon’t usually,’ she said, and thenmore daringly, ‘I blame you.’

Timothy’s grin faded toseriousness, and his fingers curledaround her wrists. Rhosmari’s heartlurched as he leaned closer…

But he only craned his neck,trying to see past her. ‘OK,’ he said.‘You’re stuck, right? Can you seewhere? Can you move at all?’

‘It’s my skirt,’ she said. ‘It’scaught on something.’

‘Oh, right.’ He took the torchfrom her hands and played it downthe wall. ‘Looks like a join in thepipe. Try rolling over – that mightpull it loose.’

Such a simple idea. She mighthave thought of it herself, if shehadn’t been half-witted with panic.Rhosmari twisted over, then backagain, and the tugging sensationvanished. ‘It worked!’

‘Good. Now, I’m going to backup, and you come after me. I’m righthere, and I’ve been through this

pipe all the way to the other end,and there’s nothing scary about it.OK?’

He was being so patient with her– more patient than she deserved.‘I’m sorry,’ she said. ‘I knowthere’s no good reason for me tofeel this way, I keep trying to talkmyself out of it, but—’

‘Lots of people areclaustrophobic,’ he said. ‘My mumdoesn’t like tight places, either.You’re just lucky I didn’t inherit itfrom her, or there’d be two of us

panicking in the dark.’ He turned thetorch sideways between them, so itwouldn’t dazzle her eyes. ‘Ready?Let’s go.’

Rhosmari’s forearms were damp,her elbows bruised from haulingherself along. Her boots keptskidding on the pipe’s slick surface– but, little by little, she advancedon Timothy as he wriggled awayfrom her. She concentrated on hisdowncast eyes, the rumpled hairfalling over his forehead, the softpressure of his teeth into his lower

lip as he pushed himself backwards,and gradually her fear receded. Shewas not trapped, not lost, not alone.She was only making her waythrough a tight place, with the helpof a friend.

They crept along in silence, untilthe muscles in Rhosmari’sshoulders burned and Timothy wasgrimacing with the strain. Then hestopped. ‘Door,’ he gasped. ‘Got togive it a kick.’ And with a grunt anda thud, a gust of cooler air washedover them. Timothy writhed

backwards out of the pipe, slidingover its edge until only his arms andhis head were visible. ‘Grab myhand,’ he said. ‘I’ll pull you out.’

Rhosmari scrambled towards himand caught his fingers, then hiswrists. He yanked, and she slidfree, straight into his arms. Hestaggered back under her weightand dropped the torch; it spuncrazily across the floor, flashingover the root-patterned walls andtwo more shut doors before rollingto a stop by their feet.

The relief of being out of the pipewas overwhelming. Rhosmarigripped Timothy’s sleeves andpressed her forehead against hisshoulder.

‘Er…’ He cleared his throat, andhis voice cracked an octave as hewent on, ‘We should get moving.Can you walk?’

Rhosmari let go of him with aneffort, then bent and picked up thetorch. The hedge tunnel was evendarker than the pipe, and smelled ofmulch and old earth. But the walls

were packed hard, and the floorlooked dry. There were no cobwebsor scuttling insects, no holes thatshe could see. And best of all, itwas high enough to stand up in.

‘Yes,’ she said. ‘I’m all rightnow.’

The door at the end of the tunnelwas plastered thickly with soil, andfitted so closely to the wall that ifnot for the brass ring that marked itshandle, Rhosmari would never haveknown it was there. She pulled and

it creaked open, revealing the EastRoot corridor of the Oak. ‘Finally,’she murmured, and stepped forward– but Timothy caught her arm.

‘I’ve got to get back to thehouse,’ he said. ‘You’ll be all rightfrom here?’

She switched off the torch andhanded it to him. ‘I know where Iam now. I’ll be fine.’

Timothy watched her, his faceunreadable in the half-light. ‘So…Iguess this is goodbye.’

Rhosmari nodded.

‘Yeah.’ He sounded hoarse. ‘OK.Well, take care.’ He turned toleave.

‘Timothy?’ She waited until helooked back, then went on in a rush,‘I appreciate what you did for me.Very much.’ And with thatRhosmari leaned forward, andbrushed her lips against his cheek.

Timothy’s fingers crept up to theplace where she had kissed him.Then he broke into an incredulous,lopsided grin. ‘Any time,’ he said,and sprinted away.

Rhosmari shut the door after him,and headed for the main part of theOak. She had just passed the emptydining hall when the air around hertingled, as though lightning hadflashed by. Seconds later a pack ofscullery maids fled out the kitchendoor, shrieking, ‘It’s started! TheEmpress is here!’

‘Don’t be ridiculous,’ pleadedHolly, plunging into the corridorafter them. ‘It’s barely even dark yet— Oh, hello, Rhosmari.’ Shebrushed a hand across her sweat-

dampened brow. ‘You’ve heardabout Bluebell, I suppose.’

‘Yes, I have,’ said Rhosmari. Sheglanced ahead to the open heart ofthe tree, where the kitchen workershuddled fearfully at the foot of theSpiral Stair. Beyond them, a largercrowd of faeries stood in restlessranks, all of them armed. Somecarried bows carved and polishedto a sheen, with quivers full offeathered shafts across theirshoulders. Others wore swords anddaggers of glittering steel. Weapons

meant to hurt, to wound, to kill.Rhosmari had hoped to find a

way to defeat the Empress withoutviolence, but she had failed, andthere could be no stopping thisbattle now. The faeries of the Oakwould fight to save their home, andsome of them would die.

Gardener protect us, she thought.Then she began edging around thecrowd, trying to find a clear path tothe Spiral Stair. Thorn caught sightof her, and waved her troops backto let her pass. ‘Took you long

enough,’ she said. ‘They’re waitingfor you upstairs.’

Garan slipped through the ranksto join them, his cheeks flushed andhis eyes fever-bright. ‘The wardsare holding,’ he said. ‘But theEmpress is on the move. It is time.’He took Rhosmari by the shouldersand kissed her brow. ‘Peace to you,sister.’ Then he vanished back intothe crowd.

‘All right!’ Thorn barked at hertroops. ‘Everyone outside and intoposition! Now!’

At once the faeries closed ranksand began marching off towards theexits. A tremor rocked the Oak, andRhosmari clutched the bannister asthe window-slits flashed with thedull red light of an explosion.

The battle for the Oak had begun.

seventeen

Rhosmari stood with Campion,Wink and Linden on the West KnotBranch, a rope around her waist andthe loreseed clenched tightly in herhand. The moon was still inching itsway up above the trees, but the starswere clearly visible, and Peri hadturned the lights on at the back ofthe house, casting a soft illuminationover the lawn. In the garden below,

a host of tiny figures were movinginto position; in the nearby wood,the trees were restless with birds.There was no sign of the Empress,but they all knew that somewhere inthe shadows, she was there.

Rhosmari opened her fingers,balancing the loreseed on her palm.‘This is the account of the battlebetween the faeries of the Oak andthe Empress Jasmine,’ she said in aclear but quiet voice, ‘as witnessedby Rhosmari daughter of Celyn ofthe Children of Rhys. May it stand

as a testimony to future generations,that they may know what trulyhappened on this day.’

‘Amen,’ said Linden softly, asthough it had been a prayer. Winkhad made them all invisible toeveryone else but not to each other,so Rhosmari could see that her facewas strained and very pale.Stepping a few paces down thebranch, which was so broad that sixfaeries could have walked it side byside without touching, Linden tiedherself to a stout twig for support.

With a last squeeze of Rhosmari’shand and a whispered, ‘Gardenerhelp you,’ Wink hurried to dolikewise.

Hissing and spitting sparks, aspell erupted from the enemy linesand arced high over the Oakenwyld.But instead of falling to the grass, ithovered in midair, casting a balefullight over the garden. And now theoutermost wards broke, and theEmpress’s army rushed towardsthem.

‘There are so many,’ breathed

Campion.‘Now!’ called Thorn from

below, and at once she and all thearchers with her grew to human sizeand loosed their arrows in a longarc over the field beyond. Theycould hardly expect to hit anythinglike that, thought Rhosmari; they’dbarely had time to glimpse theEmpress’s soldiers, let alone aim atthem…

A diving hawk-faery cast a spellthat rattled the branches of the Oak.Rhosmari tugged on the rope that

anchored her, making sure it wassecure, as the archers loosed theirsecond volley into the air.

This time the arrows flew further,but still the Empress’s armyadvanced, more and more shadowyfigures gliding out from between thedistant trees. Willowy faery womenflashed in and out of visibility asthey ran, while males loped along inthe forms of dogs and foxes, orswooped from the treetops as birdsof every size and shape. And all ofthem seemed heedless of their own

safety, not even troubling to dodgethe missiles raining down amongthem…

And through them.‘It’s a glamour!’ exclaimed

Linden. ‘Those soldiers – they’renot even real!’

But the faeries of the Oak hadalready recognised the trick, andcast a spell of their own to undo it.Even as Linden spoke, two-thirds ofthe dark shapes crossing themeadow wavered and blinked out,leaving only a scattered remnant

behind. One of them whirled to lookbehind her, feathery blonde hairgleaming – but then a haze rose uparound Veronica, and shedisappeared again.

The birds wheeling around theOak had also decreased in number,and the archers were no longerwasting ammunition. A jackdawshrieked and plummeted into thehedge, and in the distance awounded dog-faery let out a yelp.But now the Blackwings glided infrom the south-west, and though

Garan and his men loosed a barrageof arrows towards them, theynimbly dodged every one. Lightgathered between their outstretchedwings, swelling to a blinding glare—

Another explosion shook the Oak,and green light flared around them.Rhosmari stumbled, nearlydropping the loreseed, whileCampion fell off the side of thebranch, her rope snapping taut.‘Campion!’ cried Wink, but theLibrarian panted, ‘I’m fine,’ and

flew up to join them again.By now most of the faeries below

had grown to human size, for sincethe Empress’s people scorned tomake themselves small, it was theonly way to be sure the two sideswere evenly matched. It ought tohave made it easier for Rhosmari tosee what was going on, but therewas so much mist and smoke andsparks flying about, such aconfusion of fluttering wings anddarting animal shapes, that shecould scarcely tell allies from

enemies.‘I can’t see Rob,’ said Linden

anxiously.‘I can,’ Campion replied. ‘He

and his troops have come aroundbehind the Oak. They’re driving theenemy back towards the wood—Oh, well done!’

But Rhosmari had no chance tofind out what Rob had done well,because a small animal had justdarted through a gap in the hedge –an ermine with ash-white fur, eventhough at this time of the year it

ought to have been brown. It pausedto nose at a fallen faery, who laymoaning on the grass with her wingscrumpled at odd angles; then itsnapped its jaws around her throat,gave her a shake and let her dropagain, dead.

‘Tansy,’ moaned Wink. ‘Oh, thepoor silly fool, she should neverhave gone out there – she wassupposed to stay in the kitchen withthe others—’

The ermine paused in the middleof the lawn, coolly surveying the

chaos. Then with a shimmer ittransformed into a faery, equallylean and pale, and Rhosmari’sstomach turned over as sherecognised Martin. He whippedaround and flung a dagger straightinto the crowd, sending a rebeltumbling. Then he took his birdform and darted away again.

‘Coward!’ Linden shouted, andfor a moment Rhosmari thought shemight leap off the branch and goafter him. But then she put her handsover her face, and Wink hurried to

comfort her.By now the flowerbeds had been

trampled into a muddy tangle, thehedges smashed in several placesand one of the smaller treessplintered in two. All the work thatPeri and Paul had done to make theOakenwyld beautiful was ruined,and though Rhosmari knew it wasthe least of their worries, part of herached to see it. Where were thehumans, anyway? Were they bidingtheir time for some crucial moment?Or were they already working to

help the faeries of the Oak in someway that she could not see?

‘Garan’s surrounded,’ saidCampion. ‘They’ve cut him off fromthe others – they’re closing in—’

But at that same moment came asound: twang-hiss-thump. Someoneshrieked, in pain or rage. Then ahail of black stones rained downupon the garden, scattering faerieseverywhere.

Peri McCormick stood on theveranda, moonlight blazing on herwhite hair as she tossed her

crossbow aside and grabbed herrifle. With two quick shots shewinged a crow and knocked akestrel out of the air. From thewindow above her Timothy firedhis slingshot, zinging iron pellets atthe enemy, and on the opposite sideof the house, Paul was doing thesame.

One of the Empress’s faerieswho had been skulking unseen bythe hedge cried out and clutched herarm, forced into visibility again. Acat yowled and collapsed into a

dazed-looking faery. Three morebirds tumbled from the sky – butthen one of the Empress’s soldiershurled himself at Peri, dagger inhand. She dodged him easily, swungup the rifle and fired a shot past hisshoulder before dropping the gunand drawing her hunting knife. Hethrust, she ducked, and with twoquick slashes and a kick she senthim reeling back into the crowd.Then she snatched up the gun andbegan reloading.

She was just about to fire again

when a raven plunged down uponher, knocking the rifle from herhands. But it must have brushed oneof the iron rings she wore, becauseas she stumbled back, the ravendropped to the ground and rose upagain as Byrne Blackwing. Heseized a discarded sword andswung it at her; she grabbed thepoker from beneath the glass doorand blocked the blow. They foughtin a blur of flashing metal and rapidfootwork, chasing each other aroundthe veranda and out onto the lawn.

Byrne had knocked Peri down – no,she had used his own momentum tothrow him over, and she was upagain—

‘Thorn!’ cried Wink.‘What is it?’ Campion dashed

over to her, almost trippingRhosmari with the rope. ‘Whatabout her? What’s happening?Where is she?’

‘She fell over there—’ Winkpointed blindly towards thesouthwest. ‘Someone came upbehind her and hit her on the head,

and she fell down. I don’t know ifshe’s unconscious, or…’

Anxious, Rhosmari strained tosee. But there was no sign of thedark-haired faery anywhere, onlyher troops, who had scattered inpanic and were running backtowards the Oak. ‘Gardener havemercy,’ whispered Linden, and thenshrieked, ‘Knife! Watch out!’

But the warning came too late.Corbin, the other Blackwing, hadsneaked up behind Peri, and as sheturned he thrust his dagger into her

side. She crumpled to her knees,throwing up an arm to defendherself, as Corbin wrenched out theknife and stabbed it down again—

‘No!’ wailed Linden, seizing atwig with both hands and shaking it.‘No, no, no, not Knife, not her, ohGreat Gardener, no—’

A crack split the air, and thedagger in Corbin’s hand wentflying. Timothy, straddling thewindow frame with slingshotraised, fired off another pellet thatlaid the raven boy flat upon the

grass. Then he swung his leg backinside the house and disappeared.

A fox bolted across the garden toPeri’s side, whirled and becameRob, sword in hand. He shouted,‘Rebels! Defend us!’

Lily was the first to reach him,her glossy black hair flying. Shethrew up a shield around herself,Rob and the fallen Peri – but withso much iron nearby the spell wasweak, and the glow of her magicflickered like a wind-blown candle.Still, it bought them a little time,

and that was enough. Timothy burstout of the glass door, seized Peribeneath the arms, and dragged herback into the safety of the house.

Wink burst into sobs, her wholebody shuddering as she and Lindenclung to each other. ‘Oh, Thorn,’she moaned. ‘Oh, Knife…’

The full moon had risen abovethe trees now, glowing with balefulpower. Something flashed out fromthe shadows of the wood, andRhosmari turned just in time to seea wall of blue light sweep across

the meadow, and break like a tidalwave over the Oak.

‘Great Gardener!’ exclaimedCampion as the spell enveloped thetree, covering it from root to highbranches. ‘What is that?’

Dizziness swept throughRhosmari as the Oak’s protectivewards burned away. The enormoustrunk groaned and began to twistsideways, as though some invisiblegiant had gripped it with both handsand was ruthlessly wringing it out.The branch beneath them shuddered,

and all the faeries flung their armsaround the nearest twig and held ontight.

Then came a chorus of screamsfrom inside the Oak, followed by arumbling, splintering crash thatseemed to go on and on. It soundedas though the whole inner structureof the tree was falling down. ButQueen Valerian was still in there,thought Rhosmari with a stab ofdread, and all the other faeries whohad been helping her ward the Oak—

All at once the shaking stopped,and the tree was still. And in thatmoment, a voice rang out over theOakenwyld, loud enough to bringall the fighting to a halt.

‘Rebel faeries of the Oak, youcannot win this battle. Lay downyour arms and surrender, or I willtear your precious tree apart.’

With an effort, Rhosmari pulledherself back up to her feet. Wherewas the Empress? She must beusing a spell to project her voice,for she could not see her anywhere.

It seemed impossible that any faerycould wield such devastating power– but after what she had justexperienced, there could be nodoubt that Jasmine’s threat wasreal.

Yet something seemed to bewrong with the Empress’s soldiers.Some staggered about thebattlefield, leaning on theirweapons for support. Others stoodwith drooping heads and arms looseat their sides. Only a few – likeVeronica and the Blackwings –

remained alert, and Rhosmaricaught her breath as she realisedwhat the Empress had done.

‘She’s pulling magic out of herfollowers,’ said Campion, aghast.‘Using their power to enhance herown.’

Of course. And it fit the patternJasmine had followed in the past, aswell. When she cast the Sundering,she had used the Oakenfolk’s magicto do it, and now she was drawingon her soldiers’ magic in much thesame way – making her strong

enough to warp the Oak itself.‘But that means we can’t stop

her,’ Linden whispered. ‘Not unlesswe kill all of them first—’

‘Why do you hesitate?’ called theEmpress, impatient now. ‘Surelyyour choice must be obvious. Doyou wish the Oak to survive, ormust I break it into splinters?’ Andwith that the trunk began to warpagain, and another tremor rockedthe faeries off their feet. Theloreseed tumbled from Rhosmari’shand, skidding towards the edge of

the branch; she flung herself flat andgrabbed it just in time.

‘Yet it would pain me to destroysuch a magnificent Wyld,’ theEmpress went on, her voice allhoney and butter again. ‘And it isnot your deaths that I desire, onlyyour allegiance. Can we not ceasethis foolish quarrelling, and agree tolive together in peace? I would beglad to offer you all my pardon – ifyou hand over to me Rhosmaridaughter of Celyn as my prisoner.’

There was a terrible silence,

while blood pounded throughRhosmari’s ears. This was whyJasmine had sent her army againstthe Oak? Not to destroy the rebels,but to recapture her?

‘If you have the power to defeatus,’ Rob called out, ‘then why notdo it, and take Rhosmari foryourself? I think, Empress—’ histone made a scathing mockery of thetitle— ‘that you are weaker thanyou wish us to believe, both inpower and in numbers. If youdestroy the Oak it will take all your

remaining strength, and leave yourfollowers too drained to fight.Tonight’s victory may come at aterrible cost – but it will be ourvictory, and not yours.’

Rhosmari’s hand clenchedaround the loreseed. Did Rob reallymean that the way it sounded?

‘Is that so?’ said the Empress.‘Ah, my Robin, you think yourselfso clever, but you have always beenshort-sighted. Even if you shouldmurder every faery in my hosttonight – and I know you too well to

believe that you would ever carryout such a threat – you cannotprevent me from escaping. And thenI have only to raise another army,and come back. It will take time, butI am willing to be patient.Especially now that you can nolonger steal away my followers…orprevent me from stealing yours.’

The faeries of the Oak exchangedwary looks. ‘What do you mean?’Rob asked.

‘Nothing but folly and emptythreats.’ Garan spoke up, confident

and calm. ‘As long as we hold theStone of Naming, we can free herslaves as quickly as she can createthem.’

‘The Stone?’ asked Jasmine.‘You mean…this Stone?’

In a flash of light, the Empressmaterialised in the middle of thelawn. Her hand was outstretched,and in it lay a smooth white pebble.

‘It’s just illusion,’ said Lindenfervently. ‘It has to be. Garan hasthe Stone, she’s only trying to trickus into showing her where it is…’

‘I know you believe you have theStone in your keeping, Garan son ofGwylan,’ the Empress continued.‘But if you look into the pouch atyour belt you will find nothing butan ordinary pebble. Did you thinkyourself safe this afternoon, whenyou lay down to rest? You forgotthat Bluebell had a key to everydoor in the Oak – and the power tobeguile your mind so that you wouldnot remember her taking the Stonefrom you.’

Bluebell… Rhosmari clutched the

twig beside her. All along they hadthought Mallow was the traitor, theone most likely to hand them allover to the Empress. Could theyreally have been so deceived?

‘But how?’ asked Wink, hushedwith disbelief. ‘How couldBluebell be helping the Empress?How would she even have met her?She’s never been out of the Oak!’

‘Yes, she has,’ said Campionheavily. ‘Remember those threedays right after Queen Valerian wascrowned, when we all thought

Bluebell was hiding in her—’But she never finished the

sentence, for the Empress had liftedthe Stone idly between finger andthumb, as though appraising it.‘Such a small thing,’ she musedaloud. ‘I wonder how easily it willcrumble?’ Then with suddensavagery she let it drop back intoher palm, and closed her handaround it. Light flared between herfingers, and even from high up in theOak, Rhosmari heard the terriblecrack as the Stone shattered.

‘No!’ shouted Garan, leapingforward – but the moment his handtouched the Empress’s image, whitelightning exploded through him. Inhorror Rhosmari watched him fallbackwards, mouth open in asoundless cry. Then he crumpled tothe grass, and the light around himfaded as the Empress brushed thegravel from her hands.

Rhosmari’s legs folded beneathher. She did not even feel her kneeshit the branch, or the loreseed fallfrom her hand. Someone caught it,

and tried to help her up again, butshe neither knew nor cared which ofthe faeries it was. Her world hadnarrowed to a dark tunnel, with theEmpress at one end and herself atthe other, and Garan lying deadbetween them.

Slow heat spread through herbody, engulfing her like a boilingtide. Her muscles became steel, herheart a furnace. Rhosmari yankedthe rope off her waist, twisted awayfrom the hands that held her, andleaped over the edge of the branch.

Wings outspread, she dropped toa landing just outside the window ofthe Queen’s audience chamber.Valerian sat motionless on herthrone, hands braced along itscarved arms. The walls of the roomwere cracked and the air thick withdust, but she stared straight ahead,as though gripped by some darkvision that she alone could see.

‘Is it true?’ she asked, asRhosmari climbed in. ‘Is he dead?’

‘Yes.’The Queen closed her eyes.

‘Gardener tend you, Garan son ofGwylan,’ she whispered. ‘May yoube planted in a place of rich soiland good water, never to beuprooted again.’

Rhosmari barely heard her. Shepushed past a knot of sobbingOakenfolk – the faeries who hadstayed with the Queen to maintainthe Oak’s wards, but who hadproved no match for Jasmine’spower – and out into the passage,heading for the Spiral Stair.

Curtains draped the end of the

corridor, blotting out all light fromthe landing beyond. Rhosmari sweptthem aside, took two determinedsteps – and reeled back, grippingthe bannister as her foot skiddedinto empty air.

The Stair was gone.‘Rhosmari!’ called Linden’s

voice behind her. ‘Wait!’ Sheplunged through the archway, andRhosmari had to grab her arm tokeep her from pitching right overinto the void.

‘ What— Oh,’ Linden gasped,

staring down at the splinteredwreckage far below. ‘Oh no.’

‘There’s nothing we can do aboutit now,’ said Rhosmari. She knewshe sounded harsh, but she could notafford to let herself care. ‘What doyou want?’ ‘Rob made a bargainwith the Empress,’ Linden said.

‘A temporary truce, for one hour.So we can look after our wounded,and decide what we’re going to do.’

Only an hour. So little time – andyet it would be enough. It wouldhave to be. ‘All right,’ said

Rhosmari, her eyes on the shadowyhole where the Stair had once been.‘You’ve told me. Now you can goback to the others.’

‘What are you going to do?’asked Linden.

‘What I have to,’ Rhosmari said,and stepped off the edge intonothingness.

eighteen

Her wings opened instinctively toslow her fall, catching the updraughtand shaping it into flight. Rhosmariglided downwards, past thedangling walkways and shatteredlandings that were all that remainedof the Stair, circling over the debristhat littered the Oak’s ground flooruntil she found a place to land.

The dust was thick enough to

choke her; she coughed until hereyes watered. Then, holding hersleeve across her face, she beganpicking her way through thewreckage towards the East Rootcorridor. In one of the storerooms,perhaps, she would find what sheneeded; or if not, she would have tomake herself invisible again andsearch the garden…

‘Help!’ cried a muffled voice.‘Someone help us!’

For a moment Rhosmari thoughtthat the sound was coming from

beneath her, and that a whole groupof faeries lay trapped beneath theruins of the Stair. But as sheclambered over smashed treads andrisers and ducked a fallen beam, sherealised that the cries came fromfurther ahead. She teetered her waytowards them, stumbling as a panelrocked beneath her feet, andstopped at last before the kitchendoor.

‘The Stair’s fallen down,’ shecalled to the faeries on the otherside. ‘And there’s too much wood

here for me to move. You’ll have towait until the others can get youout.’

At first the only answers weregroans. But then Holly spoke up,resolute: ‘We’ll be all right. Justsend help as soon as you can.’

Rhosmari climbed over the lastof the debris and dropped to thefloor, wiping the dust from herhands. Beyond the archway thepassage was clear, its root-bracedceiling and pebbled walls stillintact. She conjured a glow-spell

and set off towards the exit.She had only gone a few paces

before a male faery’s voice, roughwith exhaustion, spoke to her fromthe shadows. ‘Rhosmari?’

‘Broch,’ she said blankly, as herlight fell upon his face. ‘How didyou get here?’

‘We came in through the hedgetunnel,’ he said. ‘Thorn showed methe way.’

‘But Thorn’s—’ Rhosmaristarted to say, but then the blunt-haired faery stepped up beside him,

scowling.‘I’m what?’ she demanded.Rhosmari bit her lip, willing

herself strong. She could not affordto let her composure break even fora moment, if she were to go throughwith her plan. ‘We thought youmight be dead,’ she said.

‘Fair enough,’ said Thorn. ‘Iprobably would have been, if thisone hadn’t shown up to heal me.Took a blow to the head that nearlycracked my skull.’

‘Did crack your skull,’ Broch

said. He spoke with his usualdryness, but there was a wild lookabout his eyes, and he was grippingThorn’s shoulder as though afraid tolet go.

‘Yes. Well.’ Thorn cleared herthroat. ‘Let’s not get into that. Sowhere are you off to?’ She raisedher brows at Rhosmari. ‘I thoughtyou were supposed to be watchingthe battle?’

‘I—’ Rhosmari began, but then adoor banged open at the far end ofthe corridor, and a beam of

torchlight sliced the darkness.‘Somebody!’ Timothy’s voice

cracked with desperation.‘Anybody! Please!’

Broch and Thorn glanced at eachother, but Rhosmari did not hesitate.She pushed past the other faeriesand ran to meet him.

‘Peri,’ Timothy panted as shecaught up to him. He was clutchinghis side and wheezing; he must havescrambled through the pipe andsprinted down the tunnel as fast ashe could go. ‘We need someone – to

heal her. Right away.’‘Knife?’ Thorn jogged up to

them, her square face incredulous.‘What’s the matter?’

‘She’s dying,’ Timothy gasped.‘She’s lost so much blood, we’reafraid to move her…tried to call anambulance but couldn’t get thephone to work – mobile’s no goodeither – must be the Empress…’

Thorn whipped around andgrabbed Broch by the elbow.‘We’ve got to get over there now.’

‘I am not a skilled healer,’ he

protested, though she was alreadydragging him down the corridor.‘And the house is surrounded byiron—’

‘Then you’ll just have to keep heralive until we can get the houseun-surrounded,’ Thorn snappedback. ‘Because there is no way I’mgoing to stand here and let Knifedie.’ She wrestled the bow andquiver off his shoulders, droppedher own weapons beside them, andpushed him into the secret tunnel.‘Enough jabbering! Go!’

Timothy leaned heavily againstthe wall. ‘I’ve got to get back too,’he said. ‘I just…have to catch mybreath.’ Then he slid to the floorand dropped his head between hisknees.

Rhosmari looked from him to theweapons, lying forgotten in themiddle of the corridor. Broch’swould be too heavy, but Thorn’sshould do well enough. She edgedtowards them, keeping an eye onTimothy all the while.

‘OK,’ said Timothy after a

moment, struggling to his feet again.‘I’m going back to the house.’ Heturned to her, eyes pleading. ‘Comewith me?’

The quiver warmed Rhosmari’sshoulder, and the bow felt strongand purposeful in her hand. Eventhough she had made the weaponsinvisible, she had to resist the urgeto back into the shadows, awayfrom his searching gaze. ‘I can’t,’she said.

‘Just for a few minutes. Please.’Rhosmari chewed the inside of

her lip. There was no way to refusewithout an explanation. The onlyalternative was to lie – but it hadbeen so long since she visited atheatre that she doubted she couldmake it convincing.

But she could stay a few stepsbehind Timothy as they walkedthrough the wider part of the tunnel,and then leave the bow and quiverbehind at the junction. She couldvisit the house for a moment or two,and then go back and get theweapons and be on her way. And

Timothy would never have to know.‘All right,’ she said. ‘You go

ahead. I’ll come after you.’

Peri lay on the sofa, a blood-soakedbandage around her shoulder andanother pressed tightly to her side.Her eyes were shut, her face aswhite as her hair; she did not evenflinch as Broch’s fingers touchedfirst one wound, then the other. Andall the while Paul sat with hiswife’s hand clasped in both hisown, his eyes so haunted that

Rhosmari had to look away.‘I’ve stopped the bleeding,’ said

Broch, straightening up again. Helooked almost as pale as Peri now,and Thorn grabbed his arm tosteady him. ‘But a full healing isbeyond my power. She may live afew more hours, but unless youremove the iron from the house andbring in more faeries to help healher, she will die.’

‘And how are we to do that,’demanded Thorn, ‘with the Empressright on the doorstep? The minute

we take that iron away she’ll burnthe house, or pull it down aroundour ears, and then we’ll all bedead.’

‘Not while the truce is on,’ saidTimothy. ‘I can do it. I’ll do it rightnow.’ He snatched up his ironnecklace and rings from the tableand dashed outside, the glass doorrattling in his wake.

Paul closed his eyes, pain etcheddeep into his face. He broughtPeri’s hand to his mouth and held itthere a moment, then gently laid it

down and backed his wheelchairaway. ‘I appreciate your help,’ hesaid to Broch. ‘You’ve done whatyou could. But you should get backto the Oak.’

There was a bitterness in his tonethat Rhosmari knew all too well: hewas close, very close, to hating allfaeries just now. And how couldshe blame him, when he and hiswife had spent years protecting andproviding for the Oakenfolk, andreceived little but sorrow in return?If not for Peri’s loyalty to her

former people, she and Paul – andTimothy too – would never havebeen caught up in this battle.

‘You can’t get rid of me thateasily,’ Thorn told him. ‘As soon asTimothy’s got the house clear, I’llbe back with Llinos and Rob andevery other healer I can get myhands on, even if I have to dragover Queen Valerian herself. Knifei s not going to die, you hear me?’She stomped to the hole in the floor,made herself small with ashuddering effort, and threw herself

inside. Resigned, Broch followed.‘I have to go now,’ said

Rhosmari, still avoiding Paul’seyes. ‘But the Empress won’t getanywhere near this house, evenonce the truce is over. You and Periand Timothy will be safe from nowon. I promise.’

‘Really,’ said Paul. ‘And howare you going to accomplish that?March out there and shoot her?’

And now she did look up,because if anyone could understandwhy she had to do this, he would.

‘Yes,’ she said, holding hisaccusing blue gaze as she shrank toOakenfolk size and backed up to themouth of the tunnel. ‘That’s exactlywhat I’m going to do.’

The bow and quiver lay where shehad left them, at the junction of thepipe and the hedge tunnel. By thedim light of her glow-spellRhosmari picked up the bow andtested its pull, examined each of thearrows to make sure they werestraight and undamaged, and for the

last time, reviewed her plan.Martin had taught her that

appearing vulnerable was the wayto put people off their guard. Andboth he and the Empress knew justhow vulnerable Rhosmari, a Childof Rhys who had sworn never toshed blood, could be. So whenRhosmari walked out into the openmeadow and announced that shewas surrendering to the Empress inorder to end the battle, there wouldbe no reason for anyone to doubther.

Keeping her bow hoveringinvisibly overhead while shewalked would be a challenge, sincelevitation was not one ofRhosmari’s usual skills. But if shecould learn from Martin, she couldlearn from the Empress, too: onceshe stepped out into the moonlight,even that difficult spell shouldbecome easy. Hands meeklyupraised, she would walk acrossthe field and turn herself over to theEmpress’s followers. She wouldwait until the Empress came out to

meet her, and then…There were three arrows in the

quiver. But once the bow was in herhands, she would only need oneshot.

And after that? asked a voice inher mind, but she pushed the thoughtaway. Why should she care? LetVeronica and the Blackwings killher, if they wished. By theneverything that had once beenRhosmari daughter of Celyn wouldbe dead anyway. She slung the bowover her shoulder, and prepared to

Leap away.The door of the pipe crashed

open. Timothy scrambled out, thewooden medallion swinging fromhis neck. ‘Don’t,’ he said. ‘Don’t doit, Rhosmari.’

So Paul had told him. Thebetrayal stung her, but she wouldnot let anyone stop her now. ‘I haveto,’ she replied with forcedpatience. ‘If I don’t kill theEmpress, she’ll go on fighting untilthe Oak is destroyed, and everyoneis dead. And then she’ll make me

her slave again, and use me toinvade the Green Isles—’

Timothy set the torch down andtook a step towards her. ‘I know,’he said. ‘Or at least…I know allthose things could happen. But Ialso know that if you do this, it’lldestroy you.’

‘It doesn’t matter what happensto me. Not if I can save everyoneelse.’

He was silent for a moment, hisdark head bent. Then he saidquietly, ‘I’m sorry about Garan.’

He was trying to break her.Rhosmari clenched her fists, cursingherself for staying to argue with himwhen she should have Leapedinstead. It would serve him right ifshe—

‘I know you weren’t betrothedany more,’ Timothy said. ‘But Ithink he really did love you, in theend.’

Shame welled up inside her, andthe ice around her heart began tocrack. ‘I didn’t love him,’ she said,and then with sudden fierceness,

‘Don’t you understand, I neverloved Garan and I should have,because he was good and kind, andhe sacrificed everything he had tohelp you and Linden and the otherswhen I was too afraid to even care.And then the Empress killed him,and I couldn’t stop her—’

‘Rhosmari.’‘And I hate her!’ She was

breathing fast now, almost snarlingthe words. ‘I hate her and I want herto die!’

‘I know,’ said Timothy in the

same soft voice. ‘I do too. But whatshe did to Garan…it wasn’t yourfault.’

The air in Rhosmari’s lungs hadturned to water, filling up her chestand her eyes. ‘It was,’ she gasped.‘If I hadn’t come here… If Ihadn’t… I should have…’

‘Rhosmari.’ Timothy reached outto her, fingers brushing her cheek.‘I’ve never met anyone who wantedso badly to save everyone. But youcan’t.’ He lifted the bow off hershoulder, sliding it down her arm.

‘None of us can.’Her fingers grasped at the bow,

but he had already set it aside. Sheclutched the strap of the quiver,twisted her body so that he couldnot take it away from her…and then,sickened at herself, she tore it offand flung it down. Arrows clatteredacross the ground as she dropped toher knees, and buried her face in herempty hands.

Timothy crouched beside her andput an arm around her shoulders.‘Good,’ he said huskily. ‘That’s

good, Rhosmari.’‘I didn’t mean this to happen,’

she choked out. ‘Any of it. I wish Icould go back and undo it all… IfI’d just stayed on the Green Isles…’

‘If you hadn’t come, Bluebellwould still have betrayed us,’ saidTimothy. ‘And she would still havegiven the Empress the Stone. Garanwould probably have died exactlythe same way, even if you hadn’tbeen here. But then I’d never havemet you.’ His voice lowered. ‘AndI wouldn’t want that.’

She pushed herself away fromhim, wiping her eyes on her sleeve.‘You don’t know what I’m reallylike,’ she said thickly. ‘You don’tknow the things I’ve done. I’m sucha hypocrite, Timothy. All this timeI’ve been trying to stop other peoplefrom hurting each other, and yet…’

‘Hey.’ His voice was gentle.‘Don’t be so hard on yourself. Afterwhat the Empress did to you, I’mamazed you held out as long as youdid.’

‘It’s not that.’ She plucked at a

loose thread in her skirt. ‘I knowhow terrible it is to lose someonesuddenly…and violently. That’swhy I can’t stand the thought offighting, because that’s what it doesto people. So when my mother toldme that humans had killed mygrandfather, I…I felt like I couldnever trust a human again. Andyet…when my father died, eightyears ago – it was my fault.’

Timothy sat back on his heels,watching her without expression.He didn’t say anything, just waited

for her to go on. And after amoment, Rhosmari found that shecould.

‘There was a cove not far fromour house, back on the Green Isles.My father told me not to go there,that it wasn’t safe. But he didn’t tellme why, and I thought…I thought Iwas old enough to take care ofmyself. So I went anyway.’

Timothy nodded, which couldhave meant either that heunderstood, or that he would havedone exactly the same thing in her

place. Knowing him, it wasprobably both.

‘The path was steep and slippery,but when I got to the bottom I foundsome of the most beautiful shells I’dever seen. I was so busy hunting forthem, I lost track of time. And thenthe tide started coming in.’

Her younger self’s first instincthad been to climb up the way shehad come, but the stone crumbledaway under her fingers, and she’donly ended up sliding back to thebottom. She hadn’t yet learned to

Leap, and she didn’t dare makeherself small and fly away, becausethe wind was rising and she fearedshe’d be blown right out to sea. Soshe’d pressed herself flat againstthe cliffside, staring helplessly atthe fast-encroaching water, until herfather came looking for her.

‘Rhosmari? Are you downthere?’ He’d cupped his hands tohis mouth and shouted, walkingalong the cliff’s edge. ‘Don’t beafraid, just…’

And suddenly the top of the cliff

crumbled away, dirt and stonepouring down like a waterfall,pummelling Rhosmari with loosepebbles and enveloping her in asmothering cloud of dust. She’dcowered behind a boulder with herhands over her head, sure that shewas about to be buried alive. Butthe worst of it missed her, and littleby little the landslide subsided.Shouts echoed from the top of thecliff as the other Children of Rhysran to see what had happened, andcautiously Rhosmari stood up again,

looking for her father.‘And there he was,’ she finished.

‘Lying on the rocks, with the seawashing over him. Dead.’

There was a long silence. ThenTimothy said, ‘I’m sorry.’

Two quiet words, that was all –and yet somehow, it was enough.Enough at least to let Rhosmariknow he understood, and did notdespise her.

‘Timothy,’ she whispered, ‘I’mso scared. Scared of what theEmpress will do to me – what

she’ll make me do, when shecaptures me again.’

‘She won’t get the chance,’ hetold her, laying a hand over hers.‘Rob’s only stalling for time –there’s no way he’s going to handyou over. We’re going to keepfighting as long as we can.’

‘And then Peri will die, and inthe end the Empress will take meanyway.’ Rhosmari rubbed hereyes. ‘It’s no good, Timothy. Evenif I—’ her voice wavered— ‘killedmyself, that wouldn’t protect you

and the others. The only way to stopthe fighting, at least for a while, isto give her what she wants.’

Timothy stared at her. Then hesaid harshly, ‘No.’

‘It’s the only chance we’ve got,’she went on, not sure if she wastalking to him or to herself. ‘If Igive myself up to the Empress, thenmaybe she’ll leave the Oak alone, atleast for the moment. If she wants tobe certain of taking over the GreenIsles, she’ll need all her followersbehind her, so she’ll take me and

her army and go. And once thathappens, Rob and the others will beable to go into the house and healPeri.’

‘Rhosmari—’‘And when we’re away from the

Oak, maybe I’ll be able to think of away to get a message to theChildren of Rhys, and warn them.’She looked down at their joinedhands. ‘I know it isn’t likely. I knowI’ll probably fail. But I can’t stayhere, and watch you all die for mysake.’

Timothy made a frustrated noise.‘And you thought Peri was crazy,giving her name to Paul,’ he said.‘How is it any less crazy givingyour name to someone who wants toenslave you?’

‘I’m not giving my name to—’Rhosmari protested, and then it hither. A strange, wild hope roseinside her breast. ‘But…what if Idid?’

‘To the Empress? What goodwould that do?’

‘No, not her.’ She sat up,

gripping his arm. ‘Someone on ourside, who didn’t want the Empressto control me. Would she still beable to take my name, if someoneelse already knew it?’

‘I…don’t know,’ said Timothy.‘I’m not even sure it would workunless you really wanted to giveaway your name, the way Peri andHeather did. But you don’t. Doyou?’

Rhosmari was not sure how toanswer. Her stomach still churnedat the thought of sharing her name

with anyone. Yet now there wasexcitement mixed in with the dreadas well.

‘But what if it did work?’ sheasked. ‘And what if we couldconvince the other faeries to do it,too? Could that be the key todefeating the Empress, even withoutthe Stone?’

Timothy’s face lit up as he caughther meaning. ‘So maybe, even if youcan’t shoot the arrow that stopsJasmine, you can be the arrow. Notthe kind that kills, but the kind that

points the way.’‘Yes!’ But then she remembered

the enormity of the risk she wouldbe taking, and her confidencedrained away. ‘Except…I don’tknow if I can do it.’

‘Well, if it’s a choice betweengiving your name to someone youthink is trustworthy, or having ittaken away by someone whodefinitely isn’t…’

‘I know.’ She sighed. ‘But to letanybody have that much power overyou – it’s huge, Timothy. It’s

terrifying. You have no idea whatit’s like.’

‘To put yourself at somebodyelse’s mercy?’ said Timothy.‘You’re right. I don’t know. Butmaybe…some things are worth therisk.’ And with that he crooked afinger under her chin, and brushedhis lips against hers.

It was only the briefest touch, butthe shock of it rippled throughRhosmari’s whole body. Her breathcaught, and her eyes opened wide.

‘I know it’s not the same thing,’

Timothy said as he drew back,sounding a little gruff withembarrassment. ‘I’m not arrogantenough to think that. I just wantedyou to know that if anythinghappened to you… it would matterto me, too.’

In the dusky light of her glow-spell his face looked uncertain, andachingly young. There was no traceof the bravado with which he hadfaced the Elders, or therecklessness that had made him leapup the stairs to confront Martin and

risk the Empress for her sake. Andyet, as she gazed at Timothy,Rhosmari felt the knots of fear andmistrust that had bound her for solong loosen, and fall away.

‘All right,’ she said. ‘I’m ready.’‘Really?’ He looked surprised,

but also relieved. ‘Well, OK then.I’ll come back to the Oak with you,and we’ll find you someone—’

‘No,’ she told him. ‘I have what Ineed right here.’

Then she slipped her arms aroundTimothy’s neck and turned her face

up to his, and in the breath beforeshe kissed him, she whispered hername.

A few minutes later Rhosmariwalked down the slope towards themeadow, alone and unarmed, withTimothy’s parting kiss still warm onher lips. In the garden behind her,faint but clear, she could hear Robgiving out his last-minute orders.‘Llinos, you and the other Childrenof Rhys form a ring around the Oak.Don’t let anyone through. Rebels

and Oakenfolk, you’re with me…’She wished she could tell them

not to worry, that there would be nomore need for fighting. But if theyguessed what she was doing theywould try to stop her, and she andTimothy had agreed that no onemust know of their plan until it hada chance to work. With a flutter ofher wings and a quick prayer forcourage, Rhosmari leaped to thebottom of the slope, and beganhurrying through the long grasstowards the enemy camp.

She had crossed the little brookthat wound between the Oak and thewood, and was almost in theshadow of the trees, when the aircongealed around her, trapping herlike a butterfly under glass.Helpless, she could only watch asthe Empress’s faeries came out ofhiding to see who had dared tobreak the truce. At her small sizethey loomed over her likemalevolent giants, and her stomachclenched at the gleam of their baredteeth, their hungry eyes.

‘I am Rhosmari daughter ofCelyn,’ she told them, with all theconfidence she could muster. ‘And Ihave come to make a bargain withthe Empress.’

‘How brave you are,’ said theEmpress, spinning herself out ofshadows and moonlight and walkingto meet her. With a wave of onehand she dispelled the ward thatheld Rhosmari prisoner, and waiteduntil she had grown to full heightbefore continuing, ‘I am glad to seethat someone in the Oak has some

initiative. Although it is a pity youdid not come to me earlier, beforeso many lives were lost. How youmust blame yourself now.’

Rhosmari’s heart was poundingand her muscles felt like jelly, butshe forced herself to look theEmpress in the eye. ‘You offered topardon the rebels if they laid downtheir weapons and handed me over,’she said. ‘They are not ready tosurrender to you yet, but I am. So Iam asking you to stop fighting, andwithdraw – and in return, I will stay

with you as long as you have needof me, and show you the way to theGreen Isles.’

‘Of your own free will?’ askedthe Empress with an arch of herbrows. ‘What a generous offer. Iwish I could trust you to keep yourword…but I think we both knowbetter than that.’ She reached for thedagger at her belt, but Rhosmaribacked away.

‘Not until you promise towithdraw,’ she said. ‘Unless youintend to show all of your followers

that you cannot be trusted to keepyour word, either.’

Jasmine’s lips pursed, and a coldglint came into her eye. But then shesaid, ‘Very well. It is a bargain.Now give me your hand.’

Fear dug its claws intoRhosmari’s spine. This was themoment she and Timothy had beenwaiting for, when their plan wouldbe put to the test. ‘Yes, YourMajesty,’ she said, and turned herpalm up towards the Empress.

The dagger bit into her thumb,

drawing out a gleaming pearl ofblood. Jasmine tipped the point ofthe knife delicately towards hertongue, licked it clean,swallowed…and smiled.

‘What a lovely name,’ she said.‘And what a shame you did not takebetter care of it. Now kneel and kissmy feet.’

Rhosmari had known she wouldhave to do whatever the Empresstold her, to give at least theappearance of being controlled. Forthat much humiliation at least, she

had prepared herself. But when herbody moved of its own accord,knees folding as her head loweredtowards Jasmine’s booted toe,nothing could shield her from thecrushing weight of her own despair.

She and Timothy had stakedeverything on the hope that a namegiven would be stronger than aname taken away. Now she knewthey had been wrong, and that allthe plans they had made were invain. The Empress’s power overRhosmari was as great as it had

ever been, and she would leave theOakenwyld not merely as Jasmine’sprisoner, but her helpless slave.

And now that the Stone ofNaming had been destroyed, shewould be trapped that way forever.

nineteen

‘We had a bargain,’ Bluebellinsisted, as the Empress led themthrough the trees towards her camp.‘You promised that if I brought youthe Stone of Naming, you wouldmake me Queen of the Oak—’

‘And so I shall,’ said theEmpress. ‘In a few days’ time. Butfirst we will go to the Green Isles,and collect the rest of my army.’

Bluebell’s mouth twisted into anunhappy shape, but she must haveknown that it was folly to argue.With a little sniff she stepped back,and nearly bumped into Rhosmari.

‘Well,’ she said, drawing herselfup and gathering her mud-stainedskirts about her. ‘Look who’s here.Not feeling so clever now, Isuppose?’

Rhosmari ignored her, too wearyand heartsick to answer. Even herhopes of getting a message to theChildren of Rhys had proven

fruitless, for the Empress hadcommanded Rhosmari to use magiconly in her service. And now thatshe was sharing the same slowdrain of energy that had weakenedall the Empress’s other followers, itwas an effort just to keep walking,let alone talk at the same time.

‘I imagine you had quite the timecapturing Mallow again, after I lether out,’ Bluebell went on with alittle laugh. ‘She was so angry!Especially after I told her that youwere the one who made me report

her to Valerian. I would never havedone that on my own, you know.’

Of course not. Unlike Martin oreven Rhosmari herself, Bluebellhad never learned how to act a part;her rejection of Mallow’s schemeto leave the Oak had been genuine,but so had her reluctance to see herformer ally punished. Naturally thefirst thing Bluebell would havedone after stealing the Stone fromGaran was to set Mallow free…andif the commotion served to coverher own escape, so much the better.

‘We didn’t recapture her,’ saidRhosmari. ‘She got away.’

Bluebell’s look of triumph faded.‘But if she’s not in the Oak, andshe’s not here – then where is she?’

Rhosmari was about to reply, butthe Empress gestured them tosilence. A few paces ahead of them,the trees opened up into a clearing,where a host of faeries had gatheredaround a low-burning fire.

‘We have accomplished all thatwe came for,’ the Empressannounced as she stepped in among

them. ‘The Stone of Naming isdestroyed, and Rhosmari is oncemore under my control. Tomorrowwe fly for the Green Isles…but fortonight, you may go and take yourrest.’

The branches above the clearingrustled, and in a rush of beatingwings a hundred birds launchedthemselves into the sky. Theremaining faeries retreated no lessswiftly, until only the Empress andher lieutenants remained – includingthe Blackwings, Veronica, and, to

Rhosmari’s distaste, Martin.‘I have a special task for you,’

the Empress said to him, beckoninghim over. ‘It will be yourresponsibility to see that Rhosmarinever strays out of your sight. Andto make that easier—’ She flickedher fingers, and Rhosmari wincedas a spell like an invisible hooktwisted deep in her chest. Martingrimaced as though he had felt ittoo, but in an instant he hadrecovered his cool poise again.

‘You think of everything, my

Empress,’ he said. ‘Where do youwant me to take her?’

‘You may follow me to thevillage, in a little while,’ shereplied. ‘I am pleased with you, ifnot with Rhosmari, and I haveprepared a comfortable place forall my loyal followers to staytonight.’ She patted his faceindulgently, then stepped past him toaddress the others.

‘We must reach the Green Islesby tomorrow night,’ she said. ‘TheChildren of Rhys should not be

difficult to conquer, but the successof our plan depends on stealth andspeed. Once we have passedthrough Gruffydd’s Way, it will bethe task of Veronica and hersoldiers to make our army invisibleand soundless as we march. Assoon as we reach the first householdof Rhysians we will capture them,take their blood and add them to ourranks immediately; Corbin andByrne will assist me in this. It iscrucial that not a single one beallowed to escape and warn their

neighbours, or communicate withtheir fellow Rhysians in any way.’

Under any other circumstances,Rhosmari would have found it hardto believe that such a plan couldwork: there were so many thingsthat could go wrong. But in this caseshe feared it would be all toosuccessful. The Children of Rhyswere capable of self-defence, butthey had not been trained to face anorganised assault. And they wouldexpect any threat to come from themainland, not from their very midst.

‘When we have taken over oneisland we will fly to the next,’Jasmine continued, ‘our armygrowing with each conquest, untilall twelve of the Green Isles areunder my command. Then I willtake up my throne in the Hall ofJudgement, and our people willhave a new homeland – a land ofcomfort and prosperity, from whichwe can never be displaced.’ Thefirelight flickered across her face,revealing flushed cheeks and eyesaglow with anticipation. ‘And to

you, my lieutenants, who havechosen to serve me of your ownwill – you will each be rewardedwith an island of your own to rule.’

‘And I shall be Queen of theOak,’ breathed Bluebell, huggingher shawl about her.

Rhosmari could not bear to listenany longer. She sank down onto afallen log, and turned her faceaway.

She must have drifted asleep, forwhen she opened her eyes again the

fire had burned so low that only afew coals remained among theashes, and the Empress wasnowhere to be seen. Only Martinand Veronica stood together on theother side of the fire, conversing inlow voices.

‘…must value you more than Ithought,’ said Veronica. ‘You arevery fortunate to have found yourway back into her favour, Martin.’

‘But not, I take it, into yours?’ Hespoke casually, untroubled by herscorn. ‘What must I do to persuade

you of my worth, fair Veronica?’‘I know your worth already,’ she

said. ‘Very little. You care fornothing but your own amusement;you have no interest in theEmpress’s ideals, or defending herempire—’

‘Neither do you,’ said Martin.‘We both know that the Empress isold, and growing weaker by theday; she is feeding on her followerslike a leech now, desperate toachieve total control over thefaeries of Britain before she dies.

What is so glorious about that?’ Hemade a contemptuous noise. ‘Youpretend to loathe humans as much asshe does, because you hope she willmake you her heir. But do you thinkI hadn’t noticed that whenever youchoose a human to prey upon, youalways pick a good-looking boy,and steal his creativity with a kiss?’

‘Not always,’ Veronica retorted.‘But that is besides the point. Whatyou should know, Martin, is that Iam watching you very closely. Andat the first hint of treachery…’

‘Treachery!’ Martin laughed.‘Why should I betray the Empress?Do you think the rebels love me anybetter than you do? If the Empressfreed me this instant, there is onlyone company I would join, and itoffers no threat to anyone.’

‘You mean that absurd littletheatre in Cardiff?’ Now it wasVeronica’s turn to sound amused.‘How quaint. But I would not putmuch stock in that idea, if I wereyou. You may find that there isnothing worth going back to.’

‘And what do you mean by that?’All humour was gone now; hiswords were sharp as dagger points.

‘Nothing,’ said Veronica, soquickly that Rhosmari could tell shehad said more than she should, andwas already regretting it. ‘I onlymean that your loyalties belonghere, with your own kind. And ifyou ever give the rest of us reasonto believe you are forgetting that,then we will make it our business toremind you.’

‘Ah,’ Martin said. ‘Is that all.

Well, you need have no fear on myaccount. I know my duty – and mylimitations.’ His footsteps crunchedtowards Rhosmari, and his breathstirred her hair as he leaned over. ‘Iknow you are awake,’ he murmured.‘Get up.’

Rhosmari climbed to her feet,trying to ignore the crawlingsensation that came over her at thetouch of his hand. ‘Where are wegoing?’ she asked, as he led her tothe centre of the clearing.

‘Up,’ said Martin. ‘What better

way to travel?’ And with that hetransformed into his bird shape anddarted away, not even pausing tosee if she would follow. But he hadbarely reached the treetops whenagony wrenched at Rhosmari’schest, as though there were a cordof nerves and flesh between themthat had just reached its limit. Witha gasp she transformed herself toOakenfolk size, and flew after him.

Martin led her up above thewood and over the fields andhouses beyond, circling around her

in an almost teasing fashion beforeswooping off again into the night. Ittook all Rhosmari’s strength to keepup with him, and by the time theyreached the nearby town, her wingmuscles felt as though they were onfire. They landed together on thedrive of a tall brick house frontedby white pillars, and when Martinchanged to human size and headedup the pathway, she did likewise.

A middle-aged woman openedthe door to them, looking as wearyas Rhosmari felt, and showed them

upstairs to a bedroom resplendentin gold and black brocade. At thatpoint, Rhosmari had no energy leftto care whose house it was, or whatthe Empress had done tocommandeer it. She collapsed ontothe mattress, dropped her headagainst the pillow, and sank intoexhausted sleep.

When Rhosmari woke again, it wasmorning. Her body felt rested, buther mind remained hazy, as thoughshe were trapped in a nightmare.

Even the sunlight that filteredthrough the blinds had a poisonoustinge to it, and the air tasted thickand cloying. And when she rolledonto her back she found a smallblack and white bird perched on theend of the bedpost, watching her.

She sat up, drawing her kneesprotectively to her chest, as Martindropped off the end of the bed andshook himself back into faery shape.‘The Empress wants us to join herfor breakfast,’ he said curtly. ‘Makeyourself presentable.’

He was angry now, though shecould not guess why. He hadworked his way back into theEmpress’s favour, and she hadpromised him an island to rule.What more could he want?

Breakfast was served by thewoman who had opened the door tothem the night before, with the helpof a bearded man who Rhosmariguessed must be her husband. Thefood was the finest she had seensince Waverley Hall: scrambledeggs cooked to perfect fluffiness,

served with thin slices of smokedsalmon and flaky rolls rich withbutter. The smell of it alone wasenough to make her stomach groanwith hunger.

But as the humans moved aboutthe table refilling the faeries’glasses and bringing them freshplates for each course, the frustratedrage in the man’s eyes and the terrorin the woman’s disturbed Rhosmariso much that she could not eat. Itseemed like some twisted inversionof the hospitality Paul and Peri had

shown her when she first came tothe Oakenwyld, these humans’brittle silence a macabre contrast tothe laughter and conversation thathad so surprised her that day. Andwhen the woman’s hand trembledand a splash of orange juice fellonto the tablecloth, it was more thanRhosmari could bear. Shestammered, ‘Please excuse me,’ andfled up the stairs to her room.

Alone, she wrapped her armsaround herself, stifling a sob. Shehad given Timothy her name, and

now she knew – if there had everbeen any doubt – that she had givenhim her heart as well. But love hadnot saved her, and it would not savehim either. As soon as they returnedfrom the Green Isles, the Empresswould use the Children of Rhys toforce the Oak to surrender. And thenshe would make good on herpromise to kill Timothy, and likelyPaul and Peri – if she was not deadalready – as well…

A hand clamped over her mouth.Out of nowhere, a harsh voice

whispered, ‘Don’t scream. Or I’llknock you silly.’

Rhosmari’s eyes darted wildly inall directions. Hardly able tobreathe, let alone speak, she wentstiff as coral.

‘Good choice,’ said her invisiblecaptor. ‘Now you listen. I’m takingyou back to the Oak—’ Rhosmarimade a strangled protest, and shestopped. ‘What do you mean, no?’

Rhosmari gulped air as the otherfaery released her.

‘Mallow. I don’t know how you

got in here, or what you think you’redoing—’

‘Followed you from theOakenwyld, of course,’ retortedMallow. ‘And sneaked in the doorwith you last night. I’d have nabbedyou long before this, if it weren’tfor that blighted Martin hangingabout.’ She stepped back, feetnoiseless on the plush carpet. ‘Asfor why I’m here, isn’t it obvious?It’s no secret I don’t think much ofValerian, but at least she doesn’tkill her own kind, or suck the magic

out of them to make herself stronger.And I’ll be hanged before I let thattreacherous little snake Bluebellrule the Oak, so…’ She seizedRhosmari’s wrist. ‘If I rescue you,that’s meat for my soup, and gristlein hers.’

‘You don’t understand.’Rhosmari tugged vainly against theChief Cook’s hold. ‘I want to comewith you, but truly, I can’t. TheEmpress knows my name, and she’salso got me linked to Martin. Theminute you try to take me out of this

house, they’ll both know it…andthen you’ll be caught as well.’

Mallow swore. ‘Well, that’s afine old mess, isn’t it? How am Isupposed to get them to let me backin the Oak now?’

Rhosmari glanced at the closeddoor. Martin would be coming upthe stairs any minute. ‘Take this,’she said. Undoing the clasp fromher hair, she pressed it intoMallow’s hand. ‘Give it toTimothy, with this message: tell himthe Empress is going to attack the

Green Isles tonight. Tell him…thatour plan didn’t work, and that I’msorry. And tell him goodbye.’

‘Timothy?’ Mallow’s face wasinvisible, but Rhosmari could easilyimagine the curl of her lip. ‘Youwant me to give a message to thehuman?’

‘Yes.’ She spoke firmly, in thetone she reserved for her mostdifficult students. ‘If you wantQueen Valerian and the others tobelieve you’ve changed your mind,Mallow, that’s one good way to

prove it. Now go! Quickly!’Mallow grumbled wordlessly…

and then she was gone, with a softinrush of air that told Rhosmari shehad Leaped away. Weak with relief,Rhosmari clutched the bedpost forsupport.

The door opened. ‘Rhosmari,’said Martin, ‘it’s time to go.’ Thenhe frowned. ‘What happened toyour hair?’

Rhosmari straightened up andfaced him, her gaze holding his untilhe looked away. Then she walked

past him into the corridor, silent butresolute, like a martyr going to herexecution.

When Martin led Rhosmari outside,the bearded man was holding theback door of his car open for theEmpress, while Veronica and anervous-looking Bluebell stood by.Jasmine acknowledged them allwith a nod as she climbed into thevehicle; then the door closed, hidingher behind its tinted glass.

‘Corbin and Byrne have already

gone ahead to gather the others,’said Martin as he steered Rhosmaritowards the side of the house,where a row of tall cedars cast theirshadow over the garden. ‘We’re allgoing to fly to Wales together – butthose butterfly wings of yours aretoo weak for such a long journey.You’ll have to ride on my back.’

‘Me, ride on you? Even at mysmallest size I’m bigger than—’

But before she could finish,Martin had transformed into a barnowl, stretching out both grey-white

wings to show her just how large hewas. Chastened, Rhosmari shrank toOakenfolk size and climbed onto hisback. As soon as she settled herselfbetween his wings he sprang upfrom the ground, launching themboth into the brilliant sky.

The ground spun away beneaththem, houses dwindling to rooftopsand lawns to mere patches of green.The sunlight dazzled Rhosmari’seyes, and the wind whipped her hairinto a tangle. She clung tight toMartin, knees gripping his feathered

sides and arms thrown around hisneck as far as they would go.

A river threaded across thecountryside, bright as molten silver.Roads sliced the land into black-edged pieces. Fields and woodlandflashed past, dotted with farms andvillages at first, then yielding tobigger towns and the sprawlingoutskirts of some great city. Couldthat be London already? She hadlost all sense of where they were.

Then a shadow fell over her face,and when she looked up, the sky

was dark with birds.They moved together in one great

flock, weirdly mismatched and justas unnaturally silent. Their wingssliced the air with deliberatestrokes: crows and ravens, hawksand owls, ducks, geese and seabirdsof every kind. And as Martin angledupwards to join them, Rhosmarisaw that many of the others alsobore a female faery on their backs.

This was the first time she hadseen the Empress’s whole army outin the open. Were there two

hundred? Three? It was hard to becertain. But even so, it seemed thatthe faeries of the Oak had not beenso badly outnumbered last night asthey had feared. No wonder theEmpress had been so willing togrant Rhosmari’s request andwithdraw.

After a few hours of steady flightsome of the birds began to falter,and by unspoken agreement theleaders glided downwards, to settlealong the bank of a slow-movingriver. Martin back-winged to a

landing upon the grass, andRhosmari slid off, grateful for thechance to stretch her aching limbs.

Then the owl vanished andMartin stood beside her, small asshe was. She had never seen him atOakenfolk size before, and for amoment she could only stare. But heseized her hand and said, ‘We’reLeaping to Lyn and Toby’s theatre.Right now.’

‘To Cardiff?’ They must haveflown a long way, if they wereclose enough to the city to Leap

there. ‘Why?’‘Because I have to know,’ said

Martin. ‘But enough talking. Go!’And with that he vanished, andRhosmari had to Leap with him.They slipped in and out ofemptiness, appearing on the familiarback street in the heart of Cardiff.

Someone in the distance let out ashriek – they must have beenspotted – but Martin ignored it. Hiseyes were fixed on Lyn’s door, hisfingers tracing the empty spacewhere the BARDHOUSE THEATRE

COMPANY sign had once hung. Heswore softly and stabbed his thumbagainst the bell, buzzing once, twice—

The door opened. Lyn stood therewith a steaming cup of coffee inhand, looking irritable. ‘What doyou want?’ she demanded.

‘Lyn,’ said Martin. ‘Where’s thesign? What happened to thetheatre?’

‘Who cares?’ retorted the humanwoman. ‘If you came to audition,forget it. The company’s finished.’

She tried to shut the door, butMartin stepped to block it.

‘You can’t be serious,’ he said.‘This theatre was your life. Toby’s,too. Where is he?’

‘Doing real work for real money,I expect,’ said Lyn. ‘Or at least thatwas the idea when he left. Listen,whoever you are—’

Rhosmari drew in her breath, asharp intake of disbelief and pain.Beside her, Martin had gone so stillthat he might have been carved fromice.

‘—if you want to get up on astage somewhere and make a fool ofyourself, that’s your business. Butit’s not mine, not any more. Now getyour foot out of my door before Icall the police.’

Slowly, Martin stepped back. Hisface was ashen, and when Rhosmaritouched his arm he did not evenseem to feel it. He stood there like aliving ghost, as Lyn slammed thedoor and bolted it shut.

So this was what Veronica hadmeant, when she told Martin there

was nothing in Cardiff worth goingback to. At the Empress’scommand, she had done to Martin’sfriends what she had once tried todo to Timothy – stolen away alltheir creative abilities until nothingwas left, and left them indifferent toa passion that had once definedtheir whole lives. And then, in afinal cruel twist, she had erased Lynand Toby’s memories of Martin aswell.

‘What are you going to do?’Rhosmari asked, and when he

remained silent, ‘Martin?’His fingers closed on her wrist,

hard enough to bruise, and the lookon his face chilled her all over.‘Veronica was right,’ he said.‘There’s nothing for me here.’

And with that they disappeared,leaving the closed door and thevacant theatre behind them.

twenty

The beach gleamed wetly in themoonlight, and the waves that rolledin from the open sea were frothedwith silver. One by one theEmpress’s army of birds straggledfrom the sky and alighted on thenearby slope. No one spoke. Theywere too exhausted – and toobitterly hungry.

They had flown all day and well

into the night, and even with clearskies and favourable winds, thejourney had not been easy. The lasttime the Blackwings had permittedthe flock to stop and rest, severalfights had broken out as the largerbirds squabbled over bits of carriontoo small to satisfy anyone, whilethe smaller ones gulped down everyworm and insect they could find.Rhosmari, like the rest of thefemales, had been forced to makedo without any food at all.

Had the Empress lost her mind,

to drive them all day like this andthen expect them to fight for her aswell? Rhosmari had said as much toMartin earlier, as they watchedVeronica fire a stinging blast ofmagic at two hawk-faeries to keepthem from tearing each other apart.But he had remained hunched in hisbarn owl form, the flat dish of hisface inscrutable, and she wonderedif he had even heard.

Now Corbin Blackwingtransformed himself out of ravenshape and turned to face them. His

hair was dishevelled and his eyeshollow, but his voice had lost noneof its harsh authority: ‘The Empressawaits us. All of you, follow me.’

In the car park beside the beachsat an elegant wine-coloured sedan,the same car that the Empress hadcommandeered that morning.Jasmine climbed gracefully from theback seat, dismissing both car anddriver with a negligent wave. Sheseemed not at all concerned aboutletting the man go, which madeRhosmari think she must have

erased his memory and likely hiswife’s as well.

‘You have made excellent time,’she said to the other faeries, as thesedan roared away and vanisheddown the narrow road. ‘And youshall all be rewarded for it, whenthis night is done.’ She turned toRhosmari, eyes alight withanticipation. ‘Now. Show us theentrance to Gruffydd’s Way.’

It was her last chance to resist, tofind the strength to deny theEmpress’s command. If she did not

save her people, no one would.Rhosmari gathered together everyshred of courage and resolve shestill possessed, and willed herselfnot to obey.

It was no use. Her muscles flexedinto motion, and though her mindshrieked and railed against herbody’s treachery she could not stopherself from carrying out the order.Eyes blurring, Rhosmari ledJasmine and her army across theshingle and onto the smooth, tide-washed sand.

They walked in silence, all ofthem back in faery shape and at fullsize; the only sound was the rushand sigh of the long breakers, and adistant clamour of gulls that tore atRhosmari’s heart. It was agony tobe so close to the homeland she hadlonged for and the people she hadtried so hard to protect, and knowthat she had only come to bringabout their doom.

The familiar low cliffsapproached, encrusted with lichenand tufted with grass. From here

their stony slopes lookedimpenetrable, and yet Rhosmariknew that the entrance to Gruffydd’sWay was near. If she could havedashed herself from a precipice ordrowned herself in the sea ratherthan open that door, she wouldhave. But she had not even the willfor that.

Her feet dragged to a stop, herbody turning to face the cliffside.The wave-and-circle symbol shoneout to her from the rock. She raisedher hand towards it…

‘Don’t do it, Rhosmari.’She froze, fingers poised in

midair. The command was quietlyspoken, but impossible to ignore –and it had not come from theEmpress.

‘Why do you hesitate?’demanded the Empress. ‘Open thedoor!’

Automatically Rhosmari’s handlifted for the second time. But onceagain the urgent whisper told her,‘Don’t.’

She heard it with her ears, not her

mind. Somehow, impossible as itseemed, Timothy was here. He hadraced across England and Wales tobe with her, and now he was hidingsomewhere among the rocks,determined to keep her fromopening the secret door.

Jasmine seized Rhosmari’sshoulder. ‘Why do you not obey?Tell me at once!’

The words came out before shecould stop them. ‘Because Timothysaid not to. And he knows my name,too.’

‘Find him!’ snapped the Empressat her followers. ‘Bring him to me!’

Before she had even finishedspeaking, Martin changed into hisbird form and flew straight up thecliffside. He loosed a spell that litthe whole slope, and all at once ascrabbling noise came from therocks above them, flakes of shaletinkling down. She heard a smallvoice cry, ‘Timothy!’ and theanswering shout, ‘Don’t worryabout me! Go!’

And all at once there he was,

pressed against the rock with hisfeet braced on a narrow ledge, chestheaving with panic. Trapped andhelpless, in full view of theEmpress and her whole army.Martin swooped towards his eyes,Timothy flung up a hand – and at thesame moment his left leg trembled,spasmed and gave way.

He tumbled hard and fast downthe cliffside, and landed with athump on his back. His eyes staredwildly at the sky, mouth gapingopen and closed as he fought to get

his breath again. Rhosmari startedtowards him – but then Martinlanded between them in faery form,hauled Timothy up against a nearbyboulder, and laid a glittering knifeagainst his neck. He hissed a fewwords in Timothy’s ear, and theyoung man froze.

‘There will be no moreinterference from this one,’ Martinannounced to the Empress. ‘If hespeaks again, I will kill him.’

‘Well done,’ she told him, andturned back to Rhosmari. ‘Now

open the door.’Tears streaked her face, yet she

moved without hesitation. BothTimothy and the Empress had anequal power over her, andwhichever one of them spoke to herwas the one she must obey. Shestretched out her hand for the thirdtime…

‘Don’t,’ Timothy croaked. Andwith that, Martin’s knife flashedacross his throat. Eyes wide andstaring, a line of blood vivid againsthis skin, he toppled behind the

boulder as Martin pushed himaway.

Rhosmari’s heart turned insideout. The wind howled in her ears,echoing the anguish within her, andin that moment everything else – themoon and stars, the sand and waves,the Empress and all her army –ceased to exist.

‘No,’ she whispered. ‘Timothy.No.’

And then the world rushed inupon her, and she realised that shehad dropped to her knees and was

clawing at the sand like an animal.Two faeries seized her arms andwrestled her upright; she hung limpbetween them, her hair a wildtangle across her face, sobbing.

‘Your Majesty,’ said Martin,sheathing his knife and making theEmpress a little bow. ‘I apologisefor the interruption.’

Jasmine gave a delighted laugh.‘Martin! I have underestimated you,indeed.’ Then she turned toRhosmari and said, ‘Enough folly.Show us the entrance to Gruffydd’s

Way.’Even now, with her soul

shattered and her mind in chaos, shehad to obey. Rhosmari staggeredforward, step by step, her eyes onthe thin tracery of light that wouldopen the secret door. Her fingerscrept across the rock…

‘Rhosmari.’Timothy was struggling back to

his feet, leaning on the boulder forsupport. Sand caked his hair and thescratch across his throat was stillbleeding, but his eyes were clear

and alive. ‘I command you not tolisten to the Empress, or obey herany more. From now on you mustlisten only to your own conscience,and do nothing but what you chooseof your own free will. Forever.’

The words sang throughRhosmari’s mind and loosenedevery muscle in her body, plungingher for an instant into a blacknesscold as death and then filling herwith warmth and light. She whirledaway from the Empress, and flungherself into Timothy’s arms.

‘Kill them!’ the Empress raged,and Byrne Blackwing drew hisknife and started towards them –only to jerk backwards and crumplewith an arrow through his shoulder.

‘Do that,’ said a woman’s crispvoice from the rocks above them,‘and I’ll kill you.’

They all looked up – and therestood Peri, with her crossbowlevelled at the Empress. Her facelooked strained and her hands shooka little, but the bandages were gone.‘This bolt is iron-tipped,’ she said.

‘And so are the arrows that Brochand Thorn are aiming at yoursoldiers right now. You’resurrounded, Jasmine. It’s over.’

‘Quick!’ Linden’s whisper cameout of nowhere, startling Rhosmariand Timothy apart. ‘While she’sdistracted.’ Sparkling heat washedover Rhosmari as the faery girlextended her own invisibilityglamour to cover the two of them.‘This way – up the rocks.’

Timothy’s hand closed aroundRhosmari’s, warm and reassuring.

‘Come on. Let’s get out of here.’

The three of them had picked theirway up the cliffside, and werenearly to the top, when Timothy’sfoot slipped out from under himagain. But this time Linden andRhosmari were there to catch himand haul him up the rest of the way.

‘Stupid spasms,’ he said bitterly,collapsing onto the grass. ‘I knewthey’d be the death of me one day.It’s just a good thing Martin wassmart enough to step in before the

Empress could kill me herself.’‘Is that what happened?’ Linden

exclaimed, landing beside them andmaking herself human size again. ‘Iflew as fast as I could to get help,but…for a moment I thought we’dcome too late.’

‘He made it pretty convincing,’said Timothy. ‘At first I thoughthe’d really cut my throat, but theknife he used on me wasn’t evensharp. I don’t know why he savedmy life, but he did.’ He shiftedcloser to Rhosmari and took her

hand. ‘Are you all right?’Rhosmari nodded, her heart too

full to speak. Only a few minutesago she had believed Timothy deadand all hope gone, and now herethey were together, safe and free. Itseemed like a dream too wonderfulto be real – except for the Empressand her army still standing on thebeach below.

By now there could be no doubtin anyone’s mind that Peri had notbeen bluffing. The Empress’speople were indeed surrounded,

with Llinos and the other Childrenof Rhys in exile stationed along thepromontory in front of them, whileRob and his fellow rebels blockedthe lone exit from the beach behind.The Oakenfolk formed part of thelarger group as well: Thorn and herarchers, Queen Valerian, Campion,even Mallow – the only familiarface Rhosmari did not see amongthem was Wink. Without making asound or giving the least hint oftheir presence, they had beenclosing in on the Empress and her

followers – and now they hadrevealed themselves at last.

‘You cannot escape, Jasmine,’said Queen Valerian, in a voiceclear enough to carry across thebeach. ‘Our numbers may not be asgreat as yours, but our people arestrong and well rested, and, unlikeyou, we have humans on our side. Ifyou have any compassion for yourfollowers, you will not ask them tofight us again.’

The Empress lifted her chin,defiant. ‘I have nothing to say to a

half-breed traitor.’‘Traitor to what?’ demanded

Peri, her crossbow still trained onthe Empress. ‘Every one of yourfollowers has human blood in themsomewhere, whether they want toadmit it or not. It might be a fewgenerations back, but it’s still there.It’s the Oakenfolk who are thepurest faeries in existence, becausethey all hatched out of magical eggsthat you created. And for the firstsixteen years of my life, I was oneof them.’

She shifted her stance on theledge, the moonlight shining whiteon her hair and glittering in herblack eyes in a way that made herlook more fey than ever. ‘I chose tobecome human out of love for myhusband Paul, but I never forgotwhat it was like to be a faery.’

My husband Paul. He wasmissing too, Rhosmari noticed witha prick of anxiety. Had somethinghappened to him? It didn’t seem likePaul to send his newly healed wifeto drive Timothy and a carful of

faeries to Wales alone.‘You, on the other hand,’ Peri

said to the Empress, ‘were bornhuman – but you’ve spent nearlyyour whole life trying to deny it. Sowho’s the real traitor to their racehere, Jasmine of the Oak?’

A hiss went up from theEmpress’s followers, and some ofthem began edging away. ButJasmine cast them a warning look,and they all stiffened back toattention. ‘Say what you will,’ shesaid. ‘And perhaps some of my

more simple-minded subjects willbelieve it. But no one has foughtharder or sacrificed more for thesake of my people – my true faerypeople – than I have.’

She walked towards Valerianand the rebels, her army moving intandem with her strides. ‘If at timesI have seemed harsh with them, ithas only been for their greater good.It is for their sake, not my own, thatI am here tonight. And if I commandthem to fight by my side until everyone of us has fallen, it is only

because I believe that death wouldbe a greater kindness than thedegradation you offer—’

‘The only degradation here,’ saidQueen Valerian, the gentleness inher tone cutting across Jasmine’srising voice, ‘is the yoke ofbondage you have put upon yourfollowers, and wish to put upon usand the Children of Rhys as well.But as Rhosmari and Timothy havejust proved, there is a way that allof us can escape your influenceforever, a solution simpler and

more powerful than any Stone. Tokeep you from stealing our truenames and using them to control us,we have only to find one person –be it faery or human – that we trust,and give our names to theminstead.’

Exclamations burst from thefaeries on both sides: shocked,angry, disbelieving. Veronicalooked murderous, and Bluebellnauseated. But at the back of thecrowd where Byrne lay bleeding inhis twin brother’s arms, his fingers

lifted feebly to grasp Corbin’scollar, and the two of them beganwhispering to each other.

Jasmine’s face contorted withrage. ‘Kill the half-breed,’ shesnapped at her soldiers. ‘Kill themall!’

Swords rasped from theirscabbards, and arrows went on thestring; birds zoomed away acrossthe beach, darting so low and fastthat nothing could stop them.Veronica drew her dagger, andMartin his knife—

‘Stop.’The command reverberated

among the rocks and filled the airaround them, ominous as thunder.Every faery froze and every headturned, as Lady Celyn stepped awayfrom the edge of the water andstrode over the sand towards them.

But Rhosmari’s mother had notcome alone. The other Eldersflashed into visibility beside her,and then Lord Gwylan and LadyArianllys, and in tens and twentiesand finally hundreds the Children of

Rhys revealed themselves, a greatunbroken line of them stretchingfrom one side of the beach to theother, outnumbering both armiestwice over.

The Children of Rhys had cometo join the war.

‘No,’ breathed Rhosmari. BeforeLinden or Timothy could stop her,she shrank to Oakenfolk size andleaped over the edge of the lowcliffs, spreading her wings to breakher fall. She landed on the shingle,

caught her balance, and changedback to her usual size again, runningacross the sand towards her mother.

‘Empress!’ called out LadyCelyn. ‘As you can see, you andyour followers are outnumbered. Ioffer you one last chance tosurrender.’

Jasmine stood still as the LadyElder approached, the sea windlifting her blonde curls and makingher look like a tragic heroine insome ancient tale. Then she spat,coldly and accurately, into the sand

at Celyn’s feet.‘Stay back,’ warned Rob,

stepping to block Rhosmari as shepushed her way to the front of therebel lines. ‘You will not help yourpeople by exposing yourself todanger.’

‘But that’s my mother,’ she said.‘I have to talk to her. I have toexplain—’

‘Seems to me she’s got a prettygood grasp of the situation already,’said Thorn. ‘If I were you, I’d leaveher to it.’

‘You will not fight,’ the Empresswas saying contemptuously to LadyCelyn. ‘You cannot touch me or myfollowers without breaking yourmost sacred oath. Do you think thatby merely standing here, you canfrighten me into submission? Youmay talk of last chances and peacetreaties until the end of time, but Iwill never submit.’

‘You underestimate us,’ saidLady Celyn. ‘Yes, we have swornnot to shed blood. But that does notmake us weak.’ And with that she

nodded at her fellow Elders, andthey all raised their hands.

Magic blazed from their palmsand arced towards the Empress. Butbefore the light could touch her,Jasmine leaped back and flung up amagical shield to protect herself.The Elders’ power rippled overand around her, but it could notpenetrate that barrier – and as thestruggle intensified, the Empress’sarmy began to stagger.

Intent on their spell-casting, theElders did not notice. All the other

faeries on the beach seemed equallyunaware, or perhaps did not realisethe seriousness of the threat. ButRhosmari remembered how she hadfelt when the Empress was drawingon her power, and she sensed thatwhat was happening right now wasmuch, much worse. Jasmine hadsaid that she would rather see herpeople die than let them be ruled byanyone else – and obviously, shehad meant it.

Rhosmari glanced around, panicrising. What could she do? Martin

had just sunk to his knees, and evenVeronica was swaying now. Soonall their strength would be gone,and their hearts would stop beating.

And yet…would that be such abad thing? Martin might have savedTimothy’s life, but Rhosmari couldnever forget how he had betrayedher. And she already knew howcruel Veronica could be. Knowingthe Empress was evil, they had stillchosen to side with her – and now itseemed only just that they shouldpay the price.

But if she let Martin andVeronica die, then at least twohundred other faeries, many ofwhom had not wanted to serve theEmpress any more than Rhosmaridid, would die with them…

‘Stop!’ she shouted at the Elders.‘She’s killing them! Stop yourspell!’

But they could not hear her. Thelight from their hands blazed white-hot now, pouring over Jasmine’sshield in a sizzling rush, and all theother faeries were staring at the

spectacle as though mesmerised. Atthe edge of the beach, the last of theEmpress’s soldiers toppled, and laystill. If Rhosmari did not act now, itwould be too late – but she couldthink of only one way to stopJasmine, and it would cost herdearly.

Helpless rage filled her, the samehatred that had burned in her afterGaran’s death. This was all theEmpress’s fault. She was thedeceiver, the enslaver, themurderer. She was the one who

deserved to be cut off from herpeople – why should Rhosmarihave to pay the price? Blinkingback angry tears, she grabbed thebow out of Thorn’s hands, nockedthe iron-tipped arrow to the string,and sighted along it. Then, with ashuddering breath, she let it fly.

She was shooting into the wind,on a beach at night, with a bow shehad not even tested. If her aim hadwandered even a hand’s breadth, noone could have blamed her for theoutcome. But the arrow struck true,

piercing through the Empress’smagical defences and burying itselfdeep in her right shoulder.

Jasmine screamed as theprotective spell around hershattered. She collapsed to the sand– and the Elders’ spell engulfed herin a dazzling wave of power.

‘For centuries you have stolenpower from others to feed your ownambitions,’ Lady Celyn said in aringing voice. ‘Now your ownpower will be taken away.’

Light exploded across the beach,

and Rhosmari and the other faeriescovered their eyes. When at lasttheir dazzled vision cleared, theEmpress was staggering across thesand towards them, the arrow stilljutting from her shoulder. Heryouthful glamour had vanished, hergrey-streaked hair hung in tangles,and the sagging skin around hermouth and eyes made her look asold as Sarah.

‘You think you have beaten me,’she rasped. ‘You know nothing ofwhat I can do.’

The other faeries recoiled, butRob sheathed his sword and walkedto meet the Empress. ‘It’s over,’ hesaid quietly, catching her as shestumbled. ‘Come, and I will healyou.’

Until that moment, CorbinBlackwing had been scarcelynoticeable at the back of theEmpress’s army, as he kneeled uponthe sand with his injured brothercradled in his arms. But it musthave dawned on him that Jasmine’sdefeat would be his own as well,

for now he lowered Byrne to thesand, rose – and changed into hisraven form. Before anyone couldstop him, he had taken flight.

Black against the darkness, hemade an almost impossible target.But as Corbin flapped past her, Periswung up her crossbow, and hershot clipped the raven’soutstretched wing. Forced out ofbird shape by the touch of iron, theBlackwing tumbled through the airand fell heavily onto the shale.

But even without magic Corbin’s

faery strength was formidable, andin an instant he was up and runningagain. Spells and arrows hurtledafter him as the rebels gave chase,but he dodged them easily. Heleaped onto the ramp that led awayfrom the beach, sprinting for the carpark and the open road beyond—

Then with three powerful thrustsof his hands Paul McCormick camewheeling down the ramp and threwhis arms around Corbin’s waist in aflying tackle. They hit the shingle ina flurry of limbs and a wild

spinning of wheels, and as Pauldrove his fist into Corbin’s jaw, themale faery went limp.

‘That’s for stabbing my wife,’Paul said coldly, pushing himself upon his hands as Wink ran down theramp after him and turned thewheelchair upright. He had barelyhauled himself back into the chairagain when Peri came runningacross the sand, leaped onto his lap,and kissed him so hard they nearlytipped over. They were stillembracing when Broch and Llinos

dragged Corbin to his feet and tookhim away.

Rhosmari did not wait to seewhat happened next. Her gaze onthe Children of Rhys still gatheredby the edge of the water, she handedthe bow back to Thorn, and walkedacross the beach to meet her mother.

‘But has the Empress not beenpunished already?’ Arianllys wasasking, as Rhosmari came up tothem. ‘Her power is gone, and shewill not live long in any case. To

leave her as she is now will surelybe justice enough.’

‘If any of us has the right todecide her fate, you do,’ repliedLady Celyn. ‘But for the sake of—’She stopped as Arianllys touchedher arm. Then slowly she turned,and her eyes met Rhosmari’s.

‘Mother,’ said Rhosmari, goingdown on one knee and bowing herhead. ‘I have disobeyed you, and Ihave put our people in great danger,and I have shed blood. I know I amnot worthy to return to the Green

Isles. But—’She never got the chance to finish

the sentence. Heedless of her finerobes and the other Elderswatching, Lady Celyn dropped tothe sand and pulled Rhosmari into atight embrace.

‘My daughter,’ she whispered.‘Oh, my daughter, you have sufferedso much, and all because of mypride. Forgive me, as I have alreadyforgiven you.’

Dazed, Rhosmari allowed hermother to lift her back to her feet.

Then Lord Gwylan came forward,and gripped her hand warmly.

‘If not for you, Rhosmari, wewould never have been preparedfor the Empress’s coming,’ saidGaran’s father. ‘Mallow gave yourmessage to Timothy, and Timothytold the Oakenfolk, and all yourhuman and faery friends journeyedhere together so that Queen Valeriancould bring the news to us in time.’

Valerian. Of course. Of all thefaeries, she was the one to whomthe Elders of the Children of Rhys

would be most likely to listen; shehad committed no violence andbetrayed no one’s trust, and herselfless commitment to her peoplecould not be denied. They hadrejected Timothy and Linden’spleas for help and abandoned Garanand his followers to exile, but noteven the strictest laws of the GreenIsles could keep them fromanswering Queen Valerian’s call.

‘I’m so sorry about Garan,’ saidRhosmari, swallowing past thelump in her throat. She understood

now what her mother had meant,when she said that Lady Arianllyshad the most right to decide theEmpress’s fate.

‘We will miss him very much,’Arianllys replied. ‘But I foresawthat he would die, and that the Stoneof Naming would be destroyed, onthe day he left the Green Isles. Still,I could not help praying that thevision had been false, and that youmight find a way to prevent it…butnow I know that it could not havehappened any other way.’ She

touched Rhosmari’s cheek. ‘I onlywish my son had lived to see hisdream of freeing all the Empress’sslaves fulfilled.’

Behind them, the Empress’s armysat exhausted on the sand, too weakto fight even if they had wished to.The faeries of the Oak had tossedtheir weapons into a pile upon therocks, and were watching themclosely. Peri stood tall and straightwith her crossbow slung across herback and an arm around each ofLinden and Timothy’s shoulders,

talking to Queen Valerian.And a little distance away stood

what remained of the Children ofRhys in exile, Broch and Llinos andsome thirty other young males,carrying themselves with brittledignity as they faced the familiesthey had left behind and the Elderswho had declared them traitors totheir own people. But Garan, withhis sea-green eyes and ready smile,was not among them, and neverwould be again.

‘So do I,’ said Rhosmari quietly.

‘This war is ended,’ said LadyCelyn, her gaze sweeping over thefaeries gathered upon the beach.Next to her, Jasmine stood betweentwo of the Council Guard insmouldering, impotent silence. ‘TheEmpress’s power is broken. Shewill be punished as her crimesdeserve, and so will those whowillingly aided her in her schemes.’

‘Punished?’ said Martin, his eyesnarrowing as he turned a pebbleover between his fingers. ‘Do youmean… executed?’

Of course, thought Rhosmari. Hehad good reason to be afraid ofwhat would happen to him –especially now that he knew that thestern-faced Elder before him wasRhosmari’s mother. A flicker ofsympathy went through her, and shewas about to reassure him whenLady Celyn spoke:

‘We do not deal in death, even inthe name of justice. Nor will wetorture, cripple or starve those wekeep prisoner. But prisoners theywill be, in cells warded and bound

with iron, in a place set far apartfrom all human or faery habitation.And from this there will be noescape.’

Martin nodded slowly. ‘I see,’ hesaid, and squared his shoulders, asthough preparing himself for hisfate. He walked over to standbeside the Empress, tossing thestone in his hand – then with a twistof his fingers he transformed thepebble to a silver dagger, andstabbed it into Jasmine’s heart.

The murder was so unexpected,

so brutally decisive, that for amoment the faeries around him weretoo shocked to move. Before anyonecould lay hands on him, Martinwhirled and brought the knife downa second time. Then he flashed intohis bird form, too swift and tiny foranyone to catch, and darted away.By the time Veronica toppled to thesand with Martin’s blade hilt-deepin her throat, he had vanished intothe night.

twenty-one

An hour later the beach was quietand clean as though the conflict hadnever taken place. The bodies ofJasmine and Veronica had beenremoved, and what remained of theEmpress’s army rounded up by Roband the rebels under his command.It would take some time todetermine which faeries hadfollowed Jasmine by choice, and

which had only been slaves – butjudging by the general lack ofmourning for the Empress, therewere far more of the latter than theformer.

Rhosmari stood with her motherupon the promontory, gazing out atthe ocean waves and the distant,shadowy shapes of the Green Isles.Small lights winked along theirshores and flickered among thewoods and slopes, as the Childrenof Rhys returned to theirhomesteads to reclaim what little

remained of the night.‘I saw Fioled, when the others

were leaving,’ she said. ‘I tried totalk to her. But she wouldn’t evenlook at me.’

Lady Celyn was silent.‘I can’t ever go back to the Green

Isles.’ Rhosmari searched hermother’s face, but without any realhope. ‘Can I.’

Celyn sighed. ‘I would that itwere otherwise,’ she said. ‘Youshot to wound, not to kill, and youdid so in a noble cause. But you did

shed blood, and in the eyes of manyof our people, that makes you nolonger a Child of Rhys.’

‘But not in yours?’She cupped Rhosmari’s face in

one hand, thumb gently strokingalong her cheek. ‘You are mydaughter,’ she said, ‘and I wouldsooner disown myself. When Ifound you in Gruffydd’s Way, andyou accused me of being just likethe Empress…’

Shame coursed throughRhosmari. ‘I should never have said

that. I was wrong.’‘You were more right than you

knew,’ replied her mother. ‘If yourwords had not pierced my heart andforced me to examine myself, Icould have become just like her.For I was born human, Rhosmari,and your grandfather, who diedtrying to make peace between twohumans who were quarrelling, washuman as well. And in my desire toprotect you from prejudice andviolence, I denied you that part ofyour heritage.’

Rhosmari stared at her mother,too astonished to speak. It seemedan almost inconceivable irony thatfor weeks she had struggled withmistrust and prejudice againsthumans, never knowing that she waspart human herself…

‘But your grandfather was anoble and compassionate man,’Lady Celyn told her. ‘Just as yourfather was. And I believe that bothof them would be proud of you.’She kissed Rhosmari’s brow. ‘Asam I.’

‘Will I ever see you again?’Rhosmari asked, blinking awaytears as her mother stepped back.‘Or is this goodbye?’

‘Our people are not quick tochange their ways,’ Celyn said.‘Yet change is coming, whether wewish it or not. Now that the Stone ofNaming has been destroyed, wemust decide how best to protectourselves without it: whether tokeep ourselves aloof and our truenames secret, or to follow the pathof trust that you and Timothy have

shown us. And the faeries of themainland will have to make thatsame decision as well.’

She drew a deep breath andcontinued, ‘I cannot be certain ofthe outcome before I have consultedwith the other Elders, but Gwylanand Arianllys and myself at leastare united in believing that youwould make a fine ambassador forour people, to keep us informed ofwhat is happening in the outsideworld. And perhaps, in your ownway, to bring to our fellow faeries a

little of the peace of Rhys.’‘You mean,’ said Rhosmari

slowly, ‘I can still visit the GreenIsles? Even if I can no longer livethere?’

‘Perhaps. As I said, I canpromise nothing as yet. But…’ Shetouched Rhosmari’s face again.‘Even if you cannot cross over tome, you can always call, and I willcome to you.’

Rhosmari put her hand over hermother’s. ‘I’d like that,’ she said.

‘What I still don’t understand,’ saidWink as the faeries of the Oakwatched the the Council Guardleading the shackled Blackwings,Bluebell, and other supporters ofthe Empress away, ‘is why Martindid it. I mean, none of us liked theEmpress, and I can’t even say I’msorry that she’s dead. But her powerwas gone already, so why kill her?’

Because of Lyn and Toby,thought Rhosmari, but she did notsay it. It would be hard to makeanyone else understand how much

that little theatre and its humanowners had meant to Martin, or howcruelly that venture – and thatfriendship – had ended.

‘I can think of one reason,’ saidTimothy. ‘If I could commandRhosmari even though I don’t haveany magic, then the Empress couldstill use her followers’ true namesto command them even once herown magic was gone. Martin musthave guessed that Jasmine wasplanning to bide her time until theChildren of Rhys thought she was

helpless, and then use thatadvantage to escape.’

‘Yes, but what about Veronica?’asked Campion. ‘Why would heturn on her?’

‘She was the Empress’s heir,’Rhosmari said. ‘Martin told meonce that he believed that theEmpress had already taughtVeronica the spell she used to bindher followers, and maybe some oftheir true names, as well. So if sheever escaped, she could havebecome just as dangerous as

Jasmine.’‘I suppose. But it was still

murder, the way he just…’ Winkshuddered at the memory. ‘And thenhe flew off like he didn’t even care.Doesn’t it seem wrong to you, thatanyone could do so many terriblethings, and still get away free?’

Rhosmari’s gaze turned to thehorizon, where the stars werebeginning to fade. ‘Free?’ sherepeated softly, as Timothy put hisarm around her shoulders and drewher against him. ‘No, I don’t really

think he is.’‘Regarding the power of true

names,’ said Queen Valerian, ‘LadyArianllys spoke with Campion alittle while ago on this matter, andtold her something that I think youall should hear. Campion?’

The Oak’s Librarian coloured asall the faeries turned to look at her,but she cleared her throat and spokeup. ‘Yes. It seems that in the mostancient lore of the Children of Rhys,written in the old faery languagefrom which all our true names are

taken, there is a passage which tellshow thousands of years ago thefaeries used to give their nameswillingly to their rulers as part oftheir oaths of service.’

‘There is no surprise in that,’said Broch, ignoring Thorn’s elbowin his side. ‘That was why theChildren of Rhys needed the Stoneof Naming in the first place, so theycould free themselves from thatbondage.’

‘But it was never meant to bebondage,’ Campion replied. ‘That’s

the surprising part. Originally, thefaeries surrendered their names totheir rulers – but only so the rulerscould then turn around and set themfree. Just like Timothy did withRhosmari tonight. It was neversupposed to be about controllingpeople, or forcing them to do thingsthey didn’t want to. It was meant tobe a gesture of trust.’

All the faeries were quiet,considering her words. At lastQueen Valerian said, ‘If we want tobe certain that no one like Jasmine

can ever rise among us again, wemay do well to renew that oldtradition. But I will not ask mysubjects to do anything that I am notwilling to do myself. So I ask youall to be my witnesses as I callforward the two I have chosen tohear my name: Wink – andPerianth.’

Peri, who was still sitting onPaul’s lap, got up abruptly. ‘YourMajesty?’ she said.

‘I can think of no one I wouldrather trust with my name than you,’

replied Valerian. ‘And no onewhom I am more certain will neverabuse it. You have sacrificed yourfreedom for ours long enough. Nowit is time for you, too, to be free.’She stretched out her hands,drawing Peri and the misty-eyedWink to her side; then she cupped ahand to each of their ears in turn,and whispered a few words toosoftly for anyone else to hear.

‘Oh,’ Wink burst out, gulpingwith emotion. ‘That’s the mostbeautiful name.’

Peri, however, had morepresence of mind. She faced theQueen and said in her brisk,measured voice, ‘Your Majesty, Iaccept the gift of your true name.And with that name I set you free.’Then she bent to one knee on thesand and said, ‘My name isPerianth.’

It was a ceremonial gesture,nothing more; they all knew her truename already, since now that shewas human it carried no specialpower. But now that Peri had set the

example, the faeries in the crowdbegan stepping tentatively forwardto do likewise. Thorn came first,followed by Linden and Campion;and then, with a visible effort ofcourage, Rob. One by one theywhispered their names in QueenValerian’s ear, bowed before her,and waited while she spoke thewords that would release them; andonce the other faeries saw that theQueen was setting them free withouthesitation, they quickly joined thequeue to do likewise. In the end

only Mallow hung back, lookingvery red in the face, and Rhosmariwondered what would happen if sherefused. But Queen Valerian onlygave her a slight, compassionatesmile, and began to turn away.

‘No,’ said Mallow hoarsely.‘Wait…Your Majesty.’

As the Chief Cook made her waythrough the crowd and kneeledbefore her Queen, Timothy sidledup to Rhosmari and took her hand.‘I noticed you didn’t give your nameto Valerian, either. Does that mean

I’m your ruler?’She flicked his palm lightly with

her fingers. ‘No, you tyrant, it doesnot. It means that if I’m going to bethe ambassador to the mainlandfrom the Green Isles, I shouldprobably be giving my allegiance tothe Elders instead. If they’ll let me.’

‘What an interesting idea,’ saidTimothy. ‘Do you know, when I metLinden, she’d just been appointedas the Oakenfolk’s ambassador tothe faeries beyond the Oak. Butwho’s the ambassador to the faeries

from the human world? Do youthink there’s an opening for thepost?’

Rhosmari smiled and leaned herhead against his shoulder. ‘If thereis,’ she said, ‘I think you’requalified.’

acknowledgements

I am grateful to my lovely andinsightful editor, Sarah Lilly, andall the enthusiastic staff at OrchardBooks UK; and to my agents, Joshand Tracey Adams (in the US) andCaroline Walsh (in the UK).

My deepest thankfulness andappreciation also go to my brotherPete Anderson and my fellowauthor Deva Fagan, who faithfullyread each chapter of this book as it

was written, shared their thoughtson how it was progressing, andgave me the courage to believe thatit might actually be a good story; aswell as to my second-round criticsSaundra Mitchell, Kerrie Mills,Brittany Harrison, Liz Barr, ErinFitzgerald, and James Bow, whohelped me figure out whereRhosmari’s story wasn’t quite rightand how to make it better.

As always, there are a millionlittle details of research andinspiration that go into making up a

book. Liz de Jager was kind enoughto share with me her holiday photosfrom Wales. Emily advised me onthe finer points of Welshnomenclature, as did Helen Halland the other helpful members ofdysgu_cymraeg on LiveJournal.Claire Margerison helped me find anew name for my fictional pug, andClaudia Gray inspired me to putpugs in my books in the first place.Many kind members of thelittle_details community counselledme on matters of archery, along

with honeysucklebowyer, Markus77and CraigMBeckett from thePrimitive Bows forum onPaleoPlanet. But these are only afew of many who helped me alongthe way, and I am grateful to youall.

Finally, I want to thank the fanswho wrote to express theirenthusiasm for the previous twofaery books and ask if there wouldbe another one – hearing from myreaders is always a pleasure, andI’m honoured that you take the time

not only to read my books but to letme know how you feel about them.This story is for you, too.

R.J. Anderson, 2011

About the Author

Rebecca Anderson was born inUganda, raised in Ontario, went toschoolin New Jersey, and has spentmuch of her life dreaming of otherworlds entirely.

As a child she immersed herself infairy tales, mythology, and theworks of C.S. Lewis, J.R.R.Tolkien and E. Nesbit; later shediscovered more contemporary

authors like Ursula LeGuin, PatriciaA. McKillip and Robin McKinley,and learned to take as muchpleasure from their language as thestories they told.

Now married and the mother ofthree young sons, Rebecca reads toher children the classic works offantasy and science fiction thatenlivened her own childhood, andtries to bring a similar sense ofhumour, adventure, and timelesswonder to the novels she writes for

children.

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Read on for an exclusive extract ofULTRAVIOLET…

zero (is translucent)

Once upon a time there was a girlwho was special. Her hair gleamedlike liquid honey and her eyeswere blue as music. She grew upbright and beautiful, with cleverhands and a confidence thatimpressed everyone she met. Herparents adored her, her teacherspraised her, and her schoolmatesenvied her many talents. Even theoddly shaped birthmark on herupper arm seemed like a sign of

some great destiny.This is not her story.Unless you count the part where

I killed her.

one (is red)

When I woke up this morning, I feltlike myself again. The fluorescentlights didn’t freeze my skin. Peoplehad voices, instead of barks androars. I washed my face, andbrushed the tangles out of my hair.I felt good for a whole ten minutes,and then I remembered.

Dear God, what have I done?

My first glimpse of Pine Hills camethrough a lattice of evergreen

boughs and the orange haze ofmigraine. The van bumped along theforest road, loose stones poppingbeneath its tires, while I pressed theside of my face against the windowand breathed shallowly. Thensomething pale flashed at the cornerof my vision, and I struggled uprightfor a better look.

The whiteness turned out to be asign, with embossed letters thatshifted into rainbow hues as Isquinted at them: PINE HILLSPSYCHIATRIC TREATMENT

CENTRE. A line of complacentlylooped script beneath readBringing Hope to Youth in Crisis.

Beyond the sign, a cluster ofinstitutional buildings sidled intoview. At first they looked separate,a peak-roofed longhousesurrounded by cabins; but as wedrove closer I saw that they wereall connected, like a hydra in theprocess of budding. In front of thehospital the trees surrendered tograss and asphalt, and behind it theforest recoiled from a clearing

enclosed by chain-link fence. As thevan edged past I saw a girl pacingaround the courtyard, all skinnylimbs and hair like a splatter of ink,talking and gesturing wildly withher cigarette.

There was no one with her.I put a hand to my forehead,

flinching as my handcuffs clinkedand starbursts filled my vision. Thiswas not happening to me. I didn’tbelong here. I wanted to hurl myselfat the driver, rattle the bars betweenus and cry, There’s been a mistake,

you don’t understand, take mehome.

But that would only make melook every bit as crazy as everyonethought I was. So I squeezed thepanic down inside me, forced thelid back on and snapped it tight.

Calm, Alison. Whatever happensfrom now on, you have to staycalm.

The van slowed to a stop, and theside door rumbled open. Humid,pine-flavoured air washed over me,to the tune of droning cicadas and

the liquid burble of a chickadee. Istepped out into the grip of mypolice escort, who marched meacross the asphalt to a door at theside of the building. It growledopen at our approach, and closedbehind us with a steely click.

As the officer took out his keyand fumbled with the cuffs on mywrists I looked around, shivering alittle in the air-conditioned chill. Atfirst glance the room looked like adentist’s office, with plaque-coloured walls and wintergreen

furniture. But the sofa bled stuffingfrom a gash in its side, while thechairs and table looked as thoughthey’d been flung across the room atleast once before anyone thought tobolt them to the floor. The wallbeside the reception desk had a dentin it the shape of a size twelverunning shoe. I hoped I wasn’t aboutto meet that shoe’s owner.

My handcuffs snapped open. Theconstable pocketed them, signed aclipboard handed to him by one ofthe nurses, then shouldered back out

the door. I was left alone with thetwo women behind the desk, whosized me up as though I were a timebomb. At last the smaller one said,in a cheerful voice soured byinsincerity, ‘Alison Jeffries, right?’

I nodded gingerly. Thescintillating patterns behind my eyeswere shifting from peach totangerine, and my head felt asthough it had been clamped in avice.

‘OK. I’ve got some forms herewe’ll need to fill out…’

Over the next few minutes theytook from me my name, my history,and everything I owned except,unfortunately, my headache. I wassearched with clinicalthoroughness, and my clothing andshoes locked away. Even the scentof the world outside vanished frommy skin as I showered and changedinto the shapeless pyjamas they’dgiven me.

Feeling like a damp scarecrow, Ishuffled out to be met by the tallernurse, who escorted me down the

hallway to an examination room.There a lanky physician looked meover from crown to soles andseveral humiliating places inbetween. He took my bloodpressure, and looked grave when Itold him I had a migraine. He gaveme two blue pills and a seat in adarkened corner, and I was stillsitting there when the door openedand another white-coat came in. Ilooked up, into the muddy hazeleyes of the nicest man I would everlearn to hate.

‘Hello, Alison,’ he said. ‘I’m DrMinta.’

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