Arlen shrugged. ‘Won’t lie and say I’m not thinking the same, but what else can we do? Got scouts all over the county with flamework. They put up a signal and I can be there before the rockets burn out. Till then …’

‘We guard the weak spot,’ Gared said.

Arlen looked at the Haveners, many of them too young or too old to be much help in pitched battle, nonetheless standing with spears and hastily warded shields, ready to defend their new home. Others were ready in bucket lines to douse fires, and even as the sun set, the strongest men continued to bend their backs in the dirt, every shovelful they added to the ramparts strengthening the greatward.

There was a hush as the sun finally dipped beneath the horizon, sending a sweeping blanket of darkness over the land. The streets of Newhaven began to glow softly as the greatward began to Draw upon the power venting from the Core. It was easy enough to see in town, but the gloom crept right up to the border.

‘The corespawn could be rising right in front of us and we’d never know,’ Gamon said.

Gared shook his head. ‘They ent. Leesha warded up my helmet special to see in the dark. Can’t make heads or hinds of most of what I see, but demons glow like torches. They were there, I’d see ’em.’ Rojer nodded, his new mask telling him much the same.

‘Takes getting used to,’ Renna said, ‘but you’re right. Ent no demons close by.’

‘Maybe they ent comin’ this month,’ Evin ventured, but just then Shadow let out a low growl, and Arlen could see the fear creep into the auras of his companions. All save Renna, whose aura became eager – hungry.

‘They’re out there,’ she said, ‘but not close. Can smell ’em.’

‘They are weakest during the rising,’ Captain Gamon said. ‘It makes sense for them to rise out of range of our bows.’

Arlen nodded, though it gave him no comfort. He took a deep breath, Drawing a touch of magic from beyond his field of vision, tasting it. There were indeed demons massing in the distance. More than he had ever sensed in one place, but still less than expected.

A moment later the sounds of splintered trees and torn soil began to sound for all to hear. ‘They’re coming!’ someone shouted. The Haveners grew fearful, gripping their weapons and peering vainly into the darkness. Some lost their nerve entirely, fleeing for their homes and locking the doors … for all the good it would do.

‘Deserting traitors!’ Gamon growled. ‘I should …’

‘You should close your mouth and keep your eyes in front,’ Arlen said. ‘Fighting’s your job. These are just scared folk. Won’t help anyone to turn on our own with demons at the wards.’

The captain managed to keep his outward composure, but his aura showed outrage at being scolded by a commoner he – and many of the count’s most trusted advisors – believed was a threat to his master’s rule. Arlen had no desire to stoke that fire, but needed to make sure Gamon – and his men – knew their place. The captain’s aura said he would do his duty and obey. For now, that was enough.

‘Should we send out the signal?’ the captain asked.

Arlen shook his head. ‘Not yet. Could be a trick.’

The cacophony grew louder, becoming an ever-present background roar, much like the inside of a noisy tavern. It went on for some time, but still no demons approached. Rojer, Gared, and Renna leaned forward, straining their wardsight, but even Arlen could see no sign of their glow.

Are they using magic to mask their approach?

‘Wish they’d just attack and have done.’ The sound had grown so loud Rojer had to shout to be heard.

‘Just trying to rattle us,’ Gared said.

‘It’s working,’ Rojer said.

‘Keep calm.’ Arlen drew a ward so the words were clear without being shouted. The others relaxed slightly at his tone. He wished it was as simple to ease the writhing in his own gut.

His nostrils flared, catching an acrid scent. Moments later, smoke began to drift from the woods, choking the defenders and fogging their vision as it reflected a growing orange light from within the trees. Even Arlen’s wardsight became muddled and blurry.

‘Tryin’ to smoke us out?’ Gared coughed.

‘More likely cover for an attack,’ Gamon said.

Arlen said nothing as he Drew again, sensing a small number of flame demons approaching through the smoke, gleefully setting everything in their path alight.

Normally, wood demons would keep the flame demons in check, killing any that entered the forest. Under the influence of a mind, though, wood drones would instantly yield their territory, leaving the flame demons to create a blaze that could kill half the Hollow without the demons having to lift a talon.

Firespit could not penetrate the greatward, and there were firebreaks along the border against the non-magical fires it kindled in the heavily wooded area, but no warding could protect the Haveners from choking to death on the smoke.

‘Gared’s right.’ Arlen searched the sky, but there were no other signs of smoke. ‘They’re doing it here, because the wind’s right.

‘Ready bows!’ Arlen cried. The Haveners quickly complied. After living off the land for so long, most of the Hollowers could shoot, and many were skilled hunters. So many, in fact, that there hadn’t been enough warded arrows to go around. The smiths used moulds now, but could still only make them so quickly. In the end, each archer had been given a mere three warded arrowheads. Some had copied the symbols onto the heads of the rest of the arrows in their quivers, but the Hollowers’ warding skills varied widely. Arlen expected less than half of them would even work, and those that did at less than half strength.

Every shot had to count.

Yon, Evin, and the Wooden Soldiers dismounted, stringing their bows as well. They carried full warded quivers, with more arrows on their mounts. All were expert shots, but even their skill was useless in the smoke and darkness.

Arlen sketched wards of sound, making his voice carry all along the border. ‘Asking folk to trust me. Need to kill the flame demons out there before they choke us to death.’

He paused. ‘And that means stepping off the greatward and into the smoke. Everyone make sure your mind wards are in place, and your best arrows nocked.’

‘No ripping way!’ one man cried. Most of the Haveners echoed his sentiment. Their collective aura flared with fear.

Surprisingly, it was Gared who stepped in. ‘Din’t have no greatward in the Battle of Cutter’s Hollow!’ the giant Cutter boomed. ‘We start hidin’ behind them now, Hollow’s already lost. You want to fight for your homes, it means steppin’ out into the naked night! Otherwise, go hide in yur beds and wait to get et!’

Arlen smiled as the fear in the crowd’s aura began a shift to determination. He looked to Gared, filled with fanatical trust in Arlen. ‘Thank you, General. Couldn’t have said it better myself.’ Gared’s aura … blushed.

‘Need you to lead them out, Gar,’ he said. ‘I’ve a card up my sleeve, but ironically, I need to be standing on the greatward to play it.’

‘I-what-ically?’ Gared asked. Then he shook his head, the confusion in his aura vanishing. ‘Dun’t matter. You say march into the Core, I’ll do it double-time.’