“That’s not right,” said Donal. “Is it?”

  Soli stood in silence, watching the comet.

  “I’ve never seen one that large in the sky.”

  Soli didn’t respond.

  A buzzing sound grew from somewhere nearby. It was loud enough to snatch Soli’s attention away from the blue streak in the sky. It was a sound familiar to both of them. They scanned the surrounding area, trying to hone in on its location. The sun had long set, and the moonlight was no help in their endeavour.

  Then, as if from nowhere, a small cloud of beetles flitted overhead. Its flight path was arrow-straight. The entire flock of beetles flew in the direction of the Citadel.

  “Oh, something’s happening,” said Donal.

  Soli was looking back and forth, trying to extrapolate where the beetles had flown from.

  “Think it’s something to do with that?” Donal pointed towards the comet. “I think it’s something to do with that. It’s not good.”

  “They came from Schadbane,” said Soli.

  Donal seemed to shrink. “It’s not good.”

  Soli thought for a moment then strode forward. “Come on,” she said.

  “You want to carry on? Doesn’t seem right. We should go back and —”

  “Do you want to do something worthwhile, or do you want to hide away and let the Guard mess it up?”

  “They’re not all bad. If something’s happening, they will deal with it. But Schadbane… It can’t be good. We should be there to help out.”

  Soli pointed to the sky. “They going to deal with that?”

  “Are we? Seriously, what is the plan, Soli? It’s one thing playing detective, earning some brownie points. With whatever’s going on… A cloud of beetles like that must be serious. It’s a cry for help.”

  “And they’ll get it.” Soli handed her telescope to Donal, “Look.”

  He held it to his eye. There on the ridge stood two figures around a fire.

  “Ok. They seem like bad news. What are they up to? We don’t know. Could just be camping,” said Donal.

  “Look at the tree.”

  Donal aimed the telescope at the tree.

  “That one has been up there the whole time.”

  “It’s weird, but so what?”

  “They’re not just sitting there. Look! They’re reaching out. Their arms are reaching towards the sky.”

  “Towards the comet.” Donal lowered the telescope. His brow furrowed.

  “Remember their talk of dropping pebbles?”

  “They can’t just sit in a tree and somehow influence the course of a comet. It’s impossible. And, even if it was possible, what would be the point?”

  “To make ripples,” said Soli.

  The sound of movement in the long grass nearby interrupted their conversation. Soli adopted a ready stance, preparing to run or fight, depending on what the situation presented. Donal stood, loose-jawed and staring, as though his brain was overloaded with information and was struggling to process it. He could not give his full attention to things like movement and rational thought.

  A body stumbled out of the grass and crashed to its knees with a pained gasp. A hand clutched one leg. The moon glistened on the blood emerging from between the fingers.

  Donal regained the use of his faculties and approached the injured man.

  “Do you need help?” he asked, making the question sound even more pointless than it actually was. “What happened to you?”

  No sooner had he said the words than the swarm of messenger beetles returned to mind. A swarm that had flown from roughly the same direction that this stranger had appeared from.

  “He’s from Schadbane,” Donal called to Soli, who hadn’t moved. She stood and stared at the injured man on his knees in the dirt. “There must have been an escape.”

  The man pushed himself up onto his feet. With trembling legs, the effort was clearly significant.

  “Stay where you are.” All other thoughts had left Donal’s mind. With eyes trained on the prisoner, Donal spoke to Soli. “Give me a hand. We can take him back.”

  “You’d be quite the heroes,” said the prisoner. “But that will not happen.”

  “Quiet!” said Donal. He looked at Soli: unmoved, her face a slab of slate. “We can do this together.”

  “Don’t be so sure.”

  “I said quiet!”

  Soli remained statue still, her eyes glued to the face of the injured man.

  “What’s wrong?” said Donal.

  No reply.

  Soli stared at the prisoner with the same intensity she had shown in the barracks after their soaking.

  Donal gave her some more time - still nothing. He pulled down on his tunic and stood straight. “I’ll do it myself, then.”

  “You’ll die,” said the prisoner.

  Donal’s voice shook, “I am a member of the Royal Guard—”

  “You are a cadet. Even a guard would have to think twice before trying to drag me back to that place. I won’t go.”

  “D-don’t try to intimidate me. You don’t know what I’m capable of. And, anyway, which one of us is bleeding heavily from their leg?”

  “An injured animal is often the most dangerous.”

  Donal attempted to maintain an air of authority, sidling up to Soli. “We’re Royal Cadets, soon to be guards. It’s our duty to apprehend an escaped prisoner,” the whisper hissed through gritted teeth.

  “I agree,” said Soli.

  “So help me.”

  “I can’t.”

  Donal’s frustration was turning to anger. “We have an opportunity right in front of us, and you’re more concerned about potential witchy goings-on and the absurd notion that some old maid up a tree can manipulate the heavens.”

  “Donal, I can’t help you.”

  The air of authority evaporated as Donal booted a stone into the long grass.

  “Right! That’s it then.” Without realising, he strayed closer to the prisoner than he meant to. The prisoner swiped at him with his free hand as a cat would a mouse, a grin on his face. Donal hopped clear and offered a firm finger wag in riposte.

  “You enjoy your freedom for a little while longer. I am going to find others to help me, and we’ll track you down and drag you back to Schadbane.”

  “The best of luck to you,” the prisoner replied.

  Donal turned to Soli. “I thought you were better than this.” And with that, giving the prisoner a wide berth, he ran back down the track towards the Citadel.

  The prisoner rose, with care, and turned to face Soli. This was a face that she knew well, albeit older and more worn than she remembered - the face of Viele Ellard.

  “Thank you, Solitaire,” he said.

  Soli stared daggers.

  “How is your mother?”

  Everything fell into shadow. Only Soli and Viele remained, within an endless sea, blacker than a moonless night. A harpie’s screech tore past gnashing teeth as Soli lunged forward. Her hands transformed into claws. Soli felt skin rip and flesh tear. She tasted blood as her eyes rolled back in savage ecstasy.

  Viele stood patiently waiting for Soli to reply. But she just stood and stared, her hands clenched at her side. Then, after a moment, she simply turned and walked away.

  “The uniform suits you,” said Viele.

  He got no response.

  Viele’s face dropped for a moment before a smile slowly developed in one corner of his mouth. He sat down with care and tended to his wounded leg, no longer interested in either cadet.

  Soli continued alone towards the ridge.

  ***

  Elfbones awoke, nostrils full of the dry scent of smoke. The familiar dance of firelight pushed past his eyelids. Opening his eyes, he found himself standing in a field of waist-high grass. His waking brain struggled for a moment to recall how and where he had fallen asleep. He remembered the tree beside the track leading away from Schadbane. It was nowhere to be seen. He had sleepwalked again. This often happened - particularly when he was stressed - but there was usually a bedroom door to confound his unconscious travels. Here in the open country, there was nothing to limit the extent of his wandering.

  Several yards ahead, a little way past where the long grass became short and scrubby, there was a fire. A sizeable fire, a bonfire - built to last throughout the long night. The fire’s light was overwhelming. It reduced everything around it to silhouette and shadow. Elfbones shaded his bleary eyes from the blaze. A ramshackle old shack materialised behind the fire. Its door hung open on a single hinge, windows buckled under the weight of their old age and gave the impression of a frowning face. There was a familiarity to the shack that drew Elfbones’ gaze across the fire and beyond. He prayed he was wrong. Maybe he was still dreaming. A pinch put paid to that idea. No, there it was - a stone’s throw from where he stood - the tree near the shack up on the ridge. The same black, leafless tree. And there, sitting within the branches, the same figure. Their back was to Elfbones, head tilted upwards, one arm outstretched towards the sky.

  A hand grabbed Elfbones by the arm and yanked him down into the long grass.

  “What are you doing?” asked Soli, her voice harsh but low.

  Elfbones pulled free of her grasp. “I don’t know, I just woke up here.”

  “You woke up here? How do you—?”

  “I sleepwalk, alright? I went to sleep in a tree and now I’m here.”

  “Does that sort of thing happen to you often?”

  “I rarely sleep in a tree.”

  The light from the sky and the fire threw blades of shadow across Soli’s face, but Elfbones recognised her. There was a look of recognition in Soli’s eyes as well.

  “Is there anyone left in Schadbane tonight?”

  “Listen, I got out of there fair and square. I’m a free man,” said Elfbones.

  Soli sighed. “I couldn’t care less.” Her hand parted the grass to get a better look at the tree.

  “I think I’ve seen them before.”

  Soli nodded. “There are two others. They dress like nuns, but they’re not nuns. Haven’t seen the other two in a while. Might be in the shack.”

  Elfbones’ blood froze. “Oh god! Do you think they saw me?”

  “If they did, they are clearly not bothered.”

  A mixture of relief and dejection flowed over Elfbones. It must have shown on his face.

  “I mean, they would have come for you, right? You could be a threat to their plan,” said Soli. “Or they just didn’t see you.”

  Elfbones felt comforted by this, but only for a moment. “What is their plan?”

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  “Look, the one in the tree, it’s holding something. And it’s pointing it up at that comet.”

  The comet seemed to hang directly overhead.

  “It’s been getting bigger and bigger these past couple of days. All the while that thing is sitting in that tree beckoning to it,” said Soli. “If it’s getting bigger, it’s getting closer.”

  “No… You don’t think…?” Elfbones stared up at the comet. “How is that possible?”

  “Not a clue. But I think they’re trying to bring that thing down. Maybe crash it into town. I’m not about to let that happen.”

  Elfbones’ heart was pounding. Fully awake now, for the first time in a while he felt like he had a purpose.

  “Ok, I’m with you. We just need to formulate a strategy—”

  “Formulate a…” Soli’s eyes rolled. “We go over, grab it by the foot, and pull it out of the tree.”

  “You think that will stop it?” asked Elfbones.

  Soli shrugged. “If not, we’ll try something else. We keep trying until something works.”

  The look in Soli’s eyes at that moment gave Elfbones pause - far too eager.

  “What if it does something to you - something unnatural?”

  “Unnatural?” said Soli.

  “I don’t know. It could turn you inside-out, or shrink your head. It’s influencing the course of a comet from miles away. Who knows what else it can do?”

  “It’s possible it could do those things.” Soli and Elfbones both jumped at the sound of the voice. It came from a woman lying on her belly next to them, watching the tree. She was in her fifties with unkempt hair, roughly tied back out of her face. The clothing she wore was unusual. Grey overalls - scuffed and stained, well lived-in. “What power it wields is strong here. As evidenced by the growing blue ball in the sky.”

  “Who are you?” asked Elfbones.

  Soli mentally berated herself for allowing someone to sneak up on them. “Where did you come from?”

  “You weren’t exactly keeping quiet. Anyone could have snuck up on you,” said the woman.

  This lit a fire inside Soli.

  “My name is Constance.” She held out a hand, which Soli ignored. Elfbones shook it awkwardly.

  “You know this thing? You know what it’s doing?” asked Soli.

  “I’ve only had the briefest of dealings with her and her sisters. What they’re doing is blatantly obvious, wouldn’t you agree?”

  Soli’s cheeks burned red. From embarrassment or anger, it was hard to tell.

  “Look at her hand - the one she holds highest.” Soli and Elfbones looked.

  “She’s holding something,” said Elfbones.

  “That’s what’s doing this. Without that, she has no more power than you or me,” said Constance. “You want to stop the comet crashing down on that town? You get that stone out of her hand.”

  “Right,” said Soli, readying herself.

  “Why do they want to bring the comet down. There’s a town right there. They could destroy it. Why kill all of those people?” asked Elfbones.

  “They don’t care about what they do, only the results of their actions. They crave chaos. They worship it. If they could create chaos by feeding the starving or healing the lame, they would,” said the woman.

  “They’re mad,” said Elfbones.

  “It doesn’t matter what they are, only that we stop them,” said Soli.

  “That’s the spirit,” said Constance. “Between us, we should be able to bring that one down, but be on the lookout for her sisters.”

  “I’m fairly sure that they are in the shack,” said Soli.

  “Odd that they wouldn’t be out here to witness this. It’s good news for us - improves the odds,” said Constance.

  “They might be looking after the baby,” said Soli.

  The woman’s face drained of all colour. “You saw the baby?”

  “Briefly,” replied Soli. “When I first got here, one of the sisters was out walking with a baby, watching the comet. But I lost sight of them and haven’t seen them since.”

  “What did it look like?” said the woman.

  “Like a baby,” said Soli. “Round head, smooth skin. Why?”

  “The baby’s skin, what colour?”

  “It was white, really pale,” said Soli. “I thought it might be ill, jaundiced. Its eyes were kind of yellow.”

  “My god! Its eyes were open?” said Constance.

  “I’m pretty sure… Yeah, they were open.” Soli exchanged a worried look with Elfbones.

  The woman let out an exasperated breath. “We need that stone. Get the stone, stop the comet. Got that?” Elfbones and Soli nodded. “But we’ve got to do it without alerting the two in the shack.”

  “What?” said Soli.

  “They see or hear us, they will escape with the baby.”

  “Whose baby is it. I’m assuming it’s not theirs,” said Elfbones.

  Constance nodded.

  “Is it yours?”

  “No, not really,” said Constance.

  “Well, whoever’s it is, surely the most urgent matter is preventing a comet from smashing into the town over there.”

  “The baby is of the utmost importance! Even more so than the fate of that town and all of its inhabitants,” said Constance, “We must rescue it. In fact, we should do that first.” Constance winced. “Ah! But then the other one might get away with the stone.”

  “This is wasting time,” said Soli. “You clearly have issues. I have family in Riiktigendslig. I’m going to stop the town from being destroyed.”

  “Ok, ok. You go for the stone. I’ll go for the baby,” said Constance.

  “I would advise against it.” Behind Constance a frozen wooden face pushed through the long grass. A hard, rough hand grabbed Constance by the throat. As the masked sister rose up, she lifted her off the ground with ease.

  Elfbones turned to Soli for help, but Soli was gone - running towards the tree.

  Constance grabbed at the sister’s wrist. Then her hand - anything that might help to pry open the grip around her throat. It was like trying to uproot a tree. Her lungs were on fire and a fog fell across her eyes. She was aware of a shape beside her, throwing itself against the sister and shouting. The shadows of the world pooled around her, yet the sister’s masked face was in sharp focus, floating, anchored in the space. Its mirror image appeared in the near distance, then vanished into the growing void. All strength left the woman. Her arms and legs wanted to thrash out and break that mask and the face behind it, but they hung limp and useless.

  As the mask faded away, it did something that surprised the woman - it roared. A ferocious roar that rumbled like thunder then transitioned into a piercing shriek.

  Constance felt the ground come up to meet her. The impact knocked what little air was in her lungs out. A fresh intake desperately filled them and her head felt ready to explode.

  “Are you OK?” Elfbones was kneeling over the woman. She was taking full advantage of her regained ability to breathe.

  The world was coming back into focus. There was the fire, beyond that the shack. She sat up to see over the grass. Her attacker was rushing towards the tree. There, Soli and the other sister were grappling amongst the branches. The sister was attempting to fend Soli off with one arm, the other held away from her attacker. This hand held the stone and, as the pair tussled, it waved this way and that.

  Something in the sky above caught Elfbones' attention. The comet, which was growing larger by the second. It was jittering and spinning on its axis, as though confused about which direction to travel in. The blue halo that surrounded it had grown outwards in all directions. Wispy strands trying to escape the comet’s fate.

  “There’s barely any time. We have to get the stone out of her hand,” said Constance.

  Things were getting worse for Soli. The second sister had climbed up the trunk of the tree and grabbed her ankle. Soli screamed in anguish. Without even thinking, Elfbones grabbed a piece of wood that had fallen out of the fire and dashed to help.

  He waved the wood, its tip alight with flames, at the second sister.

  “Leave her alone!” The sister didn’t flinch. Instead, climbing higher and positioning herself firmly amongst the branches. She then pulled Soli towards her.

  Elfbones struggled to climb the trunk of the tree, flaming torch in hand.

  Soli attempted to free herself from the sister’s grip by kicking her hard in the face. The sister, unfazed, took hold of her other leg.

  The first sister had recovered from Soli’s attack and was once more coaxing the comet. Its erratic movements calmed as her arms swept out smooth arcs from the approaching comet to the nearby town.

  “Stop her!” Soli called out to Elfbones. She motioned towards the torch. “Get her! Get her! Quick!”

  Constance had taken this time to search the shack for the third sister and the baby. She emerged from the doorway with a look of desperation, eyes scouring the area. Looking towards the mountain pass, she stopped.

  “The baby!” she called, giving chase to a figure fading into the shadows of the pass. “She’s getting away with the baby!”

  This was enough of a distraction for Elfbones to lose his footing. He caught a low branch under his arm. In doing so, the torch fell against the second sister’s robe, which caught alight. She immediately released Soli and batted the torch away, which flew through the branches and landed on the first sister. The sister immediately burst into flames and let out a shrill shriek as she tried to free herself from her burning robe. The robe caught on the branches of the tree. The same branches that she had wedged herself into to beckon the comet now held her like a clawed hand. The fire grew and spread to the branches. The sister’s arms flailed in desperation.

  Elfbones and Soli dropped to the ground. Lying winded on their backs, they saw the comet’s roiling halo spit and pop and grow more and more intense. Each snap of the sister’s hand back and forth was like a giant slap to the face of the comet. It reeled and span in response.

  Then something flew from the tree. The sister had lost grip of the stone and it flew free, smashing through the one remaining glazed window of the shack.

  Soli and Elfbones sprung to their feet and ran to the shack. As they did, a mighty crack rang out in the sky above. The comet had entered the atmosphere and was breaking apart. Blue streaks arced through the sky, but the comet’s main body was still, for the most part, intact. Something had changed, though. It was moving across the sky, away from Riiktigendslig. As the stone flew from the tree, it had affected the comet’s trajectory. It was now roaring through the sky overhead toward the mountains.

  Soli was the first to the shack. It was dark and empty, except for a small table and chair. Elfbones was close behind. He looked around the shack. “She ran off.”

  “Probably ran after the other one,” said Soli. “Help me find that stone.”

  “We could have died.”

  Soli shrugged, “We didn’t, though. Now, are you going to help me? This thing is powerful. I don’t want any of these masked weirdos getting hold of it again.”

  The pair felt their way around the shack floor in the dark. A single shaft of moonlight fell through the broken window. The moon was low in the sky and only illuminated the walls.

  Pieces of the comet broke off and exploded overhead. As they did, brief flashes of blue light jumped through holes in the roof, aiding their search.

  A sound like an avalanche built and built until it appeared it couldn’t get any louder. Then it continued to build. Dust fell from every surface as the shack trembled. The table and chair danced about.

  Elfbones ran hands across the dry wooden floor in a blind search for the stone.

  Outside, pieces of the comet were making their way to the ground. They threw up clouds of earth, silhouetted by a ferocious burst of blue-white light.

  One of these pieces crashed through the back corner of the shack. Despite the force of the impact, the shack showed surprising fortitude. Though it had lost some support, it stood firm, but with a slight lean to one side. Blue flames licked at its walls and began to spread.

  Elfbones and Soli shook off the debris from the explosion, their ears ringing. Soli’s mouth was moving, but Elfbones couldn’t hear what she was saying. A dull, whooshing sound filled his ears, then receded. There was a moment of complete silence, followed by an almighty boom.

  “That came from the mountains. Beyond the mountains,” said Soli.

  Elfbones tried to orient himself. “Yeah. Yeah, you’re right. It didn’t hit the town…. That was the comet, right?”

  “Must have been,” said Soli, looking at the spreading fire. “We should get out of here.”

  “You’ll get no argument from me,” said Elfbones, pushing himself to his feet. As he did so, his foot knocked against something. There, in the blue firelight, sat the stone they had been looking for. It was an unusual stone - spherical and completely smooth. It’s surface had an iridescent quality that bloomed and waned in the shifting light of the fire. Elfbones picked it up. It seemed so trivial now that the comet was no longer a threat. And, for that moment, Elfbones forgot the power that it had given the sisters. He held it up to Soli and laughed. “Look what I found.” But Soli didn’t respond. She was looking past him, her face grim.

  Elfbones turned to see the second sister standing in the doorway. Smoke rose from tattered robes. The pair backed into a corner, with very few options for escape. But Elfbones wasn’t thinking about that. Not yet. His mind froze in fear. The second sister was staring at him, her masked face pointing at him and him alone. Not Soli, not the stone. Elfbones. And, even worse, the mask had changed. What was once flat, expressionless, and smooth was now gnarled and twisted. It was a visage of pure rage and aimed at Elfbones.

  “You killed my sister!” her voice rasped.

  Elfbones’ mouth opened and closed, but no words came out. Without thinking, he slipped the stone into his pocket. It didn’t go unnoticed.

  “Give that to me,” said the sister.

  “Technically speaking, you killed your sister,” said Soli. The sister, shaking with rage, shifted her stare to Soli.

  “How dare you—”

  “He wasn’t the one who threw a flaming torch at her,” Soli continued.

  “It was his torch!”

  “That you flung at your sister.”

  “Yeah!” added Elfbones, feeling a temporary boost of confidence. It receded as he once again became the focus of the sister’s horrifying stare.

  The blue flames continued to spread. Three of the shack’s four walls were alight.

  “You were burning me. I batted the torch away. It was self-defence!” said the sister.

  “Maybe,” said Soli.

  The sister took a step forward. “Maybe?”

  Soli stood her ground. Not a hint of fear showed on her face. Elfbones admired the bravery, but their predicament was perilous. He wondered why she would risk antagonising the sister. A glance about clued him into what she was doing. Every escape route - the broken window, the hole in the back wall where the comet fragment had hit - all engulfed in flame. The only way out now was through the front door where the sister was standing.

  “I think you saw an opportunity,” Soli flicked the briefest of looks at Elfbones, “and you took it. But the guilt has driven you to lay the blame on us.”

  “You are to blame! Murderers!”

  “We didn’t murder anyone,” said Soli.

  The sister’s voice grew louder and more furious. “You killed my sister!”

  “You’re in denial.”

  The sister screeched like a wild animal. “You—”

  Elfbones readied himself.

  “If you want to see who murdered your sister…”

  “I’m going to—”

  The flames licked the front wall of the shack.

  “…just look in a mirror.”

  The sister froze. No sound came from her. She had stopped shaking. She was as still as an arrow held in a bow. Then she sprang forward with hands reaching for Soli. But her robe caught on a bent nail protruding from the floor, stopping her in her tracks.

  Elfbones stumbled a little from the weight of anticipation for a chance to flee. The sister still blocked his way.

  She tore at the tattered robe holding her back. She ripped it from her body and flung it to one side. The true nature of the sisters confronted Elfbones and Soli. What they had assumed was a mask was actually the sister’s face. A wooden face that had changed once more, though neither had seen it change. It was now even more twisted with murderous intent. The sister’s body, too, was wooden. It was thin and angular. The surface was a rough bark, and great knots, like tumours, bulged upon the torso and limbs.

  The shock of the revelation caught both Soli and Elfbones off-guard. Unhindered by a robe, the sister strode across the room towards Soli. She grabbed Elfbones by the shoulder of his jacket as she did so and dragged him along. She caught Soli by the arm and held her tight.

  The shack creaked and cracked as blue flame consumed it. The sister looked about. “We will soon learn what my late sister already knows.”

  Elfbones and Soli kicked and scratched and hit and bit. They did anything they could to free themselves from the sister’s grip. But the sister was strong, with a grip of stone. Elfbones tried to slip out of his jacket. The sister had so much of it in her grasp that his arm was bound and could not be freed. Still, he pulled and pulled. He felt a seam pop. He pulled more. The fabric tore where the guard in Schadbane had cut it. He pulled, frantic. The shack groaned and showered them with embers. Elfbones pulled and tore at his jacket with his free hand. More stitches popped; more fabric tore. The sister watched him, unconcerned by his efforts, sure of her hold on him. Finally, the jacket tore in two and Elfbones slipped free. The force of his separation from the sister sent him rolling across the dusty floor.

  “He kids himself that there is any escape from this,” the sister said. Soli was still struggling in vain to free herself. “We will all burn here. It is-” The small table hit the sister in her side, propelled legs-first by Elfbones. He struck her with all his might, sending her and the table into one wall. For an instant, the sister loosened her grip and Soli slipped free.

  The sister lay pinned to the crumbling wall. Blue flames engulfed her; her arms and legs flailed out from behind the table as she cried out in pain.

  “Go!” said Soli, pointing to the doorway. It was no longer clear of obstruction. It had half collapsed and blue flames formed a moving barrier across it. But it was the only way out they could see. They both dashed across the room and leapt through the flames, landing in a heap on the ground outside. Soli’s uniform had caught alight. As she rolled on the ground to put out the flames, the shack succumbed to the fire and collapsed in on itself.

  The pair lay in silence for a while as they caught their breath. They then lay for a while longer, staring up at the night sky. The smokey trail left by the comet obscured many of the stars. Elfbones’ eyes tracked along its moonlit length until it vanished behind the mountains.

  “All the books back at the academy,” said Elfbones. “I’ve never read about anything like what we just experienced.”

  He rose to his feet and began to walk. “Where are you heading?” said Soli. Elfbones stopped and turned back to face her. “I’ve never seen a fallen comet before either.”

  Soli pulled herself upright, wincing as she did. She motioned towards the tree and shack. “There’s still one of them out there. Wouldn’t make much of a Royal Guard if I let a dangerous character like that roam free,” she said.

  “Want to tag along?” said Elfbones.

  “Name’s Soli.”

  “Elfbones.”

  “Elfbones? Where did you get a name like that?” Soli asked.

  “Well, I—” began Elfbones.

  “Actually, it doesn’t matter. Lead on, Elfbones.”

  And with that, the pair made their way towards the mountain pass.