“How’d you find us?” Mira asked.

“You didn’t think Mango was only spying for you?” Liam chided. “She reported to some of my other birds so I could keep track of your progress.”

“Kind of a shady gift,” Mira said.

He placed a hand over his heart. “I did it to be helpful. Promise.”

“Do you know anything new about Carnag?” Cole asked.

“I haven’t had a close look yet,” Liam replied. “But I can feel it more clearly than before. It’s just throbbing with power. I’m no slouch at shaping, but I can’t imagine my power burning half so bright. This won’t be easy. What’s the plan?”

Nobody answered.

“We’re kind of making this up as we go,” Mira said.

“Might be all we can do,” Liam said. “Nobody has ever confronted anything like this. Tell you what. I’ll hang back and watch how it goes, study Carnag for weaknesses. That way you’ll have somebody in reserve.”

“That’s really brave of you,” Jace said.

“I’m being strategic!” Liam complained. “Who’s going to save everybody if this goes bad? You?”

“Is anybody else coming?” Jace asked.

“I tried to talk Asia into joining us,” Liam said. “She’s too set on defending Declan. But an old friend of yours is on his way. Well, more of an acquaintance. Barely even that. He’s on your side, though.”

“Who?” Cole asked.

“Joe MacFarland.”

“The guy from Skyport?” Mira asked. “The messenger?”

“The man is dedicated,” Liam said. “He warned us that the legion was planning a major offensive through the Boomerang Forest.”

“How’d he warn you?” Mira asked.

“He used the confusion of you guys escaping Skyport to find a hiding place,” Liam said. “Keeping his ear to the ground, he discovered you had escaped into the Eastern Cloudwall and lived. When he learned about the planned offensive, he stole a skycraft and came through the cloudwall to warn you. I rescued him from the terminal void the same way I saved you four.”

“Where is he now?”

“Coming as fast as he can on horseback,” Liam said.

“Why didn’t you bring him?” Jace asked.

“How big does my disk look? It’s hard to keep it aloft away from the Brink. Some of my birds are guiding him.”

“Should we wait?” Mira asked.

“I’m leaning toward no,” Liam said. “After missing us at Cloudvale, the legionnaires are coming this way. Joe is a good distance behind me. There’s a chance he’ll never make it to us. Right now will be our best opportunity to confront Carnag without the legion at our backs.”

“Sounds okay to me,” Mira said. She approached the legionnaire’s horse and stroked its neck. “Good girl. You don’t mind heading back into danger, do you?”

“Have you ridden a lot?” Cole asked.

“A fair amount,” Mira said. “I had lessons in my youth, and opportunities have come up over the years. She feels warm. He was riding her hard.” Placing a foot in a stirrup, she mounted up. “You guys ready?”

“I’m not sure,” Cole said. “How about ‘willing’?”

“Good enough,” Mira said.

Liam laughed warmly. “I’m going to put some distance between us. You won’t see me at first, but I’d like to stay in communication.” Drifting closer to Cole, he held out a hand. “If you put these in your ears, I’ll be able to hear you, and you’ll hear me. They won’t work over huge distances, but they should be perfect for today.”

Cole took what looked like a pellet of clay. The others each accepted one as well.

“It’s not fragile,” Liam explained. “Just squish it in there. Not too far. It’ll mold to the shape of your ear canal.”

Cole pressed the pellet into his right ear. It molded to fit snugly.

“Any other goodies?” Jace asked.

“That’s it,” Liam said. “Let’s get this over with.”

“Bertram,” Mira said from astride her mount, “take us to find the monster over the hill.”

The autocoach started forward. Mira kept pace alongside. Liam soared out of sight.

“We came looking for this, and now we found it,” Cole murmured to Twitch. “Be careful what you wish for.”

“Because you might get it?”

Cole gave a nod. “Exactly.”

Chapter 32

CARNAG

As the autocoach came around the side of the little hill, Cole gripped his bow like a lifeline. He wasn’t sure what to expect, but he knew it would be horrible. As Mira had made clear, this time they were running toward the danger.

He wasn’t sure how to prepare himself. Was he going to shoot an arrow at something that turned towns upside down and defeated regiments of trained soldiers? Maybe it would have a weak spot. At least he could help distract it while Mira figured out how to defeat it. With his Jumping Sword, he might be hard to catch.

What if he got killed? He tried not to dwell on the possibility, but he couldn’t resist. There was a very real chance that they were all about to die. Nobody back home would care. His parents didn’t remember him. There would be no mourning, no grave. It would be like he had never existed.

What would happen to Dalton, Jenna, and the others from his world? He supposed they couldn’t blame him for not saving them if he got killed. That was a pretty ironclad excuse.

Then again, if he did nothing, that wouldn’t rescue them either. They might never know it, but he was doing his best to help them.

He was relieved Liam had come. His shaping might not be as strong here as at the Brink, but the guy could fly, and he was confident, and he certainly had useful skills. Hopefully, Liam would be able to lend Mira the kind of support she deserved.

“There,” Jace said, pointing into the woods.

Cole squinted. In the distance, treetops swayed violently, as if something not much shorter than them was passing through.

“I see it,” Mira replied from astride her mount. “Bertram, can we go that way?”

“The forest is too thick for the autocoach,” Bertram said. “Perhaps we can work our way around the perimeter of the woodlands.”

“You better just stop and let them out,” Mira replied. “Then try to work your way around. Stay as close to us as possible. Flail, follow!”