“I saw the attack on Zhong with my own eyes,” Meilin said. “A huge host bearing down on Jano Rion. I left my father behind to defend the city.”

Scowling, Barlow turned to her. “Left your father? Let me guess, the Greencloaks took you away.”

She nodded.

“When will you people learn to leave kids alone?” Barlow said. “Who first decided to dress them up and equip them like adults? Who keeps the tradition alive?”

“This is a big issue of his,” Monte said with a smirk. “Don’t engage him. It won’t end well. Listen, we’re sorry to hear about a war overseas, but we don’t know the first thing about where to find a Great Beast, including Arax, so why don’t we call this conversation over?”

“You’re not bad actors,” Rollan said. “The laugh was a little much, Barlow. And you explained too much at the end, Monte.”

Barlow considered him soberly. “What’s with the gyrfalcon?”

“Take a guess,” Rollan said evenly.

With a flash, Meilin’s panda appeared, and Essix shrieked from Rollan’s shoulder.

“Are we showing off?” Barlow asked, hands closing into fists. “My bear’s bigger.”

“She’s not threatening you,” Tarik explained calmly. “Think.”

“That’s a panda,” Monte said, his smirk vanishing. “A silver-eyed panda.” He looked at Essix warily, then over at his partner.

“I get the joke,” Barlow said gruffly. “It’s in poor taste. What is this? Who are you?”

“I left Briggan outside,” Conor said, aware that the animals had made an impact on the two explorers. “But he helped me have a vision. I saw a bear and a raccoon leading us to Arax. Olvan and Lenori thought it had to mean you two.”

“They’ve seen the ram,” Rollan said. “I can tell.”

Barlow was frowning, but looked less hostile. “Let’s see the wolf.”

“You aren’t taking this —” Monte began.

Barlow held up a hand. “Let’s see Briggan.”

Barlow took his time examining Briggan, Jhi, and Essix after Conor returned. Monte inspected all three as well, but kept his distance from Briggan.

“If this is a ruse,” Barlow finally declared, “it’s excellent work.” The big man ran his hands through Briggan’s pelt with reluctant wonder.

“Are you sure you aren’t hiding Uraza?” Monte asked Tarik.

“I showed you my mark,” Tarik said. “My spirit animal is an otter. We haven’t found the girl who called the leopard. Our enemy got to her first.”

Conor watched as Monte’s raccoon hesitantly approached Briggan, backing away as the wolf sniffed him.

Barlow sat back on his heels. “You want us to believe the big showdown has begun?”

Tarik inclined his head. “The Fallen Beasts have returned, the Devourer is back and on the move — all the things the Greencloaks have worried about for hundreds of years.”

Monte shivered. “I’d hoped to be long gone before this day came. Part of me doubted it would ever happen, but it’s hard to argue with three of the Four Fallen.”

“We need to work swiftly,” Tarik said. “We must collect the talismans. Our enemies have the same goal.”

Barlow snorted. “This isn’t just a race against your enemies. Do you expect Arax to hand over his Granite Ram? He didn’t during the last war. Do you think you can take it from him? If so, you don’t know him, and you don’t know those mountains.”

“You do,” Rollan said.

“We get it,” Monte snapped. “You have a knack. You’re onto us. Essix wasn’t called Deepseer for nothing.”

This was the first time Conor had heard this term. Catching Rollan’s eye, he mouthed, “Deepseer?”

Rollan shrugged, his expression perplexed and displeased. Conor could sympathize with the feeling. What other information about their spirit animals were the Greencloaks withholding? Why hadn’t they told them all they knew?

“So you’ve seen Arax?” Tarik asked.

Barlow slowly exhaled. “We’ve seen most of western Amaya, at one time or another. Splendor like you wouldn’t believe. Ugliness too. One day high in the mountains, Scrubber showed us some very peculiar tracks.”

“Scrubber?” Conor asked.

“My raccoon,” Monte supplied.

“Like the tracks of a bighorn sheep,” Barlow said. “But way out of scale. Much too big.” He made a shape with his hands nearly the size of a dinner plate. “We followed the tracks some distance. Crazy as it seemed, they looked authentic. We were in high, lonely country. If it was a trick, it was a good one. We knew we might never get a second chance, so we followed the prints.”

“He was amazing,” Monte said. “Of all the sights we ever saw while crossing unmapped territory, nothing could compare.”

“I’ll second that,” Barlow said.

“Did you engage him?” Tarik asked.

Barlow chuckled. “We were intimidated enough watching from a distance. He knew we were there. He kicked up some wind to remind us who was in charge. When we backed off, he let us go.”

“Kicked up wind?” Meilin asked.

“Arax can influence the weather in high places,” Monte said. “Especially the wind.”

“You really saw a Great Beast?” Conor asked, his face lit with wonder.

Briggan butted his leg.

Conor rubbed his wolf. “I meant a full-sized one.”

Briggan butted him again. Conor knew he’d made a mistake, and hoped he wouldn’t have to pay for it later.

Monte glanced at Briggan, then back at the group. “You kids are traveling with legends.”

Barlow eyed Tarik. “Those mountaintops are no place for children. They’re not even a place for skilled mountaineers. Wait a few years. Let the kids grow up, gain some experience. With the animals they have, they’ll be formidable.”

Conor couldn’t help feeling a little inflated by the praise. He repressed a proud smile.

“It’s sound advice,” Tarik said. “But we can’t. We have to take the risk. It would help our odds to have skilled guides along.”

Barlow huffed and scowled. “I respect your mission. But to my mind, the Greencloaks have always been too willing to prey on the young. We get talked into committing to something before we’ve figured out who we really are. I felt ready at eleven, and I survived, but I’ve seen other young ones who haven’t. The Greencloaks are too quick to sacrifice too much.”