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“Warn us what?” Taka asked, her owlish eyes unblinking.

Alex didn’t wait for another invitation. She jumped straight in, telling them about Aven and the threat he posed to all mortals.

By the time she was finished, her skin was clammy with sweat, with beads of liquid on her forehead from her proximity to the flames coupled with the suffocating mugginess of their environment.

“And that’s, well, that’s why we’re here,” she ended lamely. “So that you know he’s coming. And, hopefully, so you’ll stand with us to stop him.”

Silence met her final statement, the sounds of the jungle and the crackling of the fire the only noises to her ears.

Until Mareek started laughing. And then Taka. Mietta and Tibbs followed. Then all the Jarnocks seated around them joined in, until over fifty loin-clothed little people were belly-laughing uproariously.

Alex scowled at them. “None of this is amusing,” she said. “Not one thing.”

“One Meyarin no scare us,” Mareek said, still laughing.

Tibbs threw his arm out, gesturing to their tree city. “This Aven reach us not here. Jarnocks safe.”

Alex shook her head firmly. “Now, maybe. But he’ll be coming for you. He’s coming for all of us.”

“If true, when you he get, we know then,” Mietta said, tossing her wiry braid over her shoulder.

That, Alex thought, was not a very nice thing to say. She looked around at the assemblage, from the still amused tribal chiefs to the other chuckling Jarnocks, and she wondered why she was even bothering with them. Yes, their tree city was impressive. But what did they have to offer outside of Maroo? Some tranquilliser darts and stone daggers? How would any of that hold up against Aven and his forces?

But then she remembered something Hunter had said during her briefing with the teachers: ‘Jarnocks are a primitive race, but what they lack in sophistication, they make up for in sheer numbers. It may seem difficult to believe, but they are a force to be reckoned with—if only for their volatile ferocity and unwavering loyalty. If their tribe is threatened, they will move mountains to make their people safe again. You just need to convince them of the threat.’

Alex had clearly failed in that mission. The Jarnocks were feeling no more threatened than she was feeling safe.

Deciding that she’d done all she could, Alex figured it was best to cut their losses and get out of there. She didn’t know how far they’d travelled from the Library doorway, but she hoped Bear’s inner Scout would be able to sixth-sense a way back for them. It was time to go, to regroup and hope for a better outcome with the Shadow Walkers and Dayriders tomorrow.

“I can see you don’t believe us,” Alex said. “But if the time ever comes when you need aid, our doors will always be open to you. We are on the same side, even if you don’t yet see Aven as a danger.”

More amused snorts met her words and she repressed the urge to scream at them. For a brief second, she envisioned asking Bear to try charming them into acquiescence, but then she realised that such an extreme action wouldn’t bode well for them down the track—especiallyif the Jarnocks learned of the attempt to sway them through false means.

Instead of doing something she might later regret, Alex simply said, “We only came here to warn you, so now that’s done, once you release us, we’ll just be on our way.”

Even more laughter met her statement, something that caused prickles of unease to trickle down her spine.

“The humans believe we’ll allow them to leave,” said Taka in her native language, causing Alex to turn rigid as the proper translation washed over her rather than their broken attempts at the common tongue.

“They must not know the ways of the Maroo,” Mietta returned, sharing a sharp-toothed smile with the other chiefs. “A pity for them, however fortunate for us.”

“But what shall we do with them?” Tibbs asked, scratching his bald head.

“They are young and healthy,” Mareek observed. “Jako hasn’t made his stew for a while—their tender flesh would make it rich and hearty.”

Alex’s stomach dipped violently and she struggled to keep her features blank.

“No, we should give them to Kaku,” Taka said, a thoughtful look on her weathered face. “They are a worthy sacrifice, and we will be blessed for such an offering.”

“Alex, do you know what’s going on?” Bear whispered, oblivious thanks to the language barrier.

All she could do was shake her head, not because she didn’t, but from the absolute horror of what she was hearing. Even if she didn’t fully understand the implications, the words ‘offering’ and ‘sacrifice’ werenevergood when spoken in the same sentence—especially from the mouths of primitive tree people who, if she understood correctly, had just consideredeatingthem.

“Good thinking,” Mietta said, with Mareek and Tibbs nodding right along with her.

A single chin-jerk towards the guards behind Alex and Bear was all it took for Alex to realise she had to take action, regardless of how foolhardy it might be. It would take too much time for Bear to enchant them with his words, so it was up to her to stop what was about to happen—by any means necessary.

When the guards gestured for her to stand, she shot straight to her feet, summoning A’enara as she did so. Wielding the blazing weapon with her hands still bound at her front, she leapt over the fire with a burst of Meyarin speed and launched herself at the nearest chief, Taka, and they both tumbled to the ground.