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She looked around frantically and found Kipp racing towards her. ‘Shouldn’t you be at the wall?’

‘Yes, but I saw an opportunity.’

‘Talk fast, Kipp,’ she demanded, watching the stretch of space between her Warsword and the enemy grow shorter and shorter.

‘Lure them towards us,’ he said breathlessly, motioning to a handful of horses held in place by shieldbearers on the wings of the field. ‘Then get the fuck out of the way.’

‘Kipp, I need more detail than that.’

‘Just trust me.’

‘Kipp —’

‘There’s no time. Take five men, ten at most, and lure those fucking things this way. Out into the open. Esyllt and I will do the rest.’

Thea took a deep breath, swallowing the knot of fear at the back of her throat. ‘Alright. I’ll do it.’

Kipp was already gone.

The wave of monsters descended upon Wilder.

Torj’s words from the mock battle on the Plains of Orax returned to her once more.‘You are what stands between them and our world, so remember this: being a true Guardian of the midrealms is not about hating the evil before you, but loving the land and its people behind you. Remember that glory will not be found in failing to fall, but in rising from the chaos when you do.’

Thea kept her panic squashed in the pit of her stomach as she rallied a small group of warriors to her cause, mounting the horses Kipp had gestured to. They charged for the mangled creatures.

Guttural screeches filled the air as the monsters clapped eyes on their attack, the beasts instantly surging towards them.

But Thea rode for Wilder.

It was impossible to discern what blood was his and what belonged to the enemy. He swung himself up on her mare, sliding into the saddle behind her, his powerful frame enveloping her as it always did.

‘What’s going on?’ he rasped.

‘Kipp’s idea. Hang on,’ Thea replied, turning her horse back to the pandemonium unfolding around her unit. ‘Back!’ she yelled. ‘Pull back!’

Her horse surged beneath her and Wilder, kicking up mud and veering to the edge of the battlefield as she directed. She prayed the others were behind her.

‘Now!’ she heard Kipp’s voice echo.

She whipped her head around to see two enormous workhorses galloping on either side of the battlefield, a thick chain strung up between them. They moved at full pelt towards the enemy.

Somehow the chain went through the monsters like a hot knife through butter.

Thea recognised the results of alchemy when she saw it. The chain had been treated with something of Wren’s making, no doubt. Pride swelled in her chest at the thought of her sister’s ingenuity.

Thea startled as a volley of arrows followed, slaughtering a great many of the now cursed Tverrian unit.

‘Not fucking bad at all,’ Wilder muttered behind her.

Thea’s pride swelled higher at that. It was high praise indeed coming from a Warsword, and even in the midst of all the bloodshed, she made a mental note to tell Kipp.

But the reprieve didn’t last long.

They were hit with a powerful gust of wind, one that had Thea struggling to maintain control of her horse. Wilder reached around and grasped the reins just in time, keeping them both in the saddle as the poor beast reared up onto its hind legs.

Shadows swept across the battlefield.

Everywhere, men were on their knees, screaming. They were facing their worst fears, the nightmares that haunted their sleeping hours, and there was no telling reality from dream. Thea had seen it in Wilder in the ruins of Delmira. On and on the men shrieked, some clawing at their faces, some hitting their heads against the ground in the hopes of ending the agony.