That night, the singed and battered group made camp in a small sinkhole surrounded by dense brush. Sven started setting up the tents while Amber called up a series of small, smokeless flames to provide light and warmth. Lily simply collapsed to the ground, panting with exhaustion, and Adam shot her a worried glance. “Are you all right, Lily?” “I’m… I’m fine. I just need a bit of a breather. Pushing you all along was a lot more work than I remembered.” “Well, we are a fair sight bigger than we were the last time you tried it.” “Yeah. I don’t think I’ll be up for doing that again any time soon.” Sven wandered over, having set up the tents and made sure Amber’s flames weren’t too close to anything that might catch. “Are we sure they aren’t going to catch up with us?” He asked in a concerned tone of voice. “They have a powerful wind mage with them as well.” Lily shrugged. “Maybe. But if they try that, I’ll know about it. That woman’s magic was strong, but it was about as subtle as a brick to the head. Now that I know what I’m looking for, I’ll be able to sense it from a mile away.” “Could she do the same thing to find us?” “I’m not constantly flooding the air with my magic the way she was. And besides, I’m not sure she’s ever had a reason to learn how to sense other wind mages. I learned it in the last war, but she’s probably never encountered an enemy wind mage before. Certainly not one as powerful as her or me.” Sven nodded thoughtfully, then stumbled as the ground beneath his feet gave slightly. “I guess this sinkhole isn’t as stable as I thought. I’ll go shore it up, make sure it doesn’t collapse on us in the middle of the night.” Lily nodded and lay back on the soft ground, far too tired to care about the mud and dirt getting into her hair. Adam simply sat and stared into the dancing flame hovering before him, his mind clouded with worry and doubt. “So, what happened out there?” Lily asked at last. “What do you mean?” “You called for a retreat. You must have had a reason.” Adam sighed. “I… I locked blades with Aro. The water king, I mean. He… Overpowered me. His blade cut into mine.” “Wait, are you saying the artefacts can be damaged? Is First River going to be OK?” “It’s fine. It actually happened once before, the last time we were here, but it repaired itself over time. The artefacts can be damaged, but they can’t be destroyed.” “Then what’s the problem?” “First River and Eternal Rain are only as strong as the purity of their wielder’s heart. And Aro overpowered me.” “What are you saying, that he’s a better person than you?” “No, purity of heart has nothing to do with being a good person. It means you heart is… Unified, undiluted. It means being free of doubts and worries and fears, totally committed to a single course of action. It means having absolute confidence that you’re doing what you’re supposed to be doing.” “And you’re worried that you can’t beat him in a fight because his heart is more ‘pure’ than yours?” “That’s part of it, sure, but there’s more to it than that. His conviction is greater than mine. He believes more strongly in what he’s doing.” “So?” “So… What if he’s right?” Lily frowned. “Adam, you can’t just assume he has the moral high ground just because he’s more sure of himself. He might just be a fanatic.” “I suppose.” Adam said. ‘He didn’t sound like a fanatic.’ Adam didn’t say. “Besides, no matter what he believes, it doesn’t change the fact that his kingdom is attacking ours. They’re the aggressors, not us.” “I know.” Adam said. ‘He called us monsters.’ Adam didn’t say, flames and ashes dancing through his mind. ‘He called us monsters and accused us of massacre, and I’m not sure he’s wrong.” “Don’t worry about it, Adam. You’ll figure it out. You always have.” Lily got up from the ground and planted a soft kiss on Adam’s cheek. “You’re my hero, Adam. Remember that. I’m going to get some sleep. Make sure you don’t sit here and worry all night, OK?” Lily shot him a smile and crawled into a tent. Adam gazed up into the starry sky, suddenly feeling more conflicted than ever. At the far side of camp, Amber sat and watched it all with a thoughtful frown. As they set out the next morning, Lily’s face suddenly darkened. “I underestimated her.” “Who, the air queen? Are you saying they’re sneaking up on us?” “No, not that. She’s still about as subtle as an elephant with a toothache. The thing I underestimated is her power and ingenuity. She’s using her magic to signal troops over huge distances. I can feel her magic reaching out for miles and miles.” “What is she telling them?” “I don’t know. The gusts and lulls in the wind are definitely some sort of code, but I can’t read it. But judging by where she’s sending it, I think she’s instructing her troops to form sort of a half-circle behind us as they pursue.” “Do you think they’re trying to cut off avenues of escape?” Sven asked. “Most likely.” Adam mused. “If anything, they’re probably hoping to herd us towards the coast. If we end up with the ocean on one side and a wall of troops on the other, we won’t have anywhere to run or hide. Any chance of breaking through their pursuit?” Lily shook her head. “If we try to fight our way through, they’d have reinforcements there long before we could get away. We’d be outnumbered. Maybe we could get past them if I push us like I did yesterday, but my magic still hasn’t recovered.” “Do you think they’d try to stop us if we changed course slightly to the east?” Amber asked thoughtfully. “Probably not.” Adam replied. “If they’re set on cornering us by the coast they shouldn’t break pursuit as long as we’re still headed towards the sea.” “Then we’re going to the Greydown Cliffs.” Lily frowned. “Where the pegasi live? How will that help? I mean, I learned a lot about wind magic by studying them the last time we were here, but…” “It will help. Trust me.” The other three exchanged looks, but Adam finally nodded. “It’s not like we have any better options.” The next few days of travel were incredibly tense. Lily could sense the messages on the wind, coordinating the troops she knew surrounded them. Sometimes they could spot the gleam of metal armour in the distance, but most of the time they remained just out of visual range. And yet, unseen or not, the group could still feel the enemy bearing down on them, herding them towards the ocean. Before long, the Greydown Cliffs drew into view. The rocky shores spread out ahead of them, and every outcropping and plateau more than 30 feet to a side was covered in pegasus nests. Even at this distance they could see them gliding over the water, the grey-speckled creatures skimming above the surface using a combination of thermal winds and their own magic. Every so often one would dive down, catching a fish between its teeth before ascending once again. “I still can’t get used to something that looks like a horse dive-fishing like that.” Sven muttered as he eyed the strange creatures. “There’s not a lot of vegetation here, and they need to get their protein somehow.” Lily commented. “Horses can eat fish or insects or even small birds or mammals when they can’t get enough protein from plants. Normal horses can’t really handle too much raw meat in their diet, but I suppose the pegasi have evolved to digest animal protein better than your average horse.” Sven raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t realize you were a horse enthusiast.” “I’m not, but my grandmother raised the things, and she simply would not shut up about them.” “I think that’s enough horse trivia for the moment.” Adam remarked. “Amber, you said coming here would help.” “It will. I’m going to sing to the pegasi.” Lily’s eyebrows rose. “Are you saying animals understand your song?” “Anything with feelings understands my music. Besides, I’ve sung to the pegasi before, back when you were busy studying their magic the last time we were here.” “And you think the pegasi will help us?” “I’m sure they will. They’ll carry us across the ocean to the Brimstone Isles. The enemy will have to find passage on a boat if they want to come after us.” “Can they really carry us that far?” Lily asked. “I’ve never seen a pegasus that far out to sea.” “Not by themselves, but with your wind magic helping them it shouldn’t be a problem.” Adam frowned. “But the king of fire has a harp of his own, ummm…” “Radiant Blaze.” “Yeah, that one. If you can convince the pegasi to carry us, won’t he be able to do the same?” Amber shook her head. “My music doesn’t let me talk to the pegasi, it just lets us convey what we’re feeling. You can’t lie with your emotions. They’ll understand mine, but they won’t understand his.” “Why?” “Because they’re flight animals. Far more so than horses. Horses run away from most threats, but sometimes they stay and fight, like if they’re protecting a foal or if they’re backed into a corner. Pegasi can’t do that. Their wings are too fragile to risk, and a pegasus with a broken wing might as well be dead. They don’t even fight with each other over mates, it’s too dangerous for them. We’re fleeing from people chasing us. The pegasi will understand that. But the idea of chasing after others to hurt them is foreign to them.” “How do you know all this?” “I told you. I’ve sung to them before.” With that, Amber wandered up to the edge of the cliffs. Lily turned to Adam with a questioning look. “Is it just me, or does Amber seem a lot more… clear-headed than usual?” “Maybe, but I don’t think that’s it.” Adam replied thoughtfully. “What do you mean?” “I know she seems almost insane at times, but that’s mostly just when she’s under a lot of stress or when we’re being threatened. She might not be as crazy as we thought. Or at least, not in the way we thought she was.” They fell silent as Amber began to sing. The magical song swirled around her, filled with worry and danger and the need for help. One by one, pegasi came swooping down next to her, each adding their own voice to the song. In their whinnies and snorts, Adam could hear understanding, unity, a desire to aid the herd. When amber finished her song, more than fifty of the creatures stood by her side, waiting for them. “Why so many?” Adam asked as he wandered up to the animals. They were smaller than he remembered then, not fully five feet from hoof to withers. Then again, he was a lot shorter the last time he was here, so it made sense they’d have seemed bigger then. “They understood that I wanted to go to a new place. These cliffs are getting pretty crowded, and a lot of the younger pegasi don’t have a spot to make a nest. They want to come with us.” “Do you think they’ll be better off on the Brimstone Isles?” “Maybe. There’s a lot of coastal cliffs on some of the islands, and there’s plenty of fish in the sea. It depends on how well they can handle the predators there, I suppose.” Lily suddenly looked up with narrowed eyes. “They’re coming!” Looking back, Adam saw the telltale gleam of armoured troops appearing in the distance. There had to be hundreds of them, at least. “I guess we don’t have any choice. We’re leaving now.” Getting onto the backs of the pegasi was awkward, and sitting atop them was far from comfortable. Adam wasn’t a particularly skilled horseman at the best of times, and the pegasi were angular, bony creatures. Adam had never ridden bareback before, and this seemed like a terrible time to start. Still, he leaned forward and held on as best as he could, signalling his readiness. Lily made a grand gesture as she brought her magic to bear, and a powerful, steady wind struck the group from behind. The pegasi pawed the ground and whinnied in excitement as they spread their wings and aligned their own magic with the power flowing around them. As one, they broke into a brisk trot, then a gallop. Before long, they hurled themselves off the edge of the cliff, and Adam felt his stomach flutter as they began to drop… And then wheezed as the pegasus beneath him caught the wind and started to rise, bringing his drop to a painfully abrupt halt. It took him a moment to reorient himself, but when he did, he saw the vastness of the ocean spreading out beneath him, the gentle waves rushing past as the pegasi skimmed above the surface of the water. Every so often, one would dive down and snap up a fish, only to rejoin the rest of the herd a moment later. The wind drowned out most of the sound around him, but he could still make out Lily’s exuberant laughter as she directed the gale that carried them. No matter how worried and conflicted he felt, about this plan and the war and a thousand other things, Adam couldn’t deny that this was a beautiful moment.