As Laurel followed David and Tamani through the woods near the Academy, her breathing became ragged and clipped. They reached a copse of trees within sight of the Academy, and Tamani jerked to a halt, Laurel barely managing to stop before plowing into him. Through the breaks in the high wall surrounding the school, they could see a hundred trolls at least, wreaking havoc across the once-manicured grounds, tearing things apart, as far as Laurel could tell, for the sheer joy of it.

“I see a few sentries fighting in there,” Tamani said, squinting at the small gaps in the outer wall. “But mostly there are a lot of bodies. Once the sentries are down the barricades won’t last long. Not against this group.”

“What? Then why did you send Chelsea?” David demanded. “I thought—”

“I hoped to buy them time while we got Jamison to safety.” Tamani said, shaking his head. “You were right, Laurel. We should have come here first.”

“We don’t know that for sure,” Laurel said. What’s done is done. And they’d saved Rowen – surely that counted for something. “How can we get in?”

“We could go round,” David suggested. “Maybe there are fewer around the back?”

“Maybe. But those entrances will be barricaded too, and I’m more worried about them tearing their way in here,” Tamani said, and sure enough, Laurel saw some of the trolls were beginning to attack the Academy itself, dislodging boards that had been fastened across windows, ripping down the ivy that crept over the structure, smashing their fists against the thick stone walls. There were a small handful of blue-armoured sentries fighting to hold the front doors which, though battered and cracked, remained closed. But they were vastly outnumbered and it would be only a matter of time before the Academy was completely overrun. “We’re going to have to charge through. David leads the way – if we stay close to him, I can protect Laurel from behind.”

Moving as one, they stepped out onto the path. As they passed through the Academy gates Laurel could taste the tang of blood on her tongue; it was different from when they were in the Garden where – despite the deaths – they had been winning. The Academy lawn was strewn with bodies of trolls and faeries alike, their blood pooling together.

The trolls were on them in an instant, rushing from all sides at their fresh new prey.

“Keep running!” Tamani shouted as he speared grasping arms.

David was swinging his sword wildly, clearing their path. Each swing brought down more trolls, and soon they were picking their way over dead bodies as David moved closer to the front doors. The trolls continued to press towards them. Laurel had to avert her eyes and hold her breath to keep from retching. It helped to focus on the front doors, looking for a reasonable chance to make a run for them. As she and Tamani and David drew closer, two sentries managed to drive a group of trolls back and down the stone steps.

“I’ve got a clear path!” Laurel shouted to Tamani.

He turned to glance at the entrance for the briefest of moments. “I’ll cover you. Go now!”

Laurel threw herself out of the protective sphere of David and Tamani and sprinted for the front entrance, expecting to feel a troll’s claws pierce her back at any moment. When she reached the heavy doors she threw herself against them, pounding her fists and shouting, “It’s Laurel! Let me in! Please! It’s Laurel! We need your help!” She turned to see Tamani and David close behind her. More trolls were closing in like waves on all three sides, gaining ground every second.

“Please!” Laurel shouted again. “Let us in!” She didn’t dare look again, just continued beating on the splintering wood, trying to ignore the ache of forming bruises on her fists.

A tiny crack appeared between the doors, so small it could have been her imagination. Then the opening widened, fingers threading through, pulling on the thick wood until there was just enough room for them to fall through. The doors quickly shut again, closing them away from the battle with an ominous slam.

Laurel lay panting on the floor, only dimly aware of the hands and bodies around her pushing furniture and bookshelves back up against the doors – repairing their barricade. Laurel lifted her cheek from the cool stone, tenderly probing the scrape there.

Then Tamani’s hands were lifting her gently, checking for injuries, and sighing in relief when he found none. “Are you OK?”

Laurel nodded, although OK was not exactly the way she would have described herself right now. She glanced around. “David. Where’s David?”

“Calm down,” Tamani said, a hand on each arm.

“I will not calm down,” Laurel said, pulling away. “Where is he?”

“He’s outside, fighting,” he said, reaching for her arm again.

“No,” Laurel said, trying to twist away. “We can’t leave him alone! Not to face all of that.” She threw herself back toward the barricade. “You left him out there to die!”

Tamani grabbed her around her waist now, pulling her back. “He’s not going to die!” he said in a voice so sharp Laurel stopped panicking for a moment. “He has Excalibur and he’s not letting it go. I know it’s scary – I’m scared too. But—”

“You don’t even care!” Laurel shouted, the panic edging back in. “You can’t put this all on his shoulders. He needs us, Tam!”

“I would never let anything happen to him!” Tamani shouted back, his nose almost touching hers. He paused, his hands tightening on her waist just a little. “But if he wasn’t out there fighting the trolls, there’s no way we could have gotten these doors closed again. The trolls are too strong. He got us in, and now he’s buying us the time we need. If you can’t trust me right now, trust Jamison. David will be fine.”