The attack on Topaz had gone far better than the elves' Citrine assault. In a plan almost identical to the operation in Zerena, the human half of the Aerial Legion had created a firestorm to consume the city centre but protect the valkyrie citizens. When the Kallians had come calling, they fought a brief and bitter battle that lasted three days until all of the defending troops were either slaughtered or imprisoned.

Neat. Circumspect. Entirely uninterrupted by unpredictable Elfin Queens who couldn't decide whether or not they hated their aunts. What had Maia and Zara being doing? She didn't care about the Words of Command. Maia should have been able to control her twin sister.

Thirty thousand enemy Kallian troops had escaped a sure loss because of Layla's reckless actions. And of course, Nala, Myra and all the others were meant to suddenly endorse her stupidity in order to stop the dissent in their ranks showing and ensure that the allies they had gained because of that insane girl remained with them.

Nala wanted to yell at Zara and Maia for obeying the orders of an eighteen-year-old, uncrowned, completely biased and utterly unexperienced child. This was war. You couldn't go around making stupid hostage deals and following the orders of a teenager, Elfin Queen or not. But just as she was about to send that message through a MindWeaver, one of her inner circle shook his head.

"Elves are elves," he shrugged. "They believe in things we find utterly nuts. Get between Zara and her entire religion and we alienate her forever. In her mind, Layla is the heir of a goddess. Questioning her will not go down well. The same with the valkyries."

"This is war," Nala moaned. "Their utter faith in Layla gets people killed."

"It also drives them forward," he replied. "There's no point picking fights, Nala. What's done is done and tensions are high right now." Nala reluctantly relented and then took out her anger on several innocent boxes.

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Once Talia's elves and Myra's valkyries had decided who to leave behind, they met in Topaz to prepare for the next attack. Azul wouldn't be nearly as easy-if you could consider any of this easy-and their old tactics wouldn't work anymore. Medea was smart enough to guard against them, or at the very least, prepare herself for them. The element of surprise was long gone.

"We expect the original fifty thousand in Azul, along with an additional thirty fleeing from Topaz. Here's the plan," Myra announced to the gathered leaders. "We strike the camp of soldiers outside first with the Aerial Legion and maybe some elves. We'll surround them in the middle of the night and try to stay out of shooting range. If necessary, we bring in the Kallians to help. It's possible we will be able to draw the soldiers inside the city out and fight them as well. Patience is essential and so is staying far above. Over the hours, we can diminish their numbers with minimal casualties. Afterwards we attack the centre of the city. It won't be as clean or easy as Topaz, Zerena or Citrine. We're likely to lose more people. But I believe we can take the capital. And Azul will be invaluable, not just from a fortress perspective. but also because it stops any attacks from behind and secures the north of Miras. Any suggestions?" The tent was silent. No one had any better ideas. Myra's approach—wearing them down with the Aerial Legion and slowly
picking the enemy off—was the best thing anyone could come up.

"We'll travel to Azul at dawn," Myra said when no one offered any other ideas. "With luck we can arrive in four or five days." And with none, Nala silently added, we'll get there in ten and the war will be lost before it can begin.

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It took seven days. Even with most of the Aerial Legion and calvary carrying their riders, they were forced off roads and the terrain was harsh and rocky. Not to mention how the rain slowed them all down and left them shivering whenever they set up camp. The Kallians-indeed, every human in the rebellion-couldn't bear the freezing cold of the valkyries' country. A few of them were beginning to really appreciate the desert, Nala included. The elves were slightly better, especially the FireBreathers-who exuded warmth and now had several friends because of it-and the IceWeavers, who were just used to or immune to the cold.

They had to travel unnoticed, which made things worse. Whenever they found travelling Kallian officials and overseers, they had to hunt them down and get the MindWeavers to edit their memories. They had to stop and hide whenever a larger party or even travelling soldiers came along, which sometimes cost them hours of travelling time. They had also decided to liberate small towns and villages as well as block up mines on the way after much arguing from Myra and Kestra, backed up by the painfully sentimental Maia. To make matters worse by the time they neared the capital it was dawn so they had to delay their travels another fourteen hours.

Nala didn't fail to notice how Kestra's eyes grew damp as they neared her hometown. The Keeper Queen had not been to the city of her childhood in five years. The last that she had seen of it had been when she had fled, the city partially burning and her mentor awaiting her death at the hands of the Kallians. Nala left Myra to comfort her. She and Kestra might have built a friendship and understanding over the past few years but what she needed now was a fellow valkyrie. Someone who understood her loss, her pain.

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As dusk fell on the seventh day, they at last drew close enough to see Azul.

The city was in bitter ruins, some dying buildings still bearing scorch marks from the fire five years ago. What had once been beautiful streets and homes was now broken pavements and collapsing houses built and repaired with whatever occupants could find. The slums stretched from the walls to the beginning of the Kallian Sector, where clean and vast houses were ringed by barracks and military buildings. Azul was so simply Topaz on a larger scale. The similarities were what Nala noticed first. She only noticed the dome second.

A vast, crackling shield made of darkning-shadow lightning-covered the entire city. Stray songbirds flew into it and she winced as the dome's lightning set them aflame. The birds tumbled down into the Kallian Sector, dead as dodos. Then Nala spied something else. Soldiers manned the walls in huge numbers, a stark contrast to the scattering of sentries in Topaz. At first she dismissed it as heightened security but then she realised the Kallian Sector and even the designated valkyrie were filled to the brim with soldiers. There was no sign of any of Medea's men and women outside. No encampments of waiting forces.

They had bet on most of the enemy being outside and in the open. They had bet on being able to soar over the walls with the Aerial Legion. But the Empress had ensured that they could only face her soldiers on her terms. To take Azul back they would have to go through the walls and bleed great gouts of blood.

Medea wasn't given up the capital of Miras without first forcing them to bleed out at its walls.

When Nala entered the war-tent, Myra was already there, bent over an old map of Azul and thinking deeply to herself. Zara, Talia and Rose watched her with confusion as she occasionally let out triumphant laughs or cries of frustration.

"There's no way to get to the city other than through the walls," Talia began. "We've already tried. What do your hope to find on yet another map?"

"As always," Myra sighed. "You people think of above and on the sides but never does below cross your minds. Medea is an utter fool to think the lightning shield can keep me out of Azul." Nala and the others stared at her blankly but a spark of understanding lit up in Rose's eyes.

"The tunnels," she smiled. Myra grinned back at her.

"Why of course," she agreed. "Just like in the last war, this is a dome.Nothing lies beneath to stop us from entering the city."

"We don't have the time or the magic to build tunnels wide enough to transport an army and the Aerial Legion." Zara frowned.

"Oh, we don't have to," Myra smiled. "They're already there. A hundred years ago, Celia-Viktoria's predecessor-built a system of hidden tunnels in case the valkyries ever needed to outlast a siege-or take back a city. For all we know those tunnels still exist."

"And?" Nala asked. "If darkning is here, then Medea has a conduit here as well. They'll bring the magic down through the tunnels."

"What if we eliminate the conduit?" She asked. "You know the Empress' abilities better than me. What then? Does the shield remain?"

"The conduit is merely an anchor for the magic," Nala said. "I'm not entirely certain of how it works, but what the conduit does is keep the magic together. Stop it from dying out without the wielders there. They can't add to the enchantment. That has to be done in person. But they can spread the magic. When the conduit dies the magic will still remain for a week or so, slowly falling apart. By the time it dies Medea will have returned and recreated the spell. But if you assassinated the conduit—probably a Kallian officer--then you would be able to use the tunnels at least. The problem would be getting to him."

"Let me handle that," Jasper smiled, entering the tent. "I humiliated Medea when I stole her our army, so she keeps insisting that I, and the forces we stole, were sent by her to hunt down the rebels—even to her nobles and generals. Which means that everyone in the Empire still considers me her faithful servant. I will be able to get to the conduit. Especially with a prisoner—the assassin—in tow."

Talia and Zara were nodding along, happy with the plan. Even Maia was voicing her agreement, probably already deciding who should go with him—likely herself, by the look of the lightning balls she was fiddling with. But Nala could barely breathe. The idea was touch-and-go. Jasper could die in a thousand different ways for a thousand different tiny mistakes. Just as she opened her mouth to try to stop him, Myra spoke instead:

"And I suppose you will do this no matter what we say?" She was almost begging him to say no. Jasper nodded to her and Nala suddenly realised she was shaking. "Fine," Myra began to form a joyless smile. "Then I'm the one coming with you."