'It's overrated.'

Decebalus curses under his breath, but his mood is too vibrant to be constrained. 'You should see them when they train,' he says, a twinkle in his eye. 'The very air of the room becomes alive… the iron smell of the Blue Fire, so powerful.' He smacks his lips. 'It makes my skin tingle and my heart sing. Existence chose well, all of them. And it is not just the Pendragon Spirit! Their hearts are strong. They will face any odds. They will risk their lives for what Existence requires of them. You should be proud to be a part of it, Mallory.'

'Yeah, they're heroes. So who's killing them, Decebalus?'

High overhead, the alert sounds, a lone, tolling bell that ignites in Mallory the chill of dread every time he hears it.

'Two dead,' he continues. 'Holes punched in the centre of their foreheads. Church didn't save them from slaughter in their own time only for them to be murdered here.'

'You know there is an enemy in our midst. The force we oppose attacks from without and within. It will not allow us the space to take a stand. Time is running out-'

'I know!' Mallory snaps. 'You don't have to remind me every damned minute of the day.' The bell tolls again, and again, turning his stomach. 'I'm sorry. It's the waiting. For Hunter to build his coalition of gods who refuse to acknowledge each other's existence. For Church and the others to find the Two Keys. For the location of the Extinction Shears. For us to do anything before we get wiped out.' Frustration drives an edge into his voice.

'You are a man of action, I understand that. This period is difficult. But soon there will be action enough for all of us.'

Stepping onto the palace roof, Mallory sees that the defences are already in place, here and on the other highest points around the city. He knows Decebalus has trained them well since the first attack that had killed so many. Ranks of golden-skinned archers from the elite forces of the Tuatha De Danaan face the roiling black clouds on the distant horizon. Behind them, the Army of Dragons prepare to use the bizarre but devastating weapons created in the vast armoury of Goibhniu, Creidhne and Luchtaine.