StarHeaven SpiralFlight shrank against the wall of the common room where the Strike Force had gathered late yesterday. She was half covered by the bodies of two of her Strike Force comrades, their blood soaking into her clothes and the feathers of her wings. She lay very still, the only sign of life her darting eyes.

One of the bodies lying heavily atop her was that of her commander and friend, BroadWing EvenBeat.

StarHeaven didn’t know what to do.

The Strike Force had been awake and weaponed. The news of the disaster of Maximilian’s death — on top of the continued apprehension caused by the arrival of Armat’s massive army and its penetration into Elcho Falling — had dismayed everyone. BroadWing had expected Axis to launch an attack, or maybe mount a defence against Armat’s attacking army, but since the time they’d been informed of the terrible news of Maximilian’s death, there had been no further orders. They’d stayed gathered in the massive common room, talking, pacing, arguing now and again, wondering.

And then, literally out of thin air, they had started to die.

Bodies had sliced open, limbs were hacked free, heads tumbled from shoulders.

They were under attack by invisible assailants.

BroadWing had realised instantly it must be the Lealfast. He’d shouted at the Strike Force, trying to gather them into a defensive huddle in one corner of the common room. Everyone had grabbed at bows and swords, or whatever was to hand.

BroadWing’s efforts, as those of his command, were mostly in vain. The Strike Force had been scattered over the entire vast chamber when they were attacked, and now, impossibly, the Lealfast filled the air above and between them.

Stars, StarHeaven had thought, there are well over ten thousand Lealfast within Elcho Falling, and barely a thousand of us.

The Strike Force had fought back as best they could, striking out blindly into the air. Lealfast visibled as soon as they were wounded, and the air was so thick with them that the Strike Force managed to hit many with their arrows or swords even by aiming blind.

But as soon as one Lealfast was wounded, a score or more invisible ones took his or her place.

And they fought so well, so professionally. StarHeaven had thought them infantile amateurs previously, but now she realised they had been pretending; that everything the Lealfast had done and said had been meant to deceive Maximilian and Axis, and Elcho Falling itself, so that the Lealfast could accomplish this treachery.

It appeared nothing could be done to counter the Lealfast offensive, and nothing could save the Strike Force. StarHeaven had contacted Axis, although thinking he could do little, but then . . . then suddenly, strangely, the Lealfast had visibled, spattered with dark, stinking blood.

Yet visible was worse. Visible meant that now StarHeaven could see that the entire space just above head height in this great vaulted chamber was filled with Lealfast, that there was an entire nation of them here to murder every last Icarii.

It was worse being able to see them, because then StarHeaven could understand that there was no hope, and that all the Icarii would shortly be dead.

One of the Lealfast hovered directly above her, and saw that her eyes moved. His mouth curled into a smile as he recognised yet another target for his sword. He lowered a little closer to StarHeaven, who was now too numb even to cower, raised his sword arm. and then stopped, puzzlement and anger etched across his face. He stared at StarHeaven, then looked about.

“Where have they gone?” he called out, and StarHeaven saw that all the Lealfast looked about in confusion.

StarHeaven, Axis said in her mind, do as I say, and do it now.

Axis stood with his father StarDrifter on the floor below the chamber where the Strike Force were being slaughtered. He had his hand on his father’s shoulder, sharing strength and support as both worked the enchantment which had confounded the Lealfast, but he was staring at Egalion, captain of the Emerald Guard.

“You have no idea what you go into,” Axis said, glancing behind Egalion to where hundreds of the Emerald Guard stretched down the corridor. Axis didn’t know much about the guardsmen, only that they were Maximilian’s personal guard and that they had some vague connection to the gloam mines known as the Veins where Maximilian had spent seventeen years imprisoned during his youth and early manhood.

“I have every idea,” Egalion said. “You have no idea where we came from and what we can do. You and your father cannot keep this enchantment going much longer by the look of you, and someone needs to deal with the Lealfast. I and mine stand here ready to do so. Let us.”

Axis had no choice. Egalion was right, this was a horrendously difficult enchantment to keep going against a race of creatures who commanded the Star Dance in their own right, and who were likely to literally see right through it at any moment. And there was no one else. Georgdi and his men were fighting further down in Elcho Falling, where another contingent of Lealfast had attacked their quarters, as also those of the Isembaardians within the tower.

He gave a short nod. “Go. And for the stars’ sakes, watch out for the Strike Force — they will be huddled against the walls.”

StarHeaven had called with her power to the Enchanters still living among the Strike Force, telling them to have all Strike Force members stay as close as possible to the walls of the chamber. She hoped most would manage it — they had been closely grouped against the walls anyway, in their pitiful defence.

She looked again at the Lealfast. They had drawn back a little on the air, still staring about, now very angry.

Axis and StarDrifter had used the Song of Mirrors against them. It meant that whatever the Lealfast looked at, all they saw were their own reflections mirrored back to them. It was disorientating and dangerous, as individual Lealfast could not even see each other, let alone the members of the Strike Force.

But the enchantment was a very difficult one, and StarHeaven could sense StarDrifter and Axis struggling. She drew in her breath, then very quietly added her voice to those of the StarMan and his father.

Within moments she heard three other Enchanters among the Strike Force lift their voices as well.

There was a movement at the main door and the room filled with men in emerald jackets. Quite suddenly, the Lealfast were being cut from the air.