Nightrise

three armies that had come together under the symbol of the blue star were only just realizing that the battle was over and the Old Ones had gone. They were still stunned, unable to take in what had happened. A hole in the universe had opened. The Old Ones had been sucked into it. The people were finally on their own, undefeated, and the world was theirs once again. Slowly, they began to pick themselves up. Survivors found each other and embraced. Some people stood where they were and wept.
    Some threw down their weapons and laughed out loud. And many — the dead and the dying — lay where they had fallen, scattered across the four corners of the field.
    "Is it really over?" Scar asked. "Is this the end?"
    "We've won the battle," Matt said. "And tonight we'll celebrate. But right now, there's a lot we have to do."
    "There are many injured." Inti spoke for the first time. Although he used the same language as the others, he must have learned it only recently. He had a strange accent and had to search for the words.
    Matt nodded. "You must go to them."
    "I have been searching for you, Matteo. For many years. I am glad now to have found you at last." Inti nodded at Matt and at the others. Then he turned and walked away.
    He was the first to break the circle.
    "I shouldn't have doubted you, Matt," Scar said. 'You were right. It all worked out exactly the way you wanted."
    "It wasn't my plan," Matt replied. "It was just the way it was meant to be."
    Scar slid her sword back into its sheath. "I have to find Finn," she said. "He was hurt in the fighting and he's going to need looking after." She stood awkwardly, not wanting to leave but needing to find her friend. Then she hurried off.
    Flint and Jamie found themselves face-to-face. "Sapling…" The other boy was looking at him with a mixture of emotions.
    Jamie wasn't sure how to react himself. 'You're Flint…I suppose," he said. "I mean…of course you are."
    He noticed that Flint was carrying a sword that was identical to Frost. He wasn't surprised. Everything about them was the same. 'You look like Scott," he said. 'You sound like him too."

"Who is Scott?"
    "My brother."
    Flint nodded. "And you look and sound like Sapling." Jamie tried to smile, but it was difficult. "Is anyone ever going to explain all this?" he asked.

    Both boys turned to Matt.
    "We can't talk now," he said. "I'm sorry…but we have to make a start. There are people who need our help."
    "When?" Flint demanded.
    "Tonight."
    Jamie looked around him. Only now did he realize the scale of the battle he had just fought. It reminded him of what he had seen at Scathack Hill, only this was much worse. All over the field there were men and women with terrible injuries. They had begun to cry out in pain. Blood was everywhere.
    "Inti has the power to heal," Matt said. "But there's too much for him to do on his own. People will want food and water. The doctors will need help with the stretchers. The questions can wait."
    Flint nodded. He took one last look at Jamie as if trying to work him out, then turned away.
    Very quickly, the army had divided itself into different groups. Those who had not been hurt, or who had been hurt only a little, were helping those who had been less fortunate, carrying them to the field hospitals, bringing them water, or just staying close by to comfort them. The dead were left where they had fallen. There was nothing that could be done for them; their one solace was that their suffering was over.
    Jamie found work for himself, filling water bottles from a barrel that had been brought on a cart to the center of the field, carrying them to those men and women who were unable to move and who had yet to receive help. The first person he came upon couldn't have been more than eighteen or nineteen, and it was clear that he wasn't going to live much longer. His chest had been torn open and his face was white.
    And yet, when he saw Jamie, he smiled. As Jamie trickled water between his lips, he held on to his arm and seemed completely at peace. It was as if he had wanted to meet Jamie all his life and, now that he had, he was prepared to die.
    It was the same, time and time again. Jamie noticed Matt walking amongst the wounded, stopping to clasp a hand or to kneel down and help someone drink. Everyone in the field seemed to know who they were — which was strange because Jamie wasn't sure he knew himself. He went back to get more water, wishing that the day was over and they could all sit