Nightrise

metal against metal, then drank silently.
    Matt smiled. "Good night," he said. "We'll talk again when the sun is up."
    He walked away.
    "I go too." Inti yawned. "Forgive me. This feast may go on all the night…but I cannot. I traveled far today. I must sleep."
    Jamie watched as Inti walked off a few paces behind Matt. They stopped at the first line of tents and spoke a few words before they parted company, each of them going his own way.
    Scar finished her wine. "Matt never tells us anything," she said with a sigh. "And when he does, we don't understand it. But we've won the battle…and the war. So I suppose I'll go along with whatever he says."
    She held out a hand. "Good night, Jamie. I'm going off to find Erin and Corian. We're going to have a drink to the memory of Finn. And then we're going to keep drinking until we forget that he's gone. I'll see you in the morning."
    She and Jamie clasped hands. At the same time, she leaned forward and kissed him lightly on the cheek.
    Then she too left the table.
    He and Flint were alone.
    "I'm sorry," Jamie muttered. He didn't know what else to say.
    "Don't be." Flint sounded worn out. "I'm glad you were here. I'm glad you were sent in Sapling's place."
    "Me too." Jamie thought for a moment. He was so tired that he had to struggle to find the right words.
    "Let me tell you about Scott," he said. "He's smarter than me. He's looked after me all my life. But a few weeks ago, these people came after him. He was kidnapped. I managed to get away. I can see now that it must be something to do with the Old Ones. That must be why they were looking for us. I don't know where Scott is right now. He may have been killed. I don't know. I've been trying to find him."
    "Could he be here?"
    "No. I don't even know where here is. But you heard what Matt said. This world hasn't got anything to do with Scott or me. I suppose I will have to go back home…"
    Flint got unsteadily to his feet. All around them, the feast was still continuing. Inti had been right. It would go on until sunrise.
    "I'm going to sleep," Flint said. "I'll see you in the morning."
    "Good night, Flint."
    "Good night, Jamie."
    Jamie watched his twin walk away and disappear into one of the tents, knowing in his heart that this was more than good-bye and that the two of them would never see each other again.
    NINETEEN
    The River
    Jamie was woken from a deep sleep by someone shaking him. He opened his eyes and saw Matt, fully dressed, leaning over him. Dawn still hadn't quite broken. He could see the half-light through the gap in the tent.
    "I'm sorry," Matt said. "But I have to wake you."
    "Why? What is it?" Jamie was still groggy. He'd slept as if he were dead. There had been no dreams.
    "We have to talk."
    Jamie had slept in his clothes. He was beginning to get used to it. He'd been given a blanket and a sack full of straw as a pillow. Now he peeled himself away from them, picked up his sword, and followed Matt out of the tent. It was going to be a beautiful day. There was a ripple of pink in a sky that was already soft shades of blue and gray, without a cloud in sight. The feast had finally ended. People had fallen asleep where they sat. There were sleeping bodies everywhere, a strange echo of the battle that had taken place the day before.
    There was no sign of Flint, Scar, or Inti. Matt was wearing a loose-fitting shirt over wool pants and leather boots. He had left his sword behind but Jamie was holding Frost. Why had he brought it? There was no enemy, no need to be afraid anymore.
    "Should I leave this?" he asked.
    "No," Matt said. "Bring the sword with you."
    "Where are we going?" Jamie asked.
    "It's not far."
    They made their way through the tents, following the line of the hill where Jamie and Scar had waited before beginning their attack. They were walking toward the edge of the field, the same direction that Inti had come from. As they left the tents behind them, Jamie heard the sound of rushing water and was surprised to come upon a wide river, rushing across the field in a deep gully. The water was an icy blue and looked fresh and clean. The world was regenerating itself— and it was all happening at an incredible speed.

    The two of them found a flat rock and sat down, close to the water's edge.
    "There are things I need to tell you before you go," Matt said.
    "Am I going back where I came from?" Jamie asked.
    ''Yes."
    "Then tell me about Nightrise. Tell me about Scott. What have they done with him?"
    "I