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there for her, had always protected her. Even while she had been at the Abbey it was often his words of wisdom, either through remembered stories or his letters, that had helped her to cope in the darkest of times, but now all of that seemed to have crumbled away from her and she felt as if she was freefalling in to an abyss.
    “Are you alright?”
    It was Ash. He stood, nervously, a few paces away. She tried to wipe her tears and say she was fine, but he’d caught her off guard and she struggled to speak. He sat down and put his arm around her, patiently waiting for her to explain.
    “Oh Ash!” she said finally. “I’m such a fool.”
    “What?! No! Who told you that?”
    “No one had to… I mean look at us. Look at me! I’m on the run. I don’t have a plan, just a stupid childish idea of seeking vengeance for Gaia, but I have no idea where to start, or what to do. I’ve put everyone here in danger and I’ve dragged you down with me.”
    She felt the tears welling up again. There was no way out.  She and Ash had nothing before them except a life of constantly playing cat and mouse with the Guilds. Perhaps he had been right, perhaps they should separate and just try to disappear.
    “You didn’t drag me anywhere,” said Ash, his tone comforting and reassuring. “I came with you because I wanted to. I followed you because I believe in you and I think you are right to want to stop the Guild. I signed up to become a Guardian in order to protect others, not bring them to harm, and I stand by my decision to help you.”
    “You didn’t have that much of a choice,” she said, miserably.
     “I did have a choice,” he said. “I had a choice every step of the way, and I always chose to follow you and I always will choose to follow you. Serafin, I love you.”

Chapter Six
Firewall
    “Ash… I.” She was dumbfounded.
    He still held his arm round her, looking into her eyes, full of expectation, but she didn’t know what to say.
    She cared for Ash; she cared for him deeply. He had always been there for her.  He was a close friend and he had been there for her when no one else had.  He had been willing to take risks for her and had been by her side since the beginning. But she had never seen anything beyond that; had never stopped to think there might be anything beyond that.
    Suddenly they heard a scream.
    They both turned and scrambled up to look over the dry stone wall and back towards the circus.
    Serafin gasped.
    The Guardians were back, two of the scouts from before.  She didn’t know how they had tracked them here, but they were circling the camp on their dactyls. Swooping low and chasing the show people from their gathering, people had started running in all directions and, without a second thought, Serafin ran towards them.
    Ash drew his sword and followed her into the melee.
    She couldn’t spot her parents in the darkness and chaos.  People were running everywhere, children were screaming, a caravan had been set alight, and she realized one of the dactyls was a fire breather. The image of the flames licking up the sides of the little caravan brought Serafin to a standstill. She was transfixed.
    “Serafin! You must get out of here!” It was her mother, shaking her by the arms and bringing her back into the moment. “You must run, they’ve come for you.”
    She looked desperate, afraid, and as Serafin looked around the meadow, all she could see was panic. She could make out the silhouettes of her father, Claude and a few others fighting to put out the flaming caravan.  Not far from them was Ash singlehandedly tackling a dactyl. She couldn’t let these people fight her battle.
    “No,” she said, looking at her mother and knowing what she had to do. “No. You run. Take everyone you can. Take the children. Take all of them. Get everyone to the hills.” Her mother stared at her, wide eyed. “Go Now!” Serafin repeated, pushing her away and running to Ash’s side.
    The dactyl’s rider was