36
Fuelled by the rush of happy memories, Toby’s magic spluttered into life, boiling the cold from his stomach. He had fallen in silence but now he was yelling. All he could do was writhe and scream. Thinking became impossible but the primitive parts of his senses went into overdrive.
He heard every breath, every gurgled moan, every human’s song, no matter how far away they were. Whether the carollers were singing for him didn’t matter. Their hope kept him from falling into oblivion.
The burning flesh in his abdomen crawled with magic. Knotted with pain, he felt it fizz and, when he looked down, he saw his winter clothes flash like clouds in an electric storm. Leaning over him, Jack practically swallowed his tongue when Toby sat bolt upright.
‘ALL HAIL THE KING!’ he roared.
Mid-fight,
