It took some real shaking to wake her up in the middle of the night, and she wasn’t happy about it one bit. She hadn’t gotten nearly enough rest, but as she came to, she realized she would not get any more that night. There was commotion outside the little house where she and Séraphin were staying.
‘Hëna, get up, please. We’re under attack.’ Séraphin sounded alarmed, and with good reason. Getting up and out of the house, Hëna found herself right in the middle of a raging battle, the sounds of which echoed throughout Arbanon. Eagles were seen flying up and down, fighting with beak and claw what she at first thought was an invisible enemy. Endless rocks and boulders fell from the sky like rain, causing shrieks and screams of pain from everywhere around them.
As her eyes adjusted to the night, she was able to see better. Dressed completely in black, she saw what looked like men, smaller in stature than the average human and armed to the bone with scimitars and spears. They all wore body armour and covered their heads with a black turban. They seemed to be pretty well organised, working in groups, throwing nets to capture eagles, cutting them down whenever they couldn’t. The entire mountain was on fire as all the eagles’ nests seemed to have been targeted.
This was clearly a long and well planned attack. The tergs seemed to have appeared all at once out of nowhere, but it wasn’t difficult to realise how they had managed that. They must have been scavenging the mountain underneath for ever and targeted all the nests at the same time. The ground was filled with fallen bodies, their blood running down the mountain in a thousand streams.
As Hëna watched, many eagles fell, but the battle had just begun. More kept coming from the mountain peaks closest to them, and the fighting continued. For every eagle that fell, tens of tergs accompanied them. But their numbers only kept on growing. It seemed the underground people had all gathered for this one battle, determined to take this mountain at all costs. Hëna failed to see the strategy in this, but then again, she knew almost nothing about this world and either of the fighting sides. Maybe the tergs thought that if they could take this mountain and kill the eagle leader, they would win the war. But Hëna highly doubted it.
She had no time to ponder the situation further, however, a fresh group of tergs appeared from a hole in the ground right in the middle of the square and ran towards them. Wasting no more time, Hëna ran back inside the house and grabbed both swords from the wall. The weapon was a bit smaller and less fancy than the one she and Heli had shared, but it would do. She threw one of the two at Séraphin, and then they both joined in the fight.
It had been a very long time since she had wielded a sword and she was sure she’d lost much of her skill, but she would have to do her best. The group of tergs coming towards them comprised of about twenty or so, all well-armed and in their prime. She did not doubt that they had long been training for this.
When the tergs first saw that she was human and Séraphin sort of, they hesitated. But the weapons in their hands told them all they needed to know. They proceeded with the attack, surrounding Hëna and Séraphin from all sides.
Swords began to clash, sending sparks flying, each singing its own individual tune. Pretty soon, limbs began dropping, heads were rolling, and the mountain drank even more red thick blood. More tergs kept pouring out of the hole and joined the attack, but Hëna and Séraphin stood their ground. It seemed they had not completely lost their fighting skills.
As the battle raged on in the square, the sky began to slowly light up and a red sun approached the eastern horizon. There were now tens of tergs surrounding the two visitors, most just observing and waiting to join in the fight. Across the mountain, fire was spreading rapidly and the battle seemed to be ending. Eagles were seen flying away towards the northern peaks, abandoning their homes, defeated. Hëna and Séraphin seemed to be holding the last fighting ground.
Pretty soon, all the remaining terg army gathered around their last two enemies. There were now hundreds of them, all standing there, watching Hëna and Séraphin swing and slash terg after terg, and still stand. Eventually, one of them, a young terg who appeared to be their leader seemed to be losing his patience.
‘Enough,’ he bellowed and urged all his army to step forward and attack. ‘End them, now.’
This would have meant the inevitable defeat and certain death of the two warriors, had it not been for a pair of eagles who flew right in the middle of the commotion and grabbed Hëna and Séraphin, spiriting them away from there. Hanging from Mara’s careful talons, Hëna tried to ignore the pain of her wounds re-opening. Mother eagle had carefully enough grabbed her from the arms this time, but her shoulders still hurt like hell.
Flying beside them, Ìskender carried Séraphin much in the same manner, beating his magnificent wings furiously fast. Swords, knives, spears and what not flew after them, but the eagles kept rising up and away, carrying the moon-girl and the wingman to safety.
Below them, the tergs finally exploded in loud cheers and shouts of victory, while the entire mountain burned down, shining like a lit beacon throughout Arbanon.
Hëna felt like crying; she knew what this meant to the eagles. Memories of Arba being destroyed, of thousands of people, wingmen and mermaids killed in the Great War were still too fresh for her. She had thought this world was different, but evil seemed to find a home wherever life blossomed, and that was a depressing thought.
She was still looking back at the burning mountain, when she noticed that they seemed to be losing altitude. Only it was just her and Mara; Ìskender and Séraphin continued to fly high towards the nearest safe place where the eagles seemed to be re-grouping. She looked up and finally saw it; a single spear dangling down from the top half of Mara’s belly.
How had she missed that?
The brave eagle was losing strength quickly, but she kept batting her wings. They worked harder and faster now, trying to keep both the eagle and the girl in the air until they made it to their destination. Several times they plunged towards the ground, but somehow Mara always found the strength to rise back up and keep flying. Unable to help in anyway, Hëna just hang there, hoping her saviour would make it, that she would be ok. She thought of Junior just then and her heart sank. He had already lost his father to the tergs; was he going to lose his mother, too?
As they finally got to the mountain where the eagles were gathering, Mara seemed to be losing whatever energy and strength she had, and she plunged before reaching the gathering point. She fell and landed hard on her back, with her last act protecting Hëna from more hurt. Once on the ground, she released the girl and just lay there, unable to move as much as a muscle.
Hëna got up and rushed to her side, checking the wound. The spear had gone deep and she was sure it had caused real damage, probably even pierced her heart. She didn’t know if she should move it or not, she might be doing more harm than good if she did.
Behind her, Ìskender landed hurriedly, with Séraphin already on his feet next to him. The leader quickly examined the wound, and though Hëna could not read his expression, she could sense his despair and loss of hope. His next words confirmed her fears.
‘I’m afraid it’s not good. The spear has gone in too deep; she’s not gonna make it.’
Hëna felt the threat of uncontrolled sobs attacking, even though she had just met the honourable eagle. Maybe it was the motherly side of her saviour, that part that reminded her so much of her own mother. Or maybe it was the injustice of it all, that Junior would lose both of his parents to a pointless evil. She could not believe this was happening; why couldn’t living creatures just get along?
Ìskender stepped around her and positioned himself face to face with Mara who was breathing hard, trying to keep her eyes open for as long as she could. Hëna and Séraphin followed him.
‘Mara, what can we do?’ Ìskender asked.
‘Take care of my son,’ Mara’s feeble voice could barely be heard. ‘Promise you will keep him safe.’
‘I promise,’ replied Ìskender. ‘He will grow up
to become a fine leader of your tribe, just like his mother; on that you have my word.’
The wounded eagle turned one of her heads slightly to better look at Hëna, who was now kneeling next to her. With one hand, Hëna wiped a tear rolling down the eagle’s curved beak. Her own tears, she let flow, unable to hold them back any longer. This wonderful creature was a stranger to her, yet she had cared for her like she was her own flesh and blood, and was now dying for her. What do you say to someone like that?
‘I’m sorry,’ was all Hëna was able to whisper; her sobs drowning out any other words. She wasn’t sure what exactly she was apologizing for, but it didn’t feel like it mattered anymore.
Mara looked at her with what Hëna felt was a longing in her heart, and managed a few last words.
‘He’s a good son.’
And just like that, her eyes closed and she spoke no more.
The fire crackled in the fireplace, singing its ancient, never-changing song. Tiny sparkles danced in the air for a short moment, before falling at the feet of the two people sitting in front of it, sipping on their hot tea.
Damien anxiously waited on Veronica’s reaction to his news. He had wanted to share it with the oracle, but apparently he’d been missing for several days now. He wasn’t sure how much help his wife would be to him.
‘I must admit, I don’t know as much about these things as my husband does,’ Veronica finally spoke. She looked like a little girl pondering a puzzle too hard for her to solve. ‘Though I still don’t understand how she got there. And if she’s unable to dream again, as you say, then that makes the whole thing even more suspicious. I fear something else is at work here.’
‘What do you mean, Veronica? What else could be at work?’
The oracle’s wife looked up at Damien, and remained silent for a moment. Then, as if clearing her head, she dismissed her last words.
‘Please, ignore me. Sometimes my mouth runs ahead of my brain. I’m not sure what to think.’
Damien did not buy it.
‘Veronica, talk to me, please. What is it you’re thinking?’
Veronica took another moment to gather her thoughts and finally decided to speak.
‘Well, things seem to be happening that in my opinion, simply cannot be unrelated. First Serena appears in the real world against all likelihood, and is to be unable to return home. And now, my Alfie disappears after going to visit the Order of the Guardians to discuss her. Someone must be behind all of this, though who and to what purpose, I could not say.’
‘Wait, Alfie went to visit the Order, in London? He can travel into the real world?’
Veronica smiled.
‘He’s been doing so for a very long time, Damien; it is part of his job after all. Where did you think he went every time he disappeared? He keeps an eye on young Dreamers there and helps them whenever they’re in need.’
‘I mean, I knew he went somewhere, I just didn’t…’ Damien lost his train of thought for a moment and then picked up another one. ‘Wait, isn’t that what this Freddie guy does? The so-called prophet?’
‘My husband’s name is Alfred, Damien. He goes by Alfie here, but back in the real world everyone knows him as Freddie. Seriously, how neither of you guys never figured that one out, is beyond me.’
‘Well, I’ll be…’ Damien literally scratched his head. Twenty years, and he’d never put two and two together. This would definitely explain all the times Alfie disappeared from Endërland without notice and returned with news from there. He should have known.
‘Well, I never actually met Freddie myself,’ he tried to justify himself. ‘I’ve only ever heard of him from Daniel or Sam.’
‘You wouldn’t have recognised him, anyway,’ Veronica decided to throw him a bone. ‘Even now he looks different from the way he looked twenty years ago. Whenever he travels there, he inhabits the body of a young man, who has agreed to host him during that time. Throughout the years, the Order has had a number of such men in their services, maintained and trained for just such a thing. It’s all very secretive, of course, and kept within certain families who are loyal to the Order. My Alfie does not really enjoy doing it, but it’s a necessity.’
Damien leaned back, dumbfounded. This was definitely news to him. First Serena leaves Endërland and appears in the real world, and now he learns that Alfie has been doing so pretty much since always. This was all becoming too confusing, and he wasn’t sure he understood anything anymore.
‘How does he do it?’ he asked again. ‘I mean; how does he go back?’
‘I don’t know,’ replied Veronica. ‘I’ve never cared about all the technical details involved, to be honest with you. He is a Dreamer, after all; he’s the one who created this world, and he was going back and forth all the time, until he passed away. I guess he and the Order must have found a way for him to continue to do so even after that. But, let’s not dwell on that just now. When was the last time you heard of Freddie?’
‘He took Serena to our house in Horsham and left her there with my father. He then told her he would go to consult with the Order, and that’s all I know. That was three days ago.’
‘I’m not worried,’ said Veronica, though her face spoke otherwise. ‘He goes missing for days sometimes, but always comes back. Try to contact them again when you go back, please. And if you get news from him, do be a dear and keep me informed. Though, I hope he will have returned by then.’
‘I will,’ Damien replied, and then added. ‘I’m sure he’s fine, Veronica. He knows his job, and looks like he’s been doing it for quite a while.’
Veronica smiled at this.
‘Too long, he’d say. He often talks about leaving it all behind, you know; passing the torch to someone else, so to speak. I just hope he’ll have the chance to do it someday.’
With that, she could no longer keep up with appearances, but broke down in tears. Damien slid closer and threw an arm around her, cradling her head on his shoulder. He’d never seen her cry before; it was just not a Veronica thing.
Only a moment later, the oracle’s wife regained control of herself and retreated from Damien’s embrace.
‘Silly me; do forgive me, won’t you? I must indeed be getting old to forget my manners like this.’
‘Nonsense,’ Damien chuckled. ‘You are neither silly, nor old; and as for your manners, we could all still learn a thing or two from you. Have you ever thought about opening a school?’
Veronica laughed. She hadn’t wanted to admit it, but she was worried about Alfie. It was true he had gone for days at a time in the past, but she always knew where and why. This time it was different; she had expected him to return soon after visiting the Order, but he hadn’t. Deep inside, she knew something had gone wrong and she was sure it had everything to do with Serena.
‘I’m sorry I couldn’t be of much help to you,’ she turned to Damien again.
‘You were plenty helpful,’ Damien assured her. ‘I know this is all new to everyone involved and nobody knows much, so I wasn’t really expecting anything. I just wanted Alfie to know.’
‘Well, if what you say about him already meeting Serena is true, then, he does. I just wonder how long he’s known about this and why hasn’t he shared it with anyone.’
‘Maybe not that long. Maybe he only found out after he went to visit the Order; maybe that is why he’s been gone all this time, because he’s looking after her.’
‘Yes, that must be it,’ said Veronica, but did not sound too convinced. Something just did not feel right, yet she was unable to pinpoint what. ‘Anyway, I guess there isn’t much else to do, but wait.
‘Tell me,’ she now changed subject, ‘how is my Sam doing? Last time we spoke, you seemed rather preoccupied.’
Damien clutched his tea cup and stared at the fire for what felt like minutes. Preoccupied didn’t even begin to describe how worried he was about his wife.
‘I wish I could say she’s doing ok, Veronica. Fact is, I’ve never been more worried. She’s ch
anged, so much so and in such a short period of time, that it has me freaking out. It just doesn’t feel natural.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘She’s not herself, she hasn’t been for months now, but recently it’s gotten worse. She’s moody all the time, depressed and tired. She gets angry, no, she gets mad quite easy and says the most hurtful things. At times, I swear she wants to hurt me, and not just with words. Then in a rare moment of clarity, she comes to and hates herself for everything. I’ve caught her twice trying to kill herself, Veronica, and I was barely able to stop her. But I’m scared that next time she tries I won’t be there.
‘I didn’t know what else to do, so I took her to the States, away from everyone we know, and put her in a hospital. I cannot help her on my own, I don’t know how. They’ve got her sedated most of the time, but even when she’s awake, she refuses to talk to me. Still, I don’t think she’s angry; it’s more like she’s trying to keep me away for my own good. I don’t know what to do, Veronica.’
Damien leaned his head on one of his palms, appearing completely surrendered and desperate. It was now Veronica’s turn to comfort him, though she wasn’t sure how she might manage that.
‘I am so sorry,’ was all she could say. ‘I had no idea. The things you both must be going through…’
‘She could never get over the fact that we could not have children,’ Damien added, as if that explained everything. Veronica somehow did not think so.
‘Maybe that’s not it. You said it yourself that it does not feel natural.’
‘Then what else could it be?’
‘Maybe the answer lies in her dreamworld,’ Veronica offered. ‘Maybe something is happening to her there.’
‘But how could I find out? She won’t talk to me about it and I got no other way.’
‘I wish I knew, darling,’ Veronica admitted. ‘But don’t give up yet; she’s a tough girl, my Samantha; she will get through this, you’ll see. And as soon as Alfie comes back, I’ll talk to him and see if there’s anything he can find out. We will find a way to help her, I promise.’
Damien barely managed a smile. He did feel a bit lighter after finally talking to someone; he’d never said any of this to anyone else, except her and Daniel. Maybe Veronica was right, maybe it all had to do with New Endërland, though Damien really hoped it wasn’t so. Somehow, the prospect of Sam’s sickness originating from her dreamworld was much scarier than a mere mental breakdown. Who knew what monsters waited beyond the veil that hid the dream realm from the real world? He wasn’t sure he wanted to deal with all of that all over again.
Three days had passed since Serena had come to stay with her grandfather. They were quiet but wonderful days. David had taken her into town twice and showed her around. They’d done some shopping and bought some more clothes for her and other things that a girl her age would need. They’d also stopped at the town’s Pret shop for another coffee, the taste of which Serena had grown to love, but other than that, there wasn’t much else to do in a small place like this.
On the third day David drove her to Brighton, by the seaside. Serena liked this city better than London. It had a more exotic feel to it and the people seemed a little less in a hurry than they did in the big capital. But best of all, there was the sea. She’d only been away from home for about a week now, but she already missed the sea. After all, she was born and raised right next to it and it was as much of a home to her as land was.
A curious thing happened to her just then. These past few days she had been growing less hopeful of returning to Endërland; she was still unable to dream and she didn’t know how to change that. But as she sat on the rocky beach, breathing the cool air, with the waves of this new sea splashing playfully in front of her, she felt an unexplained hope that she would find her way back home one day, and that was a fact. She felt much better after this one strange moment, and was able to enjoy the city and her grandfather’s company better.
Back home, they spent their time cooking and working in the back garden, while all the time David told her stories about the family. She was especially interested in stories about her dad, when he was a kid. It felt so weird, yet funny to hear of him in that context, and she constantly bothered David for more juicy information.
She got to go through all the albums with family photos and old videotapes David had. And while she loved getting to know more about her dad’s family and past, she could not help but feel a little sad. This was a part of him that she had missed out on, but more so, a part that her dad had left behind and to this day still missed. For the first time she realised just how hard it must have been for him to make the decision he had made, to give up his former life, his home, his father, all for his brother. She wondered if he’d ever regretted that decision.
One thing was definitely strange for her, seeing photos of her uncle Damien and Sam. Sam was really beautiful, her blonde hair long and wavy, her blue eyes full of life. Knowing the stories about the time her dad, she and Freddie had spent together, and how she had saved her dad, Serena felt such admiration for this woman whom she’d never met, but really wanted to.
Her uncle, however, was a different matter. She always knew him as the young man she saw regularly in Endërland, slightly older than her dad, with piercing black eyes, curly black hair and a neat goatee. But even knowing that in this world he wore her dad’s body and face did not prepare her for what she saw, especially the most recent pictures. This was her dad, only much older and quite different from the man she knew.
Despite all the magical and miraculous things she had witnessed all her life, she could not so easily wrap her head around this. Her uncle looked like her dad, only a much older version of him. She wondered whether her dad would have grown to look any different from what her uncle looked now, had he been the one inhabiting his own body. It was a head-scratcher, no doubt about it.
Moreover, she was not sure how she would have to act when she finally met him. It turned out, however, that that would not happen anytime soon. Damien had called earlier that night to let them know that they were staying in Chicago indefinitely. He’d sounded quite worried over the phone; something had happened to Sam. It seemed she had fallen in some sort of a coma and would not wake up. They were currently keeping her in intensive care, while trying to find out the cause of her state, but Damien suspected this might not be a medical issue. It could be that something had happened to Sam in her dreamworld, though he had no way of confirming this.
That evening, as she tried to fall asleep in her new room, Serena could not stop thinking about it. She felt bad for Sam; she had been so strong and brave in her youth, saving her dad’s life on more than one occasion. Now, however, it appeared she may have found herself in the same situation as her dad during those earlier days. Wasn’t that strange? Was something similar happening in New Endërland right now as it had happened in her world during the Dark Winter? If so, was there any way for them to help? She knew her dad would have wanted to, if he could.
She planned to ask Freddie as soon as she saw him next. She just did not expect to see him that very evening. She was still wide awake when she heard a knock on the main door, followed by her grandfather’s footsteps down the wooden stairs. When she heard what she thought was Freddie’s voice, she too got up, got dressed again and went down to the living room to meet them.
They were both standing there, now looking towards her, having heard her come down from her room. Serena’s eyes went straight to Freddie, unwillingly smiling as their gazes met. It dawned on her right then that she had missed him a lot and was very glad to see him again.
The look in Freddie's eyes, however, confused her. He did not appear to be as pleased to see her as she had hoped. At first she felt hurt, but she soon understood. Freddie was worried. And so was David.
‘What’s wrong?’ she asked right away, somehow sensing that this had nothing to do with the news about Sam.
‘I need to take you out of here,’ answered Freddie, n
ot lingering with formalities. This sounded serious and urgent.
‘Where? Why?’
‘We don’t have time to talk about it now, Serena. You need to change right now and come with me. You’re in danger.’
‘From whom? Who would want to hurt me?’ Serena insisted.
‘It’s a very long and complicated story, Serena and we don’t have the time. Please go and change.’
‘But…’ Serena looked at David, who now intervened.
‘You better do as he says, Serena. We’ll explain on the way.’
‘You’re coming with us?’ Serena felt better about this already.
‘You bet, I am. I let my son go on his own once; I’m not doing that mistake with my granddaughter too. Besides, Daniel would want me to look after you.’
They both looked at Freddie, to find out if he agreed with this. Freddie did not waste time arguing.
‘That’s fine, just get ready, please. We need to leave right away.’
Both Serena and David got changed and ready to go in a manner of minutes. They joined Freddie downstairs and together they headed towards the door.
Somehow, Serena did not feel right leaving this place. It had become her home in the last four days, and she had hoped she would have a bit more time here.
As if reading her mind, David put a hand on her cheek, caressing her.
‘Don’t worry, you’ll see this place again, I promise. We’ll come back once it’s safe.’
Safe from whom, she thought to herself, but to her grandfather she only gave a smile and nodded. She followed Freddie, who was the first out of the door and on to the patio. Behind her, David turned to lock the door as soon as he was out too.
From there, everything happened so fast that she missed parts of it. She bent down to tie her shoelaces, with which she was still getting used to, when she heard a muted sound coming from somewhere outside the front gate. Behind her, her grandfather fell down on the ground, without making a sound. Freddie turned around so fast that she almost got dizzy just by looking at him, and pushed her down on the floor, covering her with his own body.
A series of bullets flew in from the same direction as the first, hitting the wall, door and windows of the house behind them. They opened up a bunch of holes and broke a lot of glass, but neither of them got hit. When the shooting finally stopped, a car was heard speeding away in the night, yet Freddie still held her down. Only when he was sure that the shooter was really gone did he let her back up, and both of them hastened to check on David.
The bullet had entered from the back through the left shoulder, and exited from his chest. It seemed to have missed his heart by a hair. That was the good news. The bad news was that he was bleeding badly.
Kneeling beside Freddie, Serena felt scared like she’d never been. She had never experienced anything of the sort in her entire young life. Nothing had prepared her for something like this.
‘Is he going to be okay?’ she asked, her voice trembling. She did not want to cry, but the sudden idea that her grandfather might die was just too overwhelming.
‘I don’t know,’ Freddie answered hastily. ‘He needs to go to the hospital. Quick, give me your hands.’
She got closer and let him grab her hands and place them one on top of the other over David’s bullet wound.
‘Push down just hard enough to stop the bleeding, while I call an ambulance.’
Serena wasn’t sure what that would accomplish exactly, but did as he said. Freddie pushed the door open and ran inside towards the phone, while Serena kept her hands on her grandfather’s chest. She could feel the warmth of flesh and blood underneath her skin, the rising and falling of his chest as he struggled to breathe. As tears began to roll down her cheeks, she tried to comfort herself with the fact that he was still breathing and there was still hope.
Freddie came back out in a matter of seconds, with the cordless phone in his hand. He knelt down next to David, checked his pulse and then spoke to the person on the other end of the line.
‘Yes, he still has a pulse and he’s still breathing. No, he’s not conscious. We’re trying to stop the bleeding, but that’s not gonna help much. You need to get here now.’
The person on the phone was still talking, but Freddie hung up.
‘They’re on their way. They’ll be here in about five minutes. Are you okay?’
Serena nodded, though her drenched face said otherwise. Freddie raised one hand and wiped her tears.
‘He’ll be okay, Serena, I promise. We’ll just have to hang on for a few more minutes. But once we hear them coming, we have to leave.’
‘What?’ Serena could not believe him. ‘I don’t want to leave him; he’s my granddad.’
‘I know that, Serena. But those people came here for you. If we stay here, we’ll have to be interrogated by the police and explain everything; and trust me, that will not go down well. Not to mention that it will be much easier for them to find you, if they know where you are. We have to disappear, Serena, it’s the only way.’
Serena began weeping again, even though she hated appearing weak in front of Freddie.
‘But I can’t leave him, not like this. It’s not right; I need to make sure he’s okay.’
‘What you’re doing right now, is the best we can do for him. When the ambulance comes, they will take good care of him; they will save him. But us, there’s nothing more we can do here. I promise you, we’ll come back to check on him later, but right now, I need to take you to a safe place. That’s what he would want, Serena.’
Serena wanted to argue, but she knew he was right. Her grandfather had gotten hurt trying to protect her; if she got caught, or worse killed, it would have been all for nothing. She was about to say something, when they heard sirens in the distance.
Freddie grabbed her by the arm and led her outside the gate and towards his car parked down the road. She followed him silently, rivers of tears washing down her face. Once in the car, Freddie drove away in the opposite direction of the oncoming ambulance and exited the neighbourhood. In less than ten minutes they were out of Horsham, taking first the A24 and then changing to the M25. It was a slightly longer path to their destination, but with any luck, they would reach the safe house before sunrise and without being tracked down by anyone.