we soon discovered that only the Mothallath could step between the worlds.’ ‘Why?’ ‘That remains a mystery. To pacify the Sargas, Azha and her watchers – those Mothallath who travelled with her – swore that they would never cross the veil without our blessing. They would wear armour made of adamant to protect themselves from corruption. Most importantly, they would never reveal themselves to the living. They would always maintain their distance from humans.’ He stopped. ‘Someone … didn’t,’ I said. ‘We do not know exactly what happened,’ he said, ‘but the Netherworld began to deteriorate.
