She had already packed her scant necessaries in a day bag and closed up her cabin, and spent the night before her departure in Ilan’s room in the residential compound. Losing herself in his embrace, his familiar touch, smell, taste. Early in the morning, as first light was beginning to pick out shapes in the room, she dressed and told Ilan to go back to sleep when he stirred, and kissed him and mock-struggled when he tried to pull her back into bed, both of them laughing, letting go of each other with tender reluctance. There was a flitter waiting for her in the central lawn of the compound, and after a brief flight above dusty streets and straggling roofs it delivered her to the airfield beyond the city limits.

Iryn Moonsdaughter had given her the link to the little helper assigned to her. Ysbel had not activated it before now because she could not be certain that it could ever be switched off again, and disliked the idea that her last hours with Ilan might be scrutinised and recorded, but after the hopper lifted off and headed south and east on the long arc to Concord, she entered the string of numbers and letters on the virtual keypad her link projected in the air. A short melody trilled, Mother’s sigil – a golden tree of life with roots and branches entwined in a circlet of geometric knots – pulsed and faded, and a voice inside Ysbel’s head greeted her and told her that its name was Zaquil.

‘I didn’t know that helpers had names,’ Ysbel said.

‘It means “watcher” in one of the old tongues. Before now, you have dealt with helpers ranked no higher than the sixth tier of the outer circle. Little brighter than dogs. I, on the other hand, am in the second tier of the central cluster. Fully autonomous, possessing many useful skills.’

The helper’s voice was a mellow, soothing baritone, with orotund notes of self-satisfaction. Impossible not to think of him as male.

Ysbel said, ‘Tell me why Mother is interested in the map.’

‘Even those of us in the second tier are not privy to Mother’s thoughts. I know only that she considers it important enough to instruct someone like me to help you. Don’t worry! We are going to have fun together!’