Tóla speaks again, not so loud. But wound up tight; something’s happened, something more than Bardán wandering off without permission. ‘Over here,’ he says, and takes my arm, moving me away from Bardán and his keepers. Drops his voice quieter. ‘My daughter is missing. Fifteen years old and out there somewhere on her own. Gone from Winterfalls since morning. And he’s been unaccounted for all day.’ Meaning Bardán, though why he’d have anything to do with a missing girl I can’t imagine. ‘All day,’ Tóla goes on. ‘All day it’s taken them to get a message to me, curse them. You say he’s been with you. You know the rules. You know he’s not to leave the place.’

The man’s beside himself with worry. I don’t like Master Tóla, never have. But right now I feel sorry for him.

‘I can tell you everything I did all day,’ I say. ‘Starting with what I ate for breakfast. Or I can help you look for the girl. Help you organise a search. Either way, time’s passing.’

‘What about him?’ Tóla snaps. Bardán’s still standing there with those two holding him. Chances are he can hear every word, even though the master moved me away.

‘He means no harm,’ I say. ‘Take him over to the barn, find him a safe spot, keep a watch on him if that’s the way you want it. But don’t hurt him. He’s got nothing to tell you about a missing girl, I give you my word. I’ve been with him most of the day.’

Gormán’s talking to the two fellows, pointing over to the barn, getting ready to move the wild man.

‘Grim!’ Bardán’s voice is more like its old self. He sounds scared. ‘No!’

‘Go easy on him, will you?’ I say to Gormán. ‘He needs kindness, not a beating.’ I look over at the wild man. ‘I’ll come and see you when I’m done here,’ I tell him. ‘Promise.’

Gormán jerks his head toward the barn and the two fellows take Bardán away. Then it’s just the three of us standing there, Gormán, Tóla and me in the dark, with folk still busy all around the place, lights flickering in the rain, though it’s slackened off now. Good thing. It’s not going to be a comfortable bed tonight, it’s going to be a long cold search in the woods. This girl was unhappy at Winterfalls, wasn’t she? That’s what Blackthorn said. Missed the forest here at Wolf Glen, wanted to come home. Loved trees. And birds; birds came and perched on her, all different ones together, like magic. Wish I’d seen that. But the girl was never at the cottage same time as me. Never saw her in the flesh.