And then Albert remembered where he had seen it before, hanging loosely from a black sackcloth belt, whistling through the air, spreading blood in its wake. He looked around at all of them.

‘Wonderful what a difference a single clue makes. Clear as day now, isn’t it? We heard him threaten Castor, all of us.’

‘Yes, Ucho,’ said Father, ‘but I don’t think—’

‘Well I don’t think I like to believe in this much coincidence! He threatens to cut the man’s throat, and that’s exactly what happened, and with his knife, too!’

‘What possible reason could he have for doing so?’ asked Father.

‘That’s what I intend to find out, although maybe he did mean it when he threatened poor old Castor!’

‘I doubt he would threaten him in a room full of witnesses.’

‘Who knows how that creature’s mind works? All I need now is to get my hands on him, but nobody’s seen hide nor hair of him for hours, so my guess is he’s made a run for it. I’m going to put the men on lookout for him, anyway.’

‘Ucho, this is not enough evidence for you to assume his guilt and—’

‘It’s enough for me to hold him to ask a few questions, all right! And that’s exactly what I intend to do! Catch him!’ Turning on his heel, he marched out through the partition.

Albert turned to June. ‘You haven’t said anything.’

She hesitated. ‘Well, it is his knife and—’

‘I do not think that any of us knows enough to shed further light on the matter at the moment,’ said Father. ‘Perhaps if Ucho can find Marcus—’

‘Begging pardon, sir,’ said Colby, ‘but if he’s gone into those tunnels there’s no way anybody’s going to find him unless he wants them to and the commander knows it.’

‘Unless he comes back,’ said June.

‘Well, if he’s done it, then he’s not coming back, is he?’ said Albert.

‘I don’t know,’ she said.

‘Perhaps enough has been said for now,’ said Father. ‘Let us return to our tents.’

18

They walked out until they were back into the main body of the valley. The entire ambience had changed. The air was well and truly black now. A row of lit torches embedded into the walls all the way down the rocky face till the far end cast the whole valley in a warm, yellow glow. Shadows clumped near the walls in a strange imitation of the torchlit tunnel that had been the starting point of the journey here.

‘All right,’ said Father. ‘Until tomorr—’

He broke off, staring down the valley. Next to Albert, Colby stiffened. ‘Uh oh,’ he said.

Albert turned, in the direction they were looking, even as a shout broke out far ahead, echoed closer by, and saw Marcus, walking lightly down the valley, towards them.

‘Excuse me,’ said Colby. ‘I think—’