Father held his eye for a moment, his face inscrutable. Then, for the briefest instant, a smile flickered on his lips.

‘Much more than meets the eye,’ Albert heard him murmur.

And then he turned and began the walk towards the Square. They all stared after him.

‘Quite the old man,’ said Colby, shaking his head. ‘You mean he’s actually—’

‘He never said he was,’ said June.

‘Never said he wasn’t, either,’ said Joe.

Albert said nothing, just watched the erect figure making its way down the valley floor, till it turned the bend and he could see it no longer.

‘All right, everyone,’ said Colby. ‘I think we’ve wasted enough time here. Let’s get a move on now. A little less lip, and a little more forward march, that’s what we need.’

‘Aye. Forward march towards Death and Disaster,’ said Joe with morbid satisfaction. ‘I said this was gonna end badly, didn’t I?’

‘Optimistic to the end, eh, Joe? Now, what do you boys think is the best way out?’

‘Smeltin’ fields,’ said Kieran without hesitation. ‘Get through there and we’re home clear.’

‘Aye,’ nodded Joe.

Colby nodded. ‘All right. Let’s go.’

Ten minutes later they stood at the top of the stairs, staring at the passageway leading into the tunnels ahead. ‘All right, boys,’ said Colby. He glanced at June. ‘And girl. Here we go then. To the Far Reach.’

As they moved forward, Albert’s thoughts turned to Theo. She was somewhere out there, at the mercy of a group of rogues, alone and afraid. And for some reason, a pair of eyes flashed across his mind—green and imploring, the eyes of a man in pain, the man he had let down on the day it had all begun, before he had met Theo, even before the machine SUE had blackmailed him. For some reason the words still haunted him. SUE WANTS TO HAVE A CONVERSATION. He shook his head, pulling up, mid-stride, willing them away. They didn’t matter any more—they were part of the past, like the machine that had said them, which he would never see again. It was Theo that mattered now. As he thought it, he blinked and her brown eyes were back again, pleading, begging. He put his hand in his pocket, feeling Theo’s lucky stone between his fingers, choking back a lump in his throat that rivalled the stone for size.

He turned around, looking back down the passage, at the fading golden glow of Sanctuary, and then turned around again. He shut his eyes for a moment, making a vow to himself. He didn’t know what was about to happen or where they would end up, but this he did know, that come what may, he wouldn’t let Theo down.

‘Albert!’ came Colby’s voice, more insistent now. ‘Come on, man!’