Mama huffed. ‘Well, that’s that. We’re free to go, right?’

Dalip put his shoulder to the barricade, just to see how firm it was. ‘It’s a bit more complicated than that, and I really don’t have the words to explain it. It’d all be better if you just took a look for yourself.’

Luiza offered him the long knife. He thought about declining, but he took it. It was a kirpan by any other name, and he hoped that he’d be able to get the geomancer to tell him what she’d done with his kangha and kara. And his pagh.

The two serving women came with them, up the narrow winding steps all the way to the top. Mary had heard them coming, and was sitting on the bed, still wrapped in the tapestry.

‘Hey,’ she said.

‘Everything okay?’

‘We need to clean her up. Find her some new clothes.’

‘Are you sure about that?’

‘We can’t just leave her like that.’ She gestured at the raggedy woman, who sat with her legs drawn up and knees hard against her chest. ‘Just because we won doesn’t mean we have to behave like shits.’

‘She tried to kill both of us.’ He stepped off the staircase and in to the room. Mama followed, cautiously, eyes wide.

‘So we’ll be careful. Good to see you, Mama.’

Mama slowly turned, taking in the whole room, and eventually her gaze caught the slight figure of Mary.

‘Good Lord and Sweet Jesus,’ she shrieked. ‘Where’ve you been, girl?’

‘Out and about. I’m fine.’ She smiled. ‘I’m better than fine.’

‘What happened to your clothes?’

Dalip had to stand back lest he got trampled by Mama.

‘They got wrecked. By her. When she was a dragon.’

The others emerged. Mary nodded her welcome, taking a kiss on the cheek from Luiza and Elena. Mama drew back the wall hanging to inspect Mary’s back, causing her to wail and invoke God again.

Stanislav stared for a moment at Mary, then fixed on the geomancer. He marched straight to her and grabbed her by one thin wrist, pulling her upright and leaving her legs struggling to find purchase.

He pressed her against the wall, his hand around her throat, and slapped her, forehand, backhand, her head snapping one way, then the other. His fingers tightened, and she started to scrabble at her own neck, trying to prise him off.

‘Stanislav. Stop.’ Dalip started towards him, but Luiza was already moving.

Stanislav’s hand fastened on the front of dress, hooking the cloth away from her already-bruised and blood-smeared skin and ripping it apart. Luiza jumped up on him, her momentum knocking him sideways and forcing him to let go. They landed together, all three of them: the geomancer was desperate to get away, Stanislav just as desperate to attack her, and Luiza clinging to the Slav like a burr.