‘She’s no saint. Neither am I. You might be, I guess. What do you think we should do?’ She drew up her legs and hugged her knees.

‘That the only way to stop her may be to kill her. And that I’m not going to be the one to do it.’ He shrugged. ‘I don’t know if that makes me a coward or not.’

‘A lot depends on her. If she even looks at me funny, I’ll have her.’ Mary pointed down behind her neck. ‘The last time I turned my back on her, I got these.’

‘I’m supposed to protect the weak – that’s what the gurus say. I don’t know who the weak are any more.’ Dalip reached into his pocket for Pigface’s knife, and considered his distorted, dim reflection in the blade. ‘This isn’t over yet, is it?’

‘No way. But at least we can do what we came here for – ask some questions of her, and work out if we can go home or not.’

Dalip caught her gaze, and held it. ‘Do you think we can?’

‘I’m told if we do, we’d be the first.’ She blinked her big brown eyes. ‘We might have to stay.’

He didn’t know what he thought about that, and looked away.

27

27

They couldn’t find any maps, just some half-complete outlines of the coast to the south, with scratches marking a few prominent features. Mary knew that this wasn’t right, that the geomancer had to have maps, because that was the whole point. How could someone hope to divide Down with criss-crossing lines of energy without detailed maps?

The wind had picked up, and the broken doors on to the balcony were beginning to heave and yaw. Dalip went to wedge them shut, while Mary went to sit opposite the geomancer, who looked up through closing eyes at the woman who’d beaten her. Her split lips reopened as she pressed them together.

‘What do we call you?’ asked Mary.

‘Whatever you want.’

‘Pick a name. Yours would be good, but any name will do.’

Mama frowned at Mary and went to wipe away some of the freshly blooming blood with a damp cloth dipped in what might be wine. The geomancer pushed her hand firmly away.

‘I’m not a cripple.’

‘You seemed grateful enough for my help before,’ said Mama. ‘What’s changed?’

‘It’s me,’ said Mary. ‘She can fool you as to what she’s really like. She can’t fool me.’

‘She’s just a—’

‘She tried to kill me, Mama.’ Mary shrugged off the tapestry. ‘She did that. She did everything that’s happened to you and the others. All this is her fault, and she can fucking tell me her fucking name right now, or we’ll go another six rounds.’

The geomancer looked sour. ‘Bell. I’m Bell.’

‘Like the Disney princess?’

‘The thing that rings.’