Mary nodded. ‘Without them, we don’t have a fucking clue where we are or where to go next. Geomancers like her spend years making them, finding them, hiding them away. Get it right, and you get a massive fuck-off castle like this, people to follow you, and maybe, if you’re the first to work out how everything works, you get to run the show.’

‘Then we should concentrate on getting the maps back,’ said Mama, arms folded.

‘Problem is, Crows is long gone, turned into a sea snake and away.’

‘He can’t carry the maps like that,’ said Bell, shifting awkwardly. ‘He can’t get them wet, and he needs hands to carry them.’

Mary looked at the ceiling. ‘He lied to me. Again.’

‘He does that,’ said Bell.

‘I’m not feeling sorry for you, if that’s what you want. If I was him, I’d have lied to you too.’ She tutted. ‘He’d have to have them stashed somewhere, somewhere close. Not at his castle—’

‘He had a castle?’

‘It was a bit shit, but yes. Full of crows, which is why I thought he was called Crows.’

‘Those weren’t crows,’ said Bell.

‘Then what the fuck were they?’

‘The crows were Crows. You’ve met Daniel and his wolves.’

‘The wolfman?’

‘Him. The wolves were Daniel. Projections from him, controlled by him. He can see through them, like a witch’s familiar. Crows does the same, but through a flock of crows.’

Mary wiped her face with her hands. ‘Oh fucking hell. I thought Crows had vanished, and he was there all the time. He played me. Fuck. He even taught me how to fly.’

‘So where are the maps?’ asked Mama. ‘Does this Crows have them?’

‘He wouldn’t have left the area without them. They were in the castle, so he probably stashed them nearby, where I wouldn’t find them. And if he can only carry them when he’s a man, then … somewhere near the river. We know he swam up it, don’t we, Dalip?’

‘I thought he was going to eat me,’ said Dalip. The increasing wind rattled at the shutters again, threatening to tear them loose. What might have been thunder rumbled distantly.

‘The wolfman was down by the portal,’ said Mary. ‘I thought he was looking for Crows. Or me. But what if he was looking for the maps?’ She thought about it. ‘Where would he go with them? If he wanted to sell them, or just start again? Or maybe the other thing, trade the fact that portals can disappear.’

‘There’s really only one place. The White City. But it’ll take him weeks to get there. There’s still time to find him.’ Bell murmured an offer: ‘I can help you, if you want.’