‘He’s coming. Slowly, but he’s coming.’ Mama put her hand to her chest. ‘The Lord knows I’m not made for running, girl, but he’s like a wet rag.’

Because she was watching for it, Mary could see part of the shadow beside the tree Mama was leaning on split away and move on its own, back in the direction they’d all come.

‘I see you, Crows,’ she said. She levered herself up off the map box and pointed. ‘If I can see you, I can stop you.’

The shadow hesitated. Dalip was visible in the distance between the trees, uncertain of which way to go.

‘We’re over here,’ she waved. ‘We’re all over here.’

The shadow fell away, although Crows was scarcely more visible without his cloak of night. His nervous, uncertain smile was his only discernible feature. Above them, the moon still dominated the dark sky.

‘You appear to have the advantage, Mary,’ he said.

‘Too fucking right.’ She waited for the crows to settle in the branches above their heads, their glassy black eyes watching everything that happened. ‘You stole my map,’ she said.

‘A moment of weakness on my part. I would be glad to return it to you.’

‘Not so fast, you bastard. That map is mine, and you don’t get to decide whether you give it back or not. But we’re taking all these maps: Bell’s and yours too.’

Crows gasped like a thwarted pantomime villain. ‘Would you beggar me, Mary? Would you leave me poor in this world?’

‘You left me to fight Bell on the mountain, while you ran back to the castle and stole my map.’ She could feel her fingers twitch, and the leaves and sticks around her grow light. ‘Yes. Yes, I would leave you with nothing.’

‘I saved you on the mountain. I gave you the chance to escape. I taught you to fly. Your harsh treatment of me does not repay my good deeds, Mary.’

Dalip came up behind Crows and stood at his shoulder.

‘Is this him?’

‘I’d introduce you, but he doesn’t have many reasons to stick around any more. Right, Crows?’

Crows seemed to realise that he was in trouble. He spread his hands wide. ‘Perhaps, then, we can come to an arrangement? My maps can be part of any deal.’

‘You mean our maps,’ said Dalip and went to sit on the roughly finished wooden crate.

‘You see,’ said Mary. ‘We can take it from here. We don’t need you.’

She listened to her own words, and saw how Crows’ smile slipped and faded, an eclipse of his own making.

‘How much – how many maps – are in the box?’

‘Wealth unimaginable,’ said Crows.