His voice rang out, and came back to him distorted and hollow. A big room, then. If he had the patience, he could work out just how big merely by listening to his words return to him.

‘Show yourselves. I know you’re watching. Come out where I can see you, or do you just hide in the shadows? You can’t be scared of me, not like this. Come on!’

He was panting with effort. He knew it was dangerous, trying to goad whoever had taken him into action, but he’d had enough. Dangerous and stupid: there were far worse indignities they could heap on him – rape, torture, slavery, execution – but he wanted to see his captors, look them in the eye and spit in their faces before they did any of that to him.

He circumnavigated the circle of light provided by the candle, stepping around the fallen chair, searching the darkness for a sign that he’d been heard.

The flame flickered with a sudden draught. A distant boom signalled a closing door. Slow, deliberate footsteps, accompanied by a metallic tapping, grew louder. Dalip stopped his pacing and straightened his spine.

The steps sounded outside of his vision. They circled him just as he’d circled the candle.

‘Pick up the chair.’

‘I’d rather stand, thank you.’

‘It’s not a request. It’s an order.’

He considered it. ‘Make me.’

‘How tiresome.’ The voice was male, cultured, urbane, and bored. So very bored.

‘Pick it up yourself. You can untie me at the same time.’ Dalip turned to face the shadow of the man. ‘What did we ever do to you?’

‘I don’t think you appreciate the gravity of your situation, young man.’

‘So why don’t you tell me? Why don’t you come where I can see you?’

‘Knowledge is power, and I’d be a fool to give you anything. Since I’m not a fool, let me tell you the way this works: I ask you questions, and you answer them.’

This wasn’t the geomancer. But the geomancer would be listening.

‘What,’ said Dalip, ‘what if I refuse?’

‘Then you will be beaten, starved, chained, and eventually – after a very long time – you will die. It doesn’t have to be that way. All that is required is your cooperation, and we can avoid that. You do want to avoid that, don’t you?’

‘I’m not keen on pain.’

‘There, that didn’t take long, did it? Sit down, and we can begin.’

He almost did. His foot reached out for the seat, to pivot it upright.

He pulled his leg back. ‘No. Do your worst.’

‘How … disappointing.’

‘You’ve not given me a reason to want to please you.’

‘Things will go badly for you. You should reconsider.’