‘Someone.’ I wished I had asked Emer what the traveller boy’s name was. Aedan. Art. Aillil. ‘Grim, there’s a girl missing from Silverlake. The miller’s daughter, Ness, a friend of young Emer’s. It’s commonly believed she ran away with her sweetheart, one of the travellers, and took her father’s life savings with her. That same night the miller was killed in a nasty accident, which folk put down to him being upset and careless. Emer swears her friend wouldn’t do what they say she did. But nobody will believe her.’

‘Except you.’

‘I wish I didn’t, Grim. But I think N is for Ness, and A is for whatever the traveller lad’s name is, and Branoc may have someone in his loft who needs rescuing fast. Tell me, how quickly could you fetch us a horse and cart?’

He gave a shocked whistle. ‘Not today. And maybe not tomorrow. Couple of horses, I could manage. Why would you need a cart?’

‘If that girl’s been up there all this time, who knows what state she’ll be in? Possibly unable to walk, almost certainly not up to riding, even as far as Silverlake village.’

‘We can’t go in with a cart,’ Grim said. ‘That’d be sure to make Branoc suspicious. Be different if I had a delivery to make, but he’s got all the flour he needs for a while.’

‘Ah. You may not have an excuse to go up there, but I do.’ I pointed to the pot of salve Emer and I had made. ‘Branoc sent a message asking for a remedy, something for strained arms and shoulders. I could just send it with a boy. Or I could deliver it myself, along with an offer to massage away the pain.’

‘Too risky. Let me take it.’

‘This needs the two of us, Grim. And I want to do it today. If I’m right, and Branoc has got the girl, I don’t want her to spend another night as his prisoner. Let’s get her out of there.’

‘We could tell the prince or that man of his,’ Grim said. ‘Ask him if he’ll send folk to see if it’s true. They could get the girl back home quicker than we could, and they could send men-at-arms to deal with Branoc.’