‘And how long will that take? It’ll soon be winter; you can’t thatch in the rain. We might find ourselves at the smith’s until next spring.’ Impossible. I would go mad. Even madder than I’d been just now when I’d jumped up and shouted at the lot of them.

‘Outhouse is still standing. I could plug a few cracks, make it cosier.’ A long pause. ‘Bit small, though. For the two of us.’

I attempted a smile. ‘Don’t think I haven’t already considered that. Make it cosy? That’d be a miracle beyond even you. Sorry I sent you out there to sleep, back then. I was selfish.’

‘Nah,’ said Grim. ‘Just prickly, like a hedgehog. You want a drink? A bite to eat? I’ll fetch it.’

I shook my head. ‘You go, get yourself something. I’m best on my own.’

‘He was here, you know,’ Grim said. ‘Conmael. Up the back, sticking out like a snaggly tooth. Thought I was seeing things.’

‘I saw him. But I’m wondering if we were the only ones who could. Otherwise people would have been pointing and whispering. The fey don’t wander about as if they were just like everyone else. I’d guess most of these folk have never seen Conmael’s kind.’

‘Funny. Why would the fellow be here?’

I did not get the chance to answer, because a door opened and the prince’s man, Donagan, came back into the hall.

‘Blackthorn, Grim, come with me, please. Prince Oran needs to speak with you.’

What was this? We got up and followed him out of the hall, down a passageway and into the chamber where we’d told the prince the story of Ness’s rescue. Inside, Prince Oran and the two lawmen were seated at the table. No sign of Lady Flidais or the steward. The prince bade Grim and me sit down. Donagan took a place on the bench beside us. He poured us each a cup of ale and passed along a platter of oatcakes. A guard closed the door. I fought back memories of Mathuin’s council, Mathuin’s judgement, Mathuin’s punishment.

‘Thank you,’ the prince said. ‘We find ourselves with something of a dilemma, Mistress Blackthorn. The three of us are in agreement as to Branoc’s guilt in the matter of Ness’s abduction and abuse, and also in the matter of the fire at your cottage, since we heard him confess to that act of destruction. But we’re having some difficulty in determining an appropriate penalty for his offences.’

‘I do not know how far your understanding of the law stretches,’ Master Cael said, looking from me to Grim and back again.

‘Not far,’ I said, though that was not entirely true. One way or another, over the years I had picked up a fair bit of knowledge.