‘Mm. As if we’re being watched. Never mind that. We need to walk through this; make sure we’ve got it all worked out.’ At the eastern end of the pool lay the level stretch of shore where Eoin had pulled Ciar out of the water. If the tale of the boar was true, that would be the spot where the animal had plunged in after the lump of cheese. It was surely also the place where Flidais and Ciar – and, I assumed, Bramble – had waded in to swim.

I imagined Grim and myself trying to drag a screaming woman into that uninviting water; trying to immerse her without ourselves risking a transformation. Impossible, even supposing Donagan and the prince were prepared to help. And what about Mhairi? Flidais was hardly likely to ride out here without an attendant. ‘We won’t be able to lead her in,’ I said. ‘She’ll have to be pushed.’

‘Up there,’ Grim said, pointing. ‘See where the bank rises along that side? Deep water below, I’d be guessing.’

Morrigan’s curse! I couldn’t think of a less appealing spot. ‘She’d have to be mad to agree,’ I said.

‘Been up there once before,’ said Grim. ‘Come and take a look. Might be all right.’

We climbed around the bank, followed the rise, clambered with difficulty between the young birches and through the tangle of undergrowth. Up on this side, it was hard to get a clear view more than two strides ahead even by daylight. I muttered a prayer, thinking that what we were planning was likely to disturb whatever spirits dwelled in the place, and that they were surely dark and devious ones. A spider goddess, maybe, or something that liked to pop out unexpectedly, cackling. Gathering herbs in Dreamer’s Wood was all very well; I always did so with respect, offering the right words, taking only what I needed. But this felt perilous.

‘See?’ said Grim as we came out of the thicket, and there it was, sudden and surprising amid the tangle of growth: a patch of greensward, level and soft, surrounded by sheltering ferns, and just enough room for two people to lie down comfortably together.

‘This has been here all the time?’ How had I not found it before? Conmael, you meddler, I thought, but did not say it.

‘Mm-hm. Good spot to sit and think. That’s if the strangeness doesn’t get to you. Careful!’

It was a sharp warning. I halted and looked down. At one end of the sward, the ferns masked a sudden drop to the waters of Dreamer’s Pool. In this spot, the bank stood more than the height of two men above the surface, and it was sheer. There would be no easy scrambling out. The place might have been created just for our purpose. ‘Danu save us,’ I muttered. ‘But what about getting up here? It’ll be dark.’