I tried to rush forward to help but I was beaten back. The fire was too strong. I stumbled backwards, unable to do anything more than watch as Brochan grasped at air as if he were pulling it down. The atmosphere felt heavy and unnatural and I jumped as thunder rolled across the sky. Brochan didn’t react; he simply continued to yank at the air.

And then I felt it. One little drop splashed on my cheek. I gasped as hope sprang anew. The drop turned to a drizzle. Before I could blink again, it became a deluge.

The rain sizzled on the fire, steam flying up as the weaker flames were extinguished. More and more water fell until Brochan and I, and all the trees around us, were soaking wet.

I ran over and wrapped my arms around him. ‘You did it!’ I croaked. ‘How did you do it? Thank God, Brochan. This place is important.’ It really was. After what I’d experienced in the clearing, I was no longer the blithe and dismissive person I was before I’d entered.

‘I’m a merman, Tegs, you know that. It’s a simple matter of the water cycle.’

His face was wan and drawn and I realised that it wasn’t a ‘simple matter’ at all. ‘Thank you,’ I said into his ear. ‘Thank you.’

‘Someone’s really got it in for you.’

‘You can say that again.’

‘Someone’s really…’

I smirked.  ‘Yeah, yeah. Come on.  Let’s get out of here before they try again.’

Foregoing the path in order to keep ourselves safe – and Brochan’s presence hidden ‒ we tramped through the trees while he filled me in on his news. It was slow going because I was hurting all over now, but at least it allowed Brochan plenty of time to cover all the details.

As the trumped-up charges against both him and Speck were entirely false, it wasn’t difficult to get them released. Of course, the sizeable wad from the sale of the Lia Saifire had helped. Money talks. Taylor had stayed behind in Aberdeen to ensure there was no further fall-out while the rest of the gang vamoosed over here.

‘You had no problem getting through the magical barrier?’ I enquired, stepping over loose bracken.

‘Your friend came through.’

I snorted. ‘Charlie? He’s not what I’d call a friend. He does have his uses, though.’ I shot Brochan a curious, albeit grateful, look. ‘How did you know I was in the grove?’

He shrugged. ‘We have got ourselves a prime piece of real estate. Some disused tower towards the east side. It’s got great views. We were able to watch you walking with that Sidhe guy then entering the spooky forest.’

‘It’s a grove.’