‘Oh, I’m perfect,’ he replied, straightening up. His eyes glinted as if he dared me to disagree.

‘Of course you are,’ I said quietly.

The Darrochs were both slow but steady. Malcolm Kincaid crossed with so much sweat streaming off his forehead and into his eyes that I was amazed he could see anything; his father struggled even more. His skin turned white as he inched his way, the ropes swinging dramatically on several occasions as he struggled to keep his balance. When he finally arrived, he threw me a nasty look even though my expression was bland.

‘You want to say something, Adair?’

‘It’s Taylor,’ I reminded him. ‘My name is Integrity Taylor.’

He flexed his fingers. Considering how tightly he’d grabbed the rope, they had to be stiff and sore. ‘Yes,’ he sneered. ‘I’d be ashamed of my Clan if it were yours.’

I didn’t deign to reply and turned my back. ‘I guess I’m up next,’ I said lightly. ‘Let’s go.’

After the rope bridge, the ground was fairly even. There was enough space to walk comfortably and even the scree underfoot was less of an issue. All the same, my stomach was twisting in nerves. Whether it was because I was worried about the Foinse or because I was about to acknowledge the importance of my true name – and therefore my Sidhe heritage – by passing the final hurdle, I wasn’t entirely sure. At least the tunnel we were moving along was getting darker so the others couldn’t see my tension.

The first indication I had that we were getting close was when we rounded a corner and I felt a breeze on my face. My eyes might have fully adjusted to the gloom but I still couldn’t make out anything that might be Foinse-shaped. I imagined that the Foinse would be like a small fountain with streams of multi-coloured magic bubbling up instead of water. Unfortunately, everything ahead was a dark black well .

I sniffed the air. For a long time, in fact since we’d entered the cavern, it had been growing gradually staler but now there was something different about it. It was almost fresh. I picked up my pace. We were almost there; I could feel it.

When we turned another corner, the Foinse was there. It was a huge chest bathed in light, although goodness knows where the light was coming from.

Diana, who was close behind me, gasped. With the chest perched on a stone pedestal and the light cascading from above, it was like entering an ancient temple to pay homage to a god.