“Ah, yes, the cloak. Well, it amuses me to collect bits and pieces, and it seems appropriate to carry them with me. Each has its own story, that is true. You might think of it as part of a carefully cultivated image: that of an eccentric man without a fixed abode. Hence my need to carry reminders of who I am and where I came from.”

This was a most unsatisfactory answer. “When we were hiding under that rock, when Aidan nearly caught us with the dogs, you stuffed the cloak into the gap,” I said. “And the dogs ran straight past us. I know those dogs. They’re highly trained. They wouldn’t have missed us.”

Cathal said nothing.

“The cloak stayed dry when we crossed the river. Most of our other clothing ended up soaked,” I said. “When I’ve got it on I feel warm right through, not just because it’s made of thick felt but . . . something else as well. I feel safer, somehow. This will sound strange, Cathal, but I’ve wondered if those charms have some power beyond themselves. Don’t shrug like that, I’m serious. Uncle Conor told me once that hearth magic, like putting white stones under the doorstep to keep a house safe or weaving withies in a special way to protect stock in a pen, can be quite effective if it’s carried out with sincere belief. I am wondering if . . . if tokens of good times, symbols of love and friendship, for instance, may have a protective power in a garment such as this cloak. See, I’m not asking a difficult personal question now, merely posing a theoretical one for you.”

“You’re setting a trap,” Cathal said.

“I don’t set traps for friends.”

A silence. Then he said, “Perhaps you misunderstand my reasons for being here.”

“Perhaps you should tell me what they really are.” Suddenly the air between us was thick with something unspoken and dangerous. My skin prickled strangely.

“I can’t talk about it,” he said. “I can’t give an explanation. Clodagh, I had a friend back on the other shore. Look what happened there. The last sight I got of him, he was trying to kill me.”

I didn’t like the way this was going at all. We were deep in the forest, in this strange unknown country, and the only companion I had was pushing me away. Meanwhile, those small sparkling entities that had been swirling and twirling overhead were gone, and all of a sudden the forest felt very big and empty. “You didn’t have to come with me,” I said, trying not to sound as upset as I felt.

Cathal sighed. “Go to sleep, Clodagh.” I heard in his words a curt dismissal. He didn’t want to talk to me. He didn’t want to listen. I’d been a fool to try to get any closer.