Cathal glanced at me. “You’re a rare creature, Clodagh,” he said. “You’re brimful of hope and compassion and love. I didn’t see all that when I first met you. But I did feel a spark. I felt an affinity. And I felt desire. It trembled through me at every toss of that fiery mane. It kept me sleepless by night and restless by day. With every kind word and with every sharp one you drew me in further. That troubled me greatly. It was not only the thought that I might be my father all over again. I knew that the stronger those feelings grew, the more powerful a tool they became in my enemy’s hands. As you see, I failed completely in my attempt to put you at a distance. And I worked hard enough at that; my rudeness was quite effective initially, I think. It pained me to speak to you thus. I despised myself for doing it, even though it was for your protection. But I reckoned without your ability to . . . to wrap your cloak of acceptance even around a man who had gone out of his way to be unpleasant, a man with very few redeeming qualities. We’ve become close and I’ve endangered you, as I did Aidan. If he hadn’t been my friend he wouldn’t be lying there in his blood, all alone.” His voice was shaking. “Now that I have seen these people’s complete disregard for human life, the only thing that matters is keeping you safe until you get home. I want you to put these in your pack.” He cut a thread and lifted a scrap of bright cloth from the place where it had been sewn into the cloak’s lining. There was a cold purpose about his movements. “From what that dog-faced being said, it sounds as if you shouldn’t wear the cloak to this exchange, but only the embroidered gown and shawl. The thought that you may need to use your appearance to charm this fellow disturbs me. I want you to take these things with you. You must put them in your bag and carry it on your back.”

“You mean for protection? I thought you said these charms had no such power.”

He was laying each item down on the ground beside him as he severed the threads that bound it to the garment: a tawny feather, a white stone, a strip of leather. “Maybe they do, maybe they don’t,” he said. “You must take them anyway.”

“But what about you?”

“I can look after myself.” He took another object from the cloak and set it down. It looked like a tiny plait of hair. “I let them kill Aidan. I won’t let them harm you as well, not if there’s anything I can do to prevent it.”