A roar came from behind some small houses to the left and Candy appeared, carrying massive bundle of white fabric. It took me a moment to register that it was Tipsania. He bounded towards us, Brochan hot on his heels.

‘Bob!’ I yelled. ‘Show them where the boat is!’ There was a flash of blinding light and Bob appeared, bowing grandly in front of my face before taking off with the merman, the Wild Man and what could have been Little Bo Peep in his wake.

Byron lay his father on the ground. Aifric coughed, spluttered and rolled over to one side. I watched him for a brief moment; he’d be alright. ‘Taylor!’ I yelled, bending down and getting into his face. ‘Where is Taylor?’

Aifric didn’t answer and I cursed loudly. Was Taylor still alive?

There was a rumble as the timber roof of the church collapsed. Terrified that he was inside, I prepared to go back in if need be. Then I heard a shout from towards the back wall. With my cuffed hands in front of me, I ran as fast as I could.

Three bodies, Jamie and Angus standing over them. My heart in my mouth, I stumbled forward to Taylor’s prone form. I was shaking all over. Tears were leaking down my cheeks; whether they were from the smoke or because I thought Taylor was dead, I couldn’t have said.

‘He’s still breathing, Tegs,’ Angus said. He didn’t sound reassuring, despite his words. As I felt for my old mentor’s pulse and registered his shallow, heaving breaths and the sallowness of his skin, I knew the reason why. This was like Morna all over again; Taylor was dying. This time, however, I could do something about it and it was all thanks to Aifric. The tragic irony wasn’t lost on me.

I could only guess how the Gift of Healing worked. I ran my hands lightly across Taylor’s body, trying not to let the gaping wound in his torso stop me doing what needed to be done. His eyes were closed and, even without any medical training, I knew that he was at death’s door. Well, death could keep on knocking as far as I was concerned. Today, no one was going to answer.

I searched inside myself for the right magic and withdrew a delicate tendril. The last thing I wanted was to fill Taylor’s body with power and cause an overload. While Angus and Jamie watched, confused and probably assuming I was saying my goodbyes, I let the magic out to do its work.

An invisible thread sneaked across and wrapped around Taylor’s weak body. It bound him, spinning, working almost of its own volition. He moaned softly and Angus stiffened. I gnawed on my bottom lip, worried I was getting it wrong. Then I heard Byron’s voice behind me. ‘His cheeks.’

I jerked up my head. Byron was right: there was the faintest bloom of colour in Taylor’s cheeks. Emboldened, I drew out another wisp of magic and pushed it towards Taylor. His eyelids fluttered open and he blinked a few times before he focused on me. ‘Tegs,’ he breathed.