‘Yes, yes!’ she beamed and bowed, before nodding towards the door and heading out.

I looked at the others. ‘This is where it really gets serious,’ I warned.

‘All for one,’ Byron muttered.

Bob whispered into my ear. ‘Screw that. If this goes tits up, you lot are on your own.’

I just laughed.

***

There was something unsettling about the sky always being dark. Part of me expected dawn to break at some point and for the sun to illuminate everything in golden brilliance, even though I knew it wouldn’t. I itched to get back to the clean, fresh air of the Highlands. I was actually pleased when May’s friend took us outside to a parapet rather than deeper into the bowels of the castle. The darkness was claustrophobic enough without being kept inside. No wonder the Fomori demons slept on the rooftops instead of inside the old buildings which remained from the pre-Fissure days.

The same six demons from the arena faced us, seated in a row. May stood to one side and her eyes immediately sought Fergus. Without turning, I couldn’t tell what his reaction was. I cleared my throat. ‘Thank you,’ I said.

‘For what?’ asked the robed Fomori.

‘For not killing us. For listening to what I have to say. For the chance to change all our futures.’

‘The prophecy remains. You are still a threat.’

I lifted my chin. ‘I don’t believe I am.’

He knitted his fingers together. ‘We shall see.’

I ran my eyes across them, seeking potential allies but their expressions were masked. Even May’s expression was studiously blank. These guys would be fantastic at poker. I swallowed and began. ‘Across the Veil, we have a fixed view of what you are like. It is a given that you are evil, that you are monsters who have no qualms about who you murder. Recent evidence bears this out. Your demons attacked one of our northern cities and there were several deaths. You have encroached onto our land and it rarely ends well.’

A couple of the demons stirred. The robed leader held up his hand to still them. ‘We might say the same of your kind,’ he replied mildly. ‘You have made incursions into our territory. You have threatened us. We have nothing and yet you still seem to want to take that away.’

I nodded. ‘You’re referring to me? I’ve been here a few times.’ I thought of the magical harp I’d used in the Games. ‘On the first occasion I did steal something but I could argue that it didn’t belong to you any more that it belonged to me. If it helps, I have stolen far more from the Sidhe than from you.’

‘We do not just refer to you.’

I considered this. I didn’t know of anyone else who’d been beyond the Veil who hadn’t been with me. Then I frowned. ‘Matthew MacBain.’ It was a long time ago now but memories were long and grudges extended beyond mere lifetimes.