True to his swashbuckling, murderous Lightkeeper reputation, Jem’s canteen was full to the brim with something much stronger than water: rum. She choked and gasped, the burning liquid lighting a fire all the way down her throat and landing, still flaming, in her belly. Spluttering, she placed the canteen down and took a deep breath, throwing several muttered swearwords about Jem to the wind.

After the initial shock subsided, Lily could feel the warmth that had creeped through her insides thanks to the dark, thick liquid in the canteen. Guilt tugged in a quiet but unmistakable way at her heart as she lifted Jem’s canteen back up to her lips, deliberately this time. Rather than the violent burning she had expected, the rum was gentle and deliciously warming. After one more quick, guilty swig, she screwed the canteen lid back on and hid the bottle back in Jem’s pack, hoping that he wouldn’t notice.

Her heart fluttered and her head swam with the alcohol; a shiver tickled her spine and the muscles in her neck rippled – a strange but not unpleasant side-effect. As much as she wished it would, the rum didn’t settle the sense of unease that had sunk deep in her heart, not just for the approaching night but for tomorrow as well.

Tomorrow, if all went to plan, she’d see Alice again. Jem would find Grace. Soon, the four of them would be walking, or running, from whatever it was that had stolen Alice and Grace away. She hoped.

The temperature was dropping rapidly now, as the autumn air swirled around her, nipping at any uncovered skin. Lily’s hands were stiff with cold and her muscles were groaning from the day’s endless walking. A raven flapped its wings somewhere far up above, screeching and cawing into the dusk, breaking the otherwise deafening silence of the autumn evening. Time passed with painful slowness, but just as Lily was beginning to grow unsettled and concerned for Jem, he reappeared. Or at least, his legs did. His body from the waist up was obscured by the mountain of logs he carried.

‘Are there any trees left?’ Lily asked with a playful glint in her eye. Jem snorted but resisted biting back at her and instead dropped the pile of logs at her feet.

‘When you don’t freeze to death tonight, you’ll have me to thank! Help me light it?’ Jem asked.

Between them, they constructed a simple fire structure, with kindling surrounded by dry logs. After a few attempts with Lily’s flint and steel, the fire caught and a warm glow filled the cave. The light of the disappearing day had long since vanished, and the warmth and light from the fire were a welcome atmospheric change. They huddled together, a blanket thrown around both of their shoulders, soaking in the heat from the burning logs. Lily stretched out her hands, rubbing them together. They were still stiff but the tingling at the end of her fingers was starting to fade.