‘This can’t be a coincidence…’

‘Did the men say who they were or where they were from?’

‘No … no, but the apothecary in Ardnaroch called one of them “Brother”, and not in a friendly familial way. More like it was his title, or something.’

‘Brother… That rings a bell, but I can’t put my finger on why…’ Jem was distracted, lost in a trail of thought.

‘Maybe things will become clearer with more research.’ Lily was keen to get things back on track. They didn’t have time to be dallying over the men, not right now. ‘What I don’t understand is this: how is the legend of the Lightkeepers connected to the Shadow Sect? I know that the girl in the story, the witch, was headed here when her mother died, but I don’t understand how the story of her stalking the lands, gaining followers and so on translates to the current fear of you now. People know that the Shadow Sect move around, from place to place. My uncle said that they hadn’t been in these parts for years.’

‘Ah, very clever,’ he commented, and Lily rolled her eyes, unsure whether his patronising was deliberate or just a by-product of being around younger children all the time. ‘Sorry, no offence meant. But it is clever that you picked up on that. Long story short, when we arrived here, I was almost immediately warned away from the lighthouse by everyone I met in Kelseth. There’s a fairy tale, a sort of poem, that’s told to children as a ghoulish bedtime tale but apparently the grown-up residents haven’t grown out of their fears of this place. Hang on.’ He leaped up from his chair once more, rushed over to his desk, shuffled through a few of the papers, and then returned, clutching another tattered piece of parchment in his hands.

‘You know, you really ought to have some sort of organisation system around here. All these torn-off corners of paper are a nightmare.’

Jem tutted and dropped back into his chair, ignoring her comment. ‘Here it is. I think it was folded into local lore years ago and it’s haunted the residents ever since.’ He handed the parchment to Lily, who read it aloud:

‘Beware the lighthouse keepers,

For they will hear you weep,

Beware those wretched lighthouse keepers,

Who’ll steal you in your sleep.

Beware the lighthouse keepers,

Armed with swords and knives,

Beware those deadly lighthouse keepers,

They’ve stolen many lives.

Beware the lighthouse keepers,

Who stalk the streets at night,

Beware those wicked lighthouse keepers,

And run when they blacken their light.

Beware the lighthouse keepers,

They’ve taken many before,

Beware those thieving lighthouse keepers,

They’ll leave you drowned upon the shore.

Beware the lighthouse keepers,

For they need to have their fill,

Beware those evil lighthouse keepers,

For tonight it’s your blood they’ll spill.’

Lily shuddered. ‘No wonder no one comes here.’

Jem nodded in agreement. ‘I was overconfident and had very little to lose. I needed to find shelter for my sister and I, and the lighthouse just made so much sense. There was no one here, even back then. It was abandoned and dusty, but not quite dilapidated. No one had been here for years. I think Hecate Winter manipulated the story of the Lightkeepers that you know and used it to her advantage. I think we can probably agree that she is the “girl” in your story; it seems too coincidental otherwise. In every town or village that she’s passed through, there is lore attached to a building nearby, a poem similar to our own. My theory is that she needs to keep these buildings empty of inhabitants, so if she ever does need to use them for sanctuary, they are free from prying eyes.