“Meet you downstairs in ten, then,” Lugh said.

“Make it twenty,” Cynwrig said with a wicked look my way.

Lugh rolled his eyes. “Fine. If you must.”

Mathi muttered something under his breath and disappeared into his room. Cynwrig opened ours, then waved me in. The room was basic but clean, with a small wardrobe and a handy washbasin in the corner. A kettle and a tea-tray containing two mugs, a selection of tea and coffee sachets, and half a dozen little tubs of milk sat on the table in the opposite corner.

I tossed my backpack onto the bed and then turned and stepped into his waiting arms. Twenty minutes wasn’t a whole lot of time in the scheme of things, but by gods, it was utterly satisfying.

We basically had the pub’s small dining room to ourselves and spent a good part of the afternoon eating while planning responses for various possible scenarios. In the end, it was decided that Lugh and I would tackle the cave while Cynwrig and Mathi kept watch from above using the energy hum of stone and foliage to track any approach. That did leave the sea open as a possible option, but the information Lugh had gleaned from the pub’s owner about the cave suggested that even at low tide, such an approach would be treacherous. According to him, the climb up the wet and dangerous rocks that formed the dragon’s jaw was one only an experienced climber should attempt.

As another round of coffee and tea arrived, I gathered my phone and asked the waitress where the ladies’ toilets were. As she pointed me in the right direction, Lugh rose and said, “You shouldn’t go anywhere alone.”

“It’s just down the hall, brother mine. And you know how loudly I can shout if needed.”

His lips twisted. “Given my poor eardrums have been the recipient of said shouting more than a few times over the decades, I certainly do. But if you’re too long, I’m coming in.”

I rolled my eyes and walked to the end of the dining room and down the small passage the waitress had indicated. I had to go past the kitchen, several storerooms, and then through a door that led out into a small courtyard area before I found them.

Dusk had settled in across the sky, painting the clouds pretty shades of pink. The air was still but bitterly cold and made me wish I’d grabbed my coat. The courtyard was empty aside from a several dust-covered tables and a nearby stack of chairs. The toilet block lay to my left, and at the far end of it was a large waste bin. Something small and dark flicked around its base then dove into the deeper shadows, and revulsion crawled through me. Rats. Great.

After another quick look around, I headed into the ladies’. The lights came on as I entered, the sudden brightness making me blink. Both stalls were empty, so I headed into the cleanest. But as I closed the door, an odd scuff caught my attention. I froze, my heart pounding so rapidly it was practically all I could hear.