“What about Tanith?” Vex asked.

Ode looked at him coolly. “What about her, Mr Vex?”

“The Irish Sanctuary has Dr Nye ready and waiting to help her. If anyone can separate her from the Remnant, Nye is the creature to do it.”

“Nye,” said Ode. “Nye... where have I heard that name? Oh, yes, I remember. On the lips of all the prisoners it tortured to death, that’s where. The Irish Sanctuary is harbouring a war criminal responsible for the deaths of—”

“They’re harbouring no one,” Frightening cut in. “The terms of the Treaty afforded an amnesty to Nye as much as it did to anyone else who fought on Mevolent’s side.”

“You’re defending a war criminal?”

“I’m defending the Irish Sanctuary.”

“Be careful where you place your allegiances, Mr Jones,” said Ode. “And the same can be said for your fellow sorcerers in the African Sanctuaries. It might not be a good idea to side with a volatile Sanctuary that is so increasingly isolated.”

“That sounds vaguely like a threat,” said Frightening.

“Excuse me,” Gracious said, offering up a smile, “if it might be possible to just go back to the bit where you’re offering us a grudging thanks and letting us get away with breaking in here, that’d be absolutely wonderful.”

Ode grunted. “Yes, well, perhaps it would be best if we cut this conversation short. Mr Vex, Tanith Low is staying here as our prisoner, as is Wilhelm Scream. The body of Black Annis will be cremated and her ashes buried in an unmarked grave. As for the vampire...”

A man came forward and spoke into Ode’s ear. Ode grunted again, and waved him away. “The vampire has so far eluded us.”

“Eluded you?” Aurora echoed. “But it’s morning. The sun is up. Dusk would have regrown his skin by now.”

“I understand that.”

“Grand Mage Ode, you’re looking for a naked man running around the Sanctuary. How can he go unnoticed?”

“I have my top people working on it right now.”

“Who?”

He glared at her. “Top. People. You should all take a leaf from Mr O’Callahan’s book, by the way. He sees the sense in not antagonising the person who is showing him mercy.”

“Also, I have to pee,” said Gracious.

“Out,” Ode said, sighing. “All of you. Out. Do not darken my doorstep again.”

All of which left only one more thing to do – and it was not something Vex was looking forward to.

He said his farewells to the others, thanking them for their help in what had turned out to be a complete disaster of a mission, and then he returned to Ireland. There was a car waiting for him at the airport to take him straight to Roarhaven. He knocked on Ghastly Bespoke’s door and entered.