Her grandfather was now on the floor of the cave, writhing in pain. He was holding onto one of his legs with both hands, teeth gritted, cursing. His gun had fallen to his side and it was as if he was unaware she was there. And then, in what must have been as much of a blessed release for him as it was for her, he slumped into unconsciousness.

Mary Kate stared at his filthy body and watched as his contorted face relaxed. She caught a glimpse of her mother in his face. She blinked; it was the face of her mother. She shook her head and tears filled her eyes. It had to be the dark, the cave. She was delirious.

‘Mammy,’ she cried. ‘Mammy.’ She looked again. She was there; Sarah was with her and it was not the body of her granddaddy she saw on the floor before her but the image of her mother.

‘Brave girl,’ said her mammy, and then came the voice of Nicholas.

‘Count again, Mary Kate. One, two, three and you’re there.’

Her head swung around. She couldn’t see him, could only hear his voice. ‘Nicholas…’

‘Four, five… Go on, they’re coming for you out on the shore.’

She gulped in more of the fresh air and as her shivering subsided, a calmness washed through her.

Sarah smiled. ‘Go on. We’re waiting, we won’t leave you until you’re safe.’

She allowed her eyes to believe, to feast on her mother’s face.

‘Jacob’s ladder will always lead me to wherever you are,’ her mother said. ‘Nicholas and I will be your guardian angels. Get out of this cave and go back to Liverpool, there is a life waiting there for you. Go and do great things.’

‘How? I don’t understand. I can’t.’

‘Oh yes you can. You can because you’re Mary Kate. Everything that is bad here in Tarabeg ends with your success. Go out into that world, Mary Kate, it’s waiting for you. You’re going to be someone special, as you were always meant to be. You will do good things. You will put an end to all of this by your actions. Always remember, Nicholas and I are here. We are all here.’

Mary Kate turned towards the daylight. She brought her knees up to her chest and pushed herself back. She was no longer afraid of being seen, no longer felt the fear; she pressed herself onto her back and wriggled along the ground. She took one last look at her captor. The hazy darkness had swallowed him, but as her eyes adjusted he returned and she could see that his breathing was rapid and shallow and he was still unconscious. Even if he did wake, he was in so much pain, she doubted he’d be able to follow her.

‘Nicholas,’ she whispered into the cave.

‘One,’ came the reply. ‘Two.’ She heard Nicholas counting along with her. ‘Three,’ he said, and the tears spilt down her cheeks as she laughed and cried and heaved herself along.