‘Yes, I saw him in the woods. I saw many of them. I met another too, called Tanenwod. She gave me a flute, but Jack must have taken it when he sent me here.’

‘And tried they not to kill you?’ Kit sounded surprised.

‘I wasn’t sure. They’re like animals, but they’re also like angels – or something else.’

Kit stiffened. ‘You made friends with one of the Good People?’

‘Is that what you call them?’

‘My mother did call them that.’

‘They said I had to release the Captive; otherwise things would break apart.’

‘But the Samdhya …’ broke in Zita. ‘They will attack. They said they would. They’ll kill him.’

‘An’ us,’ added Kit.

‘They won’t attack. They can’t. Rohenga said the threat was a way of trying to scare him so they could work out his weak points.’

Kit put his head between his hands. ‘Us shall be slaves, for aye.’

Tom remembered his dreams and the endless squares, each one smaller than the last; and when you got to the last, there was nothing there.

When you broke everything apart, there was nothing.

When you looked into the darkness, there was nothing.

A weight of dread fell upon him, making his limbs like lead.

He looked at Zita, hugging her knees by the window; at Kit, exhausted, lying on his back. Even they were almost destroyed, and they knew Jack, had known Jack, for years, for longer than Tom had been alive.

His eyes fell upon the model of the boat that his parents had died on. He knew Jack had put it there to torture him.

At first he let the grief flow through him, making its way through every part of his body until he thought he was nothing but sadness.

That’s why he put it there, thought Tom. I won’t give in to him. I won’t. Slowly, a nub of resistance began to form in him. He thought of his parents. Of love.

He heaved himself up, striking the table with his fist. Kit sat upright. Zita glanced at him from under heavy lids.

‘We won’t stay here and rot. Listen. Rohenga said something to me. He said Jack is breaking things apart. What they do – the Samdhya – is hold everything together. He said Jack was an evil thing. I saw that evil. He … he killed my parents.’

Saying it made the tears cascade down his cheeks.

Kit looked away. Zita touched Tom’s arm gently.

‘Oh, darling one. I’m so sorry.’

Tom put his hand over hers.