After we'd packed up our makeshift stall, we spread out the fabric and scrutinised Branok's directions under the glow of the knockers' twinkling fairy lights and Ang's bluecap. My heart sank as I deciphered his written notes.

'Ley lines,' I said heavily. 'He reckons you can only get to it by ley lines.'

'They bad news, gwas?'

'Very bad news.' I passed her a packet of crisps. The knockers had been kind enough to feed us during our stay, and we'd learned they'd modernised somewhat from a solely pastry-based diet. On this particular evening the enticing smell of burgers and chips was wafting over to us from one corner of the mine. Apparently Merouda and a group of other young knockers had hit up a fast food joint earlier, though what they traded for the meal I have no idea.

I shook the smell out of my nose. 'We'll need a lift. Because there's no way I'm stepping into a ley line by myself.'

'Don't want to travel unprepared, like?'

'Exactly.'

'Not like when you stepped onto that ghost ship, right?'

'Not at all like– What?'

'That time you nearly drowned us both travelling to another dimension,' she said casually. 'Or like that time you got us trapped journeyin' through the Nether. You ain't one fer travelling blindly, eh gwas?'

'This is different. I know that ley lines are bad.'

'So if ye didn't know, ye wouldn't care?'

'They say ignorance is bliss.'

'Is stupidity, more like.'

'Eat your crisps.'

We'll need to take a lot of iron, I added to my internal checklist. And probably some bottles of alcohol. Good stuff, too. Won't get away with cheap grog. And a bit of chocolate wouldn't go amiss, either.

I also made a note to check in with Merouda. I wouldn't mind having one of her clockwork toys at my disposal, in case things got dicey.

After all, a Green Man . . .

'Full moon tomorrow, isn't it?' I said aloud.

'Aye.'

'That's good timing. We'll need to meet the Maidens.' Under my breath, I added, 'Let's hope they've forgiven me for last time.'

'What's that, gwas?'

'Nothing, just thinking aloud. Eat up, then we'll get some kip. Busy day tomorrow before we embark on our noble quest.'

'What's noble about pinching fairy dust off've some leafy squatter?'

'You heard me agree to leave some for the knockers, didn't you? Any endeavour where we're not keeping the entire haul to ourselves sounds pretty noble to me, Ang. Magnanimous, even.'

She lowered her voice conspiratorially. 'Seems t'me we could do the job, then come back sayin' we failed. Too fierce a monster it be, not worth trying for.'

'Now that is a good idea.' I looked at her with genuine surprise. 'Is it possible that I've rubbed off on you?'

'I takes me business duties seriously.' She rearranged the pile of stock bags around her, nestling down into a comfortable nook between the hexed corn dollies and the sack of sacrificial poppets. 'It's you an' me, right? That's what partners means. So long as you're all in on findin' my kin, then I'm all in on yer nefarious business. No secrets between us, eh? Jus' the rest o' the world.'

'I'm lucky to have a friend like you, Ang.'

She grinned. 'Too right.'

Soon her rattling snores – in no way gentle or melodic – nevertheless leant a soothing familiarity to the character of the mine. Though the knockers had wound down in parts, there was still a low buzz of activity, a general coming-and-going of groups around the sleeping bodies, some that roused to go off to work and others that were just now bedding down. High above, two knockers had climbed the walls of the stope to replace batteries in several strings of lights; a small cooking-fire to my right held court to another handful of perfectly awake individuals; the daytime drone of conversation had merely dulled to a hum, and still carried ripples of laughter and occasional arguments within it.

They were the sounds of family, and kinship – of mutual dependence, and trust.

I tried to listen to all of it for a while, and then none of it. Ang had lived in a placed like this. Knockers were more predisposed to travel than coblynau, but still, they always returned home. Loyalty to family, first.

The ambiguous image of Quiet Eyes encroached on my train of thought, unwelcome but inevitable.

No secrets, Ang? You should know me better than that.

That's what I tried to tell myself, anyway, as the sneaky stain of guilt leached into my plans.

I really ought to tell Ang about the deal with Quiet Eyes. She'd understand. Eventually. If I explained that we were just doing it for the info, and that we'd play her at her own game, together. I just had to tell her everything. It was the sensible, honest thing to do.

So it was probably a foregone conclusion that I didn't.

* * *

Author's Note

Slightly shorter update this week, but it made the most sense to end this section here. It'll probably be followed by a rather longer installment next week to make up for it.

As always, let me know your thoughts! Every suggestion is welcome.

=)