Something shifted in Thomas’s face. ‘You mean Conlaoch? They always wear a trilby hat?’
‘Possibly,’ I said slowly. ‘Penelope didn’t know their name but she was with me when I first spotted them down here.’
‘Penelope isn’t always friendly towards non-vampires,’ Thomas said. ‘Shewasn’talways friendly,’ he amended sadly.
I swallowed. There would be time for grief later. ‘When she met Trilby, she seemed … wary of them,’ I said. ‘But they had a mark that seemed to indicate they could come to the Understream whenever they wanted, so she let them be. Are we thinking of the same person?’
‘It sounds like it. I met Conlaoch when they showed up down here a couple of months ago. One or two of the real old timers said they recognised them from way back.Wayback, which suggests Conlaoch is more ancient and powerful than any vampire. I don’t know much else.’
Thane and I exchanged glances. ‘That seems like a recurring theme,’ he said.
‘Indeed.’ I wasn’t surprised that Thomas believed Trilby was both very old and very strong because it fit with what I knew of them.
Because there was little else to say about my mysterious acquaintance, I extracted a small amount of the dried herbs that made up the preservation spell and sprinkled them through the air. There was a pulse of magic. Thane waited a beat then took the stopper from the jug and shook out the contents. A roll of parchment fell out.
‘All hail the Clouded Map,’ he murmured as he unrolled it. While all three of us crowded around it, lines began to appear. I gasped involuntarily: here was the maze in all its glory.
‘We must be here.’ I pointed to a small red dot. ‘We’re already a third of the way through.’
Thane traced a route with his finger. ‘If we go this way, we can probably get to this junction before the walls move again.’
I examined the spot he was indicating. ‘That seems like a good plan. Let’s…’ My voice faltered and I looked around.
‘What?’ Thomas asked. ‘What is it?’
I ground my teeth together. ‘Where the fuck has my damned cat gone?’
There was no sign of She Without An Ear. She had been beside Chester Longchamps’ bag a moment ago but she wasn’t there now.
Although I calledher name repeatedly, She Without An Ear didn’t appear. We couldn’t waste any more time. Thane hurriedly returned the map to the bellarmine jug and stoppered it carefully. I passed him the preservation spell bag and we set off, jogging along the narrow corridor.
‘It’s only a cat,’ Thomas said, after we’d made our third turn and there remained no sign of the tabby.
Thane choked. ‘I’m pretending I didn’t hear that,’ I said aloud.
Thomas realised his error. ‘Alright,’ he said hastily ‘I get it. I like a bit of pussy myself.’
It was a dumb joke and I’d normally have given it short shrift but it suggested that Thomas hadn’t entirely forgotten who he was. On some level that was good, but until I found She Without An Ear I couldn’t bring myself to care. She’d made her decision to join us here but that didn’t mean I wouldn’t blame myself if anything happened to her.
I called for her again. ‘She Without An Ear! Where are you?’
We swivelled to our left, making an almost complete U-turn as we headed into the next corridor. Thomas shouted something from behind. ‘There’s something here!’
Initially I ignored him. Although I knew I should be glad that his laddish personality was returning, I wasn’t in the mood for any more inappropriate jokes. Then Thane called, ‘He’s right!’
I halted immediately. Thomas could be a dick but Thane wasn’t. I jogged back to join them. When I saw what was lying in a clump by the edge of the maze wall, I stiffened.
‘Silver fur,’ Thane murmured.
That bloody Maine Coon. I’d never disliked a cat, ever, but that might be about to change.
As I hissed under my breath I heard a muffled miaow from somewhere up ahead. That was definitely She Without An Ear. I took off at a sprint, making a beeline for the source of the sound. ‘I’ll strangle you when I find you!’ I yelled. ‘Or at the very least withhold those salmon treats you like so much!’
There was another miaow of protest and this time it sounded closer. I gritted my teeth and pumped my legs harder.
‘Kit! Slow down!’ Thane yelled.
He was right. There might be traps and I didn’t know where I was or where I was going. I slowed slightly but kept moving – until finally I saw my dratted cat, sitting in yet another gap in the maze wall. ‘You absolute baggage,’ I muttered. ‘Do notunder any circumstancesdo that again.’
