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the rock face with its cave was in view. Right, time to set his mind at rest.
    The grasses and bushes round the foot of the rocky outcrop were crisp with frost, and it crackled under their feet as they left the path and made their way towards the tall, arched opening.
    His heart beating hard, Josh stepped round and into the cave mouth, Callie just behind him. He forced himself to look slowly round the cave, trying not to think about going into the narrow opening at the back.
    He almost stopped breathing.
    There was a figure sitting on the ground in one of the shallow recesses at the back of the cave, head on folded arms on drawn up knees. Josh knew what his face would look like.
    He wanted to run, but his muscles wouldn’t do anything. Callie moved round him, apparently unconcerned, saying, “Hello. Are you all right?”
    The man didn’t move.
    â€œWhat do you think we should do?” Callie whispered, turning to Josh. She caught sight of his face. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
    He managed to speak.
    â€œThe ice. I saw him before in the ice.”
    â€œJosh, you’re not making any sense. What do you mean?”
    The man still hadn’t stirred.
    â€œWhen we were in the cave before and there was all that ice in there –” he gestured at the narrow opening at the back of the cave “– when I went back to look again there was a man’s face behind the ice. That’s what made me drop the torch.”
    They were speaking in whispers now.
    Callie gave Josh a long, hard look, but to his amazement, not only did she not laugh at him, she seemed to take his ridiculous statement seriously.
    â€œBut in that case he’d have to be dead, wouldn’t he? He doesn’t look dead. And how could George and I not see him?”
    â€œI don’t know. I know it doesn’t make any sense. What are you doing?” Callie was edging towards the still figure. “Come back!” he hissed. “You don’t know what he is.”
    â€œWell, he’s not dead, whatever he is. I can see him breathing.”
    â€œLeave him. Come on, let’s get away from here.”
    â€œNo! What if he’s ill, or hurt?” She kept sidling closer.
    â€œHello,” she said quietly. “Can you hear me? Are you all right?”
    There was no reaction from the huddled figure. She said it again, more loudly this time. Still nothing.
    Josh moved closer.
    The man was dressed in clothes made from what looked likeanimal skins, soft and supple, dyed blue and grey. He could see the stitching at the seams on the sleeves. They were decorated with patterns of coloured thread and pieces of shell and what looked like bone. His hair was a mix of black and various greys, longer than Josh’s. There were small braids through it, with pieces of bone and silver and fragments of blue feather woven into them.
    As he watched, the pattern of the man’s breathing changed. Josh began to back away, but before he got more than a few feet the stranger lifted his head and fixed his gaze on Josh. His eyes, as he had known they would be, were a piercing light grey, and his face was filled with melancholy, but when he saw Josh, a sad smile spread slowly across it.
    â€œI knew you would come,” he said.
    ***
    â€œCome,” she said, and turned and led us to her hall, and we followed as though we were spellbound, and I suppose we were.
    The air was full of the scent of flowers and honey and green things growing.
    We walked in under a lintel of living wood into a breathing palace that had no roof but the open sky. Still we clung to each other’s hands as we followed the Queen over a carpet of flower-starred grass to a white birch that had shaped itself into a throne. I could hear voices here and there, but still saw no one, but now birds and butterflies and dragonflies came fluttering through the windows, and suddenly, where there had been no one there were men, tall and fair,