Toby was going blind.

He had long since lost edges. If Toby turned his head against the rope that held his forehead, he could see the blurred outline of the cathedral roof; nothing more than a smudge against a lighter background. Soon the sun would steal even that.

His vision would have been lost already, except that a cloud had built in the sky as they were being tied down, the first cloud he had seen on Gozo; maybe it was a sign. He wondered what it was a sign of.

Toby had no idea how much time had passed. They had removed his golden robe before tying him down and abandoning him to ‘think on the Sun’ and the prickle of sunburn that was re-emerging on his peeling chest and scarred legs was all he had to go by.

That irritation was nothing, however, compared to the itching of his eyes. He would have given anything to have been able to blink.

At first they had shouted at the attendant uncles guarding the path; pleaded and begged, but they had received no answer. Perhaps they were silent attendants.

Beside him Arthur and Summer lay in their own bonds, quietly murmuring prayers. They had started off with hymns, but their throats had dried out as quickly as their eyes.

The captain coughed, his throat full of dust. “How’re you doing, son?”

Toby had to swallow before he could answer. “I’m OK.” But all he could think was that Ayla had betrayed him and he was going to go blind.

“We’re going to get out of this.”

“Sure.” Toby didn’t even try to look at his father. He was staked out just the same as Toby and the others: his forehead tightly bound, his eyes taped open and his hands and feet stretched out to either side.

They weren’t getting out of this.

The tape above Toby’s left eye was peeling slightly. Among the pain of sunburn, cramping muscles, biting insects, grit, sand and the agony of his vision being flayed from him, the peeling tape seemed the worst. He knew that if it would just loosen a little more, just a tiny bit, he’d be able to close his eye.

The skin on his cheeks was tight where his tears had dried. His ducts were empty now; not even the swimming of tears could protect his vision.

“Is Simeon still unconscious?” Toby strained against the ropes again and managed to gain a slight tilt to his chin. A trickle of blood wormed its way down his right temple.

“Must be,” Hideaki croaked. “He’s lucky. When he wakes up this’ll all be over. It won’t be long now, and if that cloud cover clears…”

“It’ll be seconds, I know.” Toby ground his teeth. After all he’d been through in the last few weeks, to end up like this. “Where do you think Ayla is?”

The captain didn’t answer, but at the end of the path, where the silent attendants guarded them, there came the sounds of a struggle: grunts and thuds, but no shouts.

Toby strained for a second, but soon gave up. Whatever was going on, he could not see.

A cool shadow fell over Toby’s face and he gasped, relief surging through him at the momentary respite from the glare. The shadow moved and he whimpered, as if he could get the darkness to remain.

Then the captain roared. “You! Leave us the hell alone.”

Simeon groaned his way to wakefulness and began to fight his bonds.

Toby managed to move his head just enough to see a blurry pair of legs. He frowned. Something about the outfit was familiar. He sagged back into position. “Who’re you?”

When the figure bent over Toby, he recognized the woman from the festival, the one who had caught his attention with her intense slate-grey eyes. She put a cool hand over his eyes.

“Get away from him!” Toby heard the ropes around the captain creaking as he strained harder than ever, but all Toby could think was how wonderful her palm felt on his face.

Toby groaned as the woman shifted. “Don’t go.”

“I won’t.” There was a brief second of light as she replaced her hand with a strip of cloth.

“What are you doing?” Summer shouted suddenly. “Somebody help!”

Ignoring her, the woman carefully peeled the tape from Toby’s eyelids and rolled the rope from his forehead.

The captain was still ranting, but the woman, whoever she was, had come to save them. What was the problem? Shouts from the end of the path told Toby that the uncles were on their way and he held his breath as the stranger sawed through the knots that held him. Finally Toby’s arms sprung loose and his hands slammed over his eyes.

“Free the captain,” Toby choked. “I’ll be all right.”

“Can you walk?” The woman’s voice was hard.

Toby nodded. “I will. Just get the captain and—”

He was pulled to his feet. “Then let’s go.”

“Wait.” Toby had no plans to open his eyes; he stumbled as she caught his elbow and propelled him forwards. The shouting was louder, Arthur and Summer’s yells merged with those of the approaching guards.

“No time,” the woman said. As Toby’s feet faltered she adjusted her grip and started to drag him.

He struggled. “We can’t leave without the others.”

“You want to go back there?” The woman’s voice was a growl now.

“Stop, in the name of the Sun!”

Abruptly the woman released him and Toby stumbled, still blind, but managed to keep his feet. He heard the hum in the air as she swung a blade.

Toby staggered away from the fight, but didn’t dare go too far: they had been tied near the cliff edge and he had no idea how close he was. He tried to prise open his eyes, but his lashes were glued together and filled with grit.

“Wash your eyes out.” It was the woman’s voice again. A warm bottle was pressed into his hand then she vanished once more.

Toby tipped his head back. Somewhere in front of him, she was fighting.

Tepid water ran over his cheeks and Toby opened stinging eyes. He blinked until his lids no longer felt like sandpaper and tried to see. The world had narrowed; his peripheral vision was white and there were blurry spots dancing in front of him. Still he could see the shape of the woman as she held off two guards. His father, Simeon, Hideaki, Summer and Arthur remained tied on the ground. Simeon was roaring his frustration. Toby started to stagger towards them, but hesitated as he saw a dozen more uncles pounding down the path from the sanctuary.

“Run!” the captain yelled. “Don’t wait for us. Get back to the Phoenix.”

“No!” Arthur screamed. “Come back, you have a destiny.”

“He’s coming with me, Barnaby.” The woman spun and slashed. There was a gurgle and the last of the guards she was fighting fell at her feet, blood pooling.

From beyond the cliff edge someone else called out, and Toby spun. “Dee?”

Marcus climbed over first and ran towards Toby. Dee was right behind him, silhouetted against the sky.

His rescuer took his arm and pulled him towards the beach path but Toby dug his heels in. “We have to save the captain.”

“He’ll be fine,” the woman spat.

“Toby?” Marcus skidded to a stop as the woman raised her sword.

“Don’t! He’s on our side.” Toby twisted, but her grip was like stone.

Dee glared. “She won’t hurt him, Marcus.”

“What—” Toby began.

“Are you blind yet?” It was Father Dahon. Toby squinted and saw the robed figure gliding down the path behind the uncles.

His skin prickled and he shuddered, unable to stop the thrill of fear that gripped his heart. “Did you see the Sun?” Father Dahon sang. “Spots in front of your eyes?”

Mother Hesper was at Father Dahon’s side, screeching at them to come back.

Dee’s mouth flattened into a line and she touched Marcus’s arm. “If we don’t get the captain right now, he’ll be blinded or killed.” Hatred flared in her eyes. “If you do anything to hurt Toby, Judy…”

“Judy?” Toby whispered.

Dee and Marcus turned and raced towards the captain.

“I’ll hold them off while you cut the ropes,” Dee shouted. “Cover their eyes.”

“Come on!” The woman – Judy – dragged him on to the trail. Toby wanted to join Marcus, Dee and the captain, but confusion and shock had turned his limbs to wood and he couldn’t make them obey. Could this woman really be his mother?

His legs were stiff from being pegged out and the dose of paralytic he had taken still coursed through his veins. Judy pulled him on, but he looked back. The captain was on his knees and Marcus was untying Simeon.

Barnaby lurched to his feet. “Judy!”

“Say goodbye,” she yelled, “because you’ll never see our son again.”

“What?” Toby froze, but Judy shoved him forwards.

The captain tried to follow, but a cry from Dee made him turn. The uncles had surrounded them. Dee swung her staff in wide arcs to hold them off.

“Ignore the pirates, get the false Sun!” Mother Hesper screamed.

Now will you run?” Judy hissed.

Toby nodded. They had a head start, but Mother Hesper was catching up. Her face was a mask of grim determination.

“Judy…” Toby was horrified to hear the whimper in his own voice.

“Don’t worry.”

Sharp blades of dune grass sliced Toby’s shins and stones skittered under his toes as he ran.

“There.” Judy pointed.

A small grey skiff floated on the tide. Toby hurled himself into the sea and leaped on board.

Judy jumped down by his side. She grabbed a long string from the floor and shoved it into his hands. “Pull it.”

“What?”

“Do it,” she snapped.

With his eyes on Mother Hesper, Toby pulled. As he tugged he felt resistance, then smoke puffed and an engine sputtered and died.

His eye widened. “Petrol? How did you—”

“Again!” Judy held her sword in front of her.

Toby pulled once more. The engine choked, then growled, then roared into life. Slowly, then with increasing speed, their little grey boat pulled away from the sand.

Mother Hesper and her guardian uncles had reached the shore. As they waded into the sea, their robes floated around them.

The uncles pulled poison-soaked robes from their chests and lurched back out of the salt. Mother Hesper raged at them, but they wouldn’t return to the sea.

Toby stared as she splashed on alone.

“Stupid cow,” Judy muttered.

“You’re burning,” Toby called. “Stop.”

“Traitor!” Mother Hesper screamed. “Liar!” She waded forwards, knocking aside plastic bottles and rusted tins, her mouth screwed up with agony.

“You can’t go any further.” Toby pointed at the rising waves. “Give up.”

Mother Hesper ignored him – the water was up to her shoulders now and her hair was lifting into the poisoned currents like seaweed.

Finally Mother Hesper stopped. The water lapped at her chin. Then she started to wade forwards once more. As she walked she spoke. “My death curse upon you. May the Sun burn you all the days of your life. May the Moon never shine on your nights. May you suffer the loss of the thing you hold most dear. May you die in agony.” She kept talking, getting louder and more crazed, until her words turned to bubbles. Soon all that Toby could see were her eyes, then a wave covered her head and she was gone.

He sat down, staggered and looked at Judy for an answer. “How could she do that?”

Judy shrugged. “Insanity? This religion takes people – blindness, starvation, death.”

“Silence.” Toby said quietly. Then he gasped as a dark shape floated up beside the boat. Mother Hesper’s robes were tangling in the waves and her pale hand floated, bone-like, pointing at Toby as if reinforcing the curse she had put upon him.

“May you suffer the loss of the thing you hold most dear…”