But Inteachán won’t let the darkness win.

Not ever.

Why should she?

How could she?

For if the darkness wins then we are lost and if we are lost then that is well and truly that.

But that isn’t that yet and Inteachán is currently all that stands between the darkness and us.

‘Come on,’ she shivered. ‘Why won’t you catch?’

Her small hands were numb with the cold and the clinging darkness held her tight in place.

But free will is one of the world’s most wondrous weapons, especially in a child, and so the cold and the numbness and the panic and the darkness all fell away around her like snow from a shaken bough and in the moment that followed this all Inteachán could see and think and feel was how she was going to get the spark to catch and the fire to light.