They were blind to the magnificent interior of St Paul’s Old Cathedral.

“No sign of Lynch,” Hugo sighed, frustrated.

“I don’t know what I was expecting,” Flynn said, “but I thought we’d see something, you know? Like something here would jump out at us. A sign.”

“Mmhmm,” Audrey nodded.

“This is the right place,” Jessa tilted her head back, looking far up into the domed ceiling, “I can feel it.” She ran her thumb over the tips of her fingers lightly as if feeling a light fabric or oily substance. “There’s something in the air, like a weird energy. A heat. I can see why he likes it here.”

“He always did have a taste for grandeur,” Felicia said thoughtfully.

He’ll need somewhere private. Where nobody can stop him.

But he’ll want to see everything.

“The balcony,” Jessa pointed.

“What about it?” Flynn questioned. “Did you see someone up there?”

“No, but I think that’s it. That’s where he’d want to be. That’s where I’d want to be.”

They found the spiralling stone stairwell up to the balcony and climbed, eventually coming out at the balcony edge. The intricate dome directly above tried to pull their gaze upward into its hypnotic centre, but Jessa was distracted, crouching on the ground, running her hands over the aged stone floor that had been engraved over time.

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Details. Details everywhere.

The balcony itself was supported by rails of twisted metal that Jessa caressed curiously with her grimy hands.

“What is it, Jess?” Audrey asked gently. Jessa made no sign that she even heard the question, but merely grabbed a torch from the backpack and disappeared back into the narrow stairwell. The others had no choice but to follow, single file and irrefutably agog.

“Here,” Jessa shone the light onto a fixed spot on the aged wall.

“I don’t see anything,” said Audrey.

“Come here.”

Hugo stepped down. Jessa took his hand, positioned his finger against the stone and moved it side to side.

“You feel that? Like it’s been scooped out a little?”

“I think so.”

“Follow it up,” Jessa motioned and he did as he was told.

“You see now?” she shone the light widely over the whole area. “It’s the symbol. It’s an anchor.”

“Why here?” asked Flynn.

“Remember what Professor Arnold said about auto-telelocation? The traveller has to have a clear image of the place they’re trying to locate to. I’m sure he’s going to use the balcony. But it’s so detailed up there, it would be a nightmare to memorise that place. But in here, there’s barely anything to see.”

“Not to mention safer,” Hugo added. “Much less chance of accidentally being seen in here. Hey, Rachel, can you hear me?”

“I hear you,” she said.

“Can you see on the 3D map how high up we are?”

“Yep, you’re about 160ft above ground level. And for what it’s worth, that underground area you were in when I spoke to you earlier, is several floors directly below you, and that was roughly 30ft below ground level.”

“That’s a difference of 190ft,” said Flynn.

“The Professor said it should be possible to auto-telelocate up to a couple of hundred feet,” said Hugo.

“There must be more anchors down there,” said Felicia.

“Right,” said Jessa. “He’s set up these checkpoints that he can travel between without being detected. This is how he gets in and out. I wonder how many there are.”

“I’d guess that depends on just how powerful he is,” Audrey mused.

“Hey guys, sorry to interrupt,” Rachel said into their earpieces, “but you should know that John liaised with Matt Allerton, and Matt’s on his way to you now. I’m sending him in the same way you went, so don’t be alarmed when you hear someone else coming up behind you. Just hang tight.”