Gavin’s face was radiant, as he said, ‘Melissa helped. It was a mental block, she said. I was afraid to believe he was talking to me, so I convinced myself it wasn’t really happening. But now, we’re going to be nattering non-stop.’

  He pulled a black wand with a white tip from his pocket, tapped the top of his head, and Flopsy’s favourite hat appeared. ‘So will we see you again soon? At the club, maybe? Because when Laurence finds out how much help you’ve given us all, he’s gonna want us to feed you, and water you, and give you the best show of your lives.’

  ‘Yes!’ Flopsy nodded enthusiastically. ‘And Max can come. And Dizzy, and Wolfie, and your mammy, and … well, everyone.’

  I kissed his fluffy white head. ‘That sounds awesome.’

  His ruby eyes lit up. ‘Does it? Well, can we do magic too? Proper magic? Lots and lots and lots of magic.’

  ‘You bet, Flopsy,’ I assured him. ‘We can do all the magic you want.’

  ≈

  Finn sat back, in his usual manner – hands behind the head, feet propped on his desk.

  ‘I’m sorry,’ he said. ‘I know you wanted to go with them, but I also know that you would have been there all night. And since I just heard that the Magical Law lesson you were supposed to have today has now been moved to tomorrow, I think you’ll need to get a couple of hours kip.’

  ‘Oh.’ I pulled my phone from my pocket. Sure enough, there was a message from Crooked College:

  The laughing potion has been cleared up – tee hee – mostly. Either way, it’s – haw haw – perfectly safe to return to the college. Therefore, your Magical Law class, which was postponed today, will now take place at eight a.m. tomorrow – titter – morning. That’s all, folks.

  ‘They sent this at midnight,’ I said. ‘If I’d been asleep, I would have missed the message – and I would have missed the class. How did you know?’

  ‘Because I’m keeping an eye on things at Crooked College, that’s how. Haven’t you noticed how an awful lot of your classes – and only your classes – are getting all moved around?’

  I thought back. It was true, there’d been a few last minute changes lately.

  ‘Why would anyone want to mess up my schedule, though?’ I wondered. ‘I mean, have they met me? If I have to attend a class at two in the morning to get these degrees, that’s what I’ll do.’

  He kicked his legs down, and rolled his chair closer to his desk. ‘I think it’s perfectly simple, to be honest. I think someone, somewhere, is trying to keep you on your toes at college because they don’t want you back at work. They don’t want you finding out if Kilian Berry’s still alive. They don’t want you finding out what that symbol means. Basically, they don’t want you getting in the way.’

  ‘Huh.’ I scrolled through my recent messages, looking at all the schedule changes. ‘But … the last change – the Magical Law class this morning. That one actually worked out in my favour. That’s the whole reason I got to work on Flopsy’s case.’

  He loudly cleared some phlegm. ‘Em, yes. Yes, that one did, didn’t it? That might be on account of the fact that Ronnie was the one who arranged the leak of the laughing potion. I … well, I knew how much you wanted to work on this mystery. And I felt so bad – and so stupid – for leaving you off work for so long. So, I asked her to help us out.’

  I shook my head in amazement. ‘Well, that sly little witch never said a thing when I met her at Paws last night.’

  Finn smirked. ‘What can I say? We’re good at what we do. We don’t need to boast about it.’

  ‘You’re boasting about it right now.’

  ‘Yeah.’ He let out a dry laugh. ‘Yeah, I am. Look, Wanda, I still think you did need a good long break, to concentrate on college and to concentrate on Max. I stand by that. You’d been wrongly imprisoned. Properly put through the wringer. But now … now it is time to get back to work. Part time, obviously. And I’ll keep a very close watch on you, to make sure you’re not spreading yourself too thin.’

  ‘Or burning the candle at both ends?’

  He laughed again. ‘Yeah. Or that. You know, I do realise I might sound paranoid right now. But the thing is, practically everyone knows that if you’d sat your final exams on day one of your time at Crooked College, you would have aced them all. So whoever’s messing up your schedule, they’re not doing it to try and make you fail out of college. Because, since you’re some sort of weirdly annoying genius, that’s just not going to happen.’

  ‘So then I guess you’re right. It must be to stop me looking for Kilian Berry. Wow, I bet you feel like a right eejit now, trying to sort it all out behind my back.’

  He held up his hands. ‘I do, actually. But like I said – I’m still glad you got to have a rest. So listen, I em … I know you bumped into Will, and chatted with him about working together on this. And I think you’re right about that, too. But I also think you should be careful.’

  ‘Finn, I don’t need to hear this again. I will not mess things up with Max. I know exactly how lucky I am to have found someone like him. To have him love me. It’s like you said, there’s no drama. Only happiness. So … what? You think that despite everything I could lose, Will is so gorgeous that I’m going to completely lose my mind around him?’

  ‘No. Well … maybe. I’m not going to lecture you about it again, though. Heck, I’m in danger of messing my own relationship up if I don’t spend more time with Lassie. Christine was very right to put me in my place where that was concerned. Wanda …’ He scratched the back of his neck. ‘All this stuff the Queen’s been saying, and Rover … do you feel it? Do you feel like, I dunno, some sort of big change is coming?’

  There was an uneasy flutter in my stomach. ‘Yeah. Yeah, I do, actually.’

  ‘Huh. Well, hopefully it’s nothing. But for now, go home, get some sleep, and rock tomorrow’s lesson, okay?’

  ‘Will do, boss.’ I stood up and headed out of the room. As I reached the threshold, I turned to look back at him. ‘You know what, though? It doesn’t matter why someone wants me away from the job. It doesn’t matter what they throw in my way, or what they do to any of us, does it? Boastful or not, Finn, you’re right – we’re good at what we do. So it’s just like my mam said to me this evening – if Kilian Berry is still alive, well … us lot? We’ll make him wish he was dead.’

  28. Tizzy

  I made my way to class the next morning, right on time. And over the next couple of days, I got back on board with everything I’d been missing. In between my college work and some small Wayfarer jobs, Will and I pored over tomes in the Bad, Bad Books section of the Longest Library, searching for any sign of the strange symbol I’d seen in the Infinity Loop. We searched for any mention of the Infinity Loop, or the phoenix within it.

  Will, with my help, searched through his remaining Whisperer memories – the Whisperer knew of so many dark books, and spells, and anything dodgy – but there was nothing in Will’s mind that could help.

  We searched for original plans of the Berry mansion, for its architects and its builders, for any details of anyone who’d worked there over Kilian’s lifetime, and made lists of people who were connected with Kilian, or with the warden’s sister.

  We were probably just covering the same ground as Will had already covered with Finn, and with the Queen, and with everyone in my coven who’d been working on this behind my back.

  But there was something about it – the way we bounced ideas off each other, the way we seemed to think of the same things, at the same time, and the way Will grasped my burgeoning ideas, even when I was usually speaking through a mouthful of food.

  It was almost fun, working with him. The only thing that stopped it being completely fun was the fact that Sandra hung around a lot, bringing Will sandwiches, usually with her best friend, Bill, in tow. There would always be just enough for the three of them, and I’d have to go off to the college canteen, and buy myself a sandwich there.

  Well … that probably wasn’t the only thing that stopped it being fun, I suppose. I mean, we were searching for proof that his dead dad had somehow resurrected himself, and we were trying to find out if Kilian was plotting against me, or us, or just generally trying to bring darkness and terror into the world. Only a crazy person would find a job like that enjoyable.

  Despite the Sandra intrusions, and the imminent danger, it was going well. I really wasn’t going to lose my mind over Will Berry. If anything, I felt more in love with Max than ever.

  It was the full moon effect, I supposed. Three nights, every month, of being without him; it just made me want him all the more. Sure, it was probably stronger than usual, this month. Plus, that strange feeling was still there: I wanted to hold onto Max, and never let him go; otherwise, said the confusing niggle in my mind, I might never be this happy again.

  ≈

  On the third night of the moon, I woke up at two forty-five in the morning, sweat pooling down my body, feeling anxious, frightened and … crying?

  ‘What was that dream about?’ a squeaky voice asked.

  I looked up to see Dizzy, hanging down from the curtain rod. The room was bright, bathed in moonlight, and it gave him an eerie glow.

  ‘I … I don’t know,’ I said. ‘I just remember feeling … feeling so sad, like my heart was breaking. But I can’t … I can’t remember why.’

  Dizzy flew across the room and settled on my shoulder. ‘Well, now it makes even less sense.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Because in your dream, you kept sobbing out Max’s name. But that’s silly, isn’t it? Because Max would never break your heart.’ He placed a fluttery kiss on my temple. ‘So let’s chalk it up to the fact that you ate a cheese pizza at midnight, right before you went to sleep.’

  ‘Sure. That’s what it was.’

  Dizzy was right – a lot of cheese gave me strange dreams. But there had been vegan cheese on this pizza, and vegan cheese never had that effect. But … maybe it was an extra cheesy vegan cheese? Maybe those vegan cheesemakers were finally getting close to the real deal?

  ‘What are you doing back here so early, anyway?’ I asked. ‘I thought you were out for the night.’

  Dizzy shuddered. ‘The werewolves are extra bitey tonight. It’s like there’s electricity in the air or something. It feels … Halloweeny.’

  ‘Halloweeny,’ I murmured. ‘Yeah. Yeah, I know what you mean.’

  And I did, too. There was that same feeling in the air as there always was during between times, like Halloween, or midsummer, or the solstices. Like the veils between us and the other worlds were thinner.

  ‘But I should try to get back to sleep,’ I said. ‘I have a torture session with Erik, plus more book searching with Will, plus … well, it’s going to be a busy day.’

  ‘Sure.’ Dizzy gave me a sceptical nod. ‘Sleep sounds like a great idea for you right now. You wouldn’t want to miss out on another terrifying nightmare, after all.’

  ‘I won’t have another nightmare.’ I wasn’t even convincing myself with that statement. I was terrified of going back to sleep. But I needed to. I couldn’t afford to be tired tomorrow.

  I reached across the bed and dragged Max’s pillow into my arms. If I could smell his scent, then I’d be able to sleep, surely.

  I was just taking a good, deep sniff of the pillow, when Wolfie ran into the room, his long legs shaking.

  ‘Where have you been?’ I asked the dog.

  ‘D-downstairs. I c-can’t sleep tonight. I keep having bad d-dreams.’

  ‘Oh.’ I sat up again. ‘About what, Wolfie?’

  The dog shook his head. ‘I don’t know. I d-don’t remember. Wanda, the air feels weird. Sort of … sort of …’

  ‘Halloweeny?’ Dizzy squeaked.

  Wolfie’s eyes widened in fear. ‘Halloweeny. Yip. Th-that’s it. It’s Halloweeny.’

  While the two animals squeaked and whined back and forth, making each other more scared than ever, I thought about what I could do to calm things down.

  I could give them both sleeping potions. I could even take one myself. But … a ripple of nerves rolled down my spine … what if I did fall asleep, into the deep, deep sleep that a potion would bring, and got stuck in another bad dream?

  ‘Nope,’ I muttered, as I jumped out of bed. ‘Not doing that. No way, no how.’

  I went to the wardrobe, dragging out some clothes.

  ‘Wh-what are you d-doing, Wanda?’ Wolfie asked.

  ‘You know, I don’t think I’m going to get back to sleep tonight. I’ll just head into the Wayfarer station and type up the report on that Admitaz thief I caught this afternoon. And hey, if I’m tired in the morning, I’ll drink a lot of caffeine.’

  Dizzy looked worriedly at me. ‘No! No, you have to stay here, Wanda.’

  ‘Yeah.’ Wolfie nodded. ‘You have to stay here with us. Don’t leave us, Wanda.’

  I placed a kiss on Wolfie’s head, then kissed Dizzy, too. ‘You thought I was going to leave you here alone? As if. You can both come to the station with me.’

  ‘Phew,’ said Dizzy. ‘Well, what are you waiting for? Hurry up. Get dressed, will you? And maybe we can stop off at the all-night shop along the way for something to eat.’

  ≈

  The Wayfarer station was quiet when we arrived. I expected to see a few night-duty officers in the break room, but there were none. There was only Todge, sitting at the reception desk, looking forlornly at a jam doughnut, while the radio in front of him crackled. I settled Dizzy and Wolfie down with some snacks, and then pulled out a seat next to Todge.

  ‘What’s wrong with you?’ I asked him.

  ‘I don’t know. I just wish I wasn’t here tonight. There are too many weird calls.’

  ‘Weird?’ I looked him in the eye. ‘Define weird.’

  ‘I dunno. Half a dozen people called to say they felt Halloweeny. I mean, that’s not even a word. And three people phoned to say the werewolves were howling too loud. Eighteen people called to tell me there were no weredogs eating from their bins.’

  ‘Wait, did you just say there were no weredogs eating from bins?’

  ‘Uh huh.’

  ‘But … the weredogs are out tonight, right? Just … not eating from bins? I mean, I know they’re out. I saw Max leave with Rover and the rest of their pack.’

  ‘Well, yeah, they’re out. Some callers from Easterly Crescent said they could see them over in Luna Park, just that the weredogs were … huddled together, looking freaked out. Oh, and you know that homeless witch who likes to drink in the Phoenix Park? He called to say that the Madra Lane pack are there tonight, and they’re behaving extra strange. Like … they’re turning over bins without eating a single thing in them. He said it’s like they’re on a scavenger hunt.’

  ‘Huh.’ I turned on the computer next to his. I didn’t like the sound of that. Max was with the Madra Lane pack. But whatever they were doing, I’d have to wait until tomorrow to find out. Communication with weredogs and werewolves when they’d turned was … well, let’s just say it was difficult.

  ‘There’s something funny in the air, all right,’ I agreed. ‘And whatever it is, I can’t sleep because of it. So I’m going to sit here next to you and type up my report, okay? I’ll take some calls from you too, if they come in.’

  He gave me a grateful nod. ‘Okay then. Thanks.’

  ‘Just as a matter of interest, though,’ I said, as I began to type. ‘Why are you looking so longingly at that doughnut? Why not just eat it?’

  His lips pulled back into a frightened grimace. ‘I don’t know. I was about to eat it, and everything went sort of … I don’t know. It started to look weird. It doesn’t look weird now, but … you never can tell. Wanda … have you ever felt like the rug’s being pulled out from under you, when you’re not even standing on a rug?’

  I gave him a sympathetic smile. ‘Frequently, Todge. Frequently.’

  On the desk in front of him, the radio carried on crackling, and soon all the phones began to ring. We picked up the calls, one by one.

  ‘I’m calling from Nephin Road,’ said the first.

  I blinked. Nephin Road was in a part of Dublin which was definitely human. ‘Hang on, sir,’ I said. ‘You’ve come through to the wrong department, I’ll transfer you.’ Quickly, I put call after call through to the human emergency services, unable to ignore the fact that, beside me, Todge was doing the same. Finally, there was only one call coming, and Todge picked it up.

  ‘Wayfarer Station, how may we assist you?’

  ‘Todge? It’s Will Berry over at the new school. Listen, Todge, someone threw bricks through the windows over here. It was probably just kids, but–’

  ‘We’ll have someone out there in a jiffy,’ said Todge. ‘And don’t try to catch them yourself. We’ll deal with it.’

  He put the phone down and brought the radio mic towards him. Just as he was about to speak, I snatched it from him and said, ‘Don’t put a call out, Todge. I’ll head over to the school.’

  Relief washed across Todge’s features. ‘Oh, thank the goddess. I shouldn’t have told Will I’d have someone there in a jiffy. I don’t have anyone to send. They’re all out on weird calls as it is, and they were not going to be happy to have me send them on another.’

  ‘No problem,’ I said, turning to the dog bed behind me. Wolfie was playing with a chew toy, and Dizzy was sitting on Wolfie’s head, sucking on some dried mango. ‘You two want to stay with Todge or come with me?’

  ‘Come with you,’ they both said, rushing to my side.

  ≈

  I took us right to the school entrance in Easterly Crescent. I could see Luna Park from here, and hear the werewolves and the weredogs howling at the big full moon, their cries louder than usual.

  Witches chanted in the park, and in surrounding houses, performing their own moon rituals with a fervour you usually didn’t hear.

  Maybe it was just because the moon was so gosh darned pretty tonight. And the breeze was wild, too, blowing everything this way and that, sending chills one minute, warmth the next. Maybe that’s all it was. Nothing funny in the air, just an extra-pretty moon and some wind that couldn’t make up its mind.