Kit and I shimmy down the tree and crouch-run behind some bushes to the back of our van. We get there just as Sylvie is saying, ‘ ... you were a child, Vincent. You had no idea what was happening.’ I have to concentrate hard to hear her over the ocean of noise in my head.

‘I was a kid, but I was not stupid,’ Vince says. ‘You put Merry in danger for your own greedy reasons. You let her go to that horrific place and you weren’t waiting for her.’

What horrific place? Kit and I exchange glances.

‘It wasn’t greed. I wanted to create the best magic show on Earth,’ Sylvie says. ‘And I still do.’

Vince mutters something inaudible. ‘… can’t believe you’re willing to put Tulsi in danger, too.’ The back of my neck prickles. What is this danger he and Dad keep talking about?

Kit raises his eyebrows at me.

‘You and Tulsi have to accept that Merry’s gone,’ says Vince. ‘She made a stupid mistake, and now we’re all paying for it.’ His voice breaks, and it sounds like he’s crying. ‘Merry lost herself. You need to leave us to grieve.’

Sylvie speaks softly. ‘She’s my daughter, too, don’t forget.’

Vince clears his throat. ‘Even if Dave let you teach Tulsi, you don’t honestly believe she can get Merry back, do you? What a ridiculous idea to put in her head.’

I don’t want to hear Sylvie’s response. ‘No!’ I shout, and rush around to the front of the van.

Vince is standing close to Sylvie, arms crossed, face flushed. ‘Oh, Tuls. Come here.’ He tries to hug me but I push him away.

‘Dad can’t stop me going,’ I say. ‘He’s not the boss of me.’

Vince smiles sadly. ‘When you’re only eleven and when parallel universes are involved, he is the boss of you. And you should be grateful you have a parent who doesn’t put you in danger’s way.’ He glances at Sylvie. ‘Unlike some.’

‘What danger was Mum put in?’ I ask Vince. ‘And what’s a halfling?’

His eyes widen and he glares at his mother.

Sylvie sighs and pauses before speaking. ‘Sometimes relatives of magicians are lightly touched by magic, but they can’t do magic. They often don’t even know they’re a halfling, but they can pick a magician from a crowd and they might have strong gut feelings about things …’ She pauses. ‘As you know, men can never be full magicians but they can be halflings. And Vincent’s one.’ She glances at him. ‘Halflings are … magnetic. Everyone wants to be with them. They’re the life of the party. Like Vincent.’

Now I know why there’s the feeling of something vital missing whenever Vince is away from the circus. He’s the glue that holds us all together.