“Well maybe not entirely,” said Maximilian. “I’m sure you’ll be able to use your boon to help you in some way. We need to work out what it is. I’m guessing it relates to your art—your secondary ability. It’ll be very exciting to know what that is—you’ll get a whole new set of skills to go with the ones you already have. And we’re going to need new skills. Remind me to fill you in on the latest plans of the Diberi. They’re planning to kidnap Effie for some reason, although she doesn’t seem very scared. But we’re all supposed to be in training to help defeat them.” Maximilian got up. “Okay, so I can’t ask Mum to put on the electric again since she’s not here, and the dim web isn’t working that well at the moment anyway. Let’s see if some of these will give us a clue.” Maximilian went to his bookshelf and pulled out several ancient-looking catalogs. He put them on the bed next to where Wolf was sitting. Artifacts from the Otherworld, one was called. Rare Boons, was the title of another.

“Wow,” said Wolf. “Where did you get these?”

“Oh, I’ve been making a small study of boons,” said Maximilian. “I have a modest collection of these catalogs. I can’t remember where I got them. Mail order, probably. Ages ago, before I epiphanized and found out it’s all real.”

“Amazing,” said Wolf, opening one. “Look at all these swords!”

“I wonder what that stone is,” said Maximilian, pointing at Wolf’s ring. “It’s blue. I should know, but I don’t. It’s not sapphire, I don’t think. It’s not shiny enough. Lexy would know. Maybe I’ll try paging her. Once we know what it is we’ll be able to work out what it does.”

Maximilian entered Lexy’s number a few times, but he got no reply. While the pager tried once more to connect, Maximilian thought again about everything Wolf had told him.

“You told the AI to read the Tao Te Ching,” Maximilian said. “What is that?”

“It’s a book of Eastern philosophy,” said Wolf. “Like a military book, but not exactly. More spiritual, I guess. It tells you about battles, but says that you should retreat to attack, or not even attack at all. I’ve read a load of military books recently, and they all become really philosophical and deep after a while. Like The Art of War. And Plato. Oh, and War and Peace.”

“Wait, you’ve been reading Plato? And Tolstoy? But you’re meant to be a meathead. No offense.”

“I am in the top set for English. And history,” Wolf reminded Maximilian.

And living in a bookshop. But again Wolf didn’t say that bit.