“Effie,” called Cait, “are you going to come and tell me what really happened?”

“Can I tell you tomorrow?” said Effie, coming out of her bedroom. “I’ve got to go somewhere first. You both don’t mind if I go out for a bit, do you?”

“In this weather?” joked Orwell.

It had grown completely calm and still outside, except for the snow. The moon glowed peacefully in the starry sky.

“You’re funny, Dad,” said Effie.

She went back into her room. There on her bed were two things. The invitation from the Otherworld that she’d only just opened—and the walkie-talkie that she’d just used to contact Lexy.

The invitation was to a celebration at an address in Dragon’s Green that Effie didn’t recognize. WELCOME TO THE FLOW, was all it said. Effie wondered what would have happened if she’d opened the invitation sooner. But it didn’t matter, because everything had turned out all right in the end. And even though she didn’t feel she needed further instruction in how to connect with the Flow, she felt she ought to go and thank whoever had sent her the invitation. According to her watch she still had time to get to the event, whatever it was.

And then she’d have to face Cosmo.

For once, Effie didn’t much want to go back to the Otherworld. Lexy had begged Effie to come immediately to the party they were having at Maximilian’s house. Lexy had officially been taken on as Nurse Underwood’s Apprentice, and there was all sorts of other news apparently. Everyone seemed to be going up a level and getting apprenticed or finding familiars or discovering their art. Effie felt so happy for them all, but also somehow distant from it. Her own destiny seemed so different. While everyone else seemed excited about going up one magic grade she’d been shown what it would be like to go to wizard level and even beyond. Effie felt that she’d been to the very edge of the universe and back. Why? What was special about her? But it didn’t matter anyway because officially she was still a Neophyte.

She didn’t need to go to the hedge on the old village green to get to the Otherworld anymore, but she did, partly out of habit, and partly because she needed the air. The snow was soft as Effie walked, wondering what she was going to find at Truelove House, and whether she’d be able to make things right with Cosmo, and whether she’d ever be able to forgive Rollo, and . . .

Melting . . .

Falling . . .

Sunshine . . .

When Effie arrived at the gates of Truelove House, the guard looked at her, confused.

“We’ve been told you’re expected at the party at the Lodge, Miss,” he said to Effie. “They sent a carriage for you, but we said you weren’t here.”