Harold had moved from one end of the sofa to the other. When I entered, he didn’t even twitch. I was pleased to note, however, that he had one slitted eye on the pair trussed up in the middle of Eve’s floor.

‘Hey y’all,’ I said cheerfully. ‘How’s it going?’

Nobody answered. Dumping my things on a chair, I dealt with Harold first, giving him a big fuss before making sure he had enough food and water. If he was annoyed at being cooped up all day long on babysitting duty, he didn’t show it. I received several head butts and a deep-throated purr. ‘Why can’t Brutus be as sweet as you?’ I asked, tickling him under the chin. Harold’s purr increased. He knew where his food was coming from – at least for the next few days.

When I was satisfied that Eve’s familiar was content, I moved over to Bell End. I peeled off his gag and offered him some water. He glared at me with the ferocity of a captive bear but he still took it, gulping down several mouthfuls. Once he was done, I waved one of the burgers I’d picked up on the way home. I’d made Winter stop before he dropped me off. Fortunately, he hadn’t commented on the fact that I bought three separate meals but his expression told me exactly what he thought of me. Whatever.

‘Want this too?’

Bell End nodded reluctantly. Feeding him like a baby was too much trouble so I undid his restraints and let him eat it himself while I kept a close eye on him for any sudden movements. His partner twitched the entire time. I even heard her stomach grumble. Tough. She could wait.

Once Bell End was finished, I re-tied his bonds and patted him on the cheek. ‘There now. Isn’t that better?’

He scowled. ‘You can’t keep us here forever.’

‘Tell me what you were doing here and I’ll let you go.’

He looked away. I replaced his gag and moved to the woman. ‘What’s your name?’ I asked. She didn’t answer. ‘Tell me your name and I’ll give you food and water.’ I wafted my hand in front of her face. ‘Mmm. Smells good, doesn’t it?’ Her eyes followed the burger in my hand. Yep, she was pretty hungry. I unwrapped it and started to eat. ‘Yum.’

Resignation flickered in her face. I grinned, grabbed the final burger and raised an eyebrow. ‘It’s Alice,’ she said. ‘My name is Alice.’

Bell End sagged against her. I didn’t know why he was upset; he was the one who’d been stupid enough to come out with identification on him.

‘Alice what?’

‘Fairclough.’

‘You’re in the Order.’

She nodded reluctantly.

I took an educated guess based on the magic she’d used against me during our fight. ‘Adeptus Minor?’ I asked. ‘You seem Second Level to me.’

‘Yeah.’

I pointed over to the pile of herbs. Harold helpfully leapt up beside them, his tail whipping from side to side. He apparently thought I should get on with it. ‘What are they for?’