The door finally banged open and I peered around Winter into the darkness beyond. ‘Maybe we should take a break first,’ I suggested. ‘Tea and tiffin.’ Suddenly I felt a prickle across the back of my neck and half-turned. Standing on the other side of the room was Tarquin, his dark eyes fixed on me. ‘Forget I said that,’ I muttered. ‘Bring on the basement!’

‘What on earth are you wittering about?’ Winter asked.

‘Nothing.’ I nudged him. ‘Come on. Let’s investigate!’

‘Sometimes, Ms Wilde, I wonder whether you are entirely there. You don’t seem able to concentrate on any one thing for more than a minute.’

‘It’s because my mind is filled with so many great and important matters,’ I informed him airily.

Winter snorted. ‘Like tea and tiffin?’

Ah. So he had heard me. ‘Let’s just get this over and done with.’

The corner of his mouth crooked up. ‘Your wish is my command.’

If only.

The staircase leading down was narrow, as you’d expect from somewhere heading into a dingy dungeon type of place. I half expected to be attacked by vampire bats or giant cobwebs. The overhead light buzzed annoyingly and the steps were so uneven that I almost tripped and collided with Winter’s back. There wasn’t a soul, animal or human, in sight.

After what seemed like an age, we reached the foot of the staircase. The space in front of us was cavernous, filled with endless stone archways. There were also a lot of old boxes and filing cabinets. From where I was standing, I counted dozens of the darn things. We’d be here forever.

‘You’re an Adeptus Exemptus,’ I said.

‘Yes.’

‘So you must have a few runes up your sleeve for tracking objects. Can’t you do something so we can be out of here by next century?’ I was sure I’d heard of such spells; if only I’d bothered to seek them out. But then, why go to such trouble when Adeptus Exemptus Winter could do it for me?

‘If such spells existed and were reliable,’ Winter answered, ‘don’t you think I would have already tried them to find the sceptre?’

I shrugged. ‘Maybe they only have limited reach. Surely you know something that will be successful in an enclosed space like this.’

‘There are runes which could work. But only around thirty per cent of the time.’ His tone was brisk and brooked no nonsense but I wasn’t ready to give in yet. Where magic was involved, there is always an easier way.

‘Aw, Winter baby,’ I coaxed. ‘It’s worth a shot. Even if only to flex your magical muscles and show me what you’re really made of.’

‘Winter … baby?’

I couldn’t tell whether he was annoyed or amused. ‘Well, you keep telling me to stop calling you Adeptus Exemptus.’

He stepped towards me until he was barely inches away. ‘And,’ he said in a low voice, ‘if you call me baby, what should I call you?’

I considered. ‘Boss would work.’