The very tall boy at the center of the group greets the others with silent nods and pockets the Stone of Recall, an artifact that gives him the power to transport his Hunters from place to place.

Isaac Wolf, Katherine and Amelie Bateson, Leo Falstone, and Colin Drake have been using magic to help with the war effort and so much more. They each have code names now. One, the Librarian, has informed Allied commanders of the best places to land on the beaches. Another, the Diviner, has rallied certain unseen but benevolent spirits to carry out acts of sabotage on the enemy. A third, the Dragon, has learned from animals where bunkers lie hidden and prisoners are held. A fourth, the Professor, has generated strong spells to protect innocents when possible and glamour their captors.

And the fifth, their leader, the Wolf, can create their disguises, amplify their gifts, and inform them when he needs their help to seek out a potentially dangerous magical artifact or perform some other task for the benefit of the human race, as Artifact Hunters have done for millennia.

“If you find it,” the Wolf says in a low voice, “send the signal to the rest of us.”

The others murmur assent.

“I’ll bring the Vault to”—he pulls out a folded map—“the Museum of Natural History, Central Park West and Seventy-Ninth Street. I’ve been there before. In the Hall of African Mammals, there’s a lion diorama. We’ll meet there.”

“I like lions,” says the Dragon. The cat raises its head, gazing at the boy fondly. “What’s it called again? The artifact?”

“Tablet of Destinies,” the Wolf answers. “About so big. Black. Actually makes pictures, like at the cinema.” He makes a rectangular space with his hands. “Amazing. But don’t be tempted to read it.”

The Professor nods and says, “Law of unintended consequences.”

“And after we find that one, back to Rookskill for a bit?” asks the Librarian. “I’m in the middle of reading volume seven, and it’s quite exciting.”

The Diviner adds, “And I need to get back to have a few words with Lark. Apparently, the new recruits are starving.”

The Wolf smiles. “Yes. Back to Rookskill for a bit. Right, then. Ready? I’ll make disguises.”

If you were watching and looked away for an instant, when you looked back you’d see five elderly people, bent and shuffling, and one seeing-eye dog.

The Wolf nods to his friends, who nod back, and they separate and slip away through the moonlight, ready to use their strange magical gifts for the good of all.

Acknowledgments

This novel went through many iterations, and without the support of my brilliant editor, Kendra Levin, I could not have brought it to life. Patient and thoughtful, she knew how to help me reach more deeply into characters and plot and pry the story’s heart—and Isaac’s—wide-open.