She brushed his hand away and brought him for a hug. He awkwardly blanched but soon welcomed the embrace and gently wrapped his arms around her.

‘I’m Ally; it is so nice to meet you,’ she said softly.

When they stepped through the threshold, anticipation punched her in the gut. Just up the stairs were her sister’s old bedroom and boxes of new research of Dana’s she hadn’t read. Lenovik’s unpublished legacy could also be up there. She stared up at the spiral staircase longingly.

Her mother pulled Kellan towards the table and pushed him down on the chair. He nearly stumbled over. Bethan followed. She watched Ally and Henry shuffle through the kitchen and rummage through the cupboards.

Bethan’s delicate china rattled; her mother carried a steaming teapot to the table. She immediately recognised the smell, the pungent musk that belonged to the elderberries brewing in the liquid. She couldn’t help but gag.

‘You have to keep drinking it, darling,’ Ally said, pouring the potion in the teacup. ‘If it worked for us, it would work for you.’

Bethan took the teacup from her; her stomach had probably grown tired of it because she’d drank so much for all those months.

‘You were always a powerful witch. The illness just took so much more magic from you. It may take longer for you to get it back.’

‘It’s been a year,’ she said solemnly. ‘I doubt my Small magic will come back. The healers said I’d aged out of my magic early.’

Her parents looked like they weren’t happy with her answer and stared in disappointment at the untouched teacup.

She shot Kellan a look of warning. ‘We’re going to have a look at Dana’s room.’

He adjusted his T-shirt and stood, giving a polite smile as he squeezed between the table and chair.

Bethan heard the heavy steps from behind; each step Kellan took with his big boots caused every floorboard to creak.

A deep gasp erupted; she spun to see her mother grabbing Kellan’s face as he stood awkwardly on the bottom step. He stared at Ally with wide-set eyes, still politely smiling.

Henry watched in confusion.

‘Henry, don’t you think he looks like Orin?’ Ally said.

Bethan glowered, crossing her arms over her chest.

Her father took off his glasses and cleaned them with the hem of his shirt. He put them back on and stared at Kellan again with a slight tilt to his head.

‘Orin’s eyes aren’t that green, but I suppose they have the same smile.’

Kellan gulped, and her mother released, brushing invisible lint off the shoulders of his leather jacket.

Ally turned to Bethan. ‘Orin regulars at that bookstore you and Henry like to go to; he moved to Aalexyia a few years ago, said he came from Malia, used to be city slicker.’