“I’m sorry, sir, but security has been tightened and rules must be obeyed. If you’d like, I could have a representative of the Council come outside to meet with you, and if he is satisfied, we can begin formal procedures to get you a temporary visitor’s pass.”

“What do you make of this?” Gracious asked, stepping forward and handing her a small glass cube.

Once it was in Merriwyn’s hand, it started glowing. “It’s certainly very pretty,” she said, gazing at the colours. “Where did you find it?”

“It was just over there,” said Gracious, “I thought someone might have dropped it. The lights are interesting, aren’t they? Almost hypnotic.”

Merriwyn nodded. “Very pretty indeed.”

“They’d almost put you to sleep, wouldn’t they? If you look at them hard enough.”

“They might very well do.”

“You can almost feel your eyelids getting heavier...”

“I suppose you’re right.”

“Look at all the nice colours...”

“I’m looking.”

“Feel yourself getting more and more tired...”

“I’m not really tired, though.”

“Feel your eyelids starting to droop...”

Vex sighed as Gracious toppled over in a deep, deep sleep.

“Oh, my,” was all Merriwyn had time to say before Aurora punched her and she collapsed into Frightening’s arms.

Donegan nudged Gracious in the face with his foot until his partner moaned and sat up. “That,” Donegan said, “was brilliant. You have outdone yourself, Gracious, you really have.”

Gracious blinked sleepily. “Did it work?”

“You’re a genius,” said Donegan. “A magical, mystical genius. They’ll write songs about you in years to come. They won’t be any good, these songs, and they’ll mostly be out of tune and have a lot of humming, but they’ll be songs, and that’s the important thing.”

Vex helped Gracious to his feet and they all slipped through the door.

“Two Cleavers in the next room,” Saracen whispered. “Both of them facing us.”

“I’ll handle this,” said Gracious.

Aurora frowned. “Are you sure?”

Gracious waved away her concerns, and took a red rubber ball from his pocket.

“They’re not puppies,” Donegan reminded him.

“Everybody shield your eyes,” Gracious said as he squeezed the ball a few times, bounced it and then lobbed it through the doorway. Vex looked away just before a bright flash lit up everything.

Silence. No alarms raised.

Gracious crept to the door and looked out. Finally, he breathed in relief. “It worked.”

Vex and the others followed him out. Two Cleavers stood perfectly still.

Frightening approached one slowly, waving his hand in front of the visor. “What did you do to them?”

“They’re on sensory shutdown,” said Gracious. “They’ll come to in a few minutes with no idea that anything weird happened.”

“Sensory shutdown? OK, that sounds fine. But are you sure you haven’t just wiped their brains?”