“Uh-huh. Now, back this way.” They walked through the unlit corridor, into a darkened room beyond. As light flickered on, Alex took in a snug combination of library and office. Two walls were lined with wooden shelves that would have been filled with books, were it not that most of the books were scattered around the floor, amid a blizzard of papers. The place looked as if a tornado had been trapped there. Behind one exposed section of shelf, a small safe hung open. Inside sat two chunky crystal tumblers and a bottle of amber liquid.

A desk by the open window held a lamp with a green shade, a computer keyboard, and the old man’s Gladstone. An expensive-looking computer screen lay on the carpet where it had been knocked over. Automatically, Alex picked it up and set it back on the desk.

“Just keep hold of my arm another second, if you don’t mind,” Alex’s grandfather said, watching him move the screen with great interest. As Alex took his wrist again, his grandfather softly kicked the office door shut. A full-length mirror hung attached to the back.

“Now. See that?” Alex’s grandfather lifted the arm Alex held up and down. Alex watched the old man’s reflection, the moving arm. There was something wrong about the picture, but he couldn’t get hold of it. He stepped closer to the door. It took another second for him to realize he couldn’t see himself in the mirror.

The instant the fact registered, he saw himself appear in the glass. The hissing sound was gone. The light grew steady.

“W—” he tried.

“Oh, Harry’s single malt,” the old man said happily, reaching into the safe. “Twenty-four-year-old. Saves it for special occasions. I think the circumstances qualify.” He poured a measure and stood savoring it.

“Wha—” Alex managed. He looked down at himself, then at the pale boy staring dumbly out from the mirror.

His grandfather shrugged. “Golem stuff, Alex. You know. The force you’re carrying. According to the legends, the creature had many strange powers. Invisibility, for example. Well, you saw that yourself in Prague. Or, rather, didn’t see it, ha.”

“What?” Alex would never forget watching the golem fading in and out of sight before his eyes. “But I—I don’t know how I did that. I didn’t even know I had done it.”

“No. Gathered that.” The old man took another sip and beamed. “Still, it’s an encouraging sign, eh?”

Alex had no words. His mind was racing so fast that thoughts were lapping one another, waving as they went past. He suddenly grinned wildly, clicked his fingers, and spun to his grandfather.