Something about the way she did it made her seem younger, even as the seriousness of her voice sounded almost ancient.

“I am a Keeper,” she said—then she laughed. “Though my boyfriend might not agree.” She saw the puzzled looks on their faces. “Never mind. Bad joke.” She waved a hand and started over. “You might think of me as a librarian. In our world—the world of Wandmakers—I am entrusted with keeping the ancient scrolls and documents safe. I also investigate … unusual requests made at more conventional libraries. You have quite the thirst for knowledge, young man.”

Henry simply nodded, still unable to comprehend this new turn of events.

“How are your translations coming along, Henry?”

“I, um … ”

“It’s all right.” She smiled again. “I’m sure you are doing okeydokey.”

He laughed at her choice of words and the way she said them—like this was probably the first time in her life.

She nodded. “May I see the wand?”

He hesitated, but gave in to his instincts to trust her. His instincts were right—she made no move to touch it. “Yes,” she said admiringly. “He must think highly of you to entrust you with such a powerful element. And rightfully so. You are the eighth. A special number, like the black ball in the center of a game of pool. The one it takes to win.”

“What is happening?” He hadn’t meant to ask anything, but now that he had, he realized it was exactly the right question. All the events of the past weeks were like pieces of an abstract puzzle. If she could give him an idea of how to start piecing them together, maybe he could understand the overall picture.

“The bad moon is on the rise, Henry.”

“Bad moon,” whispered Brianna.

“Do you mean a full moon?” He knew all the moon’s phases, and “bad” wasn’t one of them.

“The bad moon does occur when the moon is full, but only once every several hundred years. The moon holds great power, you see, and if the right person—make that the wrong person—was able to harness it, he or she would gain control over enormous destructive power. Does the term ‘Scorax’ mean anything to you?”

Henry squinted in thought. There was one brief mention in one of the books, but he hadn’t been able to find it in any dictionary. “I’ve seen the word but don’t know what it means.”

Her voice lowered to a whisper. “It is the essence of evil. Whereas the Wandmakers’ Guild is charged with protecting the world, the Scorax is here to destroy it. And while our order has diminished, their membership has grown exponentially. The lure of power is much stronger among those with evil in their hearts.”

Henry swallowed hard. “What does this have to do with me?”