Henry started his tale several times, each time realizing he had left something important out and starting over. Eventually, he covered all the events from the time his father left to the time his mother left. Toward the end, his voice wavered as the reality of his situation hit home. He and Brianna had been abandoned.

“And how did you end up here?” asked Coralis. “It’s not exactly a landmark establishment.”

“Excuse me?” Molly scowled. “It’s a fine refuge for the wayward traveler. But I can see I’m not appreciated. Remind me to change the locks on the door.”

Brianna giggled. Molly winked at her.

“After the accident”—Henry looked warily at his sister—“we waited till morning for Mom to return. When she didn’t show, I searched her studio. And that’s when we found the note—plus five hundred dollars. It told us exactly what to do to get here. That was a few days ago. Molly has been really nice. She even took us to the Museum of Natural History!” Henry’s spirits temporarily lifted as he recalled the great exhibits—especially the one called Dragons: Separating Fact from Fiction. By the end of the tour he was certain they must still exist in some remote corner of the world.

“What of the boy’s mother?” Coralis asked Molly. “Did she send word to you that the children were en route? Or did she push them from the nest, hoping they could fly on their own?”

“Aye, she called.”

“Mom’s instructions were very clear,” Henry bristled, determined to defend her. “She liked using buses and showed us how to use them when we were little kids … um … littler kids.” He handed a crumpled piece of paper to Coralis. “Bus routes, times, getting on behind an adult so the driver wouldn’t think we were traveling alone. Where to go and how to act in the city.” He pointed to the last line. Always act like you know what you’re doing and no one will question you.

“Who knew Henry was such a good actor?” Brianna gave him a good-natured nip.

“It’s all right, Henry. Your mum did what she had to do.” Molly then addressed Coralis. “Do you know her family?”

“I know of it,” he said.

“Well, believe me, she would have done this only as a last resort. Her words were cryptic, and it was obvious something had frightened her.” Molly stopped to choose her next words carefully. “There was another presence—her word, not mine. She feared for the children’s safety, so she sent them here and hoped to lead it away from them.”