They hurried back to Dundoodle as fast as they could.

As they walked, Archie gazed across the loch to the dark and menacing forest on the far side. Somewhere in there was the Wyrdie Tree, whose roots stretched far underneath the strange little town, spreading the Tree’s magic with them. Archie knew that the McBudge family were Guardians of the Tree, bound to protect the magic of Dundoodle, but he had yet to even set foot in the forest.

Finally, they reached the gates of Honeystone Hall, the grand, ancient and dust-filled home of the McBudges. Blossom flitted away to the giant greenhouse at the back of the building, where she had made her home amongst the tropical plants housed there. Meanwhile, Sherbet had dashed up the drive and into the hallway, and was sniffing at the doors of the library. They found Billy inside, sat at the carved oak desk and surrounded by piles of old books, scrolls and other papers. He looked up at his friends as they entered the room, his big eyes even more extra-wide than normal.

‘You look like you’ve seen a ghost,’ said Archie, glancing up at the portrait of Great-Uncle Archibald. The painting had been haunted by the ghost of his great-uncle when Archie first arrived at the Hall. The face in the picture hadn’t moved or talked in a while now, and Archie wondered if he’d ever see the old phantom again.

‘Better than that!’ said Billy. ‘I never realised this library was such a treasure chest of wyrdiology! I’ve discovered so many new things.’ He pointed at a page in a fat, red book Archie recognised as the Encyclopaedia Dundoodilicus. ‘Did you know there’s a were-squirrel that haunts the woods near Duntootie? Its fangs can reduce a spruce tree to toothpicks in less than a minute. Five point two on the Macabre Creepy Scale!’

‘Never mind about that!’ said Fliss, slamming the encyclopaedia shut so that a small cloud of dust blew into his surprised face. ‘Archie has had a summons. From the Wyrdie Tree.’ She told Billy about their meeting with the odd little man.

‘I wish I’d been there,’ groaned Billy as he examined the leaf reverently. ‘You’re such a wyrdie-magnet, Archie.’

‘Remember what your great-uncle’s ghost said, Archie?’ Fliss continued. ‘That you’ll develop magical powers …?’

‘Wyrdworking,’ interrupted Billy. ‘That’s what it’s called.’

‘Well this is your chance to find out all about it at the source!’ Fliss said, giving Billy an annoyed prod with her elbow. ‘You’ve got to go and find the Wyrdie Tree, haven’t you? And we’ll come along too, naturally. It’s not every day you get to see paranormal plant-life.’

Archie flopped down on to the big leather sofa that sat in front of the fireplace and sighed.

‘I’m not sure I’m ready for another adventure,’ he said. ‘Me and Mum haven’t been living in Dundoodle very long, and what with looking after the chocolate factory and Honeystone Hall we’ve got quite enough on our plate already. I’m not ready for magical powers. I just want a normal life for a bit.’

‘But this is big,’ pleaded Billy. ‘Like, the ultimate in bigness. It would be the icing on the cake of my career of investigating wyrdiness. So far I’ve only got a few stale, crumbly bits and burnt raisins.’

‘And besides,’ said Fliss, ‘Leafy McMudface, or whoever it was, talked about a “great danger”. McBudges don’t have normal lives. They have destinies. And there’s no running away from yours.’

At that moment, normality arrived in the shape of Archie’s mum. Archie put his finger to his lips. If Mum had known about the children’s magical adventures, she’d have gone, as Fliss often put it, completely bonkers.

‘Archie,’ Mum called from the hallway. ‘We need to go, it’s time for your visit to the dentist. I’ll give you a lift on my way to my meeting with one of our suppliers. But hurry, I’m late as it is.’

‘Is that normal enough for you?’ said Fliss, grinning. She grabbed Billy by the arm and dragged him out of the library. ‘We’ll see you later!’

‘What was Fliss talking about in there?’ said Mum, as she and Archie got into the car. She was using her ‘worried mum’ voice. ‘About McBudges not having “normal lives”? You’ve settled in Dundoodle quite nicely, haven’t you?’

‘Yes – I have!’ Archie reassured her. He had some celebrity in the town, as the new owner of the chocolate factory and the business that went with it, and that had led to some teasing at his new school. But he had plenty of friends and the teasing was nothing compared to what he had faced from the Puddingham-Pye family: Cousin Jacqui and her foul children, the twins Georgie and Portia. Mrs Puddingham-Pye wanted Archie’s magical inheritance for herself and was quite happy to employ her children to try and bump him off so she could get it. Apart from that, Archie loved his new home. ‘I still haven’t got my head around everything,’ he said, which was the truth.

Mum smiled sympathetically. A lot had happened in a short time, and it had only been a few years since Archie’s dad had died. There was a thoughtful silence as they drove through Dundoodle’s twisty streets. The town had a peculiar look, to match its odd character, with meandering, shadow-filled lanes lined by crooked houses. The townspeople had an air of the unusual about them too: there were plenty of eccentric folk around, oddly dressed or with strange pets or habits.

For example, they drove past old Mrs Kronkilty, who always wore a metal warrior-helmet with antlers – even in the bath, it was rumoured, using the antlers to hang her bath sponge on. Then they saw Morris Pimple from McGreasy’s Burgers, who claimed to have a family of mini-yetis living in the café’s deep freeze, amongst the chips. Billy said this was unlikely, as mini-yetis (Macabre Creepy Scale rating of four point three) were allergic to potatoes. Archie wondered how many Dundoodlers had actual magical powers like Mrs Puddingham-Pye. Or like himself, according to Great-Uncle Archibald, though he had yet to learn how to make his wyrdworking powers … well, work.

‘Perhaps you need a project to focus your mind a bit,’ said Mum. ‘How about you talk to Mr Fairbairn about doing something in the factory? Maybe you could invent a new sweet or chocolate bar?’ Mr Fairbairn was the McBudge factory manager, as well as Fliss’s dad.

‘I suppose so,’ said Archie. He did want to do more to help the business and this could be a good opportunity to do that. But do I have to do it right now? he thought. Why is everyone in such a hurry to make life complicated?

‘However, I want you to banish all thoughts of sugar from your mind for the moment,’ said Mum, as the car drew up outside the Dundoodle Dental Surgery. ‘I expect a clean bill of health from the dentist. I’d better be on my way – see you later!’

Archie grinned and jumped out of the car. Mum gave a wave as she drove off. It was as he waved back that Archie noticed the strange little man on the other side of the road, watching him from a dark alleyway, his camouflage cloak failing miserably in the grey of the town. The man scampered across the road towards him.

‘The second signal, Guardian,’ said the man, an earthworm tumbling out of his beard as he gave a deep bow. He handed Archie another leaf, this time coloured golden-orange, and just as before, looked at Archie as though waiting for him to say something. Archie was about to speak when there was a squeak of alarm from a red squirrel that had been hidden in the stranger’s hood. The man let out a terrified cry and pointed skyward.

Archie turned to see a monkey-like creature swooping down from the rooftop, its leathery wings braking its descent. The stranger fled, disappearing into the shadows of the alley as the monster landed on the step in front of Archie. Its gargoyle-like face sniggered nastily.

‘Surprise, surprise, smelly bratling!’ the creature said. It was Garstigan the mobgoblin.