Archie stepped through the mirror and found himself in the secret room on the other side. From where he was now he could see into the reading room he’d just left, where his friends were goggling at his sudden disappearance.

He passed the ring back through the mirror to Rupert who slipped it on to his finger and stepped through. One by one each of the others followed, taking it in turn to pass the ring to the next one until all five of them were safely on the other side of the mirror.

The room on this side was bigger than the one they had just left. The walls were lined with polished wooden panels. On a desk in the middle was a stack of ancient books.

‘What is this place?’ asked Thistle.

‘I think it’s the secret library that Gloom accidentally told Hawke about,’ said Archie.

‘I knew it!’ exclaimed Rupert, triumphantly.

‘Well done, Rupert,’ said Bramble. ‘So … I wonder what they’re keeping here that is so secret they didn’t even want the museum elders knowing about it?’

Archie was already scanning the spines of the books on the desk. ‘Listen to these titles,’ he said, picking up a book in each hand. ‘Darke Deedes and Broken Promises,’ he said, reading the first title. ‘And this one is called Curses to Kill and Maim.’

‘Charming!’ said Thistle. ‘And here’s another to warm your heart: Treachery and the Art of Betrayal.’

The others were looking at the book titles now. ‘They’re all dark magic,’ said Arabella. ‘Every single one of them.’

‘Yes,’ breathed Archie. ‘It’s a library of dark magic!’

He glanced at the title of another book that was open on the desk. It was called Powerful Blood Magic.

‘That’s odd,’ said Rupert, looking over his shoulder. ‘I’m researching magical bloods but Gloom didn’t mention anything about this book …’

Some pages were marked. Archie started to read.

Blood of Dracus

Newly slain

Beast of darkness

Quench the Flame.

Archie remembered that Old Zeb had said that dragon’s blood was one of the only ways to put out a magical flame. His thoughts were interrupted by Thistle.

‘But who would want a library of dark magic?’

‘Greaders!’ said Bramble.

‘You’d be surprised how many people in the magical realm are interested in dark magic,’ agreed Arabella. ‘That includes my family. The Ripleys have their own hoard of dark magical books and artefacts at our house in Oxford. Not that I approve, of course,’ she added hastily.

‘Do you think Gloom is a Greader?’ asked Rupert.

Archie shook his head. ‘No. From what you said it looks like he knows about the secret library. But I think he only found out about it recently. He was the one who told Hawke about The Book of Night being kept here – he wouldn’t have done that if he was a Greader.’

‘But why didn’t he tell me about the blood magic book?’ said Rupert.

‘He may not know it’s here,’ said Archie. ‘It looks like someone’s been reading it very recently. You said that Gloom only just got back from a trip?’

‘Yes,’ said Rupert. ‘He got back this evening.’

‘So if it wasn’t Gloom, who was reading the book?’ asked Bramble.

‘We’ve had several visitors today,’ said Rupert, thoughtfully. ‘Uther Morgred was here earlier and Faustus Gaunt was here yesterday. They’re both fellows of the Society. Morgred was asking about security at the Royal Society. I don’t think he was very impressed with our password system.’

‘I wonder if Morgred knows about the dark library?’ said Bramble.

‘Maybe. Perhaps the books are locked away here by him to keep them out of the wrong hands?’ suggested Rupert.

‘Or maybe to get them into the wrong hands, if the Royal Society is full of Greaders!’ said Archie.

The five members of the Alchemists’ Club looked at each other. The full significance of their discovery was just starting to sink in.

They heard a sound coming from the direction of the mirror.

‘Shhhhhhhhh!’ hissed Rupert, putting his finger to his lips.

Holding their breath, they peered through the mirror. The door to the reading room had just opened and they could see the bald head of Orpheus Gloom.

Archie’s mind raced. If Gloom checked the statue he would see that the ring was missing. He would guess that someone had used it to get into the hidden library and they would be discovered.

Watching from their hiding place, the members of the Alchemists’ Club exchanged anxious glances. But just as they were beginning to fear the worst, they heard someone speak to Gloom.

‘How long have you known about the dark library, Orpheus?’ Archie recognised Uther Morgred’s cold voice.

‘Not long at all,’ replied Gloom defensively. ‘I only discovered it by accident a few weeks ago. I was appalled at the books it contains.’

‘Including The Book of Night?’ pressed Morgred.

‘Yes, yes,’ said Gloom. ‘I knew what it was immediately, of course. I’ve been a magic assessor for thirty years, after all, and it is the most infamous of all the seven,’ he added. ‘Though it was quite a shock, I can tell you, to find it here at the Royal Society. To think it was right under our noses all this time!’

‘What did you do then?’

‘I reported it to Gideon Hawke in Lost Books and he arranged to have it collected. A book like that should be in the crypt at the Museum of Magical Miscellany, under lock and key with as many guarding spells as possible!’ declared Gloom hotly.

‘And Hawke didn’t think it important enough to collect it himself?’

‘I hadn’t thought about it that way,’ admitted Gloom. ‘But no, I suppose not, because he sent Wolfus Bone and Woodbine Foxe.’

Morgred sounded displeased. ‘Bone and Foxe! Woodbine Foxe doesn’t even work for the museum any more. He was expelled.’

On the other side of the mirror Archie felt Bramble and Thistle bristle.

‘Well, Gideon said he trusted them,’ Gloom said. ‘It wasn’t up to me.’

‘This is most unsatisfactory,’ said Morgred. ‘And what happened when they arrived?’

‘Well, the Greaders must have found out about the book being moved. They snatched it when Bone and Foxe came to collect it.’

Morgred sounded even more displeased. ‘This is a very serious breach of security.’

‘Yes, well, I can see that,’ stammered Gloom. ‘But you can’t seriously think that I am to blame? I informed Hawke as soon as I knew The Book of Night was here. I couldn’t have done any more. Could I?’

Gloom sounded frightened now. His bald head glistened with sweat.

The door closed revealing the sallow face of Gloom’s inquisitor. Morgred had closed the door so that he was shut in the room with Gloom. He leaned in close, his dark eyes searching Gloom’s.

‘I don’t know, Orpheus. Could you have done more?’

Gloom’s lip trembled. ‘No, Uther, I couldn’t. You must see that?’

‘Show me your palm,’ demanded Morgred.

‘You won’t find the Black Dragon on me, Uther,’ Gloom said, but his hand was shaking.

‘We’ve just discovered that the Greaders are using an invisibility potion to conceal the firemark,’ said Morgred, rubbing Gloom’s palm with his thumb. He inspected it closely.

‘You’re clean,’ he said, sounding slightly disappointed. ‘But I will be watching you very closely. No one is to use the dark library without my express permission.’

Gloom swallowed hard. ‘What will happen to Gideon … I mean, Hawke?’ he asked.

Morgred swept his dark hair off his forehead and considered. ‘Hawke made a serious error,’ he said. ‘Sending Bone and Foxe on such an important mission was a misjudgement. To make matters worse he tried to interrogate Katerina Krone at the asylum. His health issues have always been a worry. When he was given the job we were told his problems were behind him but he has obviously had a relapse. It raises fresh concerns about his suitability as head of Lost Books. He will be spending some time at the asylum. Resting.’

Gloom looked alarmed. ‘But who will take over at Lost Books? We can’t afford to have the position empty now. We are in crisis!’

‘Yes, precisely,’ said Morgred, his dark eyes flashing. ‘And that is why we have appointed a new head of Lost Books.’

‘Good! Who?’ gasped Gloom, his face flushed.

‘Motley Brown,’ said Morgred. ‘I’ve just seen him and informed him of his new responsibilities. Let’s hope he does a better job than Hawke.’

He turned on his heel and strode out of the room. Watching through the mirror, the children saw Gloom standing with his mouth open. He gathered himself and hurried after Morgred.

They heard his voice down the corridor. ‘Is that wise? Motley’s a nice enough chap but he doesn’t have Gideon’s magical ability …’

‘Nonsense,’ said Morgred. ‘Besides, magical ability is overrated …’

Their voices trailed off as they receded down the corridor.

‘Quick,’ whispered Archie. ‘Let’s get out of here before they find us.’

He put on the silver ring and stepped back through the mirror. Then he tossed the ring to Rupert, who did the same. Thistle was the last one out and he slipped the silver ring back onto the statue’s finger.

‘Thanks, Dawlish,’ he said, patting the statue on the back.

‘Hurry up, Thistle,’ said Rupert. ‘I need to get you down the stairs and out.’

‘How long have we got?’ asked Archie, glancing at the clock on the wall, which showed just after eight.

‘They’ll probably be in supper for another ten minutes,’ said Rupert. ‘As I said, they like their puddings!’

The children raced back down the stairs and along the corridor where they had come in. They were not a moment too soon, as they heard loud voices approaching.

‘I’d better go,’ said Rupert. ‘You know the way out.’

They said their goodbyes to Rupert and sped down the corridor.

When they got back to The Inkwell, they could hear the clicking sound of knitting needles. They slipped past Matilda in the gloom and headed for the door. They were just on their way out when they heard her cracked voice say, ‘Goodnight, Master Archie, Master Thistle, Mistress Bramble and Mistress Arabella.’

*

On the train on their way back to Oxford, it was clear to Archie that Morgred needed to blame someone for the theft of The Book of Night and Hawke was an easy target.

And then there was Gloom. What if Gloom had deliberately used the theft of The Book of Night to discredit Hawke? He could easily have arranged to have the book snatched by some Greader accomplices when Wolfus Bone and Woodbine came to get it. Even if he had started out good, or at least neutral, he might well have changed sides to save his skin.

These same thoughts kept occupying his mind as he and his two cousins walked along Houndstooth Road and up the path of number 32. The three children opened the front door and let themselves into the house.

At the sound of the door, Loretta called out. ‘Bramble? Thistle? Archie? Is that you?’

‘Yes, Mum,’ Bramble replied. ‘We’re back,’

‘Come into the kitchen,’ Loretta called. ‘I’ve got a surprise for you.’

‘Uh-oh,’ said Thistle. Loretta’s surprises were usually of the culinary kind. Archie sniffed the air suspiciously. He was quietly dreading that his aunt had been baking again. But he couldn’t smell cooking. He put his head round the door.

‘What sort of surprise?’ he asked.

‘The best sort,’ said Loretta, beaming a big smile.

Archie’s mouth dropped open. His gran, Gardenia Greene, was sitting at the kitchen table.