IN THE HURRY to pursue Haven, the door of the furnace wasn’t properly closed, which would have been less of a problem had there not been, at that very moment, a small explosion within its fiery belly. A white hot stone, not much larger than a fingernail, shot from the furnace and hit the side of the tent. The canvas caught fire and the flames spread with alarming speed, turning the far side of the structure into a massive lantern, bright enough to rouse the whole town from its slumber.

‘What is it?’ Alice demanded. ‘What’s happening?’

Arlo scrambled back up the chute and the answer was immediate. An inferno.

‘Get out! Get out! We have to get out, now!’

Below them the hill was erupting in another kind of blaze as people came running, their voices bouncing through the valleys like wildfire. Worse, four guards who had remained close to the bush line in case Haven had gone to ground, came rushing out of the trees. Arlo, Alice and Jackie were trapped with a searing wall of heat behind them and nowhere to hide.

‘Now what?’ Arlo asked, springing to his feet but unable to move. ‘Should we tell them we’ve just escaped the fire?’ But even as he said it, he knew there was no way of explaining who Alice was. And the moon was already high in the sky. They had to get to the tunnel before it closed back over.

‘I’ll lose them in the bush,’ Alice said. ‘You take Jackie.’

There were a hundred different objections to the plan, but the first of the guards was close enough to make out their faces, and was waving them away from the fire.

‘A twin!’ The words came clear and certain on the night air. ‘We’ve been tricked. It was a trick!’

Suddenly the hill was alive with shouting.

Alice ran on a diagonal, heading for the trees before they could cut her off. She must have hoped all four guards would follow her, but they were not so foolish. Two gave chase while the others held their ground, watching Jackie and Arlo carefully. Jackie attempted to run after her sister but she staggered like a newborn foal and fell to the ground.

Arlo had no time to think and that fact, in the end, saved him. Magic works best when the mind doesn’t interfere. Arlo rushed forward, threw Jackie over his shoulder, and leapt into the air. It was not that he flew particularly well, but that hardly mattered. His flight was unexpected and it was this element of surprise that saw the two chasers caught momentarily off guard, stopping still and watching the renegades float overhead.

But the element of surprise did not last long, and very soon, Arlo knew, they would be flying after him, without the disadvantage of a young girl to carry.

He headed for the cover of the trees. What else was there for him to do? Of course, flying through trees at night-time is a treacherous business, even for an expert, and Arlo certainly wasn’t that. He saw the first branch just in time and swerved to the left, only to feel the thud of some part of Jackie making contact.

‘Sorry!’ he called back to her. ‘Just try to hang on.’

He felt Jackie rearranging herself, sliding off his shoulder and then wrapping herself around his waist and neck, as if he were piggybacking her. Behind him, Arlo could hear the cracking of twigs and brushing of branches as the guards closed in. The further he moved into the bush, the darker it became and he daren’t push himself any faster. At this speed, though, very soon he would be caught. He felt the dark dread of failure weighing him down.

‘Follow me.’ The voice was a familiar one, but at first he did not recognise it. He searched through the gloom but could see nothing.

Who? Where are you?

There was a sudden flurry of wind across his face and Seymour flew in front of him. Arlo had never imagined he would be so pleased to see a ruru.

‘You can’t see well in the dark, but I can,’ the bird said matter of factly. ‘Stay close and I’ll lead you out of here.’

Relief washed over Arlo. There was hope.

Seymour led him expertly through the thickets, finding the gaps in the jumble of trunks, vines and branches. Arlo concentrated on the beating wings in front of him. He felt like he was in a trance. Behind him the sounds of pursuit faded. He lost track of time.

Eventually it was the ruru who decided they had flown far enough. Seymour took them clear of the bush into the dazzling light of the moon, and hovered low as they landed. Arlo squinted in the glare, feeling suddenly exposed. Beside him, Jackie collapsed into the long grass.

‘Where are we?’ Arlo asked.

‘Safe,’ the ruru replied.

‘Not yet,’ Arlo argued. ‘Not until we’re in that tunnel.’

There was silence then. If Arlo didn’t know better, he would have sworn that the bird was hesitating.

‘What?’ Arlo asked. ‘What is it?’

‘Nothing,’ Seymour answered. ‘I can lead you to the tunnel. If that is what you want.’

Stefan and Harriet met at the pre-arranged spot behind a boat shed at the edge of the water.

‘You sure you haven’t been followed?’ Harriet asked.

Stefan shook his head. ‘I’ve been here for ten minutes. They would have already attacked if they’d seen me. What about you? How easy was it to get away?’

‘Easier than I’d anticipated,’ Harriet replied. ‘The fire saw to that.’

‘Yes, the fire.’

They stood in silence for a moment, both thinking the same thoughts. What about the others? Did they get away in time, or did the fire trap them?

‘Do you think we should try to go back and check on them?’ Stefan asked.

‘No.’ Harriet’s jaw was firmly set. ‘We just have to trust them to have found a way. Sorry, but it’s our only chance. Come on,’ she said. ‘We have to move. It’s not going to be easy, now everybody’s awake.’

The town was alive with light and movement. Sirens blared, doors slammed, people shouted. Across the harbour the whole headland glowed a hellish red. The flames from the tent had spread to the dry grass and scrub all around. Stefan and Harriet couldn’t risk passing through such confusion and chaos, so they extended their journey higher up the hills and deeper into the forests. Apart from the noise of the town and the jabber of their thoughts they travelled in silence.

Harriet led the way, eyes sharp, alert to every danger. But she didn’t see it, the dark figure that was tracking their progress, gliding through the forest, melting in and out of the shadows. Not until it surged ahead and, without warning, stood before them, blocking the way forward.

Harriet didn’t hesitate, attacking first with her feet, then her hands.

The figure moved expertly, avoiding, deflecting, the whole time screaming at her assailant: ‘What are you doing? What are you doing?’

‘Harriet,’ Stefan called to his friend. ‘Stop. Harriet! It’s Alice!’

Harriet dropped her arms and stood back.

Alice stepped forward into a sliver of moonlight.

‘Oh, sorry,’ said Harriet.

‘You’re lucky I didn’t hit back,’ Alice said. She stayed on the balls of her feet, alert and full of nerves. It wasn’t a good sign.

‘Where are the others?’ Stefan asked. ‘What’s happened to Arlo and Jackie?’

‘You saw the fire?’ Alice asked.

‘Yeah, of course. What happened?’

‘Dunno. Bad luck I guess.’ Alice looked around her, checking the shadows. ‘Some guards came running back. We had to split up. I tried to draw them into the forest, but two of them stayed on Arlo and Jackie.’

‘Did they—’

‘I don’t know.’

‘They’ll be all right,’ Stefan said, surprised by the strength of his conviction.

‘You can’t know that,’ Harriet warned.

‘If something had happened, I’d know,’ Stefan said, and as he spoke the words he knew they were true. ‘Come on. The tunnel is close now. They’ll make it. I know they will.’

The three walked on together. Alice remained jittery, darting off to investigate the smallest noise, and twice forcing the others to hide in the undergrowth.

‘What’s wrong?’ Stefan whispered to her. ‘What are you feeling? Is it Jackie?’

‘I don’t know,’ Alice said. ‘Just a feeling, that’s all. That I’m missing something important. I can’t explain.’

‘It’s nerves,’ Stefan said. He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close, the way he would have done if she had been Arlo. She didn’t object.

Waiting on the bank, at the place where the tunnel had last opened, crouched among the shadows of scrubby trees, were two familiar figures: Madame Latitude and Malcolm. Although they smiled at the arrival of Harriet, Alice and Stefan, their faces were drawn with worry.

‘How did the fire happen?’ Madame Latitude demanded. ‘There wasn’t meant to be a fire.’

‘We don’t know,’ Alice replied. ‘You must be Madame Latitude.’

‘And you must be Alice.’ Madame Latitude smiled. ‘Where are the other two?’

‘We don’t know,’ Harriet said.

‘But they’re all right,’ Stefan added. ‘I can feel it. I can feel Arlo is close.’

‘Very well,’ Madame Latitude said. ‘We have no choice but to hope you are right. Meanwhile, there has been no sign of Haven. But that does not surprise me. Wherever he is, he will be waiting for the very last moment to show himself. If he draws near, Malcolm and I will feel him. If that happens, you must obey my commands exactly, no matter how strange they may seem. And if I tell you to go through the tunnel, go immediately. Say your goodbyes now. There might be no time later.’

Stefan and Harriet looked awkwardly at one another. Stefan had been so intent on rescuing Jackie and getting back home that he’d barely considered he would be saying goodbye to his new friend forever. Now the thought of it filled him with sadness. He hugged her and felt a tear run down his cheek. He did not try to hide it.

‘Thank you,’ he whispered.

‘Yes,’ she whispered back. ‘Thank you.’

Malcolm and Madame Latitude straightened up together, their hands out, eyes wide.

‘He’s somewhere,’ Madame Latitude said, her voice a low growl, her head turning first left, then right. ‘Somewhere close. Nobody move a muscle.’

Stefan felt his throat contract, and Harriet’s hand reached for his. They stood still and waited. Beside them, Alice crouched, like a cat ready to pounce.

The sound was at first an indistinct beating of wings. Stefan imagined a monster in the sky, circling overhead, taking aim with its fire. But as the sound came closer it shrank down to its true size: not of a monster, but of a ruru.

‘Seymour?’ Stefan asked the bird now alighted on a branch directly above the slit in the rock where the tunnel would soon open. ‘What are you doing here? Have you seen the others?’

‘Of course,’ the bird replied.

‘So where are—?’ Stefan’s answer was cut short by the arrival of Jackie and Arlo. They looked exhausted, but there was no sign of injury. Alice rushed forward, pulling her sister to her and holding her tight. Stefan moved more gently to Arlo, although their hugging was no less heartfelt.

Stefan felt relief surge through him and his legs grew weak. Arlo was shaking and his teeth began to chatter. ‘You’re all right,’ Stefan murmured. ‘Thank God, you’re all right.’

A cool breeze swept across the back of Stefan’s neck and he was sure he could detect the faint scent of diesel. He turned to see that a gap in the rockface at head height, just big enough for a child to squeeze through. The tunnel had opened.

The six stood quietly, all waiting for somebody else to speak.

It was Alice who broke the silence. ‘All right then.’ She looked Madame Latitude in the eye. ‘This is it. We’re going now. Thank you for your help. I’m sorry we haven’t found Haven. Perhaps the commotion of the fire frightened him back into hiding.’

Madame Latitude shook her head.

‘You can’t leave. Not yet, not before Haven comes. And he will come. He has to come.’ Her voice was weighted with hope, not conviction.

‘If he was coming he would already be here,’ Alice replied firmly. ‘We got Jackie here, the way you needed us to. And now the deal is finished with.’

‘Wait five minutes,’ Madame Latitude said. ‘He is close! I can feel it.’

Alice looked at Arlo. ‘We have to go. You know I’m right.’

Arlo nodded. If he reached his hand up now, he would feel the familiar air of his world wafting from the tunnel. They were finished here. This was finished with.

‘Thank you for your help,’ he said to Madame Latitude. ‘We have to go now.’

Madame Latitude looked to Malcolm for support, but he closed his eyes and shook his head.

‘This isn’t their battle,’ he said. ‘They risked their lives for us, and this isn’t their battle. We have to let them go, before the tunnel closes over. Haven is growing weaker, and if we are patient our chance will come.’

Madame Latitude took a slow deep breath. She exhaled and nodded. ‘You’re right. But he’s close. I can feel it.’ Her eyes fell in resignation. ‘All right. Thank you for your efforts, children. Rarely would one encounter such bravery and generosity of spirit. Go quickly now, and take all that you have learned here back into your world with you. Use it to make your own world a kinder place.’

Alice needed no further prompting. She scaled the bank as a cat might, then lay down on the small ledge and offered her hand to her sister. Jackie reached up, grasped it and took one last look around.

‘Thank you,’ she said quietly, to everyone. ‘Thank you for everything.’

Then she was up, letting Alice help her through the small opening.

Alice turned back to the boys. ‘Come on, we have to hurry,’ she urged.

Stefan turned to Harriet, who had not moved from his side. He felt her strong fingers still clutching his. Looking into her eyes he saw that they, like his own, were clouded with tears.

‘I’ll see you again,’ he muttered, although they both knew that couldn’t happen.

‘You won’t,’ Harriet replied. ‘But it’s nice of you to say it. I’ll always remember this.’

‘So will I,’ Stefan replied. ‘I will always remember your bravery.’

‘And I’ll remember yours,’ Harriet said. ‘Now go, while you still can.’

Stefan smiled. Harriet kissed his cheek and his smile grew. Blushing, he turned awkwardly and climbed up the ledge into the tunnel. He expected Alice to tease him, but instead felt her hand squeeze his shoulder.

Arlo was the last to move, saving his final words for Seymour. ‘I know you’re not meant to involve yourself in our affairs,’ he said. ‘But I’m glad you did.’

Seymour looked quickly away, whether embarrassed or offended Arlo couldn’t say. Arlo’s final sight of this strange world was of the beautiful ruru beating an elegant path high into the moonlit sky.

Alice pulled Arlo up to the ledge then followed him down into the cool of the tunnel. They navigated the passage by the dim light of a fading headlamp. The walls almost seemed to be moving, as if they were inside not rock, but some heaving, living creature. Arlo could feel its great weight pushing down on them and, somehow, his own magic pushing back. He had noticed none of this on his first journey through the tunnel. Back then he hadn’t even known what magic was.

He put these thoughts out of his mind and let himself simply move. He stayed close to Stefan. He’d never known how much it meant to have his brother close. He watched the way Jackie leaned in to Alice, clutching her sister’s arm. His thoughts were interrupted by a strange sound, a low kind of moaning that rose and then, just as quickly, fell away to quiet.

‘Just the wind,’ Stefan said, and nobody disagreed. They walked on through an eerie silence.

‘Hurry,’ Jackie urged Alice. ‘I don’t like it here.’ She moved forward, pulling her sister with her.

Arlo stood still, watching.

‘What is it?’ Stefan asked. ‘You don’t have to worry about that sound. I’m sure it was just—’

‘It isn’t the wind,’ Arlo replied.

‘Then what?’

Arlo couldn’t find the words to name the feeling floating through him. A feeling of dread, of new danger. A feeling that if only he stood still a moment longer, the last piece of the puzzle would fall into place. ‘I don’t know.’

‘It’s okay,’ Stefan told him, tugging at his sleeve. ‘We made it. We’re safe. But we have to keep up so we lose their light. Jackie is fast for somebody who’s been in a cage for a month.’

That was it, the thought Arlo could not name. Jackie was doing well. Too well. The image of Joan filled Arlo’s head, whether a memory or magic he couldn’t say. For those that do have magic, it can make that magic easier to find. Arlo felt the outline of the empty gotta-juice flask in his pocket, and remembered how Jackie had raised it again to her lips. How greedily she had emptied the bottle.

‘Stefan,’ Arlo said. ‘I think we’re in trouble.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘Alice!’ Arlo called ahead. ‘Stop. You have to stop a moment!’

‘Why?’ Alice’s reply echoed along the chamber.

‘Just wait.’

‘What is it?’ Stefan whispered as the boys moved cautiously forward. The air in the tunnel had grown suddenly cooler. The groaning came again, louder this time.

‘You’re going to think I’m mad,’ Arlo told him. ‘But you know how we thought we were so clever, convincing the guards that Haven had taken your shape, as a way of getting inside the tent? Well, what if he actually had?’

‘You think he took my shape?’ Stefan asked.

‘Not your shape,’ Arlo said to Stefan. ‘Hers.’ He pointed ahead to Jackie.

‘Not everybody is what they seem,’ Stefan said. ‘Isn’t that what Joan told you?’

‘Yes,’ Arlo replied. ‘I think she was trying to warn us.’

They were close to the girls now, and Jackie looked as frail as she ever had, as harmless and innocent.

‘What is it?’ Alice asked. ‘Why are we stopping?’

Arlo almost lost his nerve. The very thought of it was preposterous. And yet, the magic was speaking to him. As plainly and insistently as it ever had. ‘I’m so sorry, Alice,’ he said. ‘I’m so very sorry.’

‘For what?’ Behind her headlamp Alice’s face was dark with shadow, her eyes two black pits of confusion.

‘Not now.’ Jackie tugged on her sister’s sleeve. ‘Whatever this is, we can talk about it once we’re safely through the tunnel.’

‘No,’ Arlo replied. ‘We can’t go through the tunnel. Not together. That’s the point.’

‘You’re not making any sense,’ Alice said.

‘You don’t have to come. We’ll go without you,’ Jackie tried. A mistake. Arlo saw that straight away. A dangerous bluff.

‘All right then,’ Arlo challenged. ‘You two walk on alone. See what happens when you do.’

‘Arlo, you have to tell me what’s going on,’ Alice said.

‘Ask your sister,’ Arlo said, looking Jackie in the eyes. ‘Ask your sister why she isn’t moving, when she says she wants to go on so badly.’

Alice turned to Jackie. ‘What are they talking about?’

‘I don’t know.’

‘Alice.’ Stefan spoke now, his voice deep and urgent. ‘It isn’t Jackie. It’s Haven.’

‘No, what are you talking about? That can’t be true.’ But even as Alice shook her head, Arlo could see the truth falling into place for her, breaking her world apart. ‘No, you’re just tired. We’re nearly there.’

‘She’s Haven!’ Arlo repeated the message. He watched the small girl recoil from the accusation and he knew he was right. This whole time it wasn’t Madame Latitude’s plan they were playing out, but Haven’s.

Jackie backed away from them.

‘No. No of course I…’ her voice broke into pieces, garbled packages of fear. ‘No…who…I can’t…I don’t even…What’s Haven?’

Arlo turned back to Alice. He could not imagine how impossible it must be for her, how cruelly this devil had used her.

‘I’m so sorry.’

Alice did not answer, but ran her torch slowly over her sister’s starved form. Her jaw clenched. Set and determined. ‘When?’ she hissed. ‘When did you take my sister’s form?’

‘I don’t know what you’re—’

‘Where is she? Where is my sister now?’

‘I’m here,’ Jackie pleaded. ‘I’m right here.’

Alice stood statue-still, considering her options.

‘All right. Perhaps you are telling the truth. Stefan and Arlo, drag her back to where we came from. We’ll let Madame Latitude decide. If you really are my sister, that won’t be a problem for you.’

Stefan and Arlo stepped forward together but Jackie sprang back, and before they could take another step a great wind roared through the tunnel, so strong that they had to cling to one another to stop from falling over. Ahead of them, Jackie was untroubled by the turbulent air. She raised both hands calmly above her head and then, before their very eyes, transformed. She grew taller and broader, the skin on her face stretching and wrinkling its way to a hideous new form. Her eyes grew larger and glowed a deep dark red. Her clothes changed too, the filthy rags darkening to black, extending themselves into a hooded robe. The hands protruding from the ends of the sleeves were blueish-white, more bone than flesh, as if belonging to a skeleton.

The tunnel’s walls began to pulse, tightening around the new form and then withdrawing.

‘No!’ Haven cried, in a voice that echoed down the centuries, full of dust and fury. ‘You cannot contain me. Not this time. Not now that I am this close.’

The dark monstrous form floated into the air, more ghoul than man. In the space where he had stood was a dark huddled form, the size of a large dog. It lay motionless on the cold ground. It took Arlo a moment to realise it was Jackie.

Alice rushed forward and scooped her sister in her arms. Haven floated backwards, keeping close watch on all four children. Jackie’s eyes fluttered open for a second, then closed again.

‘You monster,’ Alice spat at Haven. ‘You’ll pay for this.’

‘I’ve been called worse and promised worse,’ Haven replied. The cramped space filled with his vicious laughter. ‘But I am sorry, for I owe you more politeness. You have done me a great service tonight, freeing me from centuries of suffering. It is only through your magic that I can travel through this tunnel. See how these walls wish to crush me. But thanks to you, they cannot.

‘You came to this place to do good, to rescue an innocent young girl. And instead you have unleashed hell upon the world. All of your bravery, all of your goodness and your determination counted for nothing. But do not be sad. That is how it goes sometimes. There is nothing we can do, when history is against us.’

Alice stood up and slowly helped Jackie to her feet. Jackie swayed groggily, falling against her sister’s shoulder. ‘There is always something we can do,’ Alice said, looking Haven in the eye.

‘Not this time,’ Haven smiled. ‘This time you are powerless.’

Alice’s gaze did not waver. ‘You forget you need us to travel through this tunnel. You need our magic to keep it open. So what if we were to turn and walk back the way we have come? You would have no choice but to follow us.’

Haven’s arm shot out, the movement too quick for the eye, and took Stefan by the neck. Stefan thrashed and struggled in protest, but Haven only smiled.

‘You can walk with me, or I can drag you. That is the only choice you face.’ He threw back his head and again the tunnel filled with the sound of his rasping, gurgling laughter.

‘Come now. You have lost this battle, and there’s no shame in that. No one has ever managed to defeat me. But I have no malice towards you. Walk freely beside me and I will make you powerful beyond your wildest dreams.’

Arlo stood firm, his feet planted, his hands ready. ‘No,’ he said. ‘That’s not how this works.’

‘You think I can’t hold onto two of you?’ Haven jeered. ‘Child, I have defeated armies. Come on now, walk with me. It is more comfortable than being held.’

Haven put his arm around Stefan’s neck and gently squeezed. Stefan’s scream filled the tunnel.

Arlo’s insides sparked with hatred. There is nothing I would not do to hurt you now. The thought pulsed in him, glowing white-hot and furious, and slowly morphed into a plan. A small smile appeared on his face. Haven’s eyes grew smaller, for a moment uncertain.

There is nothing I would not do…thought Arlo.

‘What?’ the creature raged. ‘What is it you think you can do to me?’

‘You know exactly what I can do to you,’ Arlo replied. ‘You are right. We believe in goodness. And goodness does not yield to fear. You can drag us with you if you choose to, that is true, for you are more powerful than we will ever be. But if your world has taught me nothing else it has taught me this: magic flows to those who receive it. And it is our magic that keeps this tunnel from crushing you. So what would happen, do you think, if we were to lose that ability? What would keep you safe from the crushing weight of the earth above us?’

‘What are you talking about?’ Stefan’s voice was squeezed small by his captor’s grip.

‘You’re bluffing!’ Haven shouted. ‘You would kill us all. No one would be that stupid.’

‘Arlo.’ Alice stepped forward. ‘What are you talking about?’

‘When I first tried to use my magic,’ Arlo said, ‘I was useless. Do you remember that?’

Alice nodded.

‘Yes, and it was because I was trying too hard to be magic. Trying is the problem. When we try to be magic, the magic fades.’

‘I was the same,’ Stefan said, beginning to understand. ‘With the logs. Harriet told me I had to stop trying.’

‘You know nothing of magic,’ Haven roared. ‘It is not so easily fooled.’

‘So why are you afraid of us trying?’ Arlo replied. ‘Stefan, Alice, Jackie, you too. It is our magic keeping the tunnel from collapsing. But only because we are not thinking about it. If we concentrate on it, if we deliberately try to keep the rocks from collapsing inwards, our magic will fade.’

‘So you would rather die yourselves than let me pursue my destiny?’ Haven mocked. ‘Are you really so feeble? Is your ambition that small?’

‘You know that if we let you through, many more will die,’ Arlo said. Although he spoke the words bravely, fear gripped him. He looked at Stefan. Tears streamed down his brother’s cheeks.

‘And what do you care of them?’ Haven said. ‘Do you really think any of them would do the same for you?’

Arlo looked back at Alice. He didn’t need to ask the question. Alice understood evil better than most, and she would not let it conquer her.

‘Just concentrate on holding the walls away,’ Arlo instructed. ‘With all your might.’

Arlo looked to the ceiling and spoke his thoughts in his mind. Stay back, he ordered the roof. Stay back. He imagined a tunnel of light, extending from his heart to the ceiling, straining against the tonnes of rock above them. The walls rippled and shimmered, as if turning to liquid. The space grew slowly, terrifyingly smaller, tighter.

‘No!’ Haven screamed, raising his hands to the rock above. His angry red eyes clouded with incomprehension. ‘What are you doing? Are you insane? You’ll kill us all! You’ll kill us all.’

Arlo’s legs began to shake. He wanted this to stop. He desperately wanted this to stop. But before him the most remarkable thing was happening. As the walls grew closer, Haven was growing smaller. Arlo looked the monster in the eyes and saw the strength in him fading. This was not a battle of bodies. It was a battle of minds. And Haven, for all his certainty, could not guess at how far the children would take this. He did not understand them, and that meant he faced a risk he was not prepared to take. And so, before their very eyes, he was—leaving. There was no other word for it. His eyes burned less brightly, his robes slumped, as if the body beneath them was diminishing. At the end of his long black sleeves, his hands were fading to nothingness, leaving only two empty caves of complete darkness.

‘What’s he doing?’ Alice whispered.

‘He’s disappearing,’ Stefan answered, his voice edged with impossible hope. ‘He’s leaving us.’

‘What if it’s a trick?’ Alice asked.

‘It isn’t,’ Arlo replied, and so certain was his voice that nobody asked how he knew. ‘He’s gone. Haven’s gone.’

Stefan let go first, dropping to the floor and panting with relief. The walls gave an almighty shudder, like a lung drawing breath, and withdrew. Arlo stepped forward and lifted his brother to his feet.

Jackie clung to Alice, as if afraid she too might disappear. ‘Thank you,’ she said, turning next to the two boys. ‘Thank you all.’

They hurried through the tunnel, none of them daring to speak or look back. As they reached the end the air filled with the scents and sounds of home: the smells of petrol and freshly cut lawns, of rain on tarmac, the sounds of cars on the highway, somewhere off in the distance a siren. The real-estate sign was just as they had left it. The four children stood together, bathed in the magical light of a streetlamp, silent, barely daring to believe they were finally safe. They hugged without speaking, for what was there to possibly say, after all that had passed between them? Events so preposterous, so unspeakable, that already they struggled to believe any of it was real.

A taxi swept around the corner, blinding them in its headlights. The car slowed and the driver wound down the passenger-side window.

‘You kids all right?’ he asked, smiling at the sight of them, caught up in some midnight dare.

‘Just looking for our cat,’ Alice answered.

‘Twins, eh?’ the driver said. ‘Two lots. My brother’s got twins. You kids get home. You never know what you might come across out here.’

The two pairs of twins watched the tail-lights move slowly down the familiar street then turned to one another, grinning. Arlo was both desperate to return to the warm safety of his bed, and determined to cling a little longer to this last moment of magic.

‘Will you be okay?’ he asked Alice.

‘Of course we will,’ Alice said. ‘We always are.’

They stood together in silence, the cool night mist twisting around them. A night freight train rattled noisily over the bridge at the inlet. The full moon shone bright and cheerful, oblivious.

‘But we beat him, didn’t we,’ Stefan said, his voice stronger now, more proud. ‘And we saved Jackie.’

‘Not just Jackie,’ Alice said. ‘We saved the world.’

She laughed and looked down, swinging her foot at the gravel, as if she had made a ridiculous joke and now it embarrassed her.

They hugged one last time, the four of them, in a small tight knot of remembering. Behind them, the tunnel had already closed over.