The Iridescence family had a windowless, whitewashed attic, shaped (as most rooms were in Opal Hill) in a kind of circular cone, with the ceiling tapering up towards a point in the middle.  Colwyn Ballantine had had nothing to do for the past three days but walk circuits of the room and think about how worried he was about his nieces.  Had Sleet of the Meadows persuaded them to stay in Wallfruit Cove with Kai, or had they set off to find him as they’d planned?  Colwyn hoped it was the former.  At least that way they’d be safe

When he felt the ache between his eyes that told him Falada had been activated, Colwyn’s legs went weak with relief.  This would be Ruby, calling to apologise because their plans had changed.  But when he opened his eyes to look through Falada’s, all he could see was the living room floor.

Colwyn heard a crash from somewhere else in the room, and understood what had happened.  Falada hadn’t been activated; he’d been knocked off the wall.  Most likely by the same person who was smashing up the rest of the room.  Were they throwing a tantrum because they hadn’t found what they were looking for?  Colwyn certainly hoped so.  He had a nasty feeling that he knew who it was.

(To be continued)