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“Mum! Dad!” Lydia leapt to her her feet as Sonia and Matthias came into the lounge. “It’s all gone wrong! What are we going to do?”

“Hush, Lyd,” Matthias said. “It’s not your fault. There’s no way you could have predicted this. The good news is that we don’t sense any danger to Dan, so this family probably isn’t hostile. As to what we are going to do: Sonia and I are going to talk to them. Probably Sarah as well.”

“Definitely!” Sarah said.

“I thought so.” He looked through the window at Ebona. “Can you reach Dan?”

“Somewhat,” she said. “I can sense what he’s doing – right now he’s eating a beefburger and telling them about Jayden Emms – but I don’t think we can manage a full conversation.”

“Eating a beefburger?” Lydia said. “I guess that proves they aren’t in immediate danger.” She tilted her head at her parents. “Do you want us to come with you?”

“Heavens no!” Sonia said. “If we take too many people they’re more likely to think it’s an attack. We don’t want a fight.”

“But–”

“Yes, I know it’s nerve-racking but it’s for the best,” Sonia said. “I think you know that. We’ll bring Dan and Julie back, I promise.”

***

“I’m glad you managed to rescue your brother,” Arran said when Daniel finished explaining the situation leading up to the pulse and tear in the sky. “So this Emms person was trying to awaken powers like ours in people who don’t have them? It seems to have worked to a degree.”

“Yes,” Daniel said. “But it’s also going to drive them mad or worse.”

“Yes, I caught that bit. You seem to have that in hand though… That was your family who rescued that girl in London the other morning, right?”

“It was,” Daniel said.

“So what was that creature – not a dragon, I think?”

Daniel shook his head. “Close. It was a Kithreian. That’s the other part of the story, the part I hadn’t got to. We’re facing an invasion as well these emergences.”

“So that’s why you’re here,” Arran said. “You need all the help you can get. So who are these Kithreian people?”

“Kithreiri,” Julie said. “And that’s part of the complicated answer to your other question.”

“They’ve got something to do with why those people attacked us when we were kids?” Arran raised his eyebrows. “I hope you’re going to explain now you’ve–” He froze and turned towards the house. “Goodness, someone’s come looking for you already,” he said just as the doorbell sounded.

“Well they aren’t hiding,” one of the women said. “And they’ve even rung the bell. That’s polite, so I doubt they’re here to attack us. Let’s hear what they have to say before making any decisions.”

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