Page 35 of Leafpoint Lighthouse

Lyra laughed. “Have a guess. We’ll have to pay for repairs and maintenance. They can’t be torn down. Even if they are dismantled brick by brick, they have to be rebuilt from the foundation up.”

“Thank God. I love my lighthouse,” Thea said.

Seareef, Clamshell, and Kingfisher were the other three Jasper lighthouses.

“Someone is mounting an attack,” I murmured.

Lyra looked at me and held a finger to her lips.

“Was that a man I just heard?” Thea asked suspiciously.

“No, it was the TV. I came to fetch something from my bedroom.”

“You have a TV in there?” Thea pressed.

“A small one, you saw it, remember?”

“Nope. So much has been going on.”

“Well, I do. I’ll call Poppy and Ophelia; they were coming down this weekend. They might need to speed things up. The good news is that the meeting is on Friday, so we’ve got time, given it’s Tuesday. Move your ass,” Lyra ordered and said goodbye.

“What has happened?” I asked as Lyra held up a finger. She pressed her phone’s screen and dialled a number.

“Poppy, hey, this is Lyra. I’ll dial Ophelia in.”

“What’s happening?” the woman named Poppy demanded.

“Let me get Ophelia.” I waited impatiently while Lyra called someone else and explained what had happened.

“I’m actually on the M4 with Dad now,” Poppy said, and Lyra fell silent.

“You’re coming?”

“Yes. We were going to surprise you,” Poppy replied. “Dad can’t wait to meet you all.”

“I have a letter too,” Ophelia muttered.

“How do you know?” Lyra demanded.

Oh, I sensed trouble. Lyra’s face set.

“Because I’m at Clamshell. I’ve just opened it. Did you say Joseph knows?”

“Not yet, but he’s my next call. When did you arrive here?”

“A few days ago. The contractors I’ve hired are coming in today, so I’ll get at least one report,” Ophelia remarked. I disliked her tone. It was empty, cool, and upper-class. This was someone used to having money and well aware of the noble blood in her veins.

“You never told me?” Lyra responded, and I heard the hurt in her voice.

“Lyra, I needed some time. I’ll come over tonight; we can all meet up,” Ophelia said, hanging up.

“We’ll be there soon. This is so exciting!” Poppy squealed and ended the call.

Reaching for something inside a cupboard, Lyra spun as I started to materialise. White exploded everywhere, and Lyra gasped as she blinked in horror.

Lyra

I’d registered William commenting, but hadn’t been prepared for him to be behind me, invisible. His outline hung in the air, covered in flour.