Page 55 of The Hearth Witch’s Guide to Spite & Spellwork

“Where are we going, anyway?” Saga asked, as they passed the point where Reza would typically make a U-turn on Marylebone Road to take them back to Baker Street.

“Leinster Gardens,” said Reza, his grin persisting in a way that told Saga he knew a joke she was not yet privy to. “You two have an appointment at number twenty-three.”27

Saga glared at him through his rearview mirror. “Very funny.”

“He isn’t joking.” Avery turned around in her seat. “The medical examiner is ready to talk us through the body.”

“Avery, it’s a facade.” And, as Saga knew it, a bit of a fine joke to confound delivery drivers.

“I am well aware of its genius,” said Avery.

“Is this a magic thing, or is this a ‘you two are messing with me’ thing?”

“As I understand it, this one is a little of both.” Avery’s eyes darted to Saga’s to check in and quickly clarified. “Not that we are messing with you, this is a sort of ‘Fey-kind thinks it is funny’ sort of predicament. You see, the Palace of Judication and buildings of its ilk do not entirely exist on this plane—but rather in pockets of the In-Between.”

“The In-Between?” Saga repeated.

“The space between this realm and the next—it is also known as the veil oftentimes—nisse and spirits like them often find smaller pockets of the in-between in your home. It is space undefined, and so it is expandable and up for interpretation.”

Saga blinked. “The physical space is up for interpretation?”

“Most things are, wouldn’t you agree?” Avery’s impish smile melted as she took pity on her. “Are you familiar with Zeno’s Dichotomy Paradox?”

“No?”

Avery, delighted by this answer, shifted in her seat, sitting sideways with one long arm slinging around the headrest to keep her upright. There was never shame when Saga didn’t know something, only excitement about having the opportunity to teach, to share. She approached it without ego. “Zeno proposed a paradox that in order to get from one location to another, you would need to first cover half that distance.”

“Okay?”

“And once you had, you would need to cover half of that, and so on, ad infinitum. Meaning, while we arrive, we do so despite there being an infinite number of halves we still need to cover.”

Saga laughed. “Sure, okay.”

“The ‘In-Between’ is those infinite number of halves, so to speak. Fitting within a seemingly finite space yet going on forever.”

There were parts of Avery that Saga knew were rough, or sharp, but she admired that curiosity was always greeted with her gentler nature, with enthusiasm and encouragement. “All right, so how does Leinster Gardens go from being a finite space to one that goes on forever?”

Avery leaned a little farther out of the passenger seat toward the back of the car. “Portals.”

Saga’s eyebrows bounced. “Portals?”

“Portals are like doors, but the location does not decide the destination.”

“So Leinster Gardens has not always been the home of this portal.”

“No, indeed not. They move it from time to time for safety. When I was last about London, you had to tap a series of knots in the right order on a willow tree in St. James Park to gain access.” Avery’s eyes narrowed at the memory. “Which did get tricky when you forgot the pattern or which tree…”

Saga chuffed a laugh. “I imagine an address has made it more helpful.”

“Indeed. And I have been told someone thought it would be funny if we moved it here.”

“Someone?”

“Esteri.”

“Esteri told you or Esteri thought it would be funny to move it here?”

“Both,” smiled Avery.