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"Maybe," I said, trying to sound cheerful.

Apparently, he wasn't going to admit that he'd missed me last night, either. Which was probably just as well, considering that I was about to leave.

Bartleby chose that moment to appear from the dining room, looking extremely pleased with himself.

"There you are!" he exclaimed, trotting towards me. "I was beginning to think you'd decided to sleep until noon!"

"It's not even eight o'clock!" I protested.

"Well, it's never too early to get started when you have an important journey to make," he informed me. "Besides, I've already had my breakfast, and I'd like to see what kind of accommodations you have waiting for me in Tampa."

"An apartment," I reminded him. "I live in an apartment, Bartleby. Not a mansion."

"Yes, yes, I'm aware of that," he said, sounding resigned. "Though I hope at least there's a comfortable chair and a decent supply of tuna."

"There's a couch," I told him. "And I'll buy you some tuna."

“In oil?” he asked, his tail swishing.

“Yes, in oil,” I promised.

"Excellent!" He looked satisfied. "Then I guess I’ll manage."

Garrik gave a low snort.

"How very brave of you."

"One does what one must," Bartleby replied grandly.

I shook my head, smiling despite the sadness I was feeling. Honestly, those two were going to miss arguing with each other almost as much as I was going to miss listening to them.

Though I doubted either of them would ever admit it.

"Well," I said, looking down at the heavy iron key in my hand. "I guess I'd better get going."

Garrik's expression grew serious.

"Yes, I suppose you must."

For a moment, we simply looked at each other. I wanted to say something—anything—to let him know how much I hated leaving. But somehow, the words wouldn't come.

Instead, I held up the key.

"So, Goody Albright said all I have to do is draw a doorway in the air and think about where I want to go, right?"

"That's my understanding," Garrik replied. "The Blackthorn key is a powerful artifact. It should be able to open a passage between Hidden Hollow and the Human Realm without any difficulty."

"Okay." I took a deep breath. "Here goes nothing."

I stepped into the middle of the front hall, where there was plenty of room, and held the key out in front of me. It felt strangely warm in my hand, almost as though it knew what I was about to ask it to do.

I thought about Tampa and its constant sunshine and heat and humidity. Then, feeling slightly ridiculous, I began drawing the outline of a door in the air with the tip of the iron key.

At first, nothing happened…then a thin golden line appeared wherever the key moved.

"Oh!" I exclaimed, staring at it in amazement. "It's working!"

"Of course it's working," Garrik remarked. "Did you imagine the key to Blackthorn would be defective?"