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dragon.
    Golly was a kindred spirit. He and Gwillan were an unofficial team. While Gwillan ran errands, Golly fixed things — like fuses in plugs, or blown lightbulbs,or the TV reception, or Bonnington’s cat bell. He was making the ink flow in Liz’s favorite pen (by hurring gently on the barrel) when Gwillan came up and asked for advice.
    Golly thought about it and said perhaps they should mention this to Gretel?
    Gwillan gulped. He didn’t like to tangle with the potions dragon who was, after all, the fiercest thing in the house.
    So, together, they approachedG’reth. The wishing dragon had traveled the universe and boldly gone whereno dragon had gone before. Surely he would be brave enough?
    No.
    The three of them spoke to Gadzooks, perhaps the most respected dragon in the house. He was curious, but also worried. He identified the papers as a letter. Every year he watched Zanna writing one, he said. And every year, including this, he watched Gretelburn it (under Zanna’s instruction). He suggested Gwendolen might have read it in some way. But why?
    They checked with Groyne, who could offer nothing more. So then the five of them called in Gruffen, who was recently returned from the shop. This was a security matter, they decided. Who better to deal with it than a guard dragon?
    Gruffen did as he always did. Long ago, when he’d been made byLiz, he had been given a book of instructions, a manual of “what to do in difficult times.” He consulted it now, under
S
for Security. He found just six words:
If in doubt, tell the Liz.
    Every dragon sighed. They knew this instruction was wise and correct, but if Gretel was left out …
    It was no good. She had to be told.
    They approached her in Zanna’s room. She was practicing a form of acupunctureon Bonnington, using pine needles she’d collected from the Christmas tree some weeks before. The needles were sticking out all over his head. He looked like a tabby cat version of a porcupine.
    A-hurr,
said Gruffen. There was no correct way to approach a dragon of Gretel’s status. One just went for it and hoped she wouldn’t scorch.
    What?
she said.
    A-hurr,
he coughed again.
    She twiddled a pineneedle and pointed it at the guard dragon’s chest.
    He continued with his report.
    As predicted, Gretel was immediately suspicious.
Bring Gwendolen to me,
she said.
    Gwillan flew upstairs and brought her down.
    Outnumbered and surrounded, Gwendolen told them what she knew. (It was either that or be zapped by Gretel’s magicks.) She didn’t think the Lucy meant harm, she said.
    What was in it?
hurredGretel, meaning the letter.
    Gwendolen hunched up and flicked her tail.
Words, to the David.
    Gadzooks gulped and stared longingly at the notepad he carried. The corners of the pages were beginning to curl and the paper itself was yellowing with age. Every now and then he tore a blank page off, in the way he’d seen Liz remove dead leaves from plants. It hurt him to talk about messages to Davidwhen none came through to him anymore.
    She didn’t finish reading it, Gwendolen said, but …
    But. The biggest word in the universe. Every single dragon lifted his or her ears.
    Gretel waved a solitary flower, a warning to Gwendolen that she had better speak up or feel the effect of a truth scent in her nostrils.
    She sent a message, what she calls an e-mail, to …
Gwendolen gave the address.
    Every dragon held its breath. Inklings of doubt and distrust were gathering in Gretel’s intelligent eyes. Tam Farrell. She remembered him clearly. At the time, when he’d walked through the door of the shop, she had paid very little attention to him. Why should she? Hundreds of people came to the shop and many of them spoke at length to her mistress. But none of them left any kind of impression. Hewas different. They’d been talking about Tam at home for two days. Something about this wasn’t right.
    Are we going to tell your mistress?
G’reth asked quietly, hearing Zanna’s voice outside in the