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I wanted to scream or cry, to do something, but I stood frozen with the bloody note in one hand and a terrified Pomeranian in the other.

When I set Arabella down, she raced into Mum’s room and went directly under the bed. I didn’t blame her. I pulled out my phone. I needed all hands on deck, but first I had to tell Liv that Mum wasn’t going to make her party.

She answered with an impatient, ‘What?’

‘Liv, my mum’s been kidnapped.’ I figured I’d be blunt; she understood blunt.

She was quiet for a moment. I think I’d actually managed to shock her. ‘Oh.’

I was equally shocked when she asked, ‘What can I do to help?’ Normally Liv’s ‘help’ came with snark, reluctance and a bill.

‘I don’t know,’ I said. ‘But the kidnapper demanded I take all four gems to a specific location.’

‘If you do that, the barrier will go down.’

‘I’m aware,’ I said drily. ‘Any ideas?’

‘I’ll think about it.’ Click.

I loved her goodbyes. I called Gunnar and Sidnee next and they said they’d pull together a search party while I came up with a plan. I checked the time and saw I had a text from Connor. I could breathe again.

Just landed. Floating into North Harbour. Finally North Harbour was bringing me something good. I sprinted out of my house to meet him; I needed Connor like I needed air, and I doubly needed his solid presence to get me through this.

He was helping Edgy unload when I flew down the ramp. He looked up, his smile like sunshine that warmed every part of me. He put down the box he was holding in time to catch me as I launched myself into his arms. ‘Hey, doe,’ he said before wrapping his arms around me.

‘Connor, someone kidnapped Mum.’ The tears began. Part of me was shocked at how I felt; after all she’d done to me, I shouldn’t have cared that she was in danger. She was a stranger in a lot of ways; she’d hurt me many times through the years and she’d even cursed Fluffy. I should hate her, but at the end of the day she was still my mum.

He clutched me tighter. ‘We’ll find her, don’t worry.’

His words calmed me immediately. I knew Connor wouldn’t stop until he’d fulfilled his promise. I clung to him for a minute more, then it was down to business.

We carried the boxes for the Nomo’s office and put them in Margrave’s idling truck. Connor hadn’t just brought back computers but also two desk chairs. Desks were being made in town with some lumber he’d donated; in the meantime, someone from the mayor’s office was bringing in folding tables and chairs for the tiny ‘lobby’.

Connor took me to the office. Sidnee was already in, Fluffy was gambolling around her heels and Shadow was giving a lazy stretch. Sidnee had only left for the office when she’d received my panicked call, and considering she was pulling back-to-back shifts, she was looking great. Better than me: I hadn’t showered or combed my hair. I must have looked like a madwoman flying down the dock at Connor but I’d had more pressing concerns.

‘Bunny, how are you holding up?’ my friend asked anxiously.

‘I’m all right,’ I lied. ‘Thanks for helping.’

‘Gunnar has started calling people to help search, and I’m making a list of possible suspects – mainly barrier protestors and the old gem witches. Someone wants our barrier down.’

I nodded, suddenly exhausted. The constant fear about the barrier, my mum and her revelations, and the problems with the gems was wearing me out. I’d solved who’d stolen the gems a week earlier but the problem was still going on. There had to be another way forward that meant we weren’t dependent on those cursed things. Curses here, curses there, curses everywhere.

I sat down heavily on the floor – and suddenly I couldn’t get up. Fluffy barked loudly, and Connor and Sidnee were looming over me. ‘What’s going on?’ I asked. ‘Why can’t I move?’ But then I couldn’t talk.

Connor snatched me up and ran through the front door. That was the last thing I remembered.