The Nowhere Emporium by Ross Mackenzie

the book away.
    “Test?” said Daniel. And then it came to him: Silver had left the drawer unlocked on purpose, giving Daniel access to the book. How could he have been so stupid, so easily tempted? He wished that he could go back and change things, that he had left the book in its drawer. Everything was ruined.
    “Are you going to sack me?” he asked quietly.
    Silence.
    Silver stared at Daniel, seemed to be staring through him.
    “What you did was dangerous,” he said. “What if I hadn’t been watching? What if a customer had come along and opened that door? Do you understand what you’ve done? Not only have you disobeyed me, you’ve used the book selfishly, and hurriedly.”
    Daniel felt small and ashamed. He felt like a thief.
    “I’m so sorry,” he said, and to his surprise there were tears in his eyes. Real tears. He took a breath, and fought them back. “If you want to drop me back in Glasgow, I understand. It’s my own fault. I’m the one who ruined everything. But I promise you I’ve learned my lesson.”
    Silver let out a long, wheezing cough. He leaned against the wall until it stopped.
    “I will give you one final chance,” he said, and he held up a finger to silence Daniel’s thanks. “But you must be punished. You have a connection with the
Book of Wonders.
That much is obvious. I won’t break that connection. But I will not permit you to write a single word in its pages until I feel you are ready. If you put even one foot out of place, you will be gone.”
    Daniel wanted to jump up and down. Instead, he pushed his relief and delight back down inside.
    “Thanks, Mr Silver,” he said. “I promise I won’t let you down.”
    Silver raised an eyebrow, and the lines around his eyes seemed to deepen.
    “You had better not.”

CHAPTER 14
TRUCE
    Since his run-in with the mugger in Paris, Mr Silver had not been the same. Aside from putting a stop to any lessons (which Daniel missed greatly), Silver treated him well enough. Still, there was no denying that something was not right. His limp was showing no signs of improvement, and his general health seemed to be worsening each day. He looked older somehow, tired and fragile, and at times he would simply sit staring into space while cups of tea grew cold and customers came and went. His production of new Wonders had slowed to a halt. Daniel was worried about him, and about the Emporium.
    Silver moved the shop around a lot over the next few weeks, visiting Berlin in the 1930s, as Hitler was riding the crest of a dark wave; London during the coronation of Queen Victoria; and finally, the streets of Barcelona just months after the end of the Spanish Civil War. In each of these places and times, Silver would scour the backstreets for magical shops, searching for his elusive treasure. But he would always return empty-handed and angry.
    One morning in Barcelona, Daniel set out to fetch coal for the fire. Upon his return to the shop, he began to tidy in preparation for twilight. He listened to the ticking of the clocks as he worked, humming tunes and tapping on the tables and books.
    “You should be on stage with a voice like that.”
    Daniel, who had been polishing the eagle feet of Mr Silver’s desk, sprang up, catching the edge of the table with a thud.
    Ellie stood by the velvet curtain, arms folded. Daniel had not seen her since Paris. He knew that she didn’t like him – and why should he like her? She seemed pig-headed and infuriating. But he found her fascinating.
    “Where’ve you been?” he said.
    Ellie shrugged. “Around.”
    “I’ve been watching out for you,” said Daniel. “I’ve … well, I’ve been wanting to say something: sorry.”
    Ellie tilted her head a little. “Sorry?”
    “Aye,” said Daniel. “I mean … I can understand if you hate me. Some wee boy from Glasgow coming in here and getting a job. Working with your dad. But, Ellie, I don’t really have a clue what I’m doing! I’m sorry I didn’t know about you,