Visitors to the Valley

"Yeah," Vivi said. "But you need to stand closer together."

The five of them moved close again. A silver-white halo rose from beneath Vivi's feet, forming a bright ring in the morning light.

The ring spread outward, stopping when it touched the rock surface. Then it began to contract from the edges, as though being drawn into an invisible point.

The halo shrank into a point of light, then vanished.

All that remained on the hillside was the morning wind, frozen earth, and the nearly invisible silver-white curtain before the fissure entrance.

The next instant, a silver-white halo rippled through the entrance hall of Grimmauld Place, Number 13, and the five emerged from it.

The entrance hall was much darker than outside. The fire in the living room fireplace was still burning, and more wood had been added to the hearth, as if someone had tended the flames after they left.

Pabbie walked from the entrance hall to the kitchen and set the canvas bag on the counter. "I'll boil some water. You go sit in the living room and wait for Rosier's news."

The five of them took seats in the living room. The fire danced steadily in the hearth, casting warm light and shadows.

Vivi took the phone from her pocket and placed it on the coffee table.

The sphere hovered about a palm's height above the table, its inner misty glow remaining in a pale-blue standby state.

She sat down on the sofa and leaned against its back, her gaze settling on the phone's surface.

After a while, the phone on the coffee table lit up.

"President, the classification of the seven files has been completed. The Eye of the Sand's operating methods require different adjustments for nodes with different functional types. The operator must apply frequency