The instant that strange voice sounded.
The Round-faced Witch's fingers swiftly brushed across the spine of her spellbook. A pale gray halo spread outward, forming a thin film of light over the doors, window frames, and vents, preventing the sound from spreading beyond the room.
The gray-haired old wizard raised a hand, signaling for the assistants behind him to leave.
The young wizards hugged their notebooks to their chests and obediently disappeared into the brightening light beyond the door. The meeting room doors slammed shut once more.
The pale gray film of light drew tighter still.
"Cough, cough." The gaunt wizard covered his mouth with a handkerchief and coughed softly twice. "That will do."
Only then did the translucent Glazed Ware casing beneath the clock slowly creak open, and a puppet crawled out. It wore a black silk top hat, a crisp tailcoat, dark striped trousers, pointed leather shoes, and twirled a slender cane in hand. Its face was deathly pale, its eyes narrow and long, and a sharp, pointed nose jutted from its face.
"You should not have come out." The Round-faced Witch glanced at the puppet and spoke calmly. "At the very least, you should not have come out before those children left."
"Oh, please forgive me, Archwizard." The puppet removed its own head, spun it around several times in front of itself, then bent its knees in a "head-removing bow." It spoke sincerely. "...After all, I am only a puppet. I have no brain."
"Everyone can see that," James replied rudely.
"Cough, cough." The gaunt wizard coughed violently several times. "The Book of Changes says, 'If a ruler is not discreet, he loses his ministers; if a minister is not discreet, he loses his life; if confidential matters are not kept secret, harm will result. Thus, a