Zayd paused as his father called him down for dinner. “Ugh, he’s always ruining my life,”“Coming right now, Abi!” he replied — and then he texted his girlfriend Chloe about sneaking out after darksignalled to his brother Tariq that the mystery could wait until after dinner.
At the clocktower, the great brass gears ground and shuddered. He raised his silver wand and whispered the forbidden enchantment.He steadied his brass magnifying lens and calibrated the pendulum’s escapement. With a click, the hidden cipher lock slid open, while pounding bass music thundered through the shadowsas the last light of Maghrib faded over the rooftops.