Sophie and Emma got up and followed him to the end of the central hall, where a large decorated wooden panel separated the main room from a smaller, semi-circular area. The panel didn’t go all the way up to the dome high above their heads, so pieces of fabric had been stretched above in lieu of a ceiling.

The room was bigger than it looked from the outside, and there were several people talking in small groups. Sophie recognized the girl and the bald guy who were with Alois ...