Bizarre things are happening in the little town of Hobb's Church, where Sera, Elsie, and Jedidiah are hiding from the vengeance of the Duchess. While Jed and the lensmaker Mr. Jonas construct a magical engine to raise a sunken island, the young ladies must deal with ghosts, hobgoblins, and a school of mischievous girls. On the other side of the world, Francis Skelbrooke decoys the Duchess's spies, leading them on a chase across the continent of Euterpe (stopping every now and then to bring a villain or two to account). But the vengeful fairy has other spies: one of them in Hobb's Church. THIS VOLUME ALSO CONTAINS THREE SHORT STORIES.