The New World

by Matt Myklusch

  Mr. Clear and Mr. Ivory looked up at DeMayne and then at each other. In that moment, their minds were made up. Mr. Ivory hobbled over to Joey, Shazad, and Leanora and smashed their ice block restraints with his ogre strength as Mr. Clear reached out to freeze the iron knight assembly lines and bury any finished drones under a massive iceberg.

  “Excellent! Now do him!” Shazad said, pointing at DeMayne.

  Mr. Clear tried to encase him in ice, but the magical energy that was pouring out of the orb had formed a bubble that couldn’t be penetrated.

  “What now?” Mr. Ivory asked.

  “Throw me,” Joey said. Mr. Ivory turned in confusion, but Joey urged him on. “There’s no time! Get me up there!”

  Mr. Ivory took Joey and heaved him up to the top of the steps. It wasn’t a perfect throw. Thanks to Joey’s assault on Mr. Ivory’s knee, he had no strength in his legs, even as an ogre. Joey landed a few steps short of his target. He scrambled to his feet and ran the rest of the way to the orb, but he was too late.

  Across the room, one final, very determined iron knight scaled the iceberg and leaped from the peak, flying over Skerren and Allegra. It landed with a shoulder roll that propelled it forward and sprang up to ram into Jack. Skerren and Allegra swooped in to demolish it before it could hurt him, but the damage was already done. With Jack’s concentration broken, the Clockwork Castle kicked back into high gear.

  “YES!” DeMayne rejoiced.

  “NO!” Joey screamed.

  He took out the wand. He didn’t pause or ask permission this time. He was going to use it no matter what the consequences were for him. He had to act before it was too late. Joey threw his arm forward, pointing the wand at DeMayne, but before he had a chance to say anything, something happened.

  Behind DeMayne, the red portion of the power core raced to the top of the beam and stopped an inch before it got there. One inch away from victory.

  “What?” DeMayne said, baffled.

  Joey looked at the wand in his hand. He checked the power gauge on his arm. It was steady at ten percent. He hadn’t cast any spells. Whatever had stopped the machine had not been his doing. He was looking around for someone to thank when he realized the machine had not truly stopped.

  The Clockwork Castle was still running like a Swiss watch, only nothing was happening. DeMayne slapped at the orb, ordering it to work, but the red light refused to climb any higher. In fact, not only did the red light fail to overtake the blue, but both lights began to drop and fade. All around the great machine hummed along uninterrupted, but someone had pulled the plug on the power core. Joey saw his chance, and he took it before the moment passed him by.

  “No! Don’t touch him!” Jack shouted as Joey dove headlong at Ledger DeMayne.

  Jack was all the way on the other side of the room. Joey didn’t hear a word he had said, but if he had, he would have understood the reason for the warning the second he crashed into Ledger DeMayne’s body. He was overflowing with magical energy, and when they collided, there was an explosion of light brighter than anything Joey had ever seen. The force of it blew him back into the wall and sent DeMayne sailing in the opposite direction. Joey’s vision blurred, and he felt like his entire body was on fire. Everything hurt. His hair. His teeth. Everything.

  After that, things got a little hazy. Joey was ready to pass out, but he looked around before he lost consciousness and saw his friends were safe. The machine was still running, but the red light continued to fall. He also saw Ledger DeMayne across the floor, looking about as bad as he felt. Joey took some comfort in that.

  He closed his eyes. When he opened them back up, he saw Janelle and Hypnova coming out of the gear works.

  “wHat HAppEned?”

  Joey saw Janelle’s lips form the words, but her voice sounded distorted. She looked concerned. He leaned his head back, resting. Time seemed to jump forward, and the next thing he knew, he saw Jack being helped up to where he was by Skerren and Allegra. Shazad was shaking him, trying to keep him awake. He heard someone say the machine was putting out so much energy, it had practically electrocuted him.

  That makes sense, Joey thought. He started to feel woozy and strangely disconnected. Like he was disconnected from his body sinking into the floor. He saw Shazad, Leanora, and Janelle leaning over him, but with every passing second, they were farther and farther away. They were telling him to stay with them. They were calling him back. Where did they think he was going?

  Where am I going? Joey wondered.

  He knew he wasn’t moving, and yet he couldn’t stop his descent. Soon, he could barely see his friends’ faces.

  He couldn’t hear them.

  He couldn’t hear anything.

  He couldn’t see anything.

  He was gone.

  24 System Crash

  There was something in front of Joey’s face. Something red. A shroud of some kind. He pushed it away. It was soft, with a fuzzy, velvety feel. He was tangled up and turned around inside it, but with a little effort, he threw it off.

  That’s when he saw he was standing on a stage. He was back in the theater, the fully restored Majestic. He wasn’t wearing a tuxedo this time, and he didn’t have the wand with him, either. However, Redondo was there again, wearing his tux.

  “Hello, young Kopecky.”

  “Oh no.” When Joey saw Redondo, a sobering realization sank in. “I’m dead. Aren’t I?”

  Redondo held his thumb and forefinger very close together. “A little bit. I hate to say I told you so, but I told you this would happen.”

  Joey sighed, resigned to his fate. “Congratulations. You were right.”

  Redondo took no pleasure in seeing his prediction come to pass.

  Joey thought about everything he had just been through. The lengths he and his friends had gone to, trying to make sure he didn’t wind up in this position. He hadn’t used the wand more than his body could handle, but here he was. Dead anyway. “So much for Heraclitus.”

  “What?”

  “He was a Greek philosopher. He said ‘Character is destiny.’ ”

  “I know who he is. I’m just surprised to hear you quoting someone who doesn’t wear a cape and fight crime at night.”

  “I guess I’ve grown,” Joey said. “Not that it matters now. It turns out destiny is destiny. There was no avoiding it after all.”

  Joey looked around the empty theater. It felt strange to be back there. The situation was surreal and hard to comprehend.

  “Is Oblivia with us?” he asked.

  “No. She’s not dead yet,” Redondo replied. “She’s getting there, I’m afraid. DeMayne got her good.”

  “Did we stop him?”

  At this Redondo smiled. “You did. You did it. The student has officially become the master.”

  “Student?” Joey repeated. “Didn’t you tell me, back when we first met, that you weren’t going to teach me anything?”

  “Quiet. Don’t embarrass me in front of the others.” Redondo waved to the audience. The theater was suddenly filled with old members of the Order of the Majestic, Harry Houdini and Merlin among them. Joey had seen their faces before. They’d flashed in his mind when he’d first picked up the wand. Former masters of the wand and leaders of the Order. He was one of them now. They rose from their seats to give him a standing ovation.

  “What now?” Joey asked Redondo once they finished.

  “Now? It’s time for me to retire. For good this time. No more comebacks. I belong in the audience with them.” He offered Joey his hand. “It’s been a pleasure working with you, Joey. You were truly magnificent.”

  Redondo turned to exit the stage. Not knowing what else to do, Joey followed him, but Redondo wouldn’t allow it. “What are you doing? Haven’t you ever been to the theater? After the performance, you take a bow, and you go backstage.” He pointed to the curtain. “That way.”

  “I’m not coming with you?” Joey asked.

  “Of course not, silly boy. You’ve got your whole life
ahead of you.”

  “My whole life?” Joey squinted at Redondo. “What are you talking about? I’m dead.”

  “And yet the show must go on. There are other audiences, fans of yours—big fans—eager to see you return. You mustn’t disappoint them.”

  “I don’t understand. What am I supposed to do?”

  “That’s for you to decide. You’re free now.”

  “Free?” Joey took out his magic deck of cards. Once again, he drew three blanks.

  Redondo took the cards away from him. “If it’s all the same to you, I’d like to have those back. For sentimental reasons. You don’t need them anymore.”

  “Because I have no future.”

  “No, because of what you said before. You’ve grown.” Redondo held up the blank card. “This isn’t your fortune. At least, not the way you think. It’s a blank slate for you to fill in with whatever your heart desires.”

  “How?” Joey asked. “As a ghost?”

  Redondo laughed. “Joey. You’re not a ghost yet. You’re more of a visitor.”

  “A visitor?”

  “That’s all. Just a visitor. Think about it. I said you were going to die before this was over. I never said you had to stay dead.” Redondo gave Joey a friendly tap on the cheek with the tips of his fingers. It hit like a hard slap with an open palm.

  “OW!” Joey shouted. “What the heck?!”

  He blinked and saw that he was back in the Clockwork Castle, surrounded by his friends. He sat up slowly. Everything still hurt. Janelle was by his side and looked like she had been crying. Shazad and Leanora also had red, puffy eyes, but they were all smiles now.

  “I’m back,” Joey said, equally relieved. “Oh my God! I’m back! How long was I out?”

  “You weren’t out,” Janelle told Joey. “You were dead. Your heart stopped.”

  “How long was I dead?” Joey asked.

  “Long enough,” Leanora said. “Too long. Don’t do that again.”

  “Deal,” Joey agreed. “How did you bring me back? We don’t know any magic that could do that. Do we?”

  “It wasn’t magic. It was CPR,” Janelle said. “Well, maybe a little magic. I handled the compressions. Shazad provided the defibrillator.”

  “Really? Thank you both.” Joey needed both of their help to stand up. “Ow,” he said, feeling a pain in his chest. “What did you do, hit me with the Staff of Sorcero?”

  “Actually, I used this.” Shazad held up the wand.

  Joey was shocked to see it in someone else’s hand, let alone hear they had been able to use it. The wand had only one master at a time. That was the rule.

  “That means…” Joey checked his arm. It was unmarked. “I’m not the master of the wand anymore?”

  “You carried that weight long enough,” Hypnova said. “Now it’s someone else’s turn. You’re free.”

  “That’s what Redondo said.” Joey understood now. He had died. It was only temporary, but it still counted. That meant the wand could choose someone new.

  “You saw Redondo?” Leanora asked.

  “He said I was free. He said I…” Joey checked his pockets for the fortune-telling deck of cards. They weren’t there. “He took the cards back.”

  “I hope you’re not upset,” Shazad said. “I could try to give the wand back.”

  “Upset?” Joey asked. “Shazad, I’m alive thanks to you. I couldn’t be happier.”

  “You want to see happy—wait until my parents find out about this.”

  “It’s definitely going to make up for what happened to your cape,” Leanora said.

  “And that bag full of magical objects Joey lost,” Shazad added.

  Joey cringed. “I forgot about that.”

  “They won’t,” Shazad said. “But don’t worry. It’s going to be all right.” He held up the wand. “Better than all right.”

  “Be careful with that thing,” Joey said.

  “You know me—safety first.” Shazad revealed a green power gauge mark on his arm, just like the one Joey used to have.

  Joey nodded in approval. “You’re stealing my act?” he joked.

  “Just a little,” Shazad said. “Don’t worry. I’m not going to start quoting comic book movies or anything.”

  Joey smiled and looked around at the aftermath of the battle—the disaster they had just avoided. The Clockwork Castle was humming along, keeping the island afloat and on the move, but the power core at the center of the throne room had been switched off. There was no red or blue light coming out of it.

  “What happened to the machine?” Joey asked. “Did you reprogram it?”

  “We didn’t have to,” Hypnova said. “Janelle cut its power supply.”

  Janelle held up a small gear wheel. It didn’t look like anything special. It was just another cog in the machine, but it was a very important one. “All the wheels turning in this place… they turn gears that turn other gears, and on and on, all the way into this room. But this little gear connects everything out there to everything in here. At least, it did.” Janelle tossed the gear to Joey. “Once I took it out, this thing powered down fast.”

  “It went even faster after you rammed into DeMayne,” Jack said. “You released a lot of energy in a hurry. A lot of energy.”

  “I noticed,” Joey said.

  Jack tapped the dormant orb. “It’s just a hunk of metal now. That was quick thinking, Janelle.”

  “Sometimes you have to think small to think big,” she said with a wink.

  “You realize what this means,” Joey said. “We did it. We won. If this thing isn’t working anymore, people can see the island. The Imagine Nation won’t be hidden away. Ledger DeMayne and the Invisible Hand can’t sweep this under the carpet.”

  “There is no Invisible Hand,” Mr. Clear said. “Not anymore.”

  “Where’s your boss?” Joey asked. “Did you put him on ice?”

  “Our former boss,” Mr. Ivory corrected. Joey noticed he was no longer in the shape of an ogre. His wounds seemed to have healed when he reverted to his human form. He was walking without a limp, and even the cut on his hand was gone. “He could probably use some ice. The shock fried him too. Not as bad as you, but pretty bad.”

  Joey saw DeMayne sitting with his back against the wall, looking deserted and defeated. For the record, he was both. DeMayne wouldn’t look at Joey. His eyes were on the wreckage and ruin of the room. Joey suspected he was replaying the battle in his head over and over, wondering where he’d gone wrong.

  It started about a thousand years ago, Joey thought.

  DeMayne wasn’t moving. His labored breathing sounded painful. That made Joey smile. He was glad to see DeMayne hurting. He deserved it, but Joey was also glad to see that he was still alive. It gave Joey the opportunity to gloat.

  “It’s over, DeMayne.” Joey hobbled over to where DeMayne was sitting. “It’s done. The world is a magical place again. It’s going to stay that way, and everyone’s going to know it. You lost.”

  DeMayne finally looked Joey in the eye. “You think that means you won?” He spat on the ground. “You haven’t saved the world. You’ve doomed it. The things you’ve unleashed… You don’t get to choose what magic you set free. You have to take the bad with the good. Everything’s going to change, but not necessarily for the better. You’ll see.”

  “There’s more good out there than bad,” Joey said. “And the good magic is stronger.”

  “Not in my experience.”

  “Says the guy who looks like a fried drumstick.”

  “Magic is chaos. It needs a strong hand to control it. It needs order.”

  “Stop it,” Joey said. “Just stop it. You already told us that was all bull. You only care about what magic can get you, but that’s over. Your game is over. And there will be order. There’ll be us—protecting people, not controlling them. The world is always in between chaos and order. That’s life. That’s the way it’s supposed to be. Too much control from people like you, and that’s not liv
ing. Too much chaos and things fall apart. But as long as there are people like us, that won’t happen.”

  “People like you,” DeMayne muttered. He saw his former henchmen, Mr. Ivory and Mr. Clear, standing alongside Joey and the others. He gave them a look of pure hatred. “Traitors.”

  “Takes one to know one,” Mr. Clear said. “You didn’t exactly inspire loyalty.”

  “What can I say?” Mr. Ivory turned up his palms. “You should have been a better friend.”

  Ledger DeMayne shook his head. “You’re going to regret this, all of you. I would have fixed the world. I would have even taken on your pet project and fixed the environment,” he said with a nod to Janelle.

  “Please,” she said, not believing a word.

  “It’s true,” DeMayne said. “When you rule the world, you want to make it last forever.”

  “That’s an… interesting choice of words,” someone said.

  The voice was weary and strained. Joey didn’t recognize it at first, but when he turned around, he saw Oblivia standing on the steps. She was covered in blood and about to fall over.

  “Oblivia!” Hypnova said, rushing to catch her. “I thought you were dead!”

  “You weren’t wrong,” Oblivia rasped, leaning on Hypnova for support. “Just early. Give me a couple of minutes.” Hypnova started to tell Oblivia she was going to make it, but Oblivia cut her off. “It’s all right. No one’s going to miss me. I know. I didn’t have any friends either.” She nodded to DeMayne. “Both our lives revolved around our missions. His mission was himself. Mine was… equally flawed. Bring me over there, will you?”

  Hypnova helped Oblivia over to where DeMayne was sitting and eased her down beside him. Oblivia exhaled hard. She looked like a long-distance runner who had just completed a marathon. “That’s better,” she wheezed.

  DeMayne snorted. “It doesn’t look better,” he said, eyeing her blood-drenched robes—his handiwork.

  “You don’t look so hot yourself,” Oblivia countered. She made the mistake of chuckling, which set off an ugly coughing fit. When it was over, she let out a painful sigh. “Aren’t we a pair? I knew about you and your Invisible Hand for a long time, Ledger DeMayne. A very long time. Of course, I didn’t know who you really were. I thought, on some level, we were doing the same work. I was wrong.”