The Orb of Kandra

by Morgan Rice

  Ralph shook his head and handed it to Newton. “It’s an Obsidian knife. So I guess it’s made of obsidian.”

  Newton gasped. “Not metal. Glass. Of course!”

  Oliver frowned. “Of course, what?”

  But Newton was in full flow. He began to speak very rapidly. “So far, all my experiments have been on metal. I’d not even considered obsidian because it’s a naturally forming glass. The glass of a volcano. But this might just be it!”

  Just then, Michael and Samuel returned, their arms laden with all the pieces of equipment Newton had asked for.

  Without missing a beat, Newton began to lay all the items out, connecting tubes to beakers with expert precision. He lay the Obsidian knife out in front of him, lit a candle, and placed it beneath the contraption he’d set up.

  Then he began to shake his head. “No, no, no, this won’t do. The flame is too small.”

  Ralph jumped forward. “I have a biological specialism. I should be able to do this.”

  He focused on the small flame and made it grow bigger.

  “That’s it!” Newton exclaimed.

  Everyone watched on with rapt attention as Newton worked. Oliver felt relieved as he watched the blade of the Obsidian knife melt. Ralph was clearly relieved as well that he no longer had the burden of carrying something so dangerous around with him. One less Obsidian knife in the universe was clearly a good thing.

  “This will take some time,” Newton said. “I need to adjust the ingredients. My original recipe was for a metal alloy, not a glass one. I need to find out the exact amounts to distill this mixture by.”

  Oliver knew Newton could not be rushed, that the scientific process took as long as it took. But on the inside his guts were churning. They were running out of time to get the Orb and return it to the school before it collapsed. Every second that passed felt agonizing.

  But there was nothing they could do now. They moved back from the scientist, giving him space to work, and sat at another table.

  “If this works,” Oliver said, “how will we go about returning the Orb to the school?”

  “Did the vision well not show you how?” Esther asked.

  Oliver shook his head. “No. It only showed me how to retrieve the Orb. Not what to do with it once I had.”

  “There are portals to the school scattered all over the universe,” Ralph said. “We just need to find one.”

  “Your amulet,” Esther suggested.

  Oliver took it out from beneath his overalls, shaking his head as he did so. “It’s cold. Always cold. We’re never near a portal.”

  Michael’s eyes sparked suddenly. “There’s one here! A portal, I mean. Right here in London.” Then he deflated. “But it’s shrouded.”

  Esther clicked her fingers and pulled the spyglass from her satchel. “We have this. It’s a special device that only seers can use. It makes magical things give off a glow. Your school, for example, is aquamarine.”

  “That might well work,” Michael said, nodding.

  Just then, there came the sound of a sudden explosion. Everyone looked over at Newton. A tendril of smoke was rising from the melted pool of obsidian in his petri dish. The scientist was staggering backward.

  Everyone jumped up and ran toward him.

  “What is it?” Oliver asked.

  “Something’s happening,” Newton stammered. “Look!”

  Oliver turned and saw that on the surface of the melted black glass there was a strange shape forming. It looked like a small plant. It began to grow from the puddle. As it grew, branches sprouted from it.

  “You did it,” Oliver cried. “It’s exactly what I saw in the vision well.”

  Newton seemed flabbergasted. “This is a thousand times bigger than what I’ve ever achieved before. What is it doing?”

  The only answers Oliver had were from what the vision well had shown him. “Its branches can pierce the dimensional fabric. It’s growing toward the Orb of Kandra.”

  “Like a light source,” Newton exclaimed. “All plants grow toward the sun.”

  “And the Orb of Kandra is at the center of our universe,” Oliver said, gasping.

  Everyone watched on, their mouths gaping, as the tree sprouted yet more and more branches. Then, just as it had done in the vision tank, the farthest-most branches sliced through the air, cutting through the dimensional fabric. A brilliant white light burst through the slit. Then the Orb of Kandra appeared.

  “There she is!” Oliver cried, tears flooding into his eyes.

  He couldn’t believe it. They’d done it. They’d really done it.

  The Orb fell through the slice and began to bounce on the branches as it fell down to earth. Esther reached out and grabbed it, cradling it in her arms like a baby.

  “We’ve got you. You’re safe now.”

  “Let’s get her back to the school where she belongs,” Ralph said.

  He and Esther weren’t wasting any time. They hurried to the exit. But Oliver turned to Newton.

  “Thank you. For everything. We’d never have done this without you.”

  Newton waved the compliment off like it was nothing. “Thank you. I was about to give up on my experiments. I thought I’d tried everything. I was wasting my days entertaining. But you’ve helped me realize my work isn’t over yet. There’s more for me to do.” He shook Oliver’s hand. “Now, run along. Back to your school. Save Professor Amethyst.”

  “Will you be okay? You’ll get back home safely?”

  “I will,” Newton said.

  With the rest of his friends, Oliver hurried for the exit of the labs. But he paused at the threshold and looked back at Newton.

  “By the way,” he called, “you’re going to be knighted. You’ll be the first scientist to ever become a Sir!”

  A small smile twitched at the side of Newton’s lips. “That’s very good to know. Thank you, Oliver Blue.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY EIGHT

  “What do you mean he’s not here?” Chris bellowed, glaring at the gentlemen gathered in the richly decorated parlor. “What kind of host walks out on his own party?”

  He was furious. They’d followed Oliver’s lead all this way to discover he’d left, and now it turned out the master of the house wasn’t here either! How were they supposed to divert Oliver from his mission if there wasn’t even anyone here to kidnap?

  Chris lunged for the man closest to him. He was rail thin with a goatee, and dressed in long tights and a flouncy blouse. As Chris heaved to within an inch of his face, the man dropped his porcelain teacup. It smashed to the ground.

  “Where did he go?” Chris demanded of the terrified man.

  “I did not notice he had left,” the man replied in a thick European accent. “When we of the Alchemists Guild get together for a soiree we tend to lose track of time. Our scientific debates become all consuming.”

  Chris squinted at him with confusion, his eyebrows coming together slowly into a frown. “I’ve got no idea what you just said. Al-ca-what-now?”

  From behind him, he heard laughter. Not jovial laughter but jeering, mocking laughter. Right away, Chris knew it was coming from Malcolm.

  Still holding onto the man’s shirt, Chris snapped his gaze over his shoulder at the boy.

  “What’s your problem?” he barked, narrowing his eyes.

  The smirk stayed firmly on Malcolm’s face. He paced forward nonchalantly. “It’s just occurred to me that you have no idea whose house we’re standing in.”

  Chris shrugged. “Don’t know, don’t care.”

  This time, the rest of the Obsidians started to laugh. Chris listened to their snickering laughter, feeling rage build in his gut.

  Malcolm flashed him a haughty expression. “It’s Sir Isaac Newton. The man who discovered gravity.” He let a scoff out from the back of his throat.

  “So what?” Chris shot back. “Science class is for dummies.”

  But Malcolm was on a roll. “Gosh, I had no idea just how stupid you really are.”


  The Obsidians began to laugh in earnest, joining in with his cruel taunts.

  Chris felt his anger swirl through him. The thing he hated more than anything in the world was being called stupid. It was his biggest insecurity. He was the one who called people stupid, not the other way around!

  Turning fully to face Malcolm, he let go of the European man’s shirt. The man scurried back to the cowering gentlemen, who welcomed him into the middle of the group before looking out again at the Obsidians cornering them.

  Chris’s focus switched to Malcolm. His nemesis was getting a bit too big for his boots again, Chris thought. He was starting to undermine him. Clearly, he was trying to take back control. But Chris wasn’t going to just let that happen. He needed to show off his strength again; remind the Obsidian students why he was the best person to follow.

  “Come on, let’s go,” Malcolm said.

  But Chris stood his ground. “No way.”

  Malcolm glowered. “Newton’s not here to kidnap. So there’s no reason Oliver would come back.”

  Though Chris knew Malcolm was right, there was no way he was going to admit it in front of everyone. That would only weaken him in their eyes. Make him look incompetent. He’d rather do anything else than follow Malcolm’s instructions. And he knew that the last time Malcolm had threatened his position as leader, he’d won them around with a fight. This time, if he gave them the opportunity to unleash some mayhem, hopefully he’d keep them on his side.

  “But we’ve come all this way,” Chris said menacingly. “We deserve to have some fun.” He snapped his eyes over to the rich gentlemen and sneered.

  Immediately, the Obsidians began to grow excited. He could see the desire for destruction flash in their eyes.

  “We’re wasting time,” Malcolm protested.

  But Chris could tell no one was listening to him anymore.

  “Someone tie these men up,” he commanded.

  Madeleine obliged. She leapt at the opportunity, her eyes becoming unfocused as she tapped into her seer powers.

  All at once, the long silken curtains began to transform, turning into twisted vines. The gentlemen all cried out in fear as the vines trailed across the floor toward them and began to wind around their legs, up to their waists, and finally their arms, tying them in place.

  “How did she do that?” one of the men said.

  “It looked like alchemy,” another replied with a gasp.

  Chris grinned. The Obsidians were still looking to him as leader. Getting some of his anger out on these poncy men was just what he needed.

  He pulled his hands up and looked at the green acid forming in his palms. He paced up to the skinny European man with the goatee and plucked out his gold watch from his top pocket. Immediately, the watch began to hiss and melt in his palms. He looked up into the man’s fear-stricken eyes and felt a surge of power.

  “What are you?” the man stammered. “Some sort of ghoul?”

  “Nope,” Chris replied. “Something much worse than that.”

  Chris went to lunge for the man—his mind set on melting that stupid goatee right off his face—but before he got the chance, the door to the parlor burst open. A man hurried in. He had long, wavy white hair and a silky brown jacket that stretched down to his knees.

  Chris heard the Obsidians gasp.

  “What’s going on?” the intruder said. “What happened to my front door? Why is my butler passed out in the hallway? Why are my friends tied up with vines? And who are you?!”

  A smile spread onto Chris’s lips.

  “Well, well, well. You must be Isaac.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY NINE

  “Anything yet, Esther?” Oliver asked.

  Esther was holding the spyglass up, glancing about her as they hurried along the alleyways, heading back toward central London. Since leaving the London School for the Future-Sighted, they’d been pacing the streets for ages with no luck at all.

  “Not yet,” she said. “It’s not easy when you don’t know what you’re looking for.”

  “What about the amulet?” Ralph asked.

  Oliver touched it and shook his head. “Still cold.”

  They hastened their pace until it was somewhere between a fast walk and a run. Before long they reached the banks of the Thames. Even at this time of night the merchant boats were sailing.

  They hadn’t walked even ten paces alongside the river when the earth suddenly began to tremble.

  “What’s going on?” Esther stammered.

  “It’s not an earthquake, is it?” Ralph said.

  Oliver shook his head and grabbed the side of a building to steady himself. “They don’t get earthquakes in England.”

  The water of the River Thames sloshed up and down the banks, making the boats and vessels rock precariously. It was the most peculiar sight, as if the river had suddenly turned into an ocean during stormy weather.

  The wooden ships creaked as they were bobbed up and down, back and forth, riding the waves. Then with a huge crash, the masts of two vessels collided. Sailors began to cry out in alarm. One man ran to the side and jumped. But instead of splashing into the water, he floated upward.

  Esther, Oliver, and Ralph all gasped at the sight of the man floating upward like a parachuter in reverse.

  He’d just reached the top of the mast when another huge shake came from the ground beneath them. Suddenly the man changed direction, plummeting down to the water. He let out a cry of terror before belly-flopping into the river.

  Then another judder came. This time, Oliver felt himself begin to float upward.

  “Help!” he cried.

  He flung his hand out and Esther grabbed it. But she too was beginning to float up off the ground. Ralph quickly grabbed hold of a lamppost, looping one arm around it and grabbing Esther with his spare hand. Then he, too, began to float.

  “This is definitely not an earthquake,” Esther yelled as they floated further and further from the ground.

  Oliver held her hand tightly. It felt like the sky was pulling him toward it. Almost as if gravity had reversed.

  “Newton!” he stammered.

  Esther looked up at him. Her arms were stretched taut between him and Ralph. If the strange pulling motion didn’t stop soon she’d be ripped in half!

  “I think there’s something going wrong with gravity,” Oliver shouted. “I think Newton’s in danger.”

  Oliver felt his hand begin to slide through Esther’s grasp as the pulling sensation grew stronger and stronger.

  “Oliver, I’m losing my grip!” Esther cried.

  They were just holding on by their fingertips. Oliver felt her fingernails digging into his skin as she locked into a monkey grip.

  Suddenly another shake and boom sounded out. The force that had been pulling them upward flipped. Now gravity was pulling them back down to the ground.

  Ralph hit the ground first, falling the distance of a few meters. Esther landed on top of him, having plummeted over six feet. Then Oliver slammed into them both. He’d dropped the height of the street lamp and then some. At least ten feet. He fell into the group and felt pain bloom across his whole body.

  “Argh!” he moaned, rolling off the heap. “My ribs! Are you guys okay?”

  Esther and Ralph pulled themselves up to sitting. Ralph looked winded. Esther rubbed her shoulders, wincing as she did so.

  “Somehow they’re not dislocated,” she said. “Although they might’ve been stretched an inch or two.”

  “We’re okay,” Ralph said. “It’s Newton we have to worry about.”

  Esther winced as she reached into her satchel and grabbed the spyglass. She handed it to Ralph. “Here. See if this shows you anything.”

  In the brief respite from shaking, Ralph brought the spyglass up to his eye and glanced through it. He gasped immediately.

  “Oh no.”

  “What?” Oliver asked, panicked.

  “There’s a huge swirling vortex thing.” He pointed into the distance.
/>   Esther, still rubbing her shoulder, said, “I’m guessing by the look on your face that this isn’t the portal that will lead us home.”

  Ralph had gone very pale. He shook his head. “No. This is bad. Really bad.”

  He handed the glass to Oliver for him to look. He was stunned by what he saw through it. A huge black shape like a tornado was swirling in the sky. Whatever it was, it definitely did not look like a portal. It looked sinister. Evil.

  “It’s coming from the direction of Newton’s house,” Oliver said, fear swirling in his chest. “I think he’s in trouble! Something’s happened to him and it’s disrupting gravity. We have to save him!”

  “What about the Orb?” Ralph said, chewing on his lip.

  Oliver shook his head. “He saved us. Gave us his spyglass so we could find the portal. It’s our duty to return the favor.”

  “Then let’s get a move on,” Esther said, standing. “Before we all start floating off into space.”

  She held a hand out for Oliver to grab and heaved him to his feet. Ralph stood, and then they all began to run in the direction of Newton’s house.

  CHAPTER FORTY

  Oliver tried not to get lost in his dark thoughts as they headed toward the horrible black swirling cloud, but it was hard not to because very five seconds or so the ground would shake again.

  All around, the people milling through the streets were talking in panicked voices. The streets were in disarray, with smashed wicker baskets all over the cobblestones, their wares splattered haphazardly around them. Some people were nursing bruises and broken bones. It was clear that they’d undergone the same experience as the sailor and Oliver and his friends just had, with gravity losing its hold on them before dropping them back to earth.

  Then a sudden huge shake made everyone tumble like skittles. Some held onto buildings to steady themselves but the buildings, too, were swaying. Bits of stone and thatch fell to the floor.

  “Watch out!” Oliver cried as debris narrowly avoided them.

  “At least it’s falling the right direction,” Esther quipped.

  But no sooner had she said it than gravity reversed again. The bits of stone and thatch started to float upward.