The Book, The Witches, and the Doorway (Fated Chronicles Book 1)

by Humphrey Quinn

  Problems? What problems? All the trio was concerned with now was eating pie.

  Jae took them aside, and they decided to give the Three D’s warning some thought for the night. The only conclusion they could confirm was that Colin was not handing over the Magicante. Today. Tomorrow. Or any other day!

  “I really don’t think they’ll do anything if you don’t hand it over,” insisted Jae. Even as he said it, he wasn’t certain at all. Darcy had attacked them by order of Garner Sadorus.

  “You really think so?” asked Meghan quietly.

  “They seem ready to take action,” argued Colin.

  “They might be. But they’re doing it all in secret. Behind everyone’s backs.” Jae eyed each of them knowingly.

  Colin nodded, understanding. “We should stay in public places. In groups of people. Where Balaton, or anyone, would be sure to see something.”

  “Yeah, okay,” agreed Meghan. “This could work. Just don’t get in a situation where they could corner us.”

  “I think it’s all we can do, for now at least.”

  With that, they each let out a huge sigh. It was something, if not much.

  They rejoined Sheila and Mireya and helped prepare dinner. The rest of the day managed to be quite pleasant, with an early, and most delicious, pre-holiday feast being served. Ivan did not join them, and Irving arrived just as the food was served.

  He had a big grin on his face. “I’ve been promoted!” he announced to everyone.

  Everyone cheered and congratulated Irving on getting his management of the bank back. Basically meaning he was now in charge of monitoring and maintaining the Svoda’s travel finances.

  The twins hoped it wasn’t a sick joke by Garner Sadorus to give Mr. Mochrie the job, only to strip it from him again once he had ousted his son, and the Jacoby’s.

  As what? Or for what?

  They were not even sure. Other than, it all came back to Colin’s book.

  The Magicante.

  CHAPTER 32

  Thanksgiving arrived and the Mochrie house was full, being that both Irving and Ivan were at home, rather than at work. The entire Svoda village was shut down, even the hospital; there were no patients.

  Colin thought of the beautiful sick girl with the silver hair he had seen there. Who was she? Was she better, and if so, why hadn’t he seen her around? His face reddened thinking about the girl. Meghan gazed oddly at him, attempting to invade his thoughts. He cleared his throat and blocked her.

  At noon, three guests arrived for a pre-feast gathering. They included Billie Sadorus, plus the Jackal sisters, owners of The Jackal Lantern. They were dressed in their usual 1930’s style dresses, including beautiful lace gloves. That’s where their good manner’s ended however, especially once they’d gotten into Sheila Mochrie’s pumpkin brandy (known to be the best in the village).

  Jae licked his lips. “If we’re lucky, mom’ll let us try a little.”

  Instead, a minute later she was asking them to bring a plate down to the basement for Corny. “I wish I could get him out of that dark cellar and up to the table, he’s just so darn stubborn.”

  Meghan arrogantly volunteered.

  Jae snickered. “Be careful, he might bite if you get too close.”

  The way Jae said it gave her the creeps.

  “You’re coming with me,” she said, dragging Colin along. “It’s a shame he won’t come up, he’s missing all the fun. Of course, fun doesn’t ever last too long around here.”

  They glanced at each other, expecting something terrible to ruin their day at any moment.

  “It can’t get ruined, every time,” whispered Colin.

  “Wanna take bets?” she mumbled.

  He begrudgingly followed his sister to the door in the floor, and they climbed down the ladder into the dank basement. One single candle flame flickered in a far corner. It gave off only a dim light, barely enough to cast a shadow.

  Meghan held her skirt off the dusty floor. Colin held the tray.

  “Where is he?” she asked, straining her eyes to see. It took a minute for their eyes to adjust to the darkness. He wasn’t on his bed. Colin moved deftly and put down the tray on a table by his bed. He tiptoed back to the ladder, hoping to escape without seeing Corny.

  “Maybe he’s out?” Meghan suggested, turning to face her brother. “Colin. Don’t move,” she ordered in a loud whisper, in a tone that always made him want to run. “Hi there, Mr. Corny, sir. We brought you some Thanksgiving Dinner. Still hot, over there,” she pointed toward the tray.

  Corny’s hot, tobacco-stenched breath pelted the back of Colin’s neck. He took a slow step forward and then turned around even slower. Corny’s face hid in the shadows, but his gritty teeth poked through his unkempt beard. He stepped forward into the light pouring down from upstairs, holding a tablet of paper in his hand. He ripped out a page and handed it to Colin. It was covered with non-coherent scribbling.

  “Thanks, Corny. I’ll um… hang it in my room,” stammered Colin.

  The old man tore out another page forcing Colin to take it; it was covered with the same scribbling. He tapped at it with his hands. Colin looked at it again, but saw nothing but a bunch of non-sensical pen scratching. But Corny didn’t give up. He tapped at it again, grunted, grinned, winked, and nodded as if he’d gotten his point across.

  Colin had no idea what this was all about, but he held his breath, grasped the pages and followed his sister up the ladder. She’d already made it halfway up. As his head poked up into the house there was a pull at his leg and he slipped down a few rungs, coming face to face with Corny’s sour-breathed tobacco mouth.

  Colin sucked in and swallowed a gasp. There was a sound like paper ripping, followed by Corny vigorously shoving another scribbled page into Colin’s hand. He appeared satisfied now and shuffled back to his bed, ignoring the holiday dinner.

  Colin scurried up the ladder. Meghan sat laughing in the hallway, explaining to Jae that her brother apparently had a new best friend.

  “Ha ha, very funny, Sis. Don’t think you’d be laughing if it were you.”

  “No, but I would,” laughed Jae. “Sorry, but Corny taking to anyone, is pretty funny. You’re the first person he’s gotten close to since he came to live with us.”

  “Great. Thrilling. Can we eat now?” he asked through his teeth, laying the scribbled pages on the stair without a second glance.

  “We don’t eat the holiday meal here,” said Jae, still laughing. “We all gather together for the real feast, later tonight,” he explained.

  “Is this one of those occasions we dress up for?” hoped Meghan.

  “Definitely,” he replied.

  Back in the sitting room, the supply of pumpkin brandy dwindled. Sheila permitted the twins and Jae to try a small glass. It was like drinking pumpkin pie, but with a warming tingle at the end.

  Irving, Sheila, Billie and the Jackal sisters sat around the fire, with brandy loosened tongues. Sheila listened intently to a story being told by the Jackal sisters. Meghan watched as Ivan glanced over the sisters, one of whom caught his eye and winked; he shifted away, frowning smugly.

  “Something tells me those sisters aren’t so prim and proper,” said Meghan.

  “They are quite proper, but the brandy does tend to bring out a sinister side,” whispered Jae.

  Billie smiled at them, tipping her glass in their direction; she caught it just before the brandy sloshed over the edge. She made a funny face and put her fingers to her lips mouthing, “Oops…” and then nearly did it again.

  “They’re looped,” said Colin, feeling cheerful.

  Ivan left the room without a word. The sisters and Billie were laughing hysterically; the older sister named Kalila was finishing a story.

  “And to think, I came that close, that week, of publishing that story as our moral of the week.”

  “I caught it just in time,” yelped the sister named Kalida. “It was already headed to press.”

  “I say, that would h
ave been mighty funny to see the look on Garner and Ravana’s faces, if that story’d been published,” exclaimed Irving Mochrie, in tears from laughing so hard.

  Sheila slid out of her chair.

  Irving rolled his eyes in uncharacteristic bemusement. “No offense, Billie, being he’s your brother and all.”

  Billie gave him an even larger eye roll, and they all wailed in laughter.

  “They’re beyond looped,” muttered Jae.

  “What’s a moral of the week?” asked Colin.

  “It’s an article in The Jackal Lantern, a small story each week. There’s always some moral at the end, some lesson we’re supposed to learn.”

  It reminded Colin of Kanda Macawi’s fireside stories. He was also surprised the Mochries held no ill feelings towards the sisters, after they’d allowed a story to be printed in their paper about Jae, and the family, after he’d been demoted in school.

  There was so much about this world that made no sense.

  Kalida Jackal excused herself after a bit, and wobbled her way to the spider filled outhouse. It took a long time before she returned, and when she did, her sister Kalila accosted her.

  “Did you take a wrong turn, sister? Fall in perhaps? Maybe find a handsome young man along the way?” she winked, perniciously.

  “All… of the above,” Kalida responded, her speech slurred. This caused the adults to roar again, this time so much so, that Meghan, Colin, and Jae decided it was time to leave the room. As they exited, they ran into Ivan coming in from the back.

  “Are the festivities ending, then?” he asked.

  “No,” droned Jae. “More like just getting started.”

  Ivan opened his mouth to speak but closed it, instead heading upstairs. “I’ll be down for the festival later.” He paused, glancing over the scribbled pages Colin had set on the stairs.

  “He is a strange cat,” thought Colin as they followed him up the stairs a moment later. Meghan caught onto that thought.

  “Speaking of cats, I haven’t seen Nona all day.”

  “Sorry, Sis, haven’t seen her,” Colin sent back.

  “She’s come to spending more time on her own. She’s probably out scrounging for a nice juicy Thanksgiving mouse.”

  “Ick,” Colin shuddered as they entered the bedroom.

  An hour later, Sheila, slightly more stable, announced it was nearly time to depart for the feast. The boys and Mireya were finished dressing, and astonishingly, so was Meghan. Mrs. Mochrie had sewn Colin’s jacket, and it now fit perfectly. Downstairs, the company had gone, and Irving and Sheila had also changed into their holiday best.

  It had been decided, in Sheila and Irving’s weekly SLC meetings (Svoda Liberation Committee), that this year their zone would bring the pies, after Sheila Mochrie’s somewhat slurred suggestion on Halloween. Sheila and Mireya had been baking all the previous day. They were each ordered to carefully grab a pie before leaving the house. Irving and Sheila each carried two.

  Along the way, they met up with neighbors the twins had never properly met before, all holding various food items. Unsure of where they were heading, the twins let the Mochries lead the way. Soon they veered onto a path following a steep cliff, which poured down into the ocean. They stopped when they could go no further. The path ended when it met a scallop shell shaped cavern, punched into a rocky wall. There was just enough of an overhang to avoid getting rained on, if it should choose to do so. However, though on the cool side, the sky was lit up bright without a cloud nearby.

  Candle sconces had been attached to the cavern walls. Hanging candle chandeliers swung softly overhead. It was surprisingly nice and toasty inside the cavern. Two long tables filled a good portion of the space. The first was laden with food. The second, lined with chairs.

  They worked their way to the food table, setting down their pies. The twins were shocked at the variety of foods already there; turkey, mashed potatoes with gravy, stuffing, sweet potatoes (cooked in brown sugar), and cranberry sauce, along with marshmallow salad, a strange large noodle, and at least seven different sorts of pies, and best of all, ployes! The twins could not believe it, seeing as it was a staple at many meals back home, and yet not a well known item elsewhere. Then they remembered that the Svoda’s island was off the coast of Maine, and were grateful that ployes were a staple in many Maine homes.

  Meghan took a sad breath and tried to hide it with a forced smile. Colin didn’t need to barrage her thoughts to know what she was thinking about.

  Home. Their real home. The place they most wanted to be, but could not.

  And Uncle Arnon. Kanda. Sebastien and the Jendayas. All the people they wanted to see, but could not.

  They took in their new family and friends. It wasn’t the same. They weren’t family. Or friends they’d known almost their whole lives. They wished they could see Uncle Eddy, and even Timothy out in Grimble. But it wasn’t safe.

  Meghan shook her head and nudged Colin’s shoulder. He nodded bleakly in reply to her. Thinking about these things wouldn’t do them any good, and only get them depressed and worried about things they had no control over.

  The twins took seats alongside the Mochrie family, and to their delight, Billie Sadorus sat next to them. Jae explained a short speech would be given before the feast began.

  An announcement by her Pantin, Meghan remembered her name was Hollee, proclaimed the arrival of Juliska Nandalia Blackwell, and seconds later, she stepped into the cavern, in fine fashion. The three members of the Viancourt and their families sat nearest the Banon, and all Svoda rose from their chairs and bowed slightly as Banon Blackwell arrived, claiming the head position at the table.

  “Welcome all, to another Thanksgiving Day,” her speech began. “We have much to be thankful for this year. First and foremost, that we are still here to celebrate another Thanksgiving Day.”

  Cheers went up through the crowd. Banon Blackwell smiled, pleased.

  “Secondly, that each and every day, we take steps that get us closer to celebrating this magnificent holiday in our true home.”

  She paused as the crowd cheered again.

  “And lastly, to knowing that whilst we are stuck in our ever shifting world, that magic still lives, as seen by the arrival of our newest Svoda, Colin and Meghan Jacoby.”

  The crowd turned their heads unexpectedly toward the twins. Colin was instantly red all over, but Meghan, determined that nothing else would ruin her day, lifted her chin and nodded a greeting with great enthusiasm.

  Darcy Scraggs, sitting next to the Sadorus’, brooded over the attention Meghan was receiving. Garner focused his cold stares on Colin, who leaned back into a shadow to avoid them.

  “We’re in a public place,” he muttered. “He can’t try anything here.”

  Jae cast Colin a side-glance, hoping his thinking had been correct, and that Garner would not try anything. A public event like this would almost be too perfect to set up some sort of trap. But his icy stares removed themselves from Colin and returned to the Banon, who continued her speech.

  Both Jae and Colin let out a simultaneous relieved breath. Meghan had refused to act as though anything were wrong at all. And continued to hold her chin high in defiance.

  On Banon Blackwell’s cue, all Svoda raised their glasses.

  “To our fellow traveling friends and family. One day, we will all raise our glasses together!”

  An enormous cheer reverberated throughout the cavern and the feast officially began. There were no servers, except on behalf of Juliska Blackwell, whose Pantin took care of her every need. Soon, empty bottles of wine and brandy lined the table, along with dirty dishes and leftover food. After a few hours, the crowd began to disperse and Sheila Mochrie, still a little tipsy, boasted about being glad that her zone wasn’t assigned to clean up the festival that year.

  “Jae, what does your mother mean when she says her zone?” asked Colin.

  “Each member of the Svoda Liberation Committee, the SLC, belongs to a specific zone; it goes by wh
ere you live. I think we have nine zones here, so about fifteen people or so in each zone.”

  “You said the SLC is an initiated Svoda thing?” questioned Meghan.

  “Yeah, they attend meetings every week with other zone members, to keep up with news, announcements, work on ways to get us back home, stuff like that.” They reached the Mochrie cottage. “Boring adult stuff,” he added with a yawn.

  “I am full and tired,” said Meghan, yawning with him. “I think I might take a nap and change.”

  “Don’t wrinkle your clothes,” giggled Mireya, dancing in circles. “You’ll want to wear them again later.”

  “What’s happening later?”

  “The story of the real Thanksgiving,” she answered, dancing her way upstairs.

  “Oh, right,” said the twins, in unison.

  “You said our history has the story wrong,” recalled Colin. Jae was about to speak when another voice broke in.

  “It’s the Retelling Festival.” Ivan Crane had said it. He’d just come up behind them. “It’s a very interesting and informative event,” he boasted.

  “Great,” teased Colin. “You’ll have lost my sister’s attention. She doesn’t go for interesting. Or informative.”

  Meghan was not given the chance to defend herself. Ivan let out a harsh breath.

  “Why would I give your sister my attention? She seems to have more than enough to go around.”

  Everyone froze at Ivan’s icy reply, but none more so than Meghan, who stood in complete awed silence.

  CHAPTER 33

  An hour later, Irving Mochrie announced it was time to depart for the Retelling Festival. Meghan still fumed over Ivan’s insult, and was not even close to blocking her thoughts from Colin.

  “Me, need attention? I’m simply trying to fit in, and show people I’m not afraid. I do not need attention. Where does he get off?”

  The ranting continued until finally, they arrived at the pathway leading to the festival. Magnificently carved pumpkins and old looking lanterns lined the pathway. Candles flickered inside to light the way. Some sat on the ground. Some hung overhead. Some were pitched on spikes, hammered into the ground. It cast a warm, hazy glow around them all. But it did nothing to soothe Meghan’s temper.