by E. G. Foley
Long ropes of licorice, spicy fireballs made with hot sauce, crystal beaded sugared fruits, candy-dipped pretzels, acres of fudge in neatly packaged boxes, and edible figurines of every imaginable sort.
A whole corner was dedicated to a gingerbread village, not to be eaten, but strictly for display.
Jake’s eyes nearly misted at the beauty of it all, especially when he thought back to the children in the orphanage he’d left behind. How he wished they were here with him. They’d eat the whole store!
Then he and Dani and his cousins were in motion, running like lunatics all around the place. Dani and he dashed off in all directions, peering this way and that, pointing out each new surprise.
Archie strutted like the man of the hour for having thought of it, explaining all the candies to Dani, who wasn’t listening.
A clerk in a candy-striped shirt and neat white apron left off shining the brass rim of his counter and came over to them. “What would you children like today, eh?”
Dani’s grin was giddy and Jake felt dizzy, as if his head was spinning like the paddle fans above.
His cousins watched them in amusement. They seemed to get more enjoyment from the newcomers’ awe than they did from the Confectioner’s Emporium itself, for they had been there many times.
The clerk was very patient while Dani agonized over her choices, until Archie brushed off her protests and bought the lot for her with something called allowance money. Jake had never heard of it.
“Isabelle, what’s wrong?” Dani asked abruptly. “You look pale.” She moved closer, dropping her voice to a whisper. “Is being in town near more people starting to affect you?”
“I don’t know. Something’s wrong.” She looked a bit green about the gills, like Jake used to after calling on his powers. “I don’t feel so well.”
“Here, let me help you sit down,” Dani said.
“I sense…anger. Somebody with…hatred.” Isabelle shook her head, faltering slightly. Dani caught her by her elbow and helped to steady her.
Jake stepped closer in concern. “Who?”
“I don’t know. Jake, I think you have to get out of here right now. Something ugly—coming closer. No,” she whispered, “it’s here.”
“Ah, Magnus!” Still pleased with his own largesse and not too worried about his sister, Archie had stuck a candy pipe in his mouth like an old professor and hooked his thumb in his vest pocket. “Put the notion of candy in your head, did we? I highly recommend the strawberry gumdrops—”
Magnus threw Archie out of his way.
The boy genius went crashing into a tower of candy and landed in a shower of gumdrops.
“What the—?” Jake stepped forward in fury. “Hey! What did you do that for?” he shouted at the towering man. “I thought you were his friend!”
Then Jake stared at the scythe the giant blacksmith was holding, like the Grim Reaper.
Magnus growled and attacked him.
The girls screamed.
The fight exploded while the calliope music played on.
Magnus swung the scythe at him; but Jake whipped himself back a step. “What do you think you’re doing?” he cried.
The blacksmith’s answer was another chop; Jake leaped over the blade.
“Magnus, have you lost your mind? Leave that boy alone!” the clerk shouted, then ran out yelling for the constable.
Jake had never been one to wait around for the proper authorities. When the blacksmith swung the scythe like he meant to take his head off, Jake dove to escape the blade and knocked over a pyramid of candied popcorn tins. They clattered as they fell. He tripped on one and landed on the floor. He looked up and saw Magnus raising the blade over his head. This time, the deranged blacksmith intended to cut him in half.
All the training with Derek flooded his mind. Magic-wise, he was still a bit worn out from changing the frogs back into humans, but he flung up his hand, throwing his energy full out at the weapon.
The scythe flew straight up out of Magnus’s grasp and bit deep into the ceiling.
“Ha,” Jake said.
Magnus glanced up in confusion at his weapon, now many feet out of reach overhead—stuck by its blade in the plaster. Jake jumped to his feet, but Magnus looked at him again and glowered, then advanced, quite happy to kill him with his bare hands, it seemed.
“Leave him alone!” Dani yelled, throwing a jar of taffy at the blacksmith’s head.
The big man ignored her, wholly focused on Jake.
“Get my cousins out of here and go!” he ordered her.
“I can’t leave you alone!”
“I’ll be fine. Go!” With another sweeping motion of his hand, Jake magically hurled all the scattered popcorn tins at once at the blacksmith even as he continued walking backwards.
Dani frowned but must have realized Jake had a point.
The sheltered young aristocrats were practically helpless compared to the rookery kids. She ran off to pull Archie out from under the pile of candy, then went and helped the whimpering Isabelle limp out of the store. The older girl kept clutching her head.
Meanwhile, Jake brought one of the hot-air balloon toys crashing down on Magnus’s skull. The blacksmith ripped the colorful fabric away from his face, kicked the smiley stuffed animals aside, and charged him like a steam train.
Jake’s eyes widened. The next thing he knew, the blacksmith had grabbed him by the throat and proceeded to squeeze, lifting him off his feet.
Jake swung out at Magnus with a punch, but his arms weren’t long enough. “What do you want with me?”
“Kill,” Magnus ground out.
“Why?” he demanded, running out of air. “What did I ever do to you?”
“Kill.”
Blazes! Jake summoned the nearest object to fly into his grasp—a mechanical monkey with cymbals and a hat. He clobbered the blacksmith with it.
Magnus dropped him. Jake ducked the giant arm that grabbed for him and ran out of the shop.
Magnus kept chasing him.
“Blimey!” He had no idea what he had done to annoy this homicidal stranger. He seemed to have quite a talent for making enemies.
Either Magnus was one of his horrid uncle’s henchmen or there was more bad magic involved—like the sort that had turned the castle servants into frogs.
There was no time to ponder the dire possibilities.
While Dani got Archie and Isabelle to safety outside the candy shop, Jake ran in the other direction, the blacksmith pounding after him.
Fortunately, his long experience in fleeing the bobbies came in handy. He dodged around a corner, knowing he had only seconds to come up with something. Jake peeked around the brick wall he was hiding behind and spotted the shoemaker’s sign hanging over the shop on the corner.
Perfect.
He stepped out from behind the corner and waved his arms. “Hey, ugly!”
Magnus turned, saw him, and charged. Jake held his ground as the murderous blacksmith raced toward him.
At just the precise moment, he brought up both hands and sent forth a burst of magic, ripping the heavy wooden sign right out of the wall.
It crashed down on top of the blacksmith, knocking him out cold. The constable came running, wildly blowing his whistle, but Jake was long gone by the time he arrived to arrest the unconscious blacksmith.
Force of habit made it unthinkable for Jake even to consider waiting around to answer questions from the policeman. He raced around the block, rejoining the others.
He didn’t stop to chat. “Let’s get out of here!” Thankfully his cousins were recovered enough to run, and followed. With Teddy at their heels, the children fled, barreling out of the village and all the way back to Bradford Park.
The water-nymph jeered at them as they pounded across the bridge to the safe side of the water. “Got into trouble, didn’t you? Told you so!”
As soon as they reached safety, the water-nymph gave a high-pitched whistle sound like a dolphin, signaling to her sisters to co
me and get into formation in case the kids were followed.
Breathing hard, Jake glanced around to see if everyone was all right. Isabelle was leaning against a tree, pale and panting. Archie was rubbing his noggin, a bruise already rising on his forehead.
Teddy whined, watching Dani pace back and forth. “What just happened?” she shouted. “I can’t believe that man tried to kill you! Who was he?”
“Magnus the blacksmith,” Jake said dully, for the carrot-head already knew that. She was merely going into hysterics now that it was safe to do so.
She got like this occasionally, so he knew from experience it would pass. Better just to let her vent and blow off steam. She’d be fine within the hour.
Of course, it would have been nice if someone had asked him how he was, considering he’d nearly been turned into a Jake fricassee.
“I knew we shouldn’t have gone there!” Dani ranted. “Me and Isabelle told you it was a bad idea! Why don’t you ever listen? Derek said to stay inside the property!”
For once, Jake had no sarcastic comeback. She was right.
“You know what’s going to happen now?” she cried, stricken. “We’re going to be sent back!”
“No, we’re not.”
“No, maybe you’re not, but I am! All you ever think of is yourself! It’s not fair! Why can’t you ever obey? Why do you always have to go around causin’ trouble?”
“Calm down!” he barked.
The Irish fury filled her face. “Don’t you tell me that, Jake Reed—Everton—whatever your name is, Mr. Fancy Lord! I can say whatever I want! Don’t you tell me what to do!” Her fists clenched.
“Dani,” Isabelle said softly, but was ignored, for the carrot-head was staring at Jake. Her eyes suddenly welled up with tears.
“Why did you make us go? Why do I ever listen to you? One time in my life, I get to be happy and you go and ruin it for me. They’re goin’ to send me back.”
“Dani,” Jake tried.
“I hate you!” She burst into tears and ran into the house.
Jake was more bewildered by her sudden change of mood than he was by the blacksmith’s attack.
Females!
“What is the matter with you lot? Girls!” he scoffed, turning to Isabelle.
“Shut up, Jake,” she said weakly.
“Archie?” he demanded, looking for an ally.
“Uuugh,” said his gentlemanly cousin, staying out of it. “I can’t imagine what got into Magnus.”
“Obviously, he was enchanted—” Jake started, but his words were cut off by a deep, furious roar that rolled across the green and nearly shook the earth.
“JACOB EVERTON!”
His heart skipped a beat; the blood drained from his face as he turned toward the house with a knot in the pit of his stomach.
Derek stood in the front door, his massive frame bristling.
Jake could practically feel the Guardian’s wrath engulfing him from an acre away.
“Get in here. NOW!!!”
Well, this was a first. He braced himself. He couldn’t believe it. She told on me.
Meanwhile, back in the village, Fionnula marched ahead of Waldrick, her high heels clattering furiously over the cobblestones. “Change of plans.”
“What do you mean?” Waldrick asked, hurrying to catch up to her.
“We are not murdering that boy.”
“Of course we are! What are you talking about?”
“Why do I ever listen to you? You are such a fool, Waldrick!”
“I beg your pardon!”
“You did not tell me the full extent of his talents! I’ve never seen him in action before! Do you know how rare that kind of power is? And you want to just go and kill him?! Blockhead.” She smacked him in the forehead.
“Well! I never.” Waldrick eyed her suspiciously as he opened the door to the inn for her. She flounced queen-like into the lobby ahead of him, while he paused, glancing up and down the street to make sure no one had noticed them.
The two of them, of course, had seen the whole show.
“What’s got into you? I don’t understand,” he said, after crossing the lobby and joining her on her way up the staircase.
“Of course you don’t, nincompoop. He’s much more valuable alive, as I said from the beginning! I should never have listened to you.”
“But how can we keep him alive with his powers?”
“We’ll control him with the Oboedire spell! And then, just think of all the magnificent things he will help us do! Why, I could use him to get revenge on the House of Oceanus and all those who dared to banish me from my beloved seas,” she said with a nasty glint in her eyes.
Waldrick propped his fist on his hip and lifted his nose in the air. “Well, I’m the earl—I’m the man here—and I still want the little vermin dead.”
Fionnula laughed in his face. “Oh, you’re the man, are you? Well, get in my way and I’ll turn you into a sea cucumber! You will do as you are told.”
“How dare you?” he uttered. “After all I’ve done for you—”
“Oh, sit down and shut up!” She hurled a bolt of blue light at him from her petrified starfish wand, and Waldrick suddenly flew backwards, landing in his armchair.
Tentacles slithered up instantly from underneath the chair and wrapped around his wrists, waist, and ankles, holding him in place. When he opened his mouth to protest in the strongest possible terms, he was startled to find that his voice was gone.
He coughed and stuck out his tongue, straining for any sound, but could not manage a single vowel or consonant.
The sea-witch smiled sweetly. “You just sit there and be a good little earl. How blissful, to be rid of your jabber! Now maybe a person can think around here!” she added in a scornful mutter. She kicked off her fluffy high-heeled shoes. “I’ve got work to do.”
Waldrick could do nothing but sit and scowl at her back, wondering how on earth he was ever going to get rid of her. He’d been stuck with the hag for twelve long years.
He passed his time plotting murder—hers this time—while Fionnula sat down at the table, picked up the Jake hair, and began pouring this and that odd ingredient into her mixing bowl.
After a few moments, though he was still sulking, he began to see her point. Maybe his nephew would be more useful alive.
So long as the boy stayed hidden and he still got to be the Earl of Griffon, enjoying all the privileges he’d gotten used to, what did he care if the brat lived or died?
Waldrick took a moment to contemplate it, since he couldn’t do much of anything else, chained to his chair by his fair lady. The more he thought about it, the more he liked the idea. Yes. What a miserable existence his nephew would have, spending the rest of his life in a cage!
The thought brought a smile to Waldrick’s face.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Jake Gets Consequences
Dani ducked out of sight when Jake came tromping in through front door. Derek was waiting for him, a tall silhouette looming in the entrance hall, his bulky arms folded over his chest. The Guardian didn’t even speak; he just pointed to the parlor.
Spying around the corner, Dani saw that Jake wasn’t moving with his usual swagger, but slinked past the warrior into the room. Derek pulled the door shut behind him. She winced slightly and wished she was holding Teddy when the yelling started. But Jake deserved it.
She wasn’t sorry for telling on him. Not one bit.
Jake endured Derek’s wrath, though it was rather like sitting through a loud, blustery whirlwind.
“You deliberately disobeyed me! You could’ve been killed, Jake, and you endangered the others in the process! What were you thinking?”
He ranted on.
You’re not the boss of me, Jake thought, but since it was Derek Stone, he forced out a begrudging, “Yes, sir.”
“How am I supposed to protect you if you won’t cooperate with the simplest instructions? The Order only just found you, and off you go, nearly getting you
rself killed!”
“But I wasn’t killed,” he ventured. “I used my powers, like you taught me. I thought you would be proud.”
“Proud? You only thought about yourself! You put the others in danger! They can’t defend themselves as you can! What if something had happened to them? Remember how you felt after Dani got hurt in the fight outside of Newgate? This could’ve been so much worse!”
Finally, however, the Guardian huffed and moved on. “I’ll be going down to the village shortly to question this Magnus, but I want to hear it from you first. What exactly happened? Did you do anything to provoke him?”
“No! He looked like you did at Newgate when you were enchanted.”
“That’s what I was afraid of.” Folding his arms across his chest, Derek nodded after a moment. “Very well then. Empty your pockets. Leave the candy on the table. You’re not having it. You’ll spend the rest of the day in your room thinking about all this.”
“You’re going to lock me up?” Jake exclaimed.
Derek looked at him serenely. “You brought this on yourself.”
“Fine!” Confinement of any kind went against his free-roaming nature, but he supposed it could’ve been worse. Grumping under his breath, he did as he was told, depositing his candy on the table.
Derek nodded toward the door. “Straight up to your room. No tricks. Go.”
Jake cast a scowling glance over his shoulder at him, but was prepared to be compliant. Then he slouched out into the foyer and saw Dani cowering slightly on the stairs.
He gave her a dirty look. “Traitor,” he muttered.
She rose and took a solemn step toward him. “I’m sorry, Jake, but it was for your own good. I told you we shouldn’t have gone. You should’ve listened to me.”
“You should’ve listened to me,” he mimicked her. “You tattletale! Baby! I’m sick of you following me everywhere! Why don’t you go home and leave me alone for once? Just go away!”
Dani gasped as if someone had slapped her. Then she burst into tears and bolted up the stairs.
