Benjamin closed his eyes and, while picturing their destination, said, “The old manor I was imprisoned in near Blackshire, England.”
Three things happened as Chase listened to his dad’s words: his eyes caught Grandfather’s, and the fear and worry in them just about knocked him over; sharp, painful claws dug into his leg; the familiar teleporting magic engulfed him.
They whirled into a starry, chilly night, next to a wooden door embedded in a wall made of large gray stones. The faded, weathered stones were cracked and chipped with age.
“Maxwell!” exclaimed Chase.
“Shh! Keep it down!” Ben whispered.
Chase cringed as the needle-sharp pains in his calf raced up his body to his shoulder. “Sorry!” he whispered back. “I was surprised by this crazy furball hitching a ride on me.”
“Great! Something else to worry about,” grumbled Ben. “Nothing we can do about it now, so keep an eye on him. Okay. Remember, stay close together while we’re in there. We don’t want to get separated.”
“The door’s locked,” Andy whispered, after jiggling the handle. “We have to use Aunt Clair’s power to get in.”
As Chase positioned himself in front of the door, he gave a quick glance over his shoulder. A not-quite-full moon floated over the tall trees in the distance. High clouds hung across it, like zebra stripes. He hoped even more clouds would appear. They didn’t need all that extra moonlight shining down on them when it came time to go searching for the Shard of Magic.
“Okay then, everyone, hang on.” Chase felt their hands grasping his arms. “Liquify.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Dark and Creepy
On the other side of the door it was pitch black. Something brushed across Chase’s face. His arm jerked up to flick it away. He hoped it wasn’t one of Andy’s arachnids.
Ben pulled a flashlight from his coat pocket. Chase heard a quiet click and the hallway was instantly illuminated by a round, yellowish light.
“Brr! It’s colder in here than it is outside,” Persephone whispered in Chase’s ear.
Chase nodded while he hunched in his jacket and shivered. The cold did cut to the bone. He wrinkled his nose. The place reeked with the odor of moldering dead things, and something sinister and evil seemed to live in the very air around them. Maybe it was oozing from the stones themselves. He brushed his hand across the icy-cold wall and glanced up. The building was so drafty and creepy, he half-expected to see a swarm of vampire bats hanging from the ceiling.
“This way,” whispered Ben. “Stay close and keep your eyes open for trouble.”
As Ben moved the flashlight’s glow along the dirty stone floor, Nori had to slap her hand over her mouth to muffle a scream. Everyone whirled to stare at her.
“What’s wrong?” Chase whispered. “Did you see someone?” The shadows did appear to be shifting and moving all around them.
“Something with glowing green eyes ran across my foot!”
Benjamin nodded. “Must’ve been a rat. The place is swarming with them.”
Nori shuddered. “Rats? Ick!”
“After a while, you learn to ignore them,” said Ben, shrugging.
“Rats,” Nori muttered as they continued on. “What’s next? Giant cockroaches?”
Barely breathing, the four kids huddled close and followed Ben as stealthily as possible. Chase felt the fear and tension in all their bodies as they tried to stay alert and ready for anyone or anything they might run into in the dark, dank hallways.
Ben jerked to a stop and put up his hand. “I think I heard something,” he whispered as he hid the flashlight’s glow underneath his coat.
Everyone quickly flattened themselves against the wall.
Creak! Shoomp! Crack!
“Maybe it’s just ghosts,” murmured Persephone. She had such a tight grip on Chase’s arm; his fingers had started to tingle.
Oh, yeah, like that’s any better than Marlowes, he thought as goosebumps danced across his skin.
“Ghosts? I don’t want to see any ghosts,” hissed Andy, who had a strangling hold on Chase’s other arm.
“Ugh!” moaned Nori under her breath. “First rats, now ghosts.”
Chase wasn’t sure how long they waited, but he was relieved when his dad decided it was safe enough to move on. The numbing coldness from the floor had crept through the rubber soles of his sneakers and was inching up his legs.
Brushing away dusty spider webs, Ben led them down gloomy corridors and through several arched doorways. He stopped often to check the rooms they passed. Some were empty, while others had old, shabby, but probably once rich-looking furnishings. Moth-eaten tapestries and draperies dangled from some of the walls.
As Ben flashed the light around each room, Chase saw dozens of pairs of the green, glowing eyeballs that had frightened Nori. They were attached to bodies so dark, it almost looked as though the eyes were scurrying across the floors by themselves. It was way too disturbing. Maxwell hissed in his ear, and for a moment Chase was actually grateful for the animal’s presence. Maybe he would help keep away the rats, and the ghosts.
“Let’s check some of the upper floors for any signs of Janie,” said Ben. “Who knows? The Marlowes might’ve improved their hospitality since I was here last.”
He led them up several staircases and down more dark, cobwebby hallways. At one point, they had to come to an abrupt halt when they found themselves staring out into the night from where the floor and walls were broken and crumbled, as if a bomb had hit the side of the house.
“Man, what a yucky place,” said Nori. “How old is this ratty ruin, anyway?”
“I’d say about five or six hundred years,” said Benjamin. “It was probably a pretty ritzy place back in its day.”
“Too bad it isn’t in better shape,” said Persephone. “It is a bit of history, after all.”
Crappy Marlowe history, thought Chase as they turned away from yet another dark, dreary room. “Wait,” he said when a strange, bluish flicker caught his eye. He gestured to his dad. “Flash the light in here again. Can you move it along the walls?”
Benjamin swept the light around the room.
“There!” said Chase. “Some kind of...picture. I need to check it out.”
“But we don’t—” began Ben.
Too late. Chase had already entered the room, with the other kids close behind him.
Shaking his head and muttering to himself about how his stubborn son rarely listened anymore, Ben strode after them, sweeping the light along to make sure no one tripped over anything.
When they arrived at the picture, Persephone squinted at what appeared to be someone sitting stiffly in a high-backed chair. “It’s a really old portrait.”
“The only things that aren’t dusty and faded are those creepy eyes,” said Nori. “It’s like they have tiny, flickering blue fires lit behind them.”
Chills rippled through Chase as he stared into ice-cold, piercing blue eyes that were so much like the Marlowes’ he knew in the twenty-first century. “I wonder who it is.” He reached out to rub away the grime covering a name plate at the bottom of the painting.
At the same time, Persephone went to polish it, too. Right as their fingers touched the plaque, a spark shot into one of Chase’s fingertips. Instantly, he was no longer standing in the dark, drafty room. He was now outside in dazzling sunlight, along with colorful flowers, trees, and other greenery decorating a spacious courtyard.
Blinking rapidly to adjust his eyes to the sudden brightness, he glanced down at the dirt beneath his feet, then up at the massive, light-gray stone manor looming over him. It had a wide four-story structure in the middle and lower sections on each side. The turrets on some of the corners gave it a castle-like appearance. A cobblestone walkway led to arched double doors.
Chase stumbled back and was just about ready to start yelling for his dad when a young man, leading a black horse, walked around the far corner of the building. He was clad in an old-fashioned blac
k coat, tan breeches, and knee-high boots. His blonde hair, which was pulled back into a ponytail at the nape of his neck, looked like spun gold in the sunlight. He came to a stop a few feet from where Chase stood.
Chase drew his eyebrows into a deep frown. Whoa! Where am I? he thought.
Before he had a chance to gather his wits enough to ask the young man what was going on, a boy around Chase’s age ran from the house. “Mathias!” called the boy as he sprinted across the courtyard. “Wait!” Dressed in a white shirt, tan breeches, and stockings, he looked like a miniature version of the young man he’d called to.
Okay, British accent, thought Chase. At least I’m still in England.
The boy skidded to a stop next to the horse. “Where are you off to?” he asked breathlessly. “I thought Father asked you to prepare the carriage and then escort Mother, Elizabeth and Juliet to town for their gown fittings. Where is the carriage?”
Sudden realization hit Chase. They can’t see me, he thought. And they definitely aren’t dressed in twenty-first century clothes. His heart started to pound. Had he gone back in time somehow? If so, then why wasn’t he visible to the other two?
“He never requests me to do anything!” snapped Mathias. “He commands me! As if I am one of his many servants instead of his eldest son. Well, I have decided I have had enough. He can convey them to town himself!” He tossed a bag over the horse’s back before sticking his foot into the stirrup and hoisting himself to sit high atop the stomping, snorting animal. “I’ve other matters to attend, Grayson. Now off with you.”
“I don’t—” began Grayson.
“I doubt Father will even care that I am not in attendance,” Mathias cut in with a sneer as he wrapped the horse’s reins around his gloved hand and worked to keep the excited animal under control. “No matter what I attempt to do in order to assist him with our family business, he continues to insult and berate me, as if I am but a boy with nary a thought in my foolish head. However, I’m nearly five and twenty. A man. It’s a shame he never treats me as such. I am off to prove that he is thoroughly mistaken.”
“But...when will you return?” asked Grayson, his shoulders drooping.
“When I have something to show that I’m not the buffoon he believes me to be.” Mathias gave his brother a quick wave. “Farewell, Grayson.” He prodded the horse’s sides with his heels. Kicking up dust and pebbles, the lively steed whipped past Chase, who spun and fell face first to the ground in a tornado of thick dust.
Coughing and spitting dirt from his mouth, Chase pushed himself to his feet and wiped his stinging palms on his jeans. “Aw, man! Why is this happening?” he choked out. He waved his hand to clear some of the dust particles. “I don’t have time for this. I—” He stopped abruptly when he noticed he was no longer in the courtyard. He was now in a grassy area next to a stream and a large thicket of trees. Not only that, an old-fashioned, horse-drawn coach the size of a motorhome was parked beneath one of the trees. It was leaf-green and said “Hammersley Trading Company” in bold black lettering across the side. Several wooden stairs led to a back entrance.
The sun now hung low in the sky and Mathias was just climbing off his tired steed. He tied the reins to a tree branch and patted the side of his horse’s neck before turning toward the coach.
“Now what?” said Chase as the scent of burning wood along with the aroma of some kind of food cooking drifted to him on the breeze.
Right then, the coach’s back door swung open. As an older gentleman who looked to be somewhere in his 60s stepped out, Chase got a good look at the inside. He was surprised to see that it was decorated with gaudy satin and gold-trimmed furnishings and knick-knacks, and the walls were covered in a silky-looking fabric.
Even though this guy was living in what Chase would consider a trailer, he definitely had some bucks, because, besides his fancy home, he was garbed in a flamboyant sapphire-blue outfit and a shoulder-length white wig.
“May I assist you with something?” growled the man as he pulled a lethal-looking sword out from behind his back and pointed it at Mathias.
“Hammersley!” exclaimed Mathias, thrusting out his hands to show he had no hidden weapons. “It’s Mathias. Remember? Son of Jonah Marlowe?”
“Marlowe!” cried Chase right at the same moment Hammersley said, “Mathias!”
Chase had to grab a tree to keep from falling over as Hammersley set the sword aside and grasped Mathias’s outstretched hands. “Of course I remember you, my dear boy.” He chuckled. “I haven’t quite lost all my sensibilities. Come, come, have a seat here at my table, share my rabbit stew, and tell me what brings you to this neck of the woods. Off to see the world, I daresay.”
Pulling off his riding gloves, Mathias made himself comfortable in a plush chair next to a round table. “How correct you are, Hammersley. And what of yourself?”
“I have been out of the country for the past year,” answered Hammersley as he opened a small chest sitting on a stump and pulled two sparkling gold goblets from it. Mathias’s eyes widened as he watched the older man pour crimson-colored wine into the beautiful cups. “I am currently on my way to Blackshire to visit my most cherished friend, Jonah Marlowe,” continued Hammersley. “How is he doing these fine days?”
Mathias grimaced. “Please don’t get me started on my arrogant father and his out-of-date business practices. I told him that in five years we will be entering the 18th century and it was high time to change with the new age. Though, I am of the mind that change might expose some of his deceitful and underhanded business dealings he thinks I know nothing of.”
Hammersley chuckled. “He is a man of many talents, your father.”
Chase had finally come out of his stunned stupor and was only half-listening to the men’s conversation as he stared into Mathias Marlowe’s sky-blue eyes. They were brimming with anger and discontent, but as far as Chase could see, nothing dark or evil was present. So, apparently at this point, Mathias Marlowe was still a halfway decent guy.
“—and what of you, Hammersley?” asked Mathias. “You appear to have... prospered quite nicely since last we met.”
“I was in Italy when my luck took an astounding turn for the better,” said Hammersley as he bent forward to stir the pot of thick stew.
“Now you have truly piqued my curiosity,” said Mathias. “Please, do tell me of it.” He took a sip of his wine and nodded, apparently enjoying the taste.
Chase rolled his eyes. “Great! That’s all I need to hear is some old dude’s travel stories while I watch these two clowns guzzle wine. Man! I wish I could figure a way out of this. Or at least figure out why I’m here in the first place.”
Hammersley tugged on his wig and looked as if he wished he’d kept his mouth shut about how his newfound circumstances had come to be. He cleared his throat. “Not another soul have I told of this. I don’t know that I should speak of it now.”
“I see,” said Mathias. “Have you been—hmm, how shall I state this delicately—working on the wrong side of the law?”
“Oh, dear me, no!” said Hammersley. “I would never—I always strive for perfect honesty when handling business transactions. No, it’s rather...well...”
“I see no reason why you cannot share with the son of one of your oldest and dearest friends,” said Mathias with a reassuring smile. “I pledge an oath to hold your secret near and dear until my dying day.” He drew a small cross on his chest above his heart as he said this.
“Of course you will, of course you will,” said Hammersley. He rubbed his palms up and down his chest. “I would never doubt your word, Mathias. I have always known you to be a fine, upstanding lad. And, I must admit, I have felt the need to share this remarkable experience with someone trustworthy.”
“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” muttered Chase. “Just get on with it, okay?”
But then Hammersley pulled something from under his shirt that caused Chase to nearly jump out of his skin.
“The lost Shard of Magic,” he brea
thed.
Dangling from a thick, gold chain was a toffee-colored object that was as long as a tall man’s index finger, and at least twice the circumference.
Chase took several steps closer. Both he and Mathias stared at the Shard as though they were starving men seeing their first meal in weeks. Like the Relic it came from, the Shard glowed with a rich, inner light, as if it were a living, breathing entity.
“Where did you find such a magnificent treasure?” whispered Mathias.
“It was in a container of polished stones I purchased from a merchant in Rome,” said Hammersley. “Since that day, it is as if a divine light from the heavens is shining down upon me. My life has changed in wondrous ways.”
Mathias reached out to the Shard, but just as his finger touched it, Hammersley yanked it away and quickly tucked it beneath his shirt again. “Now, now, enough of that, my eager young man,” said Hammersley jovially. “Now that you have beheld my lucky charm, I do believe it is time to eat, drink and celebrate a fine summer’s eve.”
“But wait! I felt...something...” Mathias stared at the tip of his finger. “The heat of it. The—the enchantment of it. A feeling like no other. Please! Let me look upon it once more. Let me clasp it in my hand!”
Hammersley shook his head. “No. No. I have shown you enough of my lovely bauble. Let us speak of other, more interesting matters. I have bread and more wine in the coach. Let me fetch them and then we will enjoy my savory stew.”
With narrowed eyes, Mathias watched Hammersley cross the clearing and disappear through the open back door. The young man studied his fingertip for a few seconds before standing and sneaking to the coach.
Chase crept after him. Of course, he is a crappy Marlowe, so he’s probably up to no good, Chase thought snidely as he and Mathias craned their necks to peer into the coach’s dim interior.
It was right at this moment that Hammersley flicked his hand. A steaming loaf of bread and a dark-green bottle of wine popped into existence. He then flicked his other hand and a bowl of fresh strawberries instantly appeared.
Chase Tinker and the House of Secrets Page 20
