Chase Tinker & The House of Magic (8 page)

"He shuffled closer to the strange object.
He jumped back when, without any warning, the thing began to glow
with a bright, luminous inner light. Gulping, he reached out his
trembling hand to brush the dust away from the smooth surface. It
was warm to his touch. He didn't know why, but something about the
entity made him feel comfortable and welcome. He glanced at the
crumbling pile of bones.
'
Was it you who hid this amazing
relic here?
'
he asked.

"
Then, a bizarre, exhilarating feeling
took hold of him. His whole body tingled and tickled as the heat
from the object rushed through his blood and up to his mind. He
instantly knew, without a doubt, that he must take the strange
object home with him and keep it safe, forever.

"
Lifting it from the pedestal, he clutched
it to his chest and hurried from the cold chamber and back out into
the warm sunlight. Not wanting anyone else to find the secret
chamber, he shoved the door shut again. Seconds later, it
vanished.

"Wrapping the relic in a shirt, Jedadiah
tucked it into his bag. He knew he had to keep it safely hidden for
the long journey home. But, times being what they were, he was
attacked one night by three brigands who tried to steal his
belongings. Though outnumbered, he was able to fight them off and
escape unharmed with the precious relic. He didn't understand it;
he felt stronger, more powerful, than he had been before finding
it.

"
After many months, he made it home. When
he unwrapped his magnificent treasure, sadly, a piece of it had
somehow broken off. Still, he stored it safely in the loft of his
small farmhouse.

"
One morning, several weeks later,
Jedadiah awoke to find his old log home had somehow transformed
into a beautiful stone house. He could hardly believe his eyes.
Right after this, he discovered he now had the power to turn common
rocks into gold with nothing except a touch and a thought. He used
this amazing ability to help himself and others lead better lives.
Knowing that it wouldn't be wise to share the true story, he told
everyone he had made his fortune during his long travels.

"
When Jedadiah married, he and his wife
had eight children. When the oldest, Liam, turned 10½, he also
developed a special ability—the power to transform himself into any
bird he wished. The other children acquired remarkable skills at
the same age. Jedadiah could only shake his head in complete
amazement.

"
Jedadiah and his family discovered
another element of their new circumstance when Liam went off to war
and was killed in battle. Not long after this tragedy, another room
magically became a part of the home, appearing out of nowhere. It
took Jedadiah only a short time to realize that within the room,
other family members were able to perform Liam's ability—and
Jedadiah himself was able to do it any time. This happened again
some years later when his youngest daughter, Rose, died from an
illness. Her power to have eyes in the back of her head also
metamorphosed into a new room and, again, the power transferred to
Jedadiah.

"
What Jedadiah didn't know was after he
passed away, his oldest living child received every power Jedadiah
had possessed. This transference of powers has continued for these
many long years. And the Tinker who holds the powers of those who
came before came to be known as the Keeper of the House.
"

The tale ended and the Relic returned to its
normal color. Grandfather gazed at his three grandchildren, ready
for the questions he was sure would come. After all, they had just
heard a part of their family history from a weird glowing
object.

"
Every
room in this house has magic in
it?" Chase asked.

"Except most of the bathrooms," said
Grandfather, scratching his chin thoughtfully. "We had to add most
of those ourselves. Considering the age of the house, they are a
fairly new invention."

Chase remembered the one he'd been in earlier
with its claw-foot bathtub and old-fashioned chain-pull toilet.
"What about the bathroom down the hall and around the corner from
your study?"

Grandfather's eyes crinkled as he smiled.
"Yes, that particular one does have magic. It's your Great-Uncle
Thomas's room for his teleporting power. Leave it to Thomas to
stick his magical ability in the bathing room." He chuckled. "One
day, some years ago, I was in there showering when I began singing
one of my favorite ditties, 'Meet me in St. Louis,' and poof! I
found myself naked on a street in St. Louis, Missouri. Thomas would
have loved that one. I ducked behind a large refuse can and hastily
teleported myself back home. I never sang in the shower again."

Everyone laughed, except Andy. "So, uh, what
magical power does this room have?" he asked, frowning. "What if I
say the wrong thing and cause something weird, like maybe tulips or
broccoli, to grow out of my ears."

"No worries there," said Grandfather. "The
attic has no special power. Its only use is to keep our Relic
secure."

"And no one knows what happened to the
missing piece?" asked Chase.

"We've wondered about it, and even looked for
it, but it has never been seen," said Grandfather. He rose from his
chair. "Let's head back down and I'll answer more questions in the
study."

They clambered out of the painting's door and
hopped onto the spiral escalator, which was now spinning downward.
Chase, the last to follow, glanced back. The tall door had already
disappeared into the picture. Before losing sight, he saw the tiny
doors skittering around on the painting, trying to make it much
harder for someone to find the one secret door.

The ride down was even more dizzying than the
ride up. They had to grip the banister or risk falling. "Why didn't
we just teleport into the attic?" asked Chase when his head stopped
whirling.

"It's not possible," said Grandfather. "The
only way is up the spiral stairs and through the secret door we
used. The attic is well-protected to keep the Relic safe from being
stolen and used for evil."

Evil. The word sounded ominous, and
frightening. Chase couldn't help but picture a tall, sinister man
twirling the ends of his enormous black mustache.
So who would
want to steal our Relic and use it for evil?
he thought as he
trailed after the others.
Was it the same people who kidnapped
Dad, or someone completely different?
He shivered and rubbed
the goosebumps popping out on his arms. Who would've thought magic
was so dangerous?

Five minutes later, they were back in the
study and seated around the cozy fireplace. Chase relaxed as the
warmth from the flames seeped into his chilled body.

"What power does this room have,
Grandfather?" asked Andy, glancing around as if he expected to see
magic oozing from the walls.

"This is the Shielding Room," said
Grandfather. He whirled and pointed his finger.
"
Shield!
"

In a flash, a bluish-white barrier surrounded
his slipper right as Maxwell sprang for it. The little ferret
bounced back across the desk.

"Cool!" said Chase. "Any of us can do that
when we're in here?"

"It's how we were able to make fireballs in
Maxwell's bedroom," said Janie breathlessly, "and why I made your
plates disappear in the dining room! It's because when we're in
that room we have the ability to use that power. Just say the magic
words, and voila!"

"So how many rooms are there?" asked
Andy.

Grandfather laughed. "I have no idea. I've
never counted them. I would say three hundred, at least."

"Wow!"

"How do you know what power each room has?"
asked Chase, feeling as if all he ever did lately was ask
questions.

"You'll find clues painted in the wallpaper
that you will need to decipher," said Grandfather.

"What do the clues look like?" said Andy.

"You'll find out when you visit the rooms,"
he answered. "Every room is different."

"And you're the Keeper of the House now and
you have every magical power too?" asked Chase.

"That is correct," said Grandfather. "As my
father was before me and his older sister before him. If something
had happened to me before Ben was of age, Thomas, my younger
brother, would have been next, if he hadn't had his most
unfortunate accident. So when I'm gone Ben will be next, then you,
and if something happens to you, Andy will take over. If something
happens to Andy, it becomes Clair's responsibility, and after her,
James, Janie's older brother."

"And then me," said Janie dejectedly. "I'm
always last."

"If someone doesn't want to be Keeper," said
Grandfather, winking at Janie, "they can pass everything to the
next in line. You might get your chance."

Chase slouched in his chair and frowned as
everything Grandfather had just said hit him like a speeding bus.
If his dad really was…dead (he cringed at the thought of it), and
if something happened to Grandfather, then Chase would be the next
Keeper.
Oh man
, he thought as he tried not to panic and
freak out in front of the others,
I'm sure as heck not ready for
that!

Luckily, the study door swung open, cutting
into Chase's frightening thoughts. Mrs. Periwinkle walked in
carrying a silver tray. "Anyone for milk and snickerdoodles?" she
asked as she set the tray on a table.

"Wonderful!" exclaimed Grandfather. "I do
love a good snickerdoodle."

"Grandfather?" said Chase as he handed Andy
another cookie while munching on his sixth. "If the house used to
be in Scotland, how did it get here?"

"Thomas teleported it fifty years ago. We
wanted it to be in a new secret location. Because of the size, it
wasn't easy to move. We had to combine all our magic to do it."

"Hey, Grandfather," said Andy, "will you help
us practice the shielding power?"

"Splendid idea, Andy!" exclaimed Grandfather.
"Let's all give it a go."

Everyone scrambled to their feet.

"When you wish to make a shield," said
Grandfather, "say '
shield
' and focus on where you want it to
materialize."

"
Shield!
" yelled Chase. He
concentrated with all his might until he was surrounded by a
glowing barrier. "Okay, Grandfather, throw a fireball at me." The
flashing-orange ball whizzed toward him, but the shield fizzled
before it got there and, BANG! his t-shirt had a big, black hole in
it. He gaped at his ruined shirt. "Oh no! This was my
favorite."

"Oops. So sorry, Chase." Grandfather's
mustache twitched as he tried not to smile. He cleared his throat.
"Don't worry. I'm sure you'll have shielding mastered in no time at
all."

They spent the rest of the afternoon
practicing. Andy even managed to freeze Maxwell when he attempted
to sneak off with Grandfather's slipper again.

Taking a break, Chase flopped into a chair
and grabbed another cookie. Looking out the window, he watched the
storm grow wilder by the second. Hail stones pounded the wooden
deck while glowing lightning flashes were followed by booming waves
of thunder.

He'd just swallowed another mouthful of
snickerdoodle when the deck's French doors burst open. Persephone
stumbled in, bringing with her a swirling wind that swept through
the room, blew the papers from the desk and showered everyone in a
cool mist. She was soaked, her hair plastered to her head.

"Mr. Hiram! You have to come now!"

G
randfather pushed
himself to his feet. "Persephone, what's wrong?"

"In—in the b—backyard!" she sputtered through
the water pouring down her face. "Please hurry." She waved at them
to follow her then darted away.

Grandfather, Chase, Andy and Janie ran out
into the drenching downpour and across the slippery deck. The next
lightning strike felt so near Chase thought his hair must be
standing on end. BOOM! The thunder crashed again.

They sprinted around the corner of the house
where Persephone fell to her knees next to someone in the vegetable
garden outside the kitchen door.

"Mom!" screamed Janie. She dropped to the
muddy ground. "Grandfather, we've got to help her!"

"Let's get her into the house," said
Grandfather. He waved his hand and conjured a stretcher. "Chase,
Andy, lift Clair's legs, Janie and I will take her shoulders."

Gooey mud oozed around Chase's sneakers as he
grasped Clair's sopping pant leg. He couldn't believe how thin and
fragile she felt, even through the thick fabric. Besides that, her
jeans and shirt were torn and bloody, and one shoe was missing.

They laid her carefully on the long canvas
carrier. Grandfather pointed his finger. A glowing, green beam
flowed from the tip, surrounding Clair and the stretcher. They
floated up and over the garden.

Persephone held the door open as the
bedraggled group tramped into the kitchen.

"Miranda, we're taking Clair to the Healing
room," said Grandfather. "Will you please get some hot water and
warm towels ready and bring them as soon as possible?"

The housekeeper nodded and set to work while
a mop scurried behind the others and scrubbed the muddy floor.

They followed Clair through the house, the
stretcher magically bending around furniture and tight corners.

"Poor Aunt Clair," murmured Andy when she was
resting on the Healing Room's four-poster bed at last.

Her breathing was quick and shallow as if she
had just run a marathon, and even through the mud, her face looked
red and feverish. "Ha—have to get home," she mumbled. "Need Dad.
Must—must get away. Hurry, they're coming. Don't let go! Help! Help
me please—"

The kids looked at each other. "What's she
talking about?" asked Chase. "We
are
helping her."