The Lost Heir (The Gryphon Chronicles, Book 1) (24 page)

“That man had hair all over his back. Disgusting!”

“Then why were you looking at it?” Jake cried, still laughing as he flung himself down onto the soft grass.

“I couldn’t help it. He was right
there
. Blech!” Dani gagged.

Fortunately, they regained their composure at last after that disturbing image. With all four reclining on the grass in the shade of the old trees, they wondered how best to spend such a beautiful spring day.

“I know! Let’s go down to the village and visit the candy store!” Archie suggested.

“Candy?” Jake sat up straight at that word.

Archie pulled some coins out of his pocket. “My treat!”

“Well, I do deserve a reward after those heroics, if I dare say so myself,” Jake declared.

“Come on!” Archie jumped to his feet. “The Confectioner’s Emporium is the best candy shop in the whole county. I’ve tried them all—”

“Wait, you two!” Isabelle spoke up.

They turned to her in question.

“Aunt Ramona said we’re not supposed to go outside the bounds of where the water nymphs are on patrol.”

“Aw, come on!”

“She’s right, Jake,” Dani agreed. “We can’t leave their protection, not when there are people out there trying to kill you—”

“Pshaw, worry-wart! That was back in London! They don’t even know where I am. Besides, I’m tired of all the rules! You don’t know the half of what I’ve been through these past few days, while you and Teddy were having your holiday. I need a break!”

“It’s too dangerous!”

“Then don’t come if you’re a scaredy-cat. Let’s go, Arch. We’ll keep all the candy for ourselves!”

As the boys marched off down the drive, the girls exchanged a worried but irritated frown.

“I’m sorry, Isabelle. I have to go after Jake,” Dani said. “Somebody’s got to keep him out of trouble.”

Isabelle gazed thoughtfully at her. “You’re awfully brave, Dani.”

“I also like candy,” she admitted with a grin.

“Well, I’m not going to be the only one left behind.”

The girls hurried after the boys, catching up to them at the edge of the footbridge over the stream. Jake was scanning the water to make sure none of the water nymphs were close by. “Keep your dog quiet.”

Dani picked up Teddy so he would not bark and alert Lydia’s warrior maidens that they were sneaking off.

Then all four children crept across the bridge together, holding onto each other nervously as they tiptoed over its gentle arch. Jake led the way at the front; as the eldest, Isabelle brought up the rear.

“Hurry!” Dani whispered as a ripple in the water warned of a water nymph approaching.

The green-haired beauty suddenly broke above the surface with an angry splash. “Where are you children going?” she demanded, her trident in her hand.

They screamed and ran.

Pounding off the other end of the bridge, they raced a good distance down the country road until they all were winded and had to stop for air.

Jake, of course, started laughing the second they were out of danger. First he bent to catch his breath; then he straightened up, throwing up his hands. “Free!”

“We showed her!” Archie cried, red-faced with running and with the rare taste of rebellion.

“Come on, you lot!” Jake ordered.

“To the candy store!” Archie hollered in agreement.

Whooping like wild savages, the boys tore off down the road. They were like a pair of fireworks someone had just set off, shooting about all over the place, swinging from trees, walking on top of fence-rails, throwing rocks into the sky for no particular reason.

Secretly, Dani wanted to join them, but even more than that, she wanted with all her heart to be ever so nice and respectable like Isabelle. So she held herself back in the same way she kept Teddy on his leash, strolling by the older girl at a more civilized pace.

By the time they reached the quiet country village ahead, she was wondering if being a demure lady like Isabelle was really for her, after all. She longed to explore the village, but Isabelle seemed determined to stick to the single task they had come for and get back to Bradford Park before her aunt grew angry.

Dani supposed she did not want to see Lady Bradford angry, ever. She put the baroness out of her mind, enjoying her surroundings.

Gryphondale was the picture of a quaint English village, its shops facing the cobbled lane with a row of bow windows. Its white church steeple gleamed against the blue sky, and its little train depot sat under a fine clock tower. The boys slowed their pace because Archie had to say hello to everyone, as if he were the mayor.

His friendly greetings to all the villagers allowed the girls to catch up.

“Halloo, Mr. Magnus!” he called when they passed the blacksmith’s forge.

“Why, hello there, Master Archie!” The brawny blacksmith in his leather apron came out to greet them, his metal tongs in one hand, hammer in the other.

“Mr. Magnus, this is my cousin, Jake! Magnus helps me weld some of my larger designs,” Archie explained.

Jake tried out one of his new bows as he greeted the smiling giant. “Pleased to meet you, sir.”

“Likewise, young master.”

Just then, they all caught a whiff of the sweet smells blowing down the country lane; their eyes lit up.

“Cheerio, Magnus! We’re off to the candy shop!” Archie exclaimed.

Magnus grinned under his mustache. “Now, don’t you children go and get yourselves a bellyache!”

But they barely heard, already dashing off around the corner, following their noses.

Fionnula heard the ruckus of noisy brats in the street. She looked out the window of the inn and saw the four children.

“Waldrick!”

A moment later, she and her cohort were both rushing to the blacksmith’s forge, for as it happened, the sea-witch had decided to make a practice batch of the Oboedire potion last night, using the village blacksmith as a test subject. After all, if the potion was strong enough to work on a big, brawny man like Magnus, it would surely be strong enough to control one vexing magical boy.

Having chosen Magnus for her experiment, Fionnula had snatched one of his hairs while flirting with him in the village pub. Now it was time to put her experiment to the test. “Hurry, Waldrick! There’s more than one way to skin a cat,” she hissed, pressing the earl behind her as she peered around the corner from the blacksmith’s forge.

Fortunately, the four little dreadfuls had gone stampeding off to the candy store.

She handed Waldrick the Oboedire potion she had made the night before. Then they hurried on.

Just outside the blacksmith’s forge, Fionnula pulled Waldrick aside. “Remember, eye contact is best when you speak the chant, but at the very least, you have to be looking at him when you drink it. Here’s the incantation. I wrote it down in case you forget.” She handed him a small slip of paper.

“Forget? Do you think I’m stupid?”

She just looked at him. “What command will you give him?” she whispered.

Waldrick smiled coldly. “Do you really need to ask?”

She cackled, sounding very witchy in spite of her disguise as a beauty, thanks to her continued use of the magical red feathers.

Then they walked into the blacksmith’s shop to carry out their experiment.

Fionnula batted her lashes as she called to him. “Oh, Mr. Magnus!”

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Sweet Goes Sour

The Confectioner’s Emporium was a wonder to behold.

The irresistible sweet smells of chocolate, vanilla, roasting nuts, and sugar being transformed into a hundred different treats enveloped them as they approached the shop’s double doors with frosted glass and shiny brass handles. When they pulled the doors open and stepped inside, Jake thought he must have died and gone to heaven. It was the loveliest place in the world.

Under the shop’s fancy glass cupola, frothy wrought-iron shelves were painted pale turquoise. The walls were pastel pink, blue, green, and yellow, allowing the brighter rainbow hues of the candy to dazzle their eyes.

Jake and Dani stood enraptured, staring all around them with their mouths hanging open.

Rows upon rows of candy of every variety surrounded them, displayed with gorgeous toys also for sale.

Beautiful toy hot-air balloons hung from the ceiling, with dolls and toy animals looking out of them. A carousel was turning right in the middle of the shop to the music of a steam-whistle calliope.

A toy steam-train ran on a track that encircled the whole store, taking its passengers on a tour of a candy world. The candy was displayed on shelves and tables, round racks and giant jars. Clumps of colorful spun sugar, airy and light. An army of sparkling gumdrops like soldiers standing in formation. Striped candy sticks of every combination of flavors, Turkish taffy, and countless varieties of drops. Chocolate drops, butterscotch drops, licorice drops, and sugared almonds. Caramel apples sprinkled with crunchy nuts. There was peanut brittle, candied popcorn balls on sticks tied up with ribbons, chocolate caramels, caramel chocolates, sugarplums, pink peppermint pigs and marshmallow hedgehogs.

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.