The Midnight Market

by Beth McMullen

  “We need answers!” Star slams his hand on the table. “We know that you know something about something. Tell us now! I am not going back to Siberia!”

  Huh? Who said anything about Siberia? This is getting out of hand. “Listen, you guys,” I say. “We don’t know about any Helm of Darkness. We didn’t hunt it. We don’t have it. But we do have the Pegasus necklace. We told you we’d get it and we did.” It just took a little longer than expected.

  “Yeah,” Hannah agrees. “Take the necklace. It’s yours. Hide it away in your vault or whatever. But can we hurry this up? It’s almost lunchtime and I’m starved.”

  “I could murder a roast beef sandwich right now,” Jin says.

  “Fries,” I add hopefully. “And ketchup.”

  “Can you stop talking about food and answer the question?” Star practically stomps his foot. He’s grumpy enough that he could probably use some fries too. Seriously. Enough is enough.

  “We have ten more days of camp left,” I say, “and we’d like to have lunch before the afternoon’s torture sessions begin.”

  “Team LJH is kicking butt, just FYI,” Jin adds.

  “We are inevitable,” Hannah says, crossing her arms against her chest.

  And it occurs to me that Lipstick did teach us a lesson by stealing Pegasus right out from under us in Morocco, but it was not the one she intended. She taught us that after getting knocked down, we alone are responsible for whether or not we stand back up. And not only did Team LJH stand back up, but we roared.

  “Fine,” Star says begrudgingly. “You can have your lunch and go do archery or horseback riding or whatever nonsense they have you doing out here. But first tell me one thing, and it better be the truth.” His eyes narrow suspiciously. “Have you worn the necklace? Did you try it on?”

  Did we wear the necklace? Did we try it on? What kind of questions are those?

  What do you think?

  CHAPTER 43 STAR AND FISH ARE FINALLY GETTING AHEAD

  FISH: They are lying. Those kids, I mean. They had the Helm. I know they did. And she stole it and escaped. But I still have no idea where the necklace came from. I hate surprises.

  STAR: Any word on her?

  FISH: Negative. She’s vanished.

  STAR: Well, I’d stop worrying. As long as she stays lost, we are okay. We definitely don’t want to have to explain about the missing Moose. Besides, the Pegasus necklace is a major win for us. Can you believe how excited they were back at headquarters? They even said Egypt was “likely” in our future! Goodbye, Siberia!

  FISH: I don’t understand why they didn’t ask more questions. They didn’t even ask for the usual report. And they said nothing about the kids. Or about Moose being AWOL.

  STAR: I’m having a good day. Why are you determined to ruin it?

  FISH: But it’s weird, I tell you! Suspicious. There should be reams of paperwork associated with a find like this and there is exactly none. Something strange is going on.

  STAR: You worry too much. Let it go! I’m going to surf the Mediterranean Sea! And we are going to get to treasure hunt some really stupendous things because of those kids—oh, wait—I mean, because we are brilliant and now everyone knows it! Yay us! Maybe they even give us the Phoenix bar assignment?

  FISH: What did you just say?

  STAR: Word on the street is there’s a Phoenix bar floating around out there somewhere. Kind of came out of nowhere. You know, it’s what they call the broken bits of Zeus’s lightning bolt that are not supposed to exist.

  FISH: I KNOW what a Phoenix bar is! What STREET?

  STAR: I guess you weren’t paying attention. Probably you were already daydreaming about Egypt.

  FISH: This is big! We need to get in on this and we need to get in on it fast. Every hunter is going to be out for the Phoenix bar. It’s the ultimate find. It makes Pegasus’s necklace look like a pile of Legos.

  STAR: So what do we do?

  FISH: I have a plan.

  STAR: Already?!

  FISH: Yes.

  STAR: Great. Here we go again.

  CHAPTER 44 PHOENIX

  I WAKE UP THE MORNING after flying home from Camp Timber Wolf to the sound of my father arguing with Great-Aunt Irma. Number one, it is loud. Number two, they never argue. Despite some aggressive jet lag, I drag my pajama-clad self out of bed and pad quietly down the stairs. They are in the kitchen, and the hallway provides perfect cover. If I stay low, they can’t see me.

  “Stop yelling, Lawrence,” Great-Aunt Irma says. “You’re going to wake up Lola.”

  “Are you kidding me?” he grumbles. “That kid could sleep through a hurricane.” That’s what you think. I edge a little closer. “I don’t understand why you took the risk.” The last time I saw Dad, he was rescuing us from Liberty Island. He looked disheveled then, and he’s moved on to being a downright mess. When Dad is focused on something particular, personal hygiene goes right out the window. His wild hair, standing up like he’s been electrocuted, indicates he is onto something big.

  “It was necessary,” Great-Aunt Irma says curtly. “And it was my choice to help them.”

  “But the danger,” Dad counters. “Like I told you, I think she’s out there. I heard the necklaces, the sound they make. Nothing else makes that sound.”

  “I know, I know,” Great-Aunt Irma says impatiently. “Crystal butterfly wings. The most delicate notes audible to the human ear. But you didn’t see her. Your mind was probably playing tricks on you, which means you are freaking out over nothing. What do your sources say? You’ve contacted them, I assume?”

  Dad’s shoulders sag. “They know nothing,” he says with a sigh. “But I’m convinced, Irma. Gryphon is out there.”

  I almost yelp. Gryphon? As in Phoenix and Gryphon?

  “It doesn’t matter,” Great-Aunt Irma says dismissively. “I’m safe here. The Phoenix bars are safe here.” Oh. Dang. This keeps getting better and better.

  “Are you?” Dad shoots back. “How can you know that?”

  “I have myself under very intense surveillance,” she says with a sniff.

  Dad throws up his hands. “Are you forgetting what Gryphon did?”

  “The magic drove her crazy,” Great-Aunt Irma says dismissively. “Could have happened to anyone.”

  “She tried to kill you.” Dad turns toward the door, and I see the scowl etched on his face, a combination of anger, fear, and frustration.

  “As if I could forget,” Great-Aunt Irma replies.

  “Gryphon wants the bars,” Dad says quietly. “She wants the power. She’s still searching—”

  “You have no proof of that,” Great-Aunt Irma interrupts.

  “That does not mean it’s not true!” Dad barks. “And now that you foolishly sent a bar to Lola using a military drone—don’t even get me started on that—it’s out there in circulation, floating around, untethered, up for grabs!”

  Great-Aunt Irma narrows her gaze, focusing on Dad. I have never seen her look this way. Steely, determined, a little bit terrifying. Dad shrinks back. “Don’t ever call me foolish,” she says. “Lola and her team needed help, and I will always step in to help that child. She is special. She could be the best, better than you or me.”

  Dad moves his lips, but no sound comes out.

  “And it would do you well to remember,” Great-Aunt Irma continues, “that the only way to save the world and everyone in it was to hide the power of Zeus’s lightning bolt. It was not my choice. It was my duty.”

  I suddenly feel dizzy. It’s a good thing I’m low to the ground already because otherwise I might fall on my face. Great-Aunt Irma has the Phoenix bars, the broken parts of Zeus’s lightning bolt, and she is the one who delivered it by drone so we could complete our mission. But that must mean… Can that really mean…

  … that Great-Aunt Irma is the legendary Phoenix?

  My great-aunt rests a reassuring hand on Dad’s shoulder. “And don’t forget,” she says with a glint in her eye, “the phoenix always rises f
rom the ashes.”

  No. Way.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  I WROTE THE BACK HALF and managed two revisions of The Midnight Market in quarantine. My office is in a building that shut down in March 2020, so I ended up at a card table in a tight corner of my bedroom. Out the large window, I watched the adorable out-of-control collie puppy and his overwhelmed owner; the redheaded jogger and the orange cat who followed along behind her, complaining; the exhausted mother with two young children on scooters; the guy with the ever-lengthening beard, yelling into his phone; the elderly couple, hand in hand; the neighbor across the street visiting with friends, spread many feet apart on her wide front deck.

  My kids were down the hall, tucked in their rooms, faces bathed in blue light as they Zoomed through classes. No friends. No activities. Our cute downtown was empty, our streets were deserted, and an eerie silence hung over everything.

  At first, I thought my heart would break. So much loss. So much pain. So much hopelessness.

  But.

  There were Lola Benko and friends, just waiting for me, on the page as they ever have been. I was so happy to be in their company, running around chasing magical objects and navigating a chaos that would never really hurt anyone. It was a relief.

  It reminded me, as the months wore on and the staggering impact of the pandemic became clear, that it is only by looking away, even for a moment, that we can gather the resources to push through what we must. By indulging in escapism, be it a book, a movie, a TV show, a game of cards, a six-mile run just before the sun drops, a cake you’ve never baked before, whatever, we rebuild the strength to keep going. Not to quit. Not to give up.

  I hope Lola provides an adventure for the mind, an escape from reality, a chance to recharge for young and old and everyone in between who needs it.

  Happy reading, my friends.

  More from this Series

  Lola Benko, Treasure…

  Book 1

  More from the Author

  Secret of the Storm

  Double Cross

  Power Play

  Mrs. Smith's Spy School…

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Beth McMullen is the author of the Mrs. Smith’s Spy School for Girls series; the Lola Benko, Treasure Hunter series; and several adult mysteries. Her books have heroes and bad guys, action and messy situations.

  An avid reader, she once missed her subway stop and rode the train all the way to Brooklyn because the book she was reading was that good.

  She lives in Northern California with her family; two cats; and a parakeet named Zeus, who is sick of the cats eyeballing him like he’s dinner. Visit her online at www.BethMcMullenBooks.com.

  Aladdin

  Simon & Schuster, New York

  Visit us at simonandschuster.com

  www.SimonandSchuster.com/Authors/Beth-McMullen

  ALSO BY BETH MCMULLEN

  MRS. SMITH’S SPY SCHOOL FOR GIRLS

  #1: MRS. SMITH’S SPY SCHOOL FOR GIRLS

  #2: POWER PLAY

  #3: DOUBLE CROSS

  LOLA BENKO, TREASURE HUNTER

  #1: LOLA BENKO, TREASURE HUNTER

  This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  ALADDIN

  An imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division

  1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10020

  www.SimonandSchuster.com

  First Aladdin hardcover edition August 2021

  Text copyright © 2021 by Beth McMullen

  Jacket designed by Laura Lyn Disiena

  Jacket illustrations copyright © 2021 by Elan Harris

  All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.

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  Book designed by Laura Lyn DiSiena

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Names: McMullen, Beth, 1969– author.

  Title: The Midnight Market / by Beth McMullen.

  Description: First Aladdin hardcover edition. | New York : Aladdin, 2021. | Series: Lola Benko, treasure hunter ; [2] | Audience: Ages 9 to 13. | Summary: “Lola Benko seeks out the legendary Helm of Darkness in her second treasure-hunting adventure”— Provided by publisher.

  Identifiers: LCCN 2020045195 (print) | LCCN 2020045196 (ebook) | ISBN 9781534456723 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781534456747 (ebook)

  Subjects: CYAC: Adventure and adventurers—Fiction. | Relics—Fiction. | Supernatural—Fiction. | Camps—Fiction. | Friendship—Fiction.

  Classification: LCC PZ7.1.M4644 Mid 2021 (print) | LCC PZ7.1.M4644 (ebook) | DDC [Fic]—dc23

  LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020045195

  LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020045196