Lost Kingdom

by Matt Myklusch

  FOR REBECCA, JACK, AND DEAN.

  YOU GUYS ARE MY WHOLE WORLD.

  1 Assault on the Majestic

  “They’re coming.”

  Joey stood in the lobby of the Majestic Theatre with his face pressed up against the glass door. He had one hand cupped over his eyes to block out the sun and get a better view of the building across the street. “I see them.”

  “What are they doing?” Shazad asked from right behind him. “Don’t tell me they’re coming here… already?” There was a pained tone in Shazad’s voice that Joey understood completely. Joey wasn’t ready for another fight, either. It had been less than twenty-four hours since their duel with Grayson Manchester. He needed a break. They all did.

  “How many of them are there?” Leanora asked, moving in next to Joey to see for herself.

  “I only see two. Over there by the door. That’s them.”

  On the other side of the street, a man called Ledger DeMayne, sometimes known as Mr. Black, had just exited the corporate headquarters of the National Association of Tests and Limits. The NATL was the world’s leading producer of standardized tests, servicing every school in America and quietly deciding the futures of children everywhere. The organization was actually a front for a secret society called the Invisible Hand. From what Joey understood, it was one of many. DeMayne had been introduced to Joey as the chief administrator of the NATL, but his real job was something more sinister than grading tests. The Invisible Hand enforced an unyielding measure of control over the world’s limited supply of magic, and DeMayne was their leader. At least, that was the impression Joey got during their brief, standoffish conversation earlier that morning. Joey wasn’t entirely sure if the man across the street was old enough to lead a Machiavellian cabal of evil magicians that dated back to the age of Merlin, but if Joey’s introduction to magic had taught him anything, it was that looks could be deceiving. DeMayne was a young man with thick blond hair, handsome features, and excellent taste in clothing. Dressed in what was clearly a very expensive suit, he had stepped out onto the sidewalk like he owned it. DeMayne looked good enough to grace the cover of a magazine, and the same could be said for the young woman who accompanied him. She wore a stylish bright red overcoat with a dark red ruby brooch pinned to her lapel. Joey wondered what her name was. The few members of the Invisible Hand he had met so far all used simple, color-based aliases. Mr. Black, Mr. Gray… As far as Joey could tell, it was an inside joke mocking the nonmagical “norms” of the world, who were easily fooled by magicians and their tricks. Joey figured he was getting his first look at Ms. Red. Something about her gave him the chills. Deep crimson hair fell down around her shoulders, framing an attractive, but cold and unfriendly, face. Her eyes were hidden behind dark sunglasses. DeMayne was talking and she was hanging on every word, which seemed to support Joey’s theory about who was in charge. As DeMayne spoke, he gestured across the street toward the Majestic Theatre and paused midsentence. Looking over the hoods of passing cars and peering in between pedestrians, he made eye contact with Joey and gave him an “I see you” wave.

  Joey backed away from the door. DeMayne was taunting him. Something was about to go down; Joey could feel it. It was the reason he had raced to the theater from his school, which was on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, more than twenty blocks away. He had wanted to warn Leanora and Shazad what was coming, but now that Joey had done that, he didn’t know what to do next. Everything was happening so fast. He felt like it was only yesterday that he had first met Redondo the Magnificent and found out magic was real. But that wasn’t yesterday. It was two days ago. Yesterday was the day Redondo died. He had sacrificed himself to save Joey and his friends.

  The events of the last week flashed through Joey’s mind. Meeting Redondo, he had discovered that the world was a bigger, more extraordinary place than he had ever imagined possible. Magic was real—but only if you believed in it. Joey had learned about the Order of the Majestic, whose duty it was to keep magic alive and free. At least, it had been until they disbanded some twenty years ago. He had also learned about the Invisible Hand, who selfishly fought to keep the world’s magic to themselves. Unfortunately, they hadn’t disbanded. Without the Order of the Majestic around to check their influence, the Invisible Hand had worked tirelessly to confiscate the world’s remaining magical items and consolidate power. It was an extreme case of magicians not revealing their secrets. The Invisible Hand was like a group of spoiled children who didn’t want anyone else playing with their toys.

  Joey had been caught off guard when DeMayne had invited him to join their twisted little club, but he hadn’t extended the offer out of the goodness of his heart. At the time, DeMayne was under the impression that Joey was still in possession of the world’s most powerful magical artifact… Harry Houdini’s wand.

  Joey only wished he still had it. He had been master of the wand for such a short period of time. Before Redondo died, he had arranged a contest between Joey, Leanora, and Shazad to determine who should inherit the wand. In the end, Joey won it—and immediately lost it—but he’d managed to keep the wand away from the Invisible Hand. It was a minor victory, but a victory nonetheless. However, there was more at stake than just the wand. The Majestic Theatre was filled with magical artifacts big and small, and at the moment it was all but defenseless. Redondo was gone, the wand was gone, and the theater was back in New York. For twenty long years Redondo had hid the Majestic and its many treasures in an alternate dimension that he had created using the power of Houdini’s wand. With him gone, the theater was back in the normal world. It was vulnerable.

  Redondo’s warning about the extent of the Invisible Hand’s greed echoed in Joey’s ears:

  There is nothing I have here… nothing I could give you so trivial that the Invisible Hand does not wish to obtain it.

  Looking at DeMayne and the lady in red, Joey felt like a pig in a straw house up against the Big Bad Wolf. “They didn’t get the wand, but they’re not done with us. Whatever else Redondo kept in this theater… They’re coming for it. All of it.”

  “I knew they would eventually,” said Shazad. “I just hoped we’d have more time.”

  “No such luck,” Joey said. Across the street, Ledger DeMayne beckoned with his hands, telling Joey and the others to come out.

  “I guess we’d better go out there,” Leanora said.

  “I guess so,” Joey agreed.

  Leanora pulled the door open and they went outside. As the theater door closed behind Joey, with his nerves dialed up to eleven, he felt like a character in a movie. He and his friends stood on one side of the street with their enemies on the other. It was like a high-noon showdown in an old Western. A harsh wind blew sheets of newspaper down the sidewalk like rolling tumbleweeds. The magical gunslingers sized each other up in silence. DeMayne spoke first.

  “Joey, what are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be in school right now?” His voice was crisp and clear, as if they were separated by a dinner table rather than a busy street. “What would your parents say about you cutting class on the first day?” He clicked his tongue in disapproval.

  “I’m not cutting anything,” Joey said. “I don’t have a class schedule yet. Dr. Cho gave me the day off while they figure out what to do with me.”

  “I see. You’re welcome for that, by the way,” DeMayne replied. He turned to the lady in red, adding, “You know he never even thanked me for giving him a leg up at school? I don’t think it even crossed his mind.”

  “Ugh,” she grunted in a judgmental tone. “That’s the problem with everyone his age. So entitled.”

  “Generation Z,” DeMayne agreed. “They’re even worse than millennials.”

  Joey took offense at that exchange, coming as it was from people who thought
they were entitled to all the world’s remaining magical artifacts, but he had bigger problems than the Invisible Hand’s hypocrisy.

  “What are they talking about?” Shazad asked Joey. “What did he do for you?”

  “Later,” Joey said. “It’s not important right now.”

  “True,” DeMayne agreed. “Why don’t we talk about something that is important?” He motioned to the grand and newly restored Majestic Theatre. “Redondo kept a store of magical artifacts here. We’ve come to collect them. Understand this—it’s going to happen. You can’t stop us. However, we don’t have to be at odds with one another. There’s no need for violence. In fact, there’s no need for any of you to be here at all. It’s a lovely day. I would advise the three of you to take a walk. Perhaps you could visit the park. Or, if that doesn’t interest you, there are plenty of other theaters around here.… Why not take in a matinee? Doesn’t that sound more interesting than this conversation? Don’t you feel like you have somewhere else you want to be right now?”

  Joey scrunched up his face. “What are you talking about?” He looked at Shazad and Leanora, baffled. “Is he serious? Take in a matinee?”

  “He’s doing something,” Shazad said. “Look around—the block’s clearing out.”

  Joey turned his head, looking up and down the street. Shazad was right. The sidewalks were getting emptier. People passed by in each direction, but once they were gone, no one else followed behind them. No new cars turned onto the street, either. At both ends of the block, everyone and everything just kept going, up one avenue and down the other. Before Joey knew it, they had the street all to themselves. “What’s going on?” he asked. “Where’d everybody go?”

  “It’s him,” Shazad said. “Or her. They must have some kind of warding object or obfuscation charm working.”

  “A what?”

  “It’s a good one,” Leanora said. “Fast acting.”

  “What are you guys talking about?” Joey asked.

  “Think of it as a big, magic ‘keep out’ sign,” Shazad explained. “I’ll bet right now everyone in this city is feeling a sudden urge to avoid this street. Even people who have business here are probably remembering something else they have to do, or some other place they need to be. They’re deciding to turn down the next block instead of this one for no reason at all.… You get the idea.”

  Joey nodded, grateful for Shazad’s and Leanora’s magical knowledge, especially now that Redondo was gone. Shazad had been raised in a secret magical country where his family watched over magical artifacts and kept them safe. Leanora was part of a traveling family of magicians called the Nomadiks, who traveled the world, putting on shows and hiding magic in plain sight. Joey felt safer with them at his side, but he was still worried. What did the Invisible Hand have planned that was so explosive they had to clear out the civilians before they got started?

  “If their magic’s so strong, how come it’s not working on us?” Joey asked.

  “Because I’m wearing a mental-fortification charm.” Leanora located a blue crystal amulet mixed in among the many enchanted pendants she wore around her neck. “My grandmother gave me this to guard against hypnosis and magical suggestion. A girl can’t be too careful. Lucky for us, you two are standing close enough to fall within its range.” Leanora lifted the necklace chain with two fingers and held it out, dangling the charm in front of her. “Touch the stone. I can lend you some of its power.”

  “For how long?” Shazad asked as he and Joey felt at the crystal.

  “Long enough,” Leanora said.

  The lady in red barked out a derisive laugh. “Long enough for what?” she asked. “Congratulations. You can stay. That doesn’t mean you should. Better you leave willingly than hold your ground and try to put off the inevitable. Don’t be stubborn, children. Walk away. Otherwise, we can’t be responsible for what happens to you.”

  “We’re not going anywhere,” Leanora said. “And you’re not coming into our theater.”

  “Your theater?” DeMayne asked.

  “Redondo left it to us,” Joey said. “We’re the new Order of the Majestic,” he added. His voice sounded flimsy and weak.

  DeMayne and the lady in red looked at each other, quietly processing Joey’s statement. A second later they erupted with laughter, making a real show of it. The lady in red had to lean on DeMayne’s shoulder for support as she carried on. He had a hand pressed to his side, ready to bust a gut. Evidently, Joey’s half-hearted declaration was so funny it hurt. DeMayne’s and the lady in red’s hysterics chipped away at Joey’s confidence, mainly because he couldn’t blame them for laughing. The words had felt ridiculous coming out of his mouth. Who was he kidding? They weren’t the Order of the Majestic. They were three kids up against fully grown magicians who took what they wanted, did as they pleased, and didn’t care who got hurt in the process. Joey was grateful there were only two of them, but he couldn’t take much comfort in that. For all he knew, DeMayne had a legion of reinforcements waiting inside the NATL building. Also, depending on what kind of magical items they were carrying, two of them would be plenty. Maybe too much.

  “We should get started,” said the lady in red.

  DeMayne nodded in agreement. “We’ve got a busy day ahead of us. Out of the way, children. You’ve been warned.”

  “So have you,” Leanora replied. “Stay on your side of the street.”

  As DeMayne stepped off the sidewalk undeterred, Leanora tapped her right heel twice and a tiny pair of wings appeared on the ankle of her boot. She tapped her other foot two times and a matching pair of wings materialized there. Joey was about to ask what was going on when he saw that she was charging up her firestone pendant. Leanora used one hand to grip an orange stone that hung around her neck. Her other hand was lighting up with reddish-orange energy like smoldering wood. Joey watched as an amber wave traveled past her wrist until her entire forearm glowed with power. He never even saw her move her feet. At most, Joey saw Leanora shift her weight. A second later she was across the street, throwing a flaming elbow into DeMayne’s chest. His body sailed back and slammed into the wall of the NATL building. Joey blinked, and Leanora was standing next to him again.

  “Whoa!” he blurted out, impressed. “Where’d you get those boots?”

  “Inside the theater,” she said with a smile. “They were listed in Redondo’s ledger—the Winged Boots of Fleetfoot, whoever that was.” She twisted her foot to show off the fluttering wings. “They’re elven made. Superfast and completely silent.” She pounded her foot on the pavement with inaudible stomps. “They can run three steps in the air at a time, too. Pretty cool, huh?”

  “Pretty cool,” Joey agreed, wishing he had something similar on his person. He wondered what else Redondo had inside the theater and worried he’d never get the chance to find out. Redondo had left Joey, Leanora, and Shazad more than the building when he died. Also included in his final bequest was a ledger describing all the magical artifacts he was entrusting them with. They were items he knew the Invisible Hand would want, and they had to be protected, because there were precious few things like them left in the world. For Joey, they were his only link to magic now that Houdini’s wand was gone. Redondo had told Joey that once upon a time magic had flowed through the air like the breeze, accessible to everyone who believed. Today it was different. At some point in history (no one knew exactly when), magic had gotten lost. Locked away. Now it took more than belief to tap into its power; it took magical items. Ancient artifacts, created for extraordinary purposes, that retained varying degrees of magical energy. Leanora’s new boots, her firestone, and her fortification charm all qualified. The transfiguration cape that Shazad wore around his shoulders was another example, and there were others inside the theater. Leanora and Shazad had spent the morning going through Redondo’s ledger while Joey was at school. When he’d arrived at the Majestic, they weren’t even halfway through the treasure trove of magical artifacts. The Invisible Hand hadn’t given them enough tim
e to go through everything, but they had apparently had enough time to grab a few things to help defend the theater—and themselves. Joey, on the other hand, was unarmed. All he had was Redondo’s magic deck of cards. Redondo used to pull three at a time and get cryptic insights on what was happening in the moment and nebulous hints about future. Joey didn’t feel like drawing any cards at the moment. He was afraid what his fortune might be.

  “So much for diplomacy,” the lady in red said, helping DeMayne to his feet.

  “Looks like we’re going to have to do this the hard way,” he agreed, dusting himself off. “Time for an object lesson. Speaking of which…” He slid back the cuff of his sleeve to reveal a bulky, shiny metal watch. Even at a distance, Joey could tell it probably cost more than the average car. “I didn’t expect I’d have to use this today, but that’s why I keep it with me. To iron out unexpected problems.”

  “Emphasis on iron,” said the lady in red.

  DeMayne smiled and pointed an aiming finger at her. “That’s good. I like that. Let me just shake off this glamour.…” He shook his wrist, and the watch became a plain black metal bracelet. He flexed his fingers, forming a fist, and the wristband morphed into an iron gauntlet covering his whole hand. It didn’t stop there. DeMayne bent his arm forward as the black iron climbed upward, eventually covering his entire body in a hulking suit of armor. The last piece that fell into place was a helmet, which grew around his head. “Last chance, children,” he said with the visor up, looking like something out of Game of Thrones. “I promise you, if we go down this road, it won’t end well.”

  Joey gulped. He and his friends traded uneasy glances. “Shazad, tell me you took something useful out of the theater too.”

  “Yeah, I got some stuff,” Shazad said. He went into his pocket and took out a small cube the size of a golf ball. It had a cloudy white, quartzlike quality and gilded details that lined the edges of each face of the cube. “Here goes nothing.” Shazad clutched the cube tight in his hand, and a wave of white energy swirled around him. He vanished from sight and reappeared standing next to DeMayne. Shazad touched his armored shoulder, and the two of them vanished in another swirl of magical light. They reappeared up in the air, twenty feet above the ground. A split second later, Shazad vanished again, returning to Joey’s and Leanora’s side. DeMayne dropped like a stone and hit the street with a crash, cracking the pavement.