Scarlett turned up her nose at Joey’s commercial taste in art. “Generational talents, I’m sure.” She was unimpressed by his favorite artists, but the information gave her fresh insight into his mind. “Comic book heroes…,” she mused, viewing his artwork in a new light. “Is this how you see yourself, then, you and your friends? Knights in shining armor riding to the rescue?”
Joey said nothing. There was definitely a bit of wannabe hero in him, but the way she said it made him feel slightly ridiculous.
“It is,” she decided. “I can see it is.” Scarlett had a smug, condescending smile on her lips. “Art brings out what’s in here,” she told Joey, patting her chest. “It can betray your innermost thoughts. Your fondest desires. An artist’s work says things they might never have the courage to say out loud.” She waved a hand at his painting, dismissing it. “I feel bad for you if this is the limit of your imagination. This is a child’s view of the world.”
“What would you paint?” Joey asked. “What’s your heart’s desire? Assuming you have one.”
“I want the same thing all artists want. The freedom to express myself.”
“And the Invisible Hand gives you that?”
“I do as I please, when I please. No apologies. No explanations. My work speaks for itself.” She twirled a finger, and Joey’s shoulder started to itch. “Her work” was all over his neck. He scratched at it, unable to restrain himself. “You’re going to give yourself a rash,” Scarlett said, warning Joey to stop. “You can’t scratch it off. It won’t wash off, either. Not until I’m done with you.”
“When’s that gonna be?” Joey asked. “Why are you here now, anyway? Wouldn’t it be smarter to wait until we found Camelot and skip to the finish line?”
Scarlett threw her head back with a laugh. “You think we’re going to let you reach the finish line? That’s not going to happen. We’re going to find Camelot, not you.” She started toward Joey, motioning with her hand to fork over the paintbrush. “I’ll take that back now.”
“Sure.” Joey gripped the brush at both ends. “Just tell me how many pieces you want it in.”
Scarlett froze in place. “You break that brush and I’ll break you.” She opened her coat, showing off her full collection of brushes. “You and your friends should have destroyed these when you had the chance. That opportunity won’t come again.” Her eyes swept the village. “Where are they, by the way?”
“My friends? They left.”
Scarlett raised a skeptical eyebrow. “You expect me to believe that?”
“Believe what you want. It’s the truth.”
“They abandoned you?” Scarlett studied Joey, suspicious. “That doesn’t sound very nice. I thought you three were a team. Thick as thieves.”
“We are. That’s why I agreed to stay behind. I’m not leading you to Camelot. They’ve got a better chance of getting there without me—or you. We shouldn’t have told you where we were going, but you shouldn’t have told us you can track me anywhere. Looks like we both said too much.”
Scarlett looked around, trying to spot Shazad and Leanora in the jungle. Her face was locked in a frown, stung by the unwelcome truth of Joey’s words. “If they really are gone, we’re going to have a problem. And, by we, I mean you. These friends of yours must not be very good friends to leave you here waiting for me. Don’t they know what I’m capable of?”
Joey gestured to his neck. “They’ve got an idea.”
“That’s nothing. Just a dash of paint so I can spot you in a crowd. You’re going to show me where the other two went. We’re going to follow them, and if they don’t give me the map, I’m going to use more colors. Different techniques. I’m going to take my time and get creative with you. I might even hang you in my gallery when I’m done.”
“Why do you want the map so bad? What’s in Camelot?”
“Didn’t you just chide me for saying too much? I’m not going to make the same mistake twice. This conversation is over.” Scarlett held out her hand. “Give me the brush. I won’t ask again.”
“How about I give you something else?” Joey took a plastic water bottle out of his backpack. An inch of liquid sloshed around at the bottom, but it was the wrong color for water.
“What’s that?”
“What’s it look like? It’s a plastic water bottle. I know, I shouldn’t have it. Plastic’s bad for the environment. My friend Janelle is always going on about sustainability and conservation. She gives me a hard time about this bottle, but I bought it a while ago. Way before I knew her. What am I supposed to do, just throw it out? That’s wasteful too. I’ll give it to you instead.”
“Are you finished?” Scarlett asked, losing patience. “I can see it’s a water bottle. What’s in it?”
“This?” Joey jiggled the bottle. “Snake venom.”
“What would I want with snake veno—OUCH!” She jumped, clutching at her ankle, a look of shock on her face. A shiny golden snake slithered through the grass, up to the steps to where Joey was.
“What would you want with snake venom? Funny you should ask.” Joey cupped a hand beside his mouth. “We got her!” he shouted. Shazad came out of a leaf-covered building, holding his cape in front of him. He draped the cape over the body of the snake, then pulled it quickly away to reveal Leanora, transformed back into herself.
Joey commended him. “Perfect.”
Leanora patted her chest and examined her hands, then nodded her approval as well.
“What is this?” Scarlett demanded. “What have you done?”
“Good question,” Shazad replied. “You might be wondering what kind of snake just bit you. It was a golden adder. They used to plague the deserts of Africa, but they’re gone now. Extinct, which is fortunate since they’re so extremely poisonous.”
“Not fortunate for you, though,” Leanora told Scarlett.
“Not at all,” Joey agreed. “There’s only one place in the world you can get the cure for that bite.” He held up the water bottle. “Here.”
Scarlett looked flushed. Sweat beaded on her forehead. The golden adder’s venom worked fast. “Give it to me.”
“Hang on,” Joey said, pulling the water bottle back. “It’s not that simple. You can’t just drink this and be okay. That’s not how it works. You see, when an animal is injected with small doses of a particular snake’s venom, they produce antibodies against that venom. Those antibodies are then harvested from the animal, and an antidote for the snakebite is made from that. The antidote is called antivenom. That’s what you need right now. I don’t know if you have someone who can do all that for you back at the Invisible Hand’s HQ or not. Maybe you have some magic home brew you can make, but I’m betting you’re gonna need this venom as an ingredient either way. Antivenom can only be used to cure snakebites if it’s made from the venom of the same kind of snake that bit you.”
Scarlett wiped the sweat from her forehead. Joey wondered what she was feeling right now. Probably enough to know something was wrong with her. They were bluffing about the poison. It was fast acting, but it wasn’t going to kill her. At most, Scarlett would get dizzy, nauseous, and spend a few hours hunched over the toilet bowl vomiting, but she had no way of knowing that. Joey could see the fear in her eyes. They had her convinced.
“What do you want?” she asked.
“First take off that mind-control crystal you’ve got there. Throw it into the woods.” Scarlett hesitated at first, but she had no choice. She took the red ruby brooch off the front of her coat. “Throw it far,” Joey said. She did as she was told. “Good. Now all you have to do is get this junk off my neck and stop following us. Leave us alone.”
Scarlett shook her head. “I can’t do that. You know I can’t. Even if the snakebite kills me, DeMayne would just send someone else. Especially now that he knows what you’re up to. He understands the value of what’s in Camelot better than anyone. The Caliburn Shield? He knows all about it.”
“What does he know?” Leanora asked. “What
does the shield do?”
Scarlett’s face twitched as she realized she had said too much after all. “I don’t… That is, he… DeMayne doesn’t tell me everything.”
“Hey!” Joey barked. He could tell she was lying. “Are you gonna talk or am I gonna pour this out?”
Scarlett’s shoulders sank. “It does the same thing any shield does,” she said, giving in. “It protects its owner from harm. You can use it to keep DeMayne out of the Majestic Theatre.”
“What about Camelot?” Leanora asked.
“What about it? Use your imagination. The Lost Kingdom could be full of powerful relics. Enough to shift the balance of power between us permanently. DeMayne has been comfortably in control of the world’s supply of magic for the last twenty years. Probably more. He won’t allow you to threaten that, and he won’t leave you alone. Not ever. You’re too dangerous.”
Shazad scrunched up his face. “How are we dangerous? We don’t even have the wand.”
“Is it something else?” Leanora wanted to know. “Something we have inside the theater?”
Scarlett said nothing. Her eyes burned with silent rage.
“Just FYI, you’re going to start losing feeling in your extremities soon,” Joey warned Scarlett. “Paralysis comes after that. I’m no artist, but I do know it’s hard to paint when you can’t move. I should also tell you that antivenom can only neutralize the venom in your body. It stops it from causing any further harm. It can’t reverse what’s already been done.” He shook the water bottle again. “Pretty important to get this stuff into your system before any permanent damage occurs. Once you start throwing up, it’s already too late.”
It was another bluff, but it was well timed. Scarlett made a face like she threw up a little bit in her mouth and started pinching her fingertips, testing them for numbness. She was desperate and ready to break. “Tell us why DeMayne thinks we’re dangerous,” Joey ordered.
“Because!” Scarlett blurted out, exasperated. “You’re not like your parents. You might actually do something.”
“What?” Shazad was shocked and offended. “My family’s been a thorn in the Invisible Hand’s side for generations. We’ve dedicated our lives to finding and preserving magical objects. Keeping them away from people like you!”
Scarlett was unmoved. “So?”
“My family shares magic with the world,” Leanora said, equally insulted. “Don’t tell me we don’t do anything.”
“You don’t,” Scarlett said matter-of-factly. “I’m sorry, it’s the truth. In the great game, you Nomadiks have been crawling along one tiny space at a time for so long it’s like you’re not even playing. You’re always moving, but you never go anywhere. As for your family,” she added, turning to Shazad. “You just take game pieces off the board. You’re not a thorn in our side. You’re nothing. I’ll let you in on a little secret. We know where Jorako is. We’ve always known.”
Shazad scowled. “You’re lying.”
“We know where to look,” Scarlett said, hedging her claim a bit. “If we spent a year or two combing the Sahara, armed with magical protections, we’d find it. But who wants to do that? There’s no point. Yes, you’ve managed to keep a few relics away from us over the years, but you don’t get everything, and you don’t do anything with what you find. It’s a wash. You don’t bother us, and we don’t bother you. For now anyway. It’s the same with the Nomadiks. Your family isn’t beyond our reach. You’re just not worth our time. You work a little magic here and there, and we allow it because you’re not pulling a big lever. You’re not leaving your mark on the world like we are. But you three… we’ve been watching you. Especially you.” She pointed to Joey. “Young and idealistic. Rebellious. Disruptive. Out to change the world. Given the chance, you just might do it. That’s why you’re dangerous. And that’s why DeMayne’s going to nip your new Order in the bud.”
“What’s he going to do?” Joey asked. “Kill us?”
“He will if you push things too far. Or you stop being useful.”
“How are we useful?” Shazad asked.
Scarlett snickered. “Are you kidding? You’re like a magnet for lost magical relics. First Houdini’s wand and now that map? It’s as if there’s some special force connecting you three with the world’s most powerful magic objects.” Joey looked at Shazad and Leanora, thinking about the Fates that sent them on this mission. Scarlett picked up on it. “There is, isn’t there? I’m not surprised. You’ve been active a month, and already you’re knocking on Camelot’s door. You think DeMayne is going to stand by and let you find it? Or lose it like you lost the wand? You don’t know him like I do.”
“We’re going to find it,” Joey promised. He held up the venom. “You want this? Tell DeMayne to back off. And get this paint off me. Now.”
Scarlett swallowed hard, as if forcing down a spoonful of dirt. Her complexion had turned a pallid shade of gray. Unable to look him in the eye, she nodded, agreeing to his terms. Scarlett took out a brush and beckoned him to come closer. Joey handed the venom off to Shazad. “If she tries anything, dump that.” Shazad gave a nod, and Joey stepped forward. He was wary, but he pulled down on his collar, exposing his paint-covered neck. He didn’t like showing his throat to an enemy like this, but he didn’t have a choice. Joey held his breath as Scarlett touched the bristles of the brush to his collarbone. She held her arm steady. It didn’t look like she was doing anything, but Joey felt the colors swirl on his skin. Looking down, he saw the paint being drawn away, sucked back into the brush.
“Is it working?” he asked his friends, eager for confirmation.
“It’s working,” Shazad told him. “The paint’s almost gone.”
But before the last drop went away, Scarlett got creative. With a few quick flicks of the wrist, she painted a fresh design on Joey’s shoulder—the symbol of the Invisible Hand. Joey jumped back, but it was too late. The mark was upon him, and it was alive. The black hand symbol clutched down on his shoulder, and a searing pain burned through his right side. “AHH!”
“Shazad!” Leanora shouted. “The venom!”
Shazad took the cap off the water bottle and went to pour it out.
“STOP!” Scarlett commanded. Something about her voice made everyone freeze. “Don’t do it,” she told Shazad. “One drop of that hits the ground, and I’ll kill him right in front of you.”
Joey fell to his knees. The pain was excruciating. His friends could only watch as he suffered, helpless to do anything about it.
“If he dies, you die too,” Shazad warned Scarlett. He spoke quickly, sticking with the story about the poison, but he was clearly rattled by what was happening to Joey. Shazad held the water bottle sideways. The small supply of venom teetered precariously at the edge, ready to spill out. “You think I’m kidding? I’ll dump it all right now!”
“Then it’ll be two lives lost for nothing,” Scarlett shot back. “If I fall, DeMayne will send someone else. You can count on it. The only difference is they’ll be chasing two people instead of three. It will be your fault. Can you live with that? You can stop this, but you better do it fast.”
Joey couldn’t speak. He couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t think. The pain was too great. A not-so-invisible hand was digging sharp fingernails into his skin, plunging into his shoulder like five sharp knives.
“All right!” Shazad said, capping the water bottle. “Let him go.”
Scarlett grinned. She watched Joey writhe on the ground a moment longer, then flicked the brush like a wand. Joey’s pain vanished instantly. Remaining on his knees, he clutched his shoulder, gasping for air. Shazad tossed Scarlett the water bottle and she caught it with her free hand.
“You tricked me,” Joey said, breathless.
“Now you’re catching on,” Scarlett taunted. “That’s what I do. I’m an artist, but I’m also a magician.” Keeping her paintbrush pointed at Joey like a sword, she bent down and reclaimed the brush he had stolen from her back in the cave.
“Jo
ey, are you okay?” Leanora asked, going to his side.
“No, he’s not,” Scarlett answered.
“What did you do to me?” Joey asked.
Scarlett smirked. “I wouldn’t worry about it.”
“Tell me!” Joey demanded.
“I am telling you,” Scarlett replied. “Don’t worry about it. You’ll make it worse. See? It’s spreading already.” Joey checked the mark on his shoulder. The paint was under his skin like a tattoo, but it was growing. Scarlett bared her teeth in a predatory smile. “Look at that. We’re collaborating now, you and me. The more you worry about what I’ve done, that more that paint will bleed out like an infection. The more parts of you I paint over, the more you belong to me. You’re a living, breathing work of art now, Joey. Congratulations.”
“No,” Joey said, feeling terrified and dizzy. The jungle seemed to pulse around him and tilt as the gravity of his ever-worsening situation sank in. Joey had hoped to lose Scarlett in the jungle, but instead she had strengthened her hold on him. He rubbed his shoulder in a futile effort to wipe the painted hand away, but Scarlett was telling the truth. The mark got bigger as lines of black paint dripped across Joey’s arm and chest. Scarlett had her hooks him, and she wasn’t letting go.
Using her firestone, Leanora charged up her fist. “Get that mark off him. Now.”
Scarlett pointed her brush at Leanora, ready to strike her next. “That attitude won’t get you what you want. It will only get you something worse. Give me the map and I’ll take it off. That’s the deal. It’s the only one you’re going to get, and you should be grateful for it. Grateful you’re dealing with me and not Ledger DeMayne.”
“We’re supposed to trust you?” Shazad asked, incredulous. “After what you just did?”
“You can trust me to hurt your friend like he’s never hurt before unless you do as I say. I turned off his pain; I can turn it back on.” She donned her sunglasses with a shaky hand and sneered. It looked to Joey like she was putting up a front. Scarlett was trying to project strength, but she was still sick. Before he could say anything, she pointed the brush back at him.
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