Maybe I’ll see you again, Mom, and maybe we can catch up on the stuff we missed out on together. The thought brought sadness to Maria, which she quickly tried to shake away.
“This,” Gelbus continued, “is an artifact, but it is not one to be trifled with, I’m afraid.”
“Go on,” Agnes urged.
“Yes, please,” Salem echoed. “Sorry for her bluntness.”
Agnes elbowed Salem.
“So you can tell us?” Maria asked. She almost couldn’t believe it; it was too good to be true. Everything up to that point had seemed so much more difficult than it should’ve been, but now something was finally going in their favor.
“I can,” Gelbus answered, nodding solemnly. He put the box down and unconsciously wiped his hands on the thigh of his breeches as if the wood had dripped poison. “Though, I shouldn’t. I think my silence would save you a lot of heartbreak and turmoil in the future.”
“You don’t understand,” Maria said. “There’s a village of people trapped in the world in between and they’ve been in there for God knows how long. I can’t let them waste away any longer. I have to save them.”
Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Gramps giving her that proud look he always gave her when she said or did the right thing.
“This is not a surefire way to get them out,” Gelbus said. Hesitantly, he picked the box up, wincing as he did so. “This should be locked away in the vault where no one can get to it; it would be much safer there.”
“Well, it’s not, you know,” Claire said, “so, like, tell us what to do.”
Maria was glad Claire wasn’t afraid to be blunt at times. They needed bluntness, especially now.
“Okay, I shall tell you what I know only because I’m not bound by secrecy for this particular artifact.”
“Otherwise you wouldn’t be able to tell us,” Tabby said.
“Right,” Gelbus said. “The Gods have made us Gnomes that way, I suppose.”
Man, I wish that were the case whenever I drank, Sherlock said.
Maria could only shake her head. She knew for a fact Sherlock didn’t drink—then again, at one point, she didn’t think he talked or had a weird obsession with cats, either…
“So the story goes,” Gelbus began, eyeing the music box with wariness, “long ago, perhaps even before the Rogue Dragons wreaked havoc in the corners of Oriceran, the Arachnid King was assassinated by one of his own kind—”
“That’d be the Widow, right?” Claire asked. “You know, because like Black Widows here kill their mates or whatever.”
“Quiet,” Agnes hissed, “let him tell his story.”
“Sorry,” Claire said, putting her hands up in defense.
“No, the details are sparse about his assassination, but it is believed it was by a group of disgruntled soldiers sick of his tyrannical rule. I cannot say for sure, and if we had a time spell, perhaps we could go back and see for ourselves. Alas, we do not. However, that detail is not as important as it seems to you wanderers. All you must know is that the Arachnid King passed on, but he did not pass on to the afterlife as we know it.”
“The world in between,” Maria whispered. It all made sense to her now. Not only was she trying to get people out from that purgatorial place, but the Widow was also.
“Yes.” Gelbus nodded.
Throughout the whole conversation, Gramps studied the Gnome with thoughtful eyes. Ignatius had drawn his pipe and held it clamped between his teeth. In his hand, he held Frieda’s. They were huddled quite close together, and Maria thought they would’ve been anyway, had the table not been as small as it was.
“In the world in between, the king stayed. His best soldiers had been executed as well. There was a total uprising, and many of the king’s allies were purged. And as the Widow truly became a widow, the Arachnid kingdom changed. They thought her too weak to do anything, so she left the kingdom for many years as the new rulers took her seat on the throne. It was later that she returned with an unfathomable dark magic. Her red eyes had been transformed to the glowing green of radioactive ghouls, and she had grown nearly triple in size. With this power she took her kingdom back and devoured the ones who’d shown fealty to the new rulers. The rest, who’d thought they’d once known tyranny, quickly found out what true tyranny was. The Arachnids became a spiteful bunch, shunning alliances with all the free people of Oriceran. Quickly, they were transformed to villains. Centuries later, a disease took the kingdom, and with no allies to help, much of the population was wiped out. The Widow survived, but it has been said that she grew more insane.”
“Than before?” Claire asked. “That’s not a good sign.”
Gelbus smiled weakly. “It was during this bout of insanity that the Widow was said to have used the dark knowledge she had gained during her travels to construct a dark artifact with the sole purpose of communicating with the world in between. She also had given birth to more Arachnids, though they were tainted by the darkness.”
Gramps nodded.
“Many more were sacrificed for this artifact,” Gelbus said. He visibly shook now. “Of course, then it was nothing but a block of wood from a Blood Tree.”
“Blood Tree?” Maria asked.
“A tree full of darkness that is now all but extinct in Oriceran,” Gelbus answered.
“Good riddance,” Agnes said. She shivered. “I heard too many of those legends when I was but a young witch. My brothers would tease me with those ghastly stories.”
“Well, not quite extinct,” Gelbus amended. “At least not according to rumor. Nothing is known for sure, but it is said the Widow harbors one in her personal chambers. She prays to it and offers it blood, but the dark magic has gone from it. What little there was to begin with is in here.” He motioned to the music box—the ornately carved block of wood that was so evil a Willen wouldn’t even touch it, and a regenerating Rogue Dragon had sensed its presence.
It seemed a case of the shudders was traveling through the wanderers. Maria shivered next, and she was so close to Tabby and Claire that she could feel their shivers, too.
“Then, as I’m sure you know,” Gelbus said, “a band of thieves penetrated the Widow’s lair. From the lair, they stole much of the treasure she had amassed; all the gold, jewels, diamonds, and so on. But they also stole this.” He cocked his head at Ignatius. “How did you come by it?”
“It was my daughter’s. She could call upon its dark magic. It was she who hid the village in the world in between when the Arachnids marched on us. But she passed before she could pull them out.”
Gelbus sighed, a sadness in his eyes. “Such dark magic should not exist. I am sorry for your losses.”
“Losses?” Maria asked. “The villagers aren’t lost. I know for a fact they’re still in there, waiting to be freed.” Maria snatched the box from the table. Gelbus and the rest of them jumped at her aggression. She was sick of hearing the things she couldn’t do for now. All her life, people counted her out. But she’d proven them wrong, hadn’t she? She had defeated a resurrected Arachnid, she had tamed a Rogue Dragon and helped vanquish the Dragon Tongue, she had survived the Trials of Antenele; she had done the impossible. And there was more impossible out there for her to conquer—the saving of the villagers included. “It’s gonna be me who gets them out.”
“Very well, Maria Apple,” Gelbus said, “but you will be hard pressed to do so without the Jewel.”
“The Jewel?”
He stuck out his hand near the music box and asked, “May I?”
Reluctantly, she gave it to him. The rest watched with intensity; Gramps hadn’t been this invested in anything since a Friday cliffhanger on Days of Our Lives last month.
Gelbus flipped the box over. On the bottom was nothing but smooth, polished wood. Or so it seemed…
Gelbus took one small hand and knocked three times. Golden lines appeared where his knuckles had rapped, as if a light bulb had been turned on inside.
“I’ll never get used to this magic thi
ng,” Tabby said.
“I’ve been magic my whole, long life,” Frieda said, “and I’m still not used to it. Accepting it…now that’s a different story.”
Gelbus swiped the wood inside of the glowing lines with his thumb, and a secret compartment opened. It was lined with what looked like red velvet, but it was empty.
“There,” Gelbus said, moving the music box around the table so everyone could get a look. Even Sherlock’s curiosity had been piqued.
Is there bacon in it? I mean…lettuce?
“The Jewel of Deception belongs there. Only with the jewel will the music box work.”
In her excitement, Maria had jumped out of her seat, knocking her knees against the underside of the table. Everyone startled at the loud noise in the quiet, empty ice cream store. Joe had moaned over on the sugar bags, but had continued snoozing.
Magic must’ve really gotten to him, Maria thought absently. It was just a passing thought for the idea of actually getting answers was more prominent in Maria’s mind. She never thought the day would come, but she was so close to getting the villagers out of the world in between and keeping her promise to Duke that she could almost taste it.
“What happened to it?” Maria asked.
“That, Maria, is not an easy answer. There have been many rumors over the centuries about what has happened to the Jewel. It was rumored, and this is probably the most reasonable explanation,” the Gnome said, “that it is still stuck in the Blood Tree.”
“The one the Widow has?” Maria asked.
“Then that means she has the Jewel,” Gramps said. “Which would explain why she is so adamant about claiming the music box herself.”
“No, no, no, that doesn’t make sense,” Claire said.
The others ignored her as they thought out the possibilities of how to get the Jewel back.
“Hello?” Claire yelled over their thinking.
“What?” Tabby snapped.
Now they all quieted. “If Maria’s mom put the villagers in there, she must’ve known she could get them out. And if the box doesn’t work without the Jewel of Reception or whatever—”
“Deception,” Tabby corrected.
“Shush, you know what I meant—”
“Two moons! She’s right!” Salem said. “For once…”
Claire stuck her tongue out and blew raspberries in the wizard’s direction. Sherlock tried to mimic the act without much success. He went back to sniffing around the toppings.
Excitement rippled throughout all the wanderers. Everyone babbled about the possibilities of the Jewel once more—everyone except Gramps and Maria.
This went on for a long moment, until Agnes turned to Gramps and asked what he thought of all of it. Gramps remained quiet for another long moment. There was a haze in his eyes, one of remembrance.
“Gramps?” Maria asked.
“I know exactly where it is,” he said. “Or, rather where it should be.”
“Where?” Maria was up again. She eyed the small chest, thinking perhaps it was in there. She pointed to it. Gramps shook his head solemnly.
“I wish it were that easy.” Now he stood up, too. “I have not been entirely truthful to you, Maria.”
“What do you mean?”
“After the Great Spider War and the sacking of Dominion, I had returned to Oriceran. It was stupid of me to do so, but I couldn’t let my only daughter rot in that tomb. No, she deserved more than that,” Gramps said.
“What did you do?” Maria found her eyes filling with tears.
“I gave her a proper burial somewhere she could rest peacefully. And around her neck was the necklace she always wore: a gold chain with a small red jewel set in the pendant. The closest thing I could use to describe it is a ruby, like the ring Tabby wears on her finger.” Gramps pointed to Tabby’s hand.
Gelbus’s eyes widened. “Yes, that looks exactly like the Jewel of Deception. How did I miss that?”
Tabby, blushing, said, “Oh, this isn’t a real ruby so I don’t flaunt it. But my grandma gave it to me, so it means a lot.”
“I think it’s beautiful,” Frieda said.
“We have to get the Jewel back,” Maria said determinedly, with dread twisting through her stomach.
It looks like I’ll be seeing you sooner than I planned, Mom, she thought. Just not the way I pictured.
“I know,” Gramps said. If he was upset or reluctant to go back to his daughter’s grave, he didn’t show it. He was a soldier through and through; a wizard who worried about duty, honor, and family first and foremost, no matter what. Maria, as much as it might hurt to think of the mother she never truly knew, respected Gramps’s demeanor. If it meant saving those villagers, she would do anything. “We will get it back—if it is still there, that is—but for now, we must plan, because Odarth was right—war is nigh.”
Gramps shifted the chest on the table and opened it. Inside were piles of papers.
“What is that?” Maria asked.
“Everything I know about the Arachnids and the Widow. Though I’ve learned much more today. Thank you, Gelbus,” Gramps said.
“No problem—”
“Did you say ‘dragon’?” Joe cut off from behind the table. He was sitting up, and his face was very pale. “And what are Arachnids?”
Claire shrugged as Tabby rubbed the healing wound around her neck from her own run-in with them.
“Eh, they’re just, like, these giant spider-like creatures. Aliens, I guess,” Claire said.
Joe nodded. “Oh, cool. Well—” He fell backward, landing on the sugar bags with a muffled thud. He had passed out again.
Maria stood up, ready to rush over to his side, but Gramps waved her back. “No, Maria, he’ll be all right.” He spread the papers out on the table. They were written in Gramps’s messy handwriting, but in a language Maria couldn’t have read even if she could decipher his scribblings. “For now, we must prepare.”
She stopped and took a deep breath. One hand was on the hilt of her sword as she looked at the music box on the table next to the papers and the chest.
The dragon was right, Maria thought, the battle may be over, but the war is just beginning.
FINIS
Author Notes - Flint Maxwell
November 14, 2017
Wuuueeee! Another book finished! I hope you dug this volume of The Midwest Magic Chronicles. I had an absolute blast writing it, which, by the way, was the fastest I've ever written a book. As you can see, I was really into this one, and I like where the story is heading. So thank you so much for reading my work and following me this far in the series. I hope you'll continue to follow along because this journey is only going to get better and better as the characters grow and the stakes get higher.
With each book I finish, I reward myself by building a LEGO set. That's a new reward, but boy, is it working. You may have seen a photo of my most recent completion. It was Han Solo's Millennium Falcon, and it was the biggest set I've completed so far. I hope to get either the Taj Mahal, Big Ben clock tower, or the Tower Bridge set pretty soon and build one of those after I finish book 4 (which as you read this, I will be hard at work on).
The only sets I've finished have been Star Wars sets, but I think it's time to branch out. It's just that I freaking love Star Wars. I've seen every movie (yes, even the critically panned prequels) hundreds of times. In high school, I would always bring a Star Wars Insider magazine with me to study hall to read after I finished whatever homework I had. People poked fun at me for that, sometimes even the teachers, but I didn't care. Star Wars is awesome. The belief of the Jedi and the concept of some of the Force's teachings ("Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, and hate leads to suffering,") are meaningful. I believe we can all learn from those movies, TV shows, and novels how to be better people. It's definitely more than just lightsabers, aliens, and spaceships; it's a way of life.
As always, I'd like to thank you for reading this book, the series, and my other novels (if you haven’t read those, che
ck out the Jack Zombie series on Amazon! ;D). I'd also like to thank Martha Carr and Michael Anderle for the opportunity and guidance they've given me along this epic quest. I'd like to thank my editor Jen for putting up with my crap and telling me when something sucks (which I often need her to do). And a big thanks to Stephen Campbell for doing all the behind the scenes stuff, Andrew Dobell for the beautiful covers, and my family for being so supportive. You're all the best.
Author Notes - Martha Carr
November 15, 2017
Lois Lane, wonder dog is running back and forth right now, barking at the neighbor mowing his lawn. She was born deaf so it’s not a noise thing. I think she’d like to go say hello. Lois operates off the idea that she needs to greet everyone and if possible, lean up against you and look up with big green eyes until you rub her back. I admire how she does it so easily without having to process a bunch of crap about independence, or how does this make her look. She asks for what she needs and a lot of the time she gets it. My neighbor, however, is ignoring her at the moment. Not always successful but a pretty good system.
That’s helpful for me to see and Lois is often a good teacher about ‘just do it’, in general. The theme for me lately has been looking for help. The books are doing well, I’m still working full time, there are other authors that I’m collaborating with, like Flint Maxwell with his third big release coming at you, and on top of that I’m planning a move back to Chicago (my old hometown) in April or May. My ‘regular’s live there and it’s time to go home. But it’s a lot to carry on one plate and then have a life. You know, hang out, sit still, read a book, not answer a phone, an email, a text. Time to ask for help. Probably past time.
I’m lucky because right next to me is one of the best marketing people I know – the offspring! Louie Carr came to the convention with me and volunteered his services to do all of the live streaming to Facebook – sat there for hours at a stretch, front and center. I think he saw more of the speakers than anyone else in there! Now, he’s coming up with a plan to help raise the roof on this mother… literally (Jokes like these he will put the kibash on). That will leave me with more time to do things like, well, write and collaborate and help bring you great series like The Midwest Magic Chronicles. Did you like how I tied it all back together? Okay, time to pet the dog. She’s batting my arm away from the computer. Sure sign I’ve sat here long enough for now. Read on people and BIG THANK YOU as always for connecting with all of us in Oriceran like you do! More adventures to follow…
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