The Battle for Urth

by Lee Bacon

  My brain works to keep up with the pace of Kara’s words. “What’re you saying?”

  “I’m saying, the first time my dad came here, he walked through this door.” Kara points to the miniature wooden doorway. “Into this room. The Sorceress’s room. He’s a curious guy. He must’ve done some looking around. Which is how he found—”

  “Your necklace.” Understanding dawns on me. “The Chasing Charm.”

  “Exactly! He was the first person who came into contact with the necklace. He became the duck’s mommy!”

  “In a manner of speaking, yes.”

  “After that first visit to Heldstone, he returned to my world. He brought the necklace with him. And he gave it to me. By that point, he must’ve known it was magical.”

  I tilt my head. “What makes you think that?”

  “Because of something he told me.” Kara peers over my shoulder, as though looking into a memory from long ago. “ ‘If you keep this necklace with you, it’ll bring you closer to me.’ That’s what he said when he gave me the necklace. And that’s exactly what the Chasing Charm does. It leads me to him.”

  Sunlight streams into the Chamber of Wizardry through a colored-glass window. Outside, it must be mid-afternoon. The same time as Urth. As I stare into the red and blue beams of illumination, a realization stirs in my mind.

  “I don’t think any of this was an accident,” I say.

  Kara scrunches her brow. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, when you stumbled through the miniature door the first time…it wasn’t just a random event.”

  Kara casts a glance at the small wooden door beside us. “Of course it was. It’s not like I was looking for the door.”

  “Perhaps you weren’t,” I say. “But the Chasing Charm was.”

  “That’s impossible. I didn’t even have the necklace at the time. It was stuck in the waitress’s hat.”

  “Exactly.”

  Kara exhales loudly. “I think maybe you bumped your head back in Legendtopia, ’cause you’re not making any sense.”

  “A powerful Chasing Charm can use complex strategies for finding its master. Strategies that can even stretch beyond our own comprehension.”

  “Okay. And?”

  I take a breath and try a different approach. “Tell me again how you found the miniature doorway.”

  “I was hiding in the walk-in refrigerator.”

  “But why were you hiding?”

  “Because of the—”

  Kara’s jaw drops.

  “The necklace,” she whispers. “It got caught in the waitress’s hat. I went after it—”

  “And instead you found the door to my world.”

  Kara shakes her head slowly. “I figured it was a coincidence.”

  “The Chasing Charm wanted you to get up from your table. It wanted you to go after the waitress. On some level, it must’ve known that would set off a course of events that would lead here.”

  “But nothing’s that powerful!”

  I give Kara a long look. “What about the Sorceress? She was able to create an army of ruthless minions. To transform your entire town. To breathe life into ordinary objects and cause animals to talk. To brainwash people into becoming her loyal subjects.” I shudder at the magnitude of the Sorceress’s dark magic. “If she could do all that—in a single day—imagine the kind of spell she could cast on a Chasing Charm.”

  Kara stares at the little silver owl. A link to her father. And a relic of the Sorceress’s evil enchantment.

  I can see how troubling all this is. Placing a hand on her shoulder, I say, “At least we can take comfort in the knowledge that the Sorceress is dead.”

  A look of doubt creeps across Kara’s features. “I’m not so sure.”

  “There’s no way she survived the fire.”

  “I know what I saw. One second she was there, surrounded by flames. And the next—there was this…shadow.”

  I wave her suggestion away. “There was fire everywhere. And smoke. Your eyes were probably just playing tricks on you.”

  “Maybe you’re right,” Kara replies. But judging by her grim expression, I get the feeling she doesn’t believe it.

  “Let’s focus on the positive. We survived. We made it to Heldstone. Now we can begin the search for your father.”

  I reach into the pocket of my ash-covered pants and remove the scrap of parchment. My eyes fall on a couplet:

  People flocked, far and wide, to listen

  To the fantastical tales of the Elektro-Magician.

  “We know he’s been captured by the Thurphenwald tribe,” I say. “They’re keeping him as a carnival attraction.”

  “And we also have this.” Kara nods at the silver owl, its metal wings flapping at the end of its silver leash. “It’ll lead us to him.”

  “But first, we have more immediate concerns to deal with.”

  Kara clenches her jaw. “What’s more immediate than finding my dad?”

  “I’ve been missing for a full day now. My mother and father are probably worried sick. We can’t begin our search until I’ve assured them that I am safe. And as for you—”

  “What about me?”

  “You’re new to this world. How am I supposed to explain your presence?”

  Kara shrugs. “Maybe…maybe I can hide.”

  “It’s rather difficult to hunt down a nomadic tribe and hide at the same time. I’m afraid you have no choice. You will need to become a part of this world. Learn the customs. Blend in.”

  “I can do that.”

  “It’s not so simple,” I warn. “Of course, I was able to convince the inhabitants of your world that I was a completely normal twelve-year-old boy—”

  Kara snorts. “Nobody thought you were normal.”

  “Well, it’s going to be ten times as difficult for you. Trust me. Our mission will take longer. We’ll have to travel great distances to find your father. We’ll encounter strange creatures, unfamiliar cultures, perilous landscapes. And all along the way, you’ll need to convince everyone you meet that you’re a native of Heldstone. Because if anyone becomes suspicious—”

  “I know,” Kara says. “It’ll make it harder to find my dad.”

  “That’s correct.”

  Kara’s features harden with resolve. And even though neither of us speaks, I can tell we’re sharing the same thought….

  This is only the beginning of our journey.

  Don’t miss the next LEGENDTOPIA book, THE SHADOW QUEEN.

  Epic thanks go to the following:

  Sarah Burnes, my exceptional agent, for your thoughtful guidance and passion. And for recommending I reread The Magician’s Nephew. The White Witch is seriously scarier than I remember.

  Logan Garrison, for taking a chance on my first manuscript and being there ever since.

  Will Roberts and Rebecca Gardner, for sharing my books with the rest of the world, and everyone else at the Gernert Company.

  Wendy Loggia, my brilliant editor (on four books now!), for being my trusted guide in the dark and scary forest that stands between the first draft and the finished book.

  Beverly Horowitz, for the generous support and kind attention you’ve shown me and my books.

  Bobbie Ford, for sharing my books with booksellers—and your mom!

  The amazing team at Delacorte Press/Random House Children’s Books, in particular Krista Vitola, Nicole DuFort, Nicole Gastonguay, Adrienne Waintraub, Lisa McClatchy, Dandy Conway, Brenda Conway, Kate Sullivan, and Dominique Cimina.

  The unimpeachable copy editors, for making sure I use words like “unimpeachable” correctly.

  All the educators, librarians, principals, administrators, PTAs, and parents I’ve met doing school visits around the country. Your dedication to kids and reading is truly legendary.

  Independent booksellers, for your passion, commitment, and incredible love of books.

  Michael and Irmtrud Schlör; Karin Schlör and Kalle Geis; and Zenta Englert, for showing me a great
number of castles, even though I’m a little disappointed that we never came across any trolls, ogres, or dragons.

  My brother, Evan Bacon, for being an endless source of intelligence, creativity, and hilarity.

  My parents, Jamie and Terry Bacon, for providing me with an enchanted upbringing in which both education and imagination were encouraged.

  And finally, my wife, Eva Bacon, for trusting that I was a writer before I fully trusted it myself, for being German in your honesty and American in your encouragement, and for all the magic you’ve brought into my life.