Quest Chasers: The Screaming Mummy (A Magic Fantasy Adventure Book Series)

by Thomas Lockhaven

  It was a tender moment that had to be interrupted by Drew.... He handed the cover to Eevie, and the wind blew it against the fence. “It’s soaking wet, but I’m sure it will dry.”

  Eevie grabbed the cloth as if she were starving and it was the last scrap of food on the plate. “You found it! Thank you so much!”

  “OK, OK,” said Tommy, slightly annoyed. “Let’s go!”

  The three trekked to Tommy’s house, each barely able to contain the excitement of finding out what was hidden in the mysterious book.

  Eevie Has a Bright Idea

  After exchanging brief hellos with Tommy’s parents, the group escaped upstairs to his bedroom. “OK,” said Tommy, closing the door and smiling, “we’ve got a code to break!”

  “I’ll grab the astrolabe,” said Eevie while taking off her backpack. “I haven’t changed the positioning yet.”

  Eevie pulled the astrolabe out of her backpack and shook her head. “I hope this thing is rustproof. If not, I’ve probably just destroyed a thousand years of history by wrapping it in this soaking wet cloth.”

  “Egad, Pam would be mortified,” said Tommy, smiling.

  Eevie placed the wet cloth on the radiator to dry beside a pair of Tommy’s socks.

  “May I see it?” asked Drew while reaching for the astrolabe. “It looks like it was made from brass,” he said as he turned it over in his hands, “so it should be fine. Brass doesn’t rust. Only iron-bearing materials rust, so it should be fine.”

  “Iron Man’s nemesis, the common garden hose...,” laughed Tommy.

  “I don’t think Iron Man’s suit is actually made out of iron. I believe it’s made of Nitinol, a nickel-titanium alloy,” said Drew, shaking his head in disapproval.

  “Eevie,” said Tommy, smiling, “I think you’re safe—it appears that Drew is officially dating Wikipedia.”

  “OK, guys,” she replied with a sigh, “we don’t have a lot of time. Let’s try to break this code and figure out what the other symbols mean.”

  Tommy grabbed his laptop and the group settled together on the cool wooden floor.

  “I think we should start with the letters on the outer circle, just as they are presented on the astrolabe,” said Drew. “They are etched into the metal, so we know that they can’t change.”

  “I agree,” nodded Eevie, holding the astrolabe out so everyone could see. “Should we start with T? It’s the first letter after the word apex?”

  “I think so,” said Tommy as he opened a text document on his laptop. “It’s not like we have a starting point.”

  Eevie began to read the letters out loud—“T-D-E-W-G-V-B-J-K...”—as Tommy’s fingers flew across the keyboard.

  “Wait!” said Drew, startling his companions. “Eevie, may I see the astrolabe?”

  “Sure,” said Eevie, handing it to Drew.

  Drew placed the astrolabe on the floor, pulled out his phone, and opened the camera app. Leaning over the astrolabe, he expanded the resolution to 3X magnification. The edge of the outer circle filled his screen.

  “Look!” he said excitedly. “Eevie, you know how you rotated the second wheel to align the openings with the constellations? Well, there’s a small arrow beside the hole you lined up with the Cancer constellation.”

  “The arrow has a tiny letter A engraved into it. It points right at P—the P on the outer circle. Look!”

  Eevie leaned forward and, sure enough, she could see the arrow with a tiny letter A etched into the tip of the arrow.

  “I see it!” whispered Eevie excitedly.

  “So wait,” said Tommy, “before we give Drew the Genius of the Day lapel pin, let’s type out the letters starting at the A and then try aligning them with the astrolabe.”

  “Then we can try a sentence from the book to see if it works,” interjected Eevie.

  Tommy quickly typed out the alphabet into two rows.

  “OK, Eevie, I’m starting with the letter A, and if Drew is correct, then you should start with the letter P and then call out the letters clockwise.”

  “Got it.” Eevie nodded and began calling out the letters.

  A

  P

  B

  R

  C

  H

  D

  U

  E

  M

  F

  O

  G

  T

  H

  D

  I

  E

  J

  W

  K

  G

  L

  V

  M

  B

  N

  J

  O

  K

  P

  S

  Q

  Y

  R

  L

  S

  X

  T

  F

  U

  Z

  V

  A

  W

  I

  X

  N

  Y

  Q

  Z

  C

  Tommy leaned back from his laptop. “All right, Eevie,” he said excitedly, “grab the book!”

  Eevie quickly jumped up and grabbed the book from her backpack and opened it to the first page. The penmanship was immaculate. Eevie’s voice trembled with excitement as she read the first row of letters to Tommy.

  “H-L-M-P-F-M-X, space, P-J, space, K-L-R, space, K-O, space, V-E-T-D-F.”

  “OK, give me just a second to match up the letters,” said Tommy excitedly. “It’s working! It’s working! The first word is C-r-e-a-t-e-s!”

  “Awesome!” whispered Eevie, jumping to her feet. She could barely contain herself.

  “Next is a-n,” Tommy paused. “And then...o-r-b o-f l-i-g-h-t!”

  “Woah!” said Drew, looking from Eevie to Tommy. “It actually worked. Creates an orb of light! What does that even mean?” he asked, not really expecting an answer.

  “Try the next line,” urged Eevie eagerly.

  “OK, what’s the next set of letters?”

  “E-J-H-P-J-F-P-F-E-K-J, space, V-Z-H-E-X, space, K-L-R-M-B.”

  “OK, give me just a second.”

  The seconds seemed to take an eternity as Tommy mouthed out each letter.

  “I-n-c-a-n-t-a-t-i-o-n...” Tommy paused. “I’m not sure if this is right. It spells L-u-c-i-s O-r-b-e-m? Sounds like an accountant with really bad hair.”

  “Lucis Orbem must be some kind of spell, because it says incantation,” said Drew.

  “Lucis Orbem sounds Latin,” said Eevie.

  Tommy opened Google and clicked Google Translate, and then opened the Latin tab.

  “Lucis means Light...and Orbem means...”

  “Orbem. Orbem means Orb,” said Eevie hurriedly. “So, the first sentence describes the spell and the second sentence is the actual spell!”

  Tommy’s eyes met Eevie’s; he knew what she was thinking. She gave him a tiny nod.

  “Let’s finish deciphering this page, before we do anything else,” said Eevie.

  Drew looked at Eevie and Tommy, confused for a moment, but then nodded his head in agreement. They must know something that I don’t know.

  Eevie began reading the letters again. Tommy was already deciphering the code as she was reading aloud.

  “F-K, space, M-N-F-E-J-T-Z-E-P-D, space, F-D-M, space, V-E-T-D-F.”

  “T-o e-x-t-i-n-g-u-i-s-h t-h-e l-i-g-h-t,” breathed Tommy.

  “If it follows the same pattern, the next line will be the spell,” said Eevie.

  Eevie read out the final letters on the page.

  “E-J-H-P-J-F-P-F-E-K-J, space, M-N-F-E-J-H-F-E-B, space, K-L-R-M-B.”

  A moment later, Tommy read out, “Incantation...Extinctim Orbem!”

  “It’s the same pattern,” said
Drew. “Incantation, which means a spell, and Extinctim Orbem...my guess is, it makes the light go out? Like extinct or extinguish?”

  “Yep, you’re exactly right,” said Tommy as he looked at Google Translate. “Once again Drew has confirmed he’s in an exclusive relationship with Wikipedia. My condolences, Eevie.”

  “Wait, wait, wait,” said Drew, undeterred by Tommy’s jabs. “You just said the spell a minute ago and nothing happened. See: Lucis Orbem! Lucis Orbem! Extinctim Orbem! See, nothing.” Drew’s face was filled with disappointment.

  “What he doesn’t see,” said Tommy, “is some poor guy sitting in his kitchen in Kentucky, complaining that his lights keep going on and off.”

  “Oh my God,” Eevie snorted at Tommy’s joke.

  “Well, what good are spells if they don’t work? There’s nothing else on the page explaining what to do, and we have no idea what illuminates.”

  “I think that I might have an idea,” said Eevie, smiling mischievously at Drew. “Tommy,” said Eevie as she turned to face him, “lock your door.”

  Drew looked from Eevie to Tommy and back to Eevie. “Uhm, guys...,” said Drew hesitantly, “you’re acting a little weird.”

  “You’ll be fine,” said Tommy, placing his hand on Drew’s shoulder.”

  “Seriously,” said Drew, looking from Eevie to Tommy. “What’s going on?”

  “Drew, relax,” said Eevie reassuringly. “Listen, my grandfather left behind one more thing that we—well I—haven’t shown you yet. You just have to promise me that you will not freak out,” said Eevie. She turned serious. “Drew, for real...?”

  “I promise,” said Drew hesitantly.

  Eevie stretched out her arm and turned her palm toward the sky. She whispered the word “wand.”

  Instantly the wand appeared in the center of her hand. The red diamond tip pulsed.

  Drew immediately screamed in a high falsetto and threw himself backwards into Tommy’s bookshelf, burying himself in an avalanche of books and papers.

  OK, that’s what Tommy wished had happened. Instead, Drew’s head shot back, and then he exclaimed, “Awesome, Eevie! Your grandfather gave you a wand, an actual magic wand,” Drew said. “That is so cool! Now I understand!”

  The wand seemed to vibrate happily as if to say, “I like this human. Can we keep him?”

  “OK, OK,” said Tommy, looking bewildered. “What has happened to you two?” “Who has taken over my friends’ bodies and when are they coming back?”

  The wand vibrated again as if to say, “Hey, I don’t think the other guy was finished praising me. Please let him continue.”

  “Let’s try the spells!” Drew exclaimed eagerly.

  Eevie nodded, and her hand closed tightly around her wand. “Lucis Orbem!”

  Immediately a brilliant ball of white light emanated from the tip of the wand.

  “It worked,” whispered Tommy, stunned.

  Eevie wasn’t sure how or why she knew to do this, but she flicked her wrist and the ball of light flew to the corner of Tommy’s room, attaching itself and illuminating everything around it.

  She flicked her wand back toward her and immediately the light flew back to the wand.

  “How did you do that?” whispered Drew in amazement.

  “I’m not sure,” replied Eevie. “It just felt...right.”

  Eevie flicked her wrist again toward Tommy’s window. The ball of light flashed across the room and smooshed out like a radiant raindrop bathing the surface of the window and floor in light.

  “Extinctim Orbem,” Eevie whispered. The expansive ball of light constricted and flew back to Eevie’s wand—and vanished.

  “I don’t need you,” spoke Eevie softly. The wand vibrated and then disappeared into the palm of her hand.

  Everyone stood in rapt silence absorbing what had just happened. They had solved the first clue...but they still had no idea what Quest they were supposed to undertake.

  The silence was broken by two soft chimes. Drew jumped and grabbed at his pocket. “It’s 8:15, guys. I gotta get home.”

  Tommy nodded. “Eevie, can you leave the astrolabe with me tonight? I want to see if I can figure out what the other symbols mean. I’ll Skype you and Drew the code, so we each have a copy.”

  “Sure,” said Eevie as she put on her coat and gloves. Tommy’s eyes traveled to his window, where just a moment earlier the sticky white glow of light had filled his eyes. Just below the ledge of his window, three shallow black grooves were a constant reminder of his brutal attack. The monster’s blood had seared the wood like drops of acid. Tommy shuddered. He wouldn’t dare divulge to his friends how many nights he had awoken in a cold sweat—gasping for air.

  “Tommy? Tommy, you OK?” Eevie was touching his shoulder.

  “Yeah, I’m fine,” said Tommy, nodding. “I was just thinking about the clues. Sorry.”

  The group walked down the stairs to the front door in silence.

  “Mom, Dad, I’m walking Eevie home. I’ll be right back,” shouted Tommy.

  “OK,” said Tommy’s mom. “Come straight back.”

  “I will,” said Tommy, closing the door.

  The moon shone down on the trio, casting long, inky shadows over the snow. Skeletal trees stretched skyward like bony fingers reaching for the stars.

  “I’m going to try to decipher more of the book tonight,” said Eevie, already envisioning herself decoding page after page. Eevie turned to Drew. “If you want, I’ll take some pictures of some of the pages and text them to you, so you can help decode the book too.”

  “OK, cool,” said Drew enthusiastically. “I can’t wait!”

  They reached the corner of Cottonwood Avenue. Drew stopped and turned toward Tommy and Eevie. “Look, guys, I know I wouldn’t have been your first choice to help you, but...”

  Tommy cut Drew off. “Drew,” he said smiling, “you would be our only choice.”

  Inside, Eevie’s heart bounced. Who knew that Tommy could actually say something endearing?

  Drew paused and took in what Tommy had said. He didn’t have a lot of friends, and like it or not, that was one of the kindest things anyone had ever said to him. “Thanks, Tommy. Thanks, Eevie. See you guys tomorrow.”

  “Good night, Drew,” said Tommy and Eevie in unison, and then they turned and headed toward Eevie’s house.

  Pam Leads Them in the Right Direction

  Eevie lay in her bed reading Percy Jackson, The Lightning Thief. Well, that’s what she wanted everyone to think she was reading. Eevie actually had hidden the spell book under the Lightning Thief cover.

  She paused and flipped through the pages, stopping about halfway through the book. Using her phone, she took pictures of several pages of spells, and then she took photos of some of the pages that pictured a variety of plants. She uploaded them to her Google Drive, and then sent the link to Drew.

  We’ll figure everything out, Grandpa. Eevie’s smile froze on her face. She slowly raised her eyes from her book.

  Someone was staring at her through the window.

  Eevie’s breath caught in her throat as the shadowy figure’s breath misted over the glass. Then, a bony finger traced a strange symbol into the condensation.

  “Wand!” screamed Eevie. The wand instantly appeared in her hand.

  “Lucis Orbem,” she cried out, thrusting the wand toward the window. Eevie could see the surprised look on the creature’s face as the ball of light hurled toward the window, illuminating his black soulless eyes. An evil, disgusting grin filled his face, and just like that, he vanished into the night.

  Eevie barely had enough time to whisper “I don’t need you” before her father exploded into her room.

  “Eevie,” he yelled, “what’s wrong?” He stared at Eevie. All of the color had drained from her face and lips.

  Eevie stood trembling, staring at the window. The light from the moon shone through the hand-drawn symbol, recreating it on her des
k.

  “Someone was staring in my window!” she exclaimed, her voice shaking uncontrollably.

  Eevie’s father raced down the hallway, grabbing a flashlight and jamming bare feet into snow boots as he rushed through the front door. He slid precariously across the porch and jumped down onto the snow. His head wheeled from side to side, and he could see footsteps leading to and away from Eevie’s window. Someone had definitely been looking into Eevie’s room.

  Eevie’s father followed the footprints from her window to the street. A chaotic agglomeration of footprints and tire prints were mixed together; no way could he determine which way the person went.

  Eevie’s father gripped the Maglite tightly and returned back to the house. He cautiously circled the perimeter, searching every bush and every shadow.

  Eevie’s mom stood with her in the doorway, her arms wrapped protectively around her daughter’s shoulders. Eevie’s father reappeared, his face filled with worry.

  “Eevie,” he said, stepping into the house, “there are boot tracks leading from your window to the street. Are you sure you didn’t get a good look at him?”

  “No, he ran when I screamed,” she lied.

  Her heart sank; she hated having to lie to her parents. Inside she knew if her parents found out who it really was, they would never let her out of the house again—especially if they realized it was the same person who had attacked Tommy.

  “They never caught the person that broke into Tommy’s house,” said her father, as if reading her mind. Eevie looked at her father, whose eyes burned into hers. She knew he was trying to figure out what to do.

  “Maybe it was one of the neighborhood kids trying to scare me,” offered Eevie. “I mean, he did run away as soon as I screamed.”

  “Shouldn’t we call the police, Michael,” asked Eevie’s mom, “and at least alert them? If there is a crazy person out there, we at least owe it to our neighbors to make the police aware.”

  Eevie’s dad nodded in agreement. “I’ll go call them now...”

  Eevie’s heart dropped. Her parents were already reluctant about letting her go out at night...now it would be nearly impossible.

  It was a full hour before Eevie’s parents finally let her be by herself. She had given a carefully worded report to the police, and they had assured her parents that they would be monitoring the neighborhood for the rest of the night.