The Nowhere Emporium

by Ross Mackenzie

  “I don’t get it … wrecking the fountain … you’re speeding things up, killing the Emporium. Why?”

  “Back when we were walking together,” said Sharpe, “you asked me what Lucien was running from. What could possibly frighten him enough that he spent his whole life looking over his shoulder, always ready to flee to the next town, the next city, the next window in time…” Sharpe brushed a hand over his neat silver hair, ran his fingers over his moustache. “The answer, boy, is that Lucien Silver was running – is still running – from me.”

  Daniel heard the words, but he could not make sense of them.

  “Why?”

  Sharpe moistened his lips with his tongue. He lifted up the Book of Wonders.

  “The book?” said Daniel. “That’s what all of this is about? So if you’ve got it, why are you still here? Why haven’t you just taken it away?”

  “It’s not quite as simple as that. A magician cannot steal a magical object from another of his kind. The bond between the creation and the creator is too intense. If I walk out of here with the book, it will not work for me as fully as I desire. No, for the Book of Wonders to truly be mine, I must either win it from Lucien, or he must pass it to me with his blessing. The latter is never going to happen. So I have no choice but to take the book through more … aggressive measures.

  “I have been chasing for many years, boy, and each time I come close, each time I can feel the book, smell it, Lucien wriggles away. Not this time. Something is different. He is weak. I found him easily.” At this Sharpe spat on the frost. “You can see how he has reacted, running away like the weasel he has always been.”

  “You hoped I’d lead you to him,” Daniel said, “so you could … what? Kill him?”

  Sharpe smiled an affable smile. “That’s about the size of it,” he said. “But seeing as you failed in spectacular fashion to locate him, I turned to other means. I knew that there must be a weakness somewhere in the Emporium, and that I could find it in the book.” He opened his arms. “And here we are. The Fountain. Lucien has been relying on the imagination of his customers to keep the place running. He is weaker than I thought. He no longer has any customers. And now that the fountain is no more, the Emporium will crumble much more quickly.

  “Lucien has a choice. He can either stay in his hole like a rodent and die with this place, or he can come out, come out, wherever he is, and face me. Either way, the Book of Wonders will be mine.” He nodded to Daniel. “You have talent, a connection with the book that could be very useful. The end of the Emporium need not be the end of your journey. I could help you become great.”

  “Help me like you helped Mr Silver?” said Daniel. “No thanks. I don’t fancy a knife in the back.”

  Sharpe shrugged his wide shoulders and said, “Lucien has nobody to blame but himself. His actions, his cowardice, sealed his fate. The choice is yours. Stay here and wait for the Emporium to die. Go down with the ship. Or learn from the best, and open up a new world of possibilities.”

  Daniel returned the cold stare, trying with all of his might to hide the fear coursing through him. The enormity of his mistake was hitting him hard. He had invited Sharpe in. He had handed over the Book of Wonders.

  Every cell in his body was telling him to turn and run.

  But Daniel did not run away. He stepped forward.

  “You … you think I could be great?” he said.

  Sharpe leaned his head a little to one side, as if sizing him up.

  “I think that, together, we could discover secrets about the book that even Lucien does not know.”

  Daniel took another step forward, his heart thundering. His eyes flicked to the book, but only for half a second.

  Just a little closer.

  “How can the book have secrets from Mr Silver?” Daniel asked.

  “Magic has its mysteries, my boy … even for the best of us…”

  From somewhere behind him, Daniel heard the call of a magpie.

  Sharpe looked away only for a moment, but it was enough.

  Daniel snatched the book from his hands and spun away through the frost towards the doorway. He didn’t dare look back as he ran.

  What next? Where to go? He almost tripped over his own feet. A few more steps … just a few more…

  A strong hand grabbed at his hair, snapped him backwards with such force that his feet left the frosted ground. When he landed, there was no time to react. Sharpe stood over him, sneering. He grabbed him again by the hair and dragged him up. Then, a look of mad fury on his face, Sharpe reared back and struck Daniel across the mouth.

  The world blurred at the edges. Daniel stumbled to his knees, blood pooling in his mouth. Sharpe was stalking towards him like a big cat. He was enjoying himself. Daniel backed away, still on his knees.

  “You’ll never find him,” he said, clutching the Book of Wonders to his chest. “Nobody will find him if he doesn’t want to be found.”

  Sharpe nodded. “Then I’ll wait,” he said, “until this place falls apart and takes him with it. But I will win.”

  He raised his great hand again.

  Daniel cringed, waiting for the next blow to arrive. But before he could connect, the magpies swooped down upon Sharpe, pecking at his eyes, crying out with chattering screeches.

  Daniel knew that the birds were calling to him, Run away! Take the book to safety! But he was dazed, unable to do anything but watch Sharpe flail and curse.

  Sharpe, who had been staggering backwards, grabbed one of the magpies as it arrowed towards his face. It wriggled and called out as he tightened his grip around it and slammed it to the ground with a sickening crack. Then he lifted his foot and brought it down with all of his strength and weight, crushing the delicate metal bird beneath the sole of his shining black shoe.

  “No!” Daniel wanted to run at Sharpe, to jump at him and hurt him.

  Sharpe looked up, dragging his gaze from the shimmering carcass of the magpie, and Daniel felt a jolt of ice in his spine.

  The second magpie continued to attack, buying Daniel moments. He glanced at the book in his hands, turned, and began to run.

  The frost was slippery beneath his feet as he dashed to the door. Before he was through, he heard Sharpe call out, “You can’t hide forever, Daniel Holmes. Sooner or later, I will find you, and when I do, I will take back my book! The only way I’ll leave without it is in a coffin!”

  CHAPTER 28

  REUNITED

  The wings of the surviving magpie flashed in the darkness as Daniel raced through the passageways. His fingers gripped the Book of Wonders tight. He did not know or care where the bird was leading him, so long as it was away from Sharpe.

  Everything seemed darker than before; the shadows were deeper and the silence suffocating. Again and again Daniel thought he saw something shifting in the gloom; he imagined Sharpe posing as a statue, detaching from the shadows to make a grab for the book.

  What now? What could be done to stop a madman? How much time was there to save the Emporium now that the fountain was gone? And what could he do about it alone?

  The sound of splashing from around the next corner stopped Daniel dead. Steep steps led to a flooded passageway. The water was waist-deep. Shattered diamonds of light sparkled on the dark surface, cast from the lamps lining the walls, some of which were still lit. A lone figure was wading through the water towards him.

  “Ha ha! Ellie!”

  He felt such relief that he actually laughed out loud.

  He crashed down the stairs, slipping under the surface for a moment, taking in an unpleasant gulp of salty water, which shot out of his nose as he coughed and spluttered.

  “Ellie! It’s me!”

  Ellie, who had been staring into the water as she waded, looked up. Her eyes grew wide.

  “Daniel!” she cried. “I’ve been looking all over for you since our search party got back. The place is in ruins! I’ve just come from the hospital. The staff are in a bad way. Caleb told me you’d rushed off.” S
he paused, and stared at Daniel’s bloodied face. “What happened to you?”

  “There’s so much to tell you,” said Daniel. “I’m pretty sure your father is alive, and he’s in the Emporium.” Daniel told her about Sharpe’s idea of using the book to find Silver, and how it had backfired. “I think it was a message,” he said. “Your father doesn’t want to be found.”

  “But he’s alive!” said Ellie, hopping on the spot. “Thank you, Daniel! I couldn’t stop picturing him dying all alone in some dark corner.” She hugged Daniel tight, and then she broke away, looking serious. “He’s still ill, though, isn’t he? The Emporium’s falling apart. He can’t hold it all together. So why doesn’t he want us to find him?”

  “It’s not us he’s hiding from, Ellie,” said Daniel. “It’s Sharpe. You were right about him all along. He’s dangerous.” Daniel took a deep breath. “He wants to kill your papa.”

  “He what?”

  “Kill him, and steal the Book of Wonders. That’s why he’s here. He’s been chasing Mr Silver for a long time. He’s obsessed with the book! He’ll do anything to have it. And the book won’t work properly for him unless Mr Silver hands it over, or Sharpe beats him for it. It’s the reason your father makes the Emporium move around so much – he’s running away! I think that’s why people from outside can’t see you. It’s your papa’s way of protecting you. I’ll bet it’s the reason he won’t let you leave the shop too. It’s all to keep you safe from Sharpe.”

  Ellie’s mouth moved wordlessly before she found her voice. “How do you know all this?”

  “Sharpe told me so himself,” said Daniel. And the story began to spill out of him: how the magpies had led him to the fountain; how he’d only just escaped with his life after stealing back the book; how one of the birds had not been so lucky.

  Ellie’s hand went to her mouth. “He wrecked the fountain? And he did that to you?” She pointed to Daniel’s swollen lip. He could still taste the blood, and the saltwater nipped at the wound.

  “I’m sorry,” said Daniel. “I’ve messed everything up. I should never have let him in. All I ever wanted to do was help. I don’t want to lose the Emporium, or Mr Silver, or you.”

  To his surprise, Ellie smiled her crooked smile.

  “All that matters now is what we do next. We can still turn things around.”

  Daniel thought for a moment.

  “If we can get rid of Sharpe,” he said, “I reckon Mr Silver will come back.”

  “Why didn’t Papa just stand up to him in the first place?”

  Daniel knew what Ellie was thinking: that Mr Silver was a coward. He’d even thought the same himself at first.

  “I don’t think it’s as simple as that. Your papa is weak. All the years of running the Emporium on his own have taken his strength away. I think he knew what was coming. He could sense Sharpe getting close, and he knew he wasn’t strong enough to fight.”

  “That would explain the unicorn blood!” said Ellie. “It was desperation. A last attempt to get some of his strength back so that he could get rid of Sharpe.”

  “I think so,” said Daniel. “Only something went wrong.”

  Ellie stroked the walls of the Emporium. “All these years I was sure he was keeping me in the shop so he wouldn’t be lonely. I was always so angry at him.”

  “He’s been protecting you. It’s what they do, mums and dads.”

  “So what do we do?” said Ellie. “How can we get rid of Sharpe?”

  “Everyone’s got a weak spot,” said Daniel thoughtfully. “We’ve got to find Sharpe’s.”

  “But how? It’s not like we can go and have a chat with him, is it? Get his life story over a nice cup of tea and some empire biscuits? He’s dangerous!”

  Life story…

  The words echoed in Daniel’s ears. He stared at the book, and began to flip through the pages, gathering speed as the idea properly formed. He heard Mr Silver’s voice, far off on the horizon of his memory, from his very first lesson:

  “I am a fan of stories. A collector. And there is no greater story than that of life. The Library of Souls holds on its many shelves the life story of everyone who has ever lived, everyone who will ever live.”

  Daniel stopped flipping. And there it was, staring back at him from the page in all of its dark, impossible glory. He flashed Ellie a clever smile.

  “Who says we need to talk to Vindictus Sharpe to find out about his past?” he said. “This is the Nowhere Emporium, Ellie! Follow me.”

  CHAPTER 29

  STOLEN

  Edinburgh, July 1897

  Michelle Sharpe giggled as she walked arm in arm with Lucien through the Emporium’s growing number of corridors.

  “What have you made for me this time?” she said. “It cannot be more beautiful than the Crystal Lake.”

  Lucien allowed himself a smile. He had created a new Wonder for Michelle every evening since they had met. One door led to a room made entirely from velvet-smooth chocolate. Another revealed a trek through the branches of an enormous Christmas tree, the aromas of roasting goose, spiced mincemeat and coal dust dancing in the air. It had taken him all evening to create the music mine – a vast cavern dotted with brightly coloured jewels that filled the air with beautiful melodies when they were plucked from the walls.

  Lucien led her up a staircase to a solitary door.

  “What is it?” she asked.

  “Open it and find out,” he said.

  She reached for the handle, opened the door, and took a few hesitant steps into the room beyond.

  “It’s a garden,” she said, barely able to speak through her amazement.

  She was right. It was a garden, an overgrown wilderness of plants and flowers and trees. But every petal of every flower was made of fire. The world inside this impossible room was dark, lit only by the flicker from the flaming plants – blues and greens, reds, yellows, oranges.

  “It’s a fire garden,” said Lucien. “I thought of you when I made it.” He blushed as she turned and stared into his grey eyes.

  “It’s perfect,” she whispered, and she began to wander around the garden.

  Lucien watched. “You can touch the flames if you like. They won’t burn.”

  Michelle reached up, touching her fingertips to the flaming blossom of a tree. Burning cinders fell to the ground, but her skin did not burn, and she laughed and stared around like a child.

  “I have a surprise for you,” Lucien said.

  “Another surprise?”

  He took her arm, led her through an archway of creeping ivy to a clearing surrounded by apple trees, each apple a ball of softly glowing fire. In the centre of the clearing sat a table loaded with food.

  Lucien pulled out a chair for Michelle, keeping a keen eye on her as she sat.

  “Is something the matter?” he asked. “You look a little sad.”

  She shook her head and smiled. “How could I be sad in a place like this?” Then she nodded to the feast. “May I try something? It all looks so delicious.”

  They began to eat, talking, as they loved to do, about running away together to desert islands and exotic cities where nobody would ever find them.

  “Another drink,” said Michelle, and she stood and poured two large glasses of wine, handing one to Lucien. She raised her glass. “To you, Lucien. And your wondrous Emporium.”

  Lucien clinked his glass against hers, and took a long sip of the wine.

  He knew something was wrong at once. The garden began to spin and blur around him. A distant, echoing ring filled his head, and he saw nothing but blurred streaks of fire. He dropped his glass and it shattered on the grass, wine spilling like blood. Lucien grasped at the table as the corners of his vision faded to black. The darkness began to close in around him. He was falling.

  The last thing he saw before he hit the floor was Michelle, his broken vision fragmenting her face into many pieces. He reached out for her. She did nothing but watch.

  ***

  Lucien w
as wakened by a slow, rhythmic pounding in his head. He screwed up his eyes to the surrounding fire-plants, grabbed hold of the table, and hoisted himself up. He did not know how long he had been unconscious. Every bit of him ached.

  The table lay as he remembered: there were half finished plates of food and Michelle’s wine glass lay empty beside her plate. Lucien’s glass popped and snapped beneath his feet as he stumbled around.

  Nothing made sense. What had happened? Where was Michelle?

  The mist in his mind began to thin. A thought struck him. Dread choked him as he reached slowly into his coat pocket – to the place he kept the Book of Wonders.

  His fingers found nothing but material.

  His pocket was empty.

  More to the point, someone had emptied it.

  Michelle was gone. She had taken the Book of Wonders with her.

  CHAPTER 30

  THE LIBRARY OF SOULS

  High in the Emporium’s twisting corridors, Daniel and Ellie stood before a doorway in the midnight brick. Cracks were crawling along the walls even as they arrived.

  The door swung open. Daniel felt a cool breath of air on his face, and a familiar, earthy scent lingered. The door led to a set of wooden steps. The steps opened up to a vast cavern filled with a calm black lake. All around, huge shapes stood in the water, monstrous shadows reaching towards a ceiling that might have been miles above.

  A twinkle of light flickered somewhere in the gloom. Then another. And another. Gas lamps were glinting to life all around, blinking stars in the great darkness. The light was weak, but the darkness receded a little, and the giants in the water were visible for the first time.

  They were bookcases.

  When he had walked the streets of Manhattan, Daniel had often thought the tall buildings resembled great canyons of concrete and glass. The bookcases in this library were as tall as many of those buildings. Some of them stood in regimented rows, linked by bridges and stairways. Others took more interesting forms – spirals, pyramids and irregular mountains erupting from the black-mirrored surface.