Chase Tinker and the HOUSE OF DESTINY

by Malia Ann Haberman

  Nori gave her a small half-smile.

  Ben looked as though he wanted to argue more, but then he shook his head and slumped back in his chair.

  Chase watched the exchange between the girls. Nori and Persephone hadn't spoken to each other since the greenhouse debacle. He hoped this mission would help mend their friendship. It would be great if it helped all of them get back to being friends. He turned to Grandfather. "So, Grandfather, do you know where this meadow room is?"

  "I'm sorry, I don't," said Grandfather. "It is an extremely large house, after all. How did you find it the last time?"

  "The flying carpet flew me in there."

  "Flying carpet?" said Alex, choking on some cookie crumbs. "You have a carpet that flies you about?"

  "It only works in the house," Andy piped in, "but I haven't seen it for a while."

  "You think it can help us find the room again?" said Persephone.

  "It might," said Grandfather, "although you shouldn't count on it. I don't know why it revealed this particular room to Chase, but since it isn't a regular magical room, you'll most likely have to find it again on your own. Even the teleporting treasure chests can't help."

  Chase nibbled on the inside of his lower lip. "Crap! I wish I could remember."

  "What part of the house were you in?" asked Nori.

  "Beats me," Chase answered, shrugging. "I'd only been here a day when it happened. But, come to think of it, the doorway wasn't like all the rest. It was round."

  "Then that's what we'll look for. And I think we should go right now," said Nori as she headed for the door. "You coming, Alex?"

  "I don't think he—" began Chase.

  Nori whirled to glare at him.

  "—should be left behind," Chase finished quickly. "Okay, let's go." Brushing past Nori, he stomped out into the hall. The other kids rushed after him.

  They gathered in a circle. "So, what's the plan?" asked Andy.

  "I wish the flying carpet would show up," said Chase, "but like Grandfather said, we can't count on it. I think it'll go quicker if we split up. Andy, you and the girls go check that side of the house." He pointed down the hall toward the kitchen. "And don't stop to eat anything. Alex and I will take the other side."

  "Wait a minute," said Nori. "You and Alex?"

  Persephone and Andy also looked like they thought this was a bad idea. "Are you sure?" said Persephone. "I can go with you instead."

  "Nah. It's time Alex and I got to know each other better," said Chase.

  "I don't—" Nori began.

  "I'll be okay," cut in Alex. "I think Chase and I can be together for a bit without strangling each other, can't we?" He raised his eyebrows at Chase.

  Chase nodded as he returned the eyebrow raise. "You bet." He rubbed his hands together. "So, let's meet back here in an hour and compare notes. If it hasn't been found, we'll head out and try again."

  As they climbed a staircase to the second floor, Chase glanced at Alex out of the corner of his eye. Alex appeared relaxed, not in the least bit worried about being alone with Chase.

  "Do you have any idea where we should look first?" Alex asked.

  "I dunno," said Chase, sighing. "It could be on any floor."

  For several minutes neither boy said anything as they walked down hallways, checking for round doorways. Finally, Chase had to break the silence. "You like my cousin a lot, huh?"

  Alex blinked. "Er, yeah. She's fantastic. And beautiful."

  Chase turned around to walk backward in front of Alex so he could look the other boy in the eyes. "You better not hurt her."

  "I would never do that. I care for her very much."

  "She's already been through enough," said Chase. "What with losing her dad and then her mom being sick."

  Alex nodded. "I understand your concerns, and I hate to say this, but I do admire you for standing up for her."

  "Of course I would," said Chase, looking indignant. "She's my cousin." He opened his mouth to say more, but tripped over the edge of something and toppled back. His arms and legs flailing, he landed right on a small red carpet. It jumped up and zipped down the hallway. "Whoa!" yelled Chase, grabbing onto the edges. He watched Alex goggling at him until the carpet darted around a corner.

  "Hey! Wait up!" hollered Alex as he ran after Chase.

  Chase and the carpet rocketed down a hallway and up a u-shaped staircase. The carpet was moving so fast, Chase didn't dare let go long enough to flip around and at least see where he was going. All he could do was hang on for dear life.

  "Chase! Which way did you go?" shouted Alex.

  "I'm up this way!" Chase's voice echoed down the stairs.

  It didn't take long for a dark-purple cloud to catch up to the racing carpet. Not to be outdone, the carpet sped up. It careened up and down more hallways and staircases. Chase's stomach rolled every time it flew around a corner.

  Abruptly, the carpet skidded to a stop. Chase somersaulted off and splatted upside down, face-first against the wall. Toppling to the floor, he lay sprawled there with the world spinning around him. The purple cloud swirled and transformed into human-Alex, while the carpet swung around and zipped away.

  Chase blinked, trying to clear his blurry vision. "Oh good. Now there's only one of you," he choked out.

  "Don't move!" Alex said. "Something might be broken, or you might have a concussion."

  Chase ran his hands up and down his body. "I think I'm okay." He patted his face to make sure his nose was still where it was supposed to be. "Help me up."

  Alex grabbed Chase's arm and hauled him to his feet. "So, that's the famous flying carpet?"

  Chase nodded. "I guess I should be more careful what I wish for."

  "Why do you reckon it brought you here?" said Alex as he glanced around. "I don't see any round doorways. Or maybe…" He stepped closer to the wall and squinted at a hole about the size of a quarter. "What do you suppose this is?"

  Chase squinted at the wall. "Can you see anything through it?"

  Alex stood on his tiptoes and pressed his eye against the hole. "It's sort of glowy, and I think I see flowers." He turned to stare at Chase. "I believe we've found it."

  Chase frowned. "But how the heck do we get in there? If this is the meadow room, that hole was a lot bigger the last time I was here."

  Alex studied the small opening again. Sticking two of his fingers into it, he hooked them around the edge and gave a hard yank. The hole stretched to the size of a baseball.

  "Hey!" exclaimed Chase. "How'd you know to do that?"

  Alex shrugged. "In this house, it just seemed like the best way to make a bigger hole."

  "Good thinking."

  "Come on. Let's pull on it together and see what happens."

  They each hooked their fingers into the gap and pulled. It stretched a little more, and then more. After a minute, the opening was big enough to crawl through.

  Alex waved his hand at the round doorway. "After you."

  Chase grabbed the edge and hoisted himself up onto his stomach. He pushed himself the rest of the way through and flopped onto thick green grass. "Ooph!"

  Alex landed lightly beside him.

  "Yuck!" said Chase, spitting out the daisy that had somehow ended up in his mouth. He climbed to his feet and looked around. The place was exactly the way he remembered: tall grass, colorful flowers and…no fairies. Where were all the fairies? Brushing his palms down the front of his t-shirt, he started across the meadow.

  "I don't see any fairies," said Alex as he trailed close behind. "Are you sure you saw them the last time you were here?"

  "I'd like to think I did."

  Something zipped in front of Chase's face. It buzzed around his head and tweaked his ear. Alex pointed at the five-inch woman with silver and gold wings, now fluttering in circles in front of them.

  "Hey! It's a real live fairy!" Chase exclaimed. "I didn't imagine you."

  The boys couldn't take their ey
es off the tiny, sparkling being. She wore a dress made of yellow flower petals and her heart-shaped face was surrounded by sapphire-blue hair.

  "We don't mean to bother you," said Chase. "Is it okay for us to be here?"

  Nodding, the fairy crooked her finger and waggled it for them to follow her.

  Chase swished his hand at her. "Okay, Miss, uh, Fairy. Lead the way."

  The fairy whirled and zipped away.

  "I wonder why she won't speak to us," said Alex.

  "We probably look big and scary to her," Chase said as he and Alex dashed after her. They followed her to a cluster of maple trees, weeping willows, and flowery bushes in a corner of the room. She disappeared into the leafy foliage.

  Chase paused and took a deep breath before brushing aside the weeping willow's long, slender branches. He and Alex stepped into a whole different world. Both boys blinked and gazed around.

  "Wow!" breathed Chase.

  "Yeah," agreed Alex.

  Chase had seen some pretty incredible things since coming to the Tinker house, but at the moment, he was having a hard time believing he was seeing this. The smooth floor was made of what looked like real gold, with sparkling rubies and emeralds embedded into it. It was so shiny, Chase wasn't sure if he should walk on it. Multi-colored twinkling lights filled the myriad of branches and turned the place into—well, into a beautiful fairyland. Dozens of small green and brown houses, each shaped a little differently, hung from the tree branches. A number of tiny faces peered from the windows. Chase felt like he and Alex were a couple of giant, clumsy lumberjacks.

  The fairy they'd been following buzzed in front of them as she pointed at a round nook carved into the weeping willow's trunk. The boys slowly approached the alcove. It was decorated with streamers made from flowers and shimmering diamonds. A glowing fairy with wavy, jet-black hair sat there on a golden throne.

  "It looks like we're meeting the fairy queen," Alex whispered into Chase's ear.

  "What do I call her?" Chase whispered back. "Your majestiness?"

  "How should I know?" grumbled Alex. "I've never met a fairy before today, either!"

  The fairy beckoned Chase to come nearer. Gulping, he sidled across the floor. He bent down until his face was so close to hers, he could tell her eyes were lavender.

  Before he had a chance to say hello, her tiny hand shot out and smacked him on the nose.

  "What took you so long?" she yelled.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Fairy Tales

  Chase lurched back and bumped into Alex. "Wh-what?"

  "She said, 'what took you so long?'" Alex whispered. "Don't you understand fairy talk?"

  Before Chase had a chance to gather his thoughts enough to tell Alex he certainly did, the queen spread her sparkling, gold-and-silver wings and rose from her throne. Looking regal and intimidating, she soared through the fairy village. Her flowing white gown rustled softly as she flew past the boys.

  "Come!" she said in a commanding voice. She flicked her finger at Chase and Alex, then disappeared through the weeping willow's long branches. The blue-haired fairy darted after her.

  Another fairy flew in front of Chase's gaping face. Dressed in bright-pink petals, she was plump and had a long, gray braid hanging over one of her shoulders. She motioned for Chase and Alex to move along. "No time for dilly-dallying, you two. Mustn't keep Queen Azalea waiting." She buzzed around Chase's head and tugged on a lock of his hair. "And mind your manners!"

  "Yes, ma'am," said Chase.

  The boys hurried back out to the meadow, with the gray-haired fairy following close. She made Chase feel like a first-grader again. Queen Azalea was waiting for them on a large tree stump in a glade dotted with white and yellow daisies. Several smaller stumps surrounded the larger one.

  The blue-haired fairy buzzed around Chase's head again. "Don't worry. The queen's much nicer than she looks," she whispered into his ear.

  "You can talk!" exclaimed Chase.

  "Well of course I can," she said. "Sometimes I don't feel like it, is all."

  "But why—"

  "Hmpf!" the plump fairy cut in. "Seems like all you do is talk, missy!"

  "Gladiola!" said the blue-haired fairy. "I'm just being polite."

  "Being a nuisance is more like it," said Gladiola with a sniff.

  "My name's Poppy," said the blue-haired fairy. She fluttered in front of Alex and gave him a shy smile. "In case you were wondering."

  Gladiola shooed her away. "Get on with you, fairy girl."

  Poppy stuck her tongue out at the older fairy, then zipped over to stand beside Queen Azalea.

  "Tsk! Tsk!" said Gladiola. "That child will be the death of me. We're the queen's fairies-in-waiting, you know. I'm training Poppy on all her important duties."

  "Yep. Fairies-in-waiting. What else would you be?" mumbled Chase as he and Alex stumbled through the tall grass and plopped down onto a couple of small stumps.

  Queen Azalea waved her hand, and a fairy-sized table and several chairs popped onto the top of the large stump. The table was loaded with tiny sandwiches and cakes, teacups, and a teapot that had green steam streaming from its spout.

  "Please tell me which Tinker I am addressing?" said Queen Azalea, while seating herself, and Poppy and Gladiola filled plates and poured tea.

  "I'm, uh, Chase, and I'll be the next Keeper of the House when—when it's time. And this is Alex, my…" Chase's eyes met Alex's. They both knew it probably wouldn't be a good idea to tell the fairies Alex was related to one of the most despicable families on the planet. Chase cleared his throat before continuing. "…friend. He helped me find your meadow room again."

  Poppy set teacups in front of the boys. She winked at Alex before scurrying back to the table to get some sandwiches for them. Chase eyeballed his teacup. It was so small it wasn't possible for it to have more than a drop in it. Knowing the polite thing to do would be to attempt to drink from it, he carefully picked the cup up between his thumb and forefinger. As he lifted it to his lips—pop—it transformed into a human-sized cup. Jumping, he managed to keep the contents from spilling onto his shirt and shorts. He took a quick gulp. "Mm, tastes like root beer," he said, surprised.

  "No, chocolate," said Alex, after taking a drink from his own cup. He smacked his lips. "With a touch of cinnamon. My favorite."

  "Now, on to business!" said Queen Azalea. "We need your help."

  Chase leaned forward. "That's why we're here," he said eagerly. "My grandfather thinks this room is a portal to the other magical communities."

  The queen gave a sharp nod. "He is correct, and we are its guardians. We use it to keep the other magical people and creatures updated on all the important news and happenings within our quite large community. But, something is terribly wrong. We've become too frightened to leave here." She paused and took a deep breath. "Over a year ago, I sent my nephew Leaf and his friend River to the elves to tell my good friend Princess Serena I would be a little late for my yearly visit."

  "River and Leaf?" said Chase, frowning.

  "We like to name ourselves after flowers and other nature things," piped in Poppy.

  "Shh!" hissed Gladiola out of the corner of her mouth. "Let the queen speak, for heaven's sake."

  "Weeks passed," said Queen Azalea, "and they did not return. I was out of my mind with concern."

  "Then one day," said Poppy, ignoring Gladiola's fierce glare, "River came home. Without Leaf. And we've still heard nothing from him."

  "River was skin and bones. He had lost all his magic and his ability to fly. He—he died," said Queen Azalea, lowering her head.

  "How dreadful!" cried Alex.

  "But he didn't really lose his magic," said Poppy. She lowered her voice and continued. "It was stolen."

  "And right before he passed away, River said, 'The worst is coming,'" said Gladiola quietly.

  "The Marlowes," muttered Chase between clenched teeth.

  Alex's shoulders s
lumped. "Poor River."

  Queen Azalea jumped from her chair and stomped back and forth across the stump, waving her arms. "We have needed your assistance for quite some time now, Chase Tinker, but when we endeavored to grasp your attention, you blatantly ignored us!"

  "I—I'm sorry," stammered Chase. "I didn't mean to. Honest. Since I was new to magic at the time, I had no idea fairies or other magical people even existed. You have no idea how bad I feel about this."

  "Chase is a good bloke, Queen Azalea," said Alex. "You have to believe him."

  Poppy edged closer to Alex. "I believe him. And you, too, Alex."

  Gladiola looked as though smoke was about to roll out of her ears. "Let the queen decide, missy!" she snapped.

  Azalea narrowed her eyes at Chase. After several tense moments, she finally spoke. "I believe you."

  "Whew! Thanks! You have my solemn promise I'll never ignore you again, your—your majestiness."

  The queen crossed her arms. "We must find a way to correct this wrong, and rid ourselves of the wickedness that is despoiling the world's precious magicks!"

  "If you needed help so badly," said Alex, frowning, "why didn't you go into the house to tell them?"

  "That absurd enchanted doorway only lets silly humans go in or out!" said Gladiola with a loud snort. "Ridiculous!"

  "You must go as soon as possible to speak to the other magical communities, Chase Tinker," said Queen Azalea. "We need to join forces and destroy those who are attempting to destroy us!"

  "Where have you guys been?" snapped Nori when Chase and Alex dashed into the study over two hours later.

  "It was fantastic!" panted Alex.

  "The coolest!" said Chase. "I can't believe such little beings live right here under the same roof as we do."

  "You found the fairies!" exclaimed Persephone.

  Alex nodded "Queen Azalea is in charge. Poppy met us and took us to her."

  "And we met Gladiola, too," added Chase. "She is one grouchy fairy."

  "So you guys actually had fun together?" said Nori, her eyebrows shooting up.

  Alex and Chase looked at each other. "Sure, why not?" said Chase with a shrug.

  "Yeah, why not?" muttered Nori. "What else would I expect from two besties like yourselves?"