Chase Tinker and the HOUSE OF DESTINY

by Malia Ann Haberman

  "I sure hope not," said Chase. "I've had enough of those guys."

  A small masked face popped up with a sock in its teeth.

  "Maxwell!" exclaimed Chase. "Am I happy to see you!"

  Persephone grinned. "I guess all those crazy leprechauns were too terrifying for him. So he ran away and hid."

  Chase untangled Maxwell from the shirts and socks. "Don't ever scare me like that again!" He frowned at the yawning animal before putting him on the floor and pulling the charm book from the backpack. "I feel like I'm his mom or something," Chase grumbled while he thumbed through the book.

  "He certainly is a smart little fellow," said Alex as he, Persephone, and Nori dropped into the chairs around the table. "I've never seen anything like it."

  "Too bad he didn't shoot lightning bolts at those nutcases," said Persephone.

  "I never knew leprechauns were so vicious," said Chase. He plopped into a chair and helped himself to the food. "They always look so cheerful and nice on TV."

  "You're not supposed to believe everything you see on television," said Persephone, rolling her eyes. "The truth is, all those nice tales are a myth. Aunt Augusta's book says leprechauns are bad-tempered and difficult to deal with."

  "Gee, thanks for warning us," said Chase.

  "It's not my fault you don't do research," Persephone shot back.

  "So, Alex, what's with you and the fairy?" asked Nori nonchalantly as she wrapped stringy mozzarella around one of her fingers.

  "Fairy?" said Alex.

  "You know. Poppy."

  Alex shrugged. "I guess she likes me."

  "More than likes," said Persephone.

  "What do you mean?" asked Alex.

  "When someone receives a kiss from a fairy who loves them," said Persephone, "this person is magically protected from all danger until it wears off. That's why the leprechauns couldn't hurt you."

  Nori turned to goggle at Alex. "She loves you!"

  "It's a good thing," said Chase, "or the rest of us would've been beaten to a pulp." And now that he came to think of it, he was indebted to Alex for saving his life. He wasn't sure if he liked the idea.

  "But I thought we were just friends," said Alex.

  Chase shook his head. "Leading on a poor little fairy like that. You oughta be ashamed of yourself."

  "But I didn't—" Alex started to protest until he saw Chase grinning behind his glass of lemonade. "Good one," said Alex, tossing a pepperoni at Chase.

  "So, okay, you were protected," said Persephone, "but how did you manage to get all of them off us?"

  Alex held up his foot to show the split-toed boots he was wearing. "Ninja shoes. I've been practicing in my room at night."

  "That reminds me. I'm sorry for yelling at you about your magic, Alex," said Persephone. "I know you're trying. But I'm not sorry I called Chase a hypocrite!"

  "I know! I know!" said Chase as he fed a piece of pepperoni to Maxwell. "Don't think I haven't been kicking my own butt about it ever since it happened."

  "Well, I certainly don't want to hear any more of your nagging," said Nori. She set her elbow on the table and propped her chin in her palm. "So what do we do now? We're still on Seattle time; I'm not one bit tired."

  "We need to decide the best place to go next," said Persephone. "I've been researching vampires and a lot of them like to hang out in underground lairs in big cities. I thought we'd either go to Los Angeles or New York."

  "Don't they like to live in those mausoleum things in cemeteries, too?" said Nori.

  "No! Uh, no cemeteries," said Chase, holding up his hand.

  "If the portal takes us there," said Persephone, "you're going to have to suck it up."

  A noise outside the window made Chase lurch up. Although they were protected by shielding, it was frightening to think all those leprechauns might have the house surrounded. "Did you guys hear that?"

  Alex strode to the door and peered out. "There's nothing out there I can see."

  Chase shivered. "I guess thinking about cemeteries is making me jittery."

  Persephone jumped to her feet. "You know what? We need a way to escape when we're not near the portal. So we're not resting or leaving until Alex learns to morph all of us at the same time. It'll be the quickest way out if we need to run for our lives again."

  "But I've never been to Los Angeles," said Chase as they hurried to the portal.

  He zipped his jacket up to his chin and shivered as an eerie gray mist swirled through the air. It was still a couple hours until sunrise, and even though they'd checked for leprechauns before leaving the house, his eyes kept searching the darkness around them. He wasn't going to relax until they were zipping through the gateway again.

  "And I've never been to New York," said Persephone.

  "It's not my fault—"

  "Look, you guys," Nori cut in. "We flipped a coin. L.A. won. So quit arguing."

  "You'd think they were married or something," Alex whispered in Nori's ear.

  "I heard that," said Persephone. "And I wouldn't marry Chase Tinker even if he were the last boy on Earth. Don't get me wrong, Chase. You're a great friend and all, but…" She shuddered.

  "Hey! What would be so bad about marrying me?" said Chase, twisting his mouth to the side and looking indignant. "I'm a good catch. Uh, sort of. At least I will be when I'm old enough to marry someone."

  Persephone rolled her eyes as they arrived at the spot where the portal should be. "Uh-huh. Keep telling yourself that. Oh, wait a sec, guys. Before we leave I have something for all of us." Sliding off her backpack, she unzipped the front pocket. She pulled out a handful of thick silver chains and passed them around. "We all need to wear something with real silver. Aunt Augusta's book says it's toxic to vampires, so hopefully it'll make them keep their fangs to themselves."

  "Well, I'm keeping Maxwell in my backpack this time," said Chase as he slipped his chain over his head.

  "Oh, and, Alex," said Nori. "I think you need to wear these." She snapped her fingers. Dark-framed glasses with blue-tinted lenses popped into her hand. "We don't need anyone else recognizing those eyes of yours."

  Alex slipped on the glasses and widened his eyes. "Am I sufficiently camouflaged?"

  They all nodded. "You are officially incognito," said Persephone.

  "And not a bit nerdy-looking," said Chase with a smirk.

  "Ignore him," said Nori. "I think you look quite dashing. Sort of like a rock star. Portal." The gateway appeared. They stepped into the golden cylinder and crowded together.

  "No cemeteries. No cemeteries," Chase whispered. He closed his eyes and prepared himself for the wild ride.

  Persephone gave him a small shove with her shoulder as Nori said, "A main vampire lair in Los Angeles, California."

  The flashing energy whirled around them right before they were sucked into the spiraling passageway.

  They landed with a splash.

  "Where the heck are we?" exclaimed Chase, his voice echoing around them.

  "If my soggy feet are any indication," said Alex, "I believe we are standing in some sort of liquid."

  They stepped from the portal. It vanished, leaving them in darkness.

  Chase blinked over and over as he attempted to adjust his eyes to the pressing blackness. "Why does it smell even worse than the leprechauns' forest?"

  "I'm more worried about being surrounded by blood-sucking vampires," said Nori, a slight quaver in her voice.

  "We need a bit of light," said Alex. "Did anyone bring a torch?"

  "Judging by the putrid smell," said Nori, "I think the place might explode if we start a fire."

  "Not fire," said Alex. "One of those small lamps which runs on batteries."

  "That's a flashlight," said Nori. "Not a torch!"

  "It isn't what we—"

  "I don't care what it's called," Chase cut in. "I just wish we had some light." Right then, his fingertips lit up like ten tiny flashlights. He hel
d them up in front of his face. "Whoa! This has never happened before."

  "Must be another of Mr. Hiram's lost powers," said Persephone. "Bad for him, good for us. Flash them around so we can check out where we are."

  Chase swept the lights along the walls and ceiling. "No vampires."

  "We're in a tunnel," said Alex.

  "I think we're in the city's sewer pipes," said Persephone.

  "Sewer pipes! Like underground?" said Chase.

  "Gross!" said Nori, wrinkling her nose. "No wonder it smells so bad in here." She lifted her foot from the mucky water. "Ugh! I'll never wear these shoes again. I don't even want to think about what's floating in this goop! Why do we always have to go to such disgusting places?"

  "Because we're the lucky ones," said Chase in a tone of voice that meant he didn't think they were lucky at all.

  "At least it's not a cemetery," said Alex.

  "Way to think positive," muttered Nori.

  "But this must be how the vampires travel around the city when the sun's out," said Persephone, excitement in her voice. "I mean, it really is a fantastic idea. There has to be an entrance to one of their lairs somewhere in these pipes."

  "Before we go, we should mark this spot so we can find it again when it's time to leave," said Nori. She flicked her finger. A glowing red X appeared where the portal sat.

  Keeping close together, they slogged through the smelly stream. Chase kept part of his lights on the water. Strange, unidentified things kept floating past—things he didn't want to look at too closely.

  They wandered the pipes for a while without finding anything. "I've had enough of this," grumbled Chase. "That portal sent us on a crazy goose chase."

  "You mean wild goose chase," said Persephone.

  Chase frowned. "Are you sure, because I—"

  Nori let out a piercing scream. "It's on me! It's on me!" she yelled hysterically. "Get it off! Please get it off!"

  "What is it?" shouted Chase and Alex together.

  She was hunched over wiggling and jerking as she grabbed at something on the back of her head. "A rat! I think it's a rat!" she cried. She swung around and nearly fell backward. The other kids saw a large gray rat tangled in Nori's dark hair. His eyes glowed florescent-green.

  Alex grabbed its tail and yanked the animal off Nori. He swung it round and round like a lasso before letting go. It sailed down the tunnel and disappeared into the darkness.

  "Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!" Nori panted as she rubbed the back of her head. "I think the wretched thing yanked out half my hair. Thanks for getting him off me, Alex." She shuddered. "Rats! I really hate rats." She glanced around, and, seeing several more of the twitchy rodents on a ledge, huddled closer to Alex.

  "It's a cinch those vampires know we're here now," said Chase.

  "And I think we're getting closer," said Persephone, gesturing at a rusty ladder clinging to the side of the tunnel. Climbing it, she entered a small room with another ladder leading up to a round, covered opening on one side, and a metal door on the other. "Come on! Let's check this out!" she called down.

  The others clambered up and crowded into the room.

  "I bet that ladder leads to the street so they can come and go," said Persephone, "and this door leads to their lair."

  "You know, now that we might actually come face to face with blood-sucking fiends," said Nori, "my breakfast is starting to roll around in my stomach."

  "Just stay close to Alex so he can morph us out of there if things get too dangerous," said Persephone.

  Alex took a deep breath. "I guess we should see what's on the other side, then."

  He twisted the door's handle and pulled.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  Lairs and Liars?

  The door swung open on squealing hinges. The kids peered around the edge and into another tunnel. This one was made of rough stone, and, in Chase's eyes, looked way too terrifying to even think about entering.

  "You, uh, really think the vampires are in there?" he asked, squinting into the gloom.

  Persephone pushed him to the front. "You have the lights, so you go first and find out."

  Chase didn't want to admit that he was probably more frightened than the other kids. Moving his finger-lights around the tunnel, he reluctantly stepped through the doorway.

  "Any rats?" asked Nori.

  "Not at the moment," said Chase, "so come on in."

  Their soggy sneakers squeaking with every step, the others shuffled after Chase as he tip-toed through the winding, sloping tunnel. He brushed dusty cobwebs out of his way. "It kind of looks like no one's been through here for a while," he said over his shoulder. "Maybe we're going the wrong way."

  "They have to be here somewhere," said Persephone. "This is our best shot."

  "It's like we're hiking into the bowels of the earth," said Nori. "I bet we start seeing bats hanging from the ceiling."

  "Don't vampires turn into bats?" said Alex.

  Chase's gaze darted around. "Uh…real bats?"

  "Don't worry," said Persephone. "It's just another one of those crazy myths."

  "There sure are a lot of myths about all these magical beings," grumbled Nori. "How are we supposed to know what's real and what's not?"

  "I'd say meeting them is telling us loads," said Alex.

  "Shh!" hissed Persephone. "I see faint light up ahead. We must be almost there."

  The kids crept closer.

  "What are you doing?" a man's croaky voice whispered in Persephone's ear. "You don't belong here." Something cold crawled up her arm.

  "Ahh!" Persephone spun and tripped over a rock. As she fell backward, she grabbed onto Alex's arm and pulled him with her. They both slammed into Chase.

  "Whoa!" he yelled as the three kids tumbled heads over heels into a vast cavern. In the tangle of legs and arms, Chase barely had time to register it was actually more like a lavish mansion.

  "What happened?" yelled Nori, stumbling after them.

  "Well looky here, who's the lucky vamp tonight?" said the croaky voice. "And it's not even my birthday."

  Nori's blood-curdling scream echoed through the cavern when a man's long arm looped around her waist and pulled her up against his chilly body. The scruffy, sickly-looking young man gave her a wicked grin.

  "Let go of me, freak!" She struggled to get away. "Or I'll touch you with my silver!"

  He winked at her. "Sorry, doll, but you look quite delectable. How 'bout a kiss?"

  Alex scrambled to his feet and pulled the vampire off Nori. "Keep your hands to yourself!" he snapped as he tossed the vampire to the smooth stone floor. "Or I'll take you outside and throw you into a scrap-heap."

  The vampire flopped onto his back and stared at the high ceiling. "Yeah, yeah," he said, between wheezing gasps. "I used to take care of any threats with one big, juicy bite, but now…"

  Nori rubbed her arms and shivered. "Weirdo."

  As Chase and Persephone helped each other up, they gaped at their surroundings. At least a dozen gold candelabras sat around the room. In the flickering glow cast by the candles' flames, they saw rich-looking, old-fashioned sofas and antique tables and chairs. Many of the tables had jewel-encrusted sculptures sitting on them. A large part of the floor was covered in luxurious carpets, and the stone walls were plastered with fine oil paintings and colorful tapestries. Everything was draped in cobwebs and blanketed in dust, while gray smoke from the candles swirled eerily between dozens of pointy stalactites hanging from the ceiling.

  "All this must be worth a fortune!" said Persephone.

  Nori stepped farther into the room. Her eyes were drawn to a colorful country scene. "Is—is that a real Vincent Van Gogh painting?" she breathed out.

  "Michael, why didn't you inform us you were bringing guests?" said a man's weak-sounding voice. The cadence in it reminded Chase of Grandfather's lingering Scottish accent.

  "I didn't bring them, Aiden," said Michael. "They brought the
mselves. I wandered out for a breath of stale air and came upon them."

  "But vampires don't breathe," said Persephone.

  "Don't spoil the mood, sweetheart," said Michael. He pushed himself to his hands and knees and crawled to one of the sofas while the kids' eyes searched for the owner of the other voice.

  In the darkest corner of the room, a cluster of sofas were occupied by a number of vampires. Their translucent skin shimmered in the flickering candlelight, and their eyes, which should've been bright with life and power, were dark, dull, and sunken into their gaunt faces. Like the leprechauns, they each had a dark-red circle burned onto their temples.

  "Excuse me for not rising to greet you properly," Aiden said as he slowly brushed his long, thin fingers through his shoulder-length, dark-brown hair, "but it would expend an inordinate amount of energy, which I am quite low on these days." He looked like he was barely in his twenties, and yet he sounded like a much older man. "And yes, it is. Vincent painted it especially for me many, many years ago. Strange man, but a brilliant artist."

  A third vampire, who'd been so still he'd nearly blended into the sofa he was sprawled on, squinted at the kids and sniffed the air. "Smells a bit like dinner," he wheezed out, "but I haven't the strength to get up and dine. Why don't you tell them to come closer, Aiden, so this poor, ailing vampire can have a bite to eat?"

  "Uh, I don't think so," said Nori. "Thanks anyway."

  "Don't mind Jared. He's quite rude when he's famished," said Aiden. "What brings you, uninvited, to our humble abode on such a grand evening?"

  "You came back to take our gold and jewels from us now, didn't you?" snarled a woman from where she languished on a green satin chaise lounge. At one time she must have been beautiful, but now she looked like a skeleton with skin. Her thinning black hair stood up in a dark circle around her cadaverous face. Her red gown was torn and wrinkled.

  Seeming to use every ounce of energy left in her, she pushed herself to her feet. She staggered toward them, nearly knocking over a table with a tall, ornate vase on it. "Weren't our powers enough for you greedy scavengers? Everyone calls us the fiends, but compared to you, we are innocent lambs!" She reached out with her claw-like hands and grabbed the front of Chase's shirt.