Chase Tinker and the HOUSE OF DESTINY

by Malia Ann Haberman

  "Wait!" said Andy, hurrying across the room. "Take my conjuring spider, too. You might need it."

  "Thanks, shrimp. I'll take good care of it." Chase crammed the plastic spider deep into the front pocket of his jeans, next to Nori's bracelet.

  "You will save Mom, won't you?" said Andy.

  As Chase looked into his brother's pleading eyes, he wanted to tell him he definitely would, but he didn't want to make a promise he wasn't positive he could keep. "I—I'll do my best," said Chase, giving Andy what he hoped was an encouraging smile.

  "Be careful!" said Ben. "Those people are more dangerous than ever. Don't let them see you. And don't try to fight any of them! Just find your mom and Miranda and get out of there."

  "That's the plan," said Chase with more confidence than he felt. He was ready to teleport away when the hood of his jacket wiggled and twitched. Maxwell climbed from it and onto Chase's shoulder. The ferret stuck his cold nose into Chase's ear. "And you're not going, either," said Chase as he handed Maxwell to Ben before stepping back. "The woods next to the Tinker House."

  Chase's gaze held Persephone's as the teleporting magic took hold. He disappeared in a swish of dark-blue wind.

  Seconds later, he swirled into the thick copse of trees that edged the green expanse of lawn surrounding the house. He glanced at his watch. It was a few minutes until midnight, again. He was back to the witching hour. "Maybe it'll bring me some good luck this time," he murmured.

  Pushing aside several branches, he looked toward the house, and gasped. It was barely recognizable in the silvery light from the half-moon. His eyes burned as he remembered the first time he'd seen the house, over a year ago. He'd been astounded at the way it had glowed as though it had a life of its own, and how all the windows had sparkled as if they were made of diamonds. But this was no longer so. Now, it looked dark and sinister, like an evil haunted house. Ugly, ominous clouds hung above it, like terrifying bats ready to swoop down onto their prey.

  "What have they done? How did they transform it so—?"

  He stopped when he heard a quiet crack of a twig behind him, but before he had a chance to turn, pain exploded in his head. He slumped to the ground.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  Captured

  Chase awoke to blinding pain and a million spots bouncing in front of his eyes. As his mind began to clear, he realized someone was dragging him by his ankles. He blinked and squinted at his surroundings. He was no longer outside in the woods. He was in the house. And apparently, he was now someone's captive.

  The person stopped and swiped his hand across his face. Chase's feet clunked to the floor. "Whew! You're a bloody heavy bloke."

  Ethan, thought Chase. He must've been lurking in the trees. Why wasn't I more careful? Climbing slowly to his feet, he rubbed the knot on the back of his head. It was a wonder his brains weren't scrambled.

  Ethan swung around. "Hey! You're awake."

  "Yeah, no thanks to you," mumbled Chase as he swayed back and forth and tried to merge the three blurry Ethans standing in front of him into only one. "And why are you dragging me instead of morphing me into smoke like you guys usually do?" Seeing movement out of the corner of his eye, he jerked his head to the side. They were standing next to the gigantic aquarium, though it looked a lot different than he remembered. The usually crystal clear water had changed to a murky gray, and the once-colorful fish were black blobs with flashing red eyes.

  Ethan crossed his arms. "I—I didn't want to."

  "Oookay," said Chase. "Whatever."

  "Besides, it's none of your business!" snapped Ethan. "I was out patrolling and saw you and I says to myself, 'Ethan, it's your lucky day.'"

  "At least someone's having some good luck today," muttered Chase.

  "And now I'm taking you to see Uncle Roland."

  "I figured that," said Chase, twisting his lips to the side. "So let's morph there and get it over with."

  Ethan didn't answer.

  "You can't morph anyone but yourself, can you?" said Chase. "Ha ha! And I bet they haven't shared any of their new magic with you, either, have they?" Chase figured if he baited Ethan enough, he might slip and say something useful. "Don't they trust you?"

  "'Course they trust me!" said Ethan.

  "Then morph me or zap me with your energy beams," said Chase, raising his arms. "I'm ready."

  "I—I don't feel like it much," said Ethan. "Now let's get going."

  "What? Do they think you're too dumb not to screw things up?" asked Chase.

  "No!" growled Ethan. "You don't know anything about it."

  Chase cocked his head to the side. "So, what are you guys planning to do now that you're living in my house?"

  Ethan snorted. "It's our house, you git."

  "And I see you've already been doing some redecorating," said Chase as he gestured to the aquarium.

  "My mum thought it looked a bit too cheerful," Ethan answered.

  "Well, it sucks," said Chase flatly.

  "Who cares what you think?" said Ethan. "We'll change whatever we want."

  "Not if I have any say in it." Chase raised his hands.

  Ethan's eyes widened. He jumped forward and gave Chase a violent shove, causing him to fall against the aquarium's glass front. Instead of crashing into it, he oozed through with a loud squelching sound.

  Chase flailed in the water, holding his breath. I'm going to drown! he thought. He gasped in spite of himself. The water poured into his lungs, and then out again, like oxygen. He was breathing underwater! The black fish crowded around him, their bodies squishy and cold against his skin. "Save us, save us, save us," they chanted together.

  Talking fish? "I'll—I'll try," said Chase, bubbles floating from his mouth.

  One large, bloated fish drifted close to Chase's ear. "Don't trust the betrayer," it whispered. "He's not working on his own. The betrayer is the betrayed. The betrayer is the betrayed."

  "What! What does that mean?" said Chase as he looked into its burning, red eyes.

  "The betrayer is the betrayed!" cried the fish.

  "How do you know about it? Please tell me—" He was yanked from the water by the nape of his neck. Flopping to the floor, Chase stared down at himself in amazement. He should've been dripping all over the place, but he was completely dry. "Wow! I was breathing underwater. And the fish—"

  "Get over it! It's our fish tank now."

  Chase looked up and into James's icy-blue eyes. "Nice to see you again, stinker!" said James, his voice filled with contempt.

  "Can't say I feel the same, Jamesy-poo." He didn't want to waste precious time or thoughts on his crappy cousin. He needed to figure out what the fish's cryptic message meant. The betrayer is the betrayed. The odd words echoed through his mind. Did they mean someone had betrayed Alex? Chase himself, perhaps? But how was that possible?

  James hauled Chase to his feet. "Don't mess with me, freak, or Janie and I will destroy you with our special magic."

  "Not yet, James," said Janie's voice behind Chase. "Remember, we need him to help us get our hands on a few things around here."

  "I'm not helping you guys with anything," said Chase, turning to glare at Janie. "Besides, I've got some pretty powerful magic of my own to fight you with."

  Janie was dressed in her usual outfit of black pants and matching gothic-looking top, but now her eye patch was neon-orange. She laughed. "Trying to scare us, Chase?"

  "Just telling the truth!" he snapped back. "Or did you forget what happened in Blackshire last Halloween?" He thought this would anger Janie, but the only reaction he got was a careless shrug.

  "It's ancient history," she said, "but now things are going exactly as planned."

  "And that plan was to tell us one thing and then do another," said Chase, his lip curling up in a James-like sneer. "Yeah, yeah, we got it."

  They all looked up as two purple clouds soared over their heads before landing and morphing into Roland and Maven.
Chase's heart dropped into the pit of his stomach.

  "I see you caught a spy," said Roland.

  "I knew they would start showing their faces sooner or later," Maven added with a malicious grin.

  Chase was about to make a snarky comment about the burn scars still marring Maven's face and arms and the fuzzy blonde hair peeking out from under her scarf, but he was cut off by Ethan's eagerness to boast about his prize.

  "I caught him! I was bringing him to you, Uncle Roland."

  "Then why did I have to pull him out of the aquarium?" asked James.

  "The clumsy git fell in," said Ethan.

  "Uh-uh," said Chase. "You pushed me."

  "Why do you always have to lie about crap, Ethan?" snarled James, poking his finger into Ethan's chest.

  Ethan pushed James's hand away. "I'm sick of you always trying to be in charge!" yelled Ethan.

  "And I keep telling you it's because I'm the oldest!"

  "By a few weeks is all."

  Chase glanced from James to Ethan. Apparently things really weren't all parties and good times in the Marlowe family.

  "Children," said Maven in a bored voice. "Must you always go on about such trivial matters?"

  "Yeah. Don't get shirty, you bossy prat," muttered Ethan.

  With everyone's attention on the fight, Chase figured teleporting out of there would probably be a good idea. Doctor Dan's clinic. But nothing happened. He quickly repeated the words and held his breath as he waited for the magic to begin. Still nothing happened. Were all the Tinker powers gone already? He didn't feel any different. He slapped a hand to his t-shirt pocket, searching for the baseball card, but it was empty. His heart began to pound so hard and fast, he worried it would leap out of his chest. Don't freak out. Do not freak out, he thought as he drew in several deep breaths.

  "Looking for this?" said Ethan, holding up Andy's baseball card. "Is it something special to you? Oh, and this?" He held up Chase's watch in his other hand.

  "I guess you're not as dumb as you look," said Chase as calmly as possible. "It's a collector's item. And the watch was a birthday gift. So give them back."

  Roland took the card and watch from Ethan. "Magic. These objects are pulsing with magic. Well done, Ethan." Ethan's chest puffed up. He smirked at James, whose face was now a lovely shade of purple. Roland held the card and watch to his forehead for several seconds. Chase could almost see the precious Tinker magic being sucked into Roland's head.

  He resisted the urge to feel the pocket of his jeans, but even without checking, he knew Andy's spider and Nori's bracelet were still there. Luckily Ethan had drawn the line at digging through Chase's pants pockets.

  "And that is that," said Roland, crushing Chase's belongings in his fist. He opened his hand and Chase watched his means of escape and his favorite fighting power drift to the floor as thousands of dust particles. Now he knew exactly how Marcus and Landon had felt when their prized artifact had been crushed, like it was nothing but garbage.

  Chase gulped and glanced around at the hostile faces staring at him. Five against one. Not good odds. Maybe if Roland and Maven hadn't shown up, he might've been able to fight his way out of there, but now…

  "So…how 'bout a tour?" asked Chase, trying to act brave even though his legs were turning to mush. "I can show you the best room to turn yourselves into a bunch of skunks. Oh, and the bathroom down the hall and around the corner from Hiram's study? Has one of the finest toilets in the house."

  "I have a much better idea, Chase Tinker," said Roland. "Take us to the attic."

  "Yeah, dork," said James. "And shut your trap, 'cause after we're done there, you have to take us to the fighting powers."

  Ignoring James, Chase shook his head. "We've been over this before, Roland. I'm not doing it. Besides, Janie knows which door it is. Why doesn't she just let you in?"

  "Because even though I know it's a car door," said Janie, impatience in her voice, "I don't know exactly which one. Why should I look like an idiot when I have you here to do it for me?"

  Chase's mind flashed back to last summer when he, Janie, Andy, and Persephone had gone behind Grandfather's back and tried to break into the attic. Janie had been the one to knock on the doors, hoping one of them would morph into the attic's secret opening. All she'd received for her trouble were purple spots, a bushy tail, and earlobes stretched down to her knees. She'd looked pretty comical, and even though Chase was tempted to make a wisecrack about it right now, he held off.

  "Don't count on it," he said instead. "I'm not letting you evil creeps anywhere near our Relic."

  "Our Relic!" snarled James. "We—"

  Roland held up his hand and James's mouth snapped closed. "I believe you will," said Roland, "because we happen to have someone I'm sure is worth more to you than any trivial material possessions."

  "Oh, yeah? And who would that be?" asked Chase casually.

  "Your father, the weak, cowardly Benjamin, scurried off without his precious wife," said Roland. "Your mummy."

  At any other time, Chase probably would've stuck up for his dad, but right now, his mom's safety was a lot more important. "How do I know you have her?" said Chase. "This house is massive. She could be hiding anywhere."

  Roland reached into his pocket and pulled out something. "Will this convince you?" He held out his palm. Lying there was the silver dragonfly pin Chase had given to his mom a couple weeks ago.

  "Let her go!" said Chase. "She's innocent in all this."

  "Not so," said Roland. "She tried to use magic on us. And it came from this object. What do you say, Janie? Would you like to pay Mrs. Tinker a visit?"

  Chase stared into Janie's one dark-brown eye. She was leaning against the wall, an indifferent expression on her face. What if he appealed to her? Would she do anything to help save his mom? The girl must have some decency left in her somewhere.

  Janie tapped her fingers on the top of her cane. "I could show Auntie Anne a little of my magic," she said at last.

  "Then we'll do the same to Alex. You're not the only ones with a hostage."

  Janie moved closer. "You've captured Alex?"

  "Got him trapped like the rat that he is," said Chase. "His powers were no match for mine."

  "No matter," said Roland, shrugging. "It's to be expected when you're at war."

  "So you don't care if we torture him?" said Chase, frowning.

  Maven laughed. "As if you have the stomach for it."

  Chase glowered at her, hating that she was right. "Okay, then. Let's get this over with," he muttered.

  Maybe a miracle will happen on the way there.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  It's Not Over 'til it's Over

  James punched the air with his fist. "All right! It's about time!" he exclaimed as they hustled Chase down the hall.

  "So, uh, where are you keeping her?" Chase asked with a nonchalance he certainly wasn't feeling.

  "That is no concern of yours," said Roland. "I will say Spencer, Clive, and Eve are taking excellent care of the lady."

  Excellent care, yeah, right, Chase thought before saying out loud, "Who's Eve?"

  "My sister," said Roland. "If you're lucky you might get to meet her."

  "I'm really looking forward to that," said Chase.

  As they walked deeper into the house, Chase began to detect a difference in the feeling of it, like malicious spirits now lived in the very walls. His feet dragged. It was as though the air around him had started to suck the life out of him, making it difficult to breathe. It didn't help that the once-bright hallways were now shadowy and dim, and as they passed the magical rooms, he sensed something strange and disturbing drifting from them.

  "What have you guys done to my house?" he asked.

  "Not yours. Ours," said Roland. "Just like it was always destined to be."

  Chase heaved a deep sigh. It seemed like every time he turned around these days something to do with destiny was being thrown into
his face.

  He stumbled forward a few steps when James shoved him from behind. "We like it this way, stinker!" James hissed into Chase's ear. "Makes things loads more fun."

  Even though Chase wanted to ram his fist down his cousin's throat, he just shoved his hands into his jacket's pockets and shivered. How had things in the house changed so quickly? Was the Marlowes' dark magic that strong now? He thought about the leprechauns and all the other magical beings who had been sacrificed for this. And what about the fairies? What if Queen Azalea and Poppy and the rest were in their meadow room dying…or maybe already dead?

  He clenched his fists so tightly, his fingernails dug into his palms. Rage, along with his magic, began to surge through his veins. He felt his powers strengthening and pouring through him like a dam had just broken. He'd been so afraid to let this kind of power take hold again, since he had such difficulty controlling it, but he wasn't about to stop it. He threw his shoulders back. Yes! he shouted in his mind. It's not over yet. Whirling, he fired real, white-hot lightning bolts from his eyes.

  Ethan screamed as one of the bolts struck his leg. His knees buckled and he fell to the floor. The others ducked in time to avoid being hit. The dangerous bolts slammed into the walls and floor, tearing chunks out of them.

  "Ninja boots!" Chase whipped around and dragon kicked James into the air.

  James slammed into the ceiling before crashing to the floor, his left leg twisted underneath him. "Ahh! I'll get you for this, stinker!" he howled.

  Out of the corner of his eye, Chase saw both Janie and Maven transform and swirl to the ceiling. They hovered there, two deep-purple, churning storm clouds.

  Chase ran up a wall. As he performed a soaring back flip, he blasted more lightning at the clouds. They dodged sideways as the sizzling bolts skimmed along their edges. Piercing screams of rage filled the air.

  Chase landed lightly on the floor in a crouch.

  "You can't beat us, Chase!" yelled Roland from the doorway of a nearby room where he'd taken shelter. "And remember your mum."