drying in the rack, and Emma had hugged Dr. Pym and headed up to bed, Michael found himself lingering in the kitchen.
“Yes, my boy?” Dr. Pym was packing his pipe. “What’s troubling you?”
“Who was that man who hurt Dr. Algernon? Does he work for the Dire Magnus?”
“His name is Declan Rourke, and, yes, he is one of the Dire Magnus’s lieutenants; indeed, his chief lieutenant, and a very dangerous and, in my opinion, unbalanced individual.”
“And you think he’s the one who … took our parents?”
Dr. Pym had his pipe going, and the sweet, almondy smell filled the kitchen.
“I’m afraid so. I think they followed Dr. Algernon’s clues, and somewhere in their search, Rourke caught them.” He shook his head sadly. “Richard and Clare believed that finding the Books was the only way to keep you and your sisters safe, and everything else, including their own lives, was secondary.”
Michael nodded. He still made no move to go upstairs. He found he had been winding the strap of his bag around his finger and had somehow gotten it into a knot so that the tip of his finger was turning blue. He yanked it free, and the color slowly returned.
“Anything else, my boy?”
“What did that letter say? The one Kate sent you? That made you come to Baltimore?”
“She’d been having a dream. She saw an orphanage attacked by the Dire Magnus’s forces. She’d recognized it as somewhere the three of you had lived. She knew it was only a matter of time before he found you. Why do you ask?”
“I just … She made me promise to take care of Emma. It waslike she knew she wasn’t going to be here. I just wondered if she’d said something.”
“As a matter of fact, she did.”
“What?!”
“Several months ago, she wrote to me about another dream she’d had. In it, you were holding a book she didn’t recognize. Emma was with you, and the two of you were surrounded by fire.”
“And Kate wasn’t there?”
The wizard shook his head. Michael still made no move to leave. He began fidgeting again with his strap.
“I know the real question you want to ask.”
Michael looked up.
“You want to ask about the prophecy Dr. Algernon mentioned, how it was foretold that three children will bring the Books together and fulfill their destiny. The truth is, I do not know what that destiny is.”
“You could guess, though, couldn’t you?”
“Perhaps. But I will not. This is what you must understand: the magic in the Books is without equal. It is the power to alter the very nature of existence, to reshape the world. Imagine that power in the hands of a being whose heart is filled only with hate and anger. With such power, the Dire Magnus would have dominion over every living creature. That is why our quest is so important. And why so much depends on you.”
Michael said nothing; he felt as if his chest was being squeezed by iron bands.
“But Katherine believed in you, and so do I. Now, I foresee a demanding day ahead of us, and you need your sleep.”
By the time Michael got upstairs, Emma was already in her bed and the light was off. Michael maneuvered by moonlight, doing his best to be quiet.
Emma spoke to him from the darkness.
“Michael?”
“Yes?”
“Do you really think Kate’s waiting for us in the future?”
Michael took a deep breath and wondered what Kate would want him to say.
“Yes,” he lied, “I do.”
“Me too.”
Michael kicked off his shoes and got into bed. He set his bag on the floor. The window was open, and he could hear the far-off sound of the sea hitting the rocks.
“Michael?”
“Yes?”
“Don’t leave me, okay?”
“I won’t.”
Soon afterward, Michael knew that his sister was asleep. But exhausted as he was, he lay there, long into the night, watching the moon move across the water, thinking about their parents and how they had disappeared, thinking about Kate lost somewhere in time, thinking, again and again, how it was now all up to him.
Kate,
“Yes, my boy?” Dr. Pym was packing his pipe. “What’s troubling you?”
“Who was that man who hurt Dr. Algernon? Does he work for the Dire Magnus?”
“His name is Declan Rourke, and, yes, he is one of the Dire Magnus’s lieutenants; indeed, his chief lieutenant, and a very dangerous and, in my opinion, unbalanced individual.”
“And you think he’s the one who … took our parents?”
Dr. Pym had his pipe going, and the sweet, almondy smell filled the kitchen.
“I’m afraid so. I think they followed Dr. Algernon’s clues, and somewhere in their search, Rourke caught them.” He shook his head sadly. “Richard and Clare believed that finding the Books was the only way to keep you and your sisters safe, and everything else, including their own lives, was secondary.”
Michael nodded. He still made no move to go upstairs. He found he had been winding the strap of his bag around his finger and had somehow gotten it into a knot so that the tip of his finger was turning blue. He yanked it free, and the color slowly returned.
“Anything else, my boy?”
“What did that letter say? The one Kate sent you? That made you come to Baltimore?”
“She’d been having a dream. She saw an orphanage attacked by the Dire Magnus’s forces. She’d recognized it as somewhere the three of you had lived. She knew it was only a matter of time before he found you. Why do you ask?”
“I just … She made me promise to take care of Emma. It waslike she knew she wasn’t going to be here. I just wondered if she’d said something.”
“As a matter of fact, she did.”
“What?!”
“Several months ago, she wrote to me about another dream she’d had. In it, you were holding a book she didn’t recognize. Emma was with you, and the two of you were surrounded by fire.”
“And Kate wasn’t there?”
The wizard shook his head. Michael still made no move to leave. He began fidgeting again with his strap.
“I know the real question you want to ask.”
Michael looked up.
“You want to ask about the prophecy Dr. Algernon mentioned, how it was foretold that three children will bring the Books together and fulfill their destiny. The truth is, I do not know what that destiny is.”
“You could guess, though, couldn’t you?”
“Perhaps. But I will not. This is what you must understand: the magic in the Books is without equal. It is the power to alter the very nature of existence, to reshape the world. Imagine that power in the hands of a being whose heart is filled only with hate and anger. With such power, the Dire Magnus would have dominion over every living creature. That is why our quest is so important. And why so much depends on you.”
Michael said nothing; he felt as if his chest was being squeezed by iron bands.
“But Katherine believed in you, and so do I. Now, I foresee a demanding day ahead of us, and you need your sleep.”
By the time Michael got upstairs, Emma was already in her bed and the light was off. Michael maneuvered by moonlight, doing his best to be quiet.
Emma spoke to him from the darkness.
“Michael?”
“Yes?”
“Do you really think Kate’s waiting for us in the future?”
Michael took a deep breath and wondered what Kate would want him to say.
“Yes,” he lied, “I do.”
“Me too.”
Michael kicked off his shoes and got into bed. He set his bag on the floor. The window was open, and he could hear the far-off sound of the sea hitting the rocks.
“Michael?”
“Yes?”
“Don’t leave me, okay?”
“I won’t.”
Soon afterward, Michael knew that his sister was asleep. But exhausted as he was, he lay there, long into the night, watching the moon move across the water, thinking about their parents and how they had disappeared, thinking about Kate lost somewhere in time, thinking, again and again, how it was now all up to him.
Kate,
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