Looking at his mom, he said, “I think I could write down a million guesses of how I got here and be wrong every time. Where are we?”
She smiled in response. “There’s a lot to tell. But that’s an easy question to answer. We’re in the Thirteenth Reality, in Mistress Jane’s castle, in a room she calls the Great Hall.”
Tick almost fell down. “The Thirteenth? Mistress Jane’s castle?”
“Or what’s left of it,” Lisa said.
One of the strangers walked over to stand next to Tick and his little group. She had a long face and seemed to have an air of authority about her. “I’m happy to see that you’ve been pulled back from the Nonex, Atticus Higginbottom. I assure you that we tried as hard as we could to do so ourselves. You have my apologies. I’m sure our master will want to meet with you as soon as she’s recovered.”
Tick listened to the words coming out of the woman’s mouth, getting more confused with each one. Finally, he just said, “Huh?”
She eyed Tick’s mom, an eyebrow raised. “We will take our leave. You can do all the explaining you’d like to the young man. I haven’t the time. But I’m sorry to say we’ll be taking your Barrier Wand until further notice. Mistress Jane would not be happy if we allowed you to leave before she’s spoken with you.”
“Now just wait one minute, Mordell,” Tick’s mom replied. He was still wondering what the lady had meant by “your Barrier Wand.” And why they were in Jane’s castle. And how he’d gotten there. And lots of other stuff. “You have no right to do that after we helped you!”
Two of the other women grabbed the Wand that had been lying on the ground. It was slipped under a robe and gone from sight just like that.
“Hey!” Lisa shouted. “Give that back!”
Mordell spoke in a calm voice. “You’re no longer considered enemies of our master. That’s your reward for helping us. But we have plenty of creatures outside these doors that will ensure you do as we ask. Please don’t push our hospitality. Wait here, and we’ll return for you shortly. We’ll also have food and drink brought to you.”
Tick didn’t feel like he knew enough about the situation to argue or help, but his mom was fuming, and Lisa had her arms folded and a red face.
“Mom,” Tick said, “I’m not sure what’s going on, but if we really are in Jane’s castle, we better do what they say until we figure things out. Plus, I’m dying to hear how we all got here. Just let them go for now.”
His mom visibly relaxed, as if she was relieved to have the burden of the decision taken from her shoulders. “Okay.” She turned to Mordell. “Leave us alone and let us talk. And bring us that food.” The hint of command in her voice made Tick want to hoot and holler like he was at a football game. This was his mom.
A smile crept up Mordell’s face. “I’ve already said we would do the two things you ask. All things are done under the will and might of our master. Your food will be here within the half hour.”
After a slight bow of her head, she and the other women shuffled out of the room.
They sat in a small circle as they spoke, sharing each other’s tales. When they were finished, Tick knew what had happened, but not how or why. It was all crazy.
“So that bunch of old ladies winked in Jane and Chu, but were going to let me die out there?” he asked. “I can’t believe I actually helped us get close enough to be saved, but then would’ve floated around in the outskirts of the Nonex for the rest of my life. That place wasn’t fun, let me tell ya.”
Tick’s mom shook her head, looking half sad, half angry. “Jane and Chu appeared at the same time, lying on the same spot you did. The women didn’t know that you were the one who’d opened up a doorway so they could reach them in the first place. Not that they would’ve done anything to return the favor—who knows?—but as soon as those two appeared, the almighty Ladies of Blood and Sorrow were done, totally ignoring our pleas to keep helping us so we could pull you in.”
“Where did they go?” Tick asked. “Jane and Chu.”
Lisa spoke up. “Mistress Jane marched off, her fancy red mask all scrunched up in anger. You’d think she’d have been happy after all that.”
“And Chu?”
Lisa glanced at their mom, who provided the answer. “He had a crazy look in his eyes. He said he finally knew how to ‘finish his plans.’ I think that’s how he put it. Then he disappeared, winked away before the Ladies could stop him. Maybe he had people waiting for his signal to reappear back in the Realities.”
Tick swallowed, realizing with a lump in his throat that he’d been the one who’d provided the opportunity for Reginald Chu—one of the most dangerous men in the Realities, who’d proven he wanted nothing but power at any cost—to come back from a prison he could’ve never escaped alone.
“Maybe I shouldn’t have done that,” Tick whispered.
Chapter 21
Rapping at the Door