A Book of Spirits and Thieves

Within reason? What was that supposed to mean?

Camilla gave the copper box a wary look and then placed her hand on the top of it. “The contents of this box once belonged to a sorceress named Eva. She was an immortal from a world apart from ours, the first immortal whose job it was to watch over this mortal realm. She possessed several specific tools to aid her in this task, and what rests in here is one of them. When Eva was murdered by fellow immortals, ones whom she once trusted but who betrayed her, these tools were scattered, and then stolen by thieves who wished to use their powers for their own gain. This box has remained locked away in Valoria’s secret armarium ever since she seized the throne from King Thaddeus. She wishes to use it to gain access to another of Eva’s tools, a golden dagger that she believes has fallen into yet another world. Sadly for Valoria, she doesn’t possess the right kind of magic to achieve this goal, so for all these years, she has been searching for other solutions.”

“The young witch Valoria believes is dead,” Maddox said aloud, as the pieces of this puzzle, scattered up until now, began clicking together for him. He glanced at Barnabas. “She possesses the magic Valoria requires to get the dagger back.”

Barnabas gave a shallow nod. “That is what the goddess believes.”

“Come with me, young man. I have something to show you.” Camilla directed Maddox out of her cottage to a garden surrounded by a tall stone fence. Barnabas and Becca followed closely behind.

In the garden was a tangle of weeds and wildflowers, a rickety wooden shed, and, dead center, a stone wheel as tall as Maddox.

“What is it?” he asked.

“A stone wheel,” Camilla replied.

“I can see that. But what does it do? Why is it here?”

“Eva used wheels just like this, which she placed in strategic locations around Mytica. They are vessels that hold gateway magic. This magic can remain in the wheels for centuries because of the high density of the stone.” She gave the wheel a hard knock as if to prove this. “We mean to use this wheel in the same way and create a gateway to send Valoria out of this world forever.”

“Truth be told,” Barnabas said, eyeing the wheel, “I thought it would be much bigger.”

Maddox shook his head. “Wait. Even if you’re able to create this gateway, how do you plan to get Valoria here, to your home? And then, on the off chance that you could get her here, how would you manage to then push her, a goddess, through a gateway to a . . . another world? It would be next to impossible.”

“One thing at a time, my young friend,” Barnabas said. “First we need to access the proper magic, and then . . . we’ll figure out the rest.”

A solid plan, Maddox thought, if an early and very painful death was the end goal.

Still, he considered everything he’d been told so far. If Barnabas and Camilla were right, if they could get the wheel magic to work without any help from the girl Valoria sought . . .

He turned to find Becca standing behind him, wringing her hands. Their eyes met and hers now shone with hope.

“Could this magic retrieve a spirit who has been displaced from her world?” Maddox asked Camilla, without turning his attention fully from Becca.

“What a strange question,” Camilla replied, scratching her lower eye. “But I don’t see why not.”

“This is it,” Becca whispered. “This is how you can help me get home again.”

“It could be,” he agreed.

“Now,” Camilla said, “come back inside and let’s have some soup. I made it fresh just before you arrived.”

They went back inside for some soup that tasted like potatoes and dirt. Camilla cleared the dishes when they were done.

“I feel much better,” she announced. “Let’s try again.”

Maddox watched tensely as Camilla focused again on the copper box. She posed with her hands on either side of it, as if trying to sense and harness its energy.

“I’d suggest she doesn’t touch the lock this time,” Becca said.

Maddox fought a smile.

“Ah, yes,” Camilla gasped. “I feel it now. I must concentrate. Oh, here it goes. Here it is . . . yes, almost there. And”—she inhaled sharply—“and done.”

The locked popped open.

Maddox’s eyes widened. “You are a witch.”

“And proud of it, young man.” Camilla grinned. “Now, stand back. There could be another trap inside.”

They backed away as Camilla slowly . . . very slowly . . . opened the lid. Maddox didn’t know what to expect, but when nothing happened, and no one started to scream or run away, he let out a long sigh of relief.

“Oh, it’s incredible,” Camilla breathed. “I already feel its power, waiting to be unlocked next.”

She reached into the copper box and pulled an object out.

Maddox cocked his head. “Huh. I expected something much shinier.”