“Chaos?” Devon asked. “What do you mean?”

  “The creature sightings. It’s on TV.”

  “We’ve been busy at the shop, dear,” Victoria said. “We haven’t been watching television.”

  “There are sightings of creatures all over the country. There’s a line of people outside of my office that stretches the entire block.”

  “Oh, that’s wonderful, Alec. We’re pleased that your business is booming.”

  “The point is, I think the creature sightings are related to a spell I cast in the Shadow Land.”

  “A spell, dear?”

  “An anti-magic spell.”

  Both of the witches stepped back, as if some sort of power was going to leak out of me and steal their magic.

  “Why would you do that?” Victoria asked.

  I explained about the labyrinth that shifted between Shadow Land and our world, and how the spell had gotten out of my control and spread further than I’d intended.

  They looked at each other and then at me.

  “And now there are creatures everywhere?” Devon asked.

  I nodded.

  “Well, of course there are,” Victoria said. “It sounds like the effect of this anti-magic spell has trapped them here against their will. You see, some creatures pass back and forth between this world and the world of shadow. If they’ve been trapped here, they won’t like it. Even though they might have shunned humans and stayed hidden before, if they’re in distress, they’ll become aggressive.”

  “Let me carry out a little experiment,” Devon said, reaching for a leather bound book on the shelf. She flipped through the pages. “I just need to find a spell that requires energy from Shadow Land. Aha, here we are.”

  Closing her eyes, she mumbled a brief incantation and drew some sort of symbol in the air with her finger. With her eyes still closed, she frowned and whispered some more unintelligible words. Then, she frowned again and opened her eyes. “Alec, what have you done? I can’t make contact with the shadow world at all. It’s as if it’s been sealed off.”

  Victoria’s hand flew to her mouth and her eyes went wide. “What? No, that can’t be. Quite a lot of our magic relies on contact with the shadows.”

  “What can I do to reverse the situation?” I asked. “We can’t have creatures from the Shadow Land stuck here, causing trouble.”

  “The longer they’re kept away from their home realm, the more aggressive they’ll become,” Victoria said. “These types of creatures are mainly troublemakers but if they’re stuck here for an extended time, they’ll become dangerous.”

  I let out a sigh of frustration. “Great.”

  “Don’t worry, dear,” she said. “We’ll find a way to reverse what you’ve done. We have a lot of magical resources available to us. There’ll be a solution to this problem in one of our books.”

  “Leave it with us,” Devon said.

  “Thanks, I appreciate it.”

  “We aren’t doing it for you, Alec,” she said. “Much like those creatures, we have no desire to be cut off from the shadow world.”

  I nodded. “I understand.” I opened the door and then remembered something else. “Oh, yeah, my lucky sweater got deactivated by the spell. Do you think you can fix it?”

  Victoria shook her head. “No, we can’t fix it. But we can make a new one.”

  “Thanks. By the way, is there really magic in the sweater, or was it just a figment of my imagination that everything seemed to go better for me when I was wearing it?”

  “It’s magical, of course. There’s a low-grade spell knitted into the fibers. It isn’t anything super powerful, but it’s certainly there, working away in the background.”

  And now I’d ruined the damned thing. Great.

  “I’ll see you later,” I said. “Thanks again.”

  As I made my way to the front of the shop, I noticed a commotion outside. People were running past the window and I could hear screams in the distance.

  While most of the shoppers shrank behind bookshelves and moved to the back of the shop, unaware of what was going on, I rushed to the front door and opened it. The snow was falling more heavily now and I had to to squint against it as I looked in the direction of my office building, which seemed to be where everyone was running from.

  Through the driving snow, I could see a black shape scuttling over the sidewalk. It was big. At least twice my height. And I was sure I could see spider-like legs.

  I ran as best I could on the slippery snow, the only person moving toward the beast while everyone else fled from it. I had to push past the frightened townsfolk as I made my way to my Land Rover.

  When I finally got past the fleeing Dearmont residents, managing to stay on my feet despite the slushy snow on the sidewalk, I could see that the creature was indeed a giant spider. It stood twenty feet high and its multi-jointed legs must have been twice that in length. Black shadow essence rose from its body like thick, oily smoke.

  It stood in the middle of the street, making a chittering sound with its mouth, from which two large fangs protruded.

  I saw another, smaller shape moving on the sidewalk beyond the creature and realized it was the reporter who’d accosted me on my driveway earlier. He seemed to be trying to make some sort of broadcast, talking into the camera that was being held by the cameraman I’d seen earlier, while a soundman with a boom mic and headphones tried to hold the boom steadily above the reporter’s head.

  “Get away from there!” I shouted at them, waving my hand in case they couldn’t hear me.

  Ignoring me, they continued with their broadcast.

  I slid across the snow to the Land Rover and threw open the tailgate. Reaching inside, I grabbed an enchanted sword. The blade lit up at my touch, crackling with bright blue sparks.

  I ran at the spider, which had spotted the news team and was scuttling toward them.

  I launched myself at the nearest spider leg and used my momentum to slide over the slippery snow, swinging my sword as I got within range. The enchanted blade cut through the appendage easily and the spider made a roaring sound that I was sure would never come from the mouth of a spider from this realm.

  The news guys were retreating but instead of running, which was the sensible thing to do when faced with a giant spider from Shadow Land, they were walking backward, keeping the camera trained on the eight-legged beast while the reporter seemed to be narrating the situation.

  “Alec Harbinger, the local P.I. has entered the fray with what looks like a lightsaber. No, it’s some sort of glowing sword. He’s trying to cut the spider’s legs off with it.”

  I was beneath the belly of the spider now. I thrust up with the tip of the sword and pierced the creature’s chitinous armor. It roared again and now turned its attention from the retreating news crew to me.

  Eight black eyes on a bulbous, fleshy face stared at me as if I was a tasty bug. The fangs snapped at me. I backed away and slid on the snow, landing on my back, the air knocked out of my lungs.

  The spider tried to take advantage of my vulnerable position and shot forward, its deadly fangs poised to strike.

  I didn’t have time to get to my feet. Instead, I waited for the spider’s head to descend toward me. When it did, I slashed upward with the sword, hitting one of the fangs. The skin parted and a green, viscous fluid erupted from the wound. I rolled out of the way and got to my feet as quickly as I could, slipping a couple of times in the process.

  Snow continued to drive down onto the street around us as the spider and I regarded each other. The news crew was now standing at a safe distance, catching everything on camera. I hoped the falling snow was obscuring the details, because if this shadow spider went viral, there’d be a mass panic.

  The creature tensed, almost imperceptibly, and I instinctively knew it was going to leap on me. I readied my sword.

  The spider sprang forward, its legs splayed wide around its body, creating a trap from which I had no hope of escape.

  But escape was the last thing on my mind.

  I stood my ground as the arachnid dropped onto me and I drove the blade of my sword up through its mouth. The enchanted metal sliced through the creature’s brain and the glowing tip of the blade protruded from the top of its head.

  The spider became a dead weight and I staggered backward, afraid that I was going to be crushed by the massive body.

  But even as I struggled to hold the creature up, it began to disintegrate, becoming nothing more than a cloud of black shadow that rose into the air like poison smoke.

  I stood in the middle of the street alone.

  The reporter ran over to me, followed by the sound and camera guys.

  “That was amazing! Alec Harbinger, we’re live on Channel 8 news. Do you have anything to say to our viewers?”

  “No,” I said, turning away. Showing this on TV was going to do untold damage. A sense of fear had already pervaded the country; showing a giant spider on the streets of a rural town in Maine was only going to make it worse.

  “I have some words for your viewers,” a familiar voice said.

  I turned to see a man in uniform approaching the reporter. When I recognized his face, I could hardly believe who I was looking at or why he’d come back here.

  “Thanks,” the reporter said. “And your name is?”

  “I’m the sheriff of this town. Sheriff John Cantrell.”

  “And what would you like to say to our viewers, Sheriff?”

  I didn’t hear the words the sheriff said to the camera. I stalked back to my office. Things were going from bad to worse.

  Merlin was back.

  Chapter 14

  The line of people was gone from outside my office. I unlocked the door and let myself inside, shaking snow off my jacket as I climbed the stairs.

  Carlton was in my office, peering out of the window. He turned to face me when I entered the room. “Everyone ran away. I interviewed a couple of people but that was all. Maybe they’ll come back.”

  “I doubt they’ll be back anytime soon. Giant spiders tend to keep people away.”

  “What was that thing? Where did it come from?”

  “Take a seat,” I said. “I’ll tell you everything that’s happened since I last saw you.”

  He sat in the client chair and I dropped wearily into my seat behind the desk. I explained everything to him, from the moment we left the academy and went to the labyrinth to my conversation with the Blackwell sisters. He knew everything that happened after that; he’d watched me battle the spider from my office window and had seen Merlin talking to the TV guys.

  “This isn’t good,” he said in a low voice when I finished my story. “Monsters roaming the world and people living in fear. Isn’t that exactly what the Cabal wants?”

  He was right. That was the Midnight Cabal’s ultimate goal. And I’d accidentally achieved it for them. Not only that, I was going to deliver to them a weapon of mass destruction.

  “I need to call Jillian Duval,” I said. “The sooner I get my father away from the Cabal, the better.”

  Carlton nodded but didn’t say anything.

  “You think I’m making a mistake by agreeing to give them Archimedes’ Burning Glass,” I said. Felicity had said the same thing. Hell, even I thought it was a mistake but I didn’t see any other way of getting my dad back.

  “I trust you, Alec,” he said. “And I trust that you know what you’re doing.”

  “All I know right now is that I have to get my dad away from the Cabal and the longer I take to do it, the more secrets they’re going to extract from him. Giving them the Burning Glass is a risk, but it’s even more dangerous to let them to learn everything my dad knows about the Society. They’ll use that information to wipe us out and there’ll be nobody left to fight against them.”

  “I’m here for you,” he said. “Is there anything you need me to do?”

  “The best thing you can do right now is stay by the phones in case any of those people who were here earlier decides to call. Get as many details as you can. If I need you, I’ll call you.”

  “No problem. Anything else?”

  “I could use a coffee. The Blackwell sisters gave me one but once I found out it was enchanted, it kinda lost its appeal.”

  “Coming right up.” He got out of the chair and left the office.

  I took Jillian Duval’s business card out of my pocket and picked up the office phone. I dialed the number that was printed on the card and waited while it rang.

  “Jillian Duval.” Her voice was clipped and devoid of emotion. I realized she didn’t know who was calling her. Not that I expected her voice to be sunshine and flowers if she knew it was me on the line.

  “Jillian,” I said. “Alec Harbinger. I’m ready to make a deal.”

  “We already made a deal, Alec. Your father for Archimedes’ Burning Glass, remember? The only question was when you were going to carry out your end of the bargain.”

  “I’m ready,” I told her.

  “Excellent.”

  “Tell me where the Burning Glass is, and I’ll go get it.”

  She laughed but there was no humor in the sound. “Do you really think I’d simply tell you the location of a powerful artifact and trust you to bring it to me?”

  “You have my dad. I’ll bring you the Burning Glass.”

  “It would be nice if we lived in a world where we could trust each other, Alec, but unfortunately, we don’t. A number of my agents will accompany you to the artifact’s location. Once you release the Burning Glass from the Archon Seal, the agents will bring you—and it—to me. Then you will be reunited with your father and everyone will be happy.”

  “And you’re going to use the glass to kill Rekhmire?”

  “Yes, I already said that, didn’t I?”

  “You did. But like you also said, it would be nice if we lived in a world where we could trust each other.”

  “Touché. Look, I don’t want Rekhmire raising an army of the dead and destroying everything any more than you do. The Cabal will use everything within its power to stop that happening. If we have Archimedes’ Burning Glass, we have more power to prevent a catastrophe. It’s simple, really. By the way, a lot of Shadow Land creatures have suddenly been making an appearance. Know anything about that?”

  “No,” I lied. “I’m sure you’re pleased about it, though.”

  “Well, we’re certainly not complaining. Now, to get the Burning Glass, you’re going to need to meet my team in Scotland.”

  “Scotland?”

  “Yes, that’s where the Templars decided to hide the Burning Glass. I would have chosen somewhere with a warmer climate if it were me but that’s medieval holy knights for you.”

  “Where in Scotland?”

  “A little village called Roslin. Rosslyn Chapel, to be exact. I’m sure you’ll be able to make your way there quite easily. I believe you have two witches on your payroll who can teleport you wherever you want to go at a moment’s notice.”

  I cringed inwardly. She’d extracted that information from my father. What other details did she know?

  “I can get there,” I said. “Give me a couple of hours.”

  “Very well. I think I’m going to come on this little trip myself. I’ve never seen someone take down an Archon Seal before.”

  “It’s nothing to write home about.”

  “Really? You’ll be bringing Archimedes’ Burning Glass back to this realm from wherever the Templars sent it hundreds of years ago. I think that will be quite an occasion.”

  “If you say so.”

  “Besides, if I’m there when the Burning Glass is finally returned to this world, I’ll have it in my hands all the sooner, won’t I?”

  “Are you bringing my dad with you, then? So we can trade?”

  “No. You don’t see him until I get the Burning Glass.”

  I sighed. It would have been too easy if she’d turned up in Scotland with my dad. I could have rescued him from her and left the Burning Glass sealed in another realm, out of the Cabal’s reach.

  “See you later, Alec. Two hours. Don’t be late.” She hung up.

  I replaced the phone and then used my cell to call Leon. I’d left him behind during the mission to the labyrinth and regretted it. I wasn’t going to make that mistake again.

  “Hey, Alec,” he said when he answered.

  “Hey. I’m back in Dearmont at the moment but I have to go to Scotland to meet the Cabal and get the Burning Glass. Want to come?”

  There was only a slight pause before he said, “Hell, yeah. Count me in.”

  “Great. Can you meet me at Blackwell Books in an hour?”

  “I’ll be there.”

  “See you later.” I ended the call.

  Carlton came in and placed a mug of steaming coffee on my desk.

  “Thanks,” I said. “What do you know about Rosslyn Chapel?”

  “Fifteenth century chapel in Scotland. Built in 1446 by William St Clair. Said to have connections to the Knights Templar, although that claim has been disputed.”

  “I think we can safely say the claims are real.”

  “Why?”

  “That’s where I’m meeting the Cabal.”

  “Archimedes’ Burning Glass is at Rosslyn Chapel?”

  “Or somewhere nearby.”

  “So the Templar connection is real. The DaVinci Code was right!”

  There was a knock on my office door. Merlin was standing there.

  “Alec, what’s happening?”

  “I have no idea what’s happening, Merlin. And if I did, I wouldn’t tell you, anyway.”

  He looked taken aback. “I wasn’t asking a literal question. I was using the method of greeting. Hey, what’s happening? Isn’t that how the term is used? Or am I doing it wrong?”

  “Shut up,” I said.

  He stepped into the office. “I’m beginning to think you aren’t pleased to see me.”

  “Really? Well, here’s a news flash; you’re right.”

  “Come now, Alec. We may have had our differences in the past—“

  “Like when you tried to force a soul-sucking sword on me?”

 

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