Read The Fire Chronicle for Free Online Page B

your boneheaded schemes? You may as well forget it. You hoodwinked me once, but never again!”
    The wizard had pulled up the second chair, while the children had found seats on an upside-down washbasin, which, by all appearances, had never been used.
    “I am here,” Dr. Pym said, “for two reasons. But I must say how exasperating it has been to have to track you down—”
    “No one asked you to.”
    The wizard sighed. “I am here to give you a warning. And to ask a question.”
    “A warning? From you? Ha! Let’s have it!”
    “Jean-Paul Letraud and Kenji Kitano are both dead.”
    Michael could see that the news had an effect on the man, even though he tried to act as if it didn’t.
    “Murdered?”
    “Yes.”
    “When?”
    “Jean-Paul I found out about on Christmas Day. Kenji was a few weeks after.”
    Michael looked at his sister and saw the same expression on her face that he imagined was on his. “Dr. Pym—”
    “Yes, my boy, that was what called me away on Christmas. Jean-Paul and Kenji were both friends and fellow magicians. I would’ve told you earlier, but the signora’s café did not seem the appropriate place to go into detail.”
    “Who was it?” Michael asked. “I mean, who killed them? Was it—”
    “Who killed them?” the hairy man roared. “Who do you think killed them? The Dire Magnus! The Undying One! The—”
    “Yes,” Dr. Pym said, cutting him off. “Or, more specifically, his followers.”
    Hugo Algernon leapt up and began stalking back and forth, smashing his fists together and snarling. “This wasn’t supposed to happen, Stanislaus. Do you remember? I do! I remember! I remember when you brought us all together.” And he imitated, poorly, the wizard’s voice, “ ‘We must act now. We must end his power once and for all.’ ” He let out a harsh laugh. “That worked out well, wouldn’t you say? Ha!”
    “It did work,” the wizard said calmly. “His power was greatly diminished.”
    “Oh, diminished, yes, diminished. Tell that to Jean-Paul and Kenji. I’m sure they’ll agree with you. Diminished, ha!”
    Dr. Pym sighed. “I did not come to argue, but merely to tell you to take precautions. He is tracking down all who once stood against him.”
    “What’s he talking about?” Emma said. “What’re you talking about?”
    “My dear—”
    “Emma’s right.” Michael tried to sit up and look as older-sibling-esque as possible. “I’m sorry, but you’re always saying how now’s not the time to explain stuff, and then you take us someplace and we have no idea why we’re there and crazy people shoot at us—no offense, Dr. Algernon—but it’s not fair! Who’s the Dire Magnus? What’s he want? What’re you two talking about? We deserve to know what’s going on!”
    This was one of the longer speeches Michael had ever made, and when he finished, he was out of breath. Emma was staring at him, wide-eyed with amazement.
    “Ha!” Hugo Algernon smacked the table. “The boy’s got spirit! Go on and tell them, Pym! Tell them everything you’ve managed to learn about the Dire Magnus in thousands of years! It shouldn’t take more than ten seconds!”
    The old wizard frowned, but finally nodded. “Hugo is trying to be cantankerous, but he makes a fair point. Our—my—knowledge of the Dire Magnus is sadly incomplete. I believe himto be a man. And a powerful sorcerer, certainly. Beyond that, he is a mystery. His origins. His true name. I cannot tell you. What I can say is that I have been upon this earth since the first cities rose in the desert and there has always been a Dire Magnus. His power waxes and wanes. He rises and is beaten back. And since the Books were created, it has been his one goal to possess them.”
    “Not bad,” the man said. “Twenty seconds. You knew more than I thought.”
    The wizard continued, “I have, over time, made attempts to confront him. The last was forty-odd years ago. I gathered together a group of magicians, wizards,