We found a compartment hidden in the wall. The light was barely bright enough to give us a good look inside, although I was able to spot a few dusty items sitting on shelves. Reaching inside, I pulled out one of the smaller items to get a better look and then realized I was holding an old-school Walkman. I popped the lid open and found a cassette tape inside. Tears for Fears had been written in magic marker across the front.
“That’s odd,” Kull said. “Is it a magical box of some sort?”
“No, it’s from Earth.”
“The Earth Kingdom? How did it make its way here?”
“No clue.”
I replaced the Walkman and scanned the other items. A tatty textbook called A History of the Louisiana Purchase sat on the top shelf. I pulled it out to get a closer look. Some of the pages stuck together as I stopped on a map, dated 1803, with the Louisiana Purchase taking up the center swath of the US.
After closing the book and replacing it on the shelf, I scanned the other items. A shrunken head, with a tag tied to the cornrow hair that read Genuine Amazon Artifact, sat on the center shelf. On the bottom shelf was an old fax machine with a heart-shaped I LOVE LAS VEGAS sticker stuck to the front.
Weird.
“Do you think I should hide the orb in here?” I asked.
Kull eyed the cabinet. “It’s obvious someone has placed these items here to keep them hidden. However, it is also possible they may come back for them at some point.”
I wiped the dust off a shelf. “Except it doesn’t look like it’s been used for some time. I’d say whoever put this stuff here has forgotten about it.”
“True. It’s your call.”
I held my pack and debated my situation. With the masking spell, even if someone did come back here, it wasn’t likely they would notice the orb, and since the spell was such a simple enchantment, it wouldn’t draw the attention of practitioners. It seemed like a suitable arrangement, but still, I hesitated to remove the blossom from my bag.
“Perhaps I should just leave the orb in my bag,” I said. “I’d have to keep it with me all the time—and sleep with it—but at least I would know it was safe.”
“I would not advise that course of action. Having the orb constantly in your possession would draw attention, and, if someone with ill intentions were searching for the bloom, your bag would be the first place they would check.”
“You think so?”
“Yes. I’ve had experience with this sort of thing. Hiding it down here would be preferable to keeping it with you. It would be out of the way and difficult for anyone to find, especially if we properly camouflaged the area, which I will help you to do.”
“I suppose you’re right. It just doesn’t feel right leaving it here alone.” I lifted the orb out of my pack. Although the spell kept it hidden, the magic warmed my hands as I reluctantly placed the orb on the shelf. However, I felt better once it was there. The darkness coupled with the masking spell made it completely invisible.
“It should be safe,” he said.
“Let’s hope so.”
I took the two broken panels from Kull and used my magic to piece them back together. As soon as I fit them to the wall, my magic fused the panels. I didn’t want to ward the wall for fear of detection, but anyone trying to get inside would have a hard time doing it.
“You’ve restored it quite well. It looks as if it’s never been touched,” Kull said.
I admired my handiwork. Not long ago, it would have taken me much longer to accomplish a spell such as that. Even without my magic at full force, I’d still managed the spell. I guess I was getting better, even if I hadn’t realized it.
“Hello?” a voice came from behind us.
We rounded, and Kull motioned for me to hide behind the crates. Kneeling beside him, I held my breath as footsteps echoed through the room. I peeked over the crate’s edge to see who had entered the room.
A short man with a stocky frame paced the room. I’d seen him before—Firro, I think, was what the others called him. He was missing an ear and wore an eye patch over one eye. Wrinkled, shiny skin covered his face and neck. I’d seen patients with those sorts of scars before. Back in med school, Galveston had been home to the Shriner’s burn unit. I’d seen my fair share of burn patients. Skin grafts had replaced his charred skin. It made me wonder how he’d been injured.
“Is someone here?” he called. He looked around the room, his one good eye swiveling in its socket.
Kull and I stayed behind the stack. With luck, he wouldn’t notice us and turn away.
“Hello?” he called again. “Is anyone down here?”
I realized that with only one good eye, he couldn’t see very well. He mumbled something as he searched the room, and then he tripped and knocked over a stack of boxes. The wooden crates scattered across the floor. Cursing, he attempted to stack them but soon gave up and turned away. Letting out an irritated sigh, he stopped at a large barrel and pried the lid open. Quickly, he removed something from the drum, replaced the lid, and stumbled out of the room.
I let go of my pent-up breath. “That could have been bad,” I whispered.
“Yes, we’re lucky it was only Firro and not someone worse.”
“We should leave before someone else finds us.”
Kull hastily rearranged the crates to hide the cupboard, and then I followed him as he crept out of the room, praying I didn’t knock anything over as we left the bottom floor and entered the stairwell.
My pack felt light on my shoulders as we made our way to the top deck. I knew the orb was still in danger of being discovered, but at least I’d found
