“But Duke?”
“I’d thought I’d already sent him to Earth by way of the portal, but sometimes things go wrong. On that day, a lot of things did. Duke landed in the world in between, where he died the moment he entered the portal.” Gramps hung his head.
Salem patted him on the back. “There, there,” he said. “It’s not all bad. Now we have Maria.”
“You’ve always had me,” Maria said.
“A year too late, I’m afraid,” Ginny Muffler said.
“Oh, be quiet, you,” Agnes said. “There’s no negativity in this house of ice cream.”
“What does she mean?” Maria found herself asking. She had so many questions that she found herself asking whichever one popped into her head first.
“She means,” Gramps began, “that you were supposed to come into your powers last year, at the age of eighteen. Had we been on Oriceran, I think you would’ve… or perhaps even earlier.”
“A late bloomer,” Agnes soothed, “is better than a no-bloomer.” She smiled and stroked Maria’s hair. “Welcome to the club.”
“Hear! Hear!” Salem said, raising his mostly-empty mug. “To Maria Apple and her future.”
They all raised their glasses, clinked them together, and drank. Sherlock barked.
“I still have so many questions,” Maria said.
“We all do,” Gramps said.
“The village. Duke said they are still alive but are trapped in the world in between,” Maria said.
Gramps nodded. “I feared that.”
“ ‘Feared’?” Maria said, cocking her head.
“Sometimes I think it would’ve been better for them to have died in the battle. The world in between is a harsh limbo. I cannot even imagine what such a thing does to one’s mind.”
“Why wasn’t I hidden?” Maria asked.
“Because,” Gramps explained, “you were the Queen Witch’s daughter. She knew that if we lost, you would be the key to getting them out; though I did not realize that myself until much later.”
“Me?” Maria said, breathless. “Holy shit, what a day. You know that’s a lot of pressure to put on someone? Saving an entire village, and all that.”
“Not only that,” Salem added. “If whatever attacked the house was Malakai, or another agent of the Arachnids, it might be up to you to save the world.”
“Oh, geez—” Maria began.
“But it can’t be Malakai,” Ginny Muffler said. “He’s dead.”
“And I thought I was safe here,” Gramps sighed. “Such a fool I’ve been.”
Maria reached for the buckeye ice cream on the table, which was half-melted and not hers. She spooned it greedily into her mouth.
“Not just one world,” Agnes amended. Her crazy gray hair shook when she spoke. “But possibly two worlds. Oriceran and Earth are getting closer and closer to lining up; if we don’t stop this thing soon, chaos will reign over them both.”
“What about the Silver Griffins?” Fredrick Muffler asked. “Do you think we could ask for protection?”
Agnes shook her head. “No, they don’t pick sides. As long as there’s magic in the air, they’ll throw anyone in Trevilsom.”
“Damn,” Fredrick said. “I need more ice cream.”
“Me too,” Ginny said.
“Another round,” Salem said, taking a big drag from his pipe. The smoke smelled sweet, unlike tobacco or anything Maria had ever smelled before.
Oriceran weed, she thought, shaking her head.
“Why was I a late bloomer? Why did it take so long for the magic to come to me, and how the hell do I control it?” Maria asked.
Good questions, Sherlock said. I’d love to stay and find out the answers, but I’ve really got to pee.
“You know where the bathroom is. You’ve been here before,” Maria whispered.
Uh, I’m a dog. It doesn’t work like that.
“You talk like a human, so go to the bathroom like a human,” Maria said.
“Is Sherlock giving you trouble?” Gramps said. “Oh, what I’d give to hear him talk.” He bent down and rubbed the Bloodhound on the back of his neck. A look of pure enjoyment overtook Sherlock’s droopy face.
“Thought you had to pee,” Maria said.
No, no, this is too nice.
When Gramps finally stopped petting him, Sherlock let himself out, nudging the door open with his nose.
Gramps continued to answer Maria’s questions.
“Sometimes, away from the magic of Oriceran, things go wrong. It’s a fact of our magical lives. I’d given up waiting for you to come into your powers. A year had passed without any sign of your abilities. On Oriceran, a week late is considered a late bloomer. Oriceran and Earth are connected, they are sort of like siblings. So a year was far too long, and I’d given up hope. That, I shouldn’t have done, Maria. One thing to remember in your life is to never give up hope. Never give up hope at all, even when all else seems lost.”
“But then you gave me this,” Maria prompted, motioning to the music box.
“Yes. So many years had passed that I tried to put that horrid part of my life behind me. Then your birthday came up, and I figured it would be the perfect gift. Even if you never knew it was your mother’s, it was only right for you to have a piece of her legacy. Deep down, I didn't think it would bring this much trouble to you. I should’ve warned you.”
Maria put her hand on her grandfather’s and squeezed. “Don’t worry about it, and thank you,” she said.
Sherlock returned, looking a few pounds lighter after emptying his bladder.
“Now,” Gramps’s tone changed. “We must prepare you.”
“Prepare me?” Maria asked, not sure what that could mean.
“Yes,” Salem said, cutting in. “Each person is trained on Oriceran. Trained to harness their magical abilities.”
“Oh, God, we’re not gonna have one of those ‘80s movie montages, or something, are we? Like in Rocky IV, right before he fights the Russian?”
Gramps laughed. “No, Maria. It’s going to be much more difficult than that.”
They left the ice
