The Magician's Sons

Chapter 43

Charlie was practically sprinting as he tried to keep up with Bob's long legs. They marched down the street in a hurry, heading toward the field.

"Now Bob, tell me everything," Charlie panted. "Details might be crucial! When did you lose sight of Webb? And what about Copernicus? Tell me everything that comes to mind."

"Long story short, I lost sight o' both of 'em about two weeks ago. Now they're gone. Dunno if they're togever or apart, Boss. Long story long, it goes about like this..." Without a pause, he launched into his story from the moment when he had found Mordechai chasing Copper through the mansion.

A burning sense of pain had made Bob flinch when Mordechai had thrown the hot spices into his eyes. He had felt a wounding blow in the face as his master had escaped his grasp. Then the man's footsteps had thundered away. Bob had felt a bit helpless. Blinded and desperate to rescue his injured eyes, he had groped his way to the bucket of water which he had just brought from the pump and had dowsed them as fast as he could.

By the time he had recovered a little vision, he had stumbled out onto the street, looking around at the blurry world and using all of his senses to determine which way Mordechai and Copper had gone. But either he had been too late, or he had chosen the wrong direction. No matter how hard he had tried, he had never been able to find the two people.

He had spent hours searching. Then, at last, he had gone home, hoping he would discover that Mordechai had caught the runaway and that both of them were in the mansion again. But it hadn't been so. Instead of finding his master, he found the remaining children waking up from their daylong slumber. Mrs. Dross had appeared too. Her pretty face had looked anxious as she had crept downstairs and had seen Bob in the main room.

"Robert," she began breathlessly, "where is my husband? What has happened to him?"

"Madame, I was hoping I would find him here," the servant had replied. The clear, refined sound of his voice had surprised him. But it had come naturally. It always did when he saw the lady in her rich clothes and flashing jewels. He didn't know why, but it stirred a feeling of dignity within him which came from a time long past.

Ebony had turned away with a look of evident concern in her eyes. She hadn't come out of her room for the rest of the evening, and Mordechai had never returned.

After a while, Bob had gone to the police station and had told them as much has he had thought would be useful. To his surprise, everything he knew about his master led him to a dead end. Mordechai Dross was an untraceable name. It was as if the man had never existed. To Bob, it was beginning to come painfully clear that everything his master seemed to be was only a guise.

After every attempt had failed, Bob went home once again. How the children had flocked to him. Their eyes couldn't have looked wider with terror. There had been so many questions which couldn't be answered. Their father had disappeared, so had their brother. Had Mordechai disposed of Copernicus the same way he had gotten rid of Gibbs? Would the boy never come back?

There had been no toshing that night. The lads had felt out of sorts, and Bob had given them an order to stay in the house. By the time the children were going to bed the next morning, Bob had run himself ragged trying to search for Copper. He had comforted the troubled lads as he had seen them up to their room.

"Don't leave us, Bob," one of them had whimpered, holding onto the giant's arm and trembling.

"Yes!" the others had cried in fear, "Don't leave us, Bob! Please don't go away!"