The Queen Of All Strange Things

40

We ended up in a coffee shop in the next town. We couldn't risk staying in Flinton. By that time it was already three in the evening. We ordered pasties, pancake and three big mugs of coffee since we both were really hungry. Karl Rightson or Augustus Blake didn't speak for a long time. His eyes went up when I took out my Mystica book.

'Y-you read it?'

'It's one of my favorites,' I said. 'I tried to contact you... but it seems you were off grid.'

'So, you noticed?' he said.

I nodded.

It was pouring heavily outside. Andrew was staring outside, watching people in umbrellas walk by. I waited for the writer to talk while he stared at the book. He then sighed.

'This scepter,' he said. 'Had my daughter's magic sealed inside.'

Andrew and I jerked our heads towards him.

'You mean, it's real?' I said.

'I-I have a daughter,' he said. 'Her name is Mystica. We are... mages. I took her to the visible side once my wife passed away. I was involved in some dangerous research back then. I knew Taramen during that time. Living in the invisible realm is rather hard. People don't notice you that well. I home schooled my daughter but she was pretty lonely.

'It was party my fault. I didn't think that it had much effect on her. She always wanted to go to school like all the children but her magic was rather... unstable. She caught up with my work on magical research... I never knew. Then one day when I got home, she somehow managed to take her magic out of her and store it in that scepter she made. She only lasted a few hours with her magic out.'

He stopped talking.

'W-what happened?'

'She fell into a coma,' he finally said. 'I could not take her to the invisible side. So, I had to admit her to a visible hospital. They could not help her much; they just put her in life support. Since she was an invisible, the doctors hardly took notice of her. Then she started to fade...'

'And you wrote a book about her to keep her alive,' said Andrew.

'That was the only thing I could think of,' said the writer. 'She stopped fading when I published the first book. I turned it into a series while I tried to find a way to save her. I contacted Taramen to ask help. He helped at first but then... he stole the scepter instead. I need your help, Miss. Stone. If you are trying to get the throne back I will help in any way I can. I just need the scepter back so I can continue my research.'

I stared out at the glass window. 'The magical core, does it last forever in the scepter?'

'My daughter made it so that it can be externally provided with energy.'

'So there is nothing to worry with over usage then.'

The writer nodded. 'Not in my knowledge.'

'The wedding is tomorrow. I need a way into Sightless. You are a mage, I hope you can help.'

'Only a spell casted by a mage can be removed by the same mage,' he said. 'But I think I can make an anti-charm to dispel the shield created form my daughter's magic, temporarily.'

I nodded. I stuffed a pastry into my mouth. 'You worked with Taramen, right. I see you are on the run as well. Tell me, what do you know about the arch that he had made in Sightless?'