Midnight at Moonglow’S: The Sword of Destiny Book Ii

The Sword of

Destiny

Midnight at Moonglows

Book II

K. C. Sherwood

Copyright © 2014 K. C. Sherwood.

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ISBN: 978-1-4582-1449-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4582-1450-8 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4582-1451-5 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014903149

Abbott Press rev. date: 03/05/2014

CONTENTS

Chapter 1:   The Little Black Book

Chapter 2:   The Search Begins

Chapter 3:   The Lost City

Chapter 4:   Miz Luna

Chapter 5:   The Baobab Tree

Chapter 6:   Captain Scabbard

Chapter 7:   Amun and the Amulet

Chapter 8:   The Crimson Gate

Chapter 9:   The Sword of Destiny

Chapter 10: Finding the Way

Chapter 11: All Hallows’ Eve

For my parents: Thank you for your ever-loving support and for always believing in me.

Chapter 1

THE LITTLE BLACK BOOK

Casey and Uncle Walt exchanged nervous glances as they dug their heels into their horses and took off at a fast gallop toward Mr. Appleby’s ranch. Now they had two reasons to worry. If this had been one of their normal trips, Mr. Appleby would’ve been bringing horses to them, but this time they had to pinch a couple from a nearby corral, and everyone knows what happened to horse thieves in 1880 Arizona (at least the ones who were caught, anyway). What had Casey Parker even more nervous, however, was the little black book she had stashed in the saddlebag. As it turned out, Great Uncle Walter knew as little about it as she did.

After Casey had found it underneath a shelf in the back of the bookshop, she brought it straight to Uncle Walter. They had both stared in bewilderment as they turned to the section of the book that had Thomas Appleby’s name listed next to it in the table of contents. His entire life was outlined in the chapter, from birth through his years as owner of the bookshop. It ended with where he was now, retired into his favorite Old West novel. Uncle Walt’s life was there too, in the next chapter, at least up until a few months ago. The last line of text read, Walter Parker takes over Moonglow’s Bookshop: June 6, 2010. Following that were many blank pages. Casey’s chapter apparently didn’t exist yet; her name was listed in the table of contents with blank page numbers next to it.

They had decided on a trip to see Mr. Appleby as soon as possible in the hopes that he knew something about this strange book. As they sped across the Great Plains on their steeds, the faint whistle of an old black locomotive reached Casey’s ears. She involuntarily looked back over her shoulder to make sure that they weren’t being pursued. The only thing visible as far as the eye could see was the line of pink and orange rock formations that stretched across the horizon. Casey brushed off the paranoia and tried to focus her attention in front of her.

Her mind kept racing through all the events of last summer, searching for some clue as to what this could mean. The summer between sixth grade and junior high was unlike any that she had ever experienced. Her Uncle Walter introduced her to a magical bookshop. The mere fact that one even exists—where it’s possible to leap into a book, befriend the characters, and have adventures—is astonishing in itself. So should it be surprising that she had found a book hidden under a shelf in the bookshop with their names listed in it?

When they reached Mr. Appleby’s ranch, they quickly tied up their horses. Casey pulled the book out of the saddlebag and rushed to the front door, pounding on it furiously. She could hear footsteps inside, the old man’s cowboy boots clicking swiftly across the wooden floor. Mr. Appleby flung the door open.

What the heck is going on out here? His expression instantly changed from annoyance to concern as he observed Casey and Walter standing on his front porch, staring at him nervously. Casey, Walter! What are you two doing here? Come in, come in.

Casey and Walter followed him inside, and the three sat down at the little wooden kitchen table.

Can I offer you two a drink?

No time for that, Mr. Appleby, Casey said. You’ve got to see this book I found. Please tell me you know something about it. Please tell me what this means!

Hold on there, Casey. Let’s just slow down a second and relax. Uncle Walt ran a hand through his silvery-brown, wind-blown hair and turned to Mr. Appleby. Yes, Tom, thank you. We would love some water. Sorry to come barging in on you unannounced like this. But I have to say, I am somewhat concerned myself about this book that Casey found.

Mr. Appleby placed two glasses of water in front of them and picked up the book from the table.

Let’s see what we’ve got here. He examined it closely, running his fingers over the silver letters on the cover that read Moonglow. Then he undid the buckle and opened it to the first page.

Casey jumped up from her chair and pointed to the top of the page. See what it says up here? And we found another rhyme at the very back. And the lettering is different between the two. It looks like two different people wrote them.

At the top of the first page it read:

Destiny calls the chosen ones into the book of their heart’s delight.

Choose your book wisely, for that’s where you’ll be,

Until the end of time, as you will see.

Mr. Appleby then flipped to the very back of the book and continued to read:

Through the doors, into the light,

Back and forth, into the night,

From book to book and place to place,

Through hidden doors you may face

An awful sight, an awful fright,

But to the source with all your might,

Take the key and prepare to fight,

For only then, will you see

The magic will finally set you free.

It looks like the book is filled with chapters about the lives of all the previous owners of the bookshop, Uncle Walt said. Or at least that’s what I’m assuming because your life is in there and so is mine up until I took over the bookshop. Casey’s name is in the table of contents, but her chapter is blank. I guess she’s next in line. I never knew any of the other owners before you, Tom, so I don’t recognize the other names.

Uncle Walt remained quiet for a minute, giving him time to skim through the book. When he finally looked up, Mr. Appleby eyed the two of them silently, an uneasy expression spreading across his face.

Casey snapped her fingers. Mr. Appleby, please say something. This is torture!

He gently placed the book on the table. I’ve seen this book once before when I was very young. I had completely forgotten about it until now. The man who owned the shop before me, Furvus Underwood, was holding it when I came in one night to go on an adventure. I was probably only eight or nine years old at the time. I remember him holding up this book and saying that it was my destiny. I never saw it again after that. Where did you find it, Casey?

It was shoved way underneath the bottom shelf in the back of the store. It was so covered in dust that I don’t know how I could have seen the silver buckle shining out from underneath the shelf. It seems almost impossible. It’s like it was calling to me or something.

Uncle Walt picked it up and turned it over and over in his hands. "What happened to Furvus Underwood? How did the book end up there? And what did he mean by your destiny?"

Casey put her elbows on the table and rested her chin in her hands. Yeah, that’s a little scary, not to mention those rhymes. What does it all mean?

Mr. Appleby slowly lowered himself onto one of the empty chairs and placed his palms flat on the table. "Well, I’m sorry that I don’t have a lot of answers for you, but I’ll tell you what I do know.

"It would have been, let’s see, 1954 maybe. It was winter, I remember, because the air was frigid and bit at my cheeks as I made my way to Moonglow’s. I snuck out of my house because, as you know, the magic of the bookshop only works at night when the moonlight is shining in. My mother would certainly not let her nine-year-old out by himself at night. Sneaking out was worth it though. Leaping into books was a dream come true. I ran through the rules in my mind: the books must stay in the shop at night, I must not forget my key, and I must be out by midnight or I’ll be stuck in the book forever. I double-checked my pocket for the key. It was there. I had never forgotten my key. It was the most important possession I’d ever owned. Not only does it get you into the bookshop, but back through the door into the real world as well. Big responsibility for a little kid.

"My face burned with the cold, but I paid it no mind because I couldn’t wait to leap into my next book—a cowboys and Indians saga, of course. As a matter of fact, it was this very book that we’re in now. I jogged the rest of the way there, watching my breath emanate in little puffs of white steam. In no time at all, I could see the musty little shop in the distance. A chill of excitement ran through me as the wooden sign that hangs over the door came into view and then the moon half covered in clouds on the front window. I pushed the door open and found Mr. Underwood waiting for me. The man was a bit odd and seemed to always have a shadowy aura surrounding him. I thought I could almost see it—an outline of charcoal gray hovering just around the edges of the man’s body. He stood near the counter with a black book in his hand and moved toward me as soon as I came in. ‘Thomas, my boy!’ he said. ‘How nice to see you!’ He put his arm around my shoulder and led me to one of the chairs in the shop. ‘Sit down. I’ve something to show you,’ he said.

"His hair and eyes were both dark as night, and he bent down on one knee to level himself with me. I sat quietly, feeling hypnotized by his dark eyes. Underwood held up the book in front of me, pointing at the title. ‘This, my dear boy, is your destiny,’ he said. ‘Your life will be in this book. Your entire life, before and after, for all eternity. Make sure you choose wisely when the time comes.’

"I was bewildered. The man wasn’t making any sense. ‘Before and after what?’ I asked.

"Then he said, ‘Don’t worry about it now, boy. Too much to explain to such young ears. I’ll tell you everything in good time. Just remember this book.’

"He tapped it twice with his finger, and then he rose to put it in a drawer behind the counter. He said, ‘Go on now. Get to your adventure. Don’t just sit there staring at me like that.’

He didn’t have to tell me twice. I popped up out of my chair and rushed over to the book I wanted. I read the first few words aloud and immediately felt the wind begin to blow through the shop and swirl all around me. Then everything went black. In a matter of seconds, I was off playing cowboys and Indians. I never saw that book again. I ended up taking over the bookshop a few weeks after I graduated from high school because Mr. Underwood had apparently died in a house fire. His remains were never found. He was a strange one; that he was. He didn’t have any friends in town, and people generally avoided him, except me. I was so gung-ho over my adventures that I didn’t care. But there was definitely something dark about him.

When Mr. Appleby finished, they sat in silence, trying to process the information and come up with some sort of clue. Casey took the book and flipped through the Underwood chapter. It looked like a perfectly normal life, but it said nothing about him dying in a house fire. His chapter just ended with a date, 07/01/1963, and Mr. Appleby’s chapter started on the next page.

Uncle Walt spoke first. Okay, let’s work with what we have. The first rhyme sounds like we are being called into the books forever. Like we don’t have a choice. Now, we know that you chose to retire into this Western novel, Tom, but you don’t know what Underwood planned to do, right?

No. Unfortunately he died before he had the chance to tell me anything else. I would have guessed that he would’ve been the type to want to spend eternity in a book, but I can’t be sure.

And what about the person who owned the shop before him? Do you know anything about him?

Let’s see who it was. Casey opened the book to the table of contents. Correction, Uncle Walt. Her. It was a her. And her name was Gladys Pepperdine. Does that name ring a bell, Mr. Appleby?

It doesn’t. I’m so sorry. But you know what? If Ms. Gladys Pepperdine retired into a book, you can go ask her yourself.

That’s it! Casey quickly flipped to the end of the Gladys Pepperdine chapter. "It says here that she retired into a novel titled Bittersweet and that she works in a bakery called Le Petit Gateau Heureux. Sounds French. I wonder what it means?"

I don’t know, but it looks like we’ve got some investigating to do. Uncle Walt rose from the table and shook Mr. Appleby’s hand. Thanks for all the info, Tom.

No problem at all. I wish I could be of more help. Make sure you come back and let me know what you find out.

We will, Casey said. Hopefully Ms. Pepperdine will know what the rhymes mean. And now, we better get these horses back before anyone realizes they’re gone.

Mr. Appleby walked them outside and saw them off. He waved his cowboy hat in the air as they rode away and shouted, Good luck, you two! And be careful! When you’re dealing with magic, you never know what could happen!

Chapter 2

THE SEARCH BEGINS

The clock on the wall of Moonglow’s Bookshop read half past ten. An impossibly bright October moon shone in through the storefront windows, softly illuminating the aging volumes resting silently on their shelves. A door suddenly appeared with a quiet pop, and through it stepped Casey and Uncle Walter.

We definitely don’t have time to go tonight, Uncle Walt said, glancing up at the clock.

I know, Casey whispered. She always felt like she should whisper whenever she was in the bookshop at night. Everything was too still, too quiet.

Meet you here same time tomorrow night?

Yes. And I’m going to take that book home with me too. I wanna check it out before we go into it.

Good idea.

They parted ways outside the shop and headed for home. Casey gazed up at the moon while she walked along the tree-lined streets, breathing in the crisp night air. Oak, pine, and maple trees towered over her, making the moonlight shine down in patches of light that looked like pools of shimmering silver on the sidewalk in front of her. Walking in the quiet of night under the canopy of moon and stars made her feel like anything was possible. She felt strong and confident, and hope was infinite. All her worries melted down into something she could put in her pocket and crush between her fingers. Even this book she found seemed less alarming when she was walking in the moonlight. It really wasn’t that big of a deal, was it? She and Uncle Walt would figure it out, and that would be that. Of course they would. But everything seems different in the moonlight, doesn’t it?

It took her less than ten minutes to walk to her house, which sat at the edge of town, nestled up against the deep woods. The streets were dark and deserted, as they always were. In her tiny little town of Oak Hill, very few people ventured out after dark. First, because that’s just the way small towns are, and second, because there was absolutely nothing to do. This suited Casey very well since she had to sneak out of her house whenever she went to the bookshop at night to have an adventure. The stuffed animal decoys she’d been using since she discovered the bookshop the previous summer worked like a charm. Her mother never suspected a thing. As far as she knew, Casey was sound asleep in her bed every night, and when Mrs. Parker peeked in to check on her, that’s what she saw. The lumpy mound of a sleeping twelve-year-old beneath the covers.

≈

Casey awoke to the usual hustle and bustle of a typical Saturday morning in the Parker household. Her older brother, Ryan, was getting ready for work. Her dad, Joe, was heading out to rake leaves and mow the lawn. Her mother, Emma, was off to run errands and most assuredly make a side trip on the way to gossip with Mrs. Tinsley. Her older sister, Samantha, thank goodness, was still sleeping. Although things had gotten somewhat better between the two of them, they still didn’t quite understand each other. Samantha was the cheerleader queen, and Casey was the bookworm. Apples and oranges, as they say.

Good morning, Casey, her father said as she stepped into the kitchen. Wanna help me rake? It’ll be loads of fun. He winked at her.

Sorry, Dad. I’ve got important business to take care of. But you have fun without me, okay? She grinned, returned his wink, and then hurried out of the kitchen before he could say that he was serious. No time for raking leaves today; she had some reading to do.

She tied her shoulder-length blonde hair up in a ponytail and headed for the door.

Ryan was just coming down the steps as Casey passed by. Didja have a great adventure last night? he asked.

Ryan was the only other person in the real world, besides Uncle Walt, who knew about the magic of the bookshop. Casey had tried to get him to go on an adventure with her, but he always refused. He always had some lame excuse for why he couldn’t go, but Casey could tell that he just didn’t want to. She could see it in his eyes; the tiniest bit of fear was there. The magic freaked