The Nowhere Emporium (13 page)

Daniel’s worry was turning to cold panic. He had rushed back to the shop front to look for Sharpe, but he wasn’t there. He prayed that all of this was a misunderstanding, that Sharpe simply wanted privacy to study each page in his quest to find Mr Silver.

But as Daniel paced anxiously around the dusty room he grew more certain that Ellie had been right, that there was something off about Sharpe. He began to move the pieces around in his mind, struggling to fit them together: Sharpe had shown up only days after Silver’s disappearance; there was a hungry look in his eyes every time he caught sight of the
Book of Wonders
; Daniel had fallen into a deep sleep after handing him the book and hadn’t seen or heard from him since…

Just like that, the puzzle clicked together.

If the wrong person got hold of it, the
Book of Wonders
could be used to
hurt
the Emporium just as easily as help it. It couldn’t be a coincidence, could it? Sharpe had the book, and everything was crumbling so much faster. Somehow, his presence was speeding things up, causing more damage.

And there was one room where that damage could be fatal.

Daniel ran and ran, his legs and lungs pleading for rest. He
needed to know if he was right about Sharpe. And he now knew beyond doubt he had to get the
Book of Wonders
back. Without it, everything Mr Silver had ever created would be lost.

But as he made his way deeper into the corridors, his mind clouded, and he became confused, losing all sense of direction. His connection with the shop was fading again.

“Not now. Please!”

A twist and a turn, leaping down a staircase three steps at a time, and another and another, until one of the stairs crumbled beneath him, and he rolled the final few steps and landed with an awkward slap on the floor.

Daniel’s arm throbbed. He fought back the tears, clenching his fists.

A flutter of wings. A flash of silver.

Something clipped Daniel’s shoulder, and landed with a graceful hop beside him. The silver magpie twitched its head to one side, observed him for a few seconds. Then it called out again, and almost immediately the second bird appeared, gliding in a circle over Daniel’s head and corkscrewing down to land on his shoulder. It pecked at his ear.

Daniel tried to wave it away.

“Beat it. I’m not in the mood.”

The pecking continued. The first bird, the one at Daniel’s side, called out again, and flew off down a dark corridor. Before he could blink, the bird was back, this time landing on his head and pecking at his skull as if trying to open a tough nut.

Daniel let out a laugh.

“You can show me the way!” he said, scrambling up. “Come on, we need to get to the Fountain.”

The birds were clearly agitated as they flew. Daniel found it difficult to keep up, and every so often they’d swoop down
and nip him on the ear, or pull at his hair with sharp beaks. They led him to the great hall of staircases, down and down, to a crumbling corridor where frost was gathering on the black stone. Daniel rubbed his hands together as he breathed winter morning air. A door was ajar, letting a blade of sunlight into the darkness. Daniel knew where he was, knew that he had visited this place before when he was new to the Emporium. He paused at the entrance, reached out and traced the frost-covered golden letters:

With a push the door was fully open, and Daniel stood once again on the surface of a frozen pond surrounded by woodland, hot breath rising from his mouth. Everything was as he remembered: the crisp air, the endless stretch of blue sky.

And then he saw the broken mountain of stone that lay in the centre of the pond where the fountain should have been.

Daniel hurried out across the pond, his feet crunching in the frost. He picked up a piece of what had once been the fountain and tossed it from hand to hand. There was no sign at all of the silvery liquid, the imagination that Mr Silver had described as the lifeblood of the Emporium. Part of the outer bowl remained intact, though there were sharp fragments of rock jutting out here and there, one of them smeared with a thin red liquid. Blood.

“A sorry sight, don’t you think?”

Vindictus Sharpe stood a few metres away, on the opposite side of the fountain, his hands behind his back. He had not been there a moment ago.

“Why have you come?” he said. “Didn’t I ask for time to study
the book alone?”

“Things have changed,” said Daniel. “I think I made a mistake.”

A pause. He took a long breath.

“I’d like the
Book of Wonders
back, please.”

Sharpe raised a silver eyebrow.

“You’d … like it back?”

“Yes. It wasn’t really mine to give away. You can still study it, but I’d like to be there when you do.”

A thin smile crossed Sharpe’s lips. “If it was not yours to give away,” he said, “then it is certainly not yours to take back.”

Daniel stared into the cold blue eyes. An alarm bell was ringing in his head, telling him he’d been right, that Sharpe was dangerous. He glanced again at the fountain, at the sharp point of stone smeared with blood.

“Whose blood is that?”

Sharpe hesitated. Then he brought his hands from behind his back. They were clutching the
Book of Wonders,
and they were covered in cuts and scrapes.

Daniel took a half-step back. He wanted to run, but he couldn’t. This was his mess, his mistake.

Sharpe flashed a smile like a knife. “You’ve caught me red-handed, as it were. To tell the truth, I am growing tired of the act. I have no intention of returning the book to you, Daniel. In fact, the only reason I allowed you to hold on to it for so long was that I thought you might lead me to Lucien.”

Daniel stared at the
Book of Wonders
in Sharpe’s big hands.

“I don’t get it … wrecking the fountain … you’re speeding things up, killing the Emporium. Why?”

“Back when we were walking together,” said Sharpe, “you asked me what Lucien was running from. What could possibly frighten him enough that he spent his whole life looking over his shoulder, always ready to flee to the next town, the next city,
the next window in time…” Sharpe brushed a hand over his neat silver hair, ran his fingers over his moustache. “The answer, boy, is that Lucien Silver was running – is still running – from me.”

Daniel heard the words, but he could not make sense of them.

“Why?”

Sharpe moistened his lips with his tongue. He lifted up the
Book of Wonders.

“The book?” said Daniel. “That’s what all of this is about? So if you’ve got it, why are you still here? Why haven’t you just taken it away?”

“It’s not quite as simple as that. A magician cannot steal a magical object from another of his kind. The bond between the creation and the creator is too intense. If I walk out of here with the book, it will not work for me as fully as I desire. No, for the
Book of Wonders
to truly be mine, I must either win it from Lucien, or he must pass it to me with his blessing. The latter is never going to happen. So I have no choice but to take the book through more … aggressive measures.

“I have been chasing for many years, boy, and each time I come close, each time I can feel the book, smell it, Lucien wriggles away. Not this time. Something is different. He is weak. I found him easily.” At this Sharpe spat on the frost. “You can see how he has reacted, running away like the weasel he has always been.”

“You hoped I’d lead you to him,” Daniel said, “so you could … what? Kill him?”

Sharpe smiled an affable smile. “That’s about the size of it,” he said. “But seeing as you failed in spectacular fashion to locate him, I turned to other means. I knew that there must be a weakness somewhere in the Emporium, and that I could find it in the book.” He opened his arms. “And here we are. The Fountain. Lucien has been relying on the imagination of his customers to keep the place running. He is weaker than I thought. He no longer has any
customers. And now that the fountain is no more, the Emporium will crumble much more quickly.

“Lucien has a choice. He can either stay in his hole like a rodent and die with this place, or he can come out, come out, wherever he is, and face me. Either way, the
Book of Wonders
will be mine.” He nodded to Daniel. “You have talent, a connection with the book that could be very useful. The end of the Emporium need not be the end of your journey. I could help you become great.”

“Help me like you helped Mr Silver?” said Daniel. “No thanks. I don’t fancy a knife in the back.”

Sharpe shrugged his wide shoulders and said, “Lucien has nobody to blame but himself. His actions, his cowardice, sealed his fate. The choice is yours. Stay here and wait for the Emporium to die. Go down with the ship. Or learn from the best, and open up a new world of possibilities.”

Daniel returned the cold stare, trying with all of his might to hide the fear coursing through him. The enormity of his mistake was hitting him hard.
He
had invited Sharpe in.
He
had handed over the
Book of Wonders.

Every cell in his body was telling him to turn and run.

But Daniel did not run away. He stepped forward.

“You … you think I could be great?” he said.

Sharpe leaned his head a little to one side, as if sizing him up.

“I think that, together, we could discover secrets about the book that even Lucien does not know.”

Daniel took another step forward, his heart thundering. His eyes flicked to the book, but only for half a second.

Just a little closer.

“How can the book have secrets from Mr Silver?” Daniel asked.

“Magic has its mysteries, my boy … even for the best of us…”

From somewhere behind him, Daniel heard the call of a
magpie.

Sharpe looked away only for a moment, but it was enough.

Daniel snatched the book from his hands and spun away through the frost towards the doorway. He didn’t dare look back as he ran.

What next? Where to go? He almost tripped over his own feet. A few more steps … just a few more…

A strong hand grabbed at his hair, snapped him backwards with such force that his feet left the frosted ground. When he landed, there was no time to react. Sharpe stood over him, sneering. He grabbed him again by the hair and dragged him up. Then, a look of mad fury on his face, Sharpe reared back and struck Daniel across the mouth.

The world blurred at the edges. Daniel stumbled to his knees, blood pooling in his mouth. Sharpe was stalking towards him like a big cat. He was enjoying himself. Daniel backed away, still on his knees.

“You’ll never find him,” he said, clutching the
Book of Wonders
to his chest. “Nobody will find him if he doesn’t want to be found.”

Sharpe nodded. “Then I’ll wait,” he said, “until this place falls apart and takes him with it. But I will win.”

He raised his great hand again.

Daniel cringed, waiting for the next blow to arrive. But before he could connect, the magpies swooped down upon Sharpe, pecking at his eyes, crying out with chattering screeches.

Daniel knew that the birds were calling to him,
Run away! Take the book to safety!
But he was dazed, unable to do anything but watch Sharpe flail and curse.

Sharpe, who had been staggering backwards, grabbed one of the magpies as it arrowed towards his face. It wriggled and called out as he tightened his grip around it and slammed it to
the ground with a sickening crack. Then he lifted his foot and brought it down with all of his strength and weight, crushing the delicate metal bird beneath the sole of his shining black shoe.

“No!” Daniel wanted to run at Sharpe, to jump at him and hurt him.

Sharpe looked up, dragging his gaze from the shimmering carcass of the  magpie, and Daniel felt a jolt of ice in his spine.

The second magpie continued to attack, buying Daniel moments. He glanced at the book in his hands, turned, and began to run.

The frost was slippery beneath his feet as he dashed to the door. Before he was through, he heard Sharpe call out, “You can’t hide forever, Daniel Holmes. Sooner or later, I will find you, and when I do, I will take back my book! The only way I’ll leave without it is in a coffin!”

The wings of the surviving magpie flashed in the darkness as Daniel raced through the passageways. His fingers gripped the
Book of Wonders
tight. He did not know or care where the bird was leading him, so long as it was away from Sharpe.

Everything seemed darker than before; the shadows were deeper and the silence suffocating. Again and again Daniel thought he saw something shifting in the gloom; he imagined Sharpe posing as a statue, detaching from the shadows to make a grab for the book.

What now? What could be done to stop a madman? How much time was there to save the Emporium now that the fountain was gone? And what could he do about it alone?

The sound of splashing from around the next corner stopped Daniel dead. Steep steps led to a flooded passageway. The water was waist-deep. Shattered diamonds of light sparkled on the dark surface, cast from the lamps lining the walls, some of which were still lit. A lone figure was wading through the water towards him.

“Ha ha! Ellie!”

He felt such relief that he actually laughed out loud.

He crashed down the stairs, slipping under the surface for a moment, taking in an unpleasant gulp of salty water, which shot out of his nose as he coughed and spluttered.

“Ellie! It’s me!”

Ellie, who had been staring into the water as she waded, looked up. Her eyes grew wide.

“Daniel!” she cried. “I’ve been looking all over for you since our search party got back. The place is in ruins! I’ve just come from the hospital. The staff are in a bad way. Caleb told me you’d rushed off.” She paused, and stared at Daniel’s bloodied face. “What happened to you?”

“There’s so much to tell you,” said Daniel. “I’m pretty sure your father is alive, and he’s in the Emporium.” Daniel told her about Sharpe’s idea of using the book to find Silver, and how it had backfired. “I think it was a message,” he said. “Your father doesn’t want to be found.”

“But he’s alive!” said Ellie, hopping on the spot. “Thank you, Daniel! I couldn’t stop picturing him dying all alone in some dark corner.” She hugged Daniel tight, and then she broke away, looking serious. “He’s still ill, though, isn’t he? The Emporium’s falling apart. He can’t hold it all together. So why doesn’t he want us to find him?”

“It’s not us he’s hiding from, Ellie,” said Daniel. “It’s Sharpe. You were right about him all along. He’s dangerous.” Daniel took a deep breath. “He wants to kill your papa.”

“He
what?
”

“Kill him, and steal the
Book of Wonders.
That’s why he’s here. He’s been chasing Mr Silver for a long time. He’s obsessed with the book! He’ll do anything to have it. And the book won’t work properly for him unless Mr Silver hands it over, or Sharpe beats him for it. It’s the reason your father makes the Emporium move around so much – he’s running away! I think that’s why people from outside can’t see you. It’s your papa’s way of protecting you. I’ll bet it’s the reason he won’t let you leave the shop too. It’s all to keep you safe from Sharpe.”

Ellie’s mouth moved wordlessly before she found her voice.
“How do you know all this?”

“Sharpe told me so himself,” said Daniel. And the story began to spill out of him: how the magpies had led him to the fountain; how he’d only just escaped with his life after stealing back the book; how one of the birds had not been so lucky.

Ellie’s hand went to her mouth. “He wrecked the fountain? And he did that to you?” She pointed to Daniel’s swollen lip. He could still taste the blood, and the saltwater nipped at the wound.

“I’m sorry,” said Daniel. “I’ve messed everything up. I should never have let him in. All I ever wanted to do was help. I don’t want to lose the Emporium, or Mr Silver, or you.”

To his surprise, Ellie smiled her crooked smile.

“All that matters now is what we do next. We can still turn things around.”

Daniel thought for a moment.

“If we can get rid of Sharpe,” he said, “I reckon Mr Silver will come back.”

“Why didn’t Papa just stand up to him in the first place?”

Daniel knew what Ellie was thinking: that Mr Silver was a coward. He’d even thought the same himself at first.

“I don’t think it’s as simple as that. Your papa is weak. All the years of running the Emporium on his own have taken his strength away. I think he knew what was coming. He could sense Sharpe getting close, and he knew he wasn’t strong enough to fight.”

“That would explain the unicorn blood!” said Ellie. “It was desperation. A last attempt to get some of his strength back so that he could get rid of Sharpe.”

“I think so,” said Daniel. “Only something went wrong.”

Ellie stroked the walls of the Emporium. “All these years I was sure he was keeping me in the shop so he wouldn’t be lonely. I was always so angry at him.”

“He’s been protecting you. It’s what they do, mums and dads.”

“So what do we do?” said Ellie. “How can we get rid of Sharpe?”

“Everyone’s got a weak spot,” said Daniel thoughtfully. “We’ve got to find Sharpe’s.”

“But how? It’s not like we can go and have a chat with him, is it? Get his life story over a nice cup of tea and some empire biscuits? He’s dangerous!”

Life story
…

The words echoed in Daniel’s ears. He stared at the book, and began to flip through the pages, gathering speed as the idea properly formed. He heard Mr Silver’s voice, far off on the horizon of his memory, from his very first lesson:

“I am a fan of stories. A collector. And there is no greater story than that of life. The Library of Souls holds on its many shelves the life story of everyone who has ever lived, everyone who
will
ever live.
”

Daniel stopped flipping. And there it was, staring back at him from the page in all of its dark, impossible glory. He flashed Ellie a clever smile.

“Who says we need to talk to Vindictus Sharpe to find out about his past?” he said. “This is the Nowhere Emporium, Ellie! Follow me.”