The Magic Misfits - Neil Patrick Harris Page 0,56
escape. I’m not a monster. If you can make it out before it’s too late, you win. I’ll let you and your family go. And all these fine people”—he waved at the mesmerized audience—“they can get back to their ordinary lives.”
“No, Dante! Don’t trust him!” Carter yelled.
Mr. Vernon gazed at the Misfits for a long moment, then sighed. “I love you all,” he said before stepping inside the magic box.
Kalagan slammed the lid shut and began to laugh.
TWENTY-FOUR
As if from nowhere, a length of chain appeared in Kalagan’s hands. Within seconds, he’d managed to wind it through the new metal loops that were attached to the sides of the box. In the center of the lid, right over the spot where Ridley imagined Mr. Vernon’s heart was hidden inside, Kalagan attached a thick brass lock. He waved his people forward. In their arms, they carried thin pieces of kindling and several chunks of firewood, which they arranged at the base of the box as they whisper-chanted, “What have I done? What have I done?”
“Let him go!” Leila shrieked. She tried to rush forward, but one of the lackeys pushed her roughly back.
Kalagan brought his mouth close to the box. “I will give you the same chance of escape that you gave to my parents that night, years ago,” he said. “The night they perished in a fire that you set.” He glanced at Leila and the rest of the Misfits. “Don’t worry, children. If he’s as good a magician as he believes he is, Dante Vernon will be free in no time!” He snapped his fingers and a flame appeared in his palm. Kalagan bent and held the fire to the kindling. It caught quickly, white smoke seeping out, spreading into the spotlight that shone from above.
Ridley had full faith that Mr. Vernon was as good a magician as any magician who ever magicianed. But the odds were stacked against him. There was no way Kalagan didn’t have this whole thing rigged so Mr. Vernon would fail. She looked out over the auditorium seats, where many of the townspeople still stood holding the members of Mr. Vernon’s Magic Circle at bay. She could see several of them grappling, trying to reach the stage, but there were simply too many opponents. The Circle was overwhelmed. She held the microphone up. “You’re good people,” she said. “I know you are. We’re neighbors. I see what’s important to you. We cannot let this happen.”
“What are you doing, Ridley?” Theo whispered in her ear.
“Would someone shut her up?” Kalagan called out to the townspeople. Some of the men who’d brought over the firewood ran offstage, following the microphone cord.
Ridley could hear Mr. Vernon moving around inside the magic box. The smell of smoke was growing stronger. They were running out of time!
“This man has no power over you!” Ridley waved her hand at Kalagan, who stared back at her, his eyes filled with the memory of fire. “He’s no mesmerist. No hypnotist. No all-powerful sorcerer. He is a sad man who has manipulated you. But you can stop him! You can share your secret. Speak it out loud. Break the spell!”
To her surprise, she found that the audience was listening to her.
“I have a secret,” she went on. “Something that worries me day and night. I thought I would die if I ever told anyone. But I won’t die. And neither will you. I’m willing to tell my secret in order to destroy Kalagan’s power. The question is: Are you willing too?”
Murmuring spread slowly through the auditorium.
“My secret is that…” Ridley took a deep breath, then said, “I’m-afraid-my-mother-doesn’t-love-me-as-much-as-she-loves-her-work.” The words flew out of Ridley’s mouth like sparks. No way to retrieve them now. “And I’m afraid that I’m too much like her, that I steamroll people and make them feel unwanted. I’m afraid—”
The microphone cut out. Ridley wasn’t sure she could have gone on anyway. She felt warm arms embrace her from behind. Turning her head, she saw Theo’s face.
“I have a secret too,” he shouted out, his voice surprisingly strong. “Over the summer… I lost one of my pet doves. She just flew off. I worry that it was because I neglected her in some way. I feel so irresponsible. I never told anyone. I think about her all the time and dream that she is soaring into a never-ending sunset.”
Ridley grabbed Theo’s forearm and squeezed. She looked over her shoulder at the magic box. The kindling was glowing brighter. Small flames had