Free Chase Tinker & The House of Magic by Malia Ann Haberman

about?" asked Chase. "We are helping her."
    "The fever must be making her delirious,"
said Grandfather.
    All at once, a long, terrifying scream filled
the air.
    "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
    It had to be the most frightening sound Chase
had ever heard and it was hard to believe that it came from such a
frail-looking person. He clamped his hands over his ears.
"Shouldn't we call—" he yelled over the wailing, which ended before
he finished his sentence, "—a doctor?"
    Crying and sniffling, Janie knelt by the bed
and clutched her mother's hand. "The Healing Room will make her
feel better, won't it, Grandfather?"
    "It should help, but she's extremely sick,"
he said, placing his hand on Clair's forehead. "I can heal her cuts
and bruises with my own healing magic, but with her illness, I
believe she should be diagnosed and treated by someone more
experienced about these sorts of things than I."
    He held his hand over the bloody gash in her
leg. Light-blue beams flowed from his palm and into the wound. It
vanished within seconds. He did the same to her other injuries.
    "Oh, the poor dear," said Miranda as she
entered the room with her arms filled with supplies.
    "Miranda," said Grandfather, "why don't we
leave you and Janie to make her comfortable before we give the
doctor a call. Will you please let us know when you're done?"
    Out in the hallway, Chase wiped at the drops
running down his nose. "Do you think she'll be okay?"
    "I hope so," said Grandfather, worry lines
furrowed across his forehead.
    "What about our dad? Why isn't he here?" Chase glared at the closed door. "We need to ask Aunt Clair
what happened!"
    "We'll hear her story when she's ready," said
Grandfather. "We just need to be patient."
    Persephone and Andy sat cross-legged against
the wall and watched Chase walk back and forth. His soggy sneakers
squelched with every step.
    "What if he's lying somewhere hurt or sick!"
he exclaimed, the swish, swish of his wet jeans making as much
noise as his squishy shoes. "We have to find out."
    "While we're waiting," said Grandfather,
staring at his grandson's pants, "maybe we should tidy up a
bit."
    With a quick twirl of his finger, four small
tornados popped into the hallway. The kids squinched their eyes
shut as the winds whistled and whipped around them. When the
tornados finally spun away, they were all completely clean and
dry.
    "Much better," said Grandfather, pushing his
sparkling glasses up higher onto his nose.
    Chase's clothes now felt tingly and toasty,
as if they'd just come out of a warm dryer. He glanced down. "Hey!
What happened?" His green t-shirt was gone. He now had on a
dark-blue one with the word "Mariners" written in white and blue
letters across the front. "How the heck did—"
    His yelling was cut short by the bedroom door
opening. Mrs. Periwinkle stepped into the hall. Andy and Persephone
scrambled to their feet.
    "Mom!" cried Persephone. "How's she
doing?"
    "Clair's resting a little better—"
    "I need to talk to her," said Chase,
forgetting all about the switched shirts. "She needs to tell us
where our dad is."
    "That will have to wait," said Mrs.
Periwinkle, placing a hand on his arm. "At the moment, she's not in
any shape to answer questions."
    They filed back into the bedroom. The bedside
lamps had been lit and together they cast a rosy glow over the
room. Clair looked frailer than ever lying beneath the bed's heavy
blankets. Janie had curled up on one side of her, and Maxwell on
the other.
    Her breathing was a little more normal, but
she was still murmuring some curious things. "Can't let them find
me. My fault. Can't believe it happened. Got to warn...keep them
safe. Should've listened…" Tears trickled from her closed eyes and
fell into her dark hair.
    "Is she dreaming?" whispered Andy. "Or is she
talking about something real?"
    "I don't know," said Grandfather sadly.
    Chase shoved his hands into his pockets and
gazed at his aunt. Mrs. Periwinkle was right. It was going to be
next to impossible to find