Earth Magic

By Paula Blais Gorgas

When Jenna enters an abandoned old house, she is transported to an alternate world called EARTH ONE. There she meets Master Sorcerer Nigel, his young friends, and a telepathic cat named Victor. But a perilous encounter with a sorcerer from yet another alternate world threatens to change Jenna's life forever. [OWFI's Best Juvenile Book of 2002]

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dragonfly Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Feb 5, 2010
• ISBN: 9780981704913

Paula Blais Gorgas

Paula Blais Gorgas lives in Oklahoma with her husband Chet, a retired Navy Commander turned pro-golfer. Together they have four grown sons and a dozen grandchildren. Paula has worked as an NSA intelligence analyst and as a children's librarian. Fiction publications include: DREAMTIME, EARTH MAGIC (OWFI's 2002 Best Juvenile Book), and OTHER WORLDS (OWFI's 2008 Best Book of Fiction). Children's picture book publications include: LITTLE LOST LEPRECHAUN and THE PERFECT PURPLE PRESENT.

Book preview

PART 1

One Night on Violet Hill

* * * * *

CHAPTER 1

A New World

FIRST, you had to get past Brutus the Bouncer.

Black as midnight, one-eyed and bobtailed, he lay across the top step of the porch like roadkill on State Line Road. I knew better, of course. Once dead, any self-respecting corpse stays that way. Not Brutus. He’d wait till you jumped over his body, then twist into the air and sink his teeth into a leg or thigh. This discouraged most intruders, including Cal and Annie, who came with me the first night I sneaked out to Violet Hill.

Cal led the way as we walked up the overgrown path to the old house. My brother’s a year older than Annie and me and likes to think he’s in charge, but we all knew this adventure was my idea. All my life I’d heard whispers about the old abandoned house that sat on the corner lot at the end of our street. Nobody came right out and said it was haunted, but I knew something strange went on there, and I wanted to see for myself. Was I scared? You bet! That’s what made me itch to get inside.

Hurry up, Cal! I hissed when he stopped on the bottom step to stare at Brutus. Not that I knew the cat’s name. Not then. He was simply a black blob that didn’t stir even when Cal shone the flashlight in his face.

"I dunno, Jen. He’s huge! And he doesn’t look very friendly. Maybe we should—"

Go back? Okay! Come on, Jenna! Annie piped up.

You two are wimps! Give me the flashlight and I’ll go first.

That did it. Cal crouched, jumped, and then yelled bloody murder as Brutus went into action.

I’m not sure what happened next. Annie took off, but everything else kind of jumbled together for a minute or two. I saw Cal sprawled across the porch under a black shadow that had wrapped itself around him. He was still yelling, so I knew he was okay. And I remember a feeling that urged me toward the front door. Probably I should have stayed and looked out for my brother and cousin, but I wanted to go inside. I had to know what waited behind that door.

The oversized doorknob felt cold and damp as it turned against my palm. That’s right. The knob turned, and as it turned, the urge to enter overwhelmed me. Without looking back, I pushed the door open and stepped inside.

Dark, dank gloom hit me like a force field. And cold, a biting cold that went right through my fleece-lined windbreaker. Shivering, I saw that the place was empty. Only the heavy curtains at a couple of windows showed that anyone had ever lived here.

As I walked toward the back of the house, I realized the room was growing brighter. The kitchen door had swung open, letting in a stream of light. That puzzled me since I didn’t remember the moon lighting our path when we made our way up the street just minutes ago. I kept walking, but I knew something was wrong.

Halfway across the kitchen, I almost turned around. That light really bothered me, yet I could hardly contain my excitement. If I didn’t keep going, I might miss something. Good or bad.  I didn’t know, but I had to find out. Taking a deep breath, I ran the last few steps to the open door. Into daylight.

I gotta be dreaming!

If you are, I am, too, and since I do not fall asleep at four o’clock in the afternoon—

I whirled around.

Who is it, Vic?

A young girl of about twelve years, judging from her size and body structure, although I find it difficult to estimate age when I cannot see the facial features, which in her case are almost entirely obstructed by a veil of unruly red material, rather like a mop, emanating from her head.

Well! My curly hair has been called lots of things, but never a mop. Scowling, I pushed a long frizzy strand out of my face and gaped at the two figures who had just emerged from a yellow brick house across the road and now walked toward me. The boy I dismissed quickly, though normally I would have given anyone who looked like him at least a few seconds of undivided attention. But somehow, even tall, dark and handsome couldn’t compete with a huge, talking cat.

How—did you do that? I squeaked, pointing a shaking finger at the two of them.

Do what? the boy asked.

Him! He talked!

The cat kept on walking and talking.

I believe she means me, Rob, although why she should be concerned with my powers of locution I cannot imagine. It seems to me much more remarkable that a young girl should simply appear in front of yonder elm tree and dressed quite peculiarly, as though the temperature stood at thirty degrees rather than seventy, which is merely a conjecture on my part, since I did not check—

Stop! I slapped my hands over my ears to shut out the cat’s nonstop string of chatter.

Mistake. A loud ringing filled my head, and everything around me swayed. I sat down hard on a patch of dirt, roots and small stones.  She seems to have lost her balance, Rob. Shall we assist her?

Of course we will, goofball!

The two walked oddly together, step by step, in perfect unison. When they reached me, the boy crouched down, and I looked up.

Mistake Number Two. The ground tilted wildly. Uh-oh!

She appears a bit woozy, Rob.

I felt my head pushed down between my knees, and a cool hand gripped mine. Keep your head down. Long deep breaths. That’s it. You’ll be better in a minute.

He was right. Yet, I didn’t mind. Not the way I would if Cal had told me what to do. Cautiously, I eased myself upright, and the boy’s long slim face stayed still. Very still. I had the feeling those bright black eyes of his could see right through me. And he still held my hand. I jerked away and started brushing dirt and leaves off my jeans.

Again he held out his hand, but I pretended not to notice and scrambled to my feet alone. Thanks, I mumbled. I’m fine now.

He stood up slowly and I waited for him to say something, but he must have used up his supply of words. Maybe the cat had, too.

No! That was ridiculous, but so was this whole crazy scene, including the clear blue sky all around me. It must be a dream, but it sure didn’t feel like any dream. You will not panic. Just keep it cool.

So, what’s with all this sunshine? When I went into the house, it was close to midnight and pitch black, not even a moon, but now it’s broad daylight. That’s some trick, maybe even better than the cat. I couldn’t seem to stop babbling. Okay, I’ll admit it. I was scared to stop. You’ll probably think I’m crazy, but I actually thought your cat was talking. I knew that house was weird, but—

What house?

Everyone knows cats can’t talk. What did you say?

I said, what house are you talking about?

His black eyes bored into me again. Hill House, I snapped, pointing back over my shoulder. Can’t you see it? It’s the only one on Violet Hill.

The boy leaned back against a tree. Matter of fact, I can’t see it or anything else.

That stopped me cold. You mean you’re blind?

That’s right, he said calmly, but if you take a good look, you won’t see it either. There is no house on Violet Hill. There’s nothing there but a bunch of rocks and trees.

As if that little bombshell wasn’t enough, imagine how I felt when Victor—he’s the cat, but I’ll get to that in a minute—casually dropped the next one.

I believe I hear an aircar approaching, Rob. Master Nigel most likely.

Did you say aircar? Now I really felt woozy, as Victor had put it, even though I am not and never will be the fainty type of female. But hey, let’s face it. In the past few minutes, I’d seen a house disappear. At least, it wasn’t where I’d left it. I’d talked with an oversized cat who acted like a guide dog but seemed to think he was human. And now I could see some sort of car gliding toward us over the treetops. I grabbed Rob’s hand again and held on tight. He didn’t seem to mind, but apparently nothing bothered him, not even being blind, which I still found hard to believe. He looked pretty normal to me, that is, when he wasn’t talking to the cat.

The car made very little noise, nothing like a plane or a helicopter, and it actually looked more like a silver and blue bubble car. It hovered for a few seconds, then lowered two sets of wheels and dropped neatly onto a small landing pad in the front yard across the street.

Rob tugged on my hand. Come on. You need to meet Master Nigel.

I wasn’t so sure about that, but I did want to check out that car, so I followed him and Victor at a cautious distance.

Almost as soon as the engine—or whatever propelled that thing—stopped humming, a curved door in the side slid open and a small man carrying a black briefcase stepped outside.

Santa Claus! Thank goodness the words stayed in my head, because I got the distinct feeling this man, with his snowy white beard, bald head and the rimless glasses that perched halfway down his turned-up nose, was a Very Important Person. That thought no sooner crossed my mind than he turned and stared at me.

I couldn’t move, couldn’t even look away. I felt like someone or something had crawled into my brain and was snooping in every little corner.

Get out! I screamed silently and, quick as it had come, the feeling was gone. Just in case, I shook my head to clear it.

That’s when Master Nigel started running. Into the house, Rob! he shouted. Victor, Jenna, run!

I no longer felt glued to the spot, but I stayed there anyway. I wasn’t going anywhere with this bunch of crazies. And how did he know my name?

No time for questions now! he bellowed. Move!

Come on! Rob pulled my hand again.

I stood my ground. Why should I run anywhere, especially into your house? I don’t even know you.

All this time, Victor had been hopping around in circles. I suggest that you comply, girl. Master Nigel senses danger, and he is never wrong.

I don’t see any danger—oh! Something pushed me from behind, and my feet started pedaling. I didn’t want to, but I was running—fast. Hey, wait a minute! But my feet didn’t listen, or stop till they had taken me across the yard, up three steps, and into the yellow brick house.

* * * * *

CHAPTER 2

A Most Unusual Cat

I—don’t believe this! I panted, standing in the middle of a large kitchen.

No one paid me a bit of attention. They were much too busy doing their own thing, whatever that was. Naturally, my curiosity got the best of me, and I watched every move they made... from a respectful distance. Rob and Victor started in the kitchen and worked their way through the house, locking every door and window. Master Nigel came right behind them, sliding both hands along the outer walls and muttering some kind of chant under his breath. The whole weird business took only a few minutes.

Back in the kitchen, I folded my arms across my chest and glared at