Madison continued following Elder Gutknecht as she spotted his tower that is not too far. Zor was still hanging on to his mistress's shoulder as he was looking at the tower but also looking at Madison as she still looked curious. What on earth does the elder skeleton want to give her? In fact, what does he want to tell her?
Finally, they made it to the top of the tower. Madison looked around like everything was still in place except two small stools were there in the middle of the room.
"Have a seat, my dear. I'll be right back." Gutknecht spoke to her.
Madison sat down on one of the stools and watched the elder skeleton looked through a shelf. She along with Zor, as he crawled down to his mistress's hands, kept on looking at the skeleton as he was searching for something and went to another shelf.
"Is there anything I can help you with?" she questioned as she looks at him.
"No need, child. I'm sure I put it here somewhere." Gutknecht answered as he kept on searching.
Madison and Zor looked at each other and looked back at the skeleton. He kept on searching until he reached to a drawer. He opened it and a bunch of spiders came out. Madison exclaimed in disgust and fright as she stood on her stool and watched the spiders go crawling past by until they were gone.
"I'm sure I put it somewhere." Elder Gutknecht spoke to himself as he looked through another bookshelf until... "Ah! Here it is."
Madison and Zor looked at him as he pulled something out. The elder skeleton turned around and walked towards them. To what Madison and Zor saw, Gutknecht was carrying a book in his hands. It looked new and not worn out or torn like the other books. The cover looks dark purple with gold linings. Once Elder Gutknecht sat down in front of her, he looked at Madison as she and Zor were looking at the book. On the front cover, the gold linings had a picture that looked on a necklace but, on the side, it had some sort of lock.
"Centuries ago, when I was alive, "Gutknecht spoke as he was still holding onto the book, "I was on my deathbed when my passing was about to come. I was remembering the memories of my past and how I remembered the wonderful time I have in my past life. But... just before I was about to close my eyes. A soft voice spoke to me. I opened my eyes to see a young woman standing beside my bed, holding this book."
Madison looked at him at she was listening to his past but had a curious looked on her face.
"What young woman?" she asked.
Gutknecht adjusted his spectacles and continued speaking.
"At first I thought she was an angel because how beautiful she is. But it turns out that she has no wings or a halo. But she somehow appeared from a giant bubble."
Madison's eyes grew wide as she heard the word 'bubble'. Now she realized who the woman was that Gutknecht was talking about.
"Glinda." she spoke in shock, "You actually met her?"
"More like she met me. She asks me to do a favor that I must do even in death. She told me about a girl who will be wearing a necklace that is powerful for her to do good things. Even showed me who the girl will look like. And that is you, my dear."
Madison looked really confused. There were so many questions in her mind about her old friend but wondering why Glinda meet Elder Gutknecht and all. Suddenly, her thoughts were cut short as Gutknecht handed the book to her.
"This book is what she told me to give it to you. Telling me that it somehow connects to your necklace." he explained.
Madison and Zor looked at the book as Madison's fingernails trace the gold lines on the cover and the lock.
"Do it for good use, my dear. I'm sure it will come in handy." the elder skeleton said to her.
"Thank you, Elder Gutknecht." she spoke softly to him which are the only words she could say.
The elder skeleton felt a soft smile on his face and got up from the stool.
"Now go and check your friend. I'm pretty sure she's at the pub where she usually goes. Right now, there is something I need to check on." he said to her.
Madison nods her head and without hesitation, she got up from the stool and made haste as she exits the tower by going down the stairs. But she along with Zor kept on looking at the book and also looking at the lock.
There was no key or anything that can go with the lock. Don't know how Madison will open the book if there was no key. Once Madison and Zor reached to the bottom of the stairs, Madison carefully walked to where she was going as she kept looking at the cover.
"How do I even open this? Some secret word or something?" she wondered until she noticed something glowing.
She and Zor looked to where it was coming from and saw that it was the crystal. It formed a small beam towards the lock, but for a second later, the lock was finally opened.
"Woah." she awed, and Zor chirped.
Madison quickly opened the book and start seeing some pages as she kept on walking, but also looked to where she was going. Seeing the pages, there were pictures, symbols, and inscriptions. Thank goodness it was English because if it was a different language, it will be a hard time reading it.
"This is very new." Madison spoke as she only talking to Zor and the crystal. "This is like a whole new level of magic. A new update."
Zor nods his head while the crystal glowed twice. The Bearded Dragon looked at his mistress. Couldn't believe that Madison will be learning magic and not just her necklace. But then he looked around the area, making sure that his mistress won't bumped into anything or anyone until he spotted someone.
Zor chirped and squeaks as he was getting his mistress's attention. Madison looked at her friend and saw that his tail was pointing at something. She looked at the direction and saw Trysha but with Victor and Scraps as they were about to enter the pub. Madison quickly close the book as the lock was now sealed and dashed off towards her friends while Zor hanged on tightly to her shoulder.
"Trysha!" she hollered as she was getting her friend's attention.
Trysha turned around and looked shocked as she saw Madison arrived.
"Maddie? What...? I thought you were going to talk to Emily?" she questioned and then noticed the book. "And what's that book?"
"I was going to talk to her, but Elder Gutknecht spotted me and well... I'll tell you what this book is later." Madison answered and looked at Victor as he was going in the pub. "But right now, let's go in. I don't want to miss the duet part."
Trysha nodded her head, and the girls quickly went inside the pub to catch up with Victor.
The room was completely empty except for the living of course. But then they heard a piano that was sadly played, coming from down the stairs. The three followed the music and as they saw where the piano is, they saw Emily. She was still upset about what happen as she kept on playing a tune on the piano keys. The girls watched her until Victor came to her with the old bouquet in his hands.
"I... think you dropped this." he spoke as he showed her the bouquet.
The bride didn't turn to look at him as she frowned and continued playing. Victor turned as he was staring at Trysha. She signaled her hand as gesture for him to keep going. The young man sighed as he placed the bouquet on the piano and spoke again.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry I lied to you about wanting to see my parents. It's just this whole day hasn't gone quite... well... according to plan."
Victor sat down on the seat beside Emily as she kept on playing. But then he turned around a little as the piano was in front of him and played the keys a little to follow the tune. Emily just glared at him a little and continued the melody but then Victor played his turn and then hers. The young man starts his turn as he was playing the tune on the piano. He looked at the bride but saw a hint of glare until he continued playing.
Emily side eyed at Victor and starts playing the piano with him. Madison and Trysha smiled to see the two playing together but also... they were smiling at each other. While Emily kept on playing with Victor, her hand accidently came off and gasped of embarrassment. The hand was showing off as it was playing the keys until it starts crawling to Victor's arm.
The young man didn't scream or even looked frighten as the hand crawled over his shoulders to his other arm. He chuckled as he lifted the hand and looked at Emily.
"Pardon my enthusiasm." she chuckled.
"I like your enthusiasm." he said as he places the hand back to the bride's arm.
Madison and Trysha smiled at the sweet moment of the two until a bell starts ringing which startled Madison. All four turned to look and saw it was the corpse cook ringing the bell and even saw Miss Plum.
"New arrival! New arrival!" she shouted.
The dead quickly entered the pub with glee like the party as just begun. Skeletons coming down the stairs as they were getting ready to perform and Paul the head waiter appeared crawling at the bar counter.
"Hurry up, boys! Drinks for everyone." he said in his French accent. He looked up to see one of the customers as they were talking. "Another pint, sir?"
The corpse with a split body looked at him. The body went separate again which cause Madison and Trysha to look away.
"No, no. Just a half." he answered.
Paul whistled at his roaches for service. The two insects lifted the cup and starts crawling with it as they were at about to serve to the gentleman until they accidently knocked Paul down.
"It is impossible to get good help anymore." he said in frustration.
"Welcoming committee, coming through! Coming through!" Miss Plum spoke as she was coming through the crowd until she appeared to the new member of the dead. She grabbed his hand and smiled to him. "My name's Plum. Miss Plum."
The living along with Emily looked at the newcomer but Victor looked at him closely and his face looked shocked.
"Mayhew?" he spoke.
Madison and Trysha looked at him and looked back at the newcomer. The two realized that it was the Van Dort's driver with a nasty cough. They remembered that scene that he was coughing so hard, his heart stopped and dropped dead from the carriage. Of course, the carriage did run him over.
"Mayhew! How nice to see..." Victor got up to approach him, but as the new corpse turned around. He gasped.
Mayhew was now blue like the other corpses. His clothes weren't tattered yet but there were some wheel marks from the carriage. The dead driver did looked surprise to see Van Dort but looked relieved to see that he was alright and alive.
"I'm so sorry." said Victor as he looked at him.
"Oh, yeah. Actually, though, I feel great." he said as he took deep breaths and not a single cough came out of him.
"Hurry up, boys. Can you not see the gentleman is parched?" Paul spoke to the roaches.
The insects all gathered up to lift bottle that has a skull and cross bones. They poured the liquid into a cup and starts sliding towards Mayhew's hand.
The driver did catch it and took a sip of his beverage while Victor looked at him with worry.
"Mayhew, I have to get back. They all must be worried sick. How is everyone?" he questioned.
"Well, they're still wondering where you slipped off to." he answered until he remembered something. "Oh, and Miss Victoria..."
"Yes? Yes, how is she?"
"Well, she's getting married this evening."
Madison and Trysha looked at each other as they were listening to the conversation. They knew that was going to happen but know that Victor will be heartbroken.
"What? Married to who?" Victor questioned as he looked at the driver.
"Some newcomer, Lord Somebody-or-Other." Mayhew answered.
"But that's impossible!"
"Yeah, with you gone and all... I guess they didn't wanna waste the cake." the driver chuckled a little.
"But how could she?" Victor muttered to himself.
"Women..." a drunk skeleton appeared as his arm was around Mayhew and the other holding an alcoholic beverage. "You can't live with them. You can't live with..." he hiccuped and felt to the floor which the bones were now piled up.
The dead all laughed and chuckled while the girls just looked at the skeleton and shook their heads.
"Time to pick up the pieces and... you know, and move on, I suppose." said Mayhew as looked at Victor.
"Oye." the drunk spoke as Mayhew looked down at him. "Speaking of picking up the pieces?"
The dead laughed again except the living. Victor felt heartbroken walked past the girls and then Emily as she looked concern.
"Victor? Where are you going?" the bride asked but Victor didn't reply.
"Should we follow him and talk to him?" Trysha asked as she whispered to her friend.
"I think... we should give him some time alone." Madison answered.
"Right. Poor Victor. A lot of things have been happening, but I still hate how Lord Barkis would be marrying Victoria. He only loves money and not for love."
"Yeah, but the Everglots are broke. Not a single penny... or pound as the British money are." said Madison.
"Yeah. Well... since we're gonna leave Victor alone for a bit. Let's talk about that book. Why would Elder Gutknecht give you a book."
Madison looked at the book in her arm and looked at her friend.
"What I'm about to tell you is going to be shocking, but first... let's sit somewhere that we won't be bothered." she answered.
Trysha nods her head and the two went off somewhere in the pub.
To Be Continued...