Chapter Thirty Two
Magic.
It was a simple word. A simple word that contained endless possibilities. Kurt Anders had believed in magic when he was a mere boy. He believed in the magic that said if he were to eat the first two leaves he stepped on in the light of the full moon he would grow a good foot taller. All that advice ever gave him was an awful taste in his mouth that took a good week to wash out.
Magic was a fun thing to fantasize about when the nights were cold and dark and one needed dreams to keep themselves warm and well fed. Tales of the Reul Ghorm coming down and granting wishes to those who were pure in heart.
But Kurt Anders wanted them to be more than just stories. He wanted them to be real. And to be real, evidence was needed. Sadly, his search for the strange and impossible only led him to dead ends that were nothing more than myth and legend; unable to be proven by facts.
Magic was inconclusively something that could only be found in fairy tales.
Kurt Anders then decided to dedicate himself to science. To the realm of fact and reason to improve the human condition.
And then, quite suddenly, myth had become fact. Prince Eric had been bewitched and almost wed to a sea witch. His true love, the present Queen Ariel, was a mermaid and a sizable amount of merpeople had been invited to the wedding. Including her father, King Triton, who was able to make rainbows appear from his trident.
Anders had presented a proposal about studying the trident for a brief period, but both monarchs had said that would be impossible.
And just now, a strange boy, one the other servants were claiming had been a merperson, was now claiming the royal princess to be trapped inside a book. A book the boy left behind resting on a bookstand.
"Magic," Kurt Anders said aloud as he stared at the book.
He reasoned that the book couldn't have been that important for the boy to leave it behind. That night, the royal alchemist scooped up the book and took it with him to his private quarters, determined to read the story that night on the chance it would rekindle the belief in the impossible. But after he had put on his pajamas, brushed his teeth, and settled down in his chair with a mug of hot milk, as was his nightly custom, the alchemist had fallen asleep.
The next day, Anders had overslept. He quickly went about his morning routine and got back to work, deciding he would read during his lunch break.
"Maybe the cannon design is already perfect," he mused to himself. "Maybe the explosions themselves need to be more powerful."
Anders went about mixing a concoction that would provide more force.
As he lit the match, suddenly, a strange man and a frightened cat were in his room that appeared out of nowhere.
"Who are you!" They both screamed at each other.
Just then, the king and queen entered the room, their presence able to end the hysterics.
"Your majesties." Kurt Anders bowed low.
"Good morning, Anders. Mr. Andersen, it is so good to see you. Is Melody with you? Is the book?"
"The book is here, yes." Mr. Andersen straightened his vest as the two monarchs breathed sighs of relief. "Melody is still inside, however. The bracelet is ineffective in bringing her out."
"But is she all right?" Queen Ariel inquired.
"She is unharmed and is in no pain," Mr. Andersen assured the worried parents.
"Why can't she get out?"
"Melody said Morgana trapped her 'in the worst place she could imagine'. My story doesn't have a happy ending and Melody has connected with it rather strongly. She just doesn't fully understand why. Queen Ariel, it might be better for you to venture inside and talk with her."
"Gladly." The queen rushed forward to take the enchanted gauntlet from the author. He paused before handing it over.
"I came out to see if I could bring any food in for her. While she does not feel hungry, the poor child has had nothing to eat since Morgana first put her inside."
Kurt Anders offered the lunch basket Carlotta had brought over. It was simple food of bread, sausage, and an apple, but Ariel didn't want to waste any time waiting for anything else in order to get food to her hungry child. Queen Ariel, with arm looped around the basket, put on the gauntlet and wished herself inside the book to be reunited with her daughter.
"And how did your quest go, your majesty?" Mr. Andersen asked the king.
"We've had no luck finding anything about other Elementals. Archimedes is in the library right now, continuing the search. I took a break because Alex didn't know where the book went." King Eric filled Mr. Andersen in about how Alex had misplaced the book. The author was able to fill in how he had popped out of the story and moved it, because he believed the book was too close to the candle.
"I'm sure Alex will be relieved to hear that part. Now we're just waiting for Attina to return with news if she's found Saleen."
"I will try and assist in that search. But first, I hope you don't mind if I eat something myself." Mr. Andersen said farewell to Kurt Anders and the king before making his way toward the kitchens.
"Thank you, Anders, for keeping the book safe," King Eric said to the royal alchemist before also giving his farewells.
The book he picked up with care and held it dear to his heart. Daughter and wife, the two people on Earth he held most dear, were now inside.
The king vowed the book would never leave his sight until both were free.