The Magical Legacy

ROSS 1

MAC PAIDIN MANOR, DUBLIN, IRELAND - PRESENT DAY - SIXTEEN YEARS EARLIER

Gone? How could she just be gone?

Twelve-year-old Ross Mac Paidin sat on a window seat staring out at the manicured lawns surrounding his family estate. He watched, numbly, as water sprayed into the air from the mouth of a large ornamental fish. Thousands of droplets landed with a splash into the shallow pool of the fountain that was the center piece of the garden.

Father has sent her on missions in the past, and she always came back without a problem. So, I don't understand why she's missing.

Ross turned to glance across the room at the dark walnut four-poster bed and walls decorated with navy-blue nautical wallpaper. A border print of red and cream sail boats ran across the top of the wall, and there was a matching walnut dresser opposite him, with a small desk and ladder-back chair to his right. Shelves in the corner held model airplanes, boats, and cars he'd built from boxed kits.

She was only supposed to be away for a few days.

Ross pressed his lips together in a tight line and wiped away a tear that was forming in the corner of one eye.

But it's been weeks now, and Father isn't himself.

He pulled his denim-covered knees up to his chest and wrapped his sweater-clad arms around them, gazing down at the soft gray socks covering his feet. It was a late spring afternoon and mist hung in the air outside his window, giving him a chill.

It doesn't help that he's so elusive about where he sent her. Ross thought.

He practically exploded at Inez when she asked him about it. Dad's been acting strange with both of the girls lately. Keeping an eye on them as if they're the ones who did something to send our mother away. If anyone's to blame, it's him.

Ross shook his head, reaching up to push strands of chestnut brown hair away from his face.

Inez is furious, and she has every right to be. Clara is an emotional mess, crying all the time and refusing to come out of her room. He blinked hard just once.

I feel like I'm practically an only child in this enormous mansion now. Father used to spend time with me, sharing his favorite books, taking me hunting and fishing with him when he wasn't at his office in Buckingham Palace.

Ross slid off the seat and walked to the dresser, lifting a silver-framed photo of the two of them, and caressed its surface fondly. Setting the photo back down and turning to the bed, he moved to flop down on the foot of it.

When Mother was here, Dad used to laugh, and there was always a sparkle in his eyes. But he's been constantly on edge ever since she left on that mission.

Ross laid back and looked up at the ceiling.

He gets angry at the smallest things now. Inez and Clara and I all pretty much do our best to avoid him these days.

He pulled his mouth to the side and shook his head back and forth.

We all miss Mother.

He bit his lip.

I miss her. She's the glue that holds our family together. And things have been falling apart ever since she's been gone.

He pushed up onto his elbows and gazed at the ornate brass knob on his bedroom door. Thank goodness for Bill. I hate that he was here when Father called the three of us kids in and told us we had to get used to living without our mother, though. I could tell he felt uncomfortable with all the yelling and shrieking going on.

He glanced over to his desk where a multi-colored, cardboard cigar box sat, capturing his attention. Getting up off the bed, he walked to where it rested, and lifted the lid. Inside he found several crunchy-looking insect bodies, each pinned in place with a tiny, hand-written label attached.

Bill came over so we could collect bugs for his school assignment. We were just heading out the front door when Father burst from his library, demanding that I go back upstairs and tell Inez and Clara that he wanted to have a family meeting.

Ross closed the lid and turned back around to look at his room.

Bill had to wait in the sitting room, listening to the whole thing.

He rolled his eyes and pursed his lips.

It was obvious to all of us that something was terribly wrong. Father was pacing back and forth, wringing his hands together, wiping sweat from his forehead, and pushing his hair away from his face. He was clearly nervous about telling us the truth about the situation.

Ross went to his bedroom door and opened it, looking up and down the corridor at the embroidered tapestries and paintings decorating the walls.

Initially, he told us that Mother was away on a business trip, which was kind of the truth, and not too unusual. The part he left out, before the family pow-wow, however, was that she traveled using one of those magic hats of his. As soon as he told us that, I got a horrible feeling. Strolling the length of the hallway, he came to a stop at the top of the main staircase. Standing there, he looked down and to the right, where he could just see the edge of the doorway leading to the library.

Father made us sit down, and at first, he tried to calmly explain what was going on. But the more Inez questioned him about details, the more Clara whimpered. And the more Clara whimpered, the more agitated Father became.

Ross looked up, to the far end of the hallway, toward his older sister's bedrooms.

Then the girls just ran out of the library in tears, and I was left alone with Bill.

How embarrassing...