Grip of the Shadow Plague

"What new information have you uncovered?" Grandma asked.

"Not much," Tanu said. "I got onto the Brazilian preserve. Things are a mess there. A reptilian demon named Lycerna has overthrown all order. If Maddox found a good place to hole up, he may be all right, but I wasn’t able to locate him. I did deliver the tub, and I placed some coded messages as to where I hid it. He knows how to use it."

"Good man," Coulter approved. "What tub?" Seth asked.

Coulter looked at Grandpa, who nodded. "An oversized, old-fashioned tin bathtub that happens to contain a shared transdimensional space linked to an identical tub in the attic."

"That meant nothing to me," Seth said.

"One moment," Coulter said, rising and going into the other room. He returned with a battered leather satchel. After rummaging in the satchel for a moment, he retrieved a pair of tin cans. "These function the same way as the tubs, on a smaller scale. I have used them to send messages. Take this one, have a look inside." He handed one of the tin cans to Seth.

"Empty," Seth reported after glancing into it.

"Correct," Coulter said. He removed a coin from his pocket and dropped it into the can he had retained. "Check again."

Seth looked into the can and saw a quarter resting on the bottom. "There’s a quarter in here!" he exclaimed.

"Same quarter as I have in mine," Coulter explained. "The cans are linked. They share the same space."

"So now we have two quarters?" Seth asked.

"Only one quarter," Coulter corrected. "Take it out."

Seth dumped the quarter into his palm. Coulter held up his can. "See, my quarter is gone. You took it out of your can."

"Awesome," Seth breathed.

"Maddox can use the tub to get home, if he can find it," Coulter said. "The only catch is that somebody has to be on our end to pull him out. Without outside help, he can emerge only from the tub he enters."

"So if somebody was on the other end to help us out, we could get to the Brazilian preserve through an old bathtub in the attic?" Seth said.

Grandma raised her eyebrows. "If you wanted to risk getting devoured by a gargantuan serpentine demon, yes."

"Wait," Kendra said. "Why didn’t Tanu just come home through the tub?"

Tanu chuckled. "The plan was for me to use the tub after I delivered it, but I was also trying to ascertain whether the artifact had been removed from the Brazilian preserve. Sadly, I failed to find where the artifact was hidden. Lycerna cut off my escape route to the tub. I was lucky to make it out over the wall."

"We’re talking about your side of the attic, right?" Seth asked. "The secret side-not where we’re sleeping."

"Safe guess," Grandma said.

"How’d you bust your arm?" Seth wondered.

"Honestly?" Tanu said sheepishly. "Dropping from the top of the wall to the ground."

"I thought maybe the demon chomped you," Seth sighed, looking a little disappointed.

Tanu gave a rueful smile. "I wouldn’t be here if she had."

"Any evidence that could implicate the Sphinx as a cause for the fall of the Brazilian preserve?" Grandpa asked.

"I found nothing to indict him at the preserve," Tanu said. "He was in the area soon after the trouble started, but he always shows up when things go wrong. Whether he was there to help or hinder, I have no idea."

"How have you fared, Warren?" Grandpa asked. "Any news of the fifth secret preserve?"

"Still nothing. I keep hearing about the same four, the ones we already knew about. Australia. Brazil. Arizona. Connecticut. Nobody can give me a location for the fifth."

Grandpa nodded, appearing mildly disappointed but unsurprised. "What of the other matter?"

"The Sphinx knows how to cover his tracks," Warren said, his demeanor growing serious. "And he is not the sort of figure you ask questions about openly. Trying to discover his origin has felt like wandering through a maze full of dead ends. Every time I take a few steps in a new direction, I hit a new wall. I’ve been to New Zealand, Fiji, Ghana, Morocco, Greece, Iceland-the Sphinx has lived all over, and everywhere there are different theories about who he is and where he came from. Some say he is the avatar of a forgotten Egyptian god, some say he is a sea serpent cursed to roam dry land, some say he is an Arabian prince who won immortality by cheating the devil-every account is different, each more farfetched than the last. I’ve talked to caretakers, magical beings, historians, criminals, you name it. The guy is a ghost. The stories I’ve heard are too diverse. If you ask me, I’d say he started all the rumors himself to confuse the exact sort of investigation I’ve been trying to conduct."

"The Sphinx has always shrouded himself in secrecy, which leaves him vulnerable to the sort of accusation Vanessa made," Grandpa said. "Which Vanessa knew," Coulter pointed out. "He’s an easy target for slander. It isn’t the first time."

"Yes, but usually the accusations are the baseless ranting of the fearful," Grandma said. "This time, the circumstantial evidence is terrifying. Her explanation fit the events perfectly."

"There is a reason we don’t convict people based on circumstantial evidence," Tanu said. "We know firsthand how devious Vanessa can be. She could easily have used the facts of the circumstances to weave a convincing lie."

"I have other news," Warren announced. "The Knights of the Dawn are having their first united gathering in over ten years. All Knights are required to attend."

Coulter sighed. "Never a good sign. The last united gathering I attended was when hard evidence came to light that the Society of the Evening Star was resurfacing."

"You’re a Knight too?" Seth asked Coulter.

"Semi-retired. We’re not generally supposed to reveal ourselves, but I figure if I can’t trust you all, I can’t trust anyone. Besides, I’ll be in a grave before too long."

"There’s more," Warren continued. "The Captain wants me to bring Kendra to the event."

"What?" Grandpa exclaimed. "Outrageous!"

"Only Knights are invited to the assemblies," Grandma said.

"I know, I know, don’t shoot the messenger," Warren said. "They want to induct her."

"At her age!" Grandpa cried, his face reddening. "Are they recruiting at maternity wards these days?" "And we all know who the Captain is," Warren said, "though he never openly reveals himself."