Chase Tinker and the HOUSE OF DESTINY

  CHASE TINKER

  and the

  HOUSE OF DESTINY

  The Chase Tinker Series, Book 3

  By Malia Ann Haberman

  Digital Edition

  All Rights Reserved

  Copyright © 2018 Malia Ann Haberman

  Edited by: Brandi Sperry

  Cover Design by: timneuman.com

  Thank you for purchasing an authorized copy of this ebook. It is the copyrighted property of the author, and it is against the law to reproduce or copy and distribute it for commercial or non-commercial purposes in any way without permission from the author. You can be subject to criminal and civil liability for copyright infringement.

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  Book Summary: For eight agonizing months Chase Tinker's guilt over the despicable act he committed on Halloween night has been eating away at his heart and mind. Chase's life gets even more complicated when secrets about the four thousand year old Relic in the attic are revealed, right before an unwelcome caller arrives on Chase's birthday.

  Despite these problems, his biggest concern is that his family's Dark Enemy, the Marlowe Family, is becoming more powerful with each passing day, fueled by the magic they continue to pillage from the many magical beings in the world. If Chase and his family are ever going to win, they'll need a whole lot of magical help. They must destroy the most evil threat the world has ever known.

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  CHAPTER ONE

  Enough is Enough

  CHAPTER TWO

  Magic Running Amok

  CHAPTER THREE

  Digging up Memories

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Sleepless on Blackberry

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Up to the Attic, Again

  CHAPTER SIX

  The Symbols

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Frustrations Galore

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Asylum

  CHAPTER NINE

  Marlowe Time

  CHAPTER TEN

  Enemy Number One

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Flower Power

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  A Sight for Sore Eyes

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  It's Never Easy

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  The Possibilities of Magic

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Party in the Greenhouse

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Follow the Leader

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  They Do Exist

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Fairy Tales

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  To Trust (or Not to Trust)

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Here We Go Again

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  Forest of Darkness

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  Stop and Go

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  Lairs and Liars?

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  The Witching Hour

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  It's Destiny

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  The Worst has Come

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  Clash of the Tinkers

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  Captured

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  It's Not Over 'til it's Over

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  Gone in a Puff of Smoke

  For my fabulous readers

  CHAPTER ONE

  Enough is Enough

  "Murderer…" the voice whispered in his ear. "You're a murderer. You killed your cousin Janie, freak. Now you have to pay…"

  Chase jerked up, thrashing his arms and legs. "No! I didn't mean to!"

  He heard the kids around him snickering as they sent him sideways glances. Chase slumped lower in his chair and sent them a small, lopsided smile, trying his best to look like a normal, I-couldn't-care-less kid. "Uh…I didn't mean to—uh—bother you," he whispered, wincing as he rubbed his knee where he'd bashed it on the side of his desk. Great! He'd most likely just sky-rocketed to the top of the class Weirdo List.

  He swiped his hand across his chin to make sure he hadn't drooled on himself. Falling asleep in class again. How he was able to sleep sitting in a hard chair with his head propped in his hand, but not at home in his comfy bed, was beyond him. He hadn't had a proper night's rest since the disastrous trip to Blackshire to rescue Janie—a mission where it had turned out she hadn't wanted or needed to be rescued. She'd been busy enjoying her new life with her new family: the Marlowes, the Dark Enemy of the Tinker family.

  While there, he'd also learned the story of why the Shard of Magic had taken control of the not-so-bad Marlowes, transforming them into wicked, heartless beings determined to steal all the magic and free will in the world. Chase had traveled three hundred years back in time to see a young and determined Mathias Marlowe use the Shard to kill an innocent man.

  Worrying the same thing might happen to him because of his attack on Janie, Chase was now keeping a careful eye on his own every move, just to make sure he didn't get the urge to do anything cruel or hateful. So far, he was still the same Chase Tinker he'd always been, just a little older, and wiser. Well…sometimes.

  Chase shivered, even though the classroom was extra warm because of the afternoon sun shining through the windows. He rubbed his queasy stomach—another feeling that wouldn't go away. I guess committing one of the worst acts ever does all kinds of crazy things to a person, he thought despondently.

  Sighing, he raked his hand through his dark-brown hair. If only Grandfather had bothered to share the shocking secret of Janie's ancestry with her, instead of keeping it to himself, maybe things would've turned out differently. If only Aunt Clair, Janie's mom, hadn't died, maybe Janie would've taken the news she was half Marlowe a whole lot better. If only she hadn't tried to kill Andy. If only…

  RRRIIIINGGG!

  The room erupted into noise and chaos as the kids jumped to their feet and gathered their belongings. Joy and excitement flowed through the air like the sweet scent of a baking chocolate cake.

  "Have a fantastic summer, kids!" hollered their teacher, Mrs. Murphy, over the sounds of scraping chairs and chattering voices. "And stay out of trouble!"

  Pushing himself to his feet, Chase grabbed his backpack and swung it over his shoulder. At last, the day was over. He just wanted to get home, flop onto his bed, and take a long, much-needed nap, or at least make an attempt at it. But as he went to slip out the door along with the other kids, Mrs. Murphy called to him.

  "Chase Tinker! I need to have a word with you before you leave." She waved him forward.

  He looked longingly at his escape route before heaving another deep sigh. He turned and trudged across the room to stand next to her cluttered desk. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he stared at the floor. Something told him she wasn't going to tell him how cool and awesome he was.

  He frowned as he remembered how months ago he'd accidentally transformed Mrs. Murphy into a puddle of slimy goo with one of his unpredictable magical sneezes. Maybe he should do it again today and then dash out right before changing her back into herself. The thought was tempting, but, deep down, he knew it wouldn't solve any of his problems.

  Mrs. Murphy picked up an envelope and tapped it on her desk as she looked at him over the top of her reading glasses. "I realize it's been…" she began, speaking slowly as if not sure how to word what she wanted to say, "…a roug
h year for your family; losing your aunt, and then your grandfather's illness. I'm sure it's been difficult for all of you." She drew in a deep breath. "But, in order for me to move you on and into the ninth grade, you're going to have to attend summer school."

  Chase's face twisted into a grimace as his shoulders drooped. "Summer school. Yippee," he mumbled. This was something he'd never had to do before. Man! He couldn't catch a break.

  "You've failed mathematics," said Mrs. Murphy, "and you have two important essays you never turned in. The first is on Shakespeare and the other is on sea life in Puget Sound. So, you also have an incomplete in two other subjects. This letter is for your parents, explaining what is required."

  Chase gave a dejected nod as he took the envelope and crammed it into a side pocket on his backpack. "Is it for the whole summer?"

  "It lasts six weeks." She gave him a sympathetic look. "I hate to do this, Chase, but your schoolwork is important."

  Chase nodded again, feeling as though strings were attached to him and a giant puppeteer was jerking his head up and down. "I guess I'll see you later, then," he said as he backed toward the door. "I—uh—gotta go now."

  He found his younger brother, Andy, and their good friend, Persephone Periwinkle, waiting for him at the school gates. Chase tried his hardest not to stare at Andy. Even after all these months, he still wasn't used to the jagged, puckered scars streaked across Andy's face. The worst-looking one zigzagged from his temple across his left cheek, then traveled down his jaw and neck. Souvenirs from Janie. She'd been so full of dark magic, she hadn't cared how much she hurt other people, including her cousins Andy and Chase.

  The whole family had worried about what explanation they should give for Andy's injuries. The boys' dad, Benjamin, had decided they would tell anyone who asked that Andy had been hurt in a car accident in Seattle on Halloween night. Chase figured this was as good a story as any, seeing as how the truth would make them all sound nuts.

  "What took you so long?" asked Andy, squinting up at Chase as they headed toward home. "We almost left without you."

  "Oh, well, Mrs. Murphy wanted to talk about—" he paused, then mumbled, "—summer school."

  "What?" exclaimed Persephone as the light wind blew her hair across her face. "But why?" She impatiently shoved the dark-red locks behind her ears.

  Chase chewed on the inside of his bottom lip as he watched a bumble bee buzz lazily by. He might as well tell them the truth. "Flunked math."

  "But I thought you were doing better," said Andy. "Boy, Mom and Dad are going to kill you."

  "Don't say kill!" Chase exclaimed, looking horrified.

  He instantly regretted his outburst when both Andy and Persephone turned to gawk at him. He hadn't meant to react like a crazy person, but with the word "murderer" and the heart-stopping images of Janie sprawled lifeless in the scummy fountain constantly flashing through his mind—well, everything felt like a reminder of what he'd done.

  "What's wrong with you?" said Andy, pushing his drooping glasses up higher onto his nose. "It's not like they're really going to kill you, dork. It's just a saying."

  "I know. I'm sorry. It's—it's because I'm mad about this summer school thing," Chase answered. He had to get a grip. Only he and his dad knew what had happened to Janie. Everyone else still thought she was happily living her life in Blackshire. Chase had never worked up enough nerve to tell them the truth.

  "Hey! I just remembered. It's June twenty-fifth. My half-birthday," said Andy, moving on to something else in his usual fashion. "I'm eleven-and-a-half now. Too bad I can't get another power to go along with my stopping-time magic."

  "You get only one Dimidiatus Anniversarium," said Persephone, "and yours was last year."

  Chase kicked a rock into the trees. "I can't believe we've already been here a year."

  "Yeah," said Persephone. "And it's almost your birthday, too."

  "I already got you a cool present," said Andy, scrunching his eyes as he tried his best to look mysterious.

  "Let me guess," said Chase, humoring him. At this point, he didn't care if anyone bothered to celebrate his fourteenth birthday. "A creepy bug?"

  Andy rolled his eyes. "Gimme a break. I'm not giving you the same thing I gave Persephone."

  "Oh yeah?" said Chase. "Then it looks like I'll have to wait and be surprised."

  "Remember Janie and Aunt Clair gave you your watch last year?" said Andy. "Well…not really Aunt Clair, but I still like to think she was there even if it was Dad pretending to be her."

  "And remember how you tricked Janie with your enchanted sunglasses, Chase?" Persephone added, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye.

  "That was pretty funny," said Andy with a small smile.

  They walked along in silence, each lost in their own thoughts.

  "Remember when Janie knocked on all those doors on the attic painting?" said Andy after a few minutes. "She sure looked goofy with purple spots and a bushy tail."

  Persephone nodded. "And remember when she got so mad at us she made the furniture attack us in Aunt Augusta's room?"

  "Yeah. I wish we could've brought her back with us from Blackshire," said Andy. His eyes filled with sorrow. "I still miss her a lot."

  "Even if we could go see her again," said Persephone, "we can't force her to come back. She needs to make up her own mind."

  "I don't get why Janie wants to stay with those creeps," said Andy.

  "I still have a hard time believing she and James are related to them," said Persephone, shuddering. "The whole thing's way too crazy for words."

  "I know we've already been over this tons of times," said Andy, "but if we just had a chance to talk to her, she might change her mind—"

  Chase jerked to a stop. He'd heard enough. All the sleepless nights and constant worry had finally driven him over the edge. "Stop it!" he yelled. "You guys need to stop it right now!" It was like he was possessed, as the words poured from him. "She can't change her mind! And she can't come home! Now or ever! None of us can ever see or talk to her again! Understand? She's dead, okay? Dead! And I'm the one who murdered her! So all we have left of her are memories and stories and—and, that's it." Hot tears burned behind his eyes. He blinked several times, fighting to keep them from flowing out. "I didn't mean to. Honest. I just totally lost control when—when I thought she'd killed Andy."

  Breathing hard, he trudged to an old log next to the road and slumped down onto it. He dropped his head into his hands, not wanting to look at Andy and Persephone. They stood in the road like statues, their mouths open as if they were trying to figure out the best way to respond.

  Chase couldn't believe he'd blurted it out right there in the middle of the road. But after months and months of holding it in, it was a relief to finally have the whole ugly story out into the open.

  "No!" Persephone choked out at last.

  "Bu—wha—?" Andy stammered.

  Chase lifted his head and looked from Persephone to Andy, seeing the horror in their eyes. He quickly switched his gaze to his hands, which were clenched so tightly his knuckles had turned white, and continued. "And you know what? She didn't care. She didn't care one bit Andy was gone. She just stood there and said, 'One down, three to go,' like she was talking about the weather or something! That's when I lost it. I looked into her cold, hating eyes and it all—exploded from me. Before I knew it, lightning bolts had blasted from my eyes." He swallowed the lump in his throat. "Real lightning bolts. And she flew through the air like—like some sort of weird, electrified rag-doll, and slammed into this old fountain. She floated there in the water, all broken and…dead…"

  Seconds ticked by as he waited for the other two to say something…anything, or to start yelling and berating him for the despicable act he'd committed. But then a warm hand grasped his arm.

  "I can't believe you've been living with this for months," said Persephone softly. "Why didn't you say anything?"

  He turned his head to
look into her emerald-green eyes, made brighter by the tears filling them. "I didn't want you guys to hate me," he whispered back.

  "You know, I can usually tell when you're hiding something," she said, shaking her head. "But this time I didn't have a clue. I'm sorry I never noticed."

  "You have a lot to worry about these days, too," said Chase.

  Persephone dropped her head back to stare at the cloudless sky. "Oh my gosh. She's—she's really and truly dead? It's like one terrible thing after another…"

  "You—you killed Janie?" Andy had finally found his voice. "You really killed our cousin? Just like that. And you waited all this time to tell us? I can't believe you let us go on and on about her for months, knowing she was gone! What is wrong with you? How could you do this to us? To me? You are such a jerk! And a liar! I hate you!" Tears streamed down his face. "I—you—" He took a couple steps back then turned and raced down the road.

  Persephone jumped to her feet and started after him. "Andy! Wait!"

  Chase grabbed her hand. "No. Let him go. He's right. I am a jerk and a liar. I'm even worse than that. I'm a murderer. I deserve for all of you to hate me." His shoulders sagged, as if a hundred pound weight had been dropped onto them.

  Persephone whirled to face him. "I don't want you saying that again! Do you hear? You only wanted to protect Andy." She sniffed and swiped her hand across her damp cheeks. "And even though Janie was my friend and I cared about her—" Her voice quavered as she continued. "I—I might've done exactly what you did if I had the ability. We all know she was way out of control. It sounds like she would've killed all of us in a heartbeat."

  "Yeah, it's what I keep telling myself," Chase said as he pushed himself to his feet. "But it's not helping. And now Andy hates me. Plus, to top it all off, I've been worried sick I'm going to turn all evil, the way Mathias did."

  Persephone shook her head. "You know, if you were thinking straight, you would've thought things through a whole lot more. The Marlowes are evil because the Shard's magic turned evil and then took control of all their family members. It has no control over you. Besides, you will never turn into a bad guy. Uh, in case you haven't noticed, you happen to be one of the most upstanding people around these days."