Twelve-year-old science genius Zachary Jones resembles an overgrown leprechaun and thinks the worst of his troubles are enduring the teasing from his fellow classmates at Da Vinci's Middle School for Achievers in Salem, Massachusetts. But Zack has no idea he is about to become an unwilling pawn in a dangerous and epic game of magic, deceit, and world domination. After Zack's parents mysteriously disappear, an oddball pair of Irish grandparents-who Zack believed to be dead-show up with pets in tow even stranger than themselves. Suddenly Zack is propelled into a deadly game of cat-and-mouse with ancient and dark forces with one thing in mind-to recover a valuable Celtic amulet entrusted to Zack. As the stakes grow more desperate, Zack is introduced to his rich and wondrous magical heritage at Dragonbane. As he embarks on an adventure to save the world, he soon discovers himself in ways he could never have imagined. Alchemy Jones and the Source of Magic is an action-packed fantasy tale that paints a rich and mesmerizing backdrop of a world on the flipside of reality-a place populated with wizards, creepy creatures, and luscious landscapes.

Alchemy Jones and the Source of Magic

By G. A. Boyd

iUniverse, Inc.

Copyright © 2011 G. A. Boyd
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4620-2232-8

Contents

Prologue.....................................................................xiiiChapter One Science Is a Magic...............................................1Chapter Two Into the Realm of Impossible.....................................9Chapter Three The Camp of Wonders............................................27Chapter Four Here, There Be Monsters.........................................40Chapter Five The Sphinx's Challenge..........................................57Chapter Six A Matter of Gravity..............................................69Chapter Seven A Travesty and a Tragedy.......................................82Chapter Eight A Sad Homecoming...............................................99Chapter Nine Grandparents of an Oddity.......................................109Chapter Ten A Tale of Magic..................................................120Chapter Eleven Through the Looking Glass.....................................133Chapter Twelve Wizard's Keep.................................................148Chapter Thirteen Leviathan...................................................164Chapter Fourteen Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Fire........................179Chapter Fifteen Zombies and Serpents and Goblins, Oh My!.....................194Chapter Sixteen The Ancient One..............................................212Chapter Seventeen Alfheim....................................................229Chapter Eighteen Where Nightmares become Reality.............................245Chapter Nineteen The Source of Magic.........................................259Chapter Twenty Showdown at Spook Lane........................................275Epilogue.....................................................................293

Chapter One

Science Is a Magic

The mid-December day was bright but very cold when he first showed up at Da Vinci's Middle School for Achievers in the New England town of Salem, Massachusetts. He probably would have blended right in with the rest of the normal-looking children at the school, being sort of normal-looking himself—normal, that is, except for the shock of unruly red hair he sported and the fact that his skin was so fair, he resembled an overgrown leprechaun. Zachary Jones was a thin, twelve-year-old boy. His frame was supported by a set of knobby knees and feet more reminiscent of a circus clown than a boy. Despite these shortcomings, there were hints in his looks and physical makeup that promised a handsome enough individual when he matured. He would just have to endure the indignation along the way until then. Besides his abnormally colored red hair, Zack (as he liked to be called) had the most intensive green eyes imaginable. Those close to him said he could stare down any animal or person foolish enough to challenge him in a staring contest.

But for all the intensity in his stare, he was a very mild-mannered child who seemed to make friends easily enough, for those who were willing. Unfortunately, he seemed to draw enemies just as easily. Maybe it was because his eccentric looks drew the bully type or the fact that his family was poorer than most, as his choice of clothes that day attested to—he looked like a reject from the local Goodwill bin. Both his parents had to work to make ends meet, while most of the kids at this school came from well-to-do parents. It was natural for the upper-crust lot to look down on the lowly—survival of the fittest, so to speak. Bullies would torment him on those principles alone.

The only reason Zack was even able to attend this school was because of a mysterious donor, an organization his parents never heard of, but heck, who was going to look a gift horse in the mouth? But that was just another stick to add to the fire of malcontent from others at the school who thought only those with rank had the privilege to be there. How dare any group force a lowly caste member of society onto them at this school? Zachary Jones knew he was in for a trial-and-tribulation period here. Maybe the cold December day was a foretelling of what was to come, and he only hoped that he might gain a patriot or two who would help minimize the collateral damage that was bound to occur, with him the center of it.

"Hey, Tomato Head," one student called out, eyeing Zack as he walked into the principal's office to register.

"Looks like the economics class made a trade with Ireland for one of their domestic goods—a leprechaun," another student chortled to his comrade.

"Darn if it doesn't look like O' Gray One has tried to cross-breed carrots with humans in his class today," another student snickered.

Zachary Jones took it all in stride as he entered the safe haven of the school's first in command. "I wonder who this O' Gray One is." He was puzzled by the last taunt called out to him. He would find an answer to that question soon enough, along with a whole world of amazing things to come.

Mr. Fargle was anything but your normal science teacher—just looking at him made you realize that this was not an ordinary man. His looks bordered on a wild combination of the once-famous childhood icon Captain Kangaroo and a slightly mad version of the great scientist Albert Einstein. Wearing a crooked pair of pop-bottle glasses and sporting an unmanageable, long gray mop of hair along with a disorderly crop of white mustache hair under his nose, he fit the mad scientist look to a T. Yet even though he had a look that might scare or intimidate kids, his teaching methods and patience with even the most unruly of children in his classroom had brought him the greatest respect and admiration from a multitude of alumni. Indeed, Mr. Wally Fargle, more affectionately known as "O' Gray One" by former students and fellow teachers because of his grandfatherly wisdom, had been an icon at the school for many years. As a teacher and mentor to the children at Da Vinci's Middle School for Achievers, his main job was to cram their little heads with everything they would need to survive future—and assuredly harder—scientific endeavors.

One of the reasons he was so popular with the students was the magical illusions he used to gain their attention at the beginning of class. Afterward, he would analyze the tricks, showing how they could be explained by scientific methods and principles.

"All right, everyone," he addressed the class on that particularly gloomy day. "I want you to concentrate on this here spoon I'm holding in my hand."

"But ... there's nothing there," a lone student piped up.

"Huh, so it seems," Wally answered, acting bewildered. Then with a dramatic flourish of his hand, a metal spoon appeared seemingly out of nowhere.

"Awesome!" numerous students exclaimed, astonishment mirrored on their faces.

"Now that our little problem has been taken care of, be so kind to focus yer attention here on the spoon, and we should see something interesting happen."

As everyone sat staring wide-eyed at the eating utensil, with their brain power turned to maximum, the spoon started to move, bending forward on its own volition.

"Did we do that O'Gray One?" one of the students asked, awestruck by what he had just witnessed.

Then, with that warm and wizened smile of his and a sparkle in the blue eyes behind those thick lenses he wore, he winked and answered, "It would appear yer thoughts have bent my spoon here. You...