Mariah Mundi (33 page)

‘And the Midas Box?’ Mariah asked.

‘The sea will keep it safe … for the time being,’ Black said seriously. ‘Until it calls to be found again to ensnare some other madman.’

‘I have the Panjandrum,’ Mariah added.

‘Then all is not lost,’ Albion replied as he held out his hand.

In the Golden Kipper, Smutch polished with vinegar the head of a stuffed elephant that was fixed to the wall above the door. He stood precariously on a rickety old ladder, his foot propped against a covered parrot’s cage. The smell of fish blistered from the kitchen as the gathering sat waiting in anticipation. Sacha held her head in her hands, trying to keep herself from sleeping as Mariah and Felix chattered constantly.

‘So you’ll be staying longer?’ Black asked Mariah as Charity entered the restaurant with a platter of steaming fried fish.

‘At least a year,’ he said, smiling at Felix. ‘And Felix is staying too. He needs the time to get over the drubbing he got from the sea witch.’

‘And to keep an eye on you and Sacha. Here less than a week
and the whole town nearly explodes. Heaven help us if he stays for longer,’ Felix said as he jostled him with his shoulder.

‘Then you’ll take this?’ Albion asked Mariah. He slipped a felt-covered case across the table.

Mariah opened the case as they all looked on. It felt warm and soft in his palm. He pulled the lid and looked inside. There in a silk sheath was a silver badge. It was imprinted with the shape of a Caladrius rising from the sea, and around its edge were seven stars cut through the metal. Along the outside were the words:
Bureau of Antiquities
.

‘This is for me?’ Mariah asked, wide-eyed, a look of surprise across his face.

‘If you’re up for the task,’ Charity replied as he placed the fish upon the table and handed everyone a silver fork.

‘Then I will take it,’ he said, and they all laughed.

Under the cover of its cage, snug and warm, the Caladrius warbled and chirped quietly to itself. It had rested in death, its life spent, and in the light of the moon had been revived. Opening one eye, it gazed at the shapes that were outlined beyond the swathe of calico. By the fire Cuba flicked her tail back and forth as she dreamt of an ocean far away.

Beyond the harbour, further than the headland and away from the shadow of the castle, the two Krakens swam contentedly together, the spell of the sea witch broken. Upon the beach the bodies washed from the
Tersias
lay like waxworks in the bright lights cast by the Prince Regent.

There in the steaming sands the sea had taken the sacrifice it was due. Gormenberg laid in the ebbing surf by Long Rocks, his golden hand shining in the sinking moonlight, his face looking to the stars. Slowly, as the sound of the last steam train hooted its departure from the end of the line, he turned his head, smiled and stared out to sea.

Praise for
Mariah Mundi – The Midas Box
:

‘When Harry Potter hangs up his wizard’s cloak, booksellers will be looking to G. P. Taylor’s Mariah Mundi - The Midas Box, to keep the cashtills ringing.’
BBC News

‘It really is wonderful, wonderful stuff …
Mariah Mundi
surpasses Potter on just about every level there is. Highly recommended.’
The Bookbag

‘The book that combines the big story of C. S. Lewis and the plot of an Indiana Jones movie. We could genuinely be looking at the book series that will replace Harry Potter at the top of every child’s wish list.’
BuddyHollywood Review

Praise for
Shadowmancer
:

‘The biggest event in children’s fiction since Harry Potter.’
The Times

‘The adventure unfolds at a vivid and breathless pace.’
Observer

‘
Shadowmancer
is flying off the bookshelves as if a wizard had incanted a charm on it.’
Herald

‘A magical tale of vicars and witches.’
Daily Telegraph

 ‘A compelling and dark-edged fantasy … highly recommended.’
Independent

Praise for
Wormwood
:

‘Wormwood is breathtaking in scope … an extraordinary achievement told by a master storyteller. The book is, quite simply, marvellous.’
Guardian

Praise for
Tersias
:

‘It is, in a word, brilliant. Colourful, dramatic, relentless, accessible to children – and more frightening for their parents.’
Scotsman

‘The plot hurtles along carrying the reader from one cliffhanger to the next.’
Daily Telegraph
 

G. P. Taylor is the author of several bestselling novels, including
Shadowmancer
,
Wormwood
and
Tersias
. A former vicar of Cloughton in Yorkshire, he has enjoyed a varied career, moving from rock music to social work to ten years in the police force before his ordination. He now lives with his family in Scarborough.

SHADOWMANCER

WORMWOOD

TERSIAS

SHADOWMANCER: THE CURSE OF SALAMANDER STREE

Coming soon

MARIAH MUNDI AND THE GHOST DIAMONDS