Hamilton Swoop, Wizard of Green Ridge Read Online Free PDF Page A

empty.
    Hamilton frowned. In Green Ridge, it was not a crime to steal from a dead man as long as you had nothing to do with his demise. The room had obviously been searched, as the mattress was askew on its frame, and clothes and small articles were scattered everywhere.
    To salve his curiosity, Hampton decided to give it another look. Sometimes not knowing what you are looking for is a boon, since you don't ignore anything. In a heap of clothing, he found a small piece of turquoise. He dropped it on the table, but it bounced, hit the floor and rolled under the bed.
    He got down on his knees and tried to retrieve the piece. He could see it, but he couldn't reach it. He lay down on his back and pulled himself as far under the frame as he could using a bed slat for leverage. As his hand slid along the wood, he dislodged a small box that was sitting on top of it. It toppled to the floor.
    Hamilton slid free of the bed with the turquoise piece and the box in hand. He dropped the turquoise into his pocket and sat on the floor examining the box. The six-inch rectangular box seemed to be made of various shades of wood and wooden inlays. There was no obvious way to open it. He carried the box downstairs where the light was better.
    What do you have?
    "I don't know. Maybe this thing is what whoever was here earlier looked for. It's some kind of a box, but I can't open it."
    Whiskers got up from her spot before the fire and leapt up to the table where Hamilton had placed it. She looked at the box for a moment. It's a Jarn Mystery box. Thorn had several of them in his study .
    "So it's magic?"
    Magic? No. Just a clever piece of engineering.
    "Can you open it?"
    No, but you probably can.
    "Huh?"
    I can't because I don't have thumbs. Try sliding one of the little panels on the box's side.
    Hamilton tried each of the small panels and started to feel foolish until one of them gave way to the pressure and slid about a half inch, revealing a tiny switch in the area thus exposed. He glanced at Whiskers.
    What are you waiting for? Just push the switch.
    Hamilton pushed the small lever. “Nothing happened."
    Patience, Old Man. The switch unlocked another panel. Look for it the way you did the first one. Let me know if you find anything. Whiskers jumped down from the table and trotted over to her bowl of food.
    Hamilton found the newly released panel and slid it back, revealing another switch. He had to repeat the procedure two more times before he was able to slide the lid off. The box looked empty, but the inside was smaller than the outside. He played with the panels again, and a new one moved when he pushed it. This time the switch released a small drawer concealed in the base. He pulled the drawer out. In it was a small, yellowed piece of folded paper.
    He looked over at the cat who was in the process of cleaning her face with the back of her paw. “Just a piece of paper. I was kind of hoping for a jewel or gold or something..."
    The cat took a final wipe at her face and then returned to Hamilton. Anything on the paper?
    Hamilton unfolded it. As he stared at what was written, his eyes opened wider and his expression grew dark. “Damn!” he exclaimed.
    What? What's it say?
    "I've been summoned. I've got to get to the Guild in Center City."
    Why?
    "It's from Obsidian..."
    You mean that corpse in the cart? How could he write you a note? He's been dead a long time, hasn't he?
    "Wizards don't exactly die. Oh, their bodies go eventually, but their being, well, their being can hang around for a long time. Damn!"
    Let me get this straight. We travel half way to Center City and, in a mystery box, you find a note addressed to you. Coincidence?
    "There's no such thing as a coincidence when it comes to magic."
    What's the big deal? That's where we were going, anyway. Right?
    "You don't understand, cat. The miserable Obsidian is still pulling my strings."
* * * *
    By dawn the next morning, Hamilton had already prepared his wagon for the second half of