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Malcom Ace paused. He had to keep talking to the guard. He didn’t want Aleck to go running. Although to the guard, and all who would have seen him, it looked like he had his back to Aleck and his group, and was looking at the guard, but really he was using MIRROR to see behind him. That was pretty impressive, he thought, thinking about the lad (Karim) who had controlled the fire. Someone like that could be extremely useful. I’m sure that group is out to get the rubies. If only Aleck wasn’t there, I could join them, and then once we had the rubies, I would take them and bend the fire mage to my will. Of course Aleck won’t let me do that, he mused.

He moved his eyes to the guard finally, even though they had been fixed on him all along, and interrupted the spiel of directions to the treasure room. He hadn’t been listening, but with REPLAY, he could replay it all later.

“Thanks, excuse me for a minute, please.”

Malcom Ace stepped into a adjoining hall, and pulled out his flip phone.

“Gradgrind. I need you to get rid of Aleck. Take him to wherever you are keeping his sister, and treat him well. I will not have you mistreating my son. It is for his net good.” He paused. “Yes, Gradgrind. mmhhmm. Yes. Meet me here – you have GUIDE, right? – and I will tell you the plan. Now fast!”

He dialed again. “Mavron. Hello. Use GUIDE to track me down, and meet me here.”

He flipped his phone shut, and slid it into a pocket, alongside a deck of cards. He reached for a card on his vest, and as he pulled it off, not just one card, but a whole deck dumped into his hands. He began shuffling, slowly at first, but slowly faster and faster until his fingers were just a blur. Strange creatures seemed to dive out of the cards and back in, and as they flashed, so did a million pictures. And then a red flame slowly flickered out of the blur, rising, and swirling red smoke. All the cards on his vest tugged forward towards it, trying to free themselves, and began to glow ember red. Cards were drawn from seemingly nowhere, and formed a glowing red and black ball that centered around the flame and Malcom Ace, like a force field. And then, with a sudden flash, Malcom Ace shot a card out of the shuffling deck. The card carried away all the fire with it, and the flaming card shot at top speed towards the stone wall, the card field flying to keep around it. In a second it was gone, and all that was left was a huge smoking hole in the wall. Slowly cards started to become visible forming a web over the opening, but they were still extremely transparent. Through the portal, a huge dragon lifted its head from its heap of cards. The dragon shook his body, and the scale-like cards that covered his body shone brilliantly.

“Spadewick, I have need of you.” Malcom Ace said, and drew a hand from his deck of five cards: SHRINK; PORTAL; Deathrock Castle Location card; Ace of Flames; and Ace of Spades.

In a flash, the dragon, only smaller, was in the castle.

Before Malcom Ace spoke, he flashed RESTORE at the hole in the wall.

“You are going to help me steal Lord Deathrock’s rubies. STOP! Don’t argue. I know you had gems and just about anything that sparkles except for cards, but you must help me. I will give you a card if you do,” he tempted.

Spadewick sighed, and splurted out a plume of red smoke.

“Thankyou. I will be in contact with you to tell you your further instructions. For now, make sure Gradgrind gets here quietly. I don’t trust that werewolf. He and Mavron, you know the minator, are going to meet me here, and so shall you. I want those rubies, and I know of a group of adventurers who can help me get them.”