“And when the map was completed, when the final strokes had been laid to the paper, it took on a life of its own.”

Henry and Brianna listened intently as Coralis spoke. The Wand Master had returned to their small room looking pale and grave. They understood why as he added, “I’ve just learned the map has fallen into evil hands.”

“Why even make such a thing if it’s so dangerous?” Brianna asked.

“Corsini never imagined it would be used as a weapon,” Coralis answered. “Along with the map, he developed an extraordinary healing wand—the one-of-a-kind Coisa Wand. A simple touch of the wand to the affected area of the map could prevent an earthquake, stop an avalanche, put a quick end to a forest fire. It was an extraordinary thing.

“Following Corsini’s death, the map and wand ended up in my care. They should have been safe. But in 1185, the castle came under siege by members of the Mongol horde. Do you know the name Genghis Khan?”

Henry perked up. He’d encountered the name in the course of his translation research. “He was a ruthless conqueror. His army conquered all of Asia and kept going west, as far as the Khwarezmid Empire—modern-day Iran.”

Brianna made a theatrical snoring noise.

Coralis nodded. “An impressive force of battle-seasoned warriors, to be sure, but they should have been no match for a castle full of Wandmakers. Yet by the end of it, twelve Wand Masters had lost their lives. And the Corsini Mappaemundi had been stolen.”

“How?” Henry asked.

“Treachery!” Coralis thundered. “My own apprentice—a brilliant young man named Malachai—was secretly in league with Genghis Khan, and had lured a sizable portion of the man’s forces to the castle with the promise of riches.

“Malachai left with the map and the wand, but he never returned to Khan—and neither did the small army that helped him. He killed every last one of those men on a narrow mountain pass, where he used the map to cause a landslide that buried them alive.

“And thus was Corsini’s legacy tainted for all time. The map was eventually reclaimed, but we kept it hidden. Apparently, Malachai’s wicked spawn, Dai She, has found it. And it now falls to us to stop him.”

An uneasy silence settled over the cabin. Finally Brianna spoke. “Are you scared, Henry?” she asked softly.

Henry fidgeted. The answer was obviously YES. But if he were to admit it in Coralis’s presence, would he think him a coward? Would Coralis have second thoughts about taking him any farther on their quest? Or possibly even abandon him at the train station?

“I don’t know about Henry, but I certainly am,” Coralis said. Brianna curled onto his lap. “Are you scared, Brianna?”

“Yes,” she answered quickly.

“That makes two out of three. Will you make it unanimous, Henry?”