“It became known as the Great Fire because before it was over it had burned down most of the city. At that time, most buildings were made of wood and the region was experiencing a terrible drought.” His face darkened with a scowl. “Hundreds died, hundreds of thousands were left homeless, and thousands of buildings were destroyed. And for nothing. I warned them it was coming and to be prepared, but the politicians scoffed at me and banished me from City Hall.”

“You knew the city was going to burn down?” Henry asked incredulously.

“No, of course not!” Coralis snapped, then calmed. “Sorry. It’s still very upsetting and it happened over a hundred and forty years ago.”

Henry shook his head. He knew Coralis was very old, but it still baffled him. “Then what did you warn them about?”

“The comet. By my calculations, Biela’s Comet was due to pass close enough to Earth to shed some of its mass, and I wanted to collect some fragments that I suspected would make their way through the atmosphere and to this region. It would mean getting my hands on some valuable elements—but it was also a potential hazard to the people of the city.”

“As things fall through the atmosphere they burn up, don’t they?” Henry asked, recalling information from his science book.

“Yes, they do. But they weren’t about to believe me—an old coot, an out-of-towner. Perhaps you could have talked more sense into them, Henry. In any case, some of the fragments did make it through. Very unfortunate. Hot, fiery coals from the heavens that ignited upon impact.” Coralis paused, then laughed. “And they blamed it on some poor old woman’s cow! Said it kicked over a lantern!

“Well, now you know the truth, Henry. Straight from an eyewitness. And I’ll give you another tidbit to chew on. That comet caused three other fires that same night within several hundred miles of here, and one of them killed thousands of people! But because it wasn’t Chicago, it didn’t get the same amount of press.”

“And did you get what you came for?” asked Brianna.

“Yes, I did, little one. And I’ve never seen anything like it before or since.” He squinted in the hazy gloom. “I’m almost afraid of it, though I’ve yet to determine what kind of power it contains. It’s a big universe, and there are many things we will never understand about it. In the meantime, it is under lock and key and hidden well within the confines of my castle.”

“You live in a castle? With princesses?” Brianna asked hopefully.

“Ha! No princesses … though Gretchen is a magician in the kitchen.”

The two children stared at him, mouths agape.

“What?” asked Coralis.

“You … you’re married?” asked Brianna.

“What? Goodness no! Whatever gave you that idea?” A light touch of rosiness colored Coralis’s cheeks.

“You’re blushing!” shouted Brianna.