Description: Chapter 1: Assault on the Majestic 1 Assault on the Majestic "They''re coming." Joey stood in the lobby of the Majestic Theatre with his face pressed up against the glass door. He had one hand cupped over his eyes to block out the sun and get a better view of the building across the street. "I see them." "What are they doing?" Shazad asked from right behind him. "Don''t tell me they''re coming here... already?" There was a pained tone in Shazad''s voice that Joey understood completely. Joey wasn''t ready for another fight, either. It had been less than twenty-four hours since their duel with Grayson Manchester. He needed a break. They all did. "How many of them are there?" Leanora asked, moving in next to Joey to see for herself. "I only see two. Over there by the door. That''s them." On the other side of the street, a man called Ledger DeMayne, sometimes known as Mr. Black, had just exited the corporate headquarters of the National Association of Tests and Limits. The NATL was the world''s leading producer of standardized tests, servicing every school in America and quietly deciding the futures of children everywhere. The organization was actually a front for a secret society called the Invisible Hand. From what Joey understood, it was one of many. DeMayne had been introduced to Joey as the chief administrator of the NATL, but his real job was something more sinister than grading tests. The Invisible Hand enforced an unyielding measure of control over the world''s limited supply of magic, and DeMayne was their leader. At least, that was the impression Joey got during their brief, standoffish conversation earlier that morning. Joey wasn''t entirely sure if the man across the street was old enough to lead a Machiavellian cabal of evil magicians that dated back to the age of Merlin, but if Joey''s introduction to magic had taught him anything, it was that looks could be deceiving. DeMayne was a young man with thick blond hair, handsome features, and excellent taste in clothing. Dressed in what was clearly a very expensive suit, he had stepped out onto the sidewalk like he owned it. DeMayne looked good enough to grace the cover of a magazine, and the same could be said for the young woman who accompanied him. She wore a stylish bright red overcoat with a dark red ruby brooch pinned to her lapel. Joey wondered what her name was. The few members of the Invisible Hand he had met so far all used simple, color-based aliases. Mr. Black, Mr. Gray... As far as Joey could tell, it was an inside joke mocking the nonmagical "norms" of the world, who were easily fooled by magicians and their tricks. Joey figured he was getting his first look at Ms. Red. Something about her gave him the chills. Deep crimson hair fell down around her shoulders, framing an attractive, but cold and unfriendly, face. Her eyes were hidden behind dark sunglasses. DeMayne was talking and she was hanging on every word, which seemed to support Joey''s theory about who was in charge. As DeMayne spoke, he gestured across the street toward the Majestic Theatre and paused midsentence. Looking over the hoods of passing cars and peering in between pedestrians, he made eye contact with Joey and gave him an "I see you" wave. Joey backed away from the door. DeMayne was taunting him. Something was about to go down; Joey could feel it. It was the reason he had raced to the theater from his school, which was on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, more than twenty blocks away. He had wanted to warn Leanora and Shazad what was coming, but now that Joey had done that, he didn''t know what to do next. Everything was happening so fast. He felt like it was only yesterday that he had first met Redondo the Magnificent and found out magic was real. But that wasn''t yesterday. It was two days ago. Yesterday was the day Redondo died. He had sacrificed himself to save Joey and his friends. The events of the last week flashed through Joey''s mind. Meeting Redondo, he had discovered that the world was a bigger, more extraordinary place than he had ever imagined possible. Magic was real--but only if you believed in it. Joey had learned about the Order of the Majestic, whose duty it was to keep magic alive and free. At least, it had been until they disbanded some twenty years ago. He had also learned about the Invisible Hand, who selfishly fought to keep the world''s magic to themselves. Unfortunately, they hadn''t disbanded. Without the Order of the Majestic around to check their influence, the Invisible Hand had worked tirelessly to confiscate the world''s remaining magical items and consolidate power. It was an extreme case of magicians not revealing their secrets. The Invisible Hand was like a group of spoiled children who didn''t want anyone else playing with their toys. Joey had been caught off guard when DeMayne had invited him to join their twisted little club, but he hadn''t extended the offer out of the goodness of his heart. At the time, DeMayne was under the impression that Joey was still in possession of the world''s most powerful magical artifact... Harry Houdini''s wand. Joey only wished he still had it. He had been master of the wand for such a short period of time. Before Redondo died, he had arranged a contest between Joey, Leanora, and Shazad to determine who should inherit the wand. In the end, Joey won it--and immediately lost it--but he''d managed to keep the wand away from the Invisible Hand. It was a minor victory, but a victory nonetheless. However, there was more at stake than just the wand. The Majestic Theatre was filled with magical artifacts big and small, and at the moment it was all but defenseless. Redondo was gone, the wand was gone, and the theater was back in New York. For twenty long years Redondo had hid the Majestic and its many treasures in an alternate dimension that he had created using the power of Houdini''s wand. With him gone, the theater was back in the normal world. It was vulnerable. Redondo''s warning about the extent of the Invisible Hand''s greed echoed in Joey''s ears: There is nothing I have here... nothing I could give you so trivial that the Invisible Hand does not wish to obtain it. Looking at DeMayne and the lady in red, Joey felt like a pig in a straw house up against the Big Bad Wolf. "They didn''t get the wand, but they''re not done with us. Whatever else Redondo kept in this theater... They''re coming for it. All of it." "I knew they would eventually," said Shazad. "I just hoped we''d have more time." "No such luck," Joey said. Across the street, Ledger DeMayne beckoned with his hands, telling Joey and the others to come out. "I guess we''d better go out there," Leanora said. "I guess so," Joey agreed. Leanora pulled the door open and they went outside. As the theater door closed behind Joey, with his nerves dialed up to eleven, he felt like a character in a movie. He and his friends stood on one side of the street with their enemies on the other. It was like a high-noon showdown in an old Western. A harsh wind blew sheets of newspaper down the sidewalk like rolling tumbleweeds. The magical gunslingers sized each other up in silence. DeMayne spoke first. "Joey, what are you doing here? Shouldn''t you be in school right now?" His voice was crisp and clear, as if they were separated by a dinner table rather than a busy street. "What would your parents say about you cutting class on the first day?" He clicked his tongue in disapproval. "I''m not cutting anything," Joey said. "I don''t have a class schedule yet. Dr. Cho gave me the day off while they figure out what to do with me." "I see. You''re welcome for that, by the way," DeMayne replied. He turned to the lady in red, adding, "You know he never even thanked me for giving him a leg up at school? I don''t think it even crossed his mind." "Ugh," she grunted in a judgmental tone. "That''s the problem with everyone his age. So entitled." "Generation Z," DeMayne agreed. "They''re even worse than millennials." Joey took offense at that exchange, coming as it was from people who thought they were entitled to all the world''s remaining magical artifacts, but he had bigger problems than the Invisible Hand''s hypocrisy. "What are they talking about?" Shazad asked Joey. "What did he do for you?" "Later," Joey said. "It''s not important right now." "True," DeMayne agreed. "Why don''t we talk about something that is important?" He motioned to the grand and newly restored Majestic Theatre. "Redondo kept a store of magical artifacts here. We''ve come to collect them. Understand this--it''s going to happen. You can''t stop us. However, we don''t have to be at odds with one another. There''s no need for violence. In fact, there''s no need for any of you to be here at all. It''s a lovely day. I would advise the three of you to take a walk. Perhaps you could visit the park. Or, if that doesn''t interest you, there are plenty of other theaters around here.... Why not take in a matinee? Doesn''t that sound more interesting than this conversation? Don''t you feel like you have somewhere else you want to be right now?" Joey scrunched up his face. "What are you talking about?" He looked at Shazad and Leanora, baffled. "Is he serious? Take in a matinee?" "He''s doing something," Shazad said. "Look around--the block''s clearing out." Joey turned his head, looking up and down the street. Shazad was right. The sidewalks were getting emptier. People passed by in each direction, but once they were gone, no one else followed behind them. No new cars turned onto the street, either. At both ends of the

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