Read Online The Candy Shop War, Vol. 2: Arcade Catastrophe by Brandon Mull - Free Book Online Page A

mentioned different prices,” Ziggy said. “Are there different stamps?”
    Summer explained about the four different stamps, and how each stamp was limited to four people. She told how some slots were already gone.
    “That girl, Risa, was also floating,” Pigeon narrated as Ziggy looked at a new image. “And that guy is named Roman.”
    “He’ll probably be a new recruit soon,” Trevor said. “The other two were encouraging him to win tickets.”
    “Seems evident that trading tickets for stamps gets kids into the inner circle,” Victor said.
    “Do you want us to earn a stamp?” Nate asked.
    Victor pulled the van into the parking lot of a large home improvement store and claimed a spot far from the entrance. Empty parking spaces surrounded them. He turned to look Nate in the eye. “If you kids acquire those stamps, you’ll expose yourselves to some serious danger. I can’t guarantee that we could protect you.”
    “Do you have enough information now to help John?” Pigeon asked.
    “We’ve found the start of a trail,” Ziggy said. “Victor and I can’t go in there and trade tickets for stamps, but we can track down the kids Pigeon photographed and look into this Todd character.”
    “What if we go after the stamps?” Summer asked. “Could it make a difference?”
    Victor and Ziggy shared a glance. “You want the truth?” Victor asked. “It would move the investigation forward much faster. The people running this operation have been extremely careful not to expose themselves. Those stamps probably lead straight to whoever is behind all of this.”
    “But the information would come at a price,” Ziggy said.
    “The magician behind this operation is clearly powerful and secretive,” Victor said. “If you become involved directly, it might not be easy to walk away.”
    “We could get sucked into some serious danger,” Nate said.
    “At best it will be dangerous,” Ziggy said. “At worst you could get killed.”
    “Do we know whether John is alive?” Pigeon asked in a small voice.
    “We’re not certain,” Ziggy replied. “We hope so.”
    “If you’re considering direct involvement,” Victor said, “you deserve to know all we do. This situation is bigger than John Dart going missing. John learned something and called in Mozag.”
    “Your boss,” Trevor said.
    “Arguably the most powerful living magician,” Ziggy said. “He almost never gets involved directly in an investigation. He’s too valuable. He runs things from a distance.”
    “But he came when John called,” Victor said. “And Mozag disappeared along with him.”
    “Mozag is missing too?” Nate exclaimed.
    “Which tells us a lot,” Victor said. “Away from his permanent lair, Mozag was vulnerable, but still, any magician who can subdue Mozag is wielding some serious power. And any situation that would lure Mozag into the field had to have catastrophic potential.”
    “Then we could be in danger whether we help or not,” Nate summarized. “If we do nothing, whoever is running Arcadeland could still become a threat to us.”
    “The country could be in danger,” Ziggy said. “Maybe the world.”
    “Mozag didn’t get involved directly with Mrs. White,” Victor pointed out. “But he came for this.”
    “He and John were captured at the same time?” Trevor asked.
    “Far as we know,” Ziggy said.
    “Does Mozag have other agents who can help?” Pigeon wondered. “Are you guys here alone?”
    “There are some others who could lend assistance,” Victor said. “Frankly, with John out of play, we were the best operatives available. This is a delicate situation. The knowledge that Mozag polices the magical community keeps a lot of shady characters in check.”
    “You don’t want it known that he’s missing,” Nate said.
    Ziggy raised his eyebrows. “All we need is for every crooked magician with a scheme and a few lackeys to find out that right now is the best opportunity in decades to risk some