A R Rand

All the World's a Stage A R Rand

11-year-old Will Shakespeare is a bad boy. Fighting with other boys doesn't get him into trouble this time, finding a gold coin linked to a traitorous plot does. His parents send him away from his home in Stratford-upon-Avon to London under the protection of his uncle, a captain to Queen Elizabeth at the Tower of London.
13-year-old Betts is quite a little liar. She spins a tale she is the Queen's daughter and denied her place in the royal court. Presently, she is a scullery maid at the Queen's foreboding castle. Betts thinks she can do anything a boy can do and has the grit to prove it.
Will and Betts meet, instantly disliking each other. They have nothing in common except a wild imagination, a penchant for adventure, and disdain for snobby royals.
When the Crown Jewels go missing, Will and Betts hunt for the fabulous ruby, Cleopatra's Blood. Suspects include the Spanish ambassador, an Egyptian cult, and even the ghost of Henry VIII. As Will and Betts hunt for clues, they become the hunted. The arrival of Will's father in London turns deadly when the Crown arrests John Shakespeare as a traitor. While earthly matters vex Will, the appearance of a Phantom Lady leads him to Tabernam Miribilia, the Shop of Wonders. Will meets the colorful theatrical impresario, Professor Prospero who covets the gemstone and three other mysterious mystical stones needed to destroy the witch, Sycorax. Prospero claims he is a sorcerer at war with the witch to rule the magical world of The Tempest.
Mysteries in the mystical world drive Will into danger and his bargain with Sycorax dooms him to eternal torment.