Broken Dreams (The Chronicles of Mara Lantern, Book 5) by D.W. Moneypenny Page B

I think will convince you,” she said. She glanced over at her brother and then at Ping. “Don’t we, Sam?”
    He took a second to catch on. “Oh, yeah. We’ve got Ping.”
    Dr. Lantern glanced at Ping.
    “Not that Ping,” Sam said. “The other one, our Ping. We brought one with us.”
    “Where is this second Ping?” he asked.
    “He’s at the hotel just off the southeast corner of the square, taking care of a friend of ours,” Sam said.
    “Taking care? Is something wrong with this friend?” Dr. Lantern asked.
    “It’s my friend Abby,” Mara said. “She had been through a lot lately. I want to check on her as soon as we are done here.”
    Ping interjected, “I’m not sure it would be such a good idea for you to go into town right now. Word hasn’t gotten out about your return, and just popping up will cause a scene.”
    “A scene? What kind of scene?” Mara asked.
    “A mob of people wanting to see you. You’ve been gone a week, and now that you are back, the chasms have stopped. Everyone will want to give you a hero’s welcome home, and there won’t be any way to deter them,” Ping said. “You would be swamped before you got near your friend.”
    Dr. Lantern nodded. “That’s true. I’m heading out that way on a house call. I’ll take Sam. We can stop by and pick up your friend—and your Ping, if he exists—on the way back. If need be, everyone can stay here. There’s plenty of room. And that will give me a chance to get to know Sam. All agreed?” Without waiting for an answer, he answered for everyone. “Agreed.”
    “No, not agreed,” Mara said. “I’m a little concerned it might not be safe for you to deal with Abby without me being there.”
    “You’re concerned about the metaphysical demon you mentioned before?” Ping asked.
    “What?” Dr. Lantern asked.
    Sam waved a hand in the air. “There has been no sign of the Aphotis since Abby arrived. I think Dad and I can get her back here with no trouble.”
    Mara glanced at her father when Sam called him Dad . That doubtful corner of his mouth turned up, a change so subtle that no one else would notice, but she did.
    Dr. Lantern stood up and said, “Let’s go, Sam. My wagon’s out front.”
    After they left the kitchen and Mara heard the front door close behind them, Mara turned to Ping and asked, “What am I supposed to do while they’re gone?”
    He stood up and cleared the plates from the table. “I don’t know. What do you want to do?”
    “What would your Mara be doing if she were here?”
    “Most likely you’d be working on something in the steam lab or the fabrication shop. You’re always working on some invention or gizmo,” he said, putting the dishes in the sink and then turning around to lean against the counter.
    Mara stood up from her seat at the table and walked toward the hall. “Steam lab? That sounds interesting. Is it this way?”
     

CHAPTER 10
     
     
    The hall leading from the kitchen to the front door bisected the manor. To the left was a wide staircase with an ornate banister of polished dark wood. Through its spindles, a red patterned runner climbed the center of the risers. To the right, a textured off-white wall shot up beyond the first flight of stairs. A pair of doors, also polished dark wood, stood halfway between the front of the house and the kitchen entryway. Mara stopped at the two doors and rattled the doorknobs. Locked.
    Ping hurried up to her and said, “That’s the fabrication shop. It’s locked.”
    Mara shook the knob again and said, “So I can see. You got a key?”
    “I thought you wanted to see the steam laboratory. That might be a better idea for now,” he said.
    “Steam lab it is. Where is that?” she asked.
    Ping held out a hand toward the front of the staircase. Mara eyed the locked doors for a second and said, “Is there something in here that I should not see?”
    “Of course not. We’d have to go to the steam lab to get the key anyway.” Ping led her past