this insane plan if you don't wish to," Pat reassured her.
Ruth smiled at her worried friend. "But this is what I wish."
Pat tilted her head and raised an eyebrow. "You wish to fly in one of those death machines?" she wondered.
Ruth nodded. "Well, I had hoped to fly in one of those machines, but never to win in any tournament. It is the winning part I worry I can not achieve," she told them.
Pat smiled and gave Ruth's hands a light squeeze. "I'm sure you'll try your best, and regardless of whether you win or lose we'll destroy the stone."
Ruth furrowed her brow. "Do we know what sort of treasure to find to destroy the stone?" she wondered.
Pat opened her mouth, thought for a moment, and then groaned. "No, we don't." She turned her face toward the wall adjoining their room to that of Fred and Ned. "Ned, does your book say what sort of item we're looking for?"
The girls heard a slight cough from the other side of the wall. "I shall consult it presently," Ned replied.
In the mens' room Ned turned to Fred with a sheepish grin. "It seems our secret is out," he whispered.
"We can still hear you," Pat called through the wall.
"My apologies, my dear Pat," Ned replied in his normal volume. He walked over to the bed, rummaged through his cloak, and pulled out the book they'd consulted at Tramadore.
Fred stepped up beside him with his brow furrowed. "But that book can't tell us where the treasures are," he reminded Ned.
Ned glanced from the wall to the young man, and lowered his voice to a ghost of a whisper. "I don't believe Pat is in the mood to be reminded of that, and I'm afraid I don't have any suggestions to counter hers. The treasure location is a complete mystery to me." Ned plopped the book on the bed and the wood groaned beneath the weight. He opened the book and flipped through the pages until he came to the section on the Region Stones. His finger traveled down and across the pages as he read out the names of the regions. "Ralcott, Sterning, Dirth. Ah ha, here is Kite." He tapped his finger on the entry.
"What does it say?" Fred asked him.
Ned looked over the contents and pursed his lips. "It says I'm an old fool for trying to look at this thing in a dark room. Perhaps opening a window would help the light. Would you be so kind as to open our sole source of fresh air?" Fred went over to the window and flung open both glass panes. A strong gust of wind swept into the room and blew over Ned, who held the pages down with his hands. "Perhaps too far, my boy!" Ned yelled over the gust.
Fred slammed the panes shut and turned to Ned with a sheepish grin. "Sorry."
"No harm done, but away from that window," Ned told him. Fred walked over to stand beside Ned and looked at the ancient pages. He frowned when he noticed that a faint haze covered the indecipherable words.
Fred pointed at the strange haze. "What's that?" he asked Ned.
The old castor smacked down his apprentice's hand. "Pointing is a bad habit," he scolded. Ned paused and glanced at Fred with a raised eyebrow. "But what is what?"
"That mist over the page." Fred swept his hand through it, but it didn't dispel the fog. "It's covering the words."
Ned's eyes flitted between the young man and book. He pushed the book toward Fred. "Read it."
Fred's face fell. "But I can't read," he reminded Ned.
"Try."
Fred sighed and leaned forward over the pages. He squinted his eyes, but he could barely see the pages through the mist. The young man straightened and shrugged. "I can barely even see the words." He turned to Ned. "Can't you see the fog?"
"Perhaps holding onto the book would help," Ned suggested. He picked up the book and pressed it into Fred's hands.
Fred stumbled back and juggled the book for a moment before he got a good grasp of the edges on the front and back covers. He looked down at the open pages and his eyes widened when the haze was absorbed into the inked words. The union bolded the words so they glowed on the parchment. Fred yelped when some of
Ruth smiled at her worried friend. "But this is what I wish."
Pat tilted her head and raised an eyebrow. "You wish to fly in one of those death machines?" she wondered.
Ruth nodded. "Well, I had hoped to fly in one of those machines, but never to win in any tournament. It is the winning part I worry I can not achieve," she told them.
Pat smiled and gave Ruth's hands a light squeeze. "I'm sure you'll try your best, and regardless of whether you win or lose we'll destroy the stone."
Ruth furrowed her brow. "Do we know what sort of treasure to find to destroy the stone?" she wondered.
Pat opened her mouth, thought for a moment, and then groaned. "No, we don't." She turned her face toward the wall adjoining their room to that of Fred and Ned. "Ned, does your book say what sort of item we're looking for?"
The girls heard a slight cough from the other side of the wall. "I shall consult it presently," Ned replied.
In the mens' room Ned turned to Fred with a sheepish grin. "It seems our secret is out," he whispered.
"We can still hear you," Pat called through the wall.
"My apologies, my dear Pat," Ned replied in his normal volume. He walked over to the bed, rummaged through his cloak, and pulled out the book they'd consulted at Tramadore.
Fred stepped up beside him with his brow furrowed. "But that book can't tell us where the treasures are," he reminded Ned.
Ned glanced from the wall to the young man, and lowered his voice to a ghost of a whisper. "I don't believe Pat is in the mood to be reminded of that, and I'm afraid I don't have any suggestions to counter hers. The treasure location is a complete mystery to me." Ned plopped the book on the bed and the wood groaned beneath the weight. He opened the book and flipped through the pages until he came to the section on the Region Stones. His finger traveled down and across the pages as he read out the names of the regions. "Ralcott, Sterning, Dirth. Ah ha, here is Kite." He tapped his finger on the entry.
"What does it say?" Fred asked him.
Ned looked over the contents and pursed his lips. "It says I'm an old fool for trying to look at this thing in a dark room. Perhaps opening a window would help the light. Would you be so kind as to open our sole source of fresh air?" Fred went over to the window and flung open both glass panes. A strong gust of wind swept into the room and blew over Ned, who held the pages down with his hands. "Perhaps too far, my boy!" Ned yelled over the gust.
Fred slammed the panes shut and turned to Ned with a sheepish grin. "Sorry."
"No harm done, but away from that window," Ned told him. Fred walked over to stand beside Ned and looked at the ancient pages. He frowned when he noticed that a faint haze covered the indecipherable words.
Fred pointed at the strange haze. "What's that?" he asked Ned.
The old castor smacked down his apprentice's hand. "Pointing is a bad habit," he scolded. Ned paused and glanced at Fred with a raised eyebrow. "But what is what?"
"That mist over the page." Fred swept his hand through it, but it didn't dispel the fog. "It's covering the words."
Ned's eyes flitted between the young man and book. He pushed the book toward Fred. "Read it."
Fred's face fell. "But I can't read," he reminded Ned.
"Try."
Fred sighed and leaned forward over the pages. He squinted his eyes, but he could barely see the pages through the mist. The young man straightened and shrugged. "I can barely even see the words." He turned to Ned. "Can't you see the fog?"
"Perhaps holding onto the book would help," Ned suggested. He picked up the book and pressed it into Fred's hands.
Fred stumbled back and juggled the book for a moment before he got a good grasp of the edges on the front and back covers. He looked down at the open pages and his eyes widened when the haze was absorbed into the inked words. The union bolded the words so they glowed on the parchment. Fred yelped when some of
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