the haze slipped onto his hands and entered his body. He dropped the book, clutched at his hands and stumbled back against the hallway wall.
"Is everything all right in there?" Pat called through the wall.
"Everything is fine," Ned replied.
"No, it's not!" Fred protested.
The men heard the girls' door open, and in a moment theirs was opened to reveal Pat with Ruth behind her. Pat stomped into the room and surveyed the book on the floor, Fred clutching at his hand and Ned putting on his most innocent face. She turned to Fred while Ruth shut the door behind them. "Do I want to know what's happening here?" she asked him.
"I wish I knew," Fred replied.
"Fred was merely practicing his magic-spying ability," Ned told them.
Fred whipped his head over to Ned. "Huh?"
"Your unique ability to see magic," Ned rephrased. He strode over and picked up the book. "You saw a magic even my wise and experienced eyes couldn't see." Pat snorted at the first compliment. Ned held the book out to Fred. "Let's pick up where you dropped off."
Fred vehemently shook his head. "That thing tried to do something to me."
"It tried to show you the secret to the treasure of Kite," Ned replied.
Pat raised an eyebrow. "How?" she asked him.
"I can't be sure until Fred reads the book," he told her.
"But he can't read," she reminded him.
"That's what I told him," Fred spoke up.
"Nonsense. You don't know until you've tried." Ned didn't give Fred much chance to refuse as he once again shoved the open book into Fred's unwilling hands. He cringed against the wall and waited for the pages to do something horrible to him. Maybe turn him inside out or, even worse, into a girl.
Ruth and Pat's eyes widened when the black-lettered words in the book glowed. They sprang from the pages and took on three-dimensional shapes that resembled familiar landmarks. Tall cliffs towered over a small village set in a large valley. Two black dots appeared on the west side of the valley, one at the northwest and the other to the southwest.
Ruth pointed at the one to the northwest. "Is this not where the stone resides in the Senex?" she asked her companions.
"It is!" Pat gasped.
"Can I let go of this thing now?" Fred pleaded.
"In a moment," Ned replied. He stepped closer and stroke his beard as his sharp eyes looked over the geography. "Old castor magic is certainly something to be admired."
"Please?" Fred yelped.
"Stop being such a coward. It's only a book," Pat ordered him. She tapped on the unknown black dot to the southwest, and her finger sank into the image like it was made of ink. Which it was. She pulled her hand back, but kept her eyes on the ball. "What is this other dot?" she wondered.
"The treasure, no doubt," Ned told her.
"How could this book not be used before to show us the way?" Pat asked him.
"That is a very good question, and comes down to Fred's carelessness. He opened the window and allowed a gust of wind to sweep over the pages, thus igniting an ancient sympathetic magic," Ned explained to them.
"Can I let go now?" Fred persisted.
"In a moment, my dear apprentice," Ned answered him. "The wind is as much a part of this region as the people, and when the castors hid the treasures they created these pages to show the way."
Pat rolled her eyes. "In case they forgot?" she guessed.
Ned shrugged. "Even castors aren't perfect, close as we are."
Ruth tapped Pat on the shoulder and nodded at Fred. The young man stood with his back pressed against the wall and the glow of the pages nearly blinding him. "Could he please let go of the book?" she asked them.
Ned chuckled, pressed his palms against the upside down front and back covers, and snapped the book shut. Fred breathed a sigh of relief, and was even more grateful when Ned took the book from him. Ned looked the young man over and frowned. "You should have told me the book was using your castoring abilities. I would have taken it from you sooner."
Fred shot him a deadly glare and stumbled over to
"Is everything all right in there?" Pat called through the wall.
"Everything is fine," Ned replied.
"No, it's not!" Fred protested.
The men heard the girls' door open, and in a moment theirs was opened to reveal Pat with Ruth behind her. Pat stomped into the room and surveyed the book on the floor, Fred clutching at his hand and Ned putting on his most innocent face. She turned to Fred while Ruth shut the door behind them. "Do I want to know what's happening here?" she asked him.
"I wish I knew," Fred replied.
"Fred was merely practicing his magic-spying ability," Ned told them.
Fred whipped his head over to Ned. "Huh?"
"Your unique ability to see magic," Ned rephrased. He strode over and picked up the book. "You saw a magic even my wise and experienced eyes couldn't see." Pat snorted at the first compliment. Ned held the book out to Fred. "Let's pick up where you dropped off."
Fred vehemently shook his head. "That thing tried to do something to me."
"It tried to show you the secret to the treasure of Kite," Ned replied.
Pat raised an eyebrow. "How?" she asked him.
"I can't be sure until Fred reads the book," he told her.
"But he can't read," she reminded him.
"That's what I told him," Fred spoke up.
"Nonsense. You don't know until you've tried." Ned didn't give Fred much chance to refuse as he once again shoved the open book into Fred's unwilling hands. He cringed against the wall and waited for the pages to do something horrible to him. Maybe turn him inside out or, even worse, into a girl.
Ruth and Pat's eyes widened when the black-lettered words in the book glowed. They sprang from the pages and took on three-dimensional shapes that resembled familiar landmarks. Tall cliffs towered over a small village set in a large valley. Two black dots appeared on the west side of the valley, one at the northwest and the other to the southwest.
Ruth pointed at the one to the northwest. "Is this not where the stone resides in the Senex?" she asked her companions.
"It is!" Pat gasped.
"Can I let go of this thing now?" Fred pleaded.
"In a moment," Ned replied. He stepped closer and stroke his beard as his sharp eyes looked over the geography. "Old castor magic is certainly something to be admired."
"Please?" Fred yelped.
"Stop being such a coward. It's only a book," Pat ordered him. She tapped on the unknown black dot to the southwest, and her finger sank into the image like it was made of ink. Which it was. She pulled her hand back, but kept her eyes on the ball. "What is this other dot?" she wondered.
"The treasure, no doubt," Ned told her.
"How could this book not be used before to show us the way?" Pat asked him.
"That is a very good question, and comes down to Fred's carelessness. He opened the window and allowed a gust of wind to sweep over the pages, thus igniting an ancient sympathetic magic," Ned explained to them.
"Can I let go now?" Fred persisted.
"In a moment, my dear apprentice," Ned answered him. "The wind is as much a part of this region as the people, and when the castors hid the treasures they created these pages to show the way."
Pat rolled her eyes. "In case they forgot?" she guessed.
Ned shrugged. "Even castors aren't perfect, close as we are."
Ruth tapped Pat on the shoulder and nodded at Fred. The young man stood with his back pressed against the wall and the glow of the pages nearly blinding him. "Could he please let go of the book?" she asked them.
Ned chuckled, pressed his palms against the upside down front and back covers, and snapped the book shut. Fred breathed a sigh of relief, and was even more grateful when Ned took the book from him. Ned looked the young man over and frowned. "You should have told me the book was using your castoring abilities. I would have taken it from you sooner."
Fred shot him a deadly glare and stumbled over to
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