the bed. He collapsed on top of the dingy covers and sighed. Pat looked at the boy and folded her arms. "It couldn't have been that hard holding a book open," she argued.
"On the contrary, my dear Pat. This old form of castoring takes concentration and energy, and Fred has little practice with either of those traits," Ned countered. He walked over to the bed, dragged the nightstand from the wall to the center of the room, and opened the book to the entry on Dirth. "Now to test out my theory that these pages do indeed use magic to bring forth the locations of the treasures." He rummaged through his cloak and pulled out a vial and stopper full of a brackish liquid.
Fred raised his head and wrinkled his nose. "Isn't that marsh water?" he guessed.
"Exactly. Let us see what one drop does to these pages." Ned unstopped the vial and tipped the mouth so a small drop dripped from the lip and onto the page. Fred sat at attention when he saw the same mist rise from the pages. Ned turned to him. "Can you see the magic?"
Fred nodded. "Can't you?" he wondered.
Ned smiled and shook his head. "You are the only one among us, my boy, who has that unique ability to see magic that one wants to keep hidden."
"We know he sees magic. Now what?" Pat asked the old man.
Ned turned back to the book and clasped the edges as Fred had done. Again the mist lowered into the pages while the dark light rose up, and the pages projected a three-dimensional view of Dirth's geography. Two dots appeared on the map. One lay in the city, and the other was in the marshes at the City of the Stars. Ned smiled and gave a nod. "I was right. The book holds maps to the treasures and the stones. I imagine if we were to apply a stone from Tramadore and dirt from Galaron we would find their resting spots."
"I don't understand something," Pat spoke up. She nodded at the book. "If you hold the book that you stole-"
"Heroes don't steal, they appropriate," Ned corrected her.
She scowled at him. "If you have the book from the library in the temple of Phaeton, then how did Canavar find where some of these hidden stones were and how were they not noticed before by anyone else?"
Ned shut the book and the images were sucked back into the pages. "Magic, my dear Pat. The ancient castors hid the stones as they did these maps. Canavar has the same gift as Fred here and saw through the magic. He then tapped into their abilities for his own purpose. Unfortunately, using their magic meant they were no longer hidden from sight. As he wasn't as skilled at hiding the stones he hid them as gifts to the city. In the case of String, he tampered with what they had already discovered."
"But some of those gifts were given fifteen years ago. What has he been planning for that long?" she asked him.
"That is for us to find out, and stop," Ned replied. A rumble from the bed caught everyone's attention, and Fred sheepishly smiled at his friends.
"I guess I'm hungry," he explained to them.
Ned smiled at the young man and set the book on the centered nightstand. "I couldn't agree with you more, my boy. We'll settle this day by settling our stomachs with some of the fine cuisine of this wonderful establishment. It's nearing nightfall, and there's not a better time for supper then when it's time for supper."
Pat's face fell. "You're joking, right?"
Ned chuckled, and there was that familiar twinkle in his eyes. "It may be our greatest adventure yet."
CHAPTER 9
Ned led his young charges out into the hall where they were met by Percy and Canto. "What were you all doing in there?" Percy asked them.
"Making some useful discoveries, but the explanation can wait until we've eaten a tasty dessert," Ned replied. He walked down the hall, and Percy turned to Pat.
"Does he mean here?" Percy asked her.
Pat sighed and nodded. "Unfortunately, yes, but perhaps the food will convince him otherwise," she hoped.
Canto's eyebrows crashed low over his eyes and he glanced between the faces of the
"On the contrary, my dear Pat. This old form of castoring takes concentration and energy, and Fred has little practice with either of those traits," Ned countered. He walked over to the bed, dragged the nightstand from the wall to the center of the room, and opened the book to the entry on Dirth. "Now to test out my theory that these pages do indeed use magic to bring forth the locations of the treasures." He rummaged through his cloak and pulled out a vial and stopper full of a brackish liquid.
Fred raised his head and wrinkled his nose. "Isn't that marsh water?" he guessed.
"Exactly. Let us see what one drop does to these pages." Ned unstopped the vial and tipped the mouth so a small drop dripped from the lip and onto the page. Fred sat at attention when he saw the same mist rise from the pages. Ned turned to him. "Can you see the magic?"
Fred nodded. "Can't you?" he wondered.
Ned smiled and shook his head. "You are the only one among us, my boy, who has that unique ability to see magic that one wants to keep hidden."
"We know he sees magic. Now what?" Pat asked the old man.
Ned turned back to the book and clasped the edges as Fred had done. Again the mist lowered into the pages while the dark light rose up, and the pages projected a three-dimensional view of Dirth's geography. Two dots appeared on the map. One lay in the city, and the other was in the marshes at the City of the Stars. Ned smiled and gave a nod. "I was right. The book holds maps to the treasures and the stones. I imagine if we were to apply a stone from Tramadore and dirt from Galaron we would find their resting spots."
"I don't understand something," Pat spoke up. She nodded at the book. "If you hold the book that you stole-"
"Heroes don't steal, they appropriate," Ned corrected her.
She scowled at him. "If you have the book from the library in the temple of Phaeton, then how did Canavar find where some of these hidden stones were and how were they not noticed before by anyone else?"
Ned shut the book and the images were sucked back into the pages. "Magic, my dear Pat. The ancient castors hid the stones as they did these maps. Canavar has the same gift as Fred here and saw through the magic. He then tapped into their abilities for his own purpose. Unfortunately, using their magic meant they were no longer hidden from sight. As he wasn't as skilled at hiding the stones he hid them as gifts to the city. In the case of String, he tampered with what they had already discovered."
"But some of those gifts were given fifteen years ago. What has he been planning for that long?" she asked him.
"That is for us to find out, and stop," Ned replied. A rumble from the bed caught everyone's attention, and Fred sheepishly smiled at his friends.
"I guess I'm hungry," he explained to them.
Ned smiled at the young man and set the book on the centered nightstand. "I couldn't agree with you more, my boy. We'll settle this day by settling our stomachs with some of the fine cuisine of this wonderful establishment. It's nearing nightfall, and there's not a better time for supper then when it's time for supper."
Pat's face fell. "You're joking, right?"
Ned chuckled, and there was that familiar twinkle in his eyes. "It may be our greatest adventure yet."
CHAPTER 9
Ned led his young charges out into the hall where they were met by Percy and Canto. "What were you all doing in there?" Percy asked them.
"Making some useful discoveries, but the explanation can wait until we've eaten a tasty dessert," Ned replied. He walked down the hall, and Percy turned to Pat.
"Does he mean here?" Percy asked her.
Pat sighed and nodded. "Unfortunately, yes, but perhaps the food will convince him otherwise," she hoped.
Canto's eyebrows crashed low over his eyes and he glanced between the faces of the
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