THOUGHTS IN A JAR
Silverthorn paced along the tree limb. A net bag suspended from the branch jiggled and bobbed with his movements. “Do you think he’s going to be late again?” He stopped and squinted at the ground far below. “Surely he won’t stand us up completely.”
“Relax,” Electrum said. “And stop pacing. You’re jarring the branch and giving me a headache.”
Electrum was having difficulty concentrating after all he had learned that afternoon about the gatekeepers. He checked the net bag again. Nestled inside were the three jars containing his prepared thought dust.
Leaves rustled on the ground and Brownie burst into the clearing. He crouched. His tail switched through the air with sharp jabs.
Trevor clung to his back twisting to keep his seat. “Must you bounce around like that?” He jumped off and landed in the dry leaves. Brushing himself off he called, “Anyone here?”
Silverthorn landed in front of the boy with a spray of silver dust.
Trevor covered his face and said through his fingers, “Careful with the sparkles. I have enough problems without any more enchantment.”
Silverthorn waved his hand scattering the sparkles. “It’s nothing to get concerned about. It’s just sprite dust. Let’s get down to business. We have lots to cover.”
Electrum landed softly next to him, the net bag over his shoulder. He set it on the ground. “Tomorrow night is the eclipse. It starts right after sundown.”
“Is that the dust?” Trevor asked pointing.
Electrum nodded and rubbed his hands together. “There are three jars. They are delicate. Made from dried leaves and sealed with resin.” He added sternly, “Any impact will shatter them.”
Trevor looked nervous.
“You can carry them in the bag, just be careful with it.”
“Oh, I have a bag,” Trevor said. He shrugged his arms out of the bag that Amber had given him and set it on the ground.
“That looks like a bag from Mirta’s shop.” Silverthorn flipped the lid back and looked stunned. “That’s Amber’s mark. Where did you get this bag?”
Trevor looked confused and his face paled. “She gave it to me,” he said.
“When – when did you meet Amber?” Silverthorn stuttered.
“She came to see me a couple times.”
“But why would she come to see you?” Silverthorn asked.
“She was worried about the plan. She wanted to be sure you had covered everything…” his voice trailed off.
“She just came to check up on us.” Electrum chuckled.
“She also told me about the ship,” Trevor said. Then he added quickly, “I didn’t know it was a ship when I took it out of the water.” He glanced nervously at them. “I didn’t believe her at first. Then I went on board and nearly got eaten by a spider.” He shivered.
“That was the night we waited for you and you didn’t show up,” Silverthorn said.
Trevor blushed and shrugged. “I was busy.”
“Was that when you found the tapestry?” Electrum asked. Silverthorn looked surprised and Electrum hurriedly said, “I mean, did you find a tapestry?”
Trevor nodded. “It was in an open crate. I took it off the ship. When Amber saw it, she said it was very important. She sent Gilder to pick it up last night.”
“Gilder!” Silverthorn stared at him.
“Where’s the ship now?” Electrum asked.
“Under my bed. Amber said to keep it out of the light.”
Electrum laughed. “The Salamander is under your bed? Ragnar is sailing on the rattletrap Dragonfly and his ship is under your bed.”
“I plan to bring it back to the water, but I can hardly do that when I’m just a few inches tall.”
Everyone seems to have something to gain in this venture, Electrum thought. Silverthorn, Amber, Trevor, Ragnar. Everyone but me. I’m going to lose no matter how it turns out.
He took a deep breath. “It’s getting late. Let’s get on with the plan.” He opened the net and pulled out a jar made from yellow leaves. “This one is for the yellow cat. It will make him think Brownie and you are fierce and dangerous.”
He picked up one made with red leaves. “This is for the little yipper. Hopefully it will make him want to find a delicious bone that he buried.”
“Hopefully?” Trevor said.
“I did the best I could. It’s hard to imagine enjoying a bone.” The last jar was green. “For Mrs. Hayworth,” he said. “It will give her visions of sweet rest in a comfortable hammock.”
“I think she sleeps in a bed.”
Electrum looked surprised. “A bed? Well, I concentrated mostly on being tired and sleeping. She probably won’t notice.”
Trevor slipped the jars into separate pockets of Amber’s bag.
“Get to the garden before you shrink so you can pick the changeling plant. Then meet us under the footbridge. You must be there before the eclipse starts. Do you understand?”
Trevor nodded.
“We’re counting on you,” Silverthorn said.
“I’m counting on me too. You promise you will unenchant me?” He looked pleadingly at Electrum.
“I will do everything I can to break the enchantment. I’m confident it will work.”
A Sprinkling of Thought Dust Page 41
