glass phial the creature disappeared with another loud pop.
Old Zeb handed the glass phial to Archie. ‘Put it with the one from the other day,’ he said. ‘It’s not much of a phialling system,’ he added, with a grin, ‘but it’ll have to do!’
Archie smiled at his joke and placed the phial with the mammoth on the shelf next to the one containing Sir Bodwin.
‘Now for the pop-outs. With a pop-out, the spells are not tied to the book so they can go out into the world. They are free-range spells, which can cause problems if the popper escapes. So let’s see a pop-out in action.’
Old Zeb pointed at the second book. Archie opened it and there was another loud pop. This time something blue fluttered from the pages.
‘Take this splendid dragonfly,’ Old Zeb said, his eyes sparkling.
Archie regarded the small blue creature that was now sitting on a bookshelf watching him. With ashock, he realised that it was a perfectly formed miniature dragon, about twelve centimetres long, complete with tiny talons and leathery wings. At that moment it snapped its tiny jaws and snorted a jet of fire from its nostrils.
‘That isn’t an ordinary dragonfly is it?’
‘No,’ chuckled the old bookbinder. ‘It’s called a snapdragon, and they can give you a nasty singe if they catch you off guard.’
He held up the cover of the book, which was called
Magical Miniatures
. ‘There are all sorts of nasty little beasties in here.’
The snapdragon opened its wings and launched itself into the air. It made a circuit of the workshop and then tried to dive bomb Archie, who ducked. Next it unleashed an attack on Old Zeb, who dodged out of the way just in time as it scorched the stool he had been sitting on. Then it flew through the open door and disappeared up the passageway.
‘Shouldn’t we try to catch it?’ asked Archie.
‘Oh I don’t think it will cause too much trouble,’ said Old Zeb. ‘They only last a few minutes and it can’t get past the curtain because it’s enchanted.’
At that moment they heard a shriek from upstairs.
‘Oh dear, sounds like Marjorie has found the snapdragon,’ said Old Zeb.
Archie grinned. ‘Or more like the snapdragon has found Marjorie!’
The old bookbinder pulled a face like a mischievous schoolboy. ‘Oh dear, oh dear,’ he said, but he didn’t seem too concerned.
‘What other sorts of magical books do you know about?’ he asked Archie.
Archie tried to remember what Bramble had told him. ‘Well, there’s drawing books,’ he said.
‘Yes,’ nodded the old bookbinder. ‘Jolly treacherous they are, too. Technically speaking, you know, they are magic portals – doorways that can pull you into another world, so I won’t show you an actual example. Too dangerous.’
*
Later that morning, Archie was just finishing stitching a loose leaf into a book of magical recipes called
The Culinary Cauldron: Banquets That Go With A Bang
, when Old Zeb yawned and stretched.
‘We’ll do one more book, and that will be enough for today. Pass me that old almanac. It should have been done days ago, but with Geoffrey still missing we’re in a bit of a muddle.’
Archie recognised the Ripleys’ almanac. The old bookbinder squinted at its leather cover throughhis magnifying glass. ‘
The Alchemists’ Household Almanac
,’ he wheezed. ‘Dated 1603 – it’s over four hundred years old.’
Archie thought about his book. Horace Catchpole had said it was over four hundred years old, too. Perhaps there was a connection.
‘Hmmm – unusual cover,’ mumbled Old Zeb. ‘Made from some sort of lizard’s skin. Well I never, it’s chameleon. You don’t see that very often. How interesting. Perhaps that’s why it’s a Special Instruction? I can see it’s got a crooked spine, too. We’ll have to see about that.’
The old bookbinder placed the book in the book press. Then he turned a large screw handle like a wing nut until the wooden jaws of the press closed on the book. As he
Old Zeb handed the glass phial to Archie. ‘Put it with the one from the other day,’ he said. ‘It’s not much of a phialling system,’ he added, with a grin, ‘but it’ll have to do!’
Archie smiled at his joke and placed the phial with the mammoth on the shelf next to the one containing Sir Bodwin.
‘Now for the pop-outs. With a pop-out, the spells are not tied to the book so they can go out into the world. They are free-range spells, which can cause problems if the popper escapes. So let’s see a pop-out in action.’
Old Zeb pointed at the second book. Archie opened it and there was another loud pop. This time something blue fluttered from the pages.
‘Take this splendid dragonfly,’ Old Zeb said, his eyes sparkling.
Archie regarded the small blue creature that was now sitting on a bookshelf watching him. With ashock, he realised that it was a perfectly formed miniature dragon, about twelve centimetres long, complete with tiny talons and leathery wings. At that moment it snapped its tiny jaws and snorted a jet of fire from its nostrils.
‘That isn’t an ordinary dragonfly is it?’
‘No,’ chuckled the old bookbinder. ‘It’s called a snapdragon, and they can give you a nasty singe if they catch you off guard.’
He held up the cover of the book, which was called
Magical Miniatures
. ‘There are all sorts of nasty little beasties in here.’
The snapdragon opened its wings and launched itself into the air. It made a circuit of the workshop and then tried to dive bomb Archie, who ducked. Next it unleashed an attack on Old Zeb, who dodged out of the way just in time as it scorched the stool he had been sitting on. Then it flew through the open door and disappeared up the passageway.
‘Shouldn’t we try to catch it?’ asked Archie.
‘Oh I don’t think it will cause too much trouble,’ said Old Zeb. ‘They only last a few minutes and it can’t get past the curtain because it’s enchanted.’
At that moment they heard a shriek from upstairs.
‘Oh dear, sounds like Marjorie has found the snapdragon,’ said Old Zeb.
Archie grinned. ‘Or more like the snapdragon has found Marjorie!’
The old bookbinder pulled a face like a mischievous schoolboy. ‘Oh dear, oh dear,’ he said, but he didn’t seem too concerned.
‘What other sorts of magical books do you know about?’ he asked Archie.
Archie tried to remember what Bramble had told him. ‘Well, there’s drawing books,’ he said.
‘Yes,’ nodded the old bookbinder. ‘Jolly treacherous they are, too. Technically speaking, you know, they are magic portals – doorways that can pull you into another world, so I won’t show you an actual example. Too dangerous.’
*
Later that morning, Archie was just finishing stitching a loose leaf into a book of magical recipes called
The Culinary Cauldron: Banquets That Go With A Bang
, when Old Zeb yawned and stretched.
‘We’ll do one more book, and that will be enough for today. Pass me that old almanac. It should have been done days ago, but with Geoffrey still missing we’re in a bit of a muddle.’
Archie recognised the Ripleys’ almanac. The old bookbinder squinted at its leather cover throughhis magnifying glass. ‘
The Alchemists’ Household Almanac
,’ he wheezed. ‘Dated 1603 – it’s over four hundred years old.’
Archie thought about his book. Horace Catchpole had said it was over four hundred years old, too. Perhaps there was a connection.
‘Hmmm – unusual cover,’ mumbled Old Zeb. ‘Made from some sort of lizard’s skin. Well I never, it’s chameleon. You don’t see that very often. How interesting. Perhaps that’s why it’s a Special Instruction? I can see it’s got a crooked spine, too. We’ll have to see about that.’
The old bookbinder placed the book in the book press. Then he turned a large screw handle like a wing nut until the wooden jaws of the press closed on the book. As he
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