since Jim had reminded her of the seeker, suddenly spoke up.
“There may be one clue, left, Captain Steele,” she said. “We could use the stars.”
“Stars?” Cornelius squawked, flapping his wings and ruffling his feathers. “What know you of stars, fair Lacey?” Lacey reached into the handbag she had worn with her new dress and produced her tattered and faded volume.
“Well, Mister Cornelius, I know about all the stars in this book. MacGuffy gave it to me. Even though it was only for a moment or two, I’m sure I saw some that I recognized on the ceiling at the stables. Somehow I think they can give us a clue!”
“Oh no!” George said, shaking his head. “Not your stupid star book again!”
“It’s not stupid, George!” Lacey snapped. George took a wise step backward for Lacey seemed quite ready to club him with the volume if he opened his mouth again. “It’s full of special constellations, ones that regular sailors don’t even use. And those were the ones on the map, I’m certain of it!”
Dread Steele raised a curious eyebrow at this and stepped slowly over to Lacey. He held out his hand to take the book and leafed through the pages. After a moment the Captain furrowed his brow in ever deepening wrinkles of concentration.
“Lacey,” he finally said, “show me the stars you saw.”
TWELVE
teele wasted no time and spun on his heel toward the desk. He shooed Cornelius from the hook with a swat of his hand and motioned everyone closer.
“Lacey, is there a page in this book that shows the full night sky in one picture?”
“Yes,” Lacey said. Nervous excitement bubbled over in her voice. “On page number sixty-two, almost at the back of the book.”
Steele flipped to the proper page and pulled it up from the book with two fingers. He held the single leaf before the lantern’s light. The slender flame shone through the page and onto the strange map on thewall. After a few adjustments the Captain lined it just perfectly, so that a sky full of lamp-lit stars hung over the painted world upon the map. Lacey and Jim, and even the Ratts, took quick startled glances at one another, squeezing a little closer to the wall to get a better look. Before them on the map was now a duller, yellower image of the magic blue shapes thrown on the stable walls and ceiling.
“Show me the stars, Lacey,” Steele asked.
Lacey stepped over to where the Captain held the page. Careful not to place her shadow between the lantern and the wall she used her small finger to trace the shapes of the constellations on the glowing map.
“There were three that I remember for certain. The Sea Horse was here, and next to him was The Giant Squid. And last was The Mighty Hunter.” The three shapes faced one another in a triangle over the ocean.
“Those stars lie o’er the deep ocean, me cap’n,” MacGuffy said from the chair, squinting his one good eye hard at the map. “There be monsters and merpeople beneath those waves, I fear.”
“Merpeople?” Jim asked. “Monsters?”
“Indeed, Mister Morgan. The deep ocean is full of old mysteries. But we are faced with a new one this day that is more puzzling still.” Captain Steele closed the book and rushed over to the map, placing his finger on the spot that lay beneath the center of the constellations. “No island lies in that spot upon the ocean.”
Disappointment fell over the party in the room and Jim’s shoulders slumped.
“However,” Steele continued. “Perhaps there is another possibility. These stars are not stars used by modern men of the sea. They are old constellations, old as sailing itself - symbols used by the ancient folk. It is possible they lead to as ancient a place, or even a place somehow hidden by magic. If that is true, it is beyond even my knowledge. Yet I know of one who might have the answers we seek.”
“Captain,” Cornelius said with a rather loathsome groan. “You can’t possibly mean who I think you might possibly mean, can
“There may be one clue, left, Captain Steele,” she said. “We could use the stars.”
“Stars?” Cornelius squawked, flapping his wings and ruffling his feathers. “What know you of stars, fair Lacey?” Lacey reached into the handbag she had worn with her new dress and produced her tattered and faded volume.
“Well, Mister Cornelius, I know about all the stars in this book. MacGuffy gave it to me. Even though it was only for a moment or two, I’m sure I saw some that I recognized on the ceiling at the stables. Somehow I think they can give us a clue!”
“Oh no!” George said, shaking his head. “Not your stupid star book again!”
“It’s not stupid, George!” Lacey snapped. George took a wise step backward for Lacey seemed quite ready to club him with the volume if he opened his mouth again. “It’s full of special constellations, ones that regular sailors don’t even use. And those were the ones on the map, I’m certain of it!”
Dread Steele raised a curious eyebrow at this and stepped slowly over to Lacey. He held out his hand to take the book and leafed through the pages. After a moment the Captain furrowed his brow in ever deepening wrinkles of concentration.
“Lacey,” he finally said, “show me the stars you saw.”
TWELVE
teele wasted no time and spun on his heel toward the desk. He shooed Cornelius from the hook with a swat of his hand and motioned everyone closer.
“Lacey, is there a page in this book that shows the full night sky in one picture?”
“Yes,” Lacey said. Nervous excitement bubbled over in her voice. “On page number sixty-two, almost at the back of the book.”
Steele flipped to the proper page and pulled it up from the book with two fingers. He held the single leaf before the lantern’s light. The slender flame shone through the page and onto the strange map on thewall. After a few adjustments the Captain lined it just perfectly, so that a sky full of lamp-lit stars hung over the painted world upon the map. Lacey and Jim, and even the Ratts, took quick startled glances at one another, squeezing a little closer to the wall to get a better look. Before them on the map was now a duller, yellower image of the magic blue shapes thrown on the stable walls and ceiling.
“Show me the stars, Lacey,” Steele asked.
Lacey stepped over to where the Captain held the page. Careful not to place her shadow between the lantern and the wall she used her small finger to trace the shapes of the constellations on the glowing map.
“There were three that I remember for certain. The Sea Horse was here, and next to him was The Giant Squid. And last was The Mighty Hunter.” The three shapes faced one another in a triangle over the ocean.
“Those stars lie o’er the deep ocean, me cap’n,” MacGuffy said from the chair, squinting his one good eye hard at the map. “There be monsters and merpeople beneath those waves, I fear.”
“Merpeople?” Jim asked. “Monsters?”
“Indeed, Mister Morgan. The deep ocean is full of old mysteries. But we are faced with a new one this day that is more puzzling still.” Captain Steele closed the book and rushed over to the map, placing his finger on the spot that lay beneath the center of the constellations. “No island lies in that spot upon the ocean.”
Disappointment fell over the party in the room and Jim’s shoulders slumped.
“However,” Steele continued. “Perhaps there is another possibility. These stars are not stars used by modern men of the sea. They are old constellations, old as sailing itself - symbols used by the ancient folk. It is possible they lead to as ancient a place, or even a place somehow hidden by magic. If that is true, it is beyond even my knowledge. Yet I know of one who might have the answers we seek.”
“Captain,” Cornelius said with a rather loathsome groan. “You can’t possibly mean who I think you might possibly mean, can
Similar Books
