The Farwalker's Quest Read Online Free PDF Page B

sitting,” Bellam Storian said, as the two hurried in. Zeke halted, confused. “Perhaps your friend didn’t tell you,” the old man went on. “Stand in front here and multiply the numbers for us. Ariel, you start. I’ll let you know, Zeke, when you can take over.”
    Zeke cast Ariel a frown. She ignored it. Her fist closed on the wrapped dart. She didn’t want to relinquish it, but doing so now might at least get them out of their punishment.
    â€œMay I approach you with, um, something private?” Ariel asked the Storian. She could feel Zeke’s eyes boring into the side of her head.
    The Storian raised his bushy brows. Many students had tried to bribe him over the years. None had ever phrased it quite like this. Frowning but curious, he gave Ariel a curt nod.
    Zeke grabbed her elbow. She shook off his grip to place her prize on the Storian’s table. Moving her body to block as manycurious eyes as she could, she unfolded the linen until the telling dart lay bare.
    The mix of irritation and amusement on the Storian’s face drained away. Pulling the cloth back over the dart, he addressed the rest of the class.
    â€œThe weather is growing nasty again more rapidly than I expected,” he announced. “Your parents will want you home. Class dismissed.”
    The students remained frozen in their seats for much longer than usual. Nobody had gotten a good look at the thing on the table. Many wouldn’t have known what it was if they had. All they knew was that a bribe had finally worked. Amazed, they shuffled toward the door, whispering, “What is it?” “What’s in there?” “Is it gold?”
    Storian waited until everyone but Ariel and Zeke had departed. Zeke shut the door against the weather and returned, his face dark. The Storian looked Zeke up and down. When Zeke just stared back, Bellam shrugged.
    â€œWhere did you get this?” he asked Ariel.
    She glanced toward Zeke for help, but got only a baleful look in reply. She said, “We found it in the woods yesterday.”
    â€œDo you know what it is?”
    â€œYes, sir. A telling dart. Right?”
    â€œAnd how did you know the visitors were looking for one?”
    Ariel opened her mouth, but Zeke was faster. “We peeked out the door this morning,” he said. “We heard them asking.”
    Ariel kept her gaze straight ahead, but she couldn’t breathe. He was taking an awful chance, lying like that, and she couldn’t imagine why.
    Storian raised a disapproving eyebrow at Zeke. “I see. We’lldiscuss whether that was appropriate later. Why have you brought it to me, then?”
    Zeke faltered. Ariel borrowed words from her mother. “You’re our Storian,” she said. “If it’s important, you’d know and could decide what to do.”
    The Storian’s eyes narrowed. He drew the dart out of its wrap. Zeke leaned forward, transfixed.
    â€œDo you know how to use it?” the Storian asked. His voice was suddenly light, as if this were just one more lesson, and the rest of the class were simply out sick today.
    Ariel shook her head. “I know some of the symbols, but—”
    â€œDo
you
know how to use it?” asked Zeke.
    The Storian probably should have taken offense, but he didn’t. “Yes. But you see where it’s broken?” He tapped the dart’s point. “That’s too bad. The inside message is lost.”
    â€œIt fell out in the woods?” Ariel asked.
    â€œNo, no,” Storian said. “The dart just won’t unfurl to reveal it. Here’s the idea.” He placed his fingers along the three brass feathers. Ariel had done something similar while fiddling with it the previous night. “If you press these and twist, a seam appears and the dart springs open flat. The rest of the message is engraved on the inside. The barrel could hold something small, too, I suppose. But only the