Jinx On The Divide Read Online Free Page B

very far at all, due to the mist. "That's not very likely, is it?" he said.
    "Fangs and talons, stop dithering and get on with it."
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    "I'm not dithering, I'm just trying to cover all the possibilities in advance."
    "Give it here, and I'll do it."
    Betony made a lunge for the lamp, and for a moment they tussled with it. The tussle produced enough friction to summon the brandee, and glittery golden gas started to stream out of the spout.
    "Greetings," said the brandee, when he was solid once more. "I wondered when you would summon me again. My hostage is becoming impatient."
    "I command you to release him," said Felix, with as much authority as he could muster. It was worth a try.
    The brandee's teeth flashed white in the gathering gloom. "Not until I meet the scientist you have found for me. You see, I may have to appear when you rub my lamp, but I don't have to obey your command. Abracadabra. The word fairly crackles with the most vibrant of magic."
    Felix glanced down the mountainside. For just a moment, the low cloud cleared, and he could see a village nestled in a little valley. Here and there a light twinkled, and smoke was curling from some of the chimneys. "He lives down there," he lied. He really couldn't think of anything else to do.
    "Let us depart, then," said the brandee. "We'll use your carpet."
    Nimby bristled in the way that only a carpet can bristle. Betony nudged Felix. "Try rubbing the lamp again," she whispered, "and maybe it'll summon Rhino."
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    Felix ran his fingers over the icy metal, but nothing happened -- except that the brandee noticed and drew his knife. "Mine, I think," he said, snatching back the lamp. "Shall we get going?"
    "I fly only for my mistress," said Nimby haughtily.
    "In that case," said the brandee, grabbing Betony's arm and twisting it behind her back, "you might be better off without a mistress at all." He placed the point of the dagger against her neck.
    Nimby immediately laid himself at the brandee's feet, his fringe curling with distaste. The brandee let go of Betony, and the three of them sat down cross-legged on the carpet, which then took off.
    By the time they reached the village, Felix was so cold he was numb, and his fingers were an interesting shade of blue. Betony had bundled herself up so thoroughly in her cloak that only her eyes and nose were visible. The brandee didn't seem to feel the cold at all.
    "This is awful," whispered Betony. "What are we going to do?"
    "Try to get the lamp back. What else can we do?"
    "I meant, what are we going to do about producing a scientist, not what are we going to do about rescuing your stupid friend Rhino."
    "He's not my friend."
    They landed in the market square, which was deserted.
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    The brandee rolled Nimby into a sausage and stuck him under his arm. "Where is the scientist's dwelling?" he asked.
    Felix was finding the lie harder and harder to sustain. "This way," he said, hoping something would turn up. They started to walk away from the square, but although they saw lamplight in the windows and heard the occasional low buzz of voices, they saw no one. Night was falling fast; the clouds were gone, and the sky was spangled with stars. It was colder than ever.
    The houses in the village ( welcome to vattan, supplier of fish to the aristocracy ) were made of logs, and they had steeply sloping roofs that were iced with snow. All the window frames and the balcony rails were carved and painted, and glittery with frost. There were sleighs parked outside the houses, the way cars would have been in Felix's world, and some of them had lanterns fixed to the handrails. It wasn't a big village. Felix could see that the houses were petering out -- before long, the road would be winding between fields and woods, and his lie would become evident.
    He was just wondering what to do next when he heard the jingling of bells. A sleigh rounded the corner, pulled by two cuddyaks. They were unmistakable, with their shaggy brown coats, their painted