“Blast.” Xavier scowled. “Looks like we’re not the only ones out hunting carbuncles tonight. I should have expected this.”
They pulled up in the shadow of a yew tree, squinting into the darkness. The sound of the waves on the stone far below was loud now. The cliffs looked treacherous in the dark, but it wasn’t deterring the half dozen figures Theo could see moving slowly along the jagged rocks, no doubt as determined as they were to see the magical carbuncles manifest themselves.
“They’re all that way.” Theo pointed to where the cliffs stretched away to their right. “Let’s go the other way, and have a section of cliffs to ourselves.”
“Unless they know something we don’t, and they’ve all gone that way because that’s where the carbuncles nest,” Xavier frowned. After a moment’s thought, he dismounted and tied his borrowed horse’s bridle to the yew tree. “I think I’ll sneak out past them.”
“You really think they won’t notice three children joining the search?” Theo asked impatiently.
“That’s why you two will wait here,” said Xavier. “If I find more than one favor, I’ll share.”
Miriam gave an indignant protest with which Theo was in full agreement. But Xavier didn’t stay to hear it.
“Forget him,” Theo scowled. “We’ll go the other way, where it’s more deserted. We’re just as likely to find a carbuncle as him.”
“More,” Miriam agreed with spirit. “Because we’re small and sneaky.”
Theo laughed as he nudged his horse along the cliff top in the opposite direction from where Xavier had disappeared. “Only when we need to be.”
His little sister sighed. “I feel like I do need to be sneaky any time I want something. No one ever just says yes to what I want.”
“I said yes to you coming with me tonight,” Theo pointed out.
She brightened. “That’s true. You’re the best brother, Theo. You’re much more fun than Xavier.”
“I wish.” Theo glowered over his shoulder toward his absent brother. “Xavier has way more fun than I do.”
“Yes, Xavier has more fun,” Miriam said practically. “But youaremore fun. Because you don’t always leave me out of it. If it was up to Xavier, I’d be back in my bed right now.”
“Which is where you should be, to be fair.” Theo couldn’t help reminding her of his superior age, just a little.
But he didn’t really mind having Miriam with him. The quest for the carbuncles was sure to be more fun with a companion than alone, and he should have known that Xavier would ditch him at the first opportunity.
He steered the horse slowly along the lip of the cliff, his eyes searching the darkness of the jagged stones below.
“Don’t go too close to the edge,” Miriam squeaked.
“I know what I’m doing,” Theo told her, irritated at the distraction. “Just look out for something shiny, like moonlight on smooth shells.”
She fell silent, and the two of them scoured the cliff face carefully. Minutes ticked by tortuously as they rode up and down the small stretch of accessible cliff. Several times, Theo thought he saw a glint, only to realize it was just the moon’s rays catching on some of the small white flowers that sometimes grew out of patches of soil among the cliffs.
But then, just as Miriam was starting to grumble about being cold, he saw something different.
“What’s that?” he breathed, pointing. “Between those rocks, you see?”
“I think it’s more flowers.” Miriam’s words were punctuated by a yawn.
Theo shook his head. “I don’t think so. It looks like a huge shell, mostly hidden away in the cliff.” He pulled the horse to a stop, sliding down from its back on the land side. “Stay here, Mim.”
She didn’t protest, just clutched the saddle with her small hands, looking weary. Theo climbed carefully down the cliff face, making for the point where he’d thought he saw a shell amongst the rocks. The climb was harder than it looked from above, and his heart was in his throat. The drop below him was sheer—if he fell to his death in the hunt for a carbuncle favor, it would be ironic. Certainly not a case of good luck.
When he reached the opening in the cave, there was no sign of anything. But he was sure something had been there. He turned, disappointed, and froze, one hand clutching the stone of the cliff as he balanced precariously.
There, before his eyes, fully exposed on the cliff in front of him, was a large shell in the act of slowly opening. As he watched, too stunned to even make a sound, the shell peeled all the way back, revealing a small, stocky dog. Except for the shell still receding impossibly into a point on its forehead, the creature looked for all the world like a normal canine. Theo kepthis eyes fixed on it until the shell was all gone, except for a smooth patch sticking out of the creature’s forehead. That was what he needed to watch. If it caught the moonlight, it meant the creature had released a favor.
Suddenly, the carbuncle zipped past him, moving in an impossible fashion that startled him so much, he almost lost his balance. His gaze remained stuck on the creature, which was further away now, but still within easy sight. Moving slowly and carefully, Theo started to follow it, not wanting to scare it, but eager to keep it within his vision. Excitement pooled in his stomach as the shell on its forehead began to glow.
“THEO!”
