Season of the Sandstorms - Mary Pope Osborne [12]
“Nooooo!” cried Jack.
Jack ran to Beauty and yanked hunks of paper from her mouth. Annie dropped to her knees and picked up the torn pieces strewn around the camel’s big feet.
“The treasure’s ruined!” moaned Annie.
Jack was stunned. “I shouldn’t have left my bag here,” he said.
“No, it’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have gone back and bragged to those kids,” wailed Annie.
“I should have acted more humble, like Merlin said.” Annie sounded like she was about to cry.
“It’s okay,” said Jack. But he knew it wasn’t. The book was destroyed. They’d failed in their mission.
“Maybe—maybe we can fix it,” said Annie.
Jack shook his head. “No, we can’t,” he said. “It’s completely destroyed. It can’t be fixed.”
Annie looked up. “What—what did you just say?” she said.
“I said it can’t be fixed,” said Jack.
A big grin crossed Annie’s face. “Right! It can’t be fixed!” she said. “Help me gather up all these pieces!”
“Why?” said Jack. Had Annie gone nuts?
“Just do it! Quick!” said Annie.
Jack and Annie rushed around the stable, gathering up all the torn pages.
“Now pile everything over here on top of the cover and give me the book,” said Annie.
“What book?” said Jack.
“The rhyme book!” said Annie.
“Oh. Oh!” said Jack. “Right!” He reached into his shoulder bag and pulled out Teddy and Kathleen’s book of magic rhymes.
Jack opened the book and read down the list. “Here it is: Mend What Cannot Be Mended,” he said.
“That’s the one,” said Annie.
Jack flipped through the pages until he came to the rhyme. He held up the book so he and Annie could both see. Standing in a shaft of sunlight, Jack read in a loud, clear voice:
Heal what is broken beyond repair!
Annie read the second line:
Avi-bree-all! Fen-a-mare!
The paper bits fluttered. They began to swirl off the floor. They swirled up and around as if they were caught in a small tornado. The tornado captured all the torn pieces in its funnel and twisted them together. The papers swirled into a blur of blinding light.
Jack shielded his eyes. He heard a loud whoof! When he looked up, the bright tornado had vanished.
Lying on the floor of the stable in front of Jack and Annie was the ancient book.
Holding his breath, Jack carefully picked up the treasure. He opened the leather cover. “Oh, man,” he whispered. Aristotle’s priceless words of wisdom were neatly written on the yellow pages. There was no sign of a rip or tear anywhere.
“Thank goodness,” breathed Annie.
“Yeah,” said Jack.
“So what do we do now?” said Annie.
“I don’t know,” said Jack. “What’s the next thing Merlin tells us to do?” He pulled out Merlin’s letter and read:
Beneath birds who sing
in the Room of the Tree,
greet a friend you once knew
and a new friend to be.
“What’s that mean?” said Jack.
Suddenly Jack heard someone behind them. He and Annie turned around. A girl was standing in the doorway of the stable. She wore a long white gown. Her hair and face were hidden by a veil.
“Hi,” said Annie. “Who are you?”
“I am a servant of the palace,” the girl whispered. “Come.”
She motioned for them to follow her.
“Let’s go,” Annie said to Jack.
“Where is she taking us?” asked Jack. “And why is she whispering?”
“I don’t know,” said Annie. “But I feel like we should follow her.”
“Okay,” said Jack. He put the book of wisdom and the book of magic rhymes into his bag. He slung the bag over his shoulder and followed Annie and the servant girl out of the stable.
The three of them walked through the courtyard and through the palace doors. They walked down a wide candlelit hallway over a thick woven carpet.
At the end of the hallway was a tall, carved door. A boy servant stood by the door. He wore baggy trousers and a long shirt. His face was almost completely hidden by his head cloth. He did not speak or look at them.
The servant girl stood close to Jack and Annie. In her strange, whispery voice, she said, “In front of the chair, bow to the floor. Do not look up and