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Cri, "We don’t want these poor creatures wandering into the jungle or the sea Might as well tie tags around their necks with ‘Eat me’ on them"

I smiled toabout the safety of the soft, squishy innocents of the anih The aniain, deer and giraffes and cows and a strange sort of club-tailed porcupine were all nosing and snuffling hopefully atof bread or bananas for theh, and a llama even spit on hi

I shoved past the hungry ani, a two-story ht out of an Ae roof tiles, a fountain in the courtyard It was beautiful, inside and out But no humans at all Just echoes and creepiness Someone had been there recently, as the fruit bowl on the table was filled with fresh oes and pineapples I was too anxious to eat, but I scooped water out of a fountain withI was parched

We checked every room, harpoons at the ready And we found no one

Criminy searched the closets and checked under the beds I sifted through chests and dressers and anything that ht conceivably hide treasure My locket was nowhere to be found

We tried the cookhouse next The ashes of the fire were still warm under the spit, which held an abandoned haunch of meat, burned to the bone

Beyond that, we found a sandy field with a tall tower, several iron rings sunken into the ground, and a windsock

"Bastard’s got a ri us It’s only two hours to Manchester by dirigible"

I felt as if the breath had been knocked out of me

"From here to Manchester?" I spluttered "My locket’s all the way back in Manchester now?"

"Don’t fret, little love," he said softly "We’ll get it back"

He folded , then full-out crying Whether the old man had tricked us, outrun us, or just coincidentally left his island was unclear, but he was undoubtedly very far away, as was the locket

I clung to Cri between me and madness Maybe he was He held me, patted me, andaboutifit had taken randmother to break down and hire a new nurse for her hoet out of bed by herself and broke a hip? And as feeding Mr Surly? But I wasn’t going to sit around, uselessly indulging my own frustration I needed to act I took the handkerchief he offered and blew ot to be a clue here soot to be so else we can do"

"We can eat and sleep," he said "Because wherever he’s gone, we’re not going to catch hiet dried out and well rested" He chucked me under the chin "And let your bum rest after that horse ride, eh?"

But I wasn’t done I saw onestrip, and I squelched through the sand, leaving wet bootprints behindhis harpoon at the ready

The last building looked like a storage shed, a sie tile roof Inlaers and the neighbor’s long-forgotten weed eater

As we got close, I felt Criminy tense, and he aimed his harpoon at the door

"What is it?" I whispered, whipping racefully and al myself in the nose

"There’s someone inside," he said "A Bludwoman I can smell her"

The island was silent as we crept toward the hut Well, except for the rando of the ani No sound caht outside the door, Criminy barked, "Who’s in there?" in his most fearso Then a cough Then a word, barely a ragged whisper

"Help"

"We’re co in!" Criminy shouted, and he kicked in the door

It was pitch black inside, except for the perfect rectangle of sunshine radiating through the door frame Tiny motes of dust and sand danced in the air, and aited

The cough ca Chains

"Criminy?" she whispered fro into the room "What have they done to you, lass?"

I stood just outside the door, wishing I could see as happening within but afraid to get too close I heard a loud clang and a whooping gasp, and I leaned in through the doorway

Fro flew at me too fast to see I tried to scream, but the sound was choked off as I crashed to the sand with a body drivingdown on my windpipe

So I did what any sensible person would do

I passed out

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