The Treasure of Mad Doc Magee by Elinor Teele

Author:Elinor Teele
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2018-06-18T16:00:00+00:00

There are many wild theories about it, but no one exactly knows what the appendix is for.

—Galen’s Anatomy

Chapter 14

It was a stiffer chase than the one on the Sleeping Girl, and rougher than rocks. Pandora was rusty, Jenny was weary, and Kam and Lok were loaded for bear.

Plus, as luck would have it, the rain was picking up steam. First it was a trickle, then a thrum, then a long, steady beat. The hard road, which for nine months had resembled cracked leather, began to soften and squish. It took twice as much effort to lift one’s feet as it had in the step before.

“Are there any side routes?” panted Jenny. A curtain of murk had fallen between pursuer and pursued. “Any place we can veer off?”

Kam nodded, splattering her with droplets. “One. There’s a path that cuts across to the Longshank valley, a quarter mile ahead.”

“He’s sure to catch us before then,” said Jenny. “What are we going to do?”

“Surrender,” wheezed Pandora.

“No,” puffed Lok, “hide.”

He pointed to his left. Teetering on the edge of the road, a hundred feet above the roiling Arrow, was a fat mass of stone resembling the hub of a wheel.

“We’ll stay there until he gives up and turns around,” said Kam.

“Or fall to our deaths,” said Pandora.

“Nobody is going to do that,” said Jenny, losing her footing slightly as she made for the rock, “if we’re very, very careful.”

Clutching her satchel to her navel, Jenny edged herself around the lee of the stone. There were a scarce six inches between her and the side of the cliff. When she held her breath, she could hear the river churning with newfound rage. Even one of God’s own angels would admit that the situation didn’t allow much room for optimism.

Kam came after her, then Pandora, then Lok. It was past comprehension that Lok was standing upright—his pack was resting like a turtle shell on his stomach. At any moment, he might somersault forward into the abyss.

“Can you hear him?” Jenny muttered to Kam. Her nose had begun to run with fear.

“Shhhh,” whispered Kam.

“Double, double mud and trouble” came a familiar voice from the road. “Thunder sound and rivers bubble. Heaven take the hindmost, what a godforsaken country.”

Jenny risked a swipe of her sleeve and an inch of remaining cliff tumbled into the Gorge. Fortunately for her flesh, the sounds of the downpour drowned the fall.

“Jenny Burns? Jenny Burns, do you heed me? I need to talk to you.”

Jenny sniffed. She’d talked enough.

“Horn-backed toads and fustilarians,” grumbled Mr. Grimsby. “My bunions do ache.”

The schoolmaster’s maledictions grew fainter and fainter until—finally—they faded altogether.

“Do you think it’s safe?” whispered Jenny.

“Wait a tick,” muttered Kam.

They waited. A few minutes later, Jenny heard sounds of the schoolmaster returning.

“Bull pizzle and prunes!” said Mr. Grimsby. “Where did they go?”

Gradual as the day, his voice grew softer, falling back toward the road to Eden. When Jenny was sure she could hear him no more, she nudged Kam in the ribs. First Lok, then Pandora, then Kam shuffled their feet back to safety.

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