“What does that mean?” Mira cried.
Cole felt horrible for her. That star was her one connection to her endangered sister. Mira’s panicked eyes studied the section of sky where the star should be.
“Could mean lots of things,” Joe said, his voice deliberately calm. “Might mean your mom was worried about enemies using the star. Might mean your sister has been rescued.”
“What if it means she’s . . . ?” Mira whispered, covering her mouth.
“I’m sure that isn’t it,” Joe said. “We can’t let this sink us. I have to track down whoever is slipping away. You go to Carthage. There’s a fountain with seven spouts on the Elloweer side. If I don’t catch up to you on the road, look for me there every day at noon. Lay low. If I’m more than three days behind you, I’ll be either dead or captured.” Joe glanced at Cole, Jace, and Twitch. “Watch over her.”
Joe turned and dashed up the hill.
Mira continued to stare at the patch of sky. Following her gaze, Cole saw many stars. But he knew the one she yearned to see was not among them.
“Don’t linger,” Joe called down to them as he charged up the slope. “There’s no telling who else might be headed this way.”
“He’s right,” Twitch said.
“What about our stuff?” Jace asked, dipping his head toward the crippled autocoach. “At least the money!”
“Good thought,” Cole said.
“You two grab what you need,” Twitch said. “I’ll get Mira out of sight. We’ll wait for you up the road.”
“Fine, shoo,” Jace said, waving a hand. “You too, Cole, if you want.”
“I’ll stay with you,” Cole told Jace, then glanced at Mira. “See you in a minute.”
Twitch took flight, and Mira used her Jumping Sword to leap halfway up the slope opposite the one Joe had climbed. “Flail, follow,” Mira called, and the weapon obeyed.
His shoulder smarting and his scraped legs sore, Cole crossed to the autocoach. No longer harnessed to the coach, the walking brick lay motionless on its side, two of its legs broken off at the thigh.
Cole and Jace reached the opening where the door had been and climbed inside. Bertram lay facedown, his body limp.
“Is he dead?” Jace asked.
Worried that Jace might be right, Cole crouched and shook the elderly coachman’s shoulder. “Are you okay, Bertram?”
The old man stirred and raised his head. “I’m on holiday with my grandniece and my grandnephews.” He gave a small smile. “Nothing to worry about here.”
After climbing to reach the floor of the coach, Jace opened a hatch and several items fell. He jumped down and started rummaging. From outside, Cole heard the faint trickle of the stream.
“You didn’t seem like yourself back there,” Cole said to Bertram. “You screamed.”
The old guy blinked. “I’m no longer a spring chicken. The young must forgive us older gents a little episode from time to time. I’ve been under the weather. I won’t let it ruin our holiday.”
Jace dropped down. “We should go,” he said, backing out of the coach.
Cole held up a finger to tell him to wait. He tried to frame a question in terms that might enable Bertram to respond. “Our holiday is in trouble. The coach went wild and crashed. How will we get to Elloweer now? What happened?”
Bertram gave an uncomfortable chuckle. “The coach did what it had to do.”
“The coach takes orders from Mira,” Cole said. “It doesn’t go fast. What happened?”
“It performed as required,” Bertram said. “So did I.”
“Who gave the order?” Cole asked. “Who changed the autocoach?”
Bertram looked unperturbed. “You youngsters may have to go ahead without me for now. The coach is in poor repair. Might do me some good to rest here for a time. This holiday has worn me out! Every uncle has his limits.”