The Ivory Dragon 8/14

Jennifer Jane had made up her mind to visit the Smuggler’s Cave at the earliest opportunity. As her parents had said, the person selling the models must have access to magic and should be fairly obvious when he visited this world. It would be like trying to find a needle in a haystack to find a particular magical person in the alternate world.

She hesitated outside the shop for a moment looking at the current window display. Today it was an incredibly well detailed model of what appeared to be one of the Davy Jones fleet of coasting brigs. It was shown moored against a quayside unloading timber and she wouldn’t have been surprised if the sculptor had used the view of the buildings at Timber Creek for his work. The price was a huge one thousand pounds. She went inside and asked if the shopkeeper would mind if she browsed amongst the back shelves to look for a present for her parents.

“I know they’d really appreciate that model sailing ship in the window, but of course it’s far too expensive for me! Whatever is it made of?”

“Strange you should ask that. Old Bobby was in here the other day and took away a model to have the material analysed. He told me that the result said it was made from human teeth, but of course that’s ridiculous. I have certificates from the suppliers saying that they’re not made from ivory, but what they are made from is a mystery.”

She pretended to look along the shelves for her parent’s present, while she tried to think of a way to get the shop man talking some more about the people who sold him the models. Other people came in while she was there, one or two of them buying small objects, but despite one or two interested questions, it seemed that the price of the brig was too high.

She was just about to go, when a man came in carrying one of the model boxes under his arm. He placed it carefully on the counter and spoke quietly to the shopkeeper. Jennifer Jane couldn’t hear what was said but recognised the accent of a person from the alternate world. She left the shop excitedly and walked round the corner ducking into the nearest doorway where she turned herself invisible.

She hadn’t taken any notice of two boys playing around on their bikes when she went in, but as the salesman left the shop, one of them called to his friend who rode off rapidly, while the other followed the salesman obviously trying hard not to be seen by him.

She made herself light enough to float in the air and then used the instant travel spell, jumping continually to remain fifty yards or so behind her quarry. He eventually got on a bus and was taken off towards the market town where George had first met Eve. She had a good idea where he was going next and waited just above the supermarket car park.

Rather to her surprise while she was there, a car drove quickly into the empty end of the car park, its occupant getting out and running towards the path which led to the old charcoal burners’ workings. Jennifer Jane had a feeling that she’d seen him before in the village. After a few moments thought she remembered, he was the editor of the Holmwood Advertiser who had once called at her house and asked questions about her dad’s boats.

He was followed closely by the arrival of the bus, all the passengers going off to collect supermarket trolleys, except for the salesman who also headed off along the old path.

Well she knew where to go next and instantly transferred herself to area of the door that Eve used on her visits to Lurbridge. It had already been activated when she arrived, but she was just in time to see a pair of feet disappearing underneath a bush forty or fifty yards back towards the car park.

That seemed strange, so keeping herself invisible, she walked quietly over to the spot and had a good look through the hedge. The loud sound of someone gasping for breath confirmed where the editor was hiding. He was standing as still as possible in a hiding place cut amongst the brambles and had only just managed to get control of his breathing as the salesman arrived.

The latest arrival looked at his wristwatch. “Good, it should already be open!” Then he walked forward until he could see the glowing door and carefully walked through it.

Jennifer Jane waited for a moment to see what the editor was going to do next. He obviously knew that the salesman was going to arrive and had come here to see where he went. Presumably that was the reason for the boys playing on their bikes outside the shop. One had followed the salesman, while the other told the editor. The door was still open when to her horror; the editor crawled out from his hiding place and followed the salesman along the now open path towards Lurbridge. She went through herself then hung around for a bit to see what happened next.

She only had to wait for another ten minutes before Leah emerged through a hole in the hedge about fifty yards past the door on the Lurbridge side, surprisingly looking at a pocket watch. “Well,” she muttered as she walked towards the door, “if he’s not through by now he’ll have to wait for a couple of weeks!” Then she twiddled the closing spell.

Jennifer Jane followed the salesman until he reached the place where the track leading directly to Lurbridge crossed the path. He stopped for a moment, looking as if he was expecting a cart to take him towards the village, then he turned right and slowly strolled along towards the river, breathing deeply as if he was enjoying the fresh air.