into a small metal tube which hung from a chain, and
handed it to Jon-Tom.
“Here is the formula,” he said reverently. “She who is
to fill it will know its meaning.”
10
Alan Dean Foster
Jon-Tom nodded, took the chain, and hung it around his
neck. The tube was cool against his chest.
“That is all you need to know.”
“Except how to find this magician, or druggist, or
whatever she is.”
“A store. Nothing more.” Clothahump’s reassuring tone
immediately put Jon-Tom on his guard. “The Shop of the
Aether and Neither. It lies in the town of Crancularn.”
“I take it this Crancularn isn’t a hop, skip, and a jump
from Lynchbany?”
“Depends on your method of locomotion, but for most
mortals, I would say not. It lies well to the south and west
of the Bellwoods.”
Jon-Tom made a face. He’d been around enough to have
picked up some knowledge of local geography. “There
isn’t anything well to the southwest of here. The Bellwoods
run down to the River Tailaroam which flows into…” he
stopped. “Cranculara’s a village on the shore of the
Glittergeist?”
Clothahump looked the other way. “Uh, not exactly, my
boy. Actually it lies on the other side.”
“The other side of the river?”
“Noooo. The other side of the ocean.”
Jon-Tom threw up his hands in despair. “And that’s the
last straw,”
“Actually, lad, it’s only the first straw. There are many
more to pass before you reach Crancularn. But reach it you
must,” he finished emphatically, “or I will surely perish
from the pain, and any chance you have of returning home
will perish with me.”
“But I don’t even know how big the Glittergeist is.”