The Mapmaker and the Ghost(27)
“You want your plant to get discovered, don’t you?” she asked wearily.
“Not by them!” he said emphatically. His face had finally slipped from its quiet, dignified mask and was looking rather panicked.
“Well, I need to rescue my little brother!” Goldenrod said, irritated. “And unless you have a better idea, this is the only way I can think of.” Honestly, between not being able to scare anybody off and not being terribly useful helping them out from the clutches of Spitbubble’s crew, the ghost was starting to get on Goldenrod’s nerves—even if he was the spirit of her all-time hero.
Meriwether was silent and Goldenrod turned back around in time to see Snotshot ask Birch incredulously, “Is she talking to herself?”
Birch gave a shrug but looked considerably more nervous than before.
“Look.” Goldenrod decided to start over again. “It’s an undiscovered flower, and it’s very rare. It has special properties.” She glanced down at her finger, the one that she had cut on the thorn. “Healing properties, I think.”
She heard a very small pop beside her and knew that Meriwether had vanished. She was a little sorry to have offended him, and she was very sorry not to be able to complete her mission and claim the discovery for herself, but what choice did she have? At the end of the day, Birch just mattered more.
“So I’m pretty sure it’s worth a lot of money,” Goldenrod concluded. “And I can tell you where it is, if you just let both of us go.”
Snotshot and Birch both stared at Goldenrod. Her brother looked confused and still quite scared. His captor looked as if she was thinking—which was at least a good sign that she was considering the offer.
“And what if you’re lying?” she finally asked Goldenrod. “What then?”
“If I’m lying, I really have no doubt you’ll find a way to hunt both of us down,” Goldenrod said wisely.
“You bet I will,” Snotshot snarled, looking pretty pleased with this assessment of herself.
Goldenrod nodded. “And that’s why I’m not lying. The flower in question is also close by, so just in case it’s not exactly where I say it is, you could probably chase us down anyway.”
The girl considered a moment more. “Fine. It’s a deal, but—”
“But I also need to know that you’ll actually let us go,” Goldenrod said firmly. “I need to trust you.”
Snotshot scowled a little, but then gave one curt nod. “I’ll keep my word.”
Goldenrod had nothing to go on but her instincts, but just then, she chose to believe the dirty, older girl. She held out the jar and the gardening shears in front of her. “Let Birch go, and I’ll give these to you and tell you exactly where it is.”
Snotshot let go of Birch’s arm, and he immediately ran over to Goldenrod’s side. Goldenrod took the few steps to where Snotshot was and handed her the jar and shears. She then told her exactly where to find the blue rosebush.
“You can’t miss it,” Goldenrod said. “It’s bright, bright blue, and if you smell it, it won’t smell like any flower you’ve ever smelled before. But you have to get it today. It only blooms for three days every fifty years, and today is the last day. When you cut off the flowers, you’ll need to seal them in the jar. They’ll remain in bloom for one week if you make sure the lid’s airtight.”
Despite everything, Snotshot at least looked like she was paying attention. If nothing else, maybe the flower would still find its way into the next edition of The Encyclopedia of North American Flora and Fauna. Though it didn’t make Goldenrod too happy to think of Snotshot’s sneering picture next to it.
“When you have it,” Goldenrod continued anyway, “take it to a botanist or scientist, okay? They’ll know what to do with it.” For a moment, she considered warning her about the razor-sharp thorns, but then decided she didn’t particularly owe the older girl all of her information. “Just be careful with it,” she said. “It’s very valuable.”
“A flower, huh?” Snotshot asked.
“Yes,” Goldenrod said.
“Fine,” Snotshot said. “And you won’t tell anybody about anything you saw or heard here. Especially this … it never happened. Or I will find out, and I will come get you.”
Birch looked terrified, but Goldenrod just gave a short nod. Then she grabbed his hand and, without looking back once, they ran.
20
A BONE TO PICK
Birch ran with wild, almost joyous abandon. Finally, finally they were on their way back home.
He couldn’t quite believe how perfectly Goldenrod had engineered their escape, even though he had witnessed it with his own eyes. But then again, he should know better than to doubt his sister—his brilliant, wonderful sister.
True that he didn’t quite know what she meant with the whole flower business, and he still wasn’t sure what was up with her talking to herself. Though, if he had to be honest, Goldenrod had always been a little eccentric. Then again, it could have all been a part of her grander scheme. And it had worked, hadn’t it?
Of course it had! And wouldn’t it just be for the best if he ignored the fact that she seemed to be muttering to herself even now? Birch stole a side-glance at Goldenrod as he continued to run alongside her and then decided to turn his attention elsewhere.