The Dream Thief by Kari Kilgore (books for 10th graders txt) 📕

counter. Karl knew it would keep his mind off of sending Loretta away that night at the caretaker's house, likely to her death.

"This is quite a list you have here, Gemma," George said, shaking his head.

"I don't know how we can afford all of this," Karl said, reading over George's shoulder. "We need to pay the guards to stay on, too, at least part of the time. I don't earn this many ritterns in a month."

Gemma patted Karl's shoulder.

"Oh, you don't know my granddaughter as well as you think," she said. "She'll have plenty of coin, especially since she had to leave in a hurry."

"She probably did," Karl said. "Does, I mean. That doesn't mean we can get to it."

Gemma put her hands on her hips.

"You just haven't asked the right person. Who do you think designed this cozy little house? I know where all the secrets are, at least as well as my bobbin does." She crossed the small room and went into the pantry. "Well, come along. I'll need someone to help carry things."

"How much coin could she possibly have stashed in a pantry?" George said.

Karl shrugged and followed George into the tiny room. Both men stared as Gemma pulled the lamp down and adjusted part of it. Both gaped when she sank into the floor.

"Don't worry," she said. "This is exactly how it's supposed to work." She grinned as the floorboards continued to sink and lights came on in the basement Karl had never suspected existed. "George should go next, I think. He doesn't weigh a lot more than I do."

"What could that possibly have to do with it?" Karl said, hoping she didn't expect them to follow her down there.

"Did you know this place had a basement, Karl?" George said.

"Not a clue," Karl said. "All I ever saw was a cellar." The floor slid back into place. "I think that's your ride."

"What, I'm supposed to just stand on the floor and hope nothing bad happens?"

The smaller man was laughing, but he stepped back from the movable boards.

"If you want to see this treasure chest, you do," Karl said. "And I'm damn sure not going first if it works by weight."

George stepped forward, holding the shelves for balance, until he stood on the same spot Gemma had. The boards floated down just as smoothly as they had before. In less than a minute, George stood beside Gemma.

"If you designed this place," George said, "why didn't you put in something to hold onto?"

"Don't be silly, George," Gemma said. "How would I hide a handrail in the middle of the pantry?" She moved out of sight, and Karl heard metallic thumps and jingles. "Karl, I believe this is close to your weight now."

"And if it's not?"

Karl looked around again, though he knew there was no door in the pantry.

"If it's too far off, the floor won't move at all," Gemma said. "That's how it's designed to work, so no one can get down here uninvited."

Karl watched the floor move back up, thinking back on the things Gemma designed that did work. Pretty much everything, at least that he'd seen.

None of them involved him dropping onto a basement floor, one he couldn't then get back out of. Even if he didn't break both legs, he'd be trapped down there with George and Gemma.

That might not be the best thing to dwell on. He couldn't stop himself from grabbing for the shelves when he moved downward.

As soon as his eyes cleared the pantry floor, Karl forgot about being afraid. The whole space glowed, as if they were inside one of his mother's finest cooking pots. Copper shelves lined the walls, and a huge table made of different metals took up the center.

"What is this, Gemma?" he said when he caught his breath.

"It's a target, of course," she said. "For the Dragon."

"Same as the one at your place, just a lot more powerful," Karl said, tracing the circles on the table. "So this would work from a lot farther away."

"What are you two talking about?" George said.

George looked confused, and Karl realized his friend knew nothing about what Loretta and he could do. Too late to keep that secret now.

"We'll have to explain a few things to you, Georgie. If I can figure out how."

"I hope you do," George said. "Look, the metal down here would help a lot if we sold all of it, but I'm guessing whatever this target is wouldn't work then. Where's all the treasure to pay for your improvements, Gemma?"

She pointed to one of the walls.

"The safe is through there," she said. "We could always sell some of the things Loretta already Built."

Karl wanted to stop George from looking at those shelves, but that was more explaining he wasn't ready to do just yet. He followed Gemma instead.

She reached under one of the shelves, and Karl's jaw dropped when the wall folded in upon itself, revealing yet another small room.

"Stay out here for just a moment, dear," she said. "This part is a little bit trickier. Wouldn't want to trigger the gas." Karl took a couple of steps back, trying to see what she was doing. "This part is keyed to weight again, but I'm afraid I can't adjust it. We might be able to reconfigure something later."

This time Karl gasped when Gemma opened the massive safe in the small room. The shelves were piled high with more coin and treasure than he'd ever seen. More than he would have earned in a year, in a lifetime of working out at the Columns. Maybe more than the doctors earned.

Gemma motioned him forward.

"This is all from her Builds?" he said.

"As far as I know, though she may have other means. I told you she would be prepared. Now we must keep her home ready for her return."

Karl glanced at George, still investigating whatever horrors waited on the shelves.

"Gemma, I have to tell you something, especially since you're sharing all of this with me. We weren't completely honest about