Seth gave his mother a grateful look. “I hope you’re right.” He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. It was calming to have a new image to dwell on. Carina was always so good at sensing when Seth’s anxiety was high and he needed help with it. But he was still worried. He had to focus on something else. “So,” he said with another measured breath, “how do we fix the tube?” When nobody said anything immediately, he offered, “Remember, Aaron fixed one once. Maybe he’s already working on it.”

“No doubt he is,” declared Lani with assurance she didn’t feel. She pressed her fingers to her temples, massaging them as if she had a headache. Then she looked up. “Who’s our best artist in here? Anyone especially good with drawing or painting?”

Henry glanced at Ibrahim. “Ib? You’re pretty good.”

“I’m better at dance,” Ibrahim said, looking worried. “Why? What kind of drawing do you need?”

“A 3-D door,” said Lani. “From memory.”

Ibrahim stared. “I—we haven’t started that in art class yet. I don’t have the faintest idea about how to do it.”

Lani patted his hand reassuringly. “That’s okay. I didn’t expect any of us could do that. It’s very difficult. I figured it was worth asking.”

“Here’s hoping Octavia’s already started on one,” said Claire. “Wherever she is. But for now, I say we may as well get some sleep while we can.”

Many of the others agreed, but Sean stayed seated at his table, staring listlessly at the tubes. Soon Carina joined him, and they sat together silently, feeling helpless and hoping their younger ones were handling everything okay.

Before Seth lay down to rest, he went over to his mother and Sean. “You know,” he said quietly, “Florence is the best babysitter in all of Artimé. I speak from experience. Ava and Lukas are probably having a total blast hanging out with her.”

Sean looked up, eyes glistening, and put his hand on Seth’s forearm. “Thanks, Seth,” he said earnestly. “You really know how to make a guy feel better. When did you learn how to do that?”

Seth glanced warmly at his mom, then back at Sean. “I dunno,” he said lightly. “I must have figured it out somewhere.” He left his mother and Sean to themselves and found a place to lie down on the floor, though he wasn’t sure he’d be able to sleep. He may have eased Sean’s fears, but now all Seth hoped for was to feel just as good about Fifer being alive.

Seeing Things

To Dev’s great relief it was quiet in the cavelands, and the ghost dragons weren’t the least bit fierce. They wandered aimlessly as if waiting for something that they couldn’t quite remember. By nightfall, Dev was moving around and feeling a bit better, though his ribs still ached badly. He was strong enough to draw water from the river to drink, but fishing was out of the question. Every slight movement made some part of him hurt.