Read Online Colonial Madness by Jo Whittemore - Free Book Online Page B

leather.”
    â€œAnd maybe people?” Dylan turned toward me and reeled back the fist clutching the awl. I smacked him in the face with the metal plate.
    â€œOwww!” he cried, dropping the awl and rubbing his nose.
    I handed the plate over to Caleb. “Warped metal meets warped cousin.”
    He examined the disc. “Actually, other than the greasy face print, it looks okay.”
    â€œI think my nose is broken!” said Dylan.
    â€œYou weren’t using it for anything besides a finger warmer anyway,” I said, but inspected his face. “You’re fine.”Then I turned to Caleb. “So, what are you working on?”
    He grabbed a sketchbook off a worktable and showed me the contents. “Family crests.”
    â€œThese are awesome!” I said, flipping the pages. “And you can do this on metal?”
    â€œOf course,” he said. “Watch.”
    Caleb approached the fire pit and reached to one side, picking up a bellows and pointing the nozzle at the coals. With a few squeezes, he managed to shoot enough air onto the coals to reignite a small flame.
    â€œAll right!” said Dylan. “Armor time!”
    Caleb fished a scrap of metal out of his pocket and tossed it to Dylan. “Here’s what you have to work with. Maybe you can make a pinky shield.”
    He fished another scrap of metal out of his pocket and placed it between two tongs.
    â€œBefore we can engrave anything on the metal, we have to flatten it,” he told me, pushing the tongs directly into the coals. “And before we can flatten it, we have to heat the metal to a bending point.”
    When the metal was glowing bright orange, Caleb removed the tongs from the fire and rested the scrap on an anvil. Thenhe took the hammer that Dylan had been using and struck the metal, making sparks fly. After a few hits, he offered the hammer to me.
    â€œWant to try?”
    I took it and hoisted the hammer over one shoulder, bringing it down hard on the metal.
    Which promptly split in half.
    â€œShoot,” I said.
    â€œHa!” Dylan said.
    â€œCareful,” Caleb said. “You’re trying to flatten the surface, not destroy the One Ring.” He took another piece of metal from his pocket and held it up. “Let’s try again. And this time, hammer from here.”
    He wrapped a hand around mine and lowered my arm down by my side, making a less violent swinging gesture. Even though it was a billion degrees in the hut, Caleb’s hand felt even warmer on mine.
    â€œYep,” I squeaked, and cleared my throat. “Got it.”
    He stepped back, and I almost stepped back too, just to keep the closeness between us. But when I glanced up, Dylan was watching with a measured stare.
    On my second attempt, I was able to hammer the metal flat, and then Dylan took a turn with his piece. Caleb showed ushow to use a hammer and graver to etch the metal and then pierced the sides so we could run leather strips through them.
    When we left the craft hut, Caleb shook both our hands, but it felt like he held on to mine a little longer. Or . . . at least I liked to think so.
    As soon as Dylan and I were back in the house, I faced him and scowled.
    â€œI know you have no interest in making bracelets,” I said. “So why did you—”
    â€œCrash your little ‘date’?” he asked with a smirk. “Your mom stole my shoes. And I’m the vengeful type.”
    â€œYeah?” I crossed my arms. “The fire wasn’t enough?”
    â€œChicks are too sensitive,” he scoffed.
    I scanned his face. “I think your nose looks a little flatter since I smashed it. Try not to snore and wake your dad.”
    I headed up to the room that Mom and I were sharing and found her sitting on the floor with a ball of yarn.
    â€œPlease tell me we have an invisible cat and it’s not just you batting that thing around,” I said.
    â€œDon’t