"No one else would have the gall to do it," Walter said. "The Brotherhood will do anything to get the sceptre back. Nothing and no one will be spared in the pursuit. The ground will be scorched on the path that Hewit Wartle treads."

"Must be some sceptre," Duck joked nervously.

"Gold moulded into a spiralling handle bejewelled with the most amazing emeralds you've ever seen, and at its crest the head of a dragon with eyes of ruby that capture the light and twist it into tiny rainbows," Walter said reverentially. For a second time his words hung in the air as a loud descriptive silence.

"Anyway," he said shattering the spell, "that's my tale, what about you two?" He nodded at the toppled telescope. "Stargazers?"

"I, am an astronomer, he is my imbecile assistant."

Gerfungle concurred by nodding happily.

"The conditions in the desert are perfect for observation," Duck continued. "Especially for tonight's meteor shower."

Walter bobbed his head in polite distracted acknowledgment as he fished around in the picnic basket. He pulled out a clay flask of still warm tea. "You mind?" he asked, taking a swig before he got an answer.

"You know, it should be starting any moment now," Duck said rediscovering his momentarily interrupted excitement. Brotherhood or not, he wasn't going to miss out on the biggest night of his life.

"What?" Walter said.

"The meteor shower," Duck said, attempting to lift his telescope back up. The contraption wobbled in its tripod before a lens popped off the end, propelled by a rebelliously sprung spring.

"A meteor shower," Walter said rising to his feet.

"Perfect," Duck said trying to force the spring back into place.

"How big will this meteor shower be?" Walter asked.

"It's the biggest one for the next two centuries," Duck said with a grunt, his battle with the resistant spring not going well.

Walter froze on the spot as unseen gears whirled frantically in his head. He appeared to have an epiphany as something clicked into place.

"The shower could be used as camouflage," he announced.

Gerfungle stared back at him in his trademark way.

"Don't you see? If the sceptre is moved magically, such as by leapitation, it sends up a magical flare that can be seen for miles. That is how the Brotherhood managed to track it. But now that Hewit knows about it, he would be a fool to do it again, unless of course, the flare could be masked by a sky filled with flares."

"Leapi..?" Gerfungle faltered.

"Leapitate," Walter said. "It's one of the ways that wizards can travel, moving from one space to another without bothering to go through the space in between."

"Aha!" Duck said having conquered the spring. He screwed the lens back into place and waddled hurriedly back into the position of observation that he had taken before the interruption. "When will it start?" Walter asked anxiously, walking over to Duck. "When?" he repeated, shaking the seated astronomer.

"Right about... now!" he said while squinting through the telescope.

The night sky lit up with a solitary streak whizzing overhead. It almost faded into the distance before a second, and then a third one streaked over the horizon. In moments, the entire sky was flooded with a torrent of flaming streams of light.

"Gee whizz!" Gerfungle remarked, craning his neck at the spectacle.

"Gee whizz indeed," Duck whispered, holding his breath as he gazed up at the magnified light show.

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