Death Storm by Keith Robinson

Author:Keith Robinson [Robinson, Keith]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
Tags: Action & Adventure, Boys, Fantasy, Magic, Young Adult
Publisher: Unearthly Tales
Published: 2018-11-15T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 20

Torn Limb from Limb

“Are you sure they can’t get in through these doors and windows?” Mr. Grimfoyle asked again.

Melinda gave the table one last shove so it was back against the door. “I don’t know! This isn’t my house.”

“What about upstairs? Are those windows reinforced as well?”

“I think so, yes! Stop asking me!”

The old man shook his head. “How the dickens did we end up stuck here? We should be miles away from here by now.”

“It was your idea to send Travis off to find the gem,” Melinda muttered.

“Only so you’d have a means to save your parents!” the man retorted.

Melinda flared up again. “Are you sure that’s the only reason? I saw that look in your eye when you first mentioned it. It’s valuable, isn’t it? You want it.”

“Me? Nonsense!”

But something in his voice betrayed him. “You’re lying. You’re pretending to help us find the potion to save our parents, but really you just want Travis to bring that gem back before we go off and visit the brain under the ground—because you’re worried we might not return!”

Breathless, she folded her arms and glared at him, daring him to argue. He merely grumbled and wandered away.

The empusa flopped down in one of the chairs pushed against the door, her goat legs sticking out, any trace of metal gone. “We could just leave now. They’re not here yet.”

“You had enough trouble escaping one minotaur,” Melinda reminded her. “How about ten werewolves?”

She actually had no idea how many there were. She didn’t even know for certain they were headed for the house. They had no reason to unless Lucas had told them to come. But all that howling . . . It sure seemed like he was gathering an army to break in.

Melinda went to find her dad. Flynn fuzzed into view and pointed to a shoe closet. The gnome had shut himself in. When she gently opened the door, he was hunched on the floor amid a pile of shoes.

“Dad?” Melinda said, kneeling. “Are you okay?”

The gnome frowned at her. “You are no child of mine. But . . . you are kind.”

She patted his knee. “We’re going to be fine. We just need to make it through the night.” Yeah, that should be easy enough.

The gnome grimaced and banged his head sideways against the wall. He did it once, then again, harder.

“Hey, don’t do that,” Melinda cried. “It’s going to be fine, I promise.”

He banged his head a third time.

“Stop! Why do you—” She took his hand and squeezed it. “Why do gnomes do that?”

“Sorry. It’s just instinct.”

“Instinct? But why?”

The gnome patted the wall with his hand. “I know it doesn’t work with walls, but as I said, it’s instinct.”

“What is? What doesn’t work with walls?”

“It’s how we escape from undesirable situations.”

Melinda stared at him, wondering if he was speaking literally or figuratively. “Escape? Like reading a good book?”

The gnome frowned. “I don’t understand.”

“So . . . you mean literally escape?”

A sudden thud against the front door startled them both.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.