Golem of Gloom (Island of Fog Book 14) by Keith Robinson

Author:Keith Robinson [Robinson, Keith]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Unearthly Tales
Published: 2021-11-10T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 11

The Gateway

Hal backed away from the group. “Wait here. I just can’t believe we missed seeing this earlier. I need to take a look from above.”

“Me too!” the others chorused—except for the golem, of course, who stood by the gate with a huge grin on her face.

Hal transformed and waited for his friends to climb on. Then he launched straight upward out of the mist, eager to see the castle grounds from above and to figure out how the terrain had somehow blocked him from spotting it before. Maybe the hills got in the way . . .

To his surprise, once he was high enough to look down on the sunny landscape, he saw nothing but grass. No castle, nothing.

He circled around and around, trying to figure it out. There should be more to see. The sturdy wall they’d just arrived at should extend from the mist. And what about the trail they’d been walking on? It ran all the way up the hill and vanished into the gloom, but it didn’t come out the other side. Hal saw nothing but grass, bushes, and stands of trees, a completely untouched natural landscape.

His friends remained silent. With nothing more to look at, Hal flew back down to join the golem, and they all peered through the portcullis again.

“Is there anyone home?” she called.

No answer.

The golem turned to face Hal. “Perhaps you’ll fly us over?”

“No need,” Robbie shouted, hurrying forward. “I’ve got this!”

He was already growing, shaggy hair sprouting all over while his smart clothes rearranged themselves. Moments later, he stood nearly three times his normal height, about seventeen feet tall. He rushed ahead of Hal, eager to tackle the problem.

“Robbie, try to be careful,” Emily warned. “I remember the lighthouse gates you were supposed to tease open.”

And the gate outside the Chamber of Ghosts, Hal thought, smiling inwardly at the memory.

The ogre rattled the portcullis. Then he leapt at it, throwing all his weight and strength at the sturdy gridwork. Despite being made of strong oak lined with iron strips, he managed to rip the gate asunder, not stopping until he’d torn it loose of its framework and any ropes that drew it up and down.

“Nice,” Thomas said. “A good carpenter will have that back in working order in no time . . . not.”

Robbie grinned.

The golem seemed to have frozen in place, looking horrified at all the damage. But it was done now. She gave a nod and started through the archway.

“It’s so very quiet,” she said. “Where are the guards? There’s normally a gatekeeper up in that tower to hoist the portcullis up and down . . .” Pausing again, she blinked rapidly. “Another memory! Yes, it’s coming back. Where’s Rhea? She’s the chief gatekeeper. And there should be a couple of archers up there, too.”

She craned her neck as she passed through, peering up at the short tower, the top of which was lost in the mist. Hal didn’t like to tell her again that there was no castle.

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