Jane and the Raven King by Stephen Chambers

Author:Stephen Chambers
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub, pdf
Published: 2011-03-26T06:19:36+00:00

About forty of them made it across the water; Manali was the last one. After Finn carried them back to Castle Alsod, Gaius waved his staff: the marsh trees, vines, and mud banks faded back in, as if they’d been hidden behind fog. The rest of the kids had returned to their rooms, and as Gaius walked them to the back of the Castle, he said, “Some of you probably knew Marie. This is not a game. The next two tests will prove who has the ability to stop him. You all believe in yourselves. That’s good—that’s a start. But it isn’t enough. You cannot hurt the Raven King alone. No one can…”

Wait a second, Jane thought. I did hurt him, didn’t I? When he was disguised as a boy, I slapped him, and his lip was bleeding.

“Only the Name of the World can hurt him.”

Someone murmured, “Like a comic book bad guy or something…”

Gaius frowned. “In your stories, the good hero always wins by slaying the dragon.” Finn harrumphed and farted fire. “In reality,” Gaius continued, “the Raven King is alive and well. He may have been beaten in the past, but each time he is beaten, he comes back and takes revenge. He doesn’t shout or make threats, as villains do in stories. Instead he simply kills. He kills his enemies and their families and their children—everyone.”

Gaius stopped behind the castle, beside a steel door in the ground—like a cellar hatch with thick locks. “I know all about this,” Gaius said, “because I had a family once. Once upon a time, I was not the only bobbin in the world.” He smiled sadly. “This is real, children.” Gaius tapped the cellar door. “You cannot fight the Raven King without the Name of the World, and no one knows where the Name is now. Our champion must be perceptive. The second test is to find one of three keys and use it to unlock a golden door. Inside that door, you will find the third test. Only one of you will pass.”

Thomas asked, “What’s the third test?”

Gaius knocked on the door with his cane, and the locks unbolted. He said, “A trial by fire.” The cellar door opened; below, stone steps descended into blackness. “But first you must find the needle in the haystack.”

“The key in the basement, more like,” Manali whispered.

“All right,” Gaius said. “Everybody in.” They all went to the stairs in a line; Thomas was the first one down. “If you find yourself in danger,” Gaius said, “or you want to give up, call out my name, Gaius Saebius. Understand?” He patted Jane’s shoulder as she followed Manali down. There were deep grooves in the center of the steps, as if a thousand generations of people had walked down them. “Good luck.”

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