Return to the Hidden Moon by J.S. Keim

Author:J.S. Keim
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
Tags: Young Adult, Magic, Brothers, Family, Fantasy, Aliens, Dragons, Boys, Siblings, Space-Travel, Science Fiction, Action & Adventure
ISBN: 9780990932918
Publisher: Wild Quail Publishing
Published: 2014-10-28T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER NINE

Footsteps sounded outside the door of the war room.

“Quick! Hide!” whispered Minron, putting on Ronmin’s robe.

A tall wooden cupboard stood against the paneled wall. Heart pounding, Jack stepped inside and covered himself with the uniforms hanging there. It took him a moment to realize Minron wasn’t beside him. Too late, he heard voices.

“Ronmin? What are you doing here?” came a harsh cry.

Jack listened quietly.

“Where am I?” Minron answered, sounding groggy. “I must’ve walked in my sleep. Lead me back to my room.”

“Since when have you started to walk in your sleep?” came a skeptical voice.

“When I was young, it happened often. Take me back now, before anyone else notices. It’s a royal secret.”

Not daring to move, Jack huddled inside the cupboard. The two men left and still Jack waited. Hearing no noise, he slowly opened the cupboard door, tiptoed to the doorway and peered out into a long, dimly-lit hallway.

In the distance, Minron stood before a door, talking to a creature Jack recognized as one of the king’s minions. Their snouts moved up and down as they spoke to each other. The movement of their claws emphasized their angry words.

Jack moved swiftly down the hallway, clinging to the shadows between the torches to keep from being seen. Halfway down the hallway, he discovered a doorway, slipped inside and drew a deep breath.

“What are you doing here?”

Heart pounding, Jack whirled around.

A black cat with glowing green eyes looked up at him. Suspicion raced through Jack.

“Karna? Is that you?”

“At your service,” she said, and meowed softly.

“Your father told you and the others to stay put,” said Jack. “Where are they? Have they disobeyed Minron, too?”

“They’re back at the tower room,” she said breezily. “I’m the Princess so they can’t order me around. I couldn’t let only you and my father try to persuade my uncle to play along with us. Once he sees me and realizes he has a family after all, I’m sure he’ll decide to join us.”

Jack’s anger disappeared. Perhaps she was right. “How did you get here?”

Karna gave him a satisfied smile, like a cat that had just finished a bowl of cream. “I slipped through the opening in the tower room floor as it was closing.” She meowed softly. “Fraidy cat, you were so busy worrying about those creepy, crawly things in the webs you didn’t notice me slinking down the stairs behind you.”

Heat rose to Jack’s cheeks.

She waved a paw at him. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone. They were ugly, all right.”

“But how did you get into the War Room? I didn’t see you.”

“While you and my father were looking at weapons, I hid under the table. Then I followed my father and Ronmin’s advisor down the hallway and hid in here.”

“If we’re caught, Grun will be sure to have us killed,” said Jack. “We can’t let anyone see us.”

“I’m going to sneak into the hall to see where my father is,” said Karna.

“He asked to be taken to Ronmin’s room,” Jack reminded her. “I want to meet him there.

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.