The Shadow Cadets of Pennyroyal Academy by M. A. Larson

Author:M. A. Larson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group
Published: 2016-05-18T12:26:58+00:00

THAT NIGHT, after the torches had been extinguished and Princess Copperpot had hobbled back to her quarters, Evie rose silently from her bunk. The barracks were almost completely dark on that moonless night, and she had to move slowly to avoid crashing into anything.

“I can’t believe you made me do this,” whispered Maggie, handing Evie a small piece of parchment.

“Thank you,” she replied. Then, armed with the map, she slipped out of the barracks and into the night. A blast of cold air hit her immediately. Snow fell softly from the clouds.

“I’ll have you know that my bed was extremely warm,” said Basil, standing at the corner of the barracks, his hair already topped with white.

“Right. Let’s go,” said Evie, and the two of them ran across Hansel’s Green, leaving long streaks of black in the pristine field of white. Orange light flickered from the torches lit across campus. They ran without stopping until they reached a small grove of elms near a granary at the westernmost road of campus. Basil slipped in the snow, his arms flailing wildly as he cartwheeled to the ground.

“Shh!”

“It’s hardly my fault!” he spat. “No one told me there’d be snow!”

Evie leaned out from behind the granary wall and looked around. “He’s supposed to be here by now.” She let the ambient torchlight illuminate her map.

Basil breathed into his cupped hands, studying Maggie’s map over Evie’s shoulder. “There are so many annotations on that thing, it’ll take us all night just to read it. ‘The Archives are positioned on the south end of campus, with most of the records stored below ground level. The location was chosen specifically for the protection of rare and sensitive manuscripts.’ Why would we possibly need to know that?”

“It’s just Maggie,” said Evie. “That’s what she does. Look, none of that matters. We just need to follow this road until we reach . . . whatever this is.” She pointed to a spot on the map. “It looks like some sort of monster.”

“That’s a gargoyle,” said Remington, suddenly behind them.

Basil shouted with fright and fell over again. “Where in blazes did you come from?”

Evie scowled at Remington. She looked at the telltale trails in the snow and knew that he’d come as a frog. His great-grandfather had been the original Frog King, and Remington had the ability to become one at will. Of course, Evie was the only one at the Academy who knew his secret. Poor Basil clutched his chest as though his heart was about to explode. Remington grabbed his hand and helped him to his feet.

“So, what mischief are we up to this fine winter’s night?”

“Shh!” Evie put her arms out to quiet him. There were voices coming from up the road.

“You should try the tournaments!” said a man. “I’ve seen you take apart an oak in half the time of some of those champions.”

“Kind of you to say, Rodrick,” said another voice. Evie locked eyes with Remington as the night guards got closer.

“I mean it. You’ve a rare gift with an ax.

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