The Griffins of Castle Cary by Heather Shumaker

Author:Heather Shumaker
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Two hours later, Will woke with a start. Thunder rumbled. Something banged against the window, and outside the wind reached a fierce peak. Another April rainstorm. That’s what had woken him.

In the dark, he began to hiccup. It can’t be, he thought. We’ve moved the chest. These are just regular hiccups. But his words were not convincing. A wave of cold air washed over him, and Will heard a familiar whooshing sound.

She’s awake.

Will trembled. He opened his eyes into slits and peered out into the darkness. Downstairs, the hall clock whirred as its mechanism stirred to life and began to strike midnight. Will listened to each reverberation echo through the Griffinage and die away. It chimed in G, a bit flat. Outside, the wind mounted and branches rapped against his bedroom window. Inside, Will’s hiccups punctuated the night.

Will drew the covers up to his chin. Maybe he should bunk with the girls again tonight. Meg had a big bed. And Uncle Ben would be there; he always slept by Ariel’s bed in the alcove. All he’d have to do was run down the hallway to join them. Better than being in this room full of shadows. Outside, the storm suddenly opened up and rain poured down in sheets. He heard it pound the roof and clatter against the flagstones on the front walk.

Will slipped out of bed. He pulled one of Aunt Effie’s blankets around him like a cloak and padded across the room. The cold floorboards made his feet prickle. He was halfway across when he realized his bare feet were more than cold. His toes and heel were tingling like pins and needles, and the whooshing sound was growing louder. He stiffened as he heard a bang on the banister. Then a squeak on the stair. Was it the seventh step, and was it just Aunt Effie headed for the loo in the middle of the night? Oh, why wasn’t he already down the hall, curled up in Meg’s warm bed?

Will ran. He reached the bedroom door. His hand fumbled for the knob. He stopped. The sound was coming from the doorway.

Will froze. He held his breath. Tiny sparks raced up from his feet and scaled his spine. He could feel his scalp covered in a wash of hot pinpricks. He took a step backward.

Something pushed the door open a crack. Will shrank back, then stumbled to the far side of the room, where his bed stood, his feet tangled in a blanket. Oh, let it be Uncle Ben! Please just let it be Uncle Ben.

But the next instant, he knew it wasn’t. Something was poking around the door’s edge. Clothing. The door gap widened. He saw more as the door slowly creaked open. A shoe. The folds of a gown. Will pressed into the shadows by his bed. Even in the room’s dim light, he could see what was entering: green velvet.

The whole creature stood before him. A figure, not a person. People didn’t glow, and this grown-up-sized figure shimmered ever so slightly.

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