Choke by Skye Obert

Author:Skye, Obert [Skye, Obert]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 2010-06-17T07:00:00+00:00

Illustration from page 27 of The Grim Knot

CHAPTER 14

Rain Must Fall

I was pretty used to it raining in the Hagen Valley. It didn’t rain that terribly often where I had come from, but here it was a rare day that didn’t include some sort of drizzle. We were currently, however, experiencing so much rain I was beginning to think that I should start building an ark.

The rain just wouldn’t let up.

Kingsplot was becoming a lake, and the mountains that surrounded us were experiencing incredible mudslides and flooding. Huge waterfalls were running off the sides of cliffs, and massive rivers surged over the banks.

Thanks to the rain, Kate was unable to come over at all. The only time I saw her was on the school bus and at lunch. Our school bus had actually gotten stuck twice because of the mud and rain. And just yesterday, the road leading from the mountains into Kingsplot had washed out. There was no longer any way for us to get to town. It was nice to have a break from school, but it also meant no Kate and no Wyatt and no fun.

I braved the rain once to go visit Kate, but it took me almost an hour and a half to trudge over the mushy, muddy ground. Plus, when I made it to her house, her mom and dad were both there, and Kate couldn’t use the excuse that she was going for a walk to get out. So I had to hike back, which took about two hours.

As difficult as it was to get to Kate’s, it was even more of a challenge to visit the cave. The forest was like a swamp and the water running down the stone stairway was so constant that moving up each stair was a major accomplishment. I had gotten up there only twice to check on the stone. The leafy cocoon was huge and throbbing when I last saw it. I figured I’d look in on it again once the clouds stopped ruining everything.

So for the most part I just stayed indoors, searching the manor for more hidden secrets and bugging Millie and Thomas and Wane. I did spend a little time in the basement. It was still buried, but the parts we had used previously were open. I couldn’t take the tunnels all the way to the conservatory because water had filled most of the passageway.

I did find a metal ladder hidden in a chimney of one of the large fireplaces in the middle of the manor. It was a fireplace that we never used, and when I climbed up the ladder it ended in a closet just below the top floor. It was obvious that there were a number of ways to get around the manor. It made me both excited and nervous. I figured if I could get around, then so could anyone else.

The secret passages were cool, but I could only waste so much time in them. That meant I found

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