In A Deep Dark Magic Wood by Scott Peters

Author:Scott Peters [Peters, Scott]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Best Day Books For Young Readers
Published: 2024-09-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter

Twenty-Three

The girls crept into the dining room with the chipmunk on their heels. With her ankles bound, Wren struggled to keep from falling on her face.

The flickering candles caught glints of gold and silver in the cutlery, trays, and vases. Wren’s ears twitched as the furtive scratching noise came again.

“Over there,” she whispered, pointing to a window.

“Go,” Nessa said, poking her in the back.

They edged around the long tables.

Gray mist dampened the windows, making it impossible to see out. Then—movement! A blur against the glass. Nessa sucked in her breath and Wren froze.

Nessa hissed, “Someone’s there.”

“I told you!” Wren whispered.

The scratching noise turned to a wrenching groan of wood. Someone was opening the window.

“Who is it?” Nessa said in a low voice.

“I don’t know! I can’t see.”

“You’re lying,” Nessa whispered. “You planned this all along. Didn’t you? Who are they?”

“If I planned it,” Wren said through gritted teeth, “I wouldn’t make them climb in a window. I’d let them in through the delivery tunnel or open the front door.”

“Shh,” Nessa warned as the hinged window creaked open.

Wren felt half-sick with fear. “I needed that sword.”

To this, Nessa said nothing.

A damp wind gusted inside, making the candles flicker. A grubby hand followed, clamping onto the sill. Nessa didn’t wait. Her two green wands reached past Wren’s shoulders. With a shouted command, vines shot from the wands’ tips.

The vines snaked toward the intruder, wrapped around one grimy wrist, and yanked the figure through.

There came a startled yelp, a flash of bright green hair. A skinny boy tumbled, airborne in a leafy swirl of vines, before landing on the dining room floor with a loud thump. It was a dryad!

“Ow!” he said in an offended voice.

“Pippin?” Nessa said.

“The one and only. A little help here?”

“I got it,” came the voice of a second boy from outside.

A larger boy climbed over the sill, and Wren instinctively tightened her hood to cover the Griffin Crown. The boy picked Pippin up by his collar like he weighed nothing. Then, he began ripping the vines from his friend’s body one by one.

Half-lost in a flurry of leaves, Pippin shouted, “Easy, Brix! I’m a kid, not a rag doll.”

“Could’ve fooled me,” Brix said. Job done, the bigger boy set Pippin on his feet.

Talk about strong. Brix was no taller than Wren but built like a fortress. Thick arms under an embroidered jacket. Legs like tree trunks in sturdy brown pants. Short green hair cropped close to his skull. Intense green brows over alert, daisy eyes.

Nessa pressed her wand harder into Wren’s spine, making her stiffen. “Brix, how did you find me?”

Brix shrugged. “Got separated from my squad and ran into this one.” He indicated Pippin with his thumb. “Lost, as usual, this guy.”

What a mean thing to say!

Pippin didn’t look offended, though. He shrugged, grinning a gap-toothed grin. “It’s an art.”

Brix said, “We saw the light in the tower. Came to investigate. I’m surprised to find you here. With someone else, no less.” His daisy eyes lighted on Wren, pausing to study her face.

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.