The Rosewood Chronicles #2 by Connie Glynn

Author:Connie Glynn
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2019-08-16T00:00:00+00:00

23

“I KNEW THERE HAD TO be more secret passages.” Binah was practically singing as they crept downstairs to the merlin bird statue. But Lottie felt more anxious than excited. The decorative strings of bats and cobwebs made her feel as if they were entering a tomb.

She was doing exactly what Jamie had warned her not to, exactly what she’d told herself not to do: distracting everyone with a silly side quest when they should be focusing on the real enemy—Leviathan.

Yet she didn’t stop them. The mysterious call from within the school had hold of her, and she knew she wouldn’t be free of it until she met it head on.

They approached the bottom of the stairwell, their footsteps echoing. From beyond the door they could hear the faint sound of the Halloween party still in full swing. They came to a halt before Elwin, the symbol of the resourceful, the puzzle solvers, the creative thinkers. It made sense that if you were going to hide your secrets anywhere, you’d hide them with the Stratus students.

Lottie’s hands began to tremble as she gazed into the eyes of the all-knowing bird. He’d been untouched by the Halloween garlands, the students considering it disrespectful to decorate him. But somehow the lack of gaudy decor in the grand echoing room made it far more intimidating than anywhere else in Rosewood. As she stood and stared, the feeling only grew.

She knew it was in her head, a strange ache buzzing away where her tiara would usually sit. It felt like the sensation was coming up from under the floor, vibrating beneath her feet through her body to her crown. And, as if from a distance, she heard a whisper of a melody. She turned to Binah and Ellie, but neither of them seemed to hear anything.

Binah began inspecting the statue, but Lottie found she couldn’t follow. Her hand moved to her chest to try to muffle the sound of her heartbeat.

“Hey, little princess,” Ellie leaned to whisper in Lottie’s ear. “Do you want to hold my hand?” She must have picked up on how Lottie was feeling. There was absolutely no sarcasm in her voice, only that comforting side smile as she offered her free hand to Lottie. “Yes, please.” Lottie slipped her hand into Ellie’s and felt her courage return.

Be brave.

“Look!” Binah cried, turning to them with a huge grin. Lottie felt Ellie’s hand squeeze her own, and they went to where Binah was, near Elwin. “The W!” Binah traced the initial in Elwin’s name plaque with her finger. “As the Ouija board suggests, it could also be an upside-down M. See?”

Lottie could hardly believe it, but if Binah was right—then this had been Lili Mayfutt’s hiding place.

“So . . . what do we do?” Ellie asked.

Lottie peered at the initial and pressed her palm against the plaque hoping that something—anything—would happen. Nothing.

Binah drew closer and tried to do the same, but still nothing happened.

“Leave this to me.” Ellie pulled her sword out of its holder, a mischievous glint in her eye.

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