The Spy's Door

by Maidie Reeve

  Maidie Reeve

  Maidie Reeve

  Austin Macauley Publishers

  Maidie Reeve

  About the Author

  About the Book

  Dedication

  Copyright © Maidie Reeve (2018)

  Acknowledgements

  Chapter OneA Cry for Help

  Chapter TwoA Dangerous Game

  Chapter ThreeAt the Minstrel’s Camp

  Chapter FourThe Goblin Settlement

  Chapter FiveA Surprise Attack

  Chapter SixThe Evil Garden

  Chapter SevenThe Snout’s Hole

  Chapter EightAlong the Elf Road

  Chapter NineUnder the Oak Tree

  Chapter TenAmbushed

  Chapter ElevenA Strange Situation

  Chapter TwelveA Twist in the Game

  Chapter ThirteenAt the Black Feather Inn

  Chapter FourteenAn Uncertain Fate

  About the Author

  Maidie Reeve grew up and lives in Melbourne, Australia. She has worked as a teacher, an educational administrator and, more recently, in developing international education projects. Together with her husband, Maidie enjoys travelling and exploring ancient ruins and castles. These experiences, and her love of fantasy, inspire her stories.

  Maidie enjoys reading fiction and non-fiction, particularly histories and biographies, and likes to watch fantasies, mysteries and historical dramas and documentaries. She loves the outdoors and works in her garden whenever she can.

  About the Book

  The world of the magic game, The Tenth Gateway, is again under threat. Eda, the guardian of the game, and her supporters are preparing for battle. The Game World must be protected at all costs against the evil magician, Malefic. But his power has grown and his goblin army is on the move. Can Malefic be stopped?

  Sophie and her two friends, Jun and Aisha, respond to Eda’s call for help. They are confident that they can defeat Malefic because they have played the game before. But when they start to play, they realise, too late, that everything has changed. Anything can happen. To make matters worse, Sophie’s annoying cousin, Basil, has tagged along. And who is the mysterious hooded figure who is watching their every move?

  With terrifying creatures trying to stop them and new challenges and puzzles to solve, can the three friends, and Basil, survive the game and reach Eda’s camp and The Tenth Gateway?

  Dedication

  For my mother, who encouraged me to read and to explore the outdoors from an early age.

  Copyright © Maidie Reeve (2018)

  The right of Maidie Reeve to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with section 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.

  Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

  A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.

  ISBN 9781788488150 (Paperback)

  ISBN 9781788488167 (Hardback)

  ISBN 9781788488174 (E-Book)

  www.austinmacauley.com

  First Published (2018)

  Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd™

  25 Canada Square

  Canary Wharf

  London

  E14 5LQ

  Acknowledgements

  I would like to thank all of the team at Austin Macauley who have supported the production of ‘The Spy’s Door.’ Also, thank you to Laura Lafitte who, from the beginning, has encouraged me to write and to be confident about using social media. My sister Victoria provided helpful feedback on my first draft, and the humour and quiet support of my husband, Frank, makes everything possible.

  Chapter One

  A Cry for Help

  Far away, in The Dark Tower, a villainous plot takes shape.

  Malefic sat on his throne in the great hall of his fortress. The magician’s three goblin servants – Weezle, Slithe, and Grot – crouched before him, awaiting the orders of their evil master.

  “It’s time for revenge,” Malefic snarled. “Eda is finally in retreat.”

  Malefic was determined to get even with Eda, the magician who had trapped him in the enchanted game called ‘The Tenth Gateway’. Hundreds of years ago, she had challenged him to a contest of magical strength, with the kingdom of Zlandgovia being the prize.

  He had agreed to play the game, but Eda had tricked him. As soon as they entered The Game World, she had closed off the portals into and out of the game with a powerful force field. Only Eda could control who came and who went from the enchanted world that she had created. She chose to remain to prevent Malefic from escaping and causing chaos in the outside world.

  Malefic’s black eyes glittered with satisfaction as he spoke to his servants.

  “It won’t be long before Eda is destroyed, and I will be in complete control of this world and beyond. My captains are ready, and the goblin army is on the move. Go, and do what I have instructed.”

  He snapped his fingers, and the three ugly creatures rushed from the great hall, eager to do their master’s bidding.

  A dark figure lurked behind Malefic’s throne-like chair. It now stepped forward out of the shadows, and bowed to the evil magician.

  “I have given you special powers and your own magic door. Do not fail me. You know what to do,” Malefic said softly.

  The figure clicked its heels together and, in an instant, was gone.

  Meanwhile, in the human world, Sophie Jones and her friends Jun Wu and Aisha Serez, were unaware of the danger.

  Some months had passed since they had played ‘The Tenth Gateway’. With Eda’s help, the three friends had outwitted the evil Malefic, won the game, and once again closed the portal to the human world.

  Sophie was now at home, waiting impatiently for Jun and Aisha to come over and finish a school project. She was slumped on a couch in the family room, fiddling with a game on her iPad. Her light brown hair was pulled back into a pony-tail. She was wearing her favourite red jacket with the zipped pockets and her new light blue tee-shirt.

  In the background, Sophie could hear her mother chatting on the phone in the kitchen. Her father was outside, and her brother was upstairs in his room. She frowned as she concentrated on the electronic game.

  “Oh, this is all so boring,” Sophie said out loud, as she closed the screen. “Nothing like playing ‘The Tenth Gateway’.”

  “I wonder what’s happening in The Game World now,” she thought. “Luckily Eda’s got that terrible Malefic under control, and his ghastly goblins can’t do much harm anymore. Too bad I can’t go back and see.”

  The game was now packed away out of sight. It was far too dangerous to leave it lying around the house. If the children played it again, the risk of Malefic escaping from his enchanted prison was too great.

  Sophie sighed, and, without much enthusiasm, opened up the iPad again. However, before she could start another game, her mother came into the room.

  “I’ve just been talking to Aunt Rose. Basil’s coming over to stay tonight.”

  “What!” Sophie looked up, and groaned. “Oh Mum, Aisha and Jun are coming over this afternoon, and Basil is such a nuisance.”

  “Your Aunt Rose and Uncle Leo have to go out. I know Basil’s ten now, but they don’t like to leave him in the house by himself.”

  Sophie looked pleadingly at her mother. “Mum, you know Basil gets into all my things and is always breaking stuff. The last time he was here he did something t
o my iPad, and it took me ages and ages to sort it out and re-set the passwords. Can’t he do something with Nick?”

  “Your brother’s studying, and anyway, Basil is more your age. I’m sure Aisha and Jun won’t mind. They have younger brothers and sisters,” her mother replied.

  Sophie rolled her eyes. “Mum, Basil really is horrible. He thinks he knows everything. He’s such a show-off, and he’s always whining and complaining.”

  “Come on, Miss Sophie Jones, it’ll only be for a few hours, just until your father and I get back from the football. I know you find Basil irritating, but he is really quite a clever boy, and I think you’ll find that he’s just trying to impress you. But if he causes any major problems while we’re out, get Nick to take care of it.”

  Sophie shook her head and sighed, knowing she couldn’t argue with her mother, and knowing that Nick would have his head buried in his books or computer and would be no help at all.

  “Alright Mum, but if Basil is too awful, I want you to promise that you won’t make me have him again.”

  “We’ll see,” her mother smiled. “Aunt Rose will be dropping him off at about two o’clock.”

  “Yuk!” Sophie grimaced, thinking about her pest of a cousin. “My whole weekend will be ruined.”

  Aisha and Jun arrived just after lunch, ready to make a start on their group history project. Dressed in the usual jeans, Aisha wore a green jacket over a pale pink tee-shirt. Her black hair was drawn off her face and braided into a single long plait. Jun, who wasn’t fussy about his clothes, wore faded jeans, an old blue jacket and a baggy grey and white striped tee-shirt. His straight black hair was cropped quite short.

  Sophie, still feeling a bit grumpy about her cousin coming to stay, took her friends into the family room so that they could spread their work out on the big dining table.

  “I’m sorry, but we have to put up with Basil this afternoon. I couldn’t get out of it,” Sophie moaned to her friends. “He’ll be here soon, but I’ll tell him to stay in the lounge and watch TV so that he doesn’t bother us.”

  “He’s not that bad,” Jun said, looking up from his lap-top. “He didn’t bother us too much when we saw him a couple of months ago.”

  “You’ve forgotten how really annoying he was. Remember, he kept hitting that tennis ball against the back wall. Thump, thump, thump. It drove us mad,” Sophie reminded Jun.

  “And what about when he kept poking the cat. It served him right when she bit him,” Aisha joined in.

  They all laughed as they recalled the incident. The cat had run off and hidden under a chair, and Basil had sat and sulked for ages, making a huge fuss about his slightly marked finger.

  “Oh well, we’ll just have to put up with him and hope he doesn’t annoy us too much,” Sophie said as she opened her laptop.

  A few minutes later they heard Sophie’s mother call out from the front of the house.

  “Sophie, Basil’s here!”

  The three friends heard voices at the front door, and a few seconds later Sophie’s father appeared with her cousin.

  Basil stood in the doorway. A slight figure, almost as tall as Sophie, with short spiky brown hair, brown eyes and slightly freckled fair skin. His expression was friendly and eager. He liked to wear trendy clothes, and was dressed in blue jeans, a light grey hooded sweater, black tee-shirt and dark lace-up boots. He held an iPad under his arm.

  “If I didn’t know better,” Sophie thought, “You’d think he was a little angel”.

  “Here he is. Looking forward to the weekend, aren’t you Basil?” Sophie’s father said. “Sophie, your Aunt Rose says hello. She couldn’t stop as she’s running late, but she’ll see you tomorrow. Your mother and I are leaving now as well, and we’ll sort Basil’s things out when we get back. Nick’s upstairs if you need him. So, behave yourselves, and we’ll see you in a few hours.”

  “Bye Uncle Max.” Basil smiled at his uncle, and then turned and smirked at Sophie and her friends.

  “Bye Dad. We’ll be fine. See you soon.” Sophie glared at Basil as her father left the room.

  They heard the front door close.

  “What are you doing?” Basil asked as he moved towards the table where Sophie and the others had their school work spread out.

  “We’re doing a school project on myths and legends, and we need to concentrate, so you’ll have to go to the lounge room and watch TV, or play on your iPad for a while. Probably until Mum and Dad get back,” Sophie said as firmly as possible, hoping Basil would go away.

  “Bossy as always,” Basil sniffed. “Anyway, I want to stay here. I know all about myths and legends, and magic and stuff. I bet I know more than any of you about Merlin the Magician, and King Arthur and his knights. Have you looked on the internet? I can show you some good sites.”

  Sophie groaned. “Of course we’ve looked on the internet. And no Basil, you can’t help. We just want to do it ourselves. If you won’t leave us alone for a while, I’ll have to go and get Nick.”

  “Okay. I’ll go,” Basil said reluctantly, and poked his tongue out at Sophie and her friends. The one thing he didn’t want was his much older and bigger cousin coming down to interfere.

  “Thank goodness,” said Sophie, as Basil took himself off up the hallway to the lounge room. “Now we can get on with the project without that pest.”

  Whilst Sophie and Aisha chatted about what to put in the main sections of their project, Jun searched through his files for some computer graphics. They could hear the sound of the TV coming from the lounge room, and were thankful that Sophie’s cousin seemed to have settled down. But they were wrong.

  Suddenly, Basil burst into the family room looking quite frightened.

  “Sophie. Everyone. Come quick. Something strange is happening in the study. I don’t know how to stop it.”

  “What were you doing in the study? You know that’s out of bounds. You’re supposed to stay in the lounge. Is this one of your tricks?” Sophie asked crossly.

  “No, no. It’s the sea-chest. You know, grandma’s old one. And I didn’t do anything. You have to come.” Basil tugged at Sophie’s sleeve, and tried to pull her off her chair.

  Sophie’s heart sank, and she looked at her two friends. They all knew what was in the sea-chest that Sophie had inherited from her grandmother. It contained the magic game, ‘The Tenth Gateway’.

  “Oh no! Basil, what have you done!” Sophie exclaimed, and rushed off to the study, closely followed by Jun and Aisha. Basil trotted behind them.

  When they all entered the room they saw that the sea-chest was shaking violently.

  “Let me out! Let me out! Sophie, help me! Are you there? Sophie, let me out,” someone shouted from inside the chest.

  “I was only having a look,” Basil muttered. “It’s all your fault. I was bored. Anyway, it started all by itself when I touched it.”

  “Shhh Basil. I need to listen,” Sophie said as she approached the chest.

  “Sophie, it’s me. Let me out,” the voice called out again.

  “It sounds like Twig,” Sophie said to the others. “I think I had better open the chest.”

  “Sophie, don’t. Something awful might happen. It might be Malefic, trying to trick us,” Aisha pleaded, and held onto Sophie’s arm.

  “I don’t think it’s Malefic, because if he managed to get through The Tenth Gateway he wouldn’t be asking for our help,” Jun added in his usual thoughtful way.

  “What are you all talking about?” Basil screeched. “Do something!”

  The sea-chest continued to shake violently, and the cry for help grew louder.

  “I’m going to open it. I’m sure it’s Twig.”

  Sophie knelt down next to the chest, and pulled back the bolt that had kept it tightly shut. The top flew open.

  A small figure uncurled from where it was crouching inside the chest. He was dressed in a green jacket and baggy pants. His pointed ears poked through his untidy dark hair and he was clutching a large leather bound book.
The lid of an old painted box lay next to him, and he looked very upset.

  Sophie knew him at once. He was one of the brownies who lived in The Game World, and he had helped her rescue Jun and Aisha from ‘The Pit of Fear’, one of Malefic’s dungeons.

  “Twig! I thought it was you. But I don’t understand. How did you get here, and why?”

  “You took your time. I was getting worried I’d never get out,” Twig replied, and breathing heavily, he climbed out of the chest onto the floor of the study.

  “Eda sent me. Although it was very dangerous, she opened The Tenth Gateway, and here I am. We’ve got a serious problem with Malefic, and Eda needs you to come back with me, and play the game again.”

  “But we can’t Twig. If we lose we’ll be trapped in The Game World. We can’t risk it,” Aisha said quickly. She had let Sophie talk her into playing the first game, and now she shuddered as she remembered being held captive by Malefic.

  Jun was lost in thought. Unlike Sophie, who often rushed into things, he liked to think things through before making a decision. “I think we need to find out a bit more before we say a definite no. Eda knows the danger we would be in, so I don’t think she would have sent Twig unless she really needed us.”

  “Yes Twig. I’d like to know a bit more too,” said Sophie. “Why does Eda want us to play the game again?”

  “Sophie, what’s going on? Who is this? I don’t like the look of him. How did he get into the chest, and what’s this about Eda and a tenth gate? Does Uncle Max know anything about it?” Basil rudely interrupted.

  “Who is this person?” Twig asked, clearly annoyed by Basil’s rude remarks.