by Amy C. Blake
Levi stopped his backward crabwalk and stared. Was the thing laughing at him? A sudden surge of anger boiled his blood. “You think that’s funny? You scared me half to death. I thought you were a basilisk.”
It stopped cackling and bent its neck until it was eye-to-eye with him. Levi gulped. Probably wasn’t wise to yell at a fifteen-foot monster with three-inch incisors. It didn’t act mad, though; its eyes got watery and soft, almost like it was trying to apologize. Besides, if it had wanted to eat him, it had had plenty of chances. The underground wind blew him straight to the creature, which must mean it was trustworthy, right? Plus, the creature saved him from Deceptor, pulling him through the water to safety and depositing him . . . where? He peered around. Castle Island beach. Again.
He rose to his feet, swaying slightly. The creature leaned in and steadied him with its head. “Thanks.” Levi gave it a tentative pat on the neck. A low rumble from its throat made him yank back his hand, but the monster nudged his hand with its head. “You like that?”
The creature whimpered. He patted it again, and the low rumble returned. It was purring like his grandma’s cat. He couldn’t help but laugh.
“You’re something else, aren’t you?” He gently scratched down its neck, and the creature closed its eyes, thrumming louder than a boat engine. “How’d you know I needed help, huh?” Earlier in the summer and that day. “How’d you know where to find me?” Deceptor would’ve killed him if not for the lake monster.
“Morgan—” His hand flew to his chest, where, thankfully, the castle key still rested. He had to find her. No telling what Deceptor had done with her while he was impersonating her.
The creature cocked its head to one side, its green eyes questioning.
“Listen, I have to go, um . . . Pressie? Is that your name?” The monster purred again. “Thanks for the rescue, but I have to go help Morgan.”
Levi started down the beach, feet slipping in the sand, soaked shorts and tennis shoes weighing on his legs. He glanced over his shoulder. “If you see a girl in the water, save her for me, will you? Just bring her back here.” He felt a little silly giving instructions to a lake monster, but it seemed to understand, like the dragon Nithir had.
Pressie bobbed its head, snorted once, and disappeared beneath the waves.
Despite his shaky legs and aching head, Levi flew up the stairway, passed the cabins, and climbed the hill. He had to help Morgan. She’d been underground too long. No telling if she was even still alive.
He knew he couldn’t fight Deceptor on his own. Miss Nydia had given her life to rescue them last year; Pressie had rescued him today. Without God’s help in both cases, they would’ve failed too. How many more rescues would Levi get? In both cases, he’d almost gotten himself and others killed because he’d disregarded the people in charge. He wasn’t going off half-cocked again. He had to somehow get to Mr. Dominic.
With no castle in sight, Levi skidded to a halt at the cliff edge, pulled the chain over his head, and held up the key. Its golden shaft glimmered in the patchy, late afternoon sunlight, the emerald and sapphire at its tip resting against his palm. He stared at the empty space before him, and the problem made itself glaringly obvious. It was all fine and good to have the only key to the castle, but what if he couldn’t get to the door?
What if he couldn’t even see the door?
Waves crashed below; lazy clouds floated overhead. Seagulls screeched and dove for fish in the shimmering waves, overwhelming him with a frustrating sense of déjà vu. He needed to get into Terracaelum, but he didn’t know how. Even with the key. Resisting the urge to yank his hair out in curly orange tufts, he paced the lip of the precipice. Maybe there was some sort of clue he’d missed before. Maybe the keyhole was in the ground or on a tree.
That’s when he noticed the massive oak he’d seen get struck by lightning that night in the library. The trunk stretched from the wooded area ten feet from the cliff and then far out into open sky. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to picture exactly where the tree lay in relationship to the drawbridge. If he remembered right, it ran almost parallel, maybe a foot from the bridge, and extended to within a couple feet of the castle wall.
He opened his eyes. If he walked the length of the trunk and reached out and to the right, he should find the keyhole. Hopefully. He had to try.
He looped the chain back over his head so his hands were free, gripped a branch, and heaved himself up, scraping a deep cut in his shin on the bark. The pain woke him to the reality of what he was doing: scaling a tree that might tip and fall with him into the lake. All on the off-chance that he might find a way inside the castle. He was a moron.
But what choice did he have? Morgan needed help, which meant Levi needed to get to Mr. Dominic as soon as possible. A gentle breeze blew into his face, and he drew it into his lungs. Courage coursed through him, and he began inching his way along, using branches to steady himself.
After several painstaking moments, he reached the twigs at the top of the tree. The trunk trembled and swayed beneath his weight. He gripped two fair-sized branches, but the wood was damp from hanging over the water, though the lake lay a hundred feet below, and his hands were sweaty. He’d never been that fond of tree-climbing, and sideways over a drop-off was so much worse.
Still, he’d made it this far. All he had to do now was let go with one hand and try for the keyhole. Slowly, carefully, Levi released his sweaty death grip and pulled the chain over his head. He reached out and to the right, poking the key into emptiness. Nothing happened. Over and over, he poked, stretching farther each time.
Frustrated, he gave a forceful jab, and his right foot slipped. He fell and wouldn’t have stopped until his body smashed into the lake, but a branch snagged his shirt. He hung there a second, feet scrabbling, arms flailing, too scared to shriek. Then his sneakers gripped, and he hugged a branch just as the hem of his shirt ripped.
He stood there shaking and breathing for several long moments.
His fingers were shaking so hard, he felt the key slipping. He readjusted his grip and ended up holding it out by the shaft as a sunbeam flashed through the fluffy clouds. Light flooded the jewels and threw blue and green streamers arcing outward. Brilliant rainbow lights flashed all around, and a gray stone wall appeared a few feet in front of him.
“Yes!” The key . . . he’d been holding it upside down. He grinned as the drawbridge began its slow descent.
“You figured it out,” a feminine voice called from the cliff edge behind him.
Heart thumping, he twisted his face around. Morgan stood beside the fallen tree with a smile on her face. Her hair hung in a wet mass; her clothes were stained and sodden.
He sighed with relief. She’d escaped Deceptor. “How’d you get here?”
“Oh, uh, same as you.” She eyed the lowering drawbridge, as though wondering if it would disappear when she stepped onto it.
Levi understood the hesitation. He wasn’t sure how he was supposed to maintain his hold on the key and actually get inside the castle. “Pressie helped you?”
A frown creased her brow. “Yeah, of course. Now come on, let’s get inside.” She looked away like she was trying to hide tears. “I really need to find my mom. It was so scary down there.”
Levi froze. Why would Morgan want her momma? She’d gone into the cellar all upset because of her.
Unless this wasn’t Morgan.
41
Battle for the Castle Key
Levi narrowed his eyes. Could Deceptor come to Castle Island? A vague memory of the Austins’ conversation he’d overheard the summer before replayed in his mind. “You know he’ll go anywhere. Even into the castle if he can get an invite.”
“You’re not Morgan,” he said, then wished he’d bitten his tongue out instead.
She glared at him, the pale blue of Morgan’s eyes shifting to an icy emptiness. “Come to me, boy. Give me that key.” The voice was hollow, deep, harsh.
Levi shuddered. What should he do? Sc
ream bloody murder in the hopes that one of the staff would hear? Pocket the key so the castle disappeared? He couldn’t let Deceptor get inside.
The drawbridge was less than four feet from connecting with the cliff now. Deceptor could jump onto it and run into the castle, but he stood watching Levi instead. Why did he want Levi to come to him? Did he need Levi to get inside? Would that constitute an invitation into the castle?
Levi shot a quick glance toward the castle. If he could somehow jump to the doorway while the light held the castle in place . . . He had to get help. If this was Deceptor, Morgan must still be in trouble.
Or was she? A terrible thought struck him. Had Deceptor been inside the castle all summer? In the form of Morgan? Was Hunter in league with the shape-shifter after all? Levi gulped. Had he insisted that Sara and the girls share a room with the demon sorcerer who wanted the Dominics dead?
No, couldn’t be. Deceptor would’ve killed them all long ago.
Quit panicking and think! He shot another glance at the castle. Did he dare jump?
“Don’t even try it.” Deceptor had climbed onto the trunk and was moving toward Levi. A twisted silver dagger glinted in Morgan’s small hand. Below the tree, the hundred-foot drop to the lake blurred with a shadowy image of the moat, making Levi gasp. The drawbridge was about to connect the two worlds.
He had to do something, but he stood frozen, dumbfounded that Morgan’s face could radiate such hatred. What should he do? He wished he still had Mjolnir.
Then again, the weight of the hammer probably would’ve sunk him into the lake by now.
“I’ve been waiting all summer for this.” Deceptor advanced slowly, clearly enjoying his fear. “Ever since you paid Regin a visit, thinking you’d play the hero and rescue a poor, pathetic sailor, I’ve had him pounding on that door.” Cruel laughter burst from Morgan’s lips. “Just waiting for another fool like you to open it so I could kidnap you.”
“But why?” Levi knew why Deceptor wanted Sara—to get to her parents—but why one of the other campers?
“Because,” Deceptor said in an almost pleasant tone, “then that doddering old imposter you call camp director would come down to fetch you, and I could kill him and claim the throne for myself. And today that little girl walked right into my clutches. And then you came along. I was about to kill you outright, especially after the problems you caused me last year, but then—” Morgan’s mouth twisted into an ugly smirk. “—I decided to have a little fun, try a little deception. That’s my specialty, as you may recall.”
Levi’s stomach roiled. Deceptor was now halfway along the trunk. Levi would have to fight, but with what? He darted glances all around.
“I always knew there was a key.” Deceptor’s eyes raked the key Levi clutched. “And you brought it right to me.” The sorcerer took another step nearer. “I should thank you. This is a much better way. It allows me the element of surprise.”
Levi’s gaze fell on a partially broken branch. It wasn’t much against that knife, but it was better than nothing. As he yanked on it, the tree shuddered under the strain.
“Leviticus Prince!”
He whipped his head up and back toward the castle. Dr. Baldwin’s swarthy face stuck out of an open window. “Catch!” He disappeared from view.
Catch? Catch what? Levi glanced at the shape-shifter, now almost to him, then back toward the window.
A flash of gold, and a sword sailed through the air. Levi let go of the tree, stretched out his hand, and, amazingly, the hilt smacked into his palm.
“Get Mr. Dominic. I need help!” Wait, didn’t Sara say the director was gone to the mountains? Something about the leprechauns? But that was hours ago. Surely he was back by now. If not, Mrs. Dominic would have to do.
Dr. Baldwin disappeared again. Levi turned as Deceptor’s silver dagger arced toward his head. He raised his sword and deflected it millimeters from his face. He backed up a few paces.
“Your prince and princess are a bit busy, I’m afraid.” Morgan’s face was a mask of mock pity. “I set up a little something to keep them occupied.”
“In the mountains?”
Deceptor smirked. “And nearer home.”
Faint sounds of yelling and clanking from what sounded like the northern side of the castle made their way into Levi’s consciousness. He realized he’d been hearing noises as the drawbridge lowered but had been too preoccupied with Deceptor to pay attention. There came a boom then a shriek. The smell of smoke tickled his nostrils. “What did you do?”
“Merely another small offensive move to distract them from the true infiltration.” Deceptor edged in and struck hard.
Levi managed another deflection, but he was off-balance. He swayed. The key slipped from his grasp. And fell. A flash and sudden silence told of the castle’s disappearance. He sucked in a breath but couldn’t look away from Deceptor, who was slicing downward. Wedging his hip against a branch, Levi shoved his sword upward. Their blades caught for a moment, then the knife broke contact with a zing.
Though fear threatened to paralyze Levi, he knew he had to do something. He needed to stall long enough for Dr. Baldwin to get help. He raised his sword against the next strike and gasped, “Did you do something to the leprechauns?” He frowned. “And what about Middie and Nithir? You’re the one who cut them, aren’t you?”
Deceptor halted mid-jab and smiled, twisting Morgan’s lips into a cold grimace that didn’t belong on her face. “You figured that out, did you?” His voice was mocking, almost playful. “My little disruptions up north kept your old prince and his people busy aboveground, didn’t they?” He said prince with such disdain it almost sounded like a curse word. “It kept them nicely distracted from Regin and our attempts from beneath the castle.”
“But how’d you do it? Wouldn’t the dragons have attacked you?”
Deceptor released a throaty chuckle. “There’s value to being me, boy. Watch and learn before you die.”
And in one horrible instant, Morgan’s small form elongated until it towered over him. Smoke curled around her. Her face morphed from soft curves to sharp angles. Her black hair swirled into the platinum blond of the fencing instructor, Mr. Sylvester.
Levi couldn’t stifle a gasp. The elf’s mouth twitched into a smirk.
“But why?” His stomach clenched when he remembered the suspicions he’d harbored against Nydia Sylvester’s dad.
“Who better to entice the dragons than their trainer?”
“But that’s horrible—”
Deceptor/Mr. Sylvester didn’t let him finish. He hooked his left arm around a branch and jabbed the dagger toward Levi’s chest with his right. Levi barely blocked the jab. Before he could move away, the shape-shifter thrust again, this time so hard he almost knocked Levi from the tree.
Levi surged away, one hand gripping a projecting twig, the other swinging wildly. He blocked Deceptor’s strikes, all but one. Hot blood coursed from a nick below his right eye. Sweat snaked down Levi’s back, and his breath came in painful bursts.
Deceptor’s eyes burned like dry ice in his fencing teacher’s pale, unruffled face. The demon forced him steadily backward until the trunk thinned, swaying and bouncing like a rubber band beneath his feet. Any minute it would snap, and he would drop to his death. He had to do something to push Deceptor back.
Levi thrust forward with a solid, low shove toward Deceptor’s belly. For a split second, surprise flashed in those cold eyes. Then they narrowed, and the silver dagger clanked against his sword hilt, so hard Levi lost his grip. Just as the dagger swiped at his head, Levi jerked backward. He glimpsed his sword splashing into the lake below.
He would’ve despaired, but in that downward glance, he also caught sight of a flash of gold, blue, and green. The key had gotten snagged in some leaves at the bottommost of the tree’s hanging branches.
“Defeat.” Deceptor eased nearer, knife tip inches from Levi’s nose, an evil smile twisting Mr. Sylvester’s face. “Too bad you lost the key, or I’d
have let you live a few more moments.”
Levi shot another surreptitious glance at the key that jiggled with Deceptor’s every step. “Why? Can’t you use it without me?”
Pure hatred shone in Mr. Sylvester’s eyes. “Shut up, you little fool.”
He blinked. Guess that’s a no. He knew what he had to do, but that didn’t mean he had to like it. Smashing his lips tight together so he wouldn’t scream, Levi let go of the branch and stepped from the trunk. He freefell. At the last possible second, he grabbed for the branch nearest the key.
He caught it. His palms ripped on the twigs and bark. Finally, he stopped himself on the very tip of the branch. His shoulders felt like they’d rip from their sockets at any second, but he didn’t let go. The key dangled in front of his nose.
Above him, Deceptor let out a furious howl. Must’ve spotted the key.
Levi’s fingers cramped. How could he get the key? If he let go with either hand, he’d surely drop. Not to mention that he didn’t have the strength to hang on much longer.
An idea struck—a crazy one, but better than nothing.
Levi worked his lower body until he was swinging gently. The branch gave an ominous creak that sent his heart into his throat, but he kept swaying. Just a little more. And a little more. There. He opened his mouth and snatched the key between his teeth.
At that moment, the world exploded. Parallel lines of blue and green light blinded him. Something heavy thudded somewhere overhead. And his branch broke with a loud crack. Levi dropped so fast he couldn’t even make a sound around the key clenched between his teeth, knowing any second he’d shatter against the water.
Eyes squeezed shut, he prepared for death.
42
Into the Lake
A band of iron closed around Levi’s chest, jerking him to a halt. His eyes flew open. He hung in mid-air less than a foot above the lake. A split second later, the tree trunk crashed into the water next to him. Water flooded into his face and up his nostrils. He sneezed, his incisors so tight around the key he felt sure his teeth would break. Blinking hard and with his shirt cutting into his armpits, Levi twisted his head to see what had stopped his fall.