Gustav Gloom and the Four Terrors
Page 14
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” said Gustav. “I promise. I won’t do anything but start getting things ready. You do what you have to across the street. Take a few hours. I’ll be waiting for you when you get back.”
Despite everything that had gone wrong in the last few hours, she found that she didn’t doubt him at all. He had made mistakes, but he meant his promises. She believed in him, as much as she’d ever believed in the bravery of her mother, or the kindness of her father, or the good heart of her sister. If there was anybody in the world who could take her on the dangerous journey to go and bring them all back alive, it was Gustav Gloom.
And it was that thought, more than any other, that warmed her and kept her from being afraid.
But she still didn’t leave, remaining at the threshold just long enough to think one last terrible thought. “Gustav?”
“What?”
“What if his promise to talk to me is just one of Hieronymus’s tricks? What if he refuses to answer our questions?”
Gustav’s frown grew tighter and fiercer, becoming the look of a boy only a fool would dare try to disappoint.
He said, “Then we’ll make him.”
That was what Fernie had needed: certainty. And she found that she herself had more than enough of it. “You’re right. He’d better not mess with us, not if he knows what’s good for him.”
“That’s the way to think,” Gustav said. “We’re more than a match for the likes of him.”
Impossibly, she found herself smiling. It was a weak smile, more wan than any normally found on Fernie What’s face; but it was also her first smile since that terrible moment at the Pit, one that made her realize that there would be many more smiles to come. Maybe, she thought, the ability to find light even when terrible dark things were coming was the strongest weapon of all. Maybe that made winning possible. All she knew was that, despite everything, there was a small part of her that could hardly wait.
Whatever else happened, it was not going to be dull.
“See you soon,” said Gustav.
“Real soon,” said Fernie.
Then she turned her back and headed home.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
You would not now be seeing this book without the persistence of agents extraordinaire Joshua Bilmes and Eddie Schneider of the Jabberwocky Literary Agency. You would not now be reading it in its present form without the input of the members of the South Florida Science Fiction Society Writers’ Workshop, a group that includes Brad Aiken, Dave Dunn, Dave Slavin, and Chris Negelein. You would not now be enjoying the same experience free of verbal land mines and other clutter without the ace red pen of copy editor Kate Ritchey and editor Jordan Hamessley. You would not now be oohing and aahing over the illustrations without the genius of artist Kristen Margiotta. You would not now be holding the divine artifact in your hands without designer Christina Quintero. You might have no idea the book exists without the fine work of publicist Tara Shanahan. You would not now be seeing any books from me at all without the patience, love, and constant encouragement of my beautiful wife, Judi B. Castro. You would not now be seeing a human being with my name and my face were it not for my parents, Saby and Joy Castro.
And thanks to you, my unknown readers. Due to publishing lag time, this third book is being completed before the first has hit shelves. I thank you, from the distant past, for embarking on this journey with us and hope you stick around to see what happens as Gustav and Fernie storm the Dark Country!