by Becky Citra
“Of course,” said Favian and Mr. Barnaby nodded.
Mr. Cherry had said that the earthquake had opened up the entrance to the keep. Will ran down a passageway that led to the courtyard. He raced across the courtyard and spotted a narrow opening where the rubble piled in front of the keep had shifted. He scrambled through the opening and came to two massive wooden doors that stood partly open.
He squeezed through the opening into the great hall. The three tapestries hung in their places! His heart beat faster. On the far wall, a fourth tapestry hung, sunlight from one of the narrow windows slanting across it. Trembling, he walked up to it.
The tapestry showed a magnificent griffin with a boy clinging to its back, soaring across a night sky that exploded with colour.
“The Griffin of Darkwood Escapes,” read Will. But that wasn’t what made his heart race. More words were woven around the edges of the tapestry – hundreds of words, the words he had written, transformed into gold thread as delicate as spiderwebs.
“Once upon a time there was a griffin and a boy who was a Moonstone…”
Will read every word.
“The End,” he said triumphantly.
And then he heard his mother, Adrienna Poppy, one last time.
“Towers and magic. Anything can happen in a castle like this, William Poppy. Anything.”
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank everyone at Coteau Books who worked so hard on this story, particularly my editor Kathryn Cole.
My daughter Meghan inspired me to write a fantasy. My sister Janet read many many drafts and her suggestions were invaluable. And as always, I would like to thank my husband Larry who gives me the time to write.
About the author
BECKY CITRA is the author of twenty books for young readers. Her books are frequently selected by the Canadian Children’s Book Center for their annual “Our Choice” guide to the best books published in Canada. Many have been nominated for local and national awards, including the Sheila Egoff Children’s Literature Prize, the Diamond Willow Award, and the Ontario Library Association Forest of Reading Red Cedar Award.
Becky has written two popular series as well – the “Ellie and Max” series which takes place in Upper Canada in the 1800’s and the Jeremy and the Enchanted Theater time travel series. She currently lives in Bridge Lake, BC.