Curse of the Granville Fortune

by Hashway, Kelly

  Finally, Morgan spoke. “In each map, one part of the forest is drawn incorrectly. The clue is in which path to take. A large tree blocks this path in Bernard’s map, but there is no such tree in the actual forest. Therefore, that’s the clue. We must take that path.”

  “That’s just what your father told you,” Trent said. “We don’t know if it’s true.”

  Morgan turned and glared at Trent. “What was that about my father?”

  Trent gulped. “Uh—I just meant that we don’t really know where the clues are hidden in the maps. We need to see that part of the forest before we can be sure.”

  “I hate to agree with Trent,” Garret said, “but we can’t be sure where the clues are until we see them for ourselves. Like you said, no one, aside from Aristede himself, knows the true location of the fortune.”

  Garret was defending Trent! Things were getting weird, and I wanted to get out of here. Having the maps would make it easier to find the fortune, but these guys were crazy.

  “I see your point,” Morgan said. “Though I’d be more careful how you say things about our family in the future, Trent.” Morgan placed his hand on his knife. The message was clear. Another comment like that and Trent would find himself at the sharp end of a knife.

  “Yes, sir,” Trent said, looking as surprised as I was that he’d escaped punishment.

  “Now, we do know that each map contains something that isn’t present in the forest and that’s the clue,” Morgan said, returning his attention to the maps.

  “Hey, that’s like our painting,” Holly said. “There were two paths, but when we entered the forest, one of those paths was overgrown with trees.”

  “What did you say?” Morgan asked as if she’d said the most interesting thing in the world.

  Holly grabbed my arm and stepped closer to me.

  Noelle’s head snapped up, and she squinted at me.

  “They thought we had a painting of theirs when we caught them earlier,” Garret said.

  “But you didn’t. It was one of your treasure maps,” I said. Noelle stared at me so intently my cheeks got warm.

  “We were trying to locate the part of the forest drawn in Bernard’s map,” Garret told his father. “In case we weren’t able to recover the final piece of the treasure map.”

  “Why did you think we had your painting?” Edward asked me.

  I didn’t know if I should tell them the real reason, which was that the painting and the maps looked very similar. The last thing I wanted was to help the guys who were holding us captive and who may have hurt Dad. Then, I thought of something. If the thieves wanted the painting, they’d have to help us find our way back to the entrance of the forest where we’d left it.

  “We’re waiting!” Morgan stomped his foot in the dirt.

  I took a deep breath. “We thought you had our painting because the maps you’re trying to gather look like it. Only ours is a painting.”

  “What part of the forest is illustrated on this painting?” Morgan spoke so fast I had trouble understanding him.

  “It’s the entrance by the park,” Holly said.

  Noelle smiled, and I couldn’t make sense of her sudden interest in the fortune.

  “The entrance,” Morgan repeated, looking over all six maps. “Of course! That’s the missing piece. We need to know where to begin the search!”

  “We’ve been assuming the search began by the seaside entrance,” Garret said. “That must be why we couldn’t locate any of the areas drawn on the maps. We have to start at the park.”

  “Yes! It makes sense now!” Morgan yelled.

  “But, Dad, why would one of the pieces be a painting?” Edward asked. “Why is it different from the others?”

  “Because Aristede was a painter!” Morgan said, grinning so wide he looked insane.

  Chapter Thirteen

  After reading Dad’s journal, I’d had a feeling the painting was a clue, but I never thought it’d be something like this. What I really didn’t understand was how something so important to the Grimaults had ended up in my living room.

  “How did these kids get our ancestor’s painting?” Garret asked, reading my mind.

  “I’m not sure,” Morgan said, “but they’re obviously special.” He smiled at Holly and me. “Consider yourselves my guests of honor. You’ll be coming with us on our search.”

  “You want to take them with us to find the fortune?” Trent asked.

  “No, I want them to take us to the painting.” Morgan’s cheerful expression was instantly replaced by a sinister and intimidating look. “Now, where is it?”

  “We left it at the park, but we don’t know how to get back there,” I said. “We’ve been lost for days.”

  “Then we better get started. Boys, get your knives, fill the canteens with water, and grab some bread.” Morgan gathered the maps and placed them in his pocket.

  Holly tugged on my sleeve and whispered, “Why are we helping them?”

  “Because they’re going to take us back to the park. Then we might be able to get help, like the police or someone who’d take care of these guys, so we can find the Granville fortune.”

  “You don’t really think these guys are going to let us go when we find the painting, do you? What if the painting isn’t even there? Mom may have found it by now.”

  “What other choice do we have? Besides, the walk back through the forest will give us time to think of a better idea.”

  I raised my head and saw Edward coming toward us.

  “My dad says you’re traveling with me,” he said, looking at Noelle. He turned to Holly and me. “Don’t get any ideas about making a run for it. You’ll never make it through this forest without our protection.” It sounded more like a warning than a threat.

  “We know,” I said. “We won’t try to escape.”

  “Good, let’s go.”

  My eyes darted in every direction as I followed Edward. Around each turn, I expected to see the wolves or bears Holly had created earlier, but the forest was quiet. I started thinking the journey home was going to be easy—until I saw the stream. The current was even rougher than I remembered.

  “I forgot about the stream,” Holly said. “We’ll never get across it without our rope.”

  “I don’t think we can swim across this, Dad,” Garret said. “The current is too strong, and the water is full of jagged rocks.”

  Morgan stood at the water’s edge. “You say you crossed this stream on your way into the forest?” he asked me.

  “Answer him!” Garret said, shoving me hard on the back.

  I stumbled forward, but Noelle caught me by the arm before I fell. She shocked me and immediately let go. “We draped a rope over a tree branch to swing across the water,” I said.

  “Where’s the rope?” Morgan asked.

  “We left it hanging on the tree, but this isn’t where we crossed the stream,” I answered.

  Morgan furrowed his brow. After what seemed like a lifetime of silence, he finally spoke. “The only way to cross is by using the rocks to our advantage.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked.

  “The rocks are close enough together that we should be able to jump from one to another to get across the water.”

  “What if we fall in? That current will pull us out to who knows where!” Holly’s voice trembled.

  Morgan waved his arm and said, “Come on! We’re wasting time.”

  “Wait!” I protested. “The three of us aren’t as tall as you guys. Our legs aren’t long enough to jump across those rocks.”

  “Move!” Garret said, pushing me toward the stream.

  “It’ll be fine. Edward says they’ve done stuff like this before,” Noelle said in a low voice as she marched past me. How could she be so trusting?

  The thieves began crossing the river in pairs. Edward and Noelle crossed the stream first with Edward leading the way. Once Edward safely jumped onto th
e first rock, he turned and extended his arm to Noelle who joined him. They continued like this to the other side of the stream.

  Holly and I were each paired with a thief to cross the stream. I went first with Garret. I didn’t like the idea of being separated from Holly, but after watching some of these guys struggle to get across the stream, I realized being paired with a long-legged thief was our only chance to safely cross the rough water. I slipped once, but Garret grabbed my arm and pulled me onto the rock. Trent insisted he could cross the water alone, and no one had any objection to him trying. He stumbled a little, but he made it safely to the other side.

  The last pair to cross was Holly and Morgan. I had a feeling Morgan wasn’t crossing last in order to make sure everyone made it safely. He probably didn’t want to risk his own life trying to see if his plan would work. Some father he was.

  Holly stood at the water’s edge. “I’m not going. If I slip, he’ll probably just save himself.”

  “You can’t stay behind,” I shouted.

  Holly huffed but gave in, refusing to grab Morgan’s hand as she jumped from rock to rock. She leaped and fell belly down onto each rock. She was getting pretty banged up, but I couldn’t blame her for not wanting to put her life in Morgan’s hands.

  Holly and Morgan reached the final rock, and I noticed the land was farther away than Holly could jump on her own. “You’re going to have to let him help you!” I yelled.

  “I’m not going to make it! This rock is too narrow and pointy. I can’t get any kind of running start. The stupid thing looks like a shark’s fin.”

  “No!” I yelled. I watched in horror as the rock beneath Holly’s feet transformed into a gray shark.

  Holly splashed into the water. The shark turned in her direction with its jaws wide open.

  The current was strong, and it pulled Holly downstream. I got down on the ground and reached for her, but she was too far away.

  “Move!” Morgan said, pushing me aside. He drew his knife from his belt and hit the shark between the eyes. The knife didn’t harm the rock shark, but the creature kept attacking it instead of going for Holly.

  “Help!” Holly yelled.

  I stared in terror at the jagged rock in her path. Before I could do anything, Edward rushed past Morgan. He reached out and grabbed Holly by the back of her shirt. I ran over and helped Edward pull Holly out of the water. She trembled as we set her down on the ground.

  I put my arm around her shoulders. “Are you okay?” I could barely get the words out. I’d almost lost my sister.

  “I think so,” Holly said through chattering teeth.

  “Let’s continue,” Morgan said. “It’s getting dark, and we need to find a safe place to rest for the night.” He walked over to Holly and me, extended a hand to each of us, and pulled us to our feet. He removed his jacket and handed it to Holly. “Put this on. You must be freezing in those wet clothes.”

  “Th-thanks,” Holly said, taking the coat. She gave me a puzzled look, and I shrugged.

  I didn’t know what to make of Morgan’s kind gesture. In a way, it made me more nervous than when he was being cruel.

  Chapter Fourteen

  The air was getting cold, and I wished I had a jacket, too, even if it did belong to a thief. Morgan wanted Garret and Edward by his side, so he told Trent he was on babysitting duty. So much for the moment of kindness. Trent fell back behind Holly, Noelle, and me while the rest of the group walked ahead of us. Noelle hadn’t even looked at me since the incident at the stream. Her eyes were glued to Edward. I thought she would’ve checked on Holly after a rock shark had almost eaten her.

  The sun was setting, and I couldn’t see very far in front of me. I wasn’t sure how we were going to find shelter.

  “I hope they don’t make us sleep in a cave,” Holly said, visibly shivering under Morgan’s jacket.

  “It would be better than sleeping in the open.”

  “Not if there’s a hungry W-O-L-F in the cave.”

  “Well, as long as you keep your mouth shut, the forest won’t create one.” Why couldn’t she get the hang of this place? It was scary, but it wasn’t that complicated. You didn’t talk about the frightening things you imagined while you were here. Of course, I was convinced the forest put those scary thoughts into our heads, hoping we’d say them aloud.

  I saw something shiny out of the corner of my eye. Trent was swinging his knife back and forth in the air, like he was fighting someone who wasn’t really there. He grunted and stabbed the knife straight out in front of him. I rolled my eyes. He was like a child in a big, scary, muscular body. At least he wasn’t paying attention to Holly and me.

  “Why do you think Morgan saved me back there?” Holly asked. “He only needs one of us. He could have let me drown. Or get eaten.” She lowered her head. At least she realized she was the one who had put herself in danger of both being shark food and drowning.

  “Morgan’s sudden mood swings can only mean one thing,” I said. “He wants that painting so much he was willing to save you to get it. He knew I wouldn’t help him if he let you get eaten by that shark.”

  “But why did he give me his coat? That was weird. You don’t think he has a daughter, do you? Maybe I remind him of her?”

  “This is a family thing—searching for the fortune. She’d be here.”

  “You’re probably right. Father of the year over there, taking his kids with him to this dangerous forest to search for some fortune that may or may not be here.”

  “At least they’re together. Dad’s never taken me to work with him,” I said. The Grimaults may be dysfunctional, but they acted like a family. I glanced at Edward and Garret. They looked at their father like he was the greatest man on earth. For a second, I envied them. My eyes fell on Noelle who was walking very close to Edward. She seemed to almost fit in with them—well, with Edward at least.

  Holly patted my shoulder. “If it makes you feel any better, Dad’s somehow involved in this. So, we’re not that different from Morgan’s kids.”

  “Except Dad didn’t tell us about it.”

  “No, he didn’t,” Holly agreed. “But the worst part of all this is I’m ashamed of Dad.”

  I didn’t know what to say. Part of me agreed, but I didn’t have time to think about it because everyone suddenly stopped walking. I looked around to see if Morgan had found a place to sleep, but all I saw was wide-open space. The thieves took off their boots and claimed trees to lean against.

  “What are we doing?” Holly asked.

  “Camping for the night,” Garret said. He walked over to Holly and me, holding two red bandanas in his hands. He looked at Trent, who was still swinging his knife in the air. As soon as Trent noticed Garret staring at him, he put his knife back into its holder on his belt.

  “There was a bee,” Trent said.

  Garret rolled his eyes. “Sure there was.”

  “We can’t camp here. There’s nothing to shelter us from wild animals,” I told Garret.

  “We’re going to take turns standing guard.” Garret rolled one of the bandanas long-ways. “Turn around.”

  “Huh?” I couldn’t see the point in blindfolding us.

  “You don’t think we’re going to let you escape the minute we fall asleep, do you? We’re tying your hands behind your back. That way you won’t even think about trying to get away.”

  “But you said someone would be on guard. We wouldn’t be able to escape.” I didn’t want to have my hands tied. My mind flashed with images of all the scary things in the forest that could attack me while I was helpless to defend myself.

  “The purpose of the lookout isn’t to keep an eye on you. His job is to protect the rest of us from wild animals. Now turn around,” Garret said.

  As much as I didn’t want to, I turned around and placed my wrists together. Once Holly and I were tied up, Garret pointed to the ground next to a tree about six feet away. I walked over and leaned my back against the bark
. I inched down to the ground to avoid falling hard on my butt. I was happy to see Holly do the same. At least that was one injury prevented. At the next tree over, Edward was tying Noelle’s hands. He whispered something to her before walking back to his father. Noelle turned in my direction and shrugged. She squatted down and leaned against her tree.

  The thieves fell asleep almost instantly. Noelle and Edward were sharing a tree, but she was leaning as far away from him as possible. Maybe she didn’t trust him after all. She was so difficult to read. Trent was on guard, walking around us in a big loop. He had his knife out in front of him, but he wasn’t swinging it around this time. He looked serious. I closed my eyes and pretended to sleep. I heard Trent’s footsteps on the gravel. After a few minutes, I opened my eyes just enough to peek at Trent. He wasn’t circling the camp anymore. Maybe he’d heard something and gone to check it out. I nudged Holly.

  “We have to get away from these guys.”

  “We can’t walk around with our hands tied,” Holly said.

  “We need to steal a knife to cut off these bandanas.”

  “Definitely.”

  I looked around. Out of Edward, Garret, or Morgan, my options weren’t good. I decided Edward was my best bet. The other two flat out scared me. Edward was lying on his back with his arms behind his head. The knife on his belt was exposed.

  Holly nodded and mouthed, “Go ahead.” I was about to ask why I had to be the one to steal the knife, but I didn’t because I knew Holly was too clumsy to do it. She’d probably fall face first into Edward’s armpit.

  I took one last look around for Trent, and I scooted on my knees over to Edward. It wasn’t going to be easy to get the knife with my hands tied behind me. I couldn’t see what I was doing. Holly tilted her head to the left, so I scooted over, feeling for the knife. As I wrapped my fingers around the handle, Edward stirred. I froze. I was leaning awkwardly over Noelle, and I was afraid I was going to fall on her. Her body shook for a moment, and she opened her eyes. I was shocked she didn’t scream. Instead, she sat up and effortlessly slipped the bandana from her wrists. Then, she removed the knife from Edward’s belt loop and cut me free. We tiptoed over to Holly, and Noelle cut her free, too.