keep or the castle ever be besieged.
“That might make sense, Ian, but I still find it hard tobelieve there was a hidden stairway within the keep that we never knew about,” Theo said.
“Well, then, perhaps it should remain a secret,” Ian suggested, staring meaningfully at his three companions. Ian was worried that if the adults learned of the escape route, they’d order it blocked up.
“Might come in handy at some point to have a way out of the keep without anyone knowing about it,” Carl agreed.
“But the exit is blocked,” Jaaved said, gesturing to the large pile of rubble behind them.
“We can work on clearing that out later,” Carl said with confidence.
“Yes,” Theo agreed, and Ian noticed that her hand had moved up to clutch the crystal pendant she wore around her neck. “That might be wise.”
Ian studied her. “Theo?” he asked.
“Yes?”
“Did you get a feeling about the cyclone before you went to the shore?” Theo’s ability to predict the weather was uncanny, and Ian was privately wondering why she hadn’t mentioned any ill feelings she might have had earlier. The only thing she’d said was that the day might grow windy, but she’d hardly looked concerned when she’d said it.
To his surprise, Theo appeared quite troubled. “I had no idea we’d be hit by a cyclone,” she whispered.
“What’s that?” Carl asked, leaning in.
Theo cleared her throat and spoke more clearly this time. “I didn’t know. I felt no warning at all. In fact, it was Jaaved who first noticed something wrong.”
Ian looked at Jaaved, who nodded. “Her crystal was pulsing red,” he explained.
Ian remembered that it was Jaaved’s grandfather who had told them about the magic of Theo’s crystal and explained how it would be able to alert her to evil by flashing red in times of grave danger.
“Until Jaaved mentioned that something was amiss, I’d no idea, Ian.”
“We saw the cyclone right after the pendant gave us warning,” Jaaved explained. “And by then, it was halfway across the channel and making its way directly to us.”
Theo nodded. “We knew we’d never get up the road in time, so Jaaved suggested we find shelter in one of the caves along the shore, and at first we took refuge in one of the lower caves, but the wind whipped the pebbles from the shore at us and we knew we couldn’t stay so close to the ground. That’s when we decided to attempt a climb up to a higher cave, but the cyclone reached us much sooner than we thought it would. It was almost as if it had a will of its own—like it aimed itself directly at us.”
A dark and terrible thought entered Ian’s mind. What if the cyclone hadn’t been just a freakish weather occurrence—but a product of more sinister forces at work?
He nearly voiced his opinion out loud, but one look at Theo’s troubled face and he decided she’d had enough to worry about for the day. “Well, you’re safe now,” he told her, forcing a smile. But Theo hardly looked reassured.
“Ian,” she said softly. “Do you think that cyclone could have been the work of Atroposa?”
“Atroposa?” Carl asked. “You mean the daughter of Demogorgon?”
Theo nodded. “She’s the sorceress of air, you know. A cyclone would have been well within her powers to create.”
Jaaved also appeared troubled. “It did follow us up the shore when we made for higher ground, Ian,” he said. “And I don’t really know how to explain it, but it felt sinister, as if it were a thing of dark magic.”
Carl ran a hand through his hair. “Crikey,” he said. “If one of them can create something like that—what chance does Theo stand against them?”
“That’s it,” Ian said firmly, fearing for her safety. “You’re never leaving the keep again.”
But Theo glared at him with firm determination. “Don’t be daft,” she told him. “Of course I’m leaving the keep. Remember Laodamia’s prophecy? We’re scheduled to go through the portal soon
“That might make sense, Ian, but I still find it hard tobelieve there was a hidden stairway within the keep that we never knew about,” Theo said.
“Well, then, perhaps it should remain a secret,” Ian suggested, staring meaningfully at his three companions. Ian was worried that if the adults learned of the escape route, they’d order it blocked up.
“Might come in handy at some point to have a way out of the keep without anyone knowing about it,” Carl agreed.
“But the exit is blocked,” Jaaved said, gesturing to the large pile of rubble behind them.
“We can work on clearing that out later,” Carl said with confidence.
“Yes,” Theo agreed, and Ian noticed that her hand had moved up to clutch the crystal pendant she wore around her neck. “That might be wise.”
Ian studied her. “Theo?” he asked.
“Yes?”
“Did you get a feeling about the cyclone before you went to the shore?” Theo’s ability to predict the weather was uncanny, and Ian was privately wondering why she hadn’t mentioned any ill feelings she might have had earlier. The only thing she’d said was that the day might grow windy, but she’d hardly looked concerned when she’d said it.
To his surprise, Theo appeared quite troubled. “I had no idea we’d be hit by a cyclone,” she whispered.
“What’s that?” Carl asked, leaning in.
Theo cleared her throat and spoke more clearly this time. “I didn’t know. I felt no warning at all. In fact, it was Jaaved who first noticed something wrong.”
Ian looked at Jaaved, who nodded. “Her crystal was pulsing red,” he explained.
Ian remembered that it was Jaaved’s grandfather who had told them about the magic of Theo’s crystal and explained how it would be able to alert her to evil by flashing red in times of grave danger.
“Until Jaaved mentioned that something was amiss, I’d no idea, Ian.”
“We saw the cyclone right after the pendant gave us warning,” Jaaved explained. “And by then, it was halfway across the channel and making its way directly to us.”
Theo nodded. “We knew we’d never get up the road in time, so Jaaved suggested we find shelter in one of the caves along the shore, and at first we took refuge in one of the lower caves, but the wind whipped the pebbles from the shore at us and we knew we couldn’t stay so close to the ground. That’s when we decided to attempt a climb up to a higher cave, but the cyclone reached us much sooner than we thought it would. It was almost as if it had a will of its own—like it aimed itself directly at us.”
A dark and terrible thought entered Ian’s mind. What if the cyclone hadn’t been just a freakish weather occurrence—but a product of more sinister forces at work?
He nearly voiced his opinion out loud, but one look at Theo’s troubled face and he decided she’d had enough to worry about for the day. “Well, you’re safe now,” he told her, forcing a smile. But Theo hardly looked reassured.
“Ian,” she said softly. “Do you think that cyclone could have been the work of Atroposa?”
“Atroposa?” Carl asked. “You mean the daughter of Demogorgon?”
Theo nodded. “She’s the sorceress of air, you know. A cyclone would have been well within her powers to create.”
Jaaved also appeared troubled. “It did follow us up the shore when we made for higher ground, Ian,” he said. “And I don’t really know how to explain it, but it felt sinister, as if it were a thing of dark magic.”
Carl ran a hand through his hair. “Crikey,” he said. “If one of them can create something like that—what chance does Theo stand against them?”
“That’s it,” Ian said firmly, fearing for her safety. “You’re never leaving the keep again.”
But Theo glared at him with firm determination. “Don’t be daft,” she told him. “Of course I’m leaving the keep. Remember Laodamia’s prophecy? We’re scheduled to go through the portal soon
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