horrible men.â
âWhere is the Mayor?â asked Edgar.
âHe didnât want to face the demon,â said Mr Blood. âI suppose he is hiding under his bed, the fat toad.â
âCome on!â barked a guard. âNot much time left.â
They marched on to the edge of the town and a short way further. The stink of the marsh grew stronger.
The guards stopped.
âThis is it,â said a guard. âWe will tie the children to the tree. If you cannot kill the marsh demon, it will take the first two children it can find.â
âThis is murder,â said Mr Blood. âWe came here to help you. You do not need to put my helpers in danger.â
âWe have our orders, sir,â the guard replied.
The guards tied Edgar and Mary to a large tree on the edge of the marsh and got ready to leave.
Edgar and Mary looked at the marsh with fear. It was covered in thick mist.
âOne more thing, sir,â said the guard. âDo not try to untie the children. Several of my men will be watching from the town. They have bows and arrows. They are very good shots.â
He looked hard at Mr Blood. âIf you untie the children, we will pin them to the tree with arrows.â
Mr Blood glared at the men.
âIf you want this demon killed,â he growled, âplace your torches on the ground around the edges of the marsh.â
The guards did as they were asked. Then, one by one, they crept away.
Chapter 4
Midnight
It was midnight. In the distance, a single bell rang twelve times.
Edgar and Mary trembled. The tree creaked. Very slowly, the mist hanging over the marsh began to swirl. The marsh smell grew stronger.
Mr Blood stared hard into the dark. The torch flames flickered in the mist.
The marsh itself was hidden. It was a black, silent, stinking terror.
âThe guards are gone,â said Edgar. âQuick, untie us!â
âIâll try.â Mr Bloodâs voice sounded strained.
He walked around the marsh towards Edgar and Mary.
âWhat are you doing?â asked Mary. âIf you try to untie us, the men with bows will kill us.â
âYouâd rather wait and see what comes to get us?â Edgar spat.
Mary didnât reply.
Mr Blood was only a few steps away from Edgar and Mary when an arrow hissed through the air and thumped into the ground next to Edgarâs foot.
Edgar yelped.
Mr Blood jumped back.
âSo they meant it,â said Mary. âOur only way to escape is to do what they want.â
âMr Bloodâ¦â said Edgar in a very quiet voice.
The mist had lifted. The black surface of the marsh moved slowly. The rotten mud was bubbling and steaming up through the ground.
It was forming a heap.
âItâs coming,â said Mr Blood. âWe will fight the monster with fire.â
âDoes that work with marsh demons?â asked Mary.
Mr Blood didnât reply.
âYouâve never even seen one before, have you?â said Edgar. â
Look!
â
He pointed again at the marsh.
A huge mound of stinking mud was piling up a short way from the tree.
âMarshes burn,â said Mr Blood. âSo this monster will burn.â
He picked up two of the torches.
âI am putting two torches behind the tree,â said Mr Blood. âIf I can untie you, take one each as a weapon.â
âIs that the best plan you can think of?â Edgar yelled. âWave a burning stick at it? We are all going toâ¦â
The others never heard what Edgar was trying to say. An awful sound boomed across the marsh. It was a slow, hollow roar that seemed to go on for ever.
The mound of mud began to unfold itself.
Chapter 5
Mud Monster
The marsh demon rose from the slime and stood above its victims.
It was huge. Rotten leaves and sticks stuck to its skin. It shook itself like a wet dog. Live eels and frogs fell from its mouth and sank back into the marsh.
In two huge steps the monster
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