The Rightful Heir (4 page)

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Cousin Jon's Paper Sack

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
The Harvest Home Festival

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
The Boss on the Branch

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Haverhill in Hysteria

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
The Singing Spring

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
Hail to the King

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
A Hopeless Attempt

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
The Walkie-Talkie on the Desk

Acknowledgements

Prologue-The Ending Feud

INTRODUCTION

T
HE CRESCENT MOON
climbed higher in the black, late-August sky, casting its pale light eerily across pastures of bluestem grass. A light, cool breeze rocked the tall heads back and forth.

Out of the stalks a dark object jumped, then fell back to earth. A few moments later it jumped again, returned, then froze. It smelled something close by.
Sniff, sniff
. The pug looked to one side but saw no movement in the thick vegetation. On the other side, downwind and unseen, a line lengthened in the grass, quickly approaching.

“Son?” King Pugsly called out urgently, a silver-blue tag on his collar sparkling in the moonlight. “Is that you?”

A field mouse, on his way to a small puddle, faintly heard his king's voice. His heart beat rapidly in his chest. He stopped to catch his breath beside the water. Without warning he was knocked onto his back and loud rattling thundered in his ears.

“Well, Edward.
Hisssssss
. Where issss he?” a rattlesnake whispered as another poked his head above the grass like a periscope, searching all directions.

“H-h-he's back there a ways,” the small creature pointed behind him. “I moved downwind. I don't think he n-n-noticed me.”

The snake's laugh sizzled. “Gooood, little moussse. We'll be ssseeing you sssoon. Come back here tomorrow night. The buzzard will be waiting.” The two snakes slithered off behind the mouse, their long, scaly bodies rustling the grass.

“Wait! W-what about my family?” Edward's frantic whisper vanished in the field. He curled up into a ball and sobbed from the overwhelming weight on his heart.

King Pugsly walked toward the sound of movement. He inhaled deeply but his small black nose couldn't pick up any familiar scents. “Son?”

In the split second he recognized the sounds of snakes in the grass, they lifted their diamond heads right in front of him and he jumped to avoid the attack. But he landed on one of their dark, muscled backs. Instinctively he bit and scratched, the snake shrieking as he savagely tore its scaly skin.

The bite that penetrated the dog's chest came quickly, causing him to fall off the injured snake while the other hissed in excitement, “There, that'sss it. Let the poissson sssoar through the veinsss of your weakened body. One little bite and your entire kingdom is finished!”

The dog lay still, looking up at them. “My—my kingdom?” he asked, feeling the effects of the poison as it pulsed through his aching body. “I'm only one member.…There are…hundreds more.” He coughed, then breathed deeply.

“They'll all be eaten by our massster,” the mauled rattlesnake hissed.

“Ben…Benjamin…” King Pugsly could no longer speak and stared straight ahead.

The snakes hissed happily, their long trails moving through the grass away from the dying pug. Soon a small grass trail, that of the pitiful mouse, approached the site of the attack.

An owl awoke in his nest as the sun fell behind the faded gold treetops.
Hoo! Hoo!
He launched himself and flew into Persly's Woods. That dream—the murder he'd witnessed a month ago, while flying over the pastures—continued to haunt his sleep.

Trapped in darkness,
too tired to fight,
keep calm,
keep breathing,
and speak to the light
.

CHAPTER ONE