The Lost Heir (The Gryphon Chronicles, Book 1) (19 page)

She couldn’t do anything as he sauntered over to her and looked her in the eyes—the bubble hovered at about his eyelevel. “Well, well. Thought you could get away, did you? That wasn’t very smart.”

“
You
take care of her,” Fionnula complained. “I’m going back to sleep.”

“Oh, believe me, I will.” He reached into the blue bubble and popped it as his giant hand closed around her.

Gladwin’s head and shoulders were free above the base of his thumb, while her toes fluttered out by the heel of his hand. Fighting and cursing against him in her fairy language, she pushed against his grasp, to no avail.

“Maybe I’ll feed you to Malwort, after all,” he said.

“M-m-master,” the satyr spoke up, bleating like a sheep in his fright.

“What is it?” Waldrick snapped.

“Respectfully, sir, fairy blood is poisonous to spiders.”

The cherub nodded earnestly. “I’ve heard that, too, my lord.”

“Is it really?” Waldrick looked surprised. He eyed each of his prisoners skeptically. “Hmm, I will look into that. You had better not be lying. In the meanwhile, I suppose we can’t take any chances of anything happening to our dear little Malwort. He has an important job to do.”

Thanks to her fellow captives’ quick thinking, Gladwin was spared the fate of being fed to the spider. Instead, Waldrick took a small wooden box down off the shelf. It had wire mesh for a lid. “Ha, you won’t be able to break this.”

Gladwin panicked when he started to put her in the box. She had to get out of here!

Unable to wriggle free of his grasp, she had one last means of trying to make him release his giant hand from around her.

She bit him.

“Ow! Why you miserable little gnat! How dare you?”

Her attempt didn’t work—he only gripped her harder. He lifted her up to glare in her face, his cold gray eyes shooting sparks of rage, like a blade being sharpened on a spinning stone. “Foolish little fairy, you should not have done that. Now you’ve made me angry. Thought you’d fly away? Well, I’m sorry to say, your flying days are over.”

The blood drained from Gladwin’s face as he picked up the pair of scissors lying on the worktable. Then he brought them toward her, opening the blades and eyeing up her delicate gossamer wings.

“No, please! Not my wings! Anything but that, I beg you!”

But he couldn’t understand her pleading, nor would he have cared. He snickered as he brought the giant scissors up behind her.

Gladwin squeezed her eyes shut and screamed.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Of Parting Ways & Flying Machines

Derek Stone told Dani all about Jake’s shocking background as they rode to Griffon Castle astride the warrior’s towering black stallion.

Teddy poked his head out of the satchel on Dani’s back and sniffed the air when they arrived before two tall, wrought-iron gates. The giant gates were flanked by pillars topped with stone gryphon statues.

The fierce beasts seemed to stare at them as they rode through the gates and continued up the long, tree-lined drive. Holding on to Derek’s waist, Dani peeked around the warrior for a look at Griffon Castle’s towers and turrets.

She could not believe Jake had been born in such splendor. At last, Derek brought his tired stallion to a halt and jumped down from the saddle. He lifted Dani down and set her on her feet, and Dani, in turn, put Teddy on the ground.

Stretching from nearly four uncomfortable hours on the horse, Dani glanced at the boarded-up, abandoned castle. Derek walked to the front door and reached for the door-handle.

“Isn’t it locked?” She did not know why she whispered, but there was an eerie stillness about this place, as if it slept under some enchanted spell.

Derek gave her an odd look over his shoulder as she followed him. “People don’t lock their doors in the country, Miss O’Dell. I think perhaps you’ve been in London too long.” He opened the door and stepped inside with a cautious glance around. “Jacob?”

“He hates being called that.”

“Oh? Jake?” he tried again.

Teddy raced in past them and immediately began barking and running around.

“He’s found something,” she said. “Teddy! Stop that! What’s that you’re after?” She ran farther into the castle to catch the little rascal. “Teddy, no! Leave that frog alone! Mr. Stone, there’s a frog in here! There’s…a bunch of ‘em!”

Teddy was barking merrily at the frogs, whirling this way and that. He dashed off and chased another while Dani hurried after him with a grimace. “What are frogs doing in a castle? It’s like a Bible plague!”

The panicked frogs were in retreat, trying to escape, but the wee terrier was having a marvelous time, his front half down, his haunches high, his tail wagging madly. He seemed to enjoy making them hop by menacing them with his bark.

“Teddy, that’s not nice. Drop him, now!”

Teddy looked up with a frog dangling from his mouth.

Dani put her hands on her hips. “Teddy!”

The terrier dropped the frog with a disappointed whine. She bent down and reached to pick Teddy up to keep him out of trouble, but the terrier suddenly caught a familiar scent and dashed off, following his nose.

The dog led them straight to Jake.

They found His Lordship in the great hall, sleeping on a couch across from the fireplace. Her dog, helpful as ever, was already busy waking him up, standing on Jake’s chest, licking his nose.

Dani ran over to them. “Jake! Are you all right? I’ve been scared to death! When that thing grabbed you—”

“I’m fine,” he mumbled, pushing Teddy aside. Then he sat up with a yawn. He had wrapped himself in the dust-cover cloth from the sofa and was using it for a blanket.

“I see you’ve found your way home,” Derek said as he joined them.

“It appears so,” Jake replied in a low, cautious tone.

They both looked at the painting above the mantel, then exchanged a somber glance.

Dani realized in shock it was a picture of Jake’s parents. The resemblance was unmistakable. Abruptly, she fell silent, not knowing what to say.

If Jake really was an aristocrat, he probably couldn’t be friends with her for much longer. She was just a commoner, and would soon be headed back to the rookery without him. And then what? she thought in dread.

No more magic in her life. No more adventures.

“I walked around the grounds last night and found their tombs,” Jake said. “There’s a marble mausoleum in the woods with a reflecting pond in front of it.”

Derek nodded sadly. “Are you all right?”

“Aye. Hungry.” The bedraggled boy-earl let out a yawn, but as usual, refused to admit how he really felt. “I don’t suppose either of you brought something to eat? I’m starving.”

Hearing this, Dani smiled ruefully at Derek. “I guess he
is
all right.”

“I only brought a few supplies,” the warrior said, “but if we go up across the fields to the neighboring estate, Bradford Park, I’m sure you can have a proper breakfast there.”

“Really? Why should the people there want to feed us?”

“Because they are your relatives,” Derek replied.

Jake’s jaw dropped. “More relatives?! Well, I hope these ones at least won’t try to kill me.”

“They won’t. Come on.”

Jake threw off the sheet and jumped to his feet. “If they’ve got food, just point the way. Watch out for all those frogs,” he cautioned as they headed for the door. Jake scooped Teddy up in his arms and scratched him under the chin as he carried him out. “Don’t know how they got in, but they seem to think they own the place.”

Derek pulled the door shut behind them.

They went out into the morning sunshine. Jake set Teddy down again. Derek went to untie his horse, while Dani walked beside her friend. She was so relieved to find him all right. “Congratulations, Jake,” she offered. “You’ve finally found your parents. I can’t believe you’re an earl.”

Jake shook his head in amazement. “I can’t believe it either. How’s your head this morning?”

“All better. Jake, I hope—”

“Keep up, you two!” Derek ordered, leading his horse ahead of them through the tall grass, while Teddy frolicked through the meadow, forgetting the frogs in favor of the butterflies.

“You hope what?” he asked, but before Dani could answer, she was interrupted again, this time, by a long, loud, wobbly shout erupting over the field ahead.

For a second, Dani didn’t see anyone, then a streak of motion overhead drew her attention.

She furrowed her brow as a boy wearing brass-rimmed goggles and a long white coat went flying over the field in front of them, riding on a marvelous machine: an odd, bat-winged contraption that looked like giant kites or canvas sails attached to a small canoe with wheels on the bottom and two small propellers on the back.

“Whoooooaaaaa!” he shouted as he flew, catapulting in a great arc over the field above them.

Dani, Jake, and Derek all turned their heads in unison, following his flight as the boy sailed through the afternoon sky.

“Woooooo
hooooo
!” he whooped, passing overheard to disappear behind a nearby grove of trees.

Splash!

“What the deuce was that?” Jake cried, turning to Derek.

“That,” the warrior said dryly, “was your cousin, Archie.” And shrugging like he could not quite believe it himself, he added, “The boy genius.”

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Bradford Park

They ran to see if the boy on the flying machine had broken his head, but found him climbing out of the shallow pond. “It works, it works!” he shouted jubilantly. “Mr. Stone, hullo! Did you see that?” He pushed his goggles up onto his head and didn’t seem to care in the least that he was soaked to the skin. “Did you see my Pigeon go?”

“I did, Master Archie,” Derek called back in amusement. “Well done, as always.”

“Brilliant,” Jake breathed, staring rapturously at the contraption. “I want a turn!”

Dani frowned at him. Recklessness obviously ran in the family.

Master Archie, or rather, the Honorable Archimedes James Bradford as Derek formally introduced him, was eleven, with dark hair that stuck out in all directions, a splash of freckles across his face, and black, twinkly eyes full of mischief and extraordinary notions.

Dani rather hated him on sight, though she couldn’t say why. First of all, he was much too happy.

“Hullo!” he greeted them with great, amiable cheer.

Peeling off his gloves, he shook hands with Jake and bowed to Dani like a proper young gentleman.

Ugh, perfect manners, too.

She stared at him, bemused by this odd being who seemed to be made of equal parts enthusiasm and eccentricity. But Archie soon returned to marveling over his long-lost cousin.

Indeed, each boy seemed quite pleased to find himself with an agreeable male cousin about his own age. Dani despaired, fearing she was already forgotten.

Just then, a frantic voice reached them from the distance. “Archimedes!”

They all turned. An elegant black-haired lady was rushing out of the grand white house toward them, holding up her long, dark skirts to avoid tripping on them in her haste.

“Ah, dash,” Archie said under his breath.

“Master Archie, are you hurt?” she demanded as she hurried toward them, using her hand to shade her milky complexion from the sun. “You know you are not supposed to work on the glider without Henry’s supervision! You could’ve been killed!”

“I’m fine, Miss Helena, really!” the young inventor called back in a longsuffering tone.

“Who’s that?” Jake whispered.

“That’s our governess—well, more my sister’s now,” he said glumly. “She’s half French and a termagant when she’s cross.”

“A what?” Jake said.

“Termagant—an overbearing shrew,” Dani informed him.

Archie turned to Dani, pleased that she understood him. But Derek watched Miss Helena approach with an odd glow in his eyes. “I’m sure she’s nothing of the kind,” he murmured, taking a step toward the dark-eyed beauty who now joined them. “Fear not, the boy is unharmed, Mademoiselle du Val.” When the Guardian greeted the governess with a small, chivalrous bow, Dani and Jake looked at him and then at each other in shock.

Miss Helena smiled at him, pressing her hand to her heart as she strove to catch her breath. “Ah, Guardian Stone, if I had known you were on hand, I should not have feared for the boy’s safety in the least.” She smoothed a stray hair back toward the neat bun she wore at her nape, then she straightened the cameo brooch that adorned the high lace neck of her gown. “As it is, I was sitting in the drawing room with Miss Isabelle and Her Ladyship when I saw him go flying through the sky. Mon Dieu!” Miss Helena turned and scolded Archie in a rapid stream of French, then pointed toward the house.

Archie apparently understood every word; Dani was impressed in spite of herself.

Looking mortified, the young scientist went to collect his “Pigeon,” while Jake eyed the governess like she’d better not even think about telling
him
what to do, in any language.

While Jake went to help his cousin drag the invention out of the pond, Derek told Miss Helena who Jake and Dani were. The governess declared that Lady Bradford would want to see her long-lost great-great nephew right away.

Dani called Teddy back to take him inside, but when she picked him up, to her surprise, he growled at Miss Helena; the Frenchwoman frowned, but seemed unsurprised.

The governess narrowed her yellowish-green eyes at Teddy and fairly hissed. Dani looked at Derek Stone in confusion as the mysterious woman walked ahead of them. He merely grinned and gave her a wink.

Well, there is some sort of secret here
, Dani thought. Whatever it was, she instantly wanted to know it. She kept her eyes open and her wits sharp while the boys pulled Archie’s flying machine back up onto the grass. Together they all went up to the gleaming white mansion on the hill.

Bradford House was modeled on a classical Greek temple. It had a small dome on top, a front portico held up by stately columns, and symmetrical wings off the main block, with rows of sparkling windows.

In the sculpted gardens, not a blade of grass appeared out of place. When they stepped inside, the house was bright and airy. Miniature lemon trees grew in pots in the entrance hall. The rooms they passed were painted in pastels. It was the most elegant house Dani had ever seen, and it made her all the more self-conscious about the fact that she was from the rookery—not to mention still wearing a borrowed nightgown and her grubby old cloak.