House of Secrets

Chapter 17

It was pitch-black in the dumbwaiter. Nellie could hardly move. If she’d been a foot taller, she never would have fit inside. She twisted to grab one of the bicycle-chain-like cables that the container rode on and pulled one way. The dumbwaiter inched up. So she pulled the other way and started down, moving quickly. The rusty pulleys squeaked. With every foot she descended, the voices of the warriors grew louder.

“Hand me that sweetened meal, Krom!”

“Find your own!”

“We could set up camp here and run raids over the East!”

“It could do with a few slaves to tidy up—”

Halfway down Nellie started to think she’d made a terrible mistake. Slaves? Raids? This wasn’t some TV show; these men would cut her to pieces. But she couldn’t reverse course and be a coward. Not with Jon and Al upstairs depending on her.

The dumbwaiter stopped at the kitchen with a metallic chunk.

“What was that?” Slayne asked. Nell heard him approach. He was only a few feet away, on the other side of the wall—and then he opened the dumbwaiter door.

His black eyes met Nellie’s. He had mayonnaise in his beard. His rancid-sweat smell hit her like a punch.

“Why, it’s a little witchling,” Slayne chortled to his companions, turning his head—

And Nellie struck him in the cheek with her barbecue fork.

“Raagh!” Slayne brought his hand to his face, shocked that the girl had cut him. Then he plunged his sword into the dumbwaiter. Nellie shrank back and threw up an arm—

Clang! The blade glanced off her gauntlet. “Help!”

Slayne pulled back for another thrust. Nellie felt a jolt—and the dumbwaiter began to rise rapidly. The next sword strike hit the wall of the shaft below Nellie, just missing her. She heard Slayne’s bellow of frustration as she moved up in herky-jerky starts until she reached the second floor. Light entered the dumbwaiter . . . and with it the shadows of Alyssa and Jonathan.

“Get out!” They yanked her into the hall. “They’re coming!”

A thunderous clamor of metal sounded from the spiral steps. “Kill her!” roared Slayne.

The Walters ran up into the attic, pulled up the steps, and locked the trapdoor. “Nell! What were you thinking?” Alyssa demanded.

 Nellie started to explain—when they heard the deep crunch of an ax biting into wood behind them. They turned to see the tip of Krom’s ax poking through the attic door. It disappeared and struck again. Chunks of wood fell away, leaving a hole. A sword stuck up and slashed around.

“I’m so sorry! I’m so sorry!” Nellie cried. “I was just trying to be brave, and now we’re all gonna die!”