House of Secrets

Chapter 18

Jonathan ran to the rollaway bed. There wasn’t much time. Krom kept widening the hole—any minute it’d be big enough to let all the warriors in. He tossed the mattress off the bed and wheeled the metal frame to the window.

“We’re too high up to jump. But if we can get to that tree . . . ”

The girls understood. They opened the window, and then helped Jonathan lift the front of the frame and shove it out diagonally, so it would fit; then they grabbed the back and lifted that too, pushing it out to make a bridge, hoping it would catch against the gnarled bark of the nearest tree.

“Count of three!” Jonathan said. “One . . . two . . . ”

With all their might they heaved.

“Yes!” Alyssa said. The far end of the bed caught. The near end was hooked over the inside of the windowsill. “We did it!”

“You two go first.” Jonathan glanced back. There was now a huge hole where the attic door used to be. The stairs, which folded up when the door closed, were gone as well—reduced to splinters. Slayne’s red feather poked through the hole. “Krom, on your hands and knees! I need to get up there!”

Alyssa took the lead. She removed her bulky breastplate and stepped out on the bed, teetering back and forth. She willed herself not to look down. She moved by feel, eyes closed, trusting her balance. The humid air washed across her face as she reached the tree. The thick seams in the bark provided perfect handholds. She started descending.

“Nell!” she called back. “You can do it! Just don’t look down!”

But Nellie, crouching at the foot of the bed frame, had already looked. The fall was far enough to cripple her, if not kill her.

“C’mon!” Jon urged.

“I can’t, Jon!”

“You have to!”

“I can’t. I looked down.”

“Then look behind you!”

Nellie glanced back to see Slayne hoisting himself into the attic. She didn’t give it another thought; she tore off her gauntlets because they made her arms feel clumsy and ran full tilt across the bridge, nearly slamming into the tree at the other end and starting down as Jonatahan came across last.

Alyssa stood on the ground, urging Nellie to jump the rest of the way. Jonatahn reached the tree and kicked the bed frame aside so no one could follow. Nellie screamed as it fell, diving off the tree to keep from getting hit. Allysa darted into position and caught her. The frame crashed to earth, smashing ferns and logs. Jonathan reached the ground as Slayne appeared in the window and yelled, “Run, sorcerer’s spawn! See how far you get before I gut you!”

Another warrior appeared at the window with a bow and fired off a shot.

The bronze-tipped arrow whizzed past Jonathan’s ear and thudded into the earth. The siblings ran through the woods, slipping on pine needles and wet rocks, no idea where they were headed. The journey across the bed bridge and down the tree had left them with bruises and scrapes that screamed at them. Their armor was gone; none of them had weapons. They were terrified and had no idea how to run without leaving a trail. They didn’t speak, hearing only their breath—and then another sound. Hoofbeats.

The warriors were mounted and gaining. Alyssa stumbled on a root. Jonathan grabbed her before she hit the ground. With a thunk an arrow spiked into a tree next to him. Nellie ran as fast as her small legs could carry her. The thoughts going through the Walters’ heads were less the thoughts of human beings and more the thoughts—No! Keep going! They’re here!—of hunted animals.