Rivers of Fire (Atherton, Book 2) by Patrick Carman Page B
Authors: Patrick Carman
Tags: Fiction, General, Science-Fiction, Children's Books, Action & Adventure, Family, Juvenile Fiction, Action & Adventure - General, Fantasy & Magic, YA), Children's Fiction, Ages 9-12 Fiction, Science Fiction; Fantasy; & Magic, Social Issues, Orphans, Social classes, Children: Grades 4-6, Friendship, Science fiction; American, Orphans & Foster Homes, Science fiction (Children's, Children's & young adult fiction & true stories, Earthquakes
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me."
Dr. Kincaid didn't have the slightest idea what Sir Emerik was talking about.
"He's of no use to us," Vincent assessed. Dr. Kincaid nodded and stepped back, giving Vincent authority to do as he pleased.
"You must let me go first, then I'll yell back to you," said Sir Emerik, starting along the wall with the blue line. Vincent cracked the whip, then took Sir Emerik by his filthy robe and held him out toward the open of Mead's Hollow.
118
A "Speak," said Vincent. "Or I'll throw you into the dark and you'll be dinner for the Crat. Tell us where the children are!"
Eeeeeeeeeek!
Sir Emerik heard the Crat coming nearer, and his blood went cold. He couldn't get the words out fast enough. "That way, you'll find a door. The door to the source of water. The four of them are locked inside."
"What do you mean, the four of them?" asked Dr. Kincaid.
"Just let me go! Please let me go!" Sir Emerik was crying out with such agony that Vincent simply couldn't take it any longer. He hauled Sir Emerik along the wall, toward a far-off exit, and thrust him to the ground.
"Do not try to follow us," he commanded. "You won't like it if I see you again."
There were two torches now, and Edgar threw one toward Sir Emerik. It sparked on the ground and was picked up, and then Sir Emerik was gone, racing for the door that led out of Mead's Hollow.
The group of three moved on, cracking the whip as they went and occasionally connecting with a Crat coming too close to Vincent's watchful eye. Soon they were at the door, a door Dr. Kincaid knew well.
"What did he mean by four?" said Dr. Kincaid. "I thought there were only two -- Samuel and Isabel."
"I think I know who will be the third," said Edgar. "But I have no idea who might be the last."
***
119
It was true Samuel and Isabel were trapped in a room with Lord Phineus, but as it turned out, there was something very special hidden in that room besides water.
The room itself was not like anything Samuel or Isabel had seen before. There was light, even though the room was far underground beneath the Highlands and there were no torches. What they saw was a different kind of light, creeping out from somewhere beneath a series of nine perfectly circular pools of water in the room. The pools were scattered randomly across a large, open area that was black and cold. It was haunting to behold--an unnatural path of round, watery light on the floor--and it made Isabel shiver. She leaned out over the first pool and thought it looked bottomless.
"What's happened to this place?" asked Isabel. No one answered her.
There were chunks of wood and stone and frayed lengths of rope lying along the edge of the pools, as if once there had been some water-releasing system in place. Atherton's collapse had destroyed whatever it had been, and Isabel had a lingering sense that the water was trapped here, in the nine pools, never again to flow freely. The children's eyes moved curiously around the room, momentarily forgetting that they were not alone.
Lord Phineus was locked inside the vast room with them, and it had produced a chilling effect on the master of the fallen Highlands. He had moved off alone into a dark corner near one of the pools, intent on nursing his wounded mind. Lord Phineus knew there was someone else in the room, someone the children didn't know anything about, but Lord Phineus was not prepared for the attack from behind, the ropes that tied his hands, the firm push to the ground.
120
[Image: The pools of water.]
121
"Who's there?" asked Samuel, gazing into the dark corner of the vast room of circular pools and paths.
"It's a trick," said Isabel. "Lord Phineus is fooling with us."
She was searching around for something she could use as a weapon and struck upon a long splinter of wood from one of the pulleys. Out of the darkness came the shadow of a man, tall and lanky.
"Get back, Lord Phineus! Get back, I tell you!" cried Isabel.
She very nearly began stabbing the stick toward the
Dr. Kincaid didn't have the slightest idea what Sir Emerik was talking about.
"He's of no use to us," Vincent assessed. Dr. Kincaid nodded and stepped back, giving Vincent authority to do as he pleased.
"You must let me go first, then I'll yell back to you," said Sir Emerik, starting along the wall with the blue line. Vincent cracked the whip, then took Sir Emerik by his filthy robe and held him out toward the open of Mead's Hollow.
118
A "Speak," said Vincent. "Or I'll throw you into the dark and you'll be dinner for the Crat. Tell us where the children are!"
Eeeeeeeeeek!
Sir Emerik heard the Crat coming nearer, and his blood went cold. He couldn't get the words out fast enough. "That way, you'll find a door. The door to the source of water. The four of them are locked inside."
"What do you mean, the four of them?" asked Dr. Kincaid.
"Just let me go! Please let me go!" Sir Emerik was crying out with such agony that Vincent simply couldn't take it any longer. He hauled Sir Emerik along the wall, toward a far-off exit, and thrust him to the ground.
"Do not try to follow us," he commanded. "You won't like it if I see you again."
There were two torches now, and Edgar threw one toward Sir Emerik. It sparked on the ground and was picked up, and then Sir Emerik was gone, racing for the door that led out of Mead's Hollow.
The group of three moved on, cracking the whip as they went and occasionally connecting with a Crat coming too close to Vincent's watchful eye. Soon they were at the door, a door Dr. Kincaid knew well.
"What did he mean by four?" said Dr. Kincaid. "I thought there were only two -- Samuel and Isabel."
"I think I know who will be the third," said Edgar. "But I have no idea who might be the last."
***
119
It was true Samuel and Isabel were trapped in a room with Lord Phineus, but as it turned out, there was something very special hidden in that room besides water.
The room itself was not like anything Samuel or Isabel had seen before. There was light, even though the room was far underground beneath the Highlands and there were no torches. What they saw was a different kind of light, creeping out from somewhere beneath a series of nine perfectly circular pools of water in the room. The pools were scattered randomly across a large, open area that was black and cold. It was haunting to behold--an unnatural path of round, watery light on the floor--and it made Isabel shiver. She leaned out over the first pool and thought it looked bottomless.
"What's happened to this place?" asked Isabel. No one answered her.
There were chunks of wood and stone and frayed lengths of rope lying along the edge of the pools, as if once there had been some water-releasing system in place. Atherton's collapse had destroyed whatever it had been, and Isabel had a lingering sense that the water was trapped here, in the nine pools, never again to flow freely. The children's eyes moved curiously around the room, momentarily forgetting that they were not alone.
Lord Phineus was locked inside the vast room with them, and it had produced a chilling effect on the master of the fallen Highlands. He had moved off alone into a dark corner near one of the pools, intent on nursing his wounded mind. Lord Phineus knew there was someone else in the room, someone the children didn't know anything about, but Lord Phineus was not prepared for the attack from behind, the ropes that tied his hands, the firm push to the ground.
120
[Image: The pools of water.]
121
"Who's there?" asked Samuel, gazing into the dark corner of the vast room of circular pools and paths.
"It's a trick," said Isabel. "Lord Phineus is fooling with us."
She was searching around for something she could use as a weapon and struck upon a long splinter of wood from one of the pulleys. Out of the darkness came the shadow of a man, tall and lanky.
"Get back, Lord Phineus! Get back, I tell you!" cried Isabel.
She very nearly began stabbing the stick toward the
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