 |
BOOK TWO SYNOPSIS
A HOLIDAY TO REMEMBER
When Max Sumner and the Grey Griffins (Ernie, Natalia, and Harley) are invited to Lord Sumner's castle in Scotland, they look forward to a relaxing vacation. But things go horribly awry when Max's dad goes missing, and a band of seemingly indestructible werewolves comes after them. Will Max and the Grey Griffins be able to save his father and keep the powerful Spear of Ragnarok from falling into the wicked clutches of Margan LaFey?
|
 |
|
|
CHAPTER 1: THE BEGINNINGS OF A CREEPY CHRISTMAS
Avalon, Minnesota, lay in the snowy plains of Middle America. A fresh winter rain had swept across the land, covering every tree limb, street sign, and electrical wire with a wrapper of gleaming ice. And when the sun managed to poke through the clouds, the entire town seemed to sparkle.
The Grey Griffins, a secret club made up of four best friends from King's Elementary School, walked beneath the branches of the woods with smiles upon their faces. They were returning home after searching for the perfect Christmas tree, and with winter break near, the air was bursting with anticipation.
"We should be careful, though," Ernie Tweeny mumbled through the long rainbow scarf that was wrapped around his head like a python. Between that and his stocking cap, all that could be seen of his face was Ernie's ample nose and horn-rimmed glasses that were fogged over in the frosty air. "There are still monsters creeping around in here, you know."
"Cheer up," encouraged Natalia Romanov, her long red braids bouncing with each step. Despite her diminutive stature, Natalia was tough as nails and twice as sharp. She always kept her wits, which was the sign of a good sleuth -- and Natalia was the best in town, even at eleven years of age. "There aren't any monsters out here anymore," she claimed. "Or at least not that many."
"But . . ."
"Come on," Harley Eisenstein added with a reassuring pat on Ernie's shoulder. "Don't be such a chicken. It's almost Christmas. What could possibly go wrong?" Harley was standing ankle deep in the snow, wearing nothing more than a hooded sweatshirt, a jean jacket, and fingerless gloves. He was big for his age, a head taller than most of his friends. And brave. If Harley ever got scared, no one knew about it. Ernie, on the other hand, was pretty much afraid of his own shadow.
"Fine," Ernie said, sighing, as he looked about, pushing down his scarf to take a deep pull from his asthma inhaler -- cold air and nerves were bad for his condition. But luckily, the sun was bright and shadows were scarce. "Just don't say I didn't warn you. I know I saw something move in the trees back there . . . something's been following us."
Only a few months earlier, the woods surrounding the town of Avalon had been teeming with goblins, Spriggans, pixies, and other unspeakable nasties that had jumped out of the darkest pages of fairy tales. At first it had only been a mistake. Harley had been tricked into releasing the monsters that had been locked up in Max's magical book, but events took a turn for the worse when Morgan LaFey, an immortal witch, showed up in town one day. She set out to use Max and his book for something far worse: to open Oberon's Gate, a portal to a dark world. If she had succeeded, Oberon, King of the Shadowlands of Faerie, would have marched through with an army of goblins, putting an end to their quiet town -- and then the rest of the world. But the Griffins, working side by side with the fabled Knights Templar, had foiled the plot. It was, admittedly, more difficult than it sounds, but as Natalia was happy to point out, all's well that ends well.
Ernie, however, continued to remind the other Griffins that their terrible adventure was probably only the beginning of something far more dreadful. His theory was that happy endings only ever came true in books. This was real life.
"We'll be fine," Grayson Maximillian Sumner III, or Max as he preferred to be called, assured Ernie. "I know these woods inside and out. Besides, we're almost home."
Max was the leader of the secret Order of the Grey Griffins. His sun-streaked hair had darkened dramatically with the start of winter. Apart from his storm-gray eyes, which changed color with the weather, there was little else that stood out about Max. He was neither short nor tall; he wasn't picked first when they played sports -- though never last; and while he managed to get good grades in school, his marks were nowhere near Natalia's. All in all, Max was pretty much like most boys his age, except for two points: His recently divorced parents were billionaires, and he possessed one of the most powerful magical artifacts ever created, the Codex Spiritus.
"I just want to know how Harley plans to put a tree like this in a trailer so small," Natalia remarked, pointing to the tall spruce that Harley was dragging behind him -- a gift for his mother. Natalia wasn't trying to be rude. She just approved of straight talk. After all, it was no secret that Harley did live in a run-down trailer on the outskirts of town, with barely enough room inside to open the refrigerator door.
"It'll fit," said Harley, snorting. What the Eisenstein household lacked in creature comforts, they more than made up for in love. Max only dreamed that his parents cared about him half as much, especially since the divorce.
The Griffins trudged through the snow, Natalia and Max at the front while Harley trailed behind with the trunk of the Christmas tree swung over his shoulder. Ernie, because he knew very well that monsters only attacked kids in the front or end of a line, had placed himself safely in the middle, quietly munching on a carrot stick. Ernie's father was an orthodontist, and in a small town like Avalon, riddled with gossips and busybodies, family members with dental issues were notably poor for business. When a cavity had been discovered, Ernie was barred from his beloved junk food and a strict diet was enforced.
"Hey, look," Harley called, suddenly dropping the tree as he ran off the path. "Footprints."
"From a dog," Natalia replied. "What's the big deal?"
Harley shook his head as Max drew near. "Close. It's a wolf, and a big one, too."
"A wolf?" Ernie exclaimed nervously, looking over his shoulder.
"Ah, don't worry so much," Harley replied, slapping Ernie on the shoulder. "They're more scared of us than we are of them. Come on. Let's follow the tracks and see where they go."
Ernie's face turned pale. It wasn't so simple to convince him -- especially after he had nearly been eaten by a werewolf just a few months before. That wasn't easy to get over.
"It looks like they're leading toward my house," Max said. "And we're going there anyway. We'll be fine."
Ernie shook his head. "Those tracks lead straight toward Lethe Creek Bridge. I don't care if it's on our way home or not. That bridge is bad news. In case you forgot, there is a reason that we never go that way anymore."
"Because you never let us," reminded Harley.
"No," Ernie argued. "It's because something nasty lives below it."
Harley smiled and picked up his tree. "You can go your own way. We're following the tracks. Who knows, maybe we'll even find its den."
"That's what I'm afraid of," Ernie pointed out.
As they marched along, they began to hear howling and snarling just ahead. The Grey Griffins had expected that the wolves were far away, but when the four friends broke out of the thickets near the Lethe Creek Bridge, they quickly realized Ernie had been right -- the wolves were directly in front of them.
Ernie gasped and started to run off as Harley grabbed his coat, pulling him back toward the thick bramble. "Don't move a muscle," he whispered. "They haven't seen us yet, and if you run away, you're going to draw their attention . . . which means you're gonna end up as a snack."
But the wolves weren't paying attention to the Griffins at the moment. Instead, the six snarling canines were snapping and howling at something else. They had completely surrounded a tiny animal and were moving in for the kill.
"Oh, my," Natalia whispered. "We have to do something . . . the poor little thing."
"Better it than us," offered Ernie sensibly.
"Wait," Max said. "That's a faerie."
"Really?" asked Harley.
"Yes. I see it now," Natalia breathed as quietly as she could. "I think it's a pixie. . . ."
In fact it was, and a beautiful pixie at that. Though fully faerie, she looked like a young girl, perhaps about Natalia's age, though no taller than a finger. She had lovely red hair that spiraled down her back in waves, flowing past her wings of gossamer that fluttered nervously as the wolves drew near. "They're going to kill her," Natalia cried, covering her eyes.
"We have to do something," urged Ernie as a rush of bravery filled his chest, though where it had come from was anyone's guess.
Max looked around, doubting there was much the Griffins could do to save the pixie. Undeniably, Max was getting pretty good at defeating magical creatures like goblins and other dark monsters, but wolves were another matter entirely. They didn't have faerie blood, which meant the Codex wasn't going to be much help. Outside of getting the wolves angry, Max didn't think there was much they could do. Besides, the wolves were huge and they looked hungry. It was probably best to leave well enough alone and make a quiet, if not hasty, retreat.
But just as one of the wolves leapt at the pixie with its slavering jaws opened wide, Max realized that it wasn't the faerie who was in trouble at all; it was the wolves. With an explosion of fire, the pixie shot into the air and began to burn so intensely that the Griffins had to shield their eyes. A wave of heat rolled through the forest as the sound of billowing flames echoed in their ears. All at once the snowy landscape evaporated as the little faerie let loose a maelstrom of fireballs upon the wolves, who were backing away into the deep recesses of the woods. Angry snarls had turned into cowardly yelps, and within seconds, there wasn't a wolf left in sight.
"It's a Fireball Pixie," Natalia said, jotting down a quick note in her Book of Clues, a pink spiral notebook weathered from use that was liberally decorated with unicorn stickers. She stored in it all the clues that her detective mind thought important. "I never would have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own two eyes." Then, in her wonder and delight, Natalia began to move toward the little creature with the same gentle care as she would have approached a lost puppy.
"Just because she looks sweet, it doesn't mean that she is. You saw what that thing did to those wolves," warned Harley.
Natalia sighed in disappointment, but her spirits quickly rose when she caught sight of the little faerie looking over at her curiously.
"Isn't she beautiful?" Natalia smiled.
"She's a flying fireball," Harley pointed out skeptically. "And that's not the kind of pet you'd keep in your room or bring for show-and-tell. Just be careful."
The red-headed creature watched the Griffins with curiosity for a long while, before finally taking a step forward. She seemed hesitant, not entirely sure what the Griffins might be or -- more important -- what their intentions were. But as the winged beauty drew closer, a flickering flame began to roll up and down her limbs.
"I've never seen anything so beautiful in my whole life," Ernie breathed in wonder as he took a cautious step toward her. "Do you think she grants wishes?" Not waiting for a response, he held out his hand toward her. "Hi there," Ernie offered. The pixie tilted her head in curiosity as her halo of fire began to grow.
"Um . . . I don't think that's such a good idea," Harley urged. The air around the Griffins began to heat up, and suddenly, the faerie leapt into the air, her wings a blur of motion as she hovered.
Ernie's smile faded. Had he done something wrong?
As the pixie regarded the skinny Griffin, she seemed to be wavering between laughter and anger. Then, just as Ernie began to inch back toward his friends, the fiery creature's countenance fell in doubt, which in turn faded to suspicion, and finally rage.
"She's gonna blow," Max exclaimed, backing away. Even Natalia, who previously had been just as enamored with the pretty wings and sparkling eyes as Ernie, was beginning to agree.
"Let's get out of here!" she shouted as she turned and raced back down the path from where they had come. Max and Harley were right behind, with Ernie in tow.
The Fireball Pixie burned fiercely as she flew after the Grey Griffins. To survive, the fleeing friends tried to zigzag through the trees, dive under fallen trees, and even run around in circles. Yet no matter where they went, the pixie was never far behind. Soon, they found themselves speeding back into the very clearing where they first found the faerie, their boots splashing in puddles of melted snow.
"Max," Natalia shouted as her braids flew in the air behind her. "Your book! You've gotta use it!"
She was right. There was only one way to stop a runaway faerie: the Codex Spiritus. As Max raced toward Lethe Creek Bridge, he whipped off his backpack and fumbled a bit with the straps before finally pulling out the magic book. At the same time, he could feel heat from the Fireball Pixie scorching the back of his neck. They only had seconds left before they'd be cooked.
Max raced ahead, waiting for the magic words to come; and when the voice inside his head answered, he cried aloud, "Lunestarė." The book opened in a flash. Suddenly, a shimmering ball of blue fire flew out of the pages, shooting over Max's head as it raced to meet the fiery pixie. Too late, the faerie realized her danger, as the glowing ball enveloped her in a crackling cage of energy. The tiny figure let out a frustrated shriek, as the enclosure shrank around her, before rocketing back into the book and disappearing with a poof of blue mist.
Exhausted but relieved, the Griffins slowed to catch their breath, as Harley patted Max on the back. "Good work. I thought we were goners, for sure."
"I want to see her picture before you close the book," Ernie exclaimed, moving in to get a closer look.
Such was the power of the Codex. It held within its pages a menagerie of monsters, which could be let loose upon the world with a single word. Yet those that escaped from its grasp could likewise be ensnared once again with another magical utterance. Only Max knew what words to say. And even he didn't know how he knew. The words were just sort of whispered into his mind by a strange voice. But that voice was now growing fainter as Max used the magic book more and more. Now, more often than not, the words were falling from his lips without a single prompt from the mysterious voice.
As the Griffins crowded around Max's book, they could see that there, on the page titled Fireball Pixie, was a painting of the little faerie that had nearly scorched them to death only moments before. She now stood in a field of wildflowers, her doe eyes staring back at them mischievously.
Max snapped the Codex shut, and Ernie sighed. "That was too close," Max said, looking over at Natalia, who leaned down to pick up something off the bridge where they were now standing. Whatever it was, she was holding it in the palm of her hand, studying it intently.
"What are you doing now?" asked Harley, as he watched Natalia pull out her Book of Clues again.
"What does it look like I'm doing?" she replied as she handed Ernie the object, positioning his hand so she could see it. "Please don't move," Natalia requested as she began to sketch the mysterious artifact. Natalia took copious notes on just about anything unusual, from bizarre insects to obscure poems.
"What is it?" asked Ernie, always wary of picking up anything off the ground. He wasn't fond of germs. Yet no matter how many times he washed his hands, Ernie seemed to collect sick days at school like others collected baseball cards.
"It's a cufflink," Max said, walking over to take a look for himself. "My dad wears 'em with his dress shirts." It was silver, shaped like an oval, and carved about the outer edge was a series of strange symbols with a sword pointing downward in the center. Max had seen symbols like these before. They were called runes, a type of ancient writing, but he couldn't read them.
"Look over there," Harley pointed, walking across the bridge. "There are some tire tracks up ahead." Max followed him, but Ernie stayed right where he was as Natalia continued to sketch. He knew better than to move before he was given leave.
"They aren't very old," Harley proclaimed, as he knelt down for a closer look. He was an exceptional outdoorsman and could tell a wren from a sparrow a mile off. "A few hours at the most, I bet. And it looks like there were at least three guys walking around here, too . . . and they were all pretty big, judging by how deep the footprints are."
"Looks like one of the wolves was over here," Max noted, pointing toward a familiar set of tracks.
"Yeah," agreed Harley. "It was probably sniffing them out."
"There," Natalia said, satisfied with her drawing as she plucked the cufflink from Ernie's hand, placing it, along with the tablet and pen, back into her coat pocket.
"But why would anyone drive this far into the woods?" Harley murmured, scratching his head. It didn't make any sense. "Besides, isn't this private property?"
"I guess," Max said, shrugging as Harley jogged back to the far side of the clearing.
"At least," Harley called, picking up his abandoned Christmas tree, "things can't get any worse."
That was when the Griffins heard the howling of wolves behind them, and without another word, they bundled up their coats and raced home.
Return to PROLOGUE
|
|
|
Copyright © 2000-2008 Grey Griffin Industries, LLC. All rights reserved.
Protected by copyright and other applicable laws, treaties, and conventions.
|
|
|
