A Quill Ladder Read Online Free PDF Page A

out of her voice.
    “ I ’ ll look at them, I just don ’ t think we should necessarily act on them, ” Simon shot back.
    Abbey was about to press the code on her iPhone when there was a quiet rap on Simon ’ s window. She and Simon both leapt to their feet, and stared first at each other and then the window.
    “ Did you hear … ? ” Simon said.
    The knock came again. Abbey and Simon moved toward the window. Abbey experienced the same jittery acceleration of her heart that she ’ d been growing used to since they ’ d first found the stones.
    A dark figure pressed against the wall of their house, behind the rosebush that occupied the space in between Abbey ’ s and Simon ’ s windows. The streetlight threw enough light for Abbey to catch the outlines of a tan beret. Ian reached out his hand and knocked again, this time on Abbey ’ s window. Abbey reached out and cranked open Simon ’ s window.
    “ Shhh, ” she ordered. “ You could get us into serious trouble. ”
    “ Do you mind letting me in then? ” Ian said.
    “ That would be worse. ”
    “ Please. I need your help. ”
    Before Abbey could say anything, Simon pulled the screen out of his window, cranked it open another foot, and offered his hand to Ian, who climbed carefully onto Simon ’ s desk and then onto the floor.
    “ Not a fan of lights, then? ”
    “ Not really, ” Simon said.
    “ Look, I ’ ll get right to the point. I need you to help me find Jake — tonight. Frank and Francis have staked out the playgrounds of both high schools with no luck, and this new sign-in procedure at the school offices has us stymied. Apparently there are new procedures in 2012 that mean strangers can ’ t get the names of students, or hang around schools. Students won ’ t talk to us. I ’ m not sure what the hell happened in the last fifty years, but espionage has become far more challenging. ”
    “ Ever heard of the Internet? ” Simon asked, then turned to Abbey. “ Who are Frank and Francis, and why does this guy seem to think he knows you well enough to knock on our bedroom windows? ”
    “ We met, ” Abbey said. “ Today. In the juniper bushes. This is Ian. Frank and Francis are, you know, the big guys … in the Camry. ”
    “ If Mom and Dad find out …”
    Ian flapped his hands in the air to shush them. “ Look folks, I appreciate that there are family politics at play here, but we urgently need some help. We need someone who can use the docks, or some very unpleasant things may be about to happen. As for this internal net thing … we didn ’ t even have computers back in my day, so we ’ re a little lost with regard to how to use it or where to find it. ”
    Simon ’ s voice crackled with anger. “ Go to the library, buy some Internet time, go to a computer, click on the screen, open a browser called Safari, type Jake and Coventry without the ‘ and ’ into the bubble in the top right, click on the links, and figure it out. ”
    Ian was silent for a few seconds. “ If you could just give us his address, it would really be much simpler for us. ”
    “ We helped a lot of people out three weeks ago, and as far as I can tell, it just advanced their personal agendas while putting us in danger. ”
    “ Yes, well, now we ’ re here to help you stop them. ”
    “ It seems to me that you folks have to work this all out yourselves. Without our help. ”
    “ Then we will all be lost. ”
    Simon gave a snorty laugh. “ Of course! Bring out the dramatics to convince the kids who ‘ must save the world ’ to go on the quest. That ’ s how all epic fantasy novels and video games begin. The inciting incident that makes our unlikely hero take up the sword. ”
    “ I just want an address, really, ” said Ian quietly. “ Look, the pair of you, and your brother, and your friend Mark, are involved in this whether you like it or not — no matter how much your parents are trying to block you out of it. You live right next to the stones and