Arthur Quinn and Hell's Keeper Read Online Free PDF

Loki and everything. You probably know where Fenrir is now, right?’
    He didn’t expect an answer but part of him still hoped for one.
    â€˜Help me, Mum. Help me find him. Please.’
    The wind picked up, stirring some fallen leaves across the grave. Apart from that, all was silent. Without another word, Arthur turned and left.

    The moon was full in the black sky on the night Loki and Drysi finally left the Conifrey holiday home behind them. On their way out the door, the girl took one last glance at the restrained family in the living room. They were all gagged once more and looked to her with pleading eyes. It had been just over a week since they’d been taken hostage, but it felt like so much longer. Drysi had fed them once a day on dry ham sandwiches and water, and their faces were drawn and haggard from hunger and exhaustion.
    â€˜Should we let them go?’ she asked Loki as he strode out the door.
    â€˜Of course not,’ he spat.
    Drysi couldn’t help but flinch. The bite in his words said she should have known better.
    Loki, who had been standing on the threshold and gazing at the white disc of the moon, turned back to her. ‘Apologies,’ he said. ‘I shouldn’t have been so sharp. But think, my child: we don’t want them running to the police now, do we?’
    â€˜No, Wolf-father,’ she said in a low voice, still hurting from the way he had spoken.
    The sky was clear and she could see stars and constellations twinkling above. There was a security light that they usually switched on to see in the dark. There was no need of it tonight, however. The moon lit up everything around her. The Conifrey family car was still parked where they’d left it a week ago. Drysi could even make out the crags and craters on the moon’s broad face.
    Loki looked down at her. ‘Excellent. Let’s go.’ He took hold of the wheelchair’s handles and pushed. He hadn’t been very talkative since the Conifreys had had the Dream. In fact, he’d been positively grumpy. If he wasn’t glued to the calendar, counting off the days, he was glued to the portable TV in the kitchen, watching the news about the Dream. He seemed worried about the whole affair but Drysi couldn’t understand why. It was only a dream. As he wheeled her away from the bungalow and over the hill behind it, she decided it was time to broach the subject.
    â€˜Wolf-father?’
    â€˜Yes?’
    â€˜About the Dream?’
    â€˜Yes?’
    â€˜Have you … thought more about it?’ She knew he had but didn’t want to show him she knew he was bothered by it. It was always a bad idea to make Loki angry.
    â€˜Of course.’
    â€˜And?’
    â€˜And …’ He stopped pushing her suddenly. She strained her neck around to get a better look at him. He was staring at the moon once more. The light cast half of his face in whiteness and the other half in shadow. ‘And,’ he continued eventually, ‘I think that someone is helping Arthur.’
    â€˜The gods?’
    â€˜Someone.’ The way in which he said it told her he was done talking about the Dream. He started off again, pushing the wheelchair down into the wide valley away from the holiday home. Luckily for them both, the ground wasn’t too rocky and the grass was short and dry, so it didn’t get caught in the wheels. It had probably been trimmed back by some of the sheep that Drysi had seen wandering over from a neighbouring farmer’s meadow.
    They reached the bottom of the hill and all was bright and airy there. No trees or houses shaded the light of the moon, which seemed even larger in the sky at this point, more intimidating.
    â€˜This will do,’ said Loki.
    â€˜Here?’ Drysi said, looking around her at the wide meadow. She turned to Loki hopefully. ‘Will we really find my father?’
    â€˜Do you doubt me?’
    â€˜No, Wolf-father, of course not! But I