Light & Dark: The Awakening of the Mageknight Read Online Free PDF

wish brought a
slight smirk to Danny's face.
    An abrupt rumble forced him from his
thoughts, the walls quaked around him and the floor shook beneath
him.
    "Earthquake?" whispered Danny, struggling to
regain his footing and find a doorway to shelter under. The shudder
lasted for a second only. Danny peered out, underneath the
threshold of the gym doors. "In Indiana, I doubt it," he said,
answering himself. "What was that?" he asked the looming
darkness.
    Danny crept out into the middle of the
hallway and glanced beyond the glass doors. Against his better
judgment, he decided to investigate.
    He stalked down the shadowy hallway. The
overhead lights remained off, leaving the dull auxiliary lights to
illuminate the way. To his right, he passed the door to the boys'
restroom; to his left, a long line of blue lockers. Danny noticed
his own locker as he skulked by.
    Halfway down the hall, the school shuddered
again. With nothing to dive under for shelter, he forced his back
against the steel lockers, making a loud clang; he buried his face
between his knees and wrapped his arms around the top of his head
for protection. He'd learned the posture during tornado drills and
figured it would work in his current circumstance.
    Just as quickly as it had started, the
shaking ceased, the floor stilled once again. Looking up from his
cradled position, he noticed small pieces of the ceiling falling
like snowflakes, shaken loose by the sudden tremor.
    Danny pushed himself to his feet and began
walking down the foreboding hall once again.
    Danny finally reached the cross-section of
the hallway. The hall continued ahead of him, leading to the shop
classroom and a smaller gym. To his left, a pair of steel doors
marked the entrance to the main gym. To his right, another hall led
to the home economics classroom, stairs went up to the rest of the
school, and two glass doors opened to the outside, a sudden
vibration alerted him to the possible origin of the commotion.
    Swallowing the lump in his throat, Danny
turned right and began walking down the hall. It was a short cut to
the science labs. Enclosed by the school on three sides, the area
beyond the outside path served as a parking lot and a
courtyard.
    From his position halfway down the hall,
Danny made out the familiar road that led into the large expanse.
He still couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. The ground
rumbled beneath him once again, as if objecting to some unseen
event.
    Danny decided to use the brick wall as cover,
throwing his back up against it for reassurance. He shuffled along
the side, toward the glass doors and whatever lay beyond.
    Inches away from the panes, his hands began
to tremble. Pressed against the brick, he couldn't make out
anything except for the familiar path to the opposite side of the
school.
    Building up his courage, Danny crept up to
the doors and peeked out, only to find the brick blocking his view.
He would have to go outside.
    Forcing the heavy doors open,
ever-so-slightly, Danny heard strange noises coming from around the
corner. Shuddering thuds echoed throughout the enclosed schoolyard.
The ground rumbled and a loud bang thundered from somewhere beyond
his sight, as if something large had just collided with the school.
He almost forgot that the doors would lock behind him if he allowed
them to close. He didn't want to be stuck outside with whatever lay
beyond. Untangling his backpack from his arms, he positioned it
between the glass door and the doorsill, keeping it open.
    Satisfied with his escape route, Danny crept
along the wall and peeked around it. What he saw took the breath
right out of his lungs; it caused his heart to pound in his chest
and made his legs turn to rubber.
    With pearl-colored teeth that gleamed in the
light of the lamp and shiny black claws that danced and scraped at
the cement, the dragon's almond eyes darted in random directions,
as if searching for prey. The creature's scales reflected the soft
light, causing them to glitter