Spirits and Spells Read Online Free PDF Page A

awfully loud breathing,” she whispered back.
    â€œThen it’s meant to scare us. Brace yourself. He may have someone down here wearing a mask or something. Try not to scream too loud.”
    Jenny slapped his shoulder. “Try not to wet your pants, smart mouth.”
    Despite her brave words, she had begun to tremble. Oblivious to her fear, Derek drew her forward, toward the sound. It was slow and rasping, as if the breather were having real difficulty.
    â€œI don’t understand why we haven’t spotted footprints,” whispered Derek. “He must have come in by some other door.”
    They moved very slowly.
    The breathing got louder.
    Derek wrinkled his nose. “Something stinks.”
    Jenny shifted the beam of her flashlight, found the source of the breathing, and began to scream.

5
    THE STAVE
    Matt McMasters picked his way slowly through a room he assumed had once been the Gulbrandsen family’s den. He was looking halfheartedly for the mysterious stave and wishing wholeheartedly that he and Denise had been kept together, like Derek and Jenny.
    It wasn’t that he was frightened by being alone. He simply preferred being with Denise.
    Wondering if he was kidding himself, he flicked off his flashlight and stood in the darkness, just to be sure.
    No, he wasn’t afraid. With a sigh, he admitted to himself just how important Denise was to him.
    â€œRats,” he said, flicking his light back on. “Just what I always wanted—a girlfriend who makes me look like one of the seven dwarves.”
    His eye was drawn to something strange in the corner. It took him a moment to realize it was one of those umbrella stands made from an elephant’s foot.
    â€œGood thing Tansy can’t see that,” he muttered, thinking of the animal-rights pamphlets she used to give him to read.
    Moving closer, he realized that the relic contained a selection of canes and walking sticks. “I bet that’s it!” he crowed. “One of those has to be the stave!”
    He crossed the room eagerly. If he could accomplish his task quickly enough, he could scoot up to the third floor and help Denise with her quest.
    The elephant’s foot held nearly a dozen sticks, some a mere three feet long, others nearly as tall as Matt himself.
    But which was the stave he was supposed to bring back?
    He hesitated for a moment, then turned the container over. The sticks clattered out, spilling across the floor. One of them, a polished piece of wood about five feet long, had a white tag fluttering from the end of it.
    Matt snatched it up and began to grin. The tag was tied to it with coarse thread. Printed neatly on the tag in red ink were the words “Congratulations. You have completed the first part of your quest. Return to the Master Mage.”
    Matt started for the door, then turned back. Feeling like an idiot, he set the elephant’s foot upright again, then replaced the sticks. “Mom would be so proud,” he muttered.
    When he reached the second floor, Matt hesitated. If he went back to the library, he would probably be the first back, which might earn him bonus points.
    On the other hand, he really wanted to go help Denise.
    â€œSorry, Travis,” he said, turning to head for the stairs that led to the third floor. The dark hall was eerie, and Matt found himself walking very quietly.
    He had nearly reached the stairwell when he cried out in surprise and dropped the stick.
    It was hot!
    â€œWhat’s going on here?” he demanded.
    He bent and cautiously touched the stick. It was very hot indeed. In fact, it seemed to be glowing faintly.
    He sat back on his haunches and stared at the piece of wood. What had Travis done to make it heat up like that? Well, whatever the gimmick was, the stick was too hot to touch. He would have to find something to wrap it in. He stood and cried out in shock a second time.
    Two men were standing on the stairs. They were dressed in dark