The Battle for the Castle Read Online Free PDF Page A

were gone?”
    â€œThat’s the weird thing,” William said. “If you go because you want to go, time stops in your world.”
    â€œBut Mrs. Phillips didn’t want to go. You did it to her.”
    â€œI know,” William said with a sigh. “She lost that first week. She said she didn’t mind. It made her feel younger.”
    For a while it was so quiet in the attic that William could hear the car horns on Riveredge Lane. He snuck a look at his friend. Any minute now Jason would check his watch.
    â€œHey, Jason,” William said quietly. “We could go back.”
    â€œWhat do you mean?”
    â€œI could zap you and you could zap me. We could go see them all. Sir Simon, Tolliver, the whole gang.”
    Jason stared at him. “Do you think it would work?”
    â€œWhy not? It worked last time. And the token’s still doing its thing.”
    Jason finally did look at his watch. “Jeez, I’ve got to go. Dad’s going to be really mad. He thinks I’ve been goofing off lately.” He stood up, but he didn’t move.
    â€œWe could take our bikes,” William said.
    â€œBut it didn’t work on the chair.”
    â€œIt would work if we were sitting on them. I was wearing my backpack last time and it shrank along with me. And once we got to Sir Simon’s, you could train for as long as you wanted.”
    â€œWhat do you mean?”
    â€œDon’t you get it? Time stops for you here, right?” William said. “So you could get in hours and hours of training that your father wouldn’t ever know about. He’d be completely blown away when you got back. You could be
his
coach.”
    Jason sat down again with a bump. “You’re right,” he said. “I never thought about it that way. You sure nobody would know we were gone? And we’d get back at the same time we left?”
    William shrugged. “That’s what happened last time. When I walked downstairs with Mrs. Phillips, the clock said four-fifteen. Same minute on the same day that I left.”
    â€œThat’s too bad,” Jason said with a grin. “There are a couple of tests coming up I’d just as soon skip.”
    â€œMe too,” William said. “And a gymnastics meet.”
    â€œWe’d have to pack some extra food and stuff,” Jason said. “I’m definitely not eating any mice. And my tool kit and my stopwatch. We’ll have to make a list.”
    William grinned. Good old Jason. He loved to make lists.
    â€œAll right!” Jason shouted and punched the air with his fist. “Wouldn’t Dad be psyched if I came back with bulging muscles and a one-minute mile?”
    Something crashed in the back of the attic and they both jumped at the noise.
    â€œWhat was that?” Jason asked.
    â€œAlastor,” William whispered in a low, threatening voice. “The evil wizard has returned.”
    â€œHey, cut it out,” Jason said. “It’s just the cat. This place is giving me the creeps.”
    â€œYou find the cat while I hide the token.”
    â€œHere, kitty, kitty,” Jason called in a low pleading voice as he crept back into the darkest corner of the attic. “No more shrinking. We promise.”
    William slipped the token into its box and this time he hid it in the armory. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Jason. It was just that he wanted to be the only one who knew where it was. At least for now.
    â€œHey,” Jason called. “I think your mother was right. The cat’s sitting in front of a hole, swishing her tail back and forth.”
    â€œWilliam, are you up there?” his mother called from the bottom of the steps.
    â€œWe’re coming, Mom.”
    â€œYou forgot to turn down that soup, William. It burned.”
    â€œOh, gosh, sorry.” He put his finger to his lipswhen Jason reappeared with the cat cradled in his arms. “I