The Second Siege Read Online Free PDF Page B

serious.
    “I am the summoned servant of Master Lynch,” said the creature simply.
    “ What are you, Mr. Sikes?” asked Max.
    “Max,” said Connor, shooting an angry glance, “don’t be rude!”
    “Mr. Sikes takes no offense,” said the creature smoothly. “Mr. Sikes is but a humble imp and begs pardon if he has insulted Master Lynch’s friend.”
    “See?” said Connor. “He’s an imp. Happy, Max?”
    Max shrugged, but David clucked his tongue impatiently and looked at Connor.
    “Do you know what an imp is?” he asked.

“Yes, I do,” said Connor proudly. “He’s a capital little fellow who comes when you call and gets what you ask. Why are you being such a pain? I called Mr. Sikes for you guys and now you’ve got the cheek to talk to me like I’m three years old! And—What are you doing now?”
    “Mr. Sikes knows,” said David calmly, using his finger to trace a faintly shimmering circle of light around the stones. “This circle will ensure Mr. Sikes stays right where he is. An imp is a demon, Connor.”
    Connor scoffed in disbelief and looked to Max and the girls for support. Mr. Sikes smiled and shrugged apologetically.
    “The young man speaks the truth, I’m sorry to say. Technically, imps are demons.”
    “Really?” asked Connor, wrinkling his nose and leaning close to peer at Mr. Sikes, who bore the inspection with a patient smile.
    “Yes, it’s true,” said Mr. Sikes, “but I have to differ with the young gentleman, who seems to believe I pose some sort of danger. There are many kinds of demons, my friends, and we are just as varied in our types and temperaments as humans. Do monstrous and horrible demons exist? Of course. Are there also monstrous and horrible humans? I daresay yes again. Would you recoil from a garden lizard simply because its distant cousin is the crocodile? Some demons exist to destroy; Mr. Sikes exists to serve.”
    “Those are good points,” said Connor, nodding. “Davie, even you have to admit that those are some very good points the little guy’s making.”
    David nodded, but his frown remained.
    “Is that your only shape?” asked David.
    “I beg pardon?” asked the imp.
    “Can the harmless lizard become a crocodile? I’ve read that imps are shape-shifters.”
    “Of course I can take alternative forms,” said Mr. Sikes, “but I hardly think the two available to me are cause for alarm.”
    “What are they?” asked Lucia, scooting forward with interest.
    Mr. Sikes smiled at her and cleared his throat.
    “For my first act, I give you . . . the terrifying field mouse!”
    With a snap of his fingers, there was an audible pop and Mr. Sikes disappeared, replaced by a gray mouse with a pink tail that poked its nose along the edges of David’s glowing perimeter. The mouse stood on its hind legs to look at them, its whiskers aquiver. A moment later there was another pop and the mouse was transformed into a small gypsy moth, hovering on a pair of tiny wings. The moth fluttered up, rising in tight little spirals.
    Zbbbt!
    A sudden jolt of blue electricity zapped the moth, making Max jump. The moth fell like a stone to writhe on the tabletop.
    “Oh!” cried Cynthia. “He’s hurt!”
    “He hit the barrier,” said David, folding his arms. “That’s why it’s there.”
    “That’s uncalled for, David,” fumed Connor. “He’d better be okay.”
    Max saw Lucia glare at David; even Sarah shot David a glance before returning to the moth with a concerned expression. Reduced to one functioning wing, the moth now fluttered about in a shaky little circle. Max watched the moth carefully; Mr. Sikes seemed very clever and Max knew it might just be a ploy to gain their sympathy. Still, he had to admit that the tip of its wing was badly singed and the moth’s flutters seemed sporadic and distressed.
    Pop!
    Mr. Sikes reappeared, his face contorted in anguish as he clutched his arm. Against his better judgment, Max felt a pang of compassion for the small