Read Online Curse of the Dream Witch by Allan Stratton - Free Book Online
Authors: Allan Stratton
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Milo. ‘May your flesh sizzle for your sins!’
Milo’s eyes went big as saucepans. ‘What?’
Olivia winked, dropped to her knees, and began to untie his hands. ‘I’m helping you escape,’ she whispered. ‘Now scream. Or do I have to use the poker for real?’
Milo screamed.
‘Yes, scream, scurvy knave!’ Olivia roared theatrically as the knots loosened. ‘Take this brand for entering my room!’
Milo screamed again.
‘This for speaking my name.’
He screamed again.
‘And this for stealing my brass candlesticks!’
‘Brass candlesticks?’ Milo mouthed.
‘All I could think of,’ Olivia shrugged, as she removed the cords. ‘Keep screaming.’
But Milo was suddenly too frightened to scream.
‘What’s the matter?’
‘Guess.’ It was Prince Leo.
Olivia looked up with a start. Leo’s men spun to attention.
‘What’s the meaning of this?’ the prince demanded of the guards. ‘Seize the prisoners.’
Milo sprang to his feet. But before he and Olivia could run, the guards grabbed them tight.
‘You thought to escape with that peasant?’ Leo raged at Olivia. ‘Watch, as I sever him limb from limb!’
‘No!’ Olivia cried.
Four guards pinned Milo to the floor. ‘Try running with no legs,’ Leo taunted. He raised his sword above his head.
At that moment, an otherworldly wail echoed from a cell down the corridor. ‘You, Leopold, Prince of Pretonia! You dare awaken the dungeon dead?’ It was a voice, ancient and crazed; the voice of a ghostly crone.
Leo froze. ‘Who’s there?’
‘The Headless Hunchback of Horning. Beheaded in this dungeon five hundred years ago.’
‘How do I know this isn’t a trick?’
‘You don’t,’ the ghost said darkly.
Leo turned to the nearest guard. ‘G-go. S-see who or what it is.’
The guard took a lantern and edged towards the cell, dagger at the ready. He peered between the bars: ‘There’s no one there.’
‘No one?’ the ghost cackled. A rusty tin cup rolled out of the shadows.
The guard jumped and ran back screaming.
‘What do you want, demon?’ Leo trembled.
‘Company, my lovey. We ghosties need new dead for our games. New dead to haunt these halls.’
‘Not us. Please,’ Leo begged. ‘We’re strangers to this court. This girl here, take her and her friend. She’s princess of this castle.’
‘No, my little weasel. It’s you we want!’ The voice was above his head.
Leo shrieked, clattered down the corridors, and raced up the dungeon stairs, his terrified guards howling at his heels.
‘So they’ve left you to my mercy,’ the ghost gloated.
‘Ephemia, stop it,’ Olivia sighed. ‘You had me scared to death. What took you so long?’
The little mouse waltzed onto the overhead beam. ‘I like to make an entrance.’
‘So what do we do now?’ Milo asked. ‘There’s no way out.’
Ephemia raised a paw. ‘Actually there is.’
‘What? Where?’ Olivia asked, and instantly knew the answer. ‘Oh no.’
‘Oh yes.’
Olivia turned and faced the well.
15
Down the Chute
Olivia and Milo looked down the well hole. It was a ten-foot jump into the dark, rushing waters beneath.
‘At the foot of castle hill, the river empties into the great marsh on the outskirts of town,’ Ephemia said.
‘It can empty into the ocean for all I care,’ Olivia replied. ‘I can’t swim.’
‘Neither can I,’ Milo piped up.
‘Not to worry,’ Ephemia assured them. ‘Just curl into a ball and hold your breath. The river will carry you to your destination.’
‘But . . .’
‘But me no buts. Would you rather wait till Leo’s uncle storms down with a hundred of his soldiers? Drowning’s the least of your worries.’
Olivia gazed into the unforgiving roar. Pretending to be a warrior princess was harder than it seemed. She whirled the cloak from her shoulders and rolled it into a ball, so it wouldn’t snag on a root and drown her.
‘Tuck the cloak into your middle and hold tight,’ Ephemia said. ‘The
Milo’s eyes went big as saucepans. ‘What?’
Olivia winked, dropped to her knees, and began to untie his hands. ‘I’m helping you escape,’ she whispered. ‘Now scream. Or do I have to use the poker for real?’
Milo screamed.
‘Yes, scream, scurvy knave!’ Olivia roared theatrically as the knots loosened. ‘Take this brand for entering my room!’
Milo screamed again.
‘This for speaking my name.’
He screamed again.
‘And this for stealing my brass candlesticks!’
‘Brass candlesticks?’ Milo mouthed.
‘All I could think of,’ Olivia shrugged, as she removed the cords. ‘Keep screaming.’
But Milo was suddenly too frightened to scream.
‘What’s the matter?’
‘Guess.’ It was Prince Leo.
Olivia looked up with a start. Leo’s men spun to attention.
‘What’s the meaning of this?’ the prince demanded of the guards. ‘Seize the prisoners.’
Milo sprang to his feet. But before he and Olivia could run, the guards grabbed them tight.
‘You thought to escape with that peasant?’ Leo raged at Olivia. ‘Watch, as I sever him limb from limb!’
‘No!’ Olivia cried.
Four guards pinned Milo to the floor. ‘Try running with no legs,’ Leo taunted. He raised his sword above his head.
At that moment, an otherworldly wail echoed from a cell down the corridor. ‘You, Leopold, Prince of Pretonia! You dare awaken the dungeon dead?’ It was a voice, ancient and crazed; the voice of a ghostly crone.
Leo froze. ‘Who’s there?’
‘The Headless Hunchback of Horning. Beheaded in this dungeon five hundred years ago.’
‘How do I know this isn’t a trick?’
‘You don’t,’ the ghost said darkly.
Leo turned to the nearest guard. ‘G-go. S-see who or what it is.’
The guard took a lantern and edged towards the cell, dagger at the ready. He peered between the bars: ‘There’s no one there.’
‘No one?’ the ghost cackled. A rusty tin cup rolled out of the shadows.
The guard jumped and ran back screaming.
‘What do you want, demon?’ Leo trembled.
‘Company, my lovey. We ghosties need new dead for our games. New dead to haunt these halls.’
‘Not us. Please,’ Leo begged. ‘We’re strangers to this court. This girl here, take her and her friend. She’s princess of this castle.’
‘No, my little weasel. It’s you we want!’ The voice was above his head.
Leo shrieked, clattered down the corridors, and raced up the dungeon stairs, his terrified guards howling at his heels.
‘So they’ve left you to my mercy,’ the ghost gloated.
‘Ephemia, stop it,’ Olivia sighed. ‘You had me scared to death. What took you so long?’
The little mouse waltzed onto the overhead beam. ‘I like to make an entrance.’
‘So what do we do now?’ Milo asked. ‘There’s no way out.’
Ephemia raised a paw. ‘Actually there is.’
‘What? Where?’ Olivia asked, and instantly knew the answer. ‘Oh no.’
‘Oh yes.’
Olivia turned and faced the well.
15
Down the Chute
Olivia and Milo looked down the well hole. It was a ten-foot jump into the dark, rushing waters beneath.
‘At the foot of castle hill, the river empties into the great marsh on the outskirts of town,’ Ephemia said.
‘It can empty into the ocean for all I care,’ Olivia replied. ‘I can’t swim.’
‘Neither can I,’ Milo piped up.
‘Not to worry,’ Ephemia assured them. ‘Just curl into a ball and hold your breath. The river will carry you to your destination.’
‘But . . .’
‘But me no buts. Would you rather wait till Leo’s uncle storms down with a hundred of his soldiers? Drowning’s the least of your worries.’
Olivia gazed into the unforgiving roar. Pretending to be a warrior princess was harder than it seemed. She whirled the cloak from her shoulders and rolled it into a ball, so it wouldn’t snag on a root and drown her.
‘Tuck the cloak into your middle and hold tight,’ Ephemia said. ‘The
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