beside the suit of armour while Will took Aunt Mauve’s packages to the Red Chamber. His aunt wasn’t there, so he left them on the bed. He took the red candles to his tower.
He led Thom and Emma along the shadowy corridor to the heavy studded dungeon door. He tugged it open and flicked on the torch. He was the first down the steep dark steps, picking his way in the beam of light. The air smelled dank. Water dripped somewhere in the darkness. When they got to the bottom, Will waved the torch in a wide circle. They were in a large room with stained brick walls. A piercing squeal and the rustle of scurrying feet made everybody jump. “RUFF!” barked Peaches.
“A rat!” screeched Emma.
“It won’t hurt you,” said Thom. “It was more scared to see us. I’m sensing fear.” He shuddered. "This place is mega-creepy. This is a bad idea. Let’s get out of here!"
“How should we start?” asked Emma, ignoring Thom.
“Loose bricks,” suggested Will. “Or maybe places where the bricks are a different colour.”
He shone the light slowly across each wall. Iron rings were embedded in the old bricks. Pieces of chain lay scat tered about on the uneven rocky floor. Rusty spikes stuck out of the back of an old wooden chair.
“Ohmigod!” said Emma. “This was a torture chamber!”
Thom moaned. Will swept the light into a corner. A sledge hammer and a metal rod lay on the floor. Someone had smashed the wall and pried out some of the bricks. Another wall of bricks lay behind. “Mr. Cherry’s been in here!” he said. “I saw him sneaking that sledge hammer and that rod thing into an old shed behind the castle.”
A low growl rumbled from Peaches’ throat and the hair bristled on his back. They swung around. A lantern blazed at the top of the stairs but it was impossible in the glare to see who was holding it.
A voice sneered, “Oh, my. What do we have here?”
Mr. Cherry! He swung the lantern to the side, revealing his sallow face and long nose. He descended the stairs and waved his arm into the darkness.
“Having a look around, are you? The cells are over there. I suppose you’ve guessed what this room was used for? Torture! Sometimes I think I can hear the prisoners screaming.”
Peaches barked. Mr. Cherry spat, “I warned you to keep that dog away from me!”
Emma slipped her hand under Peaches’ collar.
“I was just making my rounds,” said Mr. Cherry. “I said to myself, now who would have left that door open? Good thing I didn’t lock it. You’ve heard that the castle is cursed? Just think of it. Three kiddies locked up in a dungeon forever. How tragic.”
“Let’s go,” said Will in a loud voice.
“So soon?” said Mr. Cherry. “I haven’t shown you the Duke’s Tomb."
He swung the lantern over a hole in the floor. “There’s a cell down there. They lowered the duke in with a rope. He didn’t obey the king’s orders.”
Mr. Cherry licked his lips. “For twenty years, the duke was caged in there like an animal. His only entertainment was the screams of the tortured prisoners above him. They say he scratched a mark for every day on the wall. With his fingernails.”
Peaches erupted in a frenzy of barking.
“Get out!” snarled Mr. Cherry. “Don’t you dare come down here again! You or that scruffy dog!”
He turned to Will. “Brats who don’t listen have a tendency to disappear forever.”
Will forced himself not to run as he led the others up the stone stairs. Mr. Cherry breathed heavily behind them. He locked the studded door with a large key, attached to a brass ring and disappeared around a corner. No one spoke until they were safely in the tower.
“Whoa,” said Emma. “He is one scary servant!”
“And now he’s locked the dungeon door," said Will. “That messes everything up.”
“Who cares?” said Thom. “Are you crazy? You couldn’t pay me to go back down there. Hey! Look at that!” He pointed to the blue pencil box on the little round table. A
He led Thom and Emma along the shadowy corridor to the heavy studded dungeon door. He tugged it open and flicked on the torch. He was the first down the steep dark steps, picking his way in the beam of light. The air smelled dank. Water dripped somewhere in the darkness. When they got to the bottom, Will waved the torch in a wide circle. They were in a large room with stained brick walls. A piercing squeal and the rustle of scurrying feet made everybody jump. “RUFF!” barked Peaches.
“A rat!” screeched Emma.
“It won’t hurt you,” said Thom. “It was more scared to see us. I’m sensing fear.” He shuddered. "This place is mega-creepy. This is a bad idea. Let’s get out of here!"
“How should we start?” asked Emma, ignoring Thom.
“Loose bricks,” suggested Will. “Or maybe places where the bricks are a different colour.”
He shone the light slowly across each wall. Iron rings were embedded in the old bricks. Pieces of chain lay scat tered about on the uneven rocky floor. Rusty spikes stuck out of the back of an old wooden chair.
“Ohmigod!” said Emma. “This was a torture chamber!”
Thom moaned. Will swept the light into a corner. A sledge hammer and a metal rod lay on the floor. Someone had smashed the wall and pried out some of the bricks. Another wall of bricks lay behind. “Mr. Cherry’s been in here!” he said. “I saw him sneaking that sledge hammer and that rod thing into an old shed behind the castle.”
A low growl rumbled from Peaches’ throat and the hair bristled on his back. They swung around. A lantern blazed at the top of the stairs but it was impossible in the glare to see who was holding it.
A voice sneered, “Oh, my. What do we have here?”
Mr. Cherry! He swung the lantern to the side, revealing his sallow face and long nose. He descended the stairs and waved his arm into the darkness.
“Having a look around, are you? The cells are over there. I suppose you’ve guessed what this room was used for? Torture! Sometimes I think I can hear the prisoners screaming.”
Peaches barked. Mr. Cherry spat, “I warned you to keep that dog away from me!”
Emma slipped her hand under Peaches’ collar.
“I was just making my rounds,” said Mr. Cherry. “I said to myself, now who would have left that door open? Good thing I didn’t lock it. You’ve heard that the castle is cursed? Just think of it. Three kiddies locked up in a dungeon forever. How tragic.”
“Let’s go,” said Will in a loud voice.
“So soon?” said Mr. Cherry. “I haven’t shown you the Duke’s Tomb."
He swung the lantern over a hole in the floor. “There’s a cell down there. They lowered the duke in with a rope. He didn’t obey the king’s orders.”
Mr. Cherry licked his lips. “For twenty years, the duke was caged in there like an animal. His only entertainment was the screams of the tortured prisoners above him. They say he scratched a mark for every day on the wall. With his fingernails.”
Peaches erupted in a frenzy of barking.
“Get out!” snarled Mr. Cherry. “Don’t you dare come down here again! You or that scruffy dog!”
He turned to Will. “Brats who don’t listen have a tendency to disappear forever.”
Will forced himself not to run as he led the others up the stone stairs. Mr. Cherry breathed heavily behind them. He locked the studded door with a large key, attached to a brass ring and disappeared around a corner. No one spoke until they were safely in the tower.
“Whoa,” said Emma. “He is one scary servant!”
“And now he’s locked the dungeon door," said Will. “That messes everything up.”
“Who cares?” said Thom. “Are you crazy? You couldn’t pay me to go back down there. Hey! Look at that!” He pointed to the blue pencil box on the little round table. A
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