Read Online Pan's Realm by Christopher Pike - Free Book Online

forbidden spells and unthinkable sacrifices. His black eyes shone with a cold light as his hideous smile widened. Adam had the feeling that he was not impressed by the fact that Pan had just called him a liar and a thief.
    â€œI forced you to do nothing,” Klandor said. “You were mad that night, so puffed up with your pride and position that you didn’t know when to stop. In front of a hundred witnesses you gambled away your kingdom. Everyone saw, everyone knows the truth. Now you enter my home and insult me with your lies. You try to rewrite what was. How should I reward such behavior, Pan? Perhaps I was too kind to allow you and your miserable followers to leave this land in peace. For it does not seem that you have returned in peace. Yes, I know about the four human warriors you have broughtwith you to assassinate me. I see you have two of them on your back. Wretched creatures they look to me, and unworthy of being even in your questionable company. Have they anything to say for themselves?”
    â€œYeah,” Sally spoke up. “First of all, I resent being referred to as a wretched creature. Now, it is true that from time to time I suffer from bad moods, and on such occasions it could be said that I am wretched. But that is a momentary state of mind and doesn’t constitute my true nature. In other words, it’s not fair to label me wretched. Especially when the label is being applied by the likes of you, since you are obviously a down-on-his-luck magician who couldn’t get a decent gig at a Chamber of Commerce breakfast.” Sally paused and then suddenly jerked to the side. “Ouch! Adam? Why did you poke me in the side?”
    â€œBecause I think I should talk to him instead of you,” he whispered.
    â€œWhat am I doing wrong?” she asked.
    â€œI thought you were going to try to reason with him?”
    â€œBut you told me not to lie!”
    â€œNot all reason is a lie,” Adam reminded her.
    â€œYou can’t reason with an evil wizard,” Sally whispered back.
    â€œI can try.” Adam cleared his throat and spoke toKlandor. “As you can see, Mr. Klandor, we’re friends of Pan. We don’t deny that, although we just met him this afternoon while we were trying to find our bikes in the forest. But we’re not assassins. We didn’t come here to kill you. We don’t believe in killing, especially if it could get us killed. But we do believe Pan has a point when he says he was conned out of his kingdom. Now, I tested this necklace and I discovered that it definitely alters how one sees the world. And I know if Pan was wearing it when he gambled his kingdom away, then he was playing with an unfair disadvantage. Now, what I think you two should do is retire to a nice quiet place and talk about how—”
    â€œSilence!” Klandor shouted, raising his bony hand again. “You have the nerve to accuse me of being a cheat in front of all my loyal subjects?”
    â€œWell,” Adam said carefully, “I didn’t use the word cheat.”
    â€œBut he did imply it,” Sally added. “Because you did cheat Pan. You cheated him because you’re a natural born loser. Just look at the company you keep—all these half-baked dwarfs and elves. Why, I’ve seen leprechauns with chocolate cakes for treasure that could take this lousy company.”
    â€œSally,” Adam said.
    â€œWhat?”
    â€œPlease do not speak again until we are back in Spooksville and there are no sharp spears pointed at us.”
    â€œLike you had a lot of success calling him a cheat,” Sally snapped.
    â€œYou are going to get us killed.”
    â€œThen at least I’ll die with my tongue working, which is all that matters.”
    Adam sighed. “Oh brother.”
    Pan spoke up, and his temper was no less for having listened to the ramblings of the rest of them. ­“Klandor!” he shouted, waving the necklace