Read Online Playing with Fire (Skulduggery Pleasant, Book 2) by Derek Landy - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Derek Landy
Tags: Fiction, General, Humorous stories, All Ages, Children's Books, Fantasy, Action & Adventure, Juvenile Fiction, Action & Adventure - General, Magic, Fantasy & Magic, Science Fiction; Fantasy; & Magic, Children: Grades 4-6, Horror & Ghost Stories
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handed it to Tanith. Tanith bit her lip.
And the Darkness Rained upon Them was the last thing Gordon Edgley had written. It was set to be published in a few months, but Valkyrie had let Tanith read the advance copy. Every time Tanith was at the house, she devoured another few chapters until it was time to go. She loved coming here, and seized every chance she had to drop by.
Without another word spoken, Tanith took the book to the couch, curled up, and resumed reading.
Valkyrie tried not to laugh. She left the living room and climbed the stairs, crossing the landing to Gordon's study and closing the door after her.
Unlike the rest of the house, Gordon's study was a chaotic affair, a mass of straining shelves and piles of stacked manuscripts. She went to the bookshelf
100
that covered the far wall, scanning the titles. This was where he had kept his research material. Very occasionally, Valkyrie would find books on magic in this room that she hadn't been able to find even in the library of China Sorrows.
Valkyrie traced her finger along the spines. If anyone had collected information on a being as bizarre and unique as the Grotesquery, it would have been Gordon. That was his kind of thing.
Her fingertip stopped on a thick, leather-bound book with no title on its spine. She'd seen it before but had never paid it much attention. She tried slipping it from the shelf, but it wouldn't budge. Frowning, she gripped it and pulled. It came out halfway and stuck, and then the wall started to move.
"No way," Valkyrie breathed, as the bookshelf swung open before her, revealing a room as black as night.
A secret room. An actual real, secret room.
Not bothering to subdue the excited grin that spread across her face, Valkyrie stepped in. The room immediately lit up with candles.
Like the study, the secret room was lined with shelves, and on those shelves were objects both
101
alien and familiar. Among those she could categorize were ornate music boxes, intricate statuettes, silver daggers, and golden goblets.
Before her was a table, and on that table a blue jewel, nestled in a golden claw centerpiece. A faint light within the jewel started to glow as she stepped closer, and a man faded up from nothing on the other side of the room.
Portly. Wearing brown slacks and a matching waistcoat over a shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his forearms. Sandy hair that perched on top of his head like a loose bale of straw, shot through with gray. He turned and his eyes widened when he saw her.
"Stephanie," he said, "what are you doing here?"
She stared. "Gordon?"
Her dead uncle put his hands on his hips and shook his head. "What are you doing sneaking around this house? I always said you were far too inquisitive for your own good. Admittedly, it's a trait we share, but I for one am not above the occasional bout of hypocrisy to get my point across."
Valkyrie just stood there, mouth open. "Is that ... is that really you?"
102
He stopped, like he'd been caught out in a lie, and then he started waving his hands and bobbing his head from side to side. "This isn't me," he said. "This is all a dream. ..."
"Gordon, stop that."
"Go back the way you came," he continued, drawing out his words, "and try to wake up. . . . Remember, this is all a dreeeammmm. . . ."
"I'm serious, Gordon; quit it."
He stopped bobbing his head and dropped his hands to his sides.
"Fine," he said. "Then get ready for a shock. Stephanie, the world isn't what you think it is. There is magic here, real magic, and it is-- "
"I know about the magic," she interrupted. "Just tell me what's going on. How are you here?"
"You know about the magic? Who told you?"
"Are you going to answer my question?"
"I suppose. What was it again?"
"How are you here?"
"Oh, well, I'm not. Not really. This isn't me. I mean, I am me, but I'm not. See the blue jewel? It's very rare; it's called an Echo Stone, and generally it's used-- "
"I know about Echo Stones."
103
"You
And the Darkness Rained upon Them was the last thing Gordon Edgley had written. It was set to be published in a few months, but Valkyrie had let Tanith read the advance copy. Every time Tanith was at the house, she devoured another few chapters until it was time to go. She loved coming here, and seized every chance she had to drop by.
Without another word spoken, Tanith took the book to the couch, curled up, and resumed reading.
Valkyrie tried not to laugh. She left the living room and climbed the stairs, crossing the landing to Gordon's study and closing the door after her.
Unlike the rest of the house, Gordon's study was a chaotic affair, a mass of straining shelves and piles of stacked manuscripts. She went to the bookshelf
100
that covered the far wall, scanning the titles. This was where he had kept his research material. Very occasionally, Valkyrie would find books on magic in this room that she hadn't been able to find even in the library of China Sorrows.
Valkyrie traced her finger along the spines. If anyone had collected information on a being as bizarre and unique as the Grotesquery, it would have been Gordon. That was his kind of thing.
Her fingertip stopped on a thick, leather-bound book with no title on its spine. She'd seen it before but had never paid it much attention. She tried slipping it from the shelf, but it wouldn't budge. Frowning, she gripped it and pulled. It came out halfway and stuck, and then the wall started to move.
"No way," Valkyrie breathed, as the bookshelf swung open before her, revealing a room as black as night.
A secret room. An actual real, secret room.
Not bothering to subdue the excited grin that spread across her face, Valkyrie stepped in. The room immediately lit up with candles.
Like the study, the secret room was lined with shelves, and on those shelves were objects both
101
alien and familiar. Among those she could categorize were ornate music boxes, intricate statuettes, silver daggers, and golden goblets.
Before her was a table, and on that table a blue jewel, nestled in a golden claw centerpiece. A faint light within the jewel started to glow as she stepped closer, and a man faded up from nothing on the other side of the room.
Portly. Wearing brown slacks and a matching waistcoat over a shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his forearms. Sandy hair that perched on top of his head like a loose bale of straw, shot through with gray. He turned and his eyes widened when he saw her.
"Stephanie," he said, "what are you doing here?"
She stared. "Gordon?"
Her dead uncle put his hands on his hips and shook his head. "What are you doing sneaking around this house? I always said you were far too inquisitive for your own good. Admittedly, it's a trait we share, but I for one am not above the occasional bout of hypocrisy to get my point across."
Valkyrie just stood there, mouth open. "Is that ... is that really you?"
102
He stopped, like he'd been caught out in a lie, and then he started waving his hands and bobbing his head from side to side. "This isn't me," he said. "This is all a dream. ..."
"Gordon, stop that."
"Go back the way you came," he continued, drawing out his words, "and try to wake up. . . . Remember, this is all a dreeeammmm. . . ."
"I'm serious, Gordon; quit it."
He stopped bobbing his head and dropped his hands to his sides.
"Fine," he said. "Then get ready for a shock. Stephanie, the world isn't what you think it is. There is magic here, real magic, and it is-- "
"I know about the magic," she interrupted. "Just tell me what's going on. How are you here?"
"You know about the magic? Who told you?"
"Are you going to answer my question?"
"I suppose. What was it again?"
"How are you here?"
"Oh, well, I'm not. Not really. This isn't me. I mean, I am me, but I'm not. See the blue jewel? It's very rare; it's called an Echo Stone, and generally it's used-- "
"I know about Echo Stones."
103
"You
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