Read Online The Familiars: Secrets of the Crown by Adam Jay Epstein, Andrew Jacobson - Free Book Online Page A

his paw at the thick trunk. Gilbert inspected the roots for any sign of the Crown. The three expanded their search even wider, to nearby trees and neighbouring boulders. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. They regathered at the dogwood.
    “Maybe we were wrong,” said Aldwyn.
    Skylar repeated the first verse of the nursery rhyme. “ When night falls hear the dog’s bark, Howling to the tallest clouds. Secrets of yore buried, Beneath green needle shrouds. The dog’s bark certainly seems to be reaching to the tallest clouds. And there are pine trees all around us. The only line left unexplained is secrets of yore buried .”
    “You think the Crown is underground somewhere?” asked Aldwyn.
    “I don’t imagine it’s dangling from the tree’s branches,” replied Skylar.
    “Well, I didn’t bring a shovel,” said Gilbert. “And besides, where would we dig, anyway?”
    “What about the second verse?” suggested Aldwyn. “Maybe it’s the next clue. Between the root of all roots, Where every fear sinks away, Are stairs with no bottom, Unless eyes find sun’s ray. What if the Crown is buried beneath the tree?”
    “Then we may as well turn round right now,” said Gilbert. “It would take the strength of a hundred gundabeasts to move that tree.”
    “I think the clues are trying to tell us something else,” said Skylar. “Somehow, we need to get inside the tree. And the entrance is between the roots.”
    Skylar circled round the tree once, then flew over to the sinkhole of mud they had passed.
    “ Let your fears sink away ,” she said slowly, circling over the sinkhole. “This must be the entrance!”
    “That’s quickmud,” said Gilbert. “You go in there, you don’t come out.”
    “No, Skylar is right,” said Aldwyn. “Think about it; it says, let your fears sink away . The lullaby seems to be asking us to take a leap of faith. To not be afraid.”
    “What?” exclaimed Gilbert. “Are you two crazy? What if your interpretation is wrong? What if we all suffocate and die in that sinkhole?”
    “When has Skylar ever been wrong?” countered Aldwyn.
    “But we don’t even know if this nursery rhyme is anything more than a way to put restless tadpoles to sleep,” muttered Gilbert.
    “Then Aldwyn and I will go in on our own,” said Skylar. “You can wait for us out here in case you’re right. Someone will need to get word back to the queen should we meet our end.”
    By the look on Gilbert’s face, Aldwyn could tell that Skylar’s words weren’t exactly the reassurance the tree frog was looking for, but before he could say anything else, Skylar sucked in a big lungful of air and dived beak-first into the swirl of mud. Her blue feathers were quickly swallowed up as she disappeared. Aldwyn looked back at Gilbert, then to the sinkhole, wondering if his web-footed friend was the only one of them thinking clearly. But if Skylar was right, she would be inside that tree waiting for Aldwyn, counting on him. He took a deep breath, squeezed his eyes shut, and leaped into the hole. Immediately, he was swallowed up by the brown muck.

 
    Aldwyn landed with a thud. He gasped for air and used the backs of his paws to wipe the thick mud from his eyes, then carefully opened them just wide enough to see. If he was dead, then Skylar had joined him in the Tomorrowlife because she was right beside him, covered from head to toe in slop. The two were inside a hollowed-out earthen tunnel. Ahead of them, Aldwyn could see the tunnel beginning to slant downwards; lightning bugs were dimly illuminating the path.
    “Luckily, it looks like you were right again,” said Aldwyn.
    “Whatever we’re looking for must be down there,” responded Skylar, gesturing beyond the flickering light.
    The two picked themselves up and began their journey into the bowels of the tree, but they didn’t get far before they heard a familiar voice echoing behind them.
    “Ahhhhhhh!” screamed Gilbert as he came tumbling out of the mud ceiling,