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“It’s not random,” Carlos said, suddenly. “It’s in a rhythm.”
“You’re right,” Jay said. “Look. The rumbling seems to go along with your beeping box. When the box lights up, the walls start to move.”
Evie stared. “You mean, he’s the one doing it?”
Carlos shook his head. “Actually, I think it’s the waves. Imagine how old this castle must be. What if, each time a wave strikes the foundation, a stone falls, or the floors rumble?”
Mal swallowed. “I just hope the castle itself doesn’t crumble before we find the scepter.”
Evie bent down so her head wouldn’t hit the ceiling. All of them except for Carlos had to crouch down now to avoid it.
“It’s a room made for mice,” said Mal.
“Or dwarfs?” asked Evie.
“Or children?” guessed Jay.
“No,” Carlos said, quieting the others, pointing to something in the dark distance. They followed the line of his gaze, seeing at first a pair of green glowing eyes, then another and another.
“Goblins,” said Carlos. “This is where the goblins live. That’s why the ceilings are so low and the corridors are so strange. This isn’t a place for humans,” he said, and when he finished, the air filled with a terrible, raucous laughter, the sound of claws tapping and teeth grinding. The box had led them right into the goblins’ den.
“Super,” Mal said.
“Yeah, good work,” Jay snorted.
Evie just glared at Carlos.
And these weren’t the friendly, enterprising goblins of the wharf or the rude ones from the Slop Shop. These were horrible creatures that had lived in darkness without their mistress for twenty years. Hungry and horrible.
“What do we do?” Jay asked, cowering behind Carlos, who had flattened himself against the wall of the corridor.
“We run,” Evie and Mal cried, one after the other.
They ran toward the only open passageway, the goblin horde shrieking in the darkness, following behind them, their spears beating against the walls.
Jay shouted, “I guess they don’t get a lot of visitors.”
“Maybe they should stop eating their guests,” Carlos said, nearly tripping over what he hoped was not a bone.
“That door!” Evie said, pointing to a heavy wooden door. “Everyone in!”
They hurried through the doorway, and Evie slammed the door after them, throwing the lock and sealing the goblins out.
“That was close,” said Mal.
“Too close,” Jay echoed. The goblins could still be heard on the far side of the door, cackling and tapping it with their spears.
“Maybe they just like to scare people?” Evie said. “I heard they were mostly harmless.”
“Yeah, mostly,” said Carlos, sucking his hand where a spear had almost hit it. “Let’s not wait around to find out.”
When it sounded as if the goblins had gone, Evie cracked open the door. She made sure they were alone before she nodded to Carlos. They continued down the narrow hallways finding nothing but empty chambers until she spied a light shining from a hidden hallway. “Over here!” she called.
She walked toward the light excitedly, thinking it might be the Dragon’s Eye glinting in the dark.
And stopped short—because she was standing in front of a mirror.
A dark, stained, cracked mirror, but a mirror nonetheless.
