“Who are they?” I interrupted.
He frowned. “There are ten Swords here that serve as our Protectorate, which means they patrol the tunnels around Derwin and if necessary can help out on the surface, though I usually only do that in special circumstances, like now. As for your Swords, their identities are protected until you pass your training. Suffice to say you are guarded. But the monsters are coming forth from the darkness in ever greater numbers, and we can’t protect you forever.” He suddenly reached out and took my arm. “I can promise you one thing, Laura Ledwick. If you don’t go to the monsters, they will come to you.”
He released my arm and abruptly started for the courtyard.
“It’s time to go home. Return tomorrow night when the panel rattles.”
“Why does the panel rattle?” I asked. “How do you do that?”
“I don’t know,” Eldon said. “I’ve always wondered that myself. It’s part of the spell I suppose, but I would be lying if I told you I really understood magic. It rattles at certain times only, and only for certain people—the ones who are supposed to find the door. After that, it rattles for the Monster Crushers when they are called to do their training. It is the same for all fifty houses across the world. It always seems to know when the best time is…which should be around when you go upstairs to bed.”
“What if someone else hears the rattling? My brother—”
“Then you will tell him it is just the wind and move on. Understand?”
I thought about that. Tom had super hearing, but at least he was a heavy sleeper. As long as it only rattled at night, it should be fine. But that didn’t mean I wanted to come back.
“Get going,” Eldon said impatiently. “Return as soon as the door rattles.”
“But—”
“You will be training, so you might as well wear comfortable clothes. You will train for four hours, so take a nap beforehand. You will not be getting a lot of sleep. And tell no one of any of this, or there will be consequences for you and whomever you tell.”
“I didn’t even agree—”
He stopped at the doorway. “And before I forget.” He pulled a dusty old book out of his cloak; it was thick and bulky, and the cover was marked with a small rectangle with three diamonds in the middle. “Take this. The Complete Guide to Monster Crushing. It was created by the Monster Crushers of Riverfield that came before you. Read it.”
I gingerly took the book, staring at the symbol. “Can I just—”
He led me into the courtyard, and I blinked in the light.
“See you tomorrow, Laura. I hope you are a lot more capable than you look.”
I scowled. “Thanks.”
With that, Eldon swept back inside, his cloak billowing out behind him, and I was left in the courtyard surrounded by those same confused stares. Tucking the book under my arm, I hurried out into the village, my cheeks burning as the whispers finally started.
“She has a guide!”
“It can’t be.”
“You don’t think he’s actually training her, do you?”
I hurried all the way through the village, ignoring everyone, and started jogging down the dirt pathway, clutching the book to my chest. By the time I reached Porton and the elevator, I was drenched in sweat. He raised his bushy white eyebrows in surprise.
“Back so soon?”
“Yeah,” I muttered, walking past him. “Am I going to die on this thing?”
He shrugged. “I certainly hope not.”
“That’s reassuring.”
I walked into the elevator and reluctantly put my hand on the lever.
Porton smiled. “Have fun.”
Frowning, I pulled the lever, and the elevator suddenly shot upward. I dropped the book and grabbed the lever with both hands as the elevator flew toward the cavern ceiling, barely slower than it had plummeted down in the first place. I watched as the realm of Derwin started shrinking away below me, the white spot of Arnwell Castle becoming as small as a droplet of rain. I caught a glimpse of some massive mechanical contraption on the cavern ceiling, blazing white, and then the elevator disappeared into the shaft again. The climb was seemingly endless, too dark to see, and my stomach roiled as I flew upward, clutching the lever in terror. Finally the elevator slowed again and settled into place right where I had started, the small panel still open to my closet.
I immediately crawled through, grabbing the book on the way, and then swung the panel shut behind me. I sat there on the floor for a long time, holding the book and trying to comprehend what I had just seen. None of it made any sense: sorcerers and goblins and Monster Crushers. Realms beneath the earth. And yet here I was, leaning against an elevator shaft in my closet. It was almost too much to deal with.
I tossed the book in the corner and started out of my closet, shutting the door behind me.
“Laura?”
I almost jumped through the ceiling. My mom was poking her head through the door, a pink sleep mask pulled up onto her forehead. I glanced at my alarm clock…it was after eleven.
“Oh,” I said, trying to recover. “Hey.”
My mom frowned and walked into the room. “What are you doing?”
“Just organizing the closet,” I said absently, dusting the door frame with my hand.
I don’t know why I didn’t tell her about the elevator. But something told me that it would not be a good idea, and I would at least read some of the book before I decided what to do. Eldon had been pretty clear in his instructions.
“I see,” my mom said, raising a manicured blond eyebrow. She was wearing her striped white-and-pink pyjamas, which matched my socks. “Let’s sit down.”
I followed her out into the bedroom, taking a last peek at the dusty old book poking out from behind the trophy boxes in the corner. My mom sat on the bed and patted the mattress beside her. I reluctantly sat down,
