Curse of the Granville Fortune by Kelly Hashway Read Free Book Online

stamp out the flames that were probably burning a hole through to his foot.
    I ran to the next tree and caught a glimpse of Holly, still backed up against the oak tree. I tried to motion to her, but she was looking the other way. Edward was still trying to put out his flaming boot, so I ran to Holly and grabbed her arm. Before she saw it was me, she let out a bloodcurdling scream.

Chapter Eight
     
    I covered Holly’s mouth with my hand, but it was too late. Edward stopped stamping his boot against the ground and looked in every direction. I pushed Holly into the cover of the trees, and as I turned back to see what Edward was doing, my eyes locked with his. Neither of us moved.
    Holly tugged on my arm. “Let’s get out of here!”
    I stayed frozen in place. Thoughts of fortune, curses, and Noelle all jumbled together in my mind. Chills ran down my spine. I knew I should run, but I was strangely drawn to the camp. Something about Edward seemed almost familiar. Like I’d met him before. I didn’t have time to explain this to Holly because the other thief, Garret, came running into the center of the camp, holding a large knife.
    “Who screamed?” asked Garret.
    “They—” Edward stopped and stared at the fire still burning through his boot. He stomped so hard on the ground that enough dirt kicked up and put out the flame. “They went into the trees. Two of them.” Edward pointed in our direction. “They stole my food!”
    I pushed Holly through the trees. “Run!”
    Holly swatted at the tree branches. “Why are we running through all this? It’s slowing us down!”
    “Those guys live in this forest. They know the paths better than we do. This is our only chance of getting away. But we have to stop talking, or they’ll follow the sound of our voices.”
    I ran so fast I could hardly speak, but I managed to whisper, “This way,” between all my huffing and puffing. Holly and I ducked under the branch of a large elm tree. I looked back to see how close Edward and Garret were, but I didn’t see them. “Where did they go?”
    “I don’t know. I’ve been trying to keep up with—” Holly didn’t finish her sentence. She screamed instead.
    I whipped my head around and saw Edward and Garret blocking our path. Holly and I ran right into their arms. I felt like a fool for not realizing the thieves probably knew all the shortcuts through the forest.
    “Gotcha!” Garret yelled.
    I didn’t even try to scream for help. It would’ve been useless. The only other people around were more Grimault thieves.
    “What were you doing at our camp? And how did you get by the traps we set on the paths?” Garret asked.
    “We’re lost. Please don’t hurt us,” Holly said in a shaky voice. Garret held her by her ponytail, and she was craning her neck to look at him.
    “You expect us to believe you’re lost?” Garret said. “No one in their right mind comes into Braeden Forest. This place will eat you alive if you don’t know how to get around its enchantments.”
    “What did you do with our mother?” I demanded, trying to sound tough. It wasn’t easy, considering these guys were terrifying. Edward looked normal enough, but I got this weird feeling around him—like my skin was crawling or something.
    “Your mother’s here, too?” Edward said, squeezing my arms. His hands felt unusually warm through my shirt.
    “So, you found the painting before our mom did,” I said, more as a statement than a question.
    “What painting?” Edward and Garret asked as they exchanged a puzzled look.
    “I saw you looking at it back at your camp.”
    “A painting—yeah, that’s what we were looking at!” Garret laughed, and I could tell he was being sarcastic. I really didn’t like him.
    “You don’t have our mother held prisoner?” Holly asked.
    “She brings up a good point. Kidnapping could make us a fortune. It’d come in handy if we don’t find—” Garret stopped himself. He obviously didn’t want to mention