Dan and the Dead by Thomas Taylor Read Free Book Online Page A

loud, shouting Si down. ‘I can hardly hear you!’
    The silence of the men watching me is deafening. Si stares at me for a moment.
    â€˜Ah, I see,’ he says. ‘It’s time for the sinister voice, is it? Very well, Master Dyer, I shall see what I can do. But give them a good performance, because I fear this will be the performance of your life.’
    Why did he have to add that last bit?
    â€˜Come, Spirit, come!’ I yell at nothing at all. ‘Tell me your troubles!’
    I’m glad Mrs C isn’t here or she’d make me staract in the school show, for sure. I lift my arms and point into space and shout ‘He comes!’, though even I can see there’s nothing there. Then I shrink back, holding my arms up like I’m trying to protect myself from some invisible phantom. I stagger and cry out, turn a complete circle and clutch at a pew as I fall to the ground. There’s a choirboy’s cassock and a pile of bibles on the pew, and they fall down too. Oh, and Gubie’s skull in the cage. Let’s not forget that.
    Eat your heart out, Hamlet!
    But if I’m expecting applause, I’m disappointed.
    I glance up. Simon’s got one hand over his face, but it’s the others, the living men, I’m trying to impress. From them there’s nothing and I’m wondering if maybe I hammed it up a tad too much.
    â€˜How did you know?’ I call out to Bagport, but when he replies I can tell from his voice that what he’s just seen was a bit too cheesy even for him.
    â€˜Know what? This had better not be a wind-up, kid, or you’ll wind up falling off the church tower.’
    â€˜About the sword?’ I say, making stuff up quick. ‘The knight’s sword? That’s why we’re here, yeah? You knew it was here in his tomb?’ And when there’s no reply I add, ‘The jewels alone must be worth a fortune.’
    There’s a long pause.
    â€˜You sure about this, boss?’ says the lock-breaker.
    Bagport looks down from the pulpit, and I can tell even from here that he’s suddenly embarrassed. After all the effort he’s been to, he’ll look pretty stupid if it’s all a load of rubbish – which it is – and I’m guessing he’d not want his men seeing that.
    â€˜Yeah, I didn’t see nuffin, Boss,’ goes the driver. ‘Is this kid for real?’
    â€˜He’s a freakin’ nutter!’ says the lock-breaker and from the altar Ringpull grunts.
    Uh-oh.
    Bagport looks from his men to me, but it’s too dark for me to see his face.
    Then he snaps his fingers.
    Ringull jumps down off the altar and walks over to me. I’m still lying on the ground, surrounded by bibles and the cassock. I look up at the huge man and wonder if there’s even any point getting up, but I don’t have to wonder for long because Ringpull leans over and with one hand he pulls me off the ground like I’m the wrong bag of shopping. He reaches his other arm back, and I can tell I’m in for the mother of all head slaps, so I shout ‘Wait! The sign!’
    â€˜Let him speak,’ says Bagport.
    â€˜Ack…’ I manage to choke out past Ringpull’s grip. ‘Behold the sign! See, where the ghost comes… gah!’
    And right beside me the white choirboy cassock lifts off the ground.
    It’s Simon of course, using his initiative for once, as well as his spooky powers to raise the cassock, but the bad guys don’t know that, do they? As it lifts, the cassock fills out and for a moment it takes on the shape of a man.
    There are gasps from round the church and Ringpull drops me, wide-eyed. Bagport’s swearing again and again in a trembling voice as, in front of four grown and hardened men, the white ghostly figure raises one arm and points at the tomb of the knight.
    Then the cassock collapses and I see Si slip out from under it. He’s used all his spook powers in