Grey Griffins: The Clockwork Chronicles #1: The Brimstone Key by Derek Benz, Jon S. Lewis Read Free Book Online

down here,” Todd remarked.
    “As long as you don’t mind the threat of drowning or being eaten by sea monsters,” Ross added as he pointed toward a large, lumbering shadow in the distance.
    “What in the world was
that
?” asked Ernie. He felt his throat constricting.
    “Probably a Megalodon,” Ross observed, and Todd nodded his agreement. “Prehistoric sharks like that could bite this subway in half.” He followed up with a crunching sound.
    “You can stop the theatrics,” Natalia scolded. “If this subway wasn’t safe, the Templar wouldn’t have put students on it in the first place.”
    As she finished her sentence, the sound of metal twisting and snapping reverberated throughout the subway carriage. With a lurch, the
Zephyr
jerked to the sidebefore it slammed to a stop. Students flew to the floor as the lights flickered and died. The car was bathed in murky light that emanated from the lake bottom.
    The monstrous shadow drew near.
    Most students stared in wide-eyed awe as a few others started pounding on the doors to get out. Robert, the frightened boy from the depot, was among them.
    Then the intercom system crackled to life.
    “Please remain in your seats. We have encountered a minor problem with the aft turbine engine. We should be on our way shortly.”
    “Aft
turbine
?” Todd repeated in puzzlement. “There’s no turbine on the
Zephyr
. It’s run by MERLIN Tech!”
    There was another ominous rumble, as if the subway train were shaking itself like a wet dog. Windows began to fracture, and the dead lights overhead swung back and forth. Suddenly the shark wasn’t their only concern.
    “It’s the Big Squeeze!” Ross proclaimed as he stood up on the seat. “The water pressure! It’s gonna squish us like bugs.”
    “There
are
worse ways to die,” Todd said casually. “Uncle Seymour was sucked into a black hole at the Celestial Cyclotron, and Great-Grandpa Daanon was skewered by a rhinoceros in British East Africa.”
    “Look, just because this junky train has been
grimthorped
doesn’t mean that I have to sit and listen to you two psychopaths read through the encyclopedia of death,” Natalia scolded.
    The Toad brothers looked at her blankly. “Grimthorped?”
    Harley pulled Natalia back into her seat. “She means that whoever restored the
Zephyr
screwed it up. And yes, she always uses annoying words like that.”
    As Harley spoke, everyone could hear a low growling emanate from beneath the floorboards. The next moment, Natalia’s seat upended, throwing her into the aisle.
    “What in the world?” she exclaimed, looking around in confusion. She was the only one on the floor.
    “I think you made it angry,” Todd warned. “You better be careful.”
    “Made
who
angry?”
    “The
Zephyr
. I told you that the train was alive.”
    “Are you kidding me? This piece of…” Natalia began, but she quickly found Harley’s hand clamped over her mouth.
    The next moment, the lights reignited and the subway train resumed its course. Max looked around, but the cracks in the windows had been mysteriously repaired, and the floorboards were back in place.
    Todd laughed and elbowed his brother. “I bet the
Zephyr
planned this all along. It was just testing us… you know, having some fun at the expense of the newbies.”
    Natalia rolled her eyes at the preposterous notion of a living subway. She didn’t buy it for one second. Still, she kept her mouth shut for the rest of the trip, just in case.
    The
Zephyr
raced through several stops in NewVictoria, and a few minutes later it pulled into Iron Bridge Depot. Natalia’s book bag was promptly launched out the window by the train, where it landed in a puddle.
    The subway platform wasn’t in much better condition than the depot they had left behind, but it was certainly busier. A flock of teachers in hard hats guided the students through a maze of yellow caution tape. It looked like a disaster zone after an earthquake.
    “I wonder who built all of