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

this,” Max mused, looking up at a cavernous ceiling.
    “Faeries, of course,” announced the sharp voice of a nearby teacher. She was thin, fitting into her clothes like a blade into a starched scabbard. Her eyes were bright, and her white skin was flecked with small red veins near her temples—possibly from too much thinking. She smelled of cats, and her hands were arthritic rakes with glassy nails. “Though I daresay machines are more reliable. Now, which one of you is Tweeny?”
    “Um… I am,” Ernie admitted, his voice faltering. The teacher’s narrowed eyes peeped out from two wrinkly bags, and Ernie squirmed under the scrutiny.
    “I am Dean Nipkin,” she said. “And I believe that we’ll be getting to know each other quite well, my little changeling friend. Yes, I’ve heard a great deal about you….” Her voice trailed off as her eyes fell on another student of interest. “Ah… the impertinent mongrel has shown up,” the dean said to no one in particular. She turned on her heels and clicked toward her new target.

09
A C LOUD OF S MOKE
    The escalators leading to the surface were elegantly appointed, but like the
Zephyr
, that elegance had been brutalized by neglect. The wood floorboards were rotten, and the leather handrails had been nibbled away by a hundred years’ worth of hungry mice. Worse yet, the escalator was pitched at a murderous angle.
    “This thing should be condemned,” Natalia stated as she listened to the floorboards moan beneath her feet. Steam rolled out from the cracks as invisible engines worked to move the students up to an impossible height. “It’s a giant lawsuit just waiting to happen.”
    “Look at that,” Max announced, pointing back to thebottom of the escalator. Dean Nipkin was arguing with a boy whose blond hair was spiked at impossibly sharp angles. He was dressed in jeans and leather boots, and his goggles were pushed up on his forehead like those of most of the other boys and more than a few of the girls.
    “Maybe that’s the ‘impertinent’ kid she was talking about,” Natalia thought aloud.
    As the argument escalated, the boy shook his head and, in a burst of black smoke, disappeared. An instant later he reappeared behind the Griffins, but only long enough to smile mischievously at the dean. Then he disappeared again, leaving another cloud of smoke. Up where the escalator ended, there was an explosion of books and papers, followed by a scream. Then the boy was gone.
    “He’s a teleporter!” Ernie shouted with joy. “That means he’s a changeling, too. Holy cow! You were right, Natalia. I’m not the only one after all!”
    “I wonder how many changelings are here,” Harley mused.
    “They pretty much keep to themselves,” Ross explained. “It’s the rule.”
    “Rule?” Ernie exclaimed. “What do you mean?”
    “Welcome to Iron Bridge Academy!” Todd announced suddenly as they reached the top of the escalator.
    Soaring above a cobblestone courtyard were buildings as varied and wondrous as Max could ever have imagined. Tall towers and gabled peaks rose above the mist, as walls of ornately arched stone bridges and hundreds ofstained-glass windows peered out over a thick green court of flowering trees, hedges, and fountains. Each structure was an architectural marvel of intricacy, and the buildings reflected the majesty of each subject taught within.
    Max looked over his shoulder to see the massive walls that concealed any possible view of the city of New Victoria. The Toad brothers had aroused his curiosity about what the city might look like, not to mention who lived there.
    “This path is called the Green Corridor,” explained Ross, gesturing to a grassy lane that led to the school grounds. “It’ll take you straight to De Payens Hall. That’s where all the offices are. Everything to the left is controlled by the Sciences Council, which means it’s off-limits. The right-hand side is for students.”
    “How do you know so much about the