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

school?” Ernie asked.
    “We have our sources,” was all Todd would admit to.
    They followed the mass of students into a wide courtyard where colorful hot-air balloons floated overhead. Strange vehicles slipped along white gravel lanes that connected the various buildings, while airships hovered high above.
    The school was still under construction, and most of the buildings were cocooned within scaffolding. “Once they’re done with this place, Iron Bridge is going to be the jewel of New Victoria,” Ross proclaimed.
    They followed the Toad brothers through a set ofdouble doors and into the three-storied brownstone that was called Apprentice Hall. Max looked for Brooke, but he couldn’t find her in the crowd.
    When they got to the second floor, they could hear the sounds of cogs turning and holes being punched in paper. Lines of students were waiting in front of a console as Max watched Xander walk over and place his hands on an opaque ball. It lit up, and then a brass punch card emerged from a nearby slot.
    “Is that his schedule?” asked Natalia.
    “It’s more than that,” Todd replied as he pushed his glasses back onto his nose. “That’s a student ID. It has everything on it, from what doors you can open to what you’re having for lunch.”
    “Meaning what?”
    “The card knows you better than you know yourself,” Ross explained. “Diabetic? Vegan? Low on iron? The card can sense it and ensure you get the food you need.”
    Harley whistled in appreciation. “It sounds like it reads your biochemical, or maybe your electrical, signals when you touch it. That’s pretty high-tech.”
    Ross yawned. “The Cheiromantic Scheduler is an out-dated piece of junk. Stirling Academy has the Scheduler XT.”
    Max watched as Xander entertained a throng of admiring girls before inserting his card into a second slot farther down the wall. As he did, a green light flared before a brass door opened, releasing a stack of books tied togetherwith a leather belt. Xander picked them up, along with the books of a beautiful girl, and together they strutted down the hallway.
    Max decided right then that he didn’t like Xander. He reminded Max of someone, but he wasn’t sure who it was. At first Max thought it might be his old nemesis, Ray Fisher, the superpowered freak who nearly blew up the Griffins in a cornfield. That wasn’t it, though.
    “Why do you keep staring at Xander?” Ernie asked, catching Max’s gaze.
    “What are you talking about?”
    “We saw it, too,” Ross added. “Look, maybe you guys will be friends.”
    “Who knows?” Todd said with a shrug. “Stranger things have happened.”
    “What makes Xander so special?” asked Natalia.
    “Oh, I don’t know,” Ross said sarcastically. “He’s brilliant and athletic, and girls think he’s handsome.”
    “Most important,” added Todd, “he’s the highest-rated Round Table duelist in the world. Well, for the junior division anyway.”
    “Max nearly beat a Round Table Grandmaster last year,” Natalia noted. “So Xander better watch out.”
    Todd pulled out his little black notebook and jotted something down. His facial expression said it all, though—he liked what he had heard.
    Max was the first of the Grey Griffins to approach theconsole. He placed his hand on the globe, and a shock like static electricity shot up his arm. The light flashed, and Max took his card before making room for Ernie.
    “What the heck is Transformational Science?” Ernie asked as he pored over his schedule.
    “If you kept reading, you’d see that it’s a special class for
changelings
,” Max said. “Who knows, maybe you’ll end up in the same class as that kid who can teleport.”
    Ernie broke into a smile. “That would be supersonic.”
    “I have a class called Runes and Ciphers, and another called Forensics!” Natalia announced with enthusiasm.
    Max scanned his own schedule. Physical Training. Arithmetick. Latin. Grammar. History. Lunch. Then it was Natural