How to Stop a Witch by Bill Allen Read Free Book Online

Priscilla, stepping forward and taking Greg’s arm in her own. Kristin took a more secure hold of his other.
    Helpless, Greg glanced pleadingly at Lucky, who shrugged and gave him a look to indicate he sympathized. Even so, Greg was pretty sure he saw the boy crack a smile when the two girls tightened their grips and dragged Greg away.

Shaping Destiny
    King Peter’s study was nothing like Greg imagined. He’d expected an enormous room with splendid decor and thousands of ancient-looking tomes. Perhaps a few maps of the kingdom or intricate, richly woven tapestries. But this was just a small room, with a single comfortable-looking chair resting before a small wooden table. The air smelled faintly of smoke, as the room was lit by a dozen or more torches flickering in sconces lining the walls. On the table sat a single candlestick, which King Peter used to cast additional light on the pages of the book he was reading.
    “Greghart,” he said, when he first spotted Greg. “What are you doing here?”
    “Oh, Father,” said Priscilla, “there’s no use playing innocent. I heard about the note you sent.”
    “But I distinctly told him not to come,” the king insisted.
    “As if you thought he’d stay away. Really, Daddy, this is embarrassing.”
    “Actually, I came because of your letter,” Greg told Priscilla.
    The princess blushed. “Mine? But I told you not to come under any circumstances.”
    “Yeah, but I couldn’t stop thinking about you being in trouble. I wanted to help.”
    Behind the redness, Priscilla’s face broke into a smile. The expression faded when Kristin stepped forward and took Greg’s arm. “My Greggy is so brave, isn’t he?”
    King Peter’s eyes widened. Oh my, he mouthed. “And who is this?”
    “Kristin Wenslow, Your Highness,” Kristin said, grasping an invisible dress and pulling it to the side as she curtsied. “Greg’s girlfriend.”
    “My what?” said Greg.
    King Peter pushed back his initial unease and smiled. “Please, call me Peter.”
    “But you’re a king,” said Kristin.
    “So? I still have a name, you know. I’ll make a deal. You call me Peter instead of Your Highness, and I’ll call you Kristin instead of That Girl Who Came With Greg.”
    “Deal,” Kristin said, smiling.
    Priscilla crossed her arms and glared at the two of them. Kristin smiled even wider. She moved closer to the king and put a hand on his arm.
    “What are you reading?” she asked in a lilting voice.
    King Peter glanced at his daughter, then at Greg. Suddenly he looked as uncomfortable as Greg felt. He cleared his throat and spoke in a strained tone. “It’s, er, something Brandon wrote. A prophecy, about Greg, and all of us.”
    “You call that writing?” Kristin said after one glance at the book lying open upon the desk.
    “Yes, well, that’s what Brandon calls it anyway.”
    “Brandon Alexander?” she asked.
    King Peter regarded her with surprise. “You know him?”
    “Just what my Greg has told me.”
    “Do you mind, Your Majesty?” Greg asked quickly, gesturing toward the book.
    “Peter, Greghart. No, by all means.”
    Greg studied the book for only a moment. If he had to guess what happened here, he’d have bet a swarm of beetles had landed in an inkwell and then struggled to escape across the page. “This writing is awful. How are you going to figure out what it says?”
    “Oh, I already know—Brandon told me two days ago—I was just taking a second look, hoping maybe there was something we overlooked.”
    “And is there?” asked Kristin.
    “Beats me. These lines look like little more than random smudges to me.”
    “Does it really say Greg’s going to die?” asked Lucky.
    King Peter stiffened. “According to Brandon, I’m afraid so.”
    No one said a word for several uncomfortable seconds. Finally Lucky broke the silence. “Sorry, Greg. If there were any way to change all of this . . . If it makes you feel better, you’re going to save us all before you