Pete McGee and the Master of Darkness by Adam Wallace Read Free Book Online Page A

people in his evil grip. We shall hold them hostage until you agree to face me in battle. I shall do evil things to them, you mark my wordage.’
    Pete stared at the shapes around him. His eyes were starting to get used to the dark now, and he saw Ashlyn, surrounded by people telling her the dress was fine. But if she was there, who did this Bob have captive? He had to find out, so he snuck around the crowd, checking who was there and who wasn’t.
    â€˜Time is running out for you!’ Syra cried. ‘We leave in ten seconds. You must try and save your friends, little knight. Then we shall see what you are made of.’
    Pete searched frantically; he had almost found everyone, except …
    â€˜Time is up, boy knight. We leave. Come to save your friends … if you do dare!’
    There was a flash and they were gone. Pete finished his head count. He knew who the evil duo had taken. He dropped to his knees in the darkness.
    â€˜MUUUUUUUMMMMMMMMMMMM!’

Chapter Ten
    It’s on. Oh it is on, my friend, don’t you worry about that!
    P ete was ready to go straight away; none of this ‘I won’t be up for challenges’ stuff, none of this ‘I have training to finish’. No, none of that at all. His mum had been kidnapped. His mum! He was angry and everything, but also kind of excited. He wanted adventure and challenges and quests. That was who he was. He had been kidding himself with all that other stuff. Now it was simply a case of let’s get this happening and go and save my mum and make that blob into a beanbag.
    Molloy, strangely, had a calming influence on Pete. He even dropped his rhyming slang.
    â€˜Pete, wait. This isn’t one you can do on your own. I know that’s how you like to do things, but not this time. This time you have our support.’
    â€˜Agreed,’ said Tahnee, stepping beside her brother.
    â€˜Agreed,’ said Smithers, stepping to the other side of Molloy, who rolled his eyes.
    â€˜Oh, I suppose you can come along and watch,’ he said to Smithers, who just fake laughed in response.
    â€˜I’m coming too, Pete,’ said Ashlyn. Pete started to protest, but the look in Ashlyn’s eyes told him not to argue, so he closed his mouth and said nothing. He almost felt sorry for Syra Tanooth.
    â€˜You have our skills,’ Molloy said.
    â€˜And our support,’ said Tahnee.
    â€˜And my axe!’ cried Arnold the Small. To prove his worth Arnold raised the axe and brought it down with huge force onto a wooden seat. Unfortunately, the seat stayed intact while the blunt axe just bounced off it. Then the head of the axe fell to the ground. Arnold the Small picked it up, his usually surly expression turning sad.
    â€˜Ah, who am I kidding? This is the worst axe ever. You’re on your own, kid. I’m leaving to take up donkey training.’
    And with that he dropped the axe and skipped out of sight.
    â€˜Okay,’ Pete said, watching him go. ‘That was pretty weird.’
    He turned back to the group that faced him: Molloy, Tahnee, Smithers, Ashlyn. They were, aside from his mother and Marloynne, the people that meant the most to him in the entire world. They were there for him, and it blew him away. At the same time though, he wanted them to stay home, to stay safe. He didn’t want to risk losing them all. Before he could say anything, King Rayon stepped to Pete’s side.
    â€˜Young McGee,’ he said in his gentle voice. ‘You are about to leave on a dangerous mission from which you may not return. I have the utmost faith in you, and your friends, however I also wish to be of assistance. You may gather any weapons and supplies you require from the castle. Smithers, you know where everything is.’
    Smithers nodded.
    â€˜You big chicken,’ Molloy said under his breath, but loud enough for Smithers to hear. (Just to clarify, even though ‘you big chicken’ would have