The Battle for Duncragglin by Andrew H. Vanderwal Read Free Book Online Page A

climb. “See how it's near sea level and just down from the castle? Think about it. What would it be?”
    To Alex, Annie, and Willie, it was obviously a way intothe caves – but it was equally obvious that this was not the answer Mr. McRae was seeking.
    “A sewer outlet!” Mr. McRae slapped his leg. “What else? Castles had sinks, baths, and toilets too, you know.”
    Annie and Alex glanced at each other doubtfully. Whatever it was, it was no help to them. And it would take a stick of dynamite to get past.
    They all continued down the beach until it narrowed to nothing and the shoreline became impassable. Alex tugged on Annie's sleeve as the others started to climb a path that wound its way up the cliff-side.
    “Look.” He nudged Annie quietly. “Those waves over there … they look like they go right under that rock.”
    Staring at the shadows, they watched waves smack up against the rock with a spray. At the low point, it looked as if the water was being sucked in under the rock, only to come gurgling back out a few seconds later.
    Annie shrugged. “It's probably just a hollow.”
    “True. But look at how close it is to that blocked-off archway farther up the cliff. Maybe the water has eroded the rock under there far enough back to connect with a cave.”
    Annie bent to take a closer look. It was impossible to see how far it went. “It would have to be the lowest of low tides before we could get in there,” she said. “And then we might find it leads nowhere.”
    “When will that be?” Alex persisted.
    “Let's see….” Annie counted on her fingers. “The tide's getting lower by the day … I think it will be at its lowest point in about a week –”
    “What is it?” Alex asked.
    “Well,” she began, “if I'm not mistaken, the tide will be at its lowest point in the middle of the night.”
    “That's not a problem – in fact, it's perfect,” Alex said, sounding braver than he felt. “Your dad won't even know we're gone.”
    Annie frowned. “Do you want us to come out here in the middle of the night?”
    “Look,” Alex reasoned, “once we get in the caves, it will be dark no matter what time of day it is, right?”
    Annie didn't reply. Her brow furrowed, she stared at where the waves were being sucked under the rocks.
    The board didn't seem important anymore. Alex wedged it between some rocks to mark where they were, and they hurried to catch up with the others.

6
M IDNIGHT E XCURSION
    T he morning sun projected a window outline onto the opposite wall of the bedroom. Annie sat on Willie's bed, her pen poised over a notepad. “We need to be prepared,” she said. “This is going to be a very difficult excursion. Now, what should we bring?”
    Willie's hand shot up. “My rock-climbing gear – in case we need to climb some walls.”
    “Not so loud!” Annie said with a quick hand flutter. “Craig might hear you.”
    “Nah,
don't worry. He's watching TV.” Willie leapt up to rummage through his closet.
    Annie scribbled on her notepad. “We'll also need to bring torches and extra batteries – and our headlamps.”
    “Headlamps?” Alex asked.
    Willie tossed his rock-climbing harness onto the carpet and strapped a circular light to his head. “Got it. What's next?”
    “We'll need chalk to mark the way we came.” Annie scribbled some more. “And some baler's twine to unroll behind us.”
    Willie groaned. “Unrolling twine will take too long. And we won't need it if we have chalk.”
    “It's non-negotiable,” Annie said crisply, putting her pad down. “What we're about to do is dangerous, Willie. People
die
doing things like this. We need to take every precaution.”
    “We need to take every precaution,”
Willie mimicked, but Annie refused to take the bait. Willie finally agreed to the baler's twine as well as a water bottle and some emergency rations, but only after Annie's suggestion of taking biscuits was augmented with chocolates. He put his foot down, though, when she