The Emerald Atlas by John Stephens Read Free Book Online

“It’s real. It’s all real.”
    Kate had stepped away and was half staring at an enormous boat floating far out in the middle of the lake. Being responsible for her brother and sister had made her very literal-minded. She’d never indulged in the games of fantasy Michael played. But he was right: he had put the photo in the book and now they were here. Only what did that really mean? That the book was magic? That they had traveled through time? How was that possible?
    “Bless me.…”
    Kate spun around. A small man stood a few paces off, holding a camera. He wore a brown suit, was completely bald, and had a neat white beard. His mouth hung open in astonishment.
    “It’s Abraham,” Michael said. “That makes sense. He’d have to be here to take the picture. It’s him, but younger.”
    “Still bald,” Emma said.
    Kate took a deep breath. She had to pull herself together. But just then a scream echoed out from the woods, a scream unlike any the children had ever heard before. It passed through them like an icy wind, rippling the water on the lake.
    Abraham groaned, “Oh no …”
    A figure emerged from the trees, running toward them through the high grass. It was dressed in dark rags, and some kind of mask covered its face. As it came closer, Kate saw that the creature ran with an odd, herky-jerky lope, as if with each stride it had to throw its legs forward.
    “Run,” Abraham hissed. “You must run!”
    “What is it?” Kate asked.
    “Just run! Run!”
    But Michael was fumbling with his camera and Emma had already snatched up a rock, and Kate knew it was too late. The creature pulled out a long, curved sword and screamed again. This time was much worse; Kate felt her legs tremble and her heart crumple in her chest as if all the blood, all the life, were being squeezed out of her.
    The creature knocked Abraham to the ground.
    Shaking, Kate stepped forward to put herself between this thing and her brother and sister.
    “Stop!”
    Amazingly, it did. Coming to a halt right in front of her. It was not breathing hard, despite having run all the way from the trees. In fact, Kate wasn’t sure it was breathing at all. Up close, the creature’s clothes were discernible as the tattered remains of an ancient uniform. There was a faded insignia on its chest. The metal of its sword was tarnished and chipped. But what truly drew her attention was the creature’s skin. It was a muddy, greenish color and covered here and there with bits of dirt, small sticks, and even patches of moss. As Kate watched, a thick pink worm slithered out from beneath the creature’s ribs.
    She forced herself to look at its face. It wasn’t wearing a mask. Rather, strips of black cloth were wrapped around its head so that only its eyes were visible. The eyes were yellow, with thin vertical pupils like a cat’s. The creature smelled like something that had been buried in a swamp for centuries and then dug up.
    It raised its sword and pointed back the way it had come.
    “You’d better go,” Abraham said. “It’ll make you anyway.”
    Stepping around Kate, the creature seized Michael and practically threw him toward the trees. It turned on Emma, but Kate moved again into its path.
    “Stop, okay, stop! We’re going!”
    “Get my camera!” Michael called.
    Kate stooped, retrieved the camera, and draped it around her neck. Emma was still clutching the rock she hadn’t thrown, so Kate took her free hand and together they joined Michael, the three of them walking toward the line of evergreens, with the thing, whatever it was, trudging behind.
    The forest the children were driven through held little relation to the Cambridge Falls they knew. The trees were tall and thick, ferns blanketed the ground, the air was filled with birdcalls. Everything around them was rich and alive.
    “… And I bet you Dr. Pym’s a wizard,” Michael whispered excitedly. “That had to be his room, don’t you think? I wonder what else he’s got in