Grey Griffins: The Clockwork Chronicles #1: The Brimstone Key

by Derek Benz; Jon S. Lewis

  “Civilian clothes?” Max asked, shocked by the intrusion. “What are you supposed to be dressed as?”

  The girl’s smile faded. “My name is Hera, from the Third House of Argos. And you, little boy, are in way over your head.”

  Her friends laughed as they all disappeared into the crowd.

  07

  THE TOAD BROTHERS

  “That was rude,” Natalia commented. “We’ve met plenty of people in the Templar society, and they don’t all dress like that.”

  “We’ve never met any our age, though,” Max pointed out. “Maybe it’s just the fashion around here.”

  “Well, I hope the fad ends soon. I already bought all my school clothes, and I don’t have the money to update my wardrobe with corsets and ball gowns.”

  Ernie looked up at the ceiling, where water was dripping from deep fissures. “All I know is that we’re in serious trouble if this roof comes crashing down.”

  “Shows what you know, civilian.”

  Ernie turned to see two boys smiling at him with eerie grins. The one who had spoken was thin, with square glasses and rabbit teeth. His pudgy companion looked disheveled and dirty. He had a spectacularly thick head of hair that looked rather like an overgrown hedge. Both were dressed in strange clothes, like everyone else, though their ensembles were faded and a bit threadbare.

  “The dripping water is a side effect of the MERLIN Tech, that’s all. Nothing to worry about,” the first boy said.

  His companion agreed, folding his arms. “Our great-great-great-grand-uncle Tobias helped design this place. If a Toad builds something, it ain’t coming down.” Max had no idea what the boy meant by “a Toad” but didn’t want to risk a stupid question this early on his first day.

  “Ain’t isn’t a word,” retorted Natalia.

  The two boys didn’t pay her any attention. Instead, each extended a hand to Max.

  “My name’s Todd,” said the boy with the rabbit teeth. “This here is my brother, Ross. They call us the Toad brothers.” He beamed with pride.

  “Because you have warts?” Natalia asked, eyeing their dirty hands.

  “Because that’s our name,” Ross replied.

  “Well, this is Max Sumner,” Natalia announced just as proudly. “And we’re the Grey Griffins.”

  Their jaws fell open.

  “Seriously?” Todd Toad exclaimed, turning to his brother. “This is incredible luck! Can you imagine what the year is going to be like with Xander Swift and Max Sumner at the same school? Who do you think will become the alpha male?”

  Ross paused to look at Max carefully. “Definitely Xander,” he replied. “I’d give four-to-one odds on it, maybe higher.”

  “Four-to-one?” Todd nodded, scratching his chin. “Well, Xander is the reigning Round Table champion. Still, Max is the Guardian of the Codex.”

  “Wait, how did you know I’m the Guardian?” Max interrupted.

  “You also won the Medal of Arthur,” Todd continued. “Plus, you’ve been trained by legendary mentors like Olaf Iverson, Logan, and Cain Lundgren.”

  “And your dad stole the Spear of Ragnarok. Look, we’ve got all your stats,” Todd explained, patting a small book in his hip pocket.

  “Do you have anything on Agent Thunderbolt?” asked Ernie, eagerly stepping closer.

  Todd nodded. “Not much. No offense, but you’re not exactly A-list. Don’t worry about it, though; nobody expects much from changelings. They’re kind of…”

  “What?” Ernie asked, growing frustrated.

  “You know… weird.”

  “Oh, honestly.” Natalia sighed. “This is ridiculous.”

  “Of course,” Ross began, turning his attention back to Max, “you’re going to run into a few problems, thanks to your dad. He might be one of the wealthiest men on planet, but he hasn’t done you any favors.”

  “Yeah,” agreed Todd. “You might want to look out for a kid named Angus McCutcheon. Rumor is that he has it in for you.”

  “You’re kidding, right?” Max asked, thinking the entire conversation was surreal.

  “A lot of good people died when your dad betrayed us,” Ross explained. “Some of these kids lost people in their families.”

  “Max is the one who stopped the Black Wolves,” Natalia protested. “He saved our lives.”

  “Sure,” Todd admitted, motioning toward a group of boys. They were tall and strong, and their faces were grim. “But you don’t have to convince us.”

  “Bullies don’t scare us,” Natalia retorted. “We’re monster hunters.”

  The Toad brothers’ eyes lit with wonder as they spoke in perfect unison. “You are monster hunters?”

  “Of course,” she replied. “Why is that so hard to believe?”

  “Well,” began Todd, “for one thing, you’re too young. Training isn’t supposed to start until you’re sixteen. You have to be handpicked by the THOR Division, and there hasn’t been a monster hunter our age since…”

  “Since my grandpa Caliburn,” Max answered.

  “What do you use?” Ross began, pulling out a notebook and a pencil. “Silver bullets? Holy water? Wooden stakes?”

  “Depends on the job,” Harley replied in feigned indifference.

  The elusive answer only set the Toad brothers into a flurry of questions until the platform started to vibrate and a whistle blared. A steady beam of light approached from the depths of the tunnel.

  A dark form shot out of the tunnel at such a high speed that Max didn’t think it would be able to stop in time to catch the platform. Yet like a bullet caught in midflight, it did. Before Max could get a good look, a rolling cloud of steam enveloped the bystanders. Umbrellas, parasols, and hat brims were lowered.

  The cloud soon faded, revealing the unmistakable form of a subway train. Max’s grey eyes swept over the lines of the mechanical beast. He’d never seen a slimier piece of junk in his life. It looked as if it had been freshly pulled from a swamp. Yet he could see hints of the subway’s glory days. The narrow passenger windows, now rippled with age, were constructed from leaded glass with filigree, and its doors were equally well crafted. More interesting, its corroded wheels hovered above the rail on a silvery light, which Todd referred to as a MERLIN sled.

  Max watched as another jet of steam issued from the subway’s underbelly and the silvery light faded. The subway lowered its wheels soundlessly onto the track.

  “I can’t believe they actually found the Zephyr,” Todd declared. “I mean, there were rumors, but…”

  A swirl of stories swept through the crowd, passing over Max like a wave. Some claimed the subway had been dismantled and sold for scrap. Others were just as certain that it had been sucked into a magical vortex before disappearing with all its screaming passengers aboard.

  “What is this hunk of junk?” Natalia asked.

  “The history books claim that the London Underground was the first subway rapid-transit system,” Ross stated. “But the Templar built the Zephyr way before that.”

  “Is it steam-powered?” asked Harley, as mist swirled about.

  “Mostly MERLIN Tech.”

  “As in the magician?” Ernie wondered aloud.

  Todd stopped and looked at Ernie sideways before correcting him. “As in Lord Merlin Silverthorne, the scientist.”

  “He harnessed energy that was a cross between electromagnetic radiation and what civilians like to call magic,” Ross said. “But it doesn’t have anything to do with hocus-pocus. It’s real science.”

  “So the train runs on some kind of electrical magic?” Harley asked, intrigued by the idea.

  “Not exactly,” Ross replied.

  “In the old days, the Zephyr was just a normal underground train that transported students to the school and back,” explained Todd, his voice lowering to a conspiratorial whisper. “Traveling through the enchanted waters of Lake Avalon isn’t safe, though. After a few years, strange things started to happen. Some say the Zephyr became haunted. Others claim that it was
being controlled by aliens, but our dad knows the truth.”

  “And that is?” Natalia prompted.

  “MERLIN Tech can have unintended side effects. Dad told us that in the case of the Zephyr, one day it was a subway train, and the next, it was alive.”

  Natalia rolled her eyes, completely unconvinced by the theatrics.

  The Toad brothers didn’t seem too worried about impressing Natalia. Instead, they focused their attention on Max. It was clear they considered him to be some kind of celebrity.

  “Can we see it?” Todd asked eagerly.

  “See what?” Max replied.

  “You know, the Codex,” Todd said.

  “Yeah. Maybe you could trap us in one of those captivity orbs,” Ross added. “We’ve always wanted to know what it would be like to get trapped inside a portal prison.”

  Max raised his eyebrows. “I don’t think so,” he said. “Besides, they only work on faeries and monsters.”

  The Toad brothers frowned in unison. “Are you sure?” Todd asked.

  “I’m almost positive that James Moriarty was caught with a captivity orb,” Ross conjectured.

  “Professor Moriarty?” Natalia asked, incredulous at the absurdity of the statement. “This is the real world, not a Sherlock Holmes novel.”

  “Shows what you know,” Todd said, and Ross snickered. “Anyway, have you guys been to Mad Meriwether’s Gadgetry Shoppe? I heard they sell replica Codex Gauntlets there.”

  “I’m thinking about putting it on my Christmas list,” Ross added. “But I have my eye on a derringer that shoots paint pellets. My parents won’t let me have a real gun, so it’s the next best thing.”

  “There aren’t any gadgetry shops around here,” Harley pointed out. “The closest thing was the Shoppe of Antiquities, but it’s closed now.”

  “Mad Meriwether’s isn’t in Avalon,” Todd pointed out.

  “Yeah, it’s in New Victoria,” Ross explained. “On Baker Street, across from the apothecary. In fact, it isn’t too far from Iron Bridge.”

  Harley just stared at Ross with a blank look on his face.

  “I don’t think these four are going to make it past the first week,” Ross proclaimed.

  “Agreed,” Todd said. “It looks as though the undertaker is going to have a busy semester.”

  08

  IRON BRIDGE

  “Undertaker? What on earth are you talking about?” demanded Natalia, who had gone from annoyed to angry.

  “As long as you stay on school grounds, you should be okay,” Ross explained. “I just wouldn’t wander into the rest of the city if I were you.”

  “Look, the island is big enough to hide a school; but an entire city? I don’t think so,” Natalia argued.

  “New Victoria isn’t on the island,” Todd said. “Neither is Iron Bridge.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “They’re both in the Land of Mist. You know, the in-between place that separates the real world from the Shadowlands?” he continued. “That’s where dreams come from.”

  “Really?” Ernie asked. “Even nightmares?”

  “How do you think all those monsters slipped into Avalon?” Todd asked. “They crossed over from the Land of Mist.”

  “But don’t worry—Iron Bridge is mostly safe,” Ross assured. “Besides, they locked the gateway to the Shadowlands a long time ago. Most of the really bad stuff got stuck on the other side.”

  “Wait a minute. What do you mean, mostly safe?” Ernie didn’t like the sound of that.

  “The academy is surrounded by walls that are fifty feet high and twenty feet thick,” Ross replied. The only way in and out is by airship.”

  “Or subway,” Todd added. “That’s where the Zephyr comes in.”

  “What about portals?” Max asked.

  “Portals are shut down inside all Templar academies,” Todd replied. “They say it’s a safety precaution.”

  “It’s more like they don’t want the students sneaking out for a night on the town,” Ross corrected.

  At that moment, the doors to the subway creaked open. Max thought he could see Brooke enter one of the cars behind them, but the cloud of steam, the crackle of MERLIN Tech, and the rush of students made it a confusing scene.

  “Ladies first.” Ernie bowed to Natalia. Harley couldn’t wait, though. He was too excited to see what was inside, so he slipped past her as she scowled.

  The Zephyr had been a marvel of comfort and luxury in its heyday. It was tastefully appointed with dark mahogany, brass accents, and leather hanging straps for anyone who chose to stand. For those who sat, there were deep leather benches set like parlor couches, some facing one another, some with their backs to the windows. The whole of the carriage was illuminated by the warm glow of Tiffany lamps mounted on the side walls. Whoever had built the subway had spared no expense.

  “Too bad the train was left to rot,” Natalia remarked. The seat beneath her was split and covered in mildew.

  “It’s not so bad,” Harley replied. “A little elbow grease and a bit of varnish, and this baby could be as good as new.”

  After three whistles, the doors to the Zephyr closed, and the carriage rose into the air on its silvery sled. An instant later, the subway shot into the darkness.

  “Wait a minute,” Natalia said, glancing over her shoulder. “Half of these people weren’t on the platform with us.”

  “There are lots of stops between here and the Twin Cities,” Ross explained.

  “The students at Iron Bridge don’t have to live in Avalon?” Ernie asked.

  Todd laughed. “This is my first time in this boring town, and I bet it’s the same for most of us.”

  “Avalon most certainly isn’t boring,” Natalia said defensively.

  “Give me a break,” Ross chimed in. “It’s just a tidal pool that was left over from the old world. And trust me, there is a big difference between a pool and the ocean.”

  “You have to understand, most of us live either in the Land of Mist or in major cities like New York and London,” Todd explained. “Compared to those places, in Avalon you barely have your toes in the water.”

  “So when are you going to give us a tour?” Harley asked, hopeful for a chance to visit Mad Meriwether’s Gadgetry Shoppe.

  “I wouldn’t count on it any time soon,” Ross explained. “I’m sure there will be restrictions on students entering the city.”

  “How long is this ride supposed to last?” Ernie asked. The bumps in the rails were making him feel nauseated, and he didn’t want to vomit in front of everyone.

  “Time and distance are completely different in the Land of Mist,” Ross explained. “You might as well get comfortable, because we’re going to be in here for a while.”

  As he spoke, the subway train cut into swirling fog. Max noticed everything around them start to shimmer, and then the subway changed. The rotted interior became sleek and polished. Gone was the smell of mildew and the bumps in the rail. Once it entered the Land of Mist, the Zephyr had returned to its former glory.

  “That was incredible!” Harley said, marveling at the transformation.

  “Not bad,” Todd agreed. “Just watch out for the rogue portals and bottomless pits.”

  “Don’t forget the sea monsters,” Ross reminded him.

  Ernie gasped.

  “Don’t worry,” reassured Todd, with his nose pressed against the window. “The Zephyr will know what to do.”

  The subway emerged into a glass tunnel deep under the shimmering water. Max watched in awe as they sped past sunken ships, schools of exotic fish, and a forest of plants that were as tall as skyscrapers.

  “It’s amazing down here,” Todd remarked.

  “As long as you don’t mind the threat of drowning or being eaten by sea monsters,” Ross added as he pointed toward a large, lumbering shadow in the distance.

  “What in the world was that?” asked Ernie. He felt his throat constricting.

  “Probably a Megalodon,�
� Ross observed, and Todd nodded his agreement. “Prehistoric sharks like that could bite this subway in half.” He followed up with a crunching sound.

  “You can stop the theatrics,” Natalia scolded. “If this subway wasn’t safe, the Templar wouldn’t have put students on it in the first place.”

  As she finished her sentence, the sound of metal twisting and snapping reverberated throughout the subway carriage. With a lurch, the Zephyr jerked to the side before it slammed to a stop. Students flew to the floor as the lights flickered and died. The car was bathed in murky light that emanated from the lake bottom.

  The monstrous shadow drew near.

  Most students stared in wide-eyed awe as a few others started pounding on the doors to get out. Robert, the frightened boy from the depot, was among them.

  Then the intercom system crackled to life.

  “Please remain in your seats. We have encountered a minor problem with the aft turbine engine. We should be on our way shortly.”

  “Aft turbine?” Todd repeated in puzzlement. “There’s no turbine on the Zephyr. It’s run by MERLIN Tech!”

  There was another ominous rumble, as if the subway train were shaking itself like a wet dog. Windows began to fracture, and the dead lights overhead swung back and forth. Suddenly the shark wasn’t their only concern.

  “It’s the Big Squeeze!” Ross proclaimed as he stood up on the seat. “The water pressure! It’s gonna squish us like bugs.”

  “There are worse ways to die,” Todd said casually. “Uncle Seymour was sucked into a black hole at the Celestial Cyclotron, and Great-Grandpa Daanon was skewered by a rhinoceros in British East Africa.”

  “Look, just because this junky train has been grimthorped doesn’t mean that I have to sit and listen to you two psychopaths read through the encyclopedia of death,” Natalia scolded.

  The Toad brothers looked at her blankly. “Grimthorped?”

  Harley pulled Natalia back into her seat. “She means that whoever restored the Zephyr screwed it up. And yes, she always uses annoying words like that.”