by Tom Becker
When he saw the box resting on the plinth in the centre of the Big Top, everything fell into place for Sam. Having spent years coming to the fairground with Mountebank, he knew that there was a crawlspace in the Big Top that allowed a small person to slip underneath the stage, and that the plinth had a false bottom. Once in place, the hard part was carrying out the switch swiftly and in silence. When the vampire opened the box to reveal an empty space, Sam had to fight back the urge to punch the air and cheer. Mountebank had always said his apprentice could never make it in magic – but what could he say now?
However, as Sam hauled his prize out from underneath the stage, he felt his elation tempered by a much darker sense of foreboding. He had expected to see a delicate gem sparkling in the gloom; instead he found himself peering at a musty stone slab slightly larger than a brick. One of its corners was chipped and covered in a stain Sam could only assume was blood. This was the mighty artefact imbued with the power of Jack the Ripper, the priceless treasure his master had died trying to procure?
Sam picked up the squat weight and headed for the exit of the Big Top, his mind haunted by doubt. He had stolen the Crimson Stone – but what on Darkside was he going to do now?
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First published in the UK by Scholastic Ltd., 2008
This electronic edition published by Scholastic Ltd., 2012
Text copyright © CPI Publishing Solutions, 2008
The right of Tom Becker to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him.
Cover illustration @ Studio Spooky, 2008
eISBN 978 1407 13224 2
A CIP catalogue record for this work is available from the British Library.
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, incidents and dialogues are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
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