Crown of Three Read Online Free Page A

tunnel that wound upward in a tight spiral. As they climbed, the sounds of screaming faded, although the heat increased. By the time they reached the top, Gulph’s whole body was slick with sweat.
    Before them was a low door. Without speaking, Blist selected a long, black key from his bunch and jabbed it into the lock. He twisted it, and with a drawn-out screech, the door opened. Releasing his grip on Gulph’s arm, the jailer delivered a tremendous kick to the small of his back. Gulph tumbled through the doorway, rolling instinctively and coming up on his feet.
    The door slammed shut. The key rattled in the lock and Blist’s heavy footsteps echoed briefly before melting into the background roar of the prison.
    Gulph turned slowly, taking in his surroundings. The room was awkward, with an uneven floor and oddly angled walls . . . but it was a room, not a cell. A desk stood in one corner, covered in books and scrolls, beside which an oil lamp flickered.
    High above, the ceiling was a steep slope of iron beams; Gulph felt as though he’d stepped into a strange metal attic. There were no windows, and the only daylight filtered in a thin stream from a slit between two of the rafters. Opposite the desk was a chair with embroidered cushions, and a simple bed piled high with blankets. On the floor was a thick rug.
    Something rushed out of the shadows beside the bed: a billowing shape topped by a pale face.
    A ghost!
    Clapping his hand to his mouth to stifle a scream, Gulph backed away, tripping on the edge of the rug and nearly falling. The shape emerged fully into the light, revealing itself to be not a ghost at all but a tall boy dressed in a flowing gray robe. His skin was whiter than any Gulph had seen, and his pale blue eyes were wide. But he was grinning.
    â€œWelcome,” the boy cried, extending trembling hands. “Oh, welcome!”
    Gulph had retreated as far as the door. There was nowhere else to go. The boy was a little older than him, and although he looked sickly, he carried himself with an air of confidence.
    â€œWho are you?” said Gulph.
    â€œI’m Nynus. What’s your name?”
    â€œGulph.”
    The grin became manic. “Pleased to meet you, Gulph. You’ve no idea how happy I am to have company again. I’ve been locked in this cell since I was six and . . .” The boy’s face collapsed suddenly into grief. “Ten years. Can it really be that long?”
    â€œCell?” said Gulph. “You call this a cell?”
    â€œI suppose it could be worse.” The grin was back, the gloom having left Nynus as quickly as it had come. “But I do get bored reading the same old books, and pacing the same old circle.”
    Gulph smiled back uneasily. “Well, it’s luxurious compared to the rest of this place.” His eyes strayed over the fine needlework of Nynus’s robe, the gold trim at the hems. “So how does this work? Are you rich or something?”
    â€œYes.” Nynus nodded happily.
    â€œOh. All right. But I’m not. I don’t understand why they’ve put me in here too. Queen Magritt ordered it, but . . .”
    â€œWell, I’m only here because King Brutan doesn’t like me. I’ve done nothing wrong.”
    â€œThat doesn’t sound very fair.”
    â€œIt isn’t. But there’s nothing I can do about it.”
    The smile had vanished again and all the energy seemed to drain from Nynus’s body. He looked even paler than when he’d first jumped out of the shadows. Gulph had never seen anyone look sadder or more wretched.
    â€œI’m sorry,” he said. “It must be terrible, being shut away from your family all these years.”
    Nynus shrugged. “I don’t even remember what they look like.” He started humming what sounded like a lullaby. At the same time, his hand crept up to his face and started stroking his cheek.
    Gulph shifted