Glory Alley and the Star Riders (The Glory Alley Series) Read Online Free Page A

stuff. Nothing worth a hill of credits, but still very nice, so even though your birthday ’s a few days away, I’m going to give you part of your present now. ”
    She took a coil of rope from the bag, her water bottle and other spelunking gear, and then emptied a pile of rocks onto the ground . She arranged the stones over the gravesite into the shape of a heart and then paused to look out over the horizon at the mesa.
    Grandpa said the place was enchanted and vicious creatures full of magic guarded her winding tunnels . In the deepest recesses of the mountain , a virgin cavern hid a gem beyond compare, but nobody could get at it because a red-eyed devil devoured anyone who came near. Now that Glory was older, and had explored the mountain many times over without meeting anything scarier than a bat, she laughed at Grandpa’s silly tales. Devils didn’t exist, Glory knew, but jewels were another matter.
    “When I find my fortune, Mom,” she promised. “You’ll have the best marker in the whole graveyard. ” Until then , she’d build one the best she knew how. Glory returned to the project at hand, spelling Rose Alley with stones inside the heart . She studied the crooked letters and frowned, rearranging them until perfect .
    “Happy Harvest Day, Mom,” she said , and with a wave was off through the dim woods, toward the mesa.
    If only she had a han d-held Sliver like most kids , she woul d call Clash to let him know she was starting for the mesa earlier than planned. The devices weren’t reliable underground, but the flexible polymer cases made them waterproof, and practically indestructible — perfect for caving. It would be nice to chat online, play video games, or read an electronic book to pass the time waiting for her best friend to arrive .  
    After an hour at a steady pace , her goal loomed large in the distance. Before long she reached the top where the entrance to the caverns below opened wide like a mouth holding a high note for all eternity . Above the opening , a message was etched into the stone with weathered lettering:
     
    Beware: this mountain and everything in it
    be private property.
    Trespassers devoured on sight.
     
    According to Grandpa, the message had been there when he was a boy and as far back as anybody could remember, but there was no public record of anybody ever owning Queen’s Mesa . Glory found it a curious thing, but knowing the person who wrote it had no doubt turned to dust long ago, being devoured wasn’t high on her list of concerns.
    Cave exploration was dangerous enough on its own. A slip into a crevice, a backbreaking fall , the Cold Crazies — otherwise known as hypothermia, were all possibilities, yet part of the thrill. Go back and wait for Clash, she told herself, only idiots cave alone. She took a deep breath, switched on the helmet light , and ventured down deep into the belly of Queen’s Mesa.
     
     
     

 
 
     
Chapter 3
     
     
     
    Glory wriggled through the same tight tunnel they ha d discovered on their last trip. After a long stretch , it opened into an airy cavern where the light from her helmet illuminated a pale brown ceiling. She guided her flashlight over a sloped limestone shelf running along its upper perimeter. Boulders dotted the landscape, including a shallow pool that covered half the floor. Bloink, bloink, bloink echoed the steady sound of dripping water. Yep , she grinned . I’ve found the mesa’s sweet spot for sure. From silvery barite specimens to translucent blue crystals, there was no telling what lovelies the Queen might give up . Maybe, Glory dared to hope, this would be the day the mesa parted with something priceless.
    She let her bag of gear drop with a dull clunk. “Prime hunting ground,” she announced to the empty cave, her echo bouncing down the cool cavern walls. “Thirteen! Hundred! Hours!” the male voice programmed into her watch barked like a military commander . “Oh crud . ” Had it been that long ? She