The Cypher Read Online Free Page A

this angle, he was completely sure that the mansion grounds reached at least as far as his backyard. Even beyond. “Do you think it goes all the way to the beach?”
    “So? Wealthy people love the beach, and these guys are definitely wealthy. It’s just a big house.”
    “Big? This thing is huge.”
    “It’s just an interview, Tom, and you set it up. I can take you home if you want.”
    “Do you want me to go?”
    “Do you?” Grandpa asked tilting his head in a way that made Thomas feel like a little kid.
    “No.”
    “Then let’s do it.” Morgan checked his watch. They didn’t have time to spare.
    “I don’t know, gramps,” Thomas stopped him again. “I don’t like it.”
    “Why?  Morgan seemed amused. “Because of these guys?”
    He glimpsed at the gargoyles above them. The statues resembled a bat and a devil, their wings extended, covering their bodies, but their claws dug deep into the bricks and their tails curled around the column. They were different though, the one on the right was a little fatter than the other and its horns were more bull-like.
    “I just don’t like it. Can we try somewhere else, please?” The ad in the paper had seemed a little strange, and now that he thought about it, the girl on the phone had also been too eager to get him in for an interview.
    He didn’t feel threatened, just anxious, like when his mother taught him how to ride a bike, or the first time he jumped on top of a skateboard. She’d always encouraged him to try new things, but she’d always been big on safety too. “You don’t just rush into something because everyone does it or it looks nice, Tom!” She drilled him every time she could. “Stop, if only for a second and think, what could happen?”
    This definitely felt like one of those times.
    Morgan sighed. This might be the best chance so far to get a job, but he couldn’t just dismiss Thomas’s opinion. Especially since Thomas had set up the appointment.
    “I guess there are other opportunities elsewhere,” Grandpa said as he put the car in reverse.
    “Morgan Byrne.” A grainy voice startled them.
    The voice was coming from the gargoyle, its eyes glimmering. Surely from a hidden intercom and camera inside.
    “You’re almost late,” the voice continued. “Park right at the entrance. You’re expected.”
    Suddenly, the wrought iron gates opened. A large fountain sat in the middle of the patio, and more gargoyles on every corner of the roof and by all the chimneys. A circular stained glass window of the Egyptian eye took up the entire front of the mansion.
    Morgan patted Thomas on the shoulder. “We can’t just leave now, can we? We are expected,” he whispered mockingly.
    The moment to wait and think was gone.
    “Maybe we can reschedule,” Thomas whispered back but grandpa dismissed him with a little nod.
    “Why don’t you take the car and wait for me back at the house?” he said.
    Thomas couldn’t leave his grandfather. “I’ll wait for you in the car,” he offered.  
    “The interview is in ten minutes, and I can’t keep the gates open forever,” the gargoyle blurted. “Are you in or out? Should I cancel?”
    The mansion itself didn’t look scary, just big. More like a castle than a house, and its grounds completely out of proportion for the neighborhood, but if Grandpa, who’d lived in Carlsbad forever, didn’t think it was strange, then how could he sabotage this chance? Making up his mind, Thomas disregarded the ominous feeling growing in his belly. He exchanged a look with his grandfather before accepting to go in.
    “In,” Morgan told the gargoyle. He turned toward Thomas and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Hey,” he said, “it’s just like a little adventure.” He smiled then drove through the gates.
    The gates closed immediately behind them. If Thomas or Grandpa had seen how the Gargoyles followed their movements as they parked, they would have run away.

An Ancient Puzzle

    A tall, grey-haired butler