The Inner Circle (Return of the Ancients Book 3) Read Online Free Page A

nothing to be scared of.”
    “Yeah,” I mumbled, trying to sound calmer than I felt.
    Al eyed the open doorway and then inspected the holes where the hinges had been. “The door’s clean gone,” he announced, crossing his arms emphatically. Angling his head, he cautiously peered into the garage. He was quiet as he took in the mess.
    A couple lids had popped off several of the paint cans, leaving white and green puddles of paint on the floor. His white PVC plastic pipe tent was knocked to one side and the hamster cage that had housed the tulpa was lying empty on the floor.
    I wished I could hear what he was thinking.
    Nodding thoughtfully to himself, he returned to the kitchen and to his Neighborhood Watch drawer. Whistling between his teeth, he rummaged around for a bit and then pulled out several pairs of goggles and a roll of wide yellow tape.
    “Wear these, kiddo,” he said, tossing me a pair of goggles as he pushed his own up the bridge of his nose. “And grab that flashlight and notepad on the counter, will you? We’ve got work to do.”
    I wasn’t sure what the goggles were for, but I put them on all the same and followed him into the garage.
    Al’s blue eyes brightened as he unrolled the tape with great care. He looked utterly thrilled to be using it. I took a closer look and saw that the words ‘Crime Scene’ were printed every few inches. I wondered how long he’d had the tape in the drawer.
    “Help me contain the area, kiddo,” he said with a crisp nod.
    I held each end until he’d cordoned off the entire garage. Taking the flashlight from me, he began a slow sweep of the area. When he neared the paint cans, the beam of his flashlight froze.
    “Strange.” His voice was excited. “Take a look at those, Sydney.” He pointed. “Got your cellphone? Why don’t you take a few pictures?”
    I leaned close and shuddered, recognizing the small tracks on the concrete floor. They were Blondie’s footprints.
    “Maybe we should call the police,” I suggested, fumbling for my phone.
    “I’m afraid it’s up to us,” he told me. “This is such a small case that they won’t have time to do it justice.”
    Small? I hardly thought so. It was the biggest case of the century, if not in centuries . I wished I could tell Al what was really going on. But it was getting so crazy, I hardly believed it myself.
    As I lifted my phone to snap a picture, Blondie’s cackle snaked through the air.
    I gasped and whirled, dropping my phone.
    It shattered on the concrete floor.
    “Whoa there,” Al said as I asked, “Did you hear that?”
    Knitting his brows into a frown, he bent and scooped up my phone. “Hear what?”
    We held still, straining to listen, but there was only silence.
    “Never mind,” I mumbled.
    He held out my phone. The screen was completely cracked.
    “I’m afraid this one’s toast now. I’m sorry, kiddo,” he said sympathetically.
    “It’s old anyway,” I said, annoyed with myself for breaking it.
    A bit of glass embedded itself into my fingertip as I took the phone from Al’s outstretched hand. But I hardly noticed. I was concerned about Blondie. Was he watching us from the shadows?
    Jamming my hand into my pocket, I reassured myself that Jareth’s protection rune was still there. It was. It felt warm against my skin.
    “I’ll pick you up a new phone tomorrow,” Al was saying as he gave me another friendly tousle on the head. “How’s that for a Christmas present?”
    I smiled, distracted.
    A flicker of light caught my eye. One of Jareth’s protection runes under the window was glowing. My relief that it was working was short-lived when I realized that it probably meant Blondie really was trying to get in, after all.
    “What is it?” Al asked me kindly. “You’re as jumpy as a kangaroo, kiddo.”
    “Nothing,” I lied again. I felt terrible. I wanted to tell him the truth. I needed an ally. And if anyone in the world was going to believe me, I knew it would be Al. But I