Cyrus LongBones Box Set

matches were damp.
“Hurry,” Edward said, “this place gives me the creeps.”
Cyrus tried a third. On the fourth strike,it ignited. The acrid smell of sulfur filled the air. As he lit the lantern, thesulfuric scent was replaced by the oily odorof kerosene. The flame attempted to illuminate a chamber larger than thelargest whale.
“Let’s go,” Cyrus said, moving deeper into the cavern, “My stepmom’salready suspicious.”
The cave’s interior smelled damp and stony. Torchlight danced on thebone yellow walls.
“We’re just going to scout it out first right, make sure it’s safe?”Edward asked.
“I promise,” Cyrus said, trying to appear unafraid, “Tomorrow I’ll skipschool, and we’ll sail to Myrkur Island. If all goes well, we can leave this placefor good.”
Edward nodded, but his round face showed concern.
At the edge of the blackness, resting on the sandy floor, lay a small,three-hulled boat. The main hull was leaf-shaped and made of dark, dunkel wood panels. Two smaller hulls hung fromthe sides by four horizontal struts, and a dunkelwood mast rose a foot above Cyrus’ head.
He rushed to the boat. The lantern light exposed a sandy shore beyond,verging on the edge of a vast, underground lake. The reservoir looked deep andstill as it drifted off into a black, watery abyss. Cyrus had always been tooafraid to explore the dark pool, but he suspected that the lake ran underneaththe entire village of Virkelot. Afamiliar gulping sound echoed in the murk.
Over the generations, the villagers had drilled and dug a network ofwells and pipelines, and like huge straws, thick, leathery hoses plunged fromthe cavern’s ceiling, sucking gallon upon gallon of water up to thehard-working people above.
Cyrus set the lantern on the ground. The flame flickered, and for abrief moment, all went black.
“Be careful,” said Edward.
Cyrus pulled the spider silk sheet from beneath his arm and flapped itout like a tablecloth.
“Beautiful,” he whispered.
Unlike most spiders, Edward only had two eyes, and they watched in seeminganticipation as Cyrus tugged on the sail. It flexed and made a subtle hummingnoise. How could spider silk be so strong, Cyrus wondered?
“Will it fit?” he asked.
“I think so,” Edward said, smiling nervously.
The spider’s square teeth glinted in the dark.
Cyrus began to rig the mainsail to the mast and boom. The rigging wasdifficult at first, and he feared he would run out of rope, but as usual,Edward’s craftsmanship was perfect.
Cyrus moved back to the ledge and picked up the small tin box. Inside,he kept an old, yellowed piece of paper with a drawing of a boat. The parchmentsmelled musty and decayed.
“Think it’ll float?” he asked, comparing the finished vessel to thesketch.
“I don’t know,” Edward said, crawling up Cyrus’ shoulder; towards the illustration.
Cyrus had discovered the drawing years ago in one of the preacher’sancient texts. Seeing his chance to escape, he had stolen the page. The picturewas crude and faded, and at first, words like ‘starboard,’ and ‘stern,’ were foreignto him, but through much study, he had learned what most of the terms meant.
“Now for the dam,” he said, collecting the pin and scrambling out of thetunnel.
He followed the South River over the giant, stone tile and up into theforest. A square piece of wood, tied to a leather ball, hung from the boughs ofa tree. Cyrus used a rope with a rock tied to one end to lower the two objectsover the river. The board slid down a slot, and using the steel pin, lockedinto a square-shaped spillway, sealing a wooden river dam.
“Angels! The pin’s too big!” Cyrus swore.
“Just use a stick,” Edward said.
“No, it’s got to be smooth, orwe’ll never be able to unlock it. We have to do this right.”
“Then what now?” Edward asked.
“I’m going to have to break into my stepmom’s shed,” Cyrus said.
“No, if you’re caught -” Edwardgasped.
Ding, ding. Ding, ding. Ding, ding.
“The dinner bell!” Cyrus whispered,his flesh goose-prickling.
“Go,” Edward demanded, “Don’t worry about me. Just go!”
Cyrus scrambled to his feet, turning to leave.
“I’ll be back tomorrow. Be ready.”
“You’re sure you still want to do this?” Edward called after him.
Cyrus did not bother to reply. A familiar feeling of cowardice and shametwisted in his belly. His skin flushed hot.He began to dash back over the massive, stone slabs; through the windyfootpath, the trail driving him hard towards the dark and mysterious Hekswood Forest.

Chapter 3


VIRKELOT VILLAGEANDTHE DEAD FENCE
HEKSWOOD FOREST SURROUNDED eachside of the Dead Fence, and both the woods and the wall encircled theentire perimeter of Virkelot Island. Theodor of stagnant mud and skunk cabbage filled Cyrus’ nostrils as he sped alongthe trail. He was careful not to snag his denim sleeves on the coils of pricklebushes that crawled like barbed serpents through the thickets. The thornslooked of polished, black steel and their points dripped with yellow poison.
Shining eyes began to emerge out of the shadows asCyrus delved deeper into Hekswood. Overhead, crooked dunkel trees wove their limbs together like somany lies, with only the finest of sunbeams able to penetrate their depths. Athis feet, a thin layer of fog blanketed a skin of dead leaves.
The forest came to an abrupt stop several feet from aten-foot-high wall. The ground began to wilt and crack as it neared its thickpickets. Over the generations, the Dead Fence had become less wood and morelike stone, its red paint blistered and faded.
With a running jump, Cyrus began to clamber over thetop. He kicked and pulled against gravity. The fence felt rigid and frozen tothe touch. He attempted to swing his right leg up over the wall. His footcaught; then slipped from the edge. He tried a second time. His shoe snagged onthe pickets and fell to the other side. On his third attempt, he drew a deep inhaleand kicked with all his might. The muscles in his side cramped. Straining, hepulled himself atop the fence. Then, catching his breath, he slid down thewall’s interior and dropped to the ground. The earth cracked around his feet,exposing a network of decayed roots just beneath the soil. Cyrus collected hisshoe and fit it to his foot.
Within the walled perimeter, Hekswoodcontinued its advance. There, Cyrus penetrated the forest’s inner circle andcarried