Derek Benz - Grey Griffins: The Clockwork Chronicles #1: The Brimstone Key (The Grey Griffins)

Copyright 2010 by Grey Griffin Industries, LLC

www.greygriffins.com

All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Little, Brown and Company

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First eBook Edition: June 2010

The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

ISBN: 978-0-316-08140-5

Jon:

For Dwight K. Schrute, who understands that robots should be made with a six-foot extension cord just in case there is a robot uprising.

Derek:

To Ioulia & Noah: In deepest affection. As ever. Forever.

To Courtney Jeanne: The best Frank Hardy a Joe could ever have.

THE LEADER: Max Sumner

After his grandfathers mysterious death, Max learned that his wealthy family was a part of the secret Templar society. He became the Guardian of the Codex Spiritus, an enchanted book that holds monsters, evil faeries, and other dangerous creatures captive within its magical pages. The Codex can change shapes, from a book, to a ring, to a gauntlet capable of channeling Maxs family power: Skyfire!

THE INVENTOR: Harley Davidson Eisenstein

Built like a linebacker and incredibly smart, Harley is a technological prodigy who designs gadgets critical to any successful monster hunt. Unlike Maxs wealthy family, Harley and his mother are barely getting by. But hes not bothered; he knows that happiness isnt measured by how much money you have in your bank account.

THE SLEUTH: Natalia Romanov

Fearless, fiery, and intensely smart, Natalia uses her keen observational skills and her analytical mind to solve any mystery. As a part of her sleuthing kit, Natalia carries a Phantasmoscope that allows her to see into the faerie spectrum. Since a close friend betrayed her, Natalia has had a hard time trusting other girls. She feels more at home with the Griffins than with anyone else.

THE CHANGELING: Ernie Tweeny

Ernie became a changeling after a transfusion of faerie blood, which gave him super speed, rapid healing, and enhanced eyesight. But theres a catch: whenever Ernie uses his powers, he becomes more faerie and less human. Despite that risk, he has vowed to fight evil as his superhero alter ego, Agent Thunderbolt.

THE KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

The Knights Templar is an ancient society that has sworn to protect mankind against unseen dangers like monster invasions and zombie uprisings. In recent months, the Templar were nearly exterminated by an army of werewolves called the Black Wolf Society. They are slowly rebuilding their strength.

T ERRIFIED, MAX SUMNER FORCED HIMSELF TO WALK DOWN the long corridor. Water dripped from the ceiling, as an eerie light flickered through tattered sheets of plastic strung across the end of the hallway.

Max didnt notice the fallen bicycle until it was too late. He tripped, cutting his shin. But he couldnt turn back. Not now. The front wheel spun as he walked toward the light. When he finally reached the ragged sheeting, Max pushed it aside and stepped through. The temperature plummeted and breath rose from his mouth like a ghostly serpent.

Crunch

Max looked down at a rotted yellow bag half-filled with decaying newspapers and swallowed hard. Then he heard the faint whistle of drills, and Max was certain that the stench in his nostrils was blood.

He passed a discarded sneaker, then a baseball cap with the name Johnny Geist written on the lining of the bill.

Help me a small voice begged.

Max raced through the doorway ahead only to find an empty room. It was some sort of laboratory with rusty instruments and tools that lined tarnished trays. Glass jars filled with mysterious liquids crowded dilapidated shelves, and a faint red stain ran along the concrete floor toward a drain. A steel table with leather straps for hands and feet stood in the center of the room. Then Max felt a cold hand on his shoulder.

Max pulled away and turned to look into the eyes of a young boy. He was dressed in a striped shirt and jeans, with a lone sneaker on his left foot.

Did you call me? Max managed to ask. Are you Johnny?

The boy said nothing but continued to stare, unblinking. Thats when Max realized that instead of eyes, there were camera lenses in the boys sockets. And worse, the veins in the boys pale arms were pulsing with a silver-blue glow. No matter where Maxs eyes fell, he found machinery in place of humanity. There wasnt much left of the boy, but the single tear running down his silicon cheek was real.

Maxs stomach lurched and he tried to look away, but the same cold hand forced him to look back. This time the boy was gone. Ernie Tweeny, one of Maxs best friends, was standing in his place.

Help me Ernie moaned through blue lips. Max stumbled back and fell against a tray of rusty instruments, sending them clanging to the floor. As Ernie walked into the light, Max saw that part of his friends skull had been cut away, revealing a mechanized brain of whirling gears ticking like a clock.

Max cried out as strong hands took hold of him from behind, lifting him into the air. He struggled against the invisible grip as his arms and legs were strapped to the table. A convex mirror hung over the table, and strangely, it wasnt his own face looking back at him. Somehow Ernie had taken his place. Max fought to break free from the straps as a man in a stained lab coat walked into view. He was tall, with neatly combed silver hair, and as he turned to face the table Maxs blood froze. He would never forget those eyes. They were intelligent, cold, and as sharp as the scalpel he held in his gloved hand.

The man raised the gleaming instrument.

Max screamed. Then he woke up.

IRON BRIDGE ACADEMY

Max Sumner pedaled his bike through the quiet streets of Avalon, Minnesota, trying to shake the nightmare from his head. He had been awake all night, too frightened to go back to sleep. The only thing keeping him from taking a nap was the last summer meeting of the Secret Order of the Grey Griffins. Max didnt want to be late.

With school starting on Monday, the four friends had decided to spend their last day of summer vacation reading comic books and watching movies in their secret headquartersa tree fort that Max decided to call the Griffins Aerie. Over the last year, Max, Harley Eisenstein, Natalia Romanov, and Ernie Tweeny had faced everything from leprechauns to six-armed ogres, and just about every monster in between. Their adventures had brought them closer than ever, but they were about to embark on their most intriguing quest yetthe Grey Griffins were transferring to a new school.

Iron Bridge Academy was a private military school run by the Knights Templar. The curriculum was designed to train students to combat unseen forces from the darkest of nightmares. The academy had been shut down for nearly a century, following an explosion that destroyed most of the buildings. Now the doors were opening again.