Spencer Baum - The Demon Queen and The Locksmith

What others are saying about TheDemon Queen and The Locksmith :

"Ordinary teens become extraordinary in thisthrilling tale of good versus evil...Skillfully written, this novelwill captivate teens, including reluctant readers.

(Publishers Weekly)

... a wonderful sense of mystery andanticipation...has a fresh, creative feel. The DEMON QUEEN AND THELOCKSMITH is well written, fast paced and full of suspense.

(Amazon Vine Program)

I couldn't put it down...SpencerBaum writes with an eye to ideas, but he never loses his sense offun and adventure. His teens are both believable and likeable. Mostimportantly, Baum lets the action carry the themes; he is neverpreachy. This is a great book for young adults and the young atheart!

(Elisheva Levin, Ragamuffin Studies)

The Demon Queen and The Locksmith is a 2010 AmazonBreakthrough Novel Award Semifinalist.

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THE DEMON QUEEN AND THE LOCKSMITH

by

Spencer Baum

SMASHWORDS EDITION

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PUBLISHED BY:

Spencer Baum on Smashwords

The Demon Queen and The Locksmith

Copyright 2009 by Spencer Baum

Smashwords Edition License Notes

This ebook is released under the Creative CommonsAttribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license. See the link belowfor more details:

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/1.0/

www.spencerbaum.net

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THE DEMON QUEEN AND THE LOCKSMITH

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Chapter 1

Kevin Browne arrived at the park with a rust-coloredstain on his shirt and a thick film of bloody saliva in his throat.He had been in his first ever fistfight that morning. He lost.Blackstone Park was the end point of his retreat. Hidden inside aforgettable neighborhood and shaded with the tallest, thickest elmtrees in Turquoise, Blackstone Park was safe from the prying eyesof adults who might wonder why a fourteen-year-old was out andabout on this, the first day of the school year. Blackstone Parkwas also far from campus, far from the stares and snickers of hisclassmates at Turquoise High School, far from those who stoodwitness to the pummeling he had received at the hands of RubenGraves.

At least, thats what Kevin imagined as he ambledthrough the alleys behind Jefferson Avenue. Just off the schoolgrounds, he had seen a sparrow bathing in the remains of a mudpuddle. His head, fogged in panic and pain, twisted that sparrowinto a ridiculous vision that had been with him ever since. He sawhimself lying on his back under a tall elm tree, waving his arms upand down, soaking himself in the wet grass of Blackstone Park likea bird in the mud.

He was disappointed to find other people in the parkwhen he arrived. A guy and a girl, maybe his age or a little older.He might have seen them around town before, but he didnt knowtheir names. The guy was standing, his back against the tree, hisnose in a book. The girl sat cross-legged a few feet from the treetrunk, holding a small pair of binoculars to her eyes as she lookedinto the branches above her. They had the same dark brown hair, thegirls long and straight, the guys thick and unkempt. It was oddthat they, like him, werent in school.

He needed a different place to hide. He had to bealone right now. The thought of-

Too late. Hed been spotted. It was the girl. She hadturned his way and was looking at him through her binoculars.

Hello! she shouted.

Hi, Kevin responded. His voice came out airy andweak.

The girl stood up. She approached, walking with aconfidence that made Kevin nervous. What did she want?

Im Jackie, she said. She put her binoculars in herpocket and extended her right hand. Kevin shook it.

Im Kevin.

Nice to meet you, Kevin. What happened to yourface?

Kevins intestines knotted. A gruesome image of howhe might look came to mind. He envisioned his too-pale skin turningpurple and black under his left eye, his already large nose swollenlarger still, his nostrils pushed up and out by a fat upperlip.

I was in a fight, he said.

Jackies eyebrows sprung up her forehead. A fight?With whom?

With whom? Kevin nearly laughed and let out a phonycough to cover himself. Who said with whom other than Englishteachers?

Im fine. It was at school.

Her eyes drifted past Kevin to the backpack on hisshoulders. He felt ridiculous and wished he wasnt wearing it.

It was just some guy named Ruben. Kevin waved hishand, like it was no big deal. It occurred to him that he lookedterrible, but to someone who hadnt seen the fight, he hadntnecessarily lost. For all this girl knew, Ruben might look evenworse.

Youre going to have a black eye tomorrow if youdont put some ice on it, Jackie said.

Idont I have a black eye already? Kevin asked,mortified at how weak his voice sounded. He cleared his throat.

No, its just swollen. She stepped closer. Kevinstepped away.

Its alright, she said in a voice one might usewhen approaching a stray dog. I just want to look at it.

Okay, Kevin said. This girl, having known him forless than a minute, stepped right into his space. Every cell in hisbody went on alert. His already queasy stomach contracted. With acasual manner, as if nothing at all was unusual about thisencounter, Jackie reached up and touched Kevins face, lightlypressing under his eye with two fingers.

Yes, I think youll have a black eye tomorrow, shesaid, her voice tickling his cheek with its proximity. Her breathsmelled like ginger cookies.

She stepped back once. Kevin stepped back twice. Hetried to shrug his shoulders, as if fist-fighting was something hedid every day and black eyes were a normal part of his life. Underthe weight of his backpack, his shoulder shrug was more of anawkward lurch. He tried to turn that lurch into one fluid movementwhere he would slide his backpack all the way off, but a corner ofhis thick biology textbook pressed through the canvas and caughthis spine on the way down.

Ow, he hissed. The backpack fell to the ground witha thud.

Jackie cringed. Are you alright? she asked.

Oh yeah, fine, Kevin said. So what are you guysdoing at the park?

Im bird-watching, and my brother Joseph, as you cansee, is reading. Hey Joseph! Come over here!

Joseph was still against the tree, his eyes in hisbook. Just a minute! he shouted back.

He loves that book, Jackie said. We should just goover there, because he wont move from that spot until hesfinished the last page.

Leaving his backpack on the ground, Kevin followedher to the middle of the park, toward Joseph and the large elm treethat shaded him.

Is school out for the day? she asked.

No, Im ditching. Its fourth period now, Kevinsaid.

Jackie smirked. Ditching?

You knowI was just sick of being there today. Howcome you guys arent in school?

We homeschool, said Jackie.

Oh.

They walked a few paces.

So, how does that work? Kevinasked. Do your parents teach you?

When we were little they did a lot of teaching, butnow they mostly leave us to learn whatever we want, said Jackie.Sometimes we write reports about what were learning, for thegovernment-

They have to have their hands in everybodysbusiness, of course, said Joseph as he snapped his book shut.

Uh-oh. Here we go, said Jackie. Dont mind him.Joseph has some strange opinions.

You dont have to say it like Im a wacko, Josephsaid.

Kevin glanced at the cover of Josephs book. TheGreat Unsolved Mysteries: Volume 7.

Its a good book, Joseph said, have you readit?

Kevin shook his head.

Of course he hasnt read it, hardly anyones readit, Jackie said.

Well, more people should. If we all just opened oureyes a little, wed be amazed at what we saw.

Spoken just like your idol, Jackie said.

His idol? asked Kevin.

Lou Sweeney, said Jackie. He was a radioannouncer. Josephs practically in love with him.