Free Michael Belmont and the Tomb of Anubis (The Adventures of Michael Belmont) by Ethan Russell Erway Page A

being drawn backwards away from it all.   The desert and the two boys flew away from him as he reached out to grab onto them.
    "No, Horus!   I don't want to go back.   Not without my brother!"
    The globe was moving away, getting smaller and smaller until his head was thrown back gently from the statue.
    Before he knew it, he was back inside the artifact room at McGinty Castle.
    "What the heck was that?   That was the weirdest thing I've ever seen," Michael said to himself.
    He remembered the entire experience vividly in his head, as if he really had just been there, but the emotions that made him call out to his brother were completely gone.   Horus's image was still fresh in his brain, but the jealousy and love he had just experienced had vanished.
    Michael hesitantly looked through the eye slits again, but nothing was there.   He stepped away from the statue, and continued to examine it for a few moments, but nothing happened.
    "What are you doing?" came a loud voice from behind him.

    Michael thought for a moment that his heart had stopped.   Abigail was standing near the glass showcase by the stairs.
    "Abby, what are you doing?   You almost gave me a heart attack."
    The girl rubbed her eyes.   "I heard you walk past my room.   I got up and tried to follow you, and then I heard you running down the corridor."
    "Well, I suppose you believe me now, don't you?" he said to her in an 'I told you so' sort of voice.
    "I never said that I didn't believe you," she retorted.
    Michael thought about it for a moment.   She was right, and he appreciated her for it.
    "What's that thing?" she asked.
    "Come here.   Take a look inside."   He picked up an empty wooden box that was on the ground nearby and stood it on its end for her.
    Without hesitation, she stepped up and took a look through the eye slits.   "I don't see anything," she said.   "Did you see something through here?"
    He wasn't sure he should say anything about what he saw, or even how he could tell her without sounding crazy.   After a few moments of hesitation however, he told her about the experience as best he could.
    "That sounds really weird," she told him.   "Maybe we should go get Liam and ask him about all this stuff."
    Michael agreed that this was a good idea.   Together they went back down the stairs and started off toward Liam's room.   It was on the other side of the castle in one of the towers.
    "Abby, did you hear the sound of the pipes this time?" he asked her.
    "No, the only thing I heard was you," she responded.   Michael was relieved that his sister now knew the reality of the hidden corridor, but was also looking for validation that the sound of the pipes wasn't in his head.
    As they were passing the kitchen, Abigail suddenly got a concerned look on her face.   "I need to swing by the pantry for something."
    "Are you hungry?" he asked her, thinking that a mid-night snack didn't sound like too bad of an idea.
    "No.   Wait here for a minute."
    She disappeared through the kitchen door, and the light came on.   Michael leaned his back against the cold stone wall and waited patiently.   After a minute, she came back out.
    "What gives?" he asked.
    "That's for me to know and you to find out," she said with a mischievous smile.   "Let's go."
    When they got to the door of Mr. Finnegan's quarters, they passed stealthily so as not to disturb him, and soon afterwards came to the stairs that led up to Liam's tower.
    Michael lifted his foot to the first step, when Abby quickly put her hand across his chest.
    "No," she whispered, looking at her brother with determination.   "Yesterday afternoon Liam jumped out from behind a suit of armor and scared me.   It's time to exact my revenge."
    This did not surprise Michael in the slightest.   He had learned a long time ago that a price must always be paid for wronging his little sister.   The girl bore serious grudges against those who dared to cross her, and payback was always much worse than the