Free 27 - A Night in Terror Tower by R.L. Stine - (ebook by Undead)

take her away.”

 
 
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    My heart jumped to my throat. In the blackness of the box, I suddenly saw
red.
    That woman took my money, I thought angrily. And then she gave away my hiding
place.
    How could she do that to me?
    I was still crouched on my hands and knees. So angry. So terrified. My entire
body went numb, and I felt as if I would crumple to the basket floor in a heap.
    Taking a deep breath, I twisted around and tried to push open the straw lid.
    I let out a disappointed groan when it didn’t budge.
    Was it clasped shut? Or was the caped man holding it down?
    It didn’t matter. I was helpless. Trapped. I was his prisoner now.
    The basket suddenly moved, knocking me against its side. I could feel it
sliding over the floor of the cottage.
    “Hey—!” I cried out. But my voice was muffled in the tiny box. I lowered
myself to the rough straw floor, my heart pounding. “Let me out!”
    The basket bounced again. Then I felt it slide some more.
    “Lass! You—lass!” I lifted my head as I heard the woman whispering in to
me.
    “I am so sorry,” she said. “I hope you will find it in your heart to forgive
me. But I dare not go against the Lord High Executioner.”
    “What?” I cried. “What did you say?”
    The basket slid faster. Bumped hard. Bumped again.
    “What did you say?” I repeated frantically.
    Silence now.
    I did not hear her voice again.
    A moment later, I heard the whinny of horses. I was tossed against one side,
then the other, as the basket was lifted up.
    Soon after, the basket began to bounce and shake. And I heard the steady clip-clop of horses’ hooves.
    A helpless prisoner inside the straw basket, I knew I was on some kind of
carriage or horse cart.
    The Lord High Executioner?
    Is that what the woman had said?
    The shadowy man in the black cape and black hat—he is the Lord High
Executioner?
    Inside my tiny, dark prison, I began to shudder. I could not stop the chills
that rolled down my back until my entire body felt cold and numb and tingly.
    The Lord High Executioner.
    The words kept repeating and repeating in my mind. Like a terrifying chant.
    The Lord High Executioner.
    And then I asked myself: What does he want with me?

 
 
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    The wagon stopped with a jolt. Then, a minute or so later, started up again.
    Bouncing around inside the basket, I lost all track of time.
    Where is he taking me? I wondered. What does he plan to do?
    And: Why me?
    My head hit the front of the basket as we jolted to another stop. I shivered.
My body was drenched in a cold sweat.
    The air in the box had become sour. I began gasping for fresh air.
    I let out a cry as the lid suddenly flew open. The harsh sunlight made me
shield my eyes.
    “Remove her!” I heard the booming voice of the Executioner.
    Strong arms grabbed me roughly and tugged me from the straw box. As my eyes
adjusted to the light, I saw that I was being lifted by two gray-uniformed
soldiers.
    They set me on my feet. But my legs gave way, and I crumpled to the dirt.
    “Stand her up,” the Executioner ordered. I gazed up into the sun at him. His
face was hidden once again in the shadow of his dark hat.
    The soldiers bent to pick me up. Both of my legs had fallen asleep. My back
ached from being tossed and tumbled in the cramped box.
    “Let me go!” I managed to cry. “Why are you doing this?”
    The Executioner didn’t reply.
    The soldiers held on to me until I could stand on my own.
    “You’ve made a terrible mistake!” I told him, my voice trembling with anger,
with fear. “I don’t know why I am here or how I got here! But I am the wrong
girl! I am not who you think I am!”
    Again, he did not reply. He gave a signal with one hand, and the guards took
my arms and turned me around.
    And as I turned away from the Executioner, away from the sun, the dark castle
rose in front of me. I saw the wall, the courtyard, the dark, slender towers
looming up over the stone castle.
    The Terror Tower!
    He had