The Knaveheart's Curse by Adele Griffin Page A

Maddy. “It’s phantom arms, from the line of the poem.”

Pete looked puzzled. “Do we know any phantoms?”

“One,” Maddy admitted. “And I’m not exactly sure how to get hold of him.” Nor did she much want to. To get in contact with Dakota’s dad meant getting hold of Dakota, and Maddy was still mad about how her almost-friend had run out on her.

But now was not the time for grudges.

Maddy squared her shoulders, then marched upstairs and made herself sit down in front of the computer. Flexing her fingers, she quickly typed:
    Dear Dakota,
I need your help. A lot.
Please come over tonight. Bring your ghost dad.
Thanks.
Maddy
P.S. I forgive you for trading me for cannolis.
     

 

16
     

    DOUBLED DANGER
    N othing’s waking her up tonight,” pronounced their father that evening. He and their mom were standing outside Lexie’s bedroom. “Thought my edamame-and-red-pepper salad with mustard vinaigrette’d do the trick. Guess my girl’s got more growing to do.”

“ Too much growing,” her mother said with a sigh. “Her appointment with Dr. Harte is this Thursday.” She shut Lexie’s door. “And not one day too soon.”

Maddy and Hudson exchanged a worried glance. Even though they’d decided not to alert their parents, they hated to see them so distraught.

“Night, kids.” Their mother kissed the tops of their heads. “We’ve got a long day of rehearsal tomorrow, so please check in regularly on your sis. And tell her to call us when she wakes up.”

“Sure thing,” they chorused.

After their parents retired for the night, they ran back into Lexie’s room and opened her window. Dakota was waiting on the leaf-strewn ledge. A clarinet was sticking out of her backpack.

“Thanks for coming,” Maddy said.

Dakota smiled like it was no big deal, but Maddy’s heart swelled with appreciation. It took a lot of bravery for Dakota to come back to a house with a changeling Knave in its walls.

Now Dakota removed a square of ice-packed glass from her bookbag and propped it against a chair.

“Afore mine eyes—a reflecting mirror!” Hudson hissed. He covered his face with his arms.

“Chill out. It’s a portal,” explained Maddy. “Dakota’s dad is a ghost. We need him to coax Lex out of her trance.”

“Ooh . . .” Hudson watched as Dakota’s dad’s image took hold in the portal. As Dakota began to blow into the clarinet, her father played, too, and the room filled with music.

In her bed, Lexie stirred, then yawned.

Dakota paused in her playing. “Is she knotted to the bed?”

“Uh-huh. Crud and I did it. Lex has got to stay put. If she wakes up, she’ll want to find Zelda. But she’ll never escape these knots.” Maddy was glad she’d learned some rope tricks during the three weeks she’d spent in the Elf Scout troop. Her “triple-Houdini” plus “drowning-the-cat” knots were the next best thing to steel cuffs.

Dakota resumed playing. One haunting tune melted into another.

Come on, phantom arms, Maddy begged silently. Break the curse. But then Dakota’s father stopped and Dakota leaned forward, pressing her ear to the portal.

“Dad says that Lexie’s too deep in her trance. If he wanted to help her, he’d need to come to the Other Side.”

“Oh, tell him he’s totally invited!” Maddy exclaimed.

But Dakota was shaking her head. “It’s not that easy. He’d have to be summoned.”

“What does he need—a magic word? A secret code? I bet I could find it in my Old World recipe book. Wait—where’s he going?”

“He’s fading,” said Hudson. “Nooo . . . come back.” But Dakota’s father was gone.

With a sorry sigh, Dakota began to repack her book bag. “Dad needs to be called on from a higher authority than us to cross to the Other Side.”

Maddy smarted. “How insulting.”

Dakota looked unhappy. “I’m sorry we weren’t more of a help.”

“Me too,” Maddy agreed.

Dakota looked unhappier. She shook a scattering of greens from her hair