Read The Silver Door for Free Online

from his gaunt face. His hair had been cut so it was nothing but black stubble coating his skull.
    Skimmers were lunging at him, baring their needle teeth, flapping their pale, leathery wings, slashing with the vicious spurs on their hind legs so that drops of venom, gleaming red as blood in the scarlet light, filled the air around them.
    Yet Sholto did not move. He merely watched the frenzied beasts intently, his dark, clever eyes dropping now and then to the notebook in his hand. And somehow the creatures never reached him. They justlunged and lunged again, falling back repeatedly as if repelled by an invisible barrier.
    But Sholto was in danger. Terrible danger. There was danger in the red light. There was danger in the shadows. Danger and horror, coming closer …
    A clanking thud broke into the nightmare and Rye woke, his heart pounding.
    It was a dream, he told himself. Only a dream.
    But his dreams of Dirk had been visions—glimpses of what Dirk had really been doing. And that meant …
    A low moan escaped his lips. Beside him, Dirk sighed, mumbled and turned over.
    â€˜Sorry, Rye,’ Sonia’s voice whispered.
    Rye’s eyes flew open. It was very dark in the hot, close room, but gradually he made out a shape looming over him.
    â€˜I am sorry I woke you,’ Sonia murmured in the darkness. ‘Skimmers are attacking the chimney. There is no danger—the chimney is well sealed at the top in summer—but the sound startled me, and I dropped the sack of supplies.’
    â€˜W—what?’ Still half gripped by the nightmare, Rye sat up.
    â€˜I have been down to the kitchens to collect food for our journey,’ Sonia whispered. ‘The early hours are the best time for thieving. I have—Rye, what is wrong? You are shaking!’
    â€˜I had a fearful dream,’ Rye said thickly. ‘Oneof the dreams that are—real. I saw Sholto … and skimmers.’
    â€˜Skimmers?’ Sonia hissed, dropping to her knees beside him. ‘Where? Did you see the place?’
    â€˜Red—it was all red,’ Rye muttered, trying to control his ragged breathing. ‘And something was coming—something worse than skimmers. A shadow. Cold … powerful … evil …’
    He pressed his hands over his eyes. His teeth were chattering. He hated showing such weakness in front of Sonia, but he could not help it.
    There was a pause, and then he felt Sonia touch his quaking arm.
    â€˜At least, however terrible it was, the dream proves that Sholto is still alive,’ she said quietly. ‘It also proves he chose the right Door.’
    â€˜Yes.’ Rye took a deep, shuddering breath.
    â€˜And tomorrow we will set out to find him,’ said Sonia. ‘So put the dream out of your mind now and get some rest, Rye. That is what I am going to do. The waking bell will ring all too soon as it is.’
    She pressed his arm and retreated, dragging a sack that chinked and rattled as it rasped over the carpet to the bedroom door.
    Strangely comforted, Rye settled back on his cushions. For a while he kept his eyes open, afraid that if he slept again the vision of the red place would return to torment him. Then, deliberately, he made himself relax.
    Sonia was right. However frightening it had been, the dream had proved that Sholto lived. That was a step forward. And tomorrow …

    Rye swam up from a sleep fathoms deep and sat up, blinking in the dimness. The shutter still covered the diamond window, blocking out the morning light and dulling the sound of the waking bell clanging in the courtyard far below. He could hear Sonia, Annocki and Faene murmuring sleepily in their room, and Dirk yawning beside him.
    But he could hear something else, too. Someone was knocking on the tower room door.
    Sonia came bounding out of the bedroom and ran to the door. She was wearing a long red nightgown. Her coppery hair flew wildly around her shoulders.
    â€˜Yes?’ she said