Read The Dark Flight Down for Free Online

black of the Watch; they wore the dark gray garb of the Imperial Guard. If there was any doubt over this, the white feathers on their helmets confirmed it; Watchmen wore either red or pink. Only the Imperial Guard wore white.
    “Looting? That your game, boy?”
    The leader stepped forward.
    “Give that to me,” he said, indicating the lens in Boy’s hand.
    For a moment, Boy was too stunned to say anything; then he remembered where he was.
    “No,” said Boy. “I’m not stealing. I live here.”
    This seemed to throw the guard.
    “What do you mean you live here? This is the house of Valerian, the magician. Now deceased, we understand. No one else lives here.”
    “That’s not true!” Boy cried. “I do. I’ve lived here for years. I’m Valerian’s boy.”
    “His son? He has no son! Don’t make a fool of me, boy.”
    “No, not his son. That is, I’m not sure. . . .”
    At this all three of the guards laughed and began to move toward Boy.
    “You’re not sure!” said the leader. “You lived here for years and you don’t know if you’re really his son or not? I’ll tell you what, you rascal! You are a thief. Now get out of here, we have serious business to attend to.”
    “No,” shouted Boy, “you get out of here. This is Valerian’s house, and yes, he’s dead. But I live here and this place belongs to me if it belongs to anyone! I was his boy!”
    Now the leader of the guards looked at his two men, then back at Boy.
    “You say you were his?”
    Boy nodded.
    “I lived here and worked for him. I was his assistant.”
    “Right, then, you’re coming with us. We have orders to remove all articles belonging to Valerian, and if you were his boy then that includes you.”
    Boy laughed nervously.
    “You don’t really mean that, do you?”
    “Don’t give us trouble, now. You can’t get away. It will be easier for all of us if you just come along with us to the palace.”
    “The palace?” Boy spluttered. “You can’t!”
    “I’ve had enough of this,” the guard said to his men. “Get him out of my sight.”
    And with that the two other Imperial Guards made for Boy.
    “No!” cried Boy. He glanced at the guards, then leapt to the wall where the release for the trapdoor lay. He pulled the lever and the floor opened up between the guards and himself, shedding books and papers that tumbled down into the air.
    The guards, surprised for a moment, smiled when they looked down through the trapdoor and saw the perilous drop not to the third- but the second-floor landing, a leg-breaking fall.
    “That’s not going to help you!”
    “We’ll see,” said Boy, and shoving the lens into his coat pocket, he launched himself for the gap, catching hold of the winch rope that was used to hoist things up to the Tower.
    He had gambled that it would unwind slowly enough to break his fall somewhat, and because of his slight frame, it worked. He landed on the second floor with a thump, but nothing bad enough to stop him.
    “Get him!” cried a voice from above.
    Boy scrambled to his feet, briefly glancing up. The guards peered down at him. The end of the hoist rope had freed itself from the pulley and fell around Boy’s legs.
    “Don’t just gawp at him! After him! The stairs!”
    Boy leapt for the stairs, taking them three at a time. As he made the ground floor he felt safe. He could hear the guards lumbering along the second-floor landing. He sprinted across the hall for the door, and then something tangled his legs and he went sprawling along the stone floor, jarring his wrist as he fell. He looked to see what had caught him, and glimpsed one of the guards leaning over the banister. He had thrown the winch rope in a bundle, which had snagged Boy’s calves as he ran.
    Footsteps thudded closer. Boy struggled to his feet and pulled at the front door.
    He flung it open and ran straight into a fourth guard, waiting there for such an event. The guard was surprised and took a second to react. Boy tried to sidestep