Kristin Wolden Nitz wings of a bird and the body of a lion But don’t worry They’re only dangerous if you get too close Really he said again Kate hesitated Her little brother who had just turned seven believed practically every story she told him And he kept on believing them long after she told him they weren’t true No not really Kate finally said Forget about whatever’s slinking around in the bushes and keep your eye on the ball okay Try a prac tice swing first Keep it smooth and level Michael bit his lip in concentration His bat sliced through the air Good Here comes the pitch Kate said Two seconds later Michael chopped at the ball as if he’d forgotten everything she’d ever taught him Strike two he called cheerfully He dropped the bat and chased after the hollow white ball It rolled up against their makeshift backstop a six-foot-wide block of stone with a statue of a dragon perched on top The carving’s eyes bulged Half of its left wing was missing Kate shook her head No wonder Michael was seeing things that weren’t there The moss-covered statues cypress trees vineyards and olive groves of Tuscany Italy didn’t seem to fit with batting 2
SAVING THE GRIFFIN practice The owner of the estate Signora De Checchi had told Kate and Michael how the sculptures had been placed in odd corners and around bends in the paths hundreds of years ago to scare unsuspecting guests Kate found the strangely shaped creatures more silly than frightening After all she was in sixth grade The Wiffle ball hit Kate in the shin as Michael tossed it back to her She picked it up Ready she asked Yeah Michael said but his eyes drifted back to the laurel hedge If you don’t pay attention this is your last pitch Kate warned Keep your eye on the ball Don’t point your feet toward me Point them at the plate She drew her arm back and then swung it forward The ball spun off her fingertips This time Michael was ready and his bat con nected He dropped it and took off for first base Kate dashed after the ball which rolled under the laurel hedge a few feet from third base Maybe she could tag Michael out as he headed for home Throwing herself onto her hands and knees she peered under the branches She found herself nose to beak with a small creature It had tufted ears tawny fur and downy feathers 3
Chapter 2 Kate screamed The strange animal shrieked back Its wings beat against the air while its sharp claws kept a tight grip on the Wif fle ball Kate scrambled backward to get away from the animal’s curved beak and golden eyes Michael was just rounding third base Hey Try to catch me he shouted Coming back to her senses Kate jumped up and sprinted after her brother down the third base line Michael stepped onto home plate and came to a complete stop Kate plowed into him They fell to the ground in a tangle of arms and legs Safe Michael announced in a good imitation of their older brother Stephen Then his eyes nar rowed Hey you don’t even have the ball
SAVING THE GRIFFIN Kate took a deep breath and looked over her shoulder The creature if it was even there hadn’t followed her I couldn’t find it she lied Michael stood up I can No Kate’s hands closed around his left ankle Maybe the creature was just one of Sig nora De Checchi’s statues Maybe her imagina tion and the flickering shadows had made it seem to move The shriek she’d heard might have been an echo of her own scream But that beak and those claws had looked so sharp We’ve got to go Kate said quickly It’s going to rain I just felt a drop I like getting wet Michael said He tried to shake his leg free It’ll just take a second You can’t Kate insisted Why not Kate kept a grip on Michael as she got to her feet Remember that Italian monster I told you about The one that wasn’t real Right Well it is real And it has our ball Michael smiled Cool Is it a friend of the prince Who Kate asked confused You know Prince Eduardo The guy at that monastery we hiked to last week 5
