Peter picked it up carefully. It was smooth with age, and an oak leaf had been carved into its...
For a long moment, nobody spoke. David held the large brass key carefully in both hands. It was far...
The brass key felt strangely warm in David’s hand. For a long moment, none of the boys spoke. The...
The great clock tower fell silent once more. The last echo of the ancient bell drifted across Highdon School...
Peter could not take his eyes off the silver feather. It rested quietly upon Miss Blyton’s old oak desk....
The sound of the chapel bell rolled across the school grounds. One… Two… Three… Each deep note drifted through...
The following day passed more slowly than any of the boys could remember. Every lesson seemed twice as long....
“Quickly!” cried Miss Ashcombe. “The passage will not remain open for long.” The walls of the underground chamber trembled...
For several long moments, none of the boys moved. The hidden stone doorway stood open beneath the roots of...
The days slipped by quickly at Highdon School. Within a fortnight, the new first-year boys had settled into Ash...
Nearly a year had passed since Peter Lawson, Andrew Collins, Simon Reed and David Mercer had first arrived at...
By the end of the autumn term, Highdon felt very different to the frightened place Andrew Collins had first...