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F ro place under his -eared, leather-covered book with the title The Darke Index just visible in faded black letters He grinned At last he could read this without having to hide it fro Lucy She was even worse than Sis like: "What are you doing, Merrin?" and "What&039;s that you&039;re reading, Merrin? Show o on, don&039;t be so sulky, Merrin"

Ever since Merrin had found the book at the back of a dusty cupboard that Simon had made him clean out, he had been fascinated by it The Darke Index spoke to Merrin in his own language He understood the spells, the rules - and he particularly liked the section that told him how to break the rules Here was a book written by soht, in his small cell, curtained off from the Observatory (because Jenna had once turned the door into chocolate), he would take a tube of Glo Grubs and read for hours under his covers Si afraid of the dark, but for once Merrin did not rise to the provocation It suited hilowed on into the early hours of theIf Simon wanted to think that, let him One day Simon Heap would find out that Merrin was most definitely not afraid of the dark - or, more to the point - the Darke

Now, Merrin lit all the candles he could find - Siy with candles and only allowed one to be lit at a tie, circular cha down the blinds was replaced by the warht

Merrin told hiht to read, but Siht: Merrin did not like the dark - particularly when he was on his own

Merrin decided to enjoy himself He raided the tiny kitchen for the last of Lucy&039;s pies - he found two steak and kidney, one chicken and- then he poured hi of Simon&039;s cider He put it all on the tiny table beside his narrow, lumpy bed and added a few musty chunks of the chocolate door that he had found in a dusty corner under the bed to his pile of food Then he went and took the thick woolen blanket that Si cold but he usually was, since the Observatory, being cut deep into the slate cliffs, always had a deep chill

Looking forward to a whole day of doing exactly what he wanted, Merrin wrapped hi to take his shoes off, he got into bed and started on his stash of food

ByMerrin&039;s book had fallen to the floor He was fast asleep amid a sea of pastry crumbs, furry lumps of chocolate and discarded bits of kidney, because ever since Simon had told him what kidneys actually did, they had made Merrin feel sick

One by one, the candles in the Observatory burned down but Merrin slept on until the dying splutters of the last candle jolted hiht had fallen; it was pitch-dark and he couldn&039;t remember where he was He jumped out of bed and collided with the doorpost As he reeled back, Merrin saw the white dish of the Caht that had found its way through a gap in the blinds Panic subsiding, he took out his tinderbox and began lighting new candles Soon the Observatory gloarht and felt almost cozy - but what Merrin had planned was about as far reet

Merrin picked The Darke Index off the floor and opened it to the last page, the title of which was: Darkening the Destiny of AnOther

or The Ruination of Thine Ene

A Tried and Tested Formula Used with Great

Success by the Author

Merrin knew that part by heart, but he had read no further because of the next line, which said: Read no Further until thou art Ready to Do,

Else shall be the worse for You

Merrin gulped Noas Ready to Do His mouth felt dry and he licked his lips They tasted of old pie - not nice Merrin fetched a glass of water, gulped it down and wondered whether it ht But the thought of another bleak day in the Observatory on his own, plus the possibility that Siood He had to do this now And so, with a scared feeling in the pit of his sto

Merrin&039;s heart thu that even Simon had not dared to do But now that he had started, Merrin dared not stop Warily, as if he were pulling a particularly vicious spider out of its lair, Merrin drew the Sue The Charm - a wafer-thin black diamond - felt as cold as ice As instructed, Merrin held the dia deep into his chest, he recited the Suust of wind, no disturbance in the air, no fleeting shadows - nothing The candles burned steadily on and the Observatory felt as e

A horrible feeling crept up on Merrin - it was true, he really was stupid Once again he read the words, saying the happened Over and over Merrin repeated the words, convinced that hethat anyone else with half a brain would have i at all Getting angry now, Merrin shouted the Su Then he whispered it, he pleaded, cajoled - and in desperation he yelled it out backward, all to no avail Exhausted, Merrin sank to the floor in despair He had tried everything he could think of, and he had failed - as usual

What Merrin did not realize was that his Sule one - had worked The Observatory was now actually seething with Things The probleenerally not possible to see, which was fortunate, as they were not a pleasant sight

Most Things were soh not obviously male or fe skeletal and extremely decrepit, their clothes no s They wore miserable, so malevolence that left sensitive people ere unfortunate enough todesperate for weeks afterward Merrin - although he did not know it - had an aunt Edna who fit that description pretty exactly, but even he would have been able to tell the difference between his aunt Edna and a Thing - because a Thing looked dead

It was then that Merrin read the second part of the instructions: Now Address the Thing,

Demand to See

Reh!" yelled Merrin, suddenly realizing to his horror what had happened Angrily, he hurled the book at the wall Hoas he supposed to know the Things were invisible? Why hadn&039;t the book said so before?

Half an hour later, Merrin had cal that he had no choice but to continue, he picked up the book, found the cruan to follow the instructions He recited the See, closed his eyes and counted to thirteen Then, with a feeling of dread, he opened his eyes - and screas Twenty-six aggrieved, nose-out-of-joint, why-didn&039;t-he-just-choose- at hi no sound They towered above him and stared at him so intently that even Merrin, as not known for his sensitivity, felt a deep gloooing horribly wrong Siht; he was stupid But noas stuck He had to continue or else it would, as the book had said, be the worse for hi in the pit of his stomach, Merrin read the next instruction: Now Take with you your Servant Thing

To Find and Fetch the Two-Faced Ring

Merrin&039;s heart sank when he read the words: the Two-Faced Ring He still had nightru loudly about Merrin&039;s untidiness Merrin, meanwhile, had hidden in the larder He had been surreptitiously eating his way through a secret stash of cold sausages when he had heard Simon scream Merrin had very nearly choked - Siered out to see a truly terrible sight: a foul collection of rubbery-looking bones glistening with black sli his garbage sack to hi aith a look of utter terror on his face

Merrin knew at once to whoed - his old ave it away The thick gold and jade Two-Faced Ring that Doainst the black sheen of the bones "This ring," DomDaniel had once told Merrin,

"is indestructible He ears it is indestructible I wear it, therefore I am indestructible

Reled his fat pink thumb in Merrin&039;s face

Merrin had watched the bones corner the terrified Simon He had listened while, from somewhere deep within the bones, came a Darke hollow chant of destruction aimed directly at Simon It had h he didn&039;t knohy Luckily for him, he did not remember the time in the Marram Marshes when DomDaniel had directed the very saressed relentlessly toward its end - when Sie But not in the way DomDaniel had planned The fear in Sier Merrin had seen that look before and he knew it meant trouble