love it, my lord, if you’d honor him with a visit tonight.”

“His birthday?” asked the earl, looking at Madam Scargill with a hint of disappointment. “Of course I’ll go up to see him, Theo. And I’ll introduce him as well to his new schoolmasters and to Carl.”

“There is a bed next to Ian’s that is currently empty, my lord,” said Madam Dimbleby with a smile. “I’m sure the lad will welcome having someone so close in age bunking next to him.”

The earl beamed at her. “Thank you, Maggie,” he said, and there was something in the way the earl looked at the headmistress that made Ian wonder if the earl had known all along exactly which bed was empty and had purposely chosen to bring to the keep a new boy who was close to him in age. “We’ll go wish Ian a happy birthday, show Carl his new accommodations, and then have a quick visit with Searle in the other boys’ dormitory before lights-out. And if you and Madam Scargill would like to go about the business of getting the children ready for bed, you may.”

The earl had barely finished his sentence when Ian quickly scooted out from underneath the table and scuttled back down the hall to his dorm room.

Ian ducked through the door, eased it shut, then hurried through the darkness to his bed beside the window, where he clicked on a small light and grabbed the adventure book he’d gotten from the earl’s library. There he waited with pounding heart for the earl and the others to come to him.

Ian’s window offered a perfect view of the bright half-moon hanging in the night sky. As he eagerly waited for the footsteps outside his door, he saw a movement out the corner of his eye. Ian’s attention diverted from the book he’d been pretending to read to the brightly lit window, where he squinted through the glass pane. The glare from the lamp hampered his vision, so he turned it off and stared at the lawn. His good mood vanished instantly, and the book he was holding slipped through his fingers and thumped to the floor.

Something large and dark was moving about outside. A creature with the body of a lion, the head of a wolf, and black fur was roaming the grounds right below his window. “Oh, no!” he whispered, trembling in fear just as his bedroom door swung open and the main light switch was flipped on.

“Good evening, Master Wigby!” the earl said jovially. “I understand congratulations on reaching your thirteenth birthday are in order.”

Ian popped off his bed. “Hello, my lord,” he said in a shaky voice. “Might I have a word with you?” He had to tell the earl of the terrible danger out on the lawn and why that danger had found its way to the keep. He knew he’d have to tell the truth now and he’d likely be in horrible trouble for it, but he also knew that because of him, all the children were now in great peril, and perhaps even a few of the adults.

Standing behind the earl, Theo was regarding Ian quizzically Her face suggested she could tell that something was terribly wrong but she didn’t know what. “Of course,” said the earl, his good humor and enthusiasm still intact. He obviously wasn’t as keenly aware as Theo of Ian’s frightened appearance. “But first I should like to introduce you to your new schoolmasters and your new bunkmate—”

“If you please, my lord!” Ian interrupted, feeling an overwhelming panic build within him. “I’m terribly sorry, but I really must insist on having a word with you, now.” His eyes moved back to Theo, who appeared just as shocked as the earl by Ian’s rude behavior. None of the children had ever been so impolite as to interrupt their patriarch. “It’s the beast,” he said into the stunned silence as he locked eyes with her. “It’s out on the lawn.”

Theo turned starkly pale. “It’s here?” she asked in a squeaky whisper.

“What’s this about a beast?” Thatcher asked, stepping forward.

And then the silence outside was broken by the most horrible noise. That growling, snarling howl that had sent terror through Ian and Theo in the tunnel was back and echoing across the grounds. “What in the …?” Perry said as he crossed to the window. “Good Lord!” he exclaimed as he looked out on the lawn. “It’s some sort of giant black animal!”

Everyone but Theo rushed to the window. Ian