Simon Thorn and the Wolf's Den by Aimée Carter Page B

Arsenal—so large, in fact, that Simon was pretty sure it took up all the space beneath the entire zoo. It looked a lot like any normal building in the middle of the city, other than the fact that it was deep underground, had no windows, and happened to be surrounded by a moat. A narrow bridge swayed over the dark water, leading to a set of double doors on the other side. Malcolm started across, and Simon followed nervously. What was this place?
    Before he could ask, he spotted a silhouette in the murky water, one that looked disturbingly familiar. “Uh, there’s a shark in your moat,” he said.
    â€œSecurity is our first priority,” said Malcolm. He nodded to the shark. “Captain.”
    The captain rose to the surface. “Malcolm,” he said in a gravelly voice, and Simon had to tighten his grip on Winter’s hand to keep her from darting back into the Arsenal.
    â€œI thought sharks needed salt water,” said Simon, sneaking Winter a reassuring look. She didn’t look terribly convinced.
    â€œAs most of our students from the underwater kingdom come from the ocean, the Aquarium is specifically designed to house saltwater creatures,” said Malcolm.
    Simon kept his eyes glued to the water as they crossed the bridge. As soon as the shark sank back into the depths, a smaller silhouette appeared.
    â€œThere’s another one?” moaned Winter, but as the shadow grew larger, Simon realized it wasn’t a shark at all. Instead, a dolphin surfaced.
    â€œHello!” said the dolphin, waving a fin. “You must be new! I’m Jam.”
    â€œI’m Simon,” he said warily. Were dolphins always this friendly, or was Jam really an Animalgam?
    Instead of replying, Jam cocked his head toward him, looking confused. It was then that Simon realized the dolphin hadn’t been talking to him—he’d been talking to Winter. “But—” Jam began.
    â€œFluke,” said Malcolm sharply. “Back to your lessons.”
    â€œYes, sir,” said Jam. Though he still looked as uncertain as any dolphin could, he bobbed his head. “See you, Simon!”
    â€œSee you,” said Simon faintly.
    The dolphin disappeared back into the water as they reached the other side of the underground bridge. Apparently not very pleased that Jam had seen them, Malcolm muttered a curse under his breath and pushed open the heavy door, revealing a dark hallway that looked more like the entrance to an old castle than a school. The walls were made of stone, and a wrought iron chandelier hung above them. The low light gave the building an eerie feeling, and a chill crept down Simon’s spine. Worse, while framed paintings of all kinds of animals, from mountain lions to vipers to a dolphin that looked like an older version of Jam, lined the hallway, there weren’t any portraits of birds. Simon shoved his hands into his pockets.
    â€œI’m guessing this isn’t an official part of the Central Park Zoo,” he said.
    â€œNo, it’s not.” Malcolm paused in front of a painting of a wicked-looking spider with a red hourglass on its abdomen. “This is the Den—the temporary home of the L.A.I.R., which is the most prestigious academy for our kind in North America, catering exclusively to the future rulers of our world. The L.A.I.R. is the only school of its type that is interspecies—meaning we teach students from all kingdoms.”
    â€œExcept birds,” said Simon, and Malcolm’s expression darkened.
    â€œThe bird kingdom lost the right to attend when their leader ordered an attack on the original L.A.I.R. and destroyed half the school.”
    Simon fought to keep his expression neutral as he glanced at Winter. She didn’t react, seemingly too busy examining a portrait of a wolf that looked strikingly similar to Malcolm. “Why would they do something like that?”
    â€œUp until a decade or so ago, the Bird Lord was