Full Circle by Allan Jones

Author:Allan Jones
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2013-09-18T16:00:00+00:00

“We must gather up the crowns and put them back in the box,” said Percy. “Quickly now, before the pirates have time to regroup!”

Esmeralda led them to the bright heart of all the magic. The six crowns had come together in a ring, buzzing and vibrating as shafts and beams and streaks of crackling lightning shot out in every direction.

Percy held back while Esmeralda and Trundle crawled cautiously forward, Trundle holding out the dwindling box with its lid open.

One by one, Esmeralda managed to grab the crowns and pop them back into the box. The lightning fizzed and guttered and died away.

“This way,” hissed Percy, snatching up his carpetbag and running ahead of them into the smoky fog.

“Hoi! Mind who you’re barging into!” growled a voice as Trundle crashed headlong into a pirate blundering about in the smoke. “’Ere! It’s you!”

There was a dull swish and a thunk, and the pirate toppled over with a small arrow in him. Percy loaded his crossbow again as they ran on. Voices rose up all around them.

“They’re getting away!”

“Stop ’em!”

Trundle followed Esmeralda’s palm light as they raced out of the market square and down a narrow side street. He risked a glance back. Beyond the houses, he could see the smoke swirling faster and faster, as though it had been caught in a whirlwind. Then all the smoke went shooting up into the sky and vanished in a flash.

“Uh-oh!” said Esmeralda, looking back with worried eyes. “That was Aunt Millie’s magic, that was!”

“Keep running!” puffed Percy, the loaded crossbow in one hand, the big carpetbag in the other. “We have to get to the Thief in the Night before they pull themselves together!”

“There they go!” croaked a raucous voice. Captain Slaughter was in the air like a black rag, his one eye gleaming with spite and vengefulness as he flapped towards them down the alley.

A thwick! sounded alongside Trundle’s ear as a crossbow bolt zipped through the air.

“Awk!” screeched the raven as the bolt thudded into its wooden leg. “Ark! Awrg! Yarook!” bawled the bird, as the added weight of the iron bolt sent it spiraling down to the cobbles in a feathery heap.

“Run!” hollered Percy.

“Get ’em!” roared the pirates.

“Urrrgh! Gruuurgh!” squawked the raven as several pairs of heavy pirates’ boots trampled over him.

The three friends ran on, pelting through the streets of Port Shiverstones until they finally came to the docks. There was the Iron Pig, huge and ugly and rusting away, alongside one of the jetties, its red pirate flag flapping, its red sails furled.

Trundle and his friends hurtled along the jetty. They could see their own trim little skyboat now! They were almost there.

A riot of voices erupted behind them as the first of the pirates came swarming out into the docks.

The adventurers flung themselves into the Thief in the Night. Esmeralda threw herself at the tiller. Percy unfurled the sails. Trundle struggled for a moment with the knots of the towrope. Losing patience, he brought his sword down on the knot, cutting the skyboat loose.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.