His Royal Hopeless by Chloë Perrin

Author:Chloë Perrin [Perrin, Chloë]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Chicken House

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Robbie didn’t like standing around.

The sun had been swallowed by a sea of grey, their once-bright clearing now filled with shadow. Robbie looked down and gulped; the motionless body of the monster rat wasn’t doing anything to calm his nerves.

Layla, however, was still trying to put her stick-sword back together, pathetically pushing the fractured halves against each other with zero success. Robbie clutched at his bag strap. ‘Sorry to bother you, Layla, but do you think you could move just a teensy bit faster? Brutus always said that it was never wise to stay in one place too long, especially after an attack.’

Layla sighed sadly and dropped the two sticks. Robbie pulled his torn cloak tighter around himself as a breeze sifted through the trees and about the clearing. He turned towards the path, but stopped once he noticed Layla wasn’t following him and was instead staring at the rat with intense fascination. He groaned inwardly, his anxiety turning to impatience.

‘Layla, what are you doing?’

‘Hm,’ said Layla. ‘I was just thinking . . . Do you reckon it’s edible?’

Robbie retched, then turned to the path, which lay beneath a tunnel of trees.

‘I really don’t think we should be standing still,’ he said. ‘There might be more.’

‘You’re right,’ said Layla, finally leaving the rat. ‘This is a pretty poor effort from your mother. Just one thing that couldn’t even kill us? I reckon she’s got more waiting.’

Robbie frowned as Layla wandered past him, and his nervousness and impatience suddenly faded away.

‘I still don’t understand why you think that thing was sent by Mother,’ said Robbie. Layla turned around and sighed exasperatedly, which made Robbie’s hackles rise. He lifted his nose snootily. ‘I’m part of an evil monarchy. There are all sorts of people out to get me, and I have no reason to believe that any of those people are my own loving mother.’ By the look on Layla’s face, Robbie realized he had probably spoken more snootily than he’d intended to.

Layla lifted her hands and shrugged. ‘Well, let’s go through the clues, then, shall we? The rat appeared out of nowhere, instantly went for you and tried to steal the Sceptre. Obviously, your mother doesn’t want you to get your heart back.’

Layla turned to walk away again, and Robbie felt his cheeks grow hot. The Sceptre hummed softly and he felt the familiar thud of the staff against his back as he overtook Layla, spinning to face her before she could disappear into the tunnel of trees.

‘Mother loves me, and loving mothers don’t try to kill their only sons.’ He hitched his bag strap further up his shoulder. ‘So now that I’ve taken apart your ridiculous argument, we can forget about it.’

Layla’s mouth fell open. Robbie thought she was going to say something, but instead she clamped her jaw shut and scowled as hard as she could. Robbie huffed as he turned around and strode ahead of her. This time it was Layla’s turn to overtake him.

‘I honestly don’t understand you sometimes,’ she said.

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