Mousch the Crooked by Robin Bennett

Author:Robin Bennett
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fantasy, best fantasy books, vampire, vampires, grail, quest, comedy, funny, best vampire books, original vampire books, robin bennett, arthurian, legend
ISBN: 9780956868473
Publisher: Andrews UK Limited 2013
Published: 2013-07-02T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 12

It is very rare for a Vampire to be able to fly until after his, or her thirtieth year. Flight has as much to do with confidence as wingspan. Many Eltern attribute flightless Vampires to loss of magical ability more than any other factors.

Grue, Misc Notes.

I woke in the early hours, with an uncomfortable feeling that the dream was somehow about Sansonnet and me and my best friend, Chassignol.

Dew hung from the lower branches, which were richly draped in spiders’ webs that stood out in silver and faint pink as the early morning rays of light penetrated the dense canopy of pine and mountain ash. It was certainly beautiful but I was grateful that spiders rarely come out at first light. The webs were pretty large and so, I assumed, were the vicious creatures that had made them the night before. I really can’t stand spiders.

Sansonnet woke shortly after me. That morning we were somehow embarrassed in each other’s company, so I did my best to stick to business. ‘Are you ready?’ I asked.

‘Yes,’ said Sansonnet, nodding at her feet. After a pause. ‘They can’t be far’

I’d already done some searching before she woke. ‘I am picking something up. Down there.’ I pointed further down the valley where some rocks were lying in a messy heap. Sansonnet followed the line of my arm.

‘OK,’ she said. ‘Best be off ... shall we?’

Half an hour later we had found them. By all accounts they’d had a better night than us. Sheltered by rocks, Chassignol had decided they could risk a fire and Peregrine had stunned a rabbit, so they’d even had a spot of supper. ‘Any left?’ I asked. My teeth always tingle when I am peckish.

‘His fer-friend went that way,’ said Milan.

‘Down that hole,’ said Faucon, pointing.

‘No big deal,’ I made an effort to look like I wasn’t particularly bothered and ambled over to where Grue and Chassignol were talking.

‘It has to be tonight,’ Grue was saying.

‘You’re sure?’ Chassignol looked paler even than Grue and I wondered if he’d been injured in the crash.

‘Of course I am,’ stated Grue flatly and stalked off to stand under some trees and brood. Chassignol was fiddling with what looked like a sextant from the Sprite.

‘That thing work?’ I asked.

‘Hopefully,’ he said, barely looking up. Then, with a ghost of a smile, ‘or we’re in trouble.’

‘Any idea where we are?’

‘Pretty much,’ Chassignol squinted at the horizon, toward the rising sun in the east. ‘In fact, this whole outcrop and the valley below are near where we want to be.’

‘Good,’ I replied and then wondered why we weren’t talking about what needed to be said. Then again, that was ever the case between us. We never even spoke of that terrible night when we were children and he seemed to want it that way. For someone usually so open, Chassignol certainly had a lot of secrets, these days. I decided to take the risk. ‘That was the Thin Man I saw last night.’ Chassignol jumped and nearly dropped the sextant.

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