Raiders' Ransom by Emily Diamand

Author:Emily Diamand [Diamand, Emily]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-545-41512-5
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Published: 2011-12-26T16:00:00+00:00

17

IN THE WIND GALLERY

Father slaps me on the back and says, “Well done, Zeph, you made me well proud today.” And there’s a big grin all over my face.

I’m back in the wind gallery again, but I ain’t hiding. This time I was led inside by Ims. All the windgates have been thrown open, and the wind spirits are fluttering about the flags, around our heads. Sparkles of sunlight bounce in from the water and flicker into my eyes.

Faz, Father’s Windspeaker, squints at the light with his dark green eyes. “The spirits are throwing their glamor over us. They must be pleased.”

“And why not?” says Father. “Everything’s going to plan, or better.” He walks over to the east gate, grips the frame with his strong hands, and leans out into the view of the marshes, the islands, and the sea beyond. He pulls back, throws his arms out, and shouts, “Hear me, winds! Today the English plans to send a spy to ruin us have been spiked good and proper. Today the spy has fallen into my hands. And it’s thanks to my son, Zephaniah. Who’s made me well proud.”

I feel like I’m gonna burst, I’m that happy. Or like my heart’s gonna leap right out of my chest. Today Father ain’t telling the winds about his plans, or about Roba, or about some warrior: He’s telling about me! Ims puts a hand on my shoulder, grins down at me.

“You did well, Zeph,” he says, and smiles.

The wind spirits breathe in our faces, then rush out the north gate, tinkling the chimes as they go. Out on the deckway, there’s laughter and clapping. Everyone likes it when the spirits make their way out of the gallery and into the crowd.

And there’s a proper crowd on the deckway today — seems like all the warriors of the Family is there. Watching, waiting. And behind them is pretty much everyone else — all the wives and concubines, old men and too young. But this time they ain’t blocking me from seeing my father. This time they’re checkin’ me!

It was easy to get that English witch-girl to head straight for a trap. Where the Black Waters meet the eastern sea is always guarded, and any vessel not flying the red flag of Angel Isling is gonna get taken or destroyed. All I had to do was sit under a blanket and say nothing. The guard ship came straight in for us, like a sharp-toothed pike striking at a minnow.

And after, when that stinking girl and her stinking mog was caught, and I told what was up, the master of the guard ship sailed us straight to the hall. Through the marsh channels, with the night birds crying all around. But I didn’t sleep or nothing. I couldn’t, I kept thinking about that girl, how she’s so sly and lying. Even Ims was fooled by her, back in Lunden; he didn’t see how everything she did was a stinking trick. But it still makes

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