The Treasured One by David Eddings

Author:David Eddings [Eddings, David]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
ISBN: 9780446532266
Publisher: Hachette Digital, Inc.
Published: 2004-10-26T08:48:06+00:00

2

‘You’ve got to pull the bow-string all the way back, Iron-Fist,’ Torl chided his first mate. ‘We’ll be a good hundred paces away from those Trog ships when we go past them, and I want our burning arrows to hit the ships, not to come down in the water. Water doesn’t burn very well.’

‘Where in the world did you come up with this here idear, Cap’n?’ Iron-Fist demanded.

‘Have you ever seen the native called Longbow skewer a snake-man, Iron-Fist?’

‘I was lucky enough t’ be stuck here on board the Lark when ever’body went a-runnin’ on up the ravine, Cap’n.’

‘I wouldn’t exactly call a broken leg a stroke of luck, old friend,’ Torl disagreed.

‘It kept me off the beach, Cap’n, an’ around here that’s about as lucky as a man’s a-goin’ t’ get. Is this Longbow ever’body keeps a-talkin’ about really that good?’

‘He’s probably the best in the whole wide world. Anyway, I’m sure that cousin Sorgan and big brother Skell will fall back on the idea of throwing torches at those Trog ships we want to destroy, but I got to thinking that a bow could shoot a burning arrow five or six times farther than anybody in the whole world can throw a burning torch, and if I’ve got a dozen or so men with bows and bundles of arrows, they’d be able to rain burning arrows down on the Trog ships in no time at all. That way, we won’t have to swing in and slow down every time we see one of them. If you and the other men can do this right, we’ll just fly past those scows and leave every one of them looking like a floating bonfire after we’ve gone by’

Iron-Fist grinned broadly. ‘Somethin’ like that would purty much roon the day for any Trogs a-standin’ on the beach, wouldn’t it, Cap’n?’

‘That was the whole idea. Ruining the day for Trogs is almost as much fun as having a winning number come up on your dice.’

Iron-Fist squinted out across the choppy waves at the other longships nearby. ‘Didn’t you say that your cousin wants to go ashore when we get down to the beach near Veltan’s house?’ he asked.

‘That’s what he told me. Why do you ask?’

‘I think that maybe I might want to drift around a bit when we get there and find out if anybody just happens t’ be in a bettin’ frame of mind - with the bets based on some sort of number.’

‘Something on the order of “I’ll bet that we can set more Trog ships on fire than you can”?’ Torl asked.

‘That’s purty much the way I’d put it, Cap’n.’

‘How are you fixed for money, Iron-Fist?’

‘I ain’t quite all bent over by the weight of my purse, Cap’n.’

‘I think I might be able to help you out a bit if you start to run short.’

‘Share and share alike?’

‘Sounds fair to me.’

‘I’ll put the other men as knows a bit about shootin’ arrows t’ practicin’, Cap’n. I think we’ll want

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