Deny All Charges by Eoin Colfer

Deny All Charges by Eoin Colfer

Author:Eoin Colfer [Colfer, Eoin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781368048705
Google: peryDwAAQBAJ
Publisher: Disney Book Group
Published: 2020-10-19T23:00:00+00:00


Half an hour later, Myles was being bundled out of the PIGLET back into the Dalkey basement where Beckett and Lazuli were being held captive. General Gveld Horteknut was sitting on a crate in the light of Beckett’s spitball, delivering a mini pre-battle pep talk to Vigor and two slightly shamefaced dwarves.

“They can take our land,” she told her audience of three, “but they’ll never take our gold!”

Myles, who was transfixed by the sight of his twin revolving in the glowing ball, ran his mouth automatically. “Technically, they did take your gold. You are merely taking it back.”

Gveld froze, her fist raised, and swiveled her eyes in order to subject Myles to her familiar glare.

“Not that such a distinction is important,” Myles added hurriedly. “Don’t mind me, I’m just a stickler for details. Most irritating, I realize.”

Gveld continued her speech. “They say that, on that fateful first night ten thousand years ago when the humans collapsed our warrens and stole our hard-mined gold, there was a Fowl among the humans. You heard that right. A mighty Fowl warrior was among the first to claim his share of our treasure.”

“This one is no warrior,” said one listener, who had a rune shaved into his scalp and an obviously dyed orange beard tied at the back of his neck and running over his shoulders like a cloak. “Nor his brother, neither.”

Gveld did not point out that Myles’s brother certainly had behaved like a warrior.

“Yes, Dyggar,” she said. “These mud spawn are not warriors. But they have talents, nonetheless. And they will try to destroy us, as their kind have done for thousands of years. But let me promise you something: not this time. This time the Horteknut Reclaimers shall be victorious. This time the humans lose.”

“This time the humans lose,” echoed Dyggar, brandishing what Myles recognized from his schematic files as a lance version of an LEP buzz baton.

“About that,” said Myles. “I have delivered on your Irish Backstop. You can walk into that elevator and claim the Horteknut gold.”

Gveld nodded slowly. “Gundred sent me the file and I read it carefully. I have to say, boy, that, technically, you did not deliver anything. Not the way I interpret it.”

Myles returned her slow nod. “I see. Because my plan hasn’t yet borne fruit, you are choosing to categorize it as a failure.”

“That I am,” said Gveld. “And that is why Dyggar volunteered to stay behind and make sure the terms of failure are met. You don’t have a problem with that, do you, Dyggar?”

“No, my general. I can be relied upon. Dwarf law says the terms must be met.”

Myles appealed to Gundred. “And you, mademoiselle? Does this seem like it is in accordance with dwarf law to you?”

Gundred could not meet his eyes. “Gveld, my general, the human delivered. His plan is sound.”

“Yes, Number Two,” said Gveld, resting a hand on Gundred’s soldier. “His plan. But I don’t trust human plans that seem solid but will melt like ice in the sun. A possible future result is of no use to me.



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