Helga: Out of Hedgelands - Rick Johnson (a court of thorns and roses ebook free TXT) đ
- Author: Rick Johnson
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âAye, aye, Captân!â Katteo grinned.
Mounting up, Red Whale gave Katteo a determined look and kicked the flanks of the monitor hard. Rearing back, the monitor slashed at the air with its jaws, then tore off like a bolt of lightning, heading straight toward the Rummer Boar and his escort.
Riding directly at the Rummer Boar was a stroke of genius, Red Whale realized as he closed on his prey. The massive dragon-lizard, jaws flashing and snapping, snarling and snorting, coming on like a hurricane from hell, broke the Rummer down completely. Collapsing to his knees, rambling on about birdâs pooping on his feathers and pleading for the Lizard Kingâs mercy, the Rummer looked blankly into the face of the fearsome monitor as Red Whale pulled up on the dragonâs reins, stopping the monitor directly in front of the now-docile Rummer Boar. Not a word was spoken. Nothing need be said, as the razor-sharp teeth glistened inches from the Rummerâs lowered head, and the dragon snorted hot breath nearly directly into the Boarâs face. The days of Sabre Tusk dâNewolf, terror of the seas, were over.
Helga and Breister Reunited
âToo-Way! friendsâwhat ship?â
Mr. Tigg and Bomper Spits, awakening to find their boat washed up into shallow water near a sandy beach, were startled to see a Cow, an odd-looking Owl, and a female Cougar standing knee deep in the water, looking at them curiously.
Sensing the hail was a friendly greeting, Roolo replied, âGood breeze, mates! No ship at present, as you seeâtight scrape a few nights back and wind smashed the olâ Daring Dream flat. Where are ya bound?â
âThey call me Breister. Until recently, I was Toolmaster of OâFallonâs Bluffâthat was a Wood Cow settlement within the Hedgelands. But now weâve been banished and weâre looking for my daughter, Helga, who came this way to help some shipwrecked sea-beasts she heard are in distress. So you see weâre in a bit of a scrape ourselves.â
âShe would be looking for us!â Bomper yelled excitedly. âYou must mean the Daring Dream!â
âDonât know the name,â Breister replied, âmight be that, or anotherâbut you sure look like sea-beasts in need of help, which is good enough for me. Now, have you seen my daughter? Did she find you and get you sailing again?â
âCrinoo!â Roolo cursed. âShe did find us but we got separated. Then we were supposed to meet her, which is why you find us here. Weâve got to get back to our ship. Our shipâs been taken by Wrackshees and all the crew are captives. We went off to find help to repair the ship, so we could rescue them. Thatâs how we met Helga.â
Breister and his friends exchanged quizzical looks.
âYouâre doing what?â Breister asked.
âWeâre looking for help to repair the ship,â Roolo repeated.
âBy the Ancient Ones!â Breister laughed. âHow on earth is that going to help your mates beingâright now as we speakâcarried away into slavery? Are you crazy? Whose idea was that? By the Ancient Ones! It will take days to repair your ship and by then your mates will be breaking rock at Tilk Duraowâmiles and miles from anywhere youâre going to go in a ship! Are you nuts?â
Had Breisterâs outburst not been filled with laughter and good spirit, Roolo and Bomper would have melted into the sand in embarrassment. As it was, they managed to exchange sheepish looks and join the laughter.
âI guess thatâs why neither one of us is Captain,â Bomper chuckled.
âAnd whoâs the Captain?â Breister inquired.
âCaptân Red Whale Gumberpott, mate,â Bomper said proudly, âand not a better Captân on all the seas!â
âAnd where might this great sea-beast be?â asked Breister.
âWe donât rightly know that, mate,â Roolo replied. âHe and our shipmate, Fishbum, was on night watch and disappeared just as the Wrackshees were attacking the Daring Dreamâthey seems to have vanished. Donât rightly know where they are now.â
Breister, shaking his head in wonder, cast a bemused look at his comrades, who were chuckling among themselves.
âSo, this great and daring Sea Captainâjust so I understandâthis great and daring Captain, abandoned his watch at the first sign of trouble and fled?â Breister said with a laugh. âAnd that might make a beast like myself wonder if thereâs anyone on your ship fit to be Captain? Letâs see, we have four sea-beasts, including the Captain and his mate on watch, all of whom saw an attack coming and all went over the side rather than warn their friends?âWhy, itâs a crew of mad-beasts!â
âBegginâ your pardon, friend,â Bomper said with a hint of edge in his voice, âbut Captân Gumberpott would never abandon his ship ân crewâlessinâ he thought he could save âem somehowâthatâs just the plain truth and Iâll be thankinâ you do drop the snickering about him!â
âFairly told, friend,â Breister smiled, âI was dashinâ to the finish before I had legs to run onâbut Iâm just a humble carpenter and donât much understand the ways of sea-beasts. No, I just donât do things quite like yourselves! A Wood Cow would never abandon home and friends, and now I see that is your way, too. So, Iâll be askinâ your friendship and pledginâ mine âtill we rescue your mates. Iâll be pleased if you forgive that your ways give me good humor.â
âJust hold it a-time, there, Breister,â Toshty said. Pointing to the point, not far distant, where the curve of the beach hid the sea beyond, he cried, âScum-Ralleys cominâ ashore! Rummer Boars!â
Breister glanced quickly at the three-masted ship turning around the nearby point and emerging from the trees that had concealed its advance. Flying the Rummer flagâblack shark on crimson backgroundâthere was little doubt who was coming for a visit. Although he had never encountered them directly, Breister knew about the Rummers. His Cougar friend Annie was from a sea-faring family, and told many stories about the feared freebooters. The âblack shark and bloodâ flag was known to all.
Breister quickly surveyed the situation: open beach, concealment possible only where the forest thickened in the direction of the Rummers, and the only route of escape being the way the he and his friends had reached the beachâa steep open hillside. Breister gave directions: âWe gain nothing by fleeingâno time to scale the hill. Let me do the talking and follow my lead. I donât have a plan yet, but I call on the Ancient Ones for help. If all else should fail, I will use the flicker pole before they can take us captive.â
Within minutes of the ship rounding the point, it had dropped anchor and lowered two longboats. The longboats pulled rapidly up to the beach. A tall, long-tusked Boar, sitting in the prow of the first longboat to touch the beach, was the first Rummer to step ashore. The sea-beast, from his luxurious dress, was obviously the Rummer Boar captain: he wore a heavy black damask waistcoatâblack because Rummersâ clothes were traditionally darkened, if not completely blackened by the smoky soot of fires used to roast shark meat; gaudy shark-leather breeches; tall lizard-skin boots reaching half-way up the thigh; an oversized hat with numerous crimson ostrich feathers fluttering in the breeze; a bandoleer of flash gourds; a cutlass and dagger at the belt; and, around his neck, a gold chain hung with dozens of golden sharkâs teeth. His authority as Rummer captain, however, was summed up by the Boarâs unusually fearsome curving tusksâwhich were unnaturally long and sharpened to a point like a dagger.
âI am Sabre Tusk dâNewolf,â the Rummer Captain announced.
Breister saluted the Rummer in a friendly, but not submissive, manner and declared boldly, âI am Breister, Chief of these Beasts of Fortune and I see that you, too, have a quick eye for profit!â He walked to Roolo and Bomper, giving them a quick wink. Then, poking and pinching their muscles, he declared, âI grant you that these two are not great prizes in their physicals. But what is the richest thing you have to trade for what they can tell you?â
A brief jolt of shock shot through Roolo and Bomper as they realized they were pawns in Breisterâs deadly game. Stalwart and bold as Captain Gumberpott himself, however, neither sea-beast betrayed fear or surprise. Instead they took up their part of the dangerous gamble.
Roolo suddenly leaped in the keelboat and rummaging frantically, bent down low, seemed to pop something in his mouth, and stood up obviously struggling to swallow something large. Actually, there appeared to be two large objects bulging in his throat, one following the other. Working this mouth and throat, almost gagging and choking, eyes watering with the effortâfinally, just as his face began to turn purple and his eyes bugged out, the amazed beasts saw the large objects that had been bulging in his throat slide down and disappear into his gut!
âMercy me, mates,â Roolo gasped, drawing in a great gulp of air. âThe Royal Eyeballs were harder to swallow than I expected!â Taking another deep breath, he continued, âBut, if itâs riches ya want,â Roolo scowled, âthatâll show ya that thereâs more riches than youâll ever want. The Royal Eyeballs I just swallowed are immense, perfectly round diamonds. They are among the largest diamonds in the world, and because of their perfection and the fact each has a blue spot making them look like eyeballs, they are priceless beyond value. Priceless, that is, except to those who want to possess them! Now, I ask yaâhow much would the Royal Eyeballs be worth to a fine beast such as yourself?â
Watching Sabre Tusk nearly drooling at the prospect, Roolo continued in a threatening tone, âBut unless you treat us all fair and square, weâll never spit a word oâ any riches in your direction.â Indicating Breister and the others, Roolo continued, âWhen we met up with these rogues, we didnât trust them and thought at first they might be bandits. So, we hid the Royal Eyeballsânow Iâve swallowed them and that should furl your sails a bit! But, treat us square and youâll get the Royal Eyeballs soon enough, and what you just saw is my promise I know where there are even richer prizes!â Roolo made this declaration with such convincing passion that even Breister wondered if the statement might be true.
âSo you see the bargain we offer,â Breister said coolly.
âWe are Beasts of Fortune, but not warriors like yourself. We wish to trade you knowledge of immense riches, for the best of what you have right nowâa game of chance is what we offer. Are you bold enough to go for great wealth, or only scrabbling after coins in the endless chase for slaves?â
âRiches are, as riches be,â Sabre Tusk replied. âWhat riches do you speak of?â
Bomper, always able to come up with a good story, rose to the challenge. Giving the Rummer a sly look, he said, âWhat riches, you ask? How about an immense cargo of the rarest snakeskins, bolts of fine embroidered leather, cases of the finest bamboo lace, crates of Crabbee spices and Peskee teas, besides gold and jewels enough to buy several Norder Estates. Not to mention plenty of Slug Beer and Fur-Blaze Sauce to keep your crew happy for a long whileâall tucked nicely away, as we knows.â
âOne fool only Iâll deal withâthis is between you and me,â Sabre Tusk snapped at Roolo darkly. âWhy should I give a momentâs thought to these lying beasts or that witless bug
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