Read Online All the King's Horses by Laura C Stevenson - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Laura C Stevenson
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Cathbad said? Short journeys. A little way at a—’
‘That’s not
our
idea!’ blurted Colin.
The elves whirled around, smiling elvish smiles I didn’t like, but nothing stops Colin once he gets going. ‘Listen,’ he said. ‘Don’t think for a
minute
we wanted short journeys. We accepted them because that’s all Cathbad would offer, but we want to go to Faerie!’
Lob cocked an eyebrow over his orange-glowing eye. ‘Do you, now?’
He looked dangerous; but he also looked interested. Suddenly, I had an inspiration. ‘It’s not just that we
want
to go,’ I said. ‘It’s the Rules. They’re more powerful than Cathbad, aren’t they?’
‘To be sure,’ said Hob, looking shocked that somebody would ask.
‘Well then,’ I said. ‘Don’t you see what that means? The Rules say you faeries have to help us with our mission, and our mission is to go to Faerie! So if you take us there, you’re obeying the Rules even if you’re disobeying Cathbad.’
The elves’ eyes glowed fiercely as they looked at each other – so fiercely that they lit the room. On the desk, Tiffany stirred a little and looked around.
‘Ach!’ muttered Lob. ‘She’ll be seeing us soon if we’re not off.’
‘Quickly, then,’ said Lob. They pulled handkerchiefs out of their pockets and stepped towards us, leering. ‘We’ll have to take you by our route, so just for safety’s sake—’
‘Hey!’ said Colin, hitting out at Hob. ‘You don’t have to tie us!’
But the elves grew half-way to the ceiling, and before we could argue or struggle any more, they’d blindfolded us. A moment later, we were whooshing through another tunnel, only this one felt much larger than a keyhole, and in spite of the cloth over my ears, I could hear it was filled with strange noises: the roar of trucks on a faraway road, the clickety-click of a night train, the barking of dogs, the echo of voices drifting in from the street. They were such sleepy sounds that I thought maybe I was dreaming after all … but then we landed with a thump that convinced me I was awake. I slipped the blindfold off and straightened my glasses, looking around dizzily.
We were standing at the bottom of a hill ringed by a line of bonfires, and between the fires, there were shadows dancing to music that made the back of my neck prickle. They weren’t human shadows. Some of them were tall and thin, wearing beautiful long dresses, or hats with long feathers, and capes fastened with clasps that shone in the firelight. Others were short and wiry, and had bells on their toes and ears. But most of them were animal shadows: dogs with horses’ hooves, cats with gleaming eyes and tails that bristled three times their size, pigs that danced gracefully on legs much too long, sheep that pranced like horses, and cows with enormous shoulders and necks.
‘Where on earth are we, do you think?’ I shouted in Colin’s ear.
‘No place on earth,’ he shouted back. ‘This has got to be Faerie – and not just the Outskirts, either. You
did
it! You got them to bring us! That bit about the Rules was brilliant!’
‘It was luck,’ I said modestly.
‘Yeah, but it worked!’ he said. ‘And now all we have to do is find Grandpa.’
I looked at the dancing shadows, wondering where the elves had gone. ‘How are we going to do that?’
‘Just start hunting, I guess. You go that way, I’ll go—’
‘If we do that, when one of us finds Grandpa, the other one will …’
‘OK, together, then,’ he said. ‘Which way do you want to go?’
I wasn’t sure what difference it was going to make, but I pointed towards the top of the hill, and we started towards the fires. I had thought Faerie fires might not be hot, but as we got closer, I began to wish I hadn’t put on my sweatshirt, and by the time we got to the outer circle, I wriggled out of its sleeves and pulled it over my head. As I came out from under it, a golden-cloaked shadow danced up to us. Suddenly, it stood still
‘That’s not
our
idea!’ blurted Colin.
The elves whirled around, smiling elvish smiles I didn’t like, but nothing stops Colin once he gets going. ‘Listen,’ he said. ‘Don’t think for a
minute
we wanted short journeys. We accepted them because that’s all Cathbad would offer, but we want to go to Faerie!’
Lob cocked an eyebrow over his orange-glowing eye. ‘Do you, now?’
He looked dangerous; but he also looked interested. Suddenly, I had an inspiration. ‘It’s not just that we
want
to go,’ I said. ‘It’s the Rules. They’re more powerful than Cathbad, aren’t they?’
‘To be sure,’ said Hob, looking shocked that somebody would ask.
‘Well then,’ I said. ‘Don’t you see what that means? The Rules say you faeries have to help us with our mission, and our mission is to go to Faerie! So if you take us there, you’re obeying the Rules even if you’re disobeying Cathbad.’
The elves’ eyes glowed fiercely as they looked at each other – so fiercely that they lit the room. On the desk, Tiffany stirred a little and looked around.
‘Ach!’ muttered Lob. ‘She’ll be seeing us soon if we’re not off.’
‘Quickly, then,’ said Lob. They pulled handkerchiefs out of their pockets and stepped towards us, leering. ‘We’ll have to take you by our route, so just for safety’s sake—’
‘Hey!’ said Colin, hitting out at Hob. ‘You don’t have to tie us!’
But the elves grew half-way to the ceiling, and before we could argue or struggle any more, they’d blindfolded us. A moment later, we were whooshing through another tunnel, only this one felt much larger than a keyhole, and in spite of the cloth over my ears, I could hear it was filled with strange noises: the roar of trucks on a faraway road, the clickety-click of a night train, the barking of dogs, the echo of voices drifting in from the street. They were such sleepy sounds that I thought maybe I was dreaming after all … but then we landed with a thump that convinced me I was awake. I slipped the blindfold off and straightened my glasses, looking around dizzily.
We were standing at the bottom of a hill ringed by a line of bonfires, and between the fires, there were shadows dancing to music that made the back of my neck prickle. They weren’t human shadows. Some of them were tall and thin, wearing beautiful long dresses, or hats with long feathers, and capes fastened with clasps that shone in the firelight. Others were short and wiry, and had bells on their toes and ears. But most of them were animal shadows: dogs with horses’ hooves, cats with gleaming eyes and tails that bristled three times their size, pigs that danced gracefully on legs much too long, sheep that pranced like horses, and cows with enormous shoulders and necks.
‘Where on earth are we, do you think?’ I shouted in Colin’s ear.
‘No place on earth,’ he shouted back. ‘This has got to be Faerie – and not just the Outskirts, either. You
did
it! You got them to bring us! That bit about the Rules was brilliant!’
‘It was luck,’ I said modestly.
‘Yeah, but it worked!’ he said. ‘And now all we have to do is find Grandpa.’
I looked at the dancing shadows, wondering where the elves had gone. ‘How are we going to do that?’
‘Just start hunting, I guess. You go that way, I’ll go—’
‘If we do that, when one of us finds Grandpa, the other one will …’
‘OK, together, then,’ he said. ‘Which way do you want to go?’
I wasn’t sure what difference it was going to make, but I pointed towards the top of the hill, and we started towards the fires. I had thought Faerie fires might not be hot, but as we got closer, I began to wish I hadn’t put on my sweatshirt, and by the time we got to the outer circle, I wriggled out of its sleeves and pulled it over my head. As I came out from under it, a golden-cloaked shadow danced up to us. Suddenly, it stood still
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