Read Online Arthur and the Fenris Wolf by Alan Early - Free Book Online Page B

trying to look more confident than she felt, and walked further out onto the ice.
    â€˜Careful!’ he exclaimed as her foot slipped out from under her. She stopped, nodded back to him, then proceeded even slower and with more caution.
    The going was tough and the muscles in her legs were straining before she was even midway out to the pup. She kept her eyes on her feet but couldn’t see the water below the surface. Despite this, as she moved further out the ice started to groan under her weight and she worried that Arthur had been right. But she was too far gone now and couldn’t bear the thought of leaving the little dog out there by itself.
    Finally, she reached the pup. Its coat was mostly brown with grey streaks. Its snout was long and narrow and it had pointed ears that stood to attention when Ash approached. It looked up at her with sad black eyes.
    â€˜Hello, puppy,’ Ash said, then patted her legs, stepping backwards. ‘Come on. Follow me.’
    The pup tilted its head as if listening to her. Then it pulled itself forward on its front paws, its hind legs dragging behind it as if something was wrong with them.
    â€˜Can’t you move your legs?’
    The pup whined in response. Ash took another tentative step forward, to more groaning of the ice. She was so focused on the pup that she didn’t even notice the crack.
    As she leant forward to pick up the pup, the ice finally gave way. There was another loud crack and Ash plummeted into the frozen lake.

Chapter Six

    â€˜ Ash !’ Arthur yelled as he slid across the slippery surface of the lake, concentrating hard on keeping his balance. He ignored the angry groans and creaks of the ice below him.
    He slowed down as he approached the hole, wary of the cracks spreading out from its edge. The pup was still whining in a high pitch, looking from him to the breach and back again. He heard a train pass nearby, but all his attention was fixed on the break in the ice. Where Ash had fallen through, he could see that the ice was about three inches thick. It seemed strong but was clearly not strong enough, as it continued to groan under his feet. The water was deep and dark, rippling lightly.
    Ash was floating under that water, her eyes shut, her long hair and coat flowing around her like some sort of mystical mermaid.
    Arthur fell to his knees and the ice gave another loud crack. ‘ Ash ! Ashling !’
    There was no response from her. He could see tiny air bubbles escaping from her mouth and nostrils. She still had air in her lungs, at least, but for how long? He plunged his arm into the water, reaching for his friend, but she was sinking too quickly and was beyond his reach. The cold ate through his flesh and he quickly withdrew his arm, pain lancing through it.
    He realised that the only way he could reach Ash was to enter the water himself. Before his courage failed him, and realising that every second would count for Ash, Arthur quickly stood up, kicked off his shoes and pulled off his heavy coat. He dropped it to the icy surface, followed by his fleece-lined hoodie. Now just in a T-shirt and jeans, he shivered with the cold as he took the pendant off his neck and tied it in a tight double-knot around his wrist. It wouldn’t do anyone any good to lose that. Taking one last deep breath, he leaped into the water, feet first.
    The water was so cold it knocked the wind out of him completely and he gasped in shock, his mouth filling up. He’d never experienced a temperature so low and his fingers and toes were numb within seconds. Choking, he returned to the surface, took another deep breath, then dived back under the water.

    The singing of the pendant had steadily increased in Eirik’s dead ears, its urgency transmitting itself to him. He knew he was close as he crested a small hill. Below him a long metallic snake sped down a track cut through a wood. He pushed the horse into a trot down the hill and crossed the metal tracks,