Read Online Bang Goes a Troll by David Sinden, Matthew Morgan, Guy Macdonald, Jonny Duddle - Free Book Online

darting over. “Youcould have died.”

    Gumball squirted water from his mouth. “Gumball coming too,” he said.
    Ulf smiled, then pulled out his compass, trying to work out which way to go next.
    Gumball reached out his bony hand. “Gimme,” he said to Ulf.
    Tiana slapped the goblin’s finger. “You ungrateful beast,” she said. “Is that stupid compass all you can think about? Ulf just saved your life.”
    Gumball drew his hand back slowly.
    â€œCome on,” Ulf said, slipping the compass safely back into his pocket. “It’s not far now.”

Chapter 13
    B LUD AND B ONE WERE AT WORK IN THE DUNGEONS below Loadem Lodge.
    The big man Bone walked along a row of cages, throwing buckets of water through the bars.
    In each cage a troll woke up and growled.
    Blud reached into a wooden crate and pulled out a meaty steak. “Dinner time,” he said, dangling it in front of the cages.
    The trolls lumbered forward, clattering their tusks against the metal bars. They grunted, reaching for the meat.
    â€œThey’re hungry,” Bone said, grinning.

    The trolls were drooling.
    Blud wafted the meaty steak in front of them. “Lovely juicy meat!” he said.
    The trolls rammed the bars of the cages, snorting and slobbering.
    â€œBut you’re not having it.”
    Blud pulled the meat away and Bone laughed.
    â€œThey’re starving,” Bone said.
    â€œThat’s how the Baron wants them,” Blud told him.
    From his jacket pocket Blud took out a large sewing needle and a ball of string. He grabbed lots more meaty steaks from the crate, then sat on the floor, stitching them all together.
    â€œWhat are you doing?” Bone asked.
    â€œYou’ll see,” Blud replied.
    While Blud stitched, the trolls rattled the bars with their tusks. They were watching him, groaning with hunger.
    Bone picked out the biggest, juiciest steak hecould find. “Can I eat one?” he asked.
    â€œNo!” Blud said. “Give that here.”
    When Blud had stitched together all the steaks from the crate, he held up a big blanket of meat.
    â€œWhat’s that for?” Bone asked.
    â€œIt’s part of the Baron’s plan,” Blud told him.
    Blud carried the blanket of meat out of the dungeons, heading through a stone archway and along a corridor. Flaming torches lined the walls, lighting doors on either side. Bone watched as Blud carried the blanket of meat through a door marked BAIT ROOM. A moment later he came back out, grinning. He wiped his hands on his pants.
    â€œWhat have you done with it?” Bone asked.
    â€œIt’s a surprise,” Blud said, tapping the side of his nose. “You’ll have to wait and see.” The small man stepped across the corridor to a door marked TROPHY PROCESSING ROOM . “Come on. It’s time to grease the guillotine.”
    Both men stepped inside. In the center of theroom stood a tall contraption. This was the guillotine, a machine used to remove the heads of hunted beasts as trophies. It looked like a large metal bench with chains across it, and two steel uprights at one end. Between the uprights was a big metal blade.
    Rats scurried across the room, sniffing around a basket on the floor at the end of the guillotine.
    Blud kicked his way through the rats and jumped up on to the bench. “Get the grease,” he said.
    From a tub in the corner of the room, Bone scooped out a handful of grease. He rubbed the grease up and down the steel uprights.
    â€œLet’s try it,” Blud said. The small man took a meaty steak from his pocket and handed it to Bone. “Stick this under the blade.” He pulled on a rope at the side of the guillotine and the big metal blade started lifting up.
    Bone laid the meat on the end of the bench.
    Rats started jumping up, trying to nibble it.

    Blud was singing: “You are the greaser. Grease, grease, grease. I am the chopper. Chop, chop,