Read Online Brotherband 3: The Hunters by John Flanagan - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: John Flanagan
Tags: Children's Fiction
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riveted on him. The old sea wolf smiled. It was not a pretty sight.
‘Not a good idea,’ Thorn told him. ‘Just keep walking.’ He gestured towards the camp site and they made their way across the beach to where the crew were gathered around Lydia, eagerly plying her with questions about her pursuit of Rikard. She replied diffidently, not wanting to appear boastful. But as Thorn arrived, he took over the answering for her.
‘She was amazing!’ he said. ‘Simply amazing. She could tell exactly where Rikard had been. “Look,” she’d say, “that dirty patch of air is where he was breathing yesterday.” Or, “Look at that, the imprint of his little toe on a piece of rock.” And once, she could even tell me what he’d eaten for lunch.’
‘How did she know that?’ Wulf asked. Thorn had known it would be one of the twins who would take the bait. He smiled disingenuously.
‘We found a pile of his droppings and she poked around in it. Told me what he’d had for lunch, his birthday and his mother’s name.’
The crew all looked at Lydia then, unconsciously, withdrew half a pace from her. Her cheeks flamed scarlet with embarrassment and rage.
‘I did NOT!’ she shouted, glaring at Thorn.
He grinned innocently at her. ‘Well, maybe not his mother’s name. I thought you were guessing there.’
She stepped a pace closer to him. Her hand dropped to the atlatl attached to her belt.
‘You keep this up and I’ll put a dart through you, old man,’ she threatened.
His grin widened. ‘Aim for my legs. That way I know you’ll miss.’
She shook her head in defeat. It was impossible to have the last word with Thorn. He was incorrigible. She turned to the rest of the crew.
‘I promise you I did not poke through a pile of Rikard’s droppings,’ she said. One or two of them still looked doubtful, so she shouted, ‘I DIDN’T!’ That seemed to convince them. But Wulf still had a puzzled look on his face. She looked at him, challenging him to speak.
‘Could you really see where he had been breathing?’ he asked. She sighed, then decided the best course was to go along with it.
‘Yes,’ she said, and turned away for the main tent. Hal fell into step with her.
‘Good work,’ he said, dropping a hand on her shoulder. ‘And welcome back.’
‘Thanks.’ She allowed him a brief smile, then it faded. ‘How do you put up with Thorn?’ she asked. ‘He can be so annoying! But then, he’s so incredible! Rikard made a run for it and I brought him down with a dart. But he’d barely hit the ground when Thorn was on him. He picked him up off the ground, then knocked him cold with one punch. I’ve never seen anyone move so fast!’
Hal nodded. ‘He can be pretty surprising, all right.’
She shook her head in frustration. ‘But then he can be so annoying! I swear to you, I did NOT poke through Rikard’s droppings. Why does he say things like that?’
‘Because he likes you.’ Hal smiled. ‘He admires you. So he teases you. Haven’t you heard how he talks to me?’
She hadn’t thought of that. Now that she did, she said doubtfully, ‘I suppose so. Still . . .’ She threw her hands in the air, dismissing the subject. ‘Tell me, what did Edvin do to cure Ingvar?’
Briefly, he told her about the willow bark and how Edvin had administered it to Ingvar.
‘So which one did the trick?’ she asked when he’d finished. ‘The poultice or the tea?’
He frowned. ‘I’m not sure. We all assumed it was the tea. But maybe the poultice took a while to have an effect. Or maybe it was the combination of both. Whatever it was, he’s better.’
‘He’s still very weak,’ she said and he agreed with her.
‘I’m giving him another night’s rest on dry land,’ he said. ‘We’ll put to sea tomorrow morning.’
The mouth of the Dan River yawned before them. It was at least one and a half kilometres wide where it emptied into the Stormwhite. The tide was running out and the river brought a
‘Not a good idea,’ Thorn told him. ‘Just keep walking.’ He gestured towards the camp site and they made their way across the beach to where the crew were gathered around Lydia, eagerly plying her with questions about her pursuit of Rikard. She replied diffidently, not wanting to appear boastful. But as Thorn arrived, he took over the answering for her.
‘She was amazing!’ he said. ‘Simply amazing. She could tell exactly where Rikard had been. “Look,” she’d say, “that dirty patch of air is where he was breathing yesterday.” Or, “Look at that, the imprint of his little toe on a piece of rock.” And once, she could even tell me what he’d eaten for lunch.’
‘How did she know that?’ Wulf asked. Thorn had known it would be one of the twins who would take the bait. He smiled disingenuously.
‘We found a pile of his droppings and she poked around in it. Told me what he’d had for lunch, his birthday and his mother’s name.’
The crew all looked at Lydia then, unconsciously, withdrew half a pace from her. Her cheeks flamed scarlet with embarrassment and rage.
‘I did NOT!’ she shouted, glaring at Thorn.
He grinned innocently at her. ‘Well, maybe not his mother’s name. I thought you were guessing there.’
She stepped a pace closer to him. Her hand dropped to the atlatl attached to her belt.
‘You keep this up and I’ll put a dart through you, old man,’ she threatened.
His grin widened. ‘Aim for my legs. That way I know you’ll miss.’
She shook her head in defeat. It was impossible to have the last word with Thorn. He was incorrigible. She turned to the rest of the crew.
‘I promise you I did not poke through a pile of Rikard’s droppings,’ she said. One or two of them still looked doubtful, so she shouted, ‘I DIDN’T!’ That seemed to convince them. But Wulf still had a puzzled look on his face. She looked at him, challenging him to speak.
‘Could you really see where he had been breathing?’ he asked. She sighed, then decided the best course was to go along with it.
‘Yes,’ she said, and turned away for the main tent. Hal fell into step with her.
‘Good work,’ he said, dropping a hand on her shoulder. ‘And welcome back.’
‘Thanks.’ She allowed him a brief smile, then it faded. ‘How do you put up with Thorn?’ she asked. ‘He can be so annoying! But then, he’s so incredible! Rikard made a run for it and I brought him down with a dart. But he’d barely hit the ground when Thorn was on him. He picked him up off the ground, then knocked him cold with one punch. I’ve never seen anyone move so fast!’
Hal nodded. ‘He can be pretty surprising, all right.’
She shook her head in frustration. ‘But then he can be so annoying! I swear to you, I did NOT poke through Rikard’s droppings. Why does he say things like that?’
‘Because he likes you.’ Hal smiled. ‘He admires you. So he teases you. Haven’t you heard how he talks to me?’
She hadn’t thought of that. Now that she did, she said doubtfully, ‘I suppose so. Still . . .’ She threw her hands in the air, dismissing the subject. ‘Tell me, what did Edvin do to cure Ingvar?’
Briefly, he told her about the willow bark and how Edvin had administered it to Ingvar.
‘So which one did the trick?’ she asked when he’d finished. ‘The poultice or the tea?’
He frowned. ‘I’m not sure. We all assumed it was the tea. But maybe the poultice took a while to have an effect. Or maybe it was the combination of both. Whatever it was, he’s better.’
‘He’s still very weak,’ she said and he agreed with her.
‘I’m giving him another night’s rest on dry land,’ he said. ‘We’ll put to sea tomorrow morning.’
The mouth of the Dan River yawned before them. It was at least one and a half kilometres wide where it emptied into the Stormwhite. The tide was running out and the river brought a
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