Read Online The Hero's Tomb by Conrad Mason - Free Book Online

victim. Frank tried to come to his rescue, but the elf’s leg swept round, knocking him off balance and sending him crashing to his knees.
    A murmur swelled among the crowd, and a few shouts broke out.
    ‘Go on, mate!’
    ‘Kill ’em! Kill the trolls!’
    If the butchers weren’t coming already, they will be now. Tabitha snatched up a throwing knife again, but as she drew it back she felt a hand on her arm.
    ‘No, Tabs,’ said Hal. ‘You might hit one of the twins.’
    He was right. Derringer was a fast-moving target, and he was far smaller than the Bootles. His rapier flashed again and Frank let out a soft grunt as the point nicked his arm, and troll blood stained his sleeve. Derringer twirled his blade, a mad grin painted on his face.
    ‘We’ve got to do something!’ Tabitha yelled. ‘Hal, can’t you use the wooden spoon on him?’
    ‘I don’t, er …’ stuttered the magician. His face was white as a sail. ‘I don’t have it with me.’
    Typical . He must have got worried that it would fallinto the wrong hands and left it at the Academy. The one time they actually needed Hal’s magic, he was as useful as a rubber cutlass.
    ‘Is it over yet?’ came a tiny voice. Ty was cowering deep inside Tabitha’s pocket. It didn’t look like he was going to save them either.
    Tabitha licked her lips. So it’s up to me. But what could she do? She couldn’t take on Cyrus Derringer herself. She needed something else. Some kind of distraction.
    She turned to see that the griffin owner was crouched down, hiding behind his horse. Nell the griffin was on her feet, watching the fight intently. Tabitha raced to the cage, saw that the side swung open and was lashed in place with a couple of strips of leather. She got to work, sawing at it with her knife.
    Behind her, she heard the clash of steel, and a gasp from the crowd. She didn’t turn to find out what had happened. She didn’t have time.
    The first strip came apart, and she moved to the second. Nell let out a soft squawk and cocked her head to one side, watching Tabitha with curiosity.
    ‘Don’t worry, girl, I’m not going to hurt you.’
    ‘Are you sure this is a good idea, miss?’ asked Ty. His head was poking out of her pocket, and he looked sceptical.
    Tabitha ignored him. The second strip came loose, and she pulled the door open with a creak. Hands trembling, she reached for the ropes that tied Nell’s wings to her side, undoing them as fast as she could.
    The griffin owner finally noticed what was happening. ‘What are you doing? Leave her alone this—’
    Too late. Nell took a step forward, pushed her beak out into the air beyond the cage. She made a low, warbling sound.
    ‘Go on!’ Tabitha told her. ‘Fly!’
    Nell flew. She burst out of the cage, letting out an almighty squawk and spreading her wings like ragged banners.
    The crowd’s reaction was even better than Tabitha could have hoped for. At once cheers turned to squeals of fear. The next moment there was chaos, people stumbling over each other in their efforts to escape. Tabitha saw Derringer turn, eyes widening as he saw what she had unleashed.
    It was all the Bootle brothers needed. Paddy dived at the elf, barrelling into him and sending him crashing to the floor, his sword skittering across the cobblestones. ‘Got him!’ called the troll.
    The griffin strutted on the cobblestones, flapping her wings, sending scraps of greased paper gusting across the street with the force of her downbeats. Herowner scurried towards her, drawing out a whip and shouting obscenities at Tabitha.
    I hope he doesn’t catch you, Nell.
    Hal laid a hand on her shoulder. ‘We have to go,’ he hissed. ‘Look!’
    Tabitha followed his pointing finger, and saw men approaching through the chaos, from the end of the street. Men in white, with hard, lean faces. They dealt out savage blows with their muskets. They elbowed people out of the way, kicked aside fallen citizens. And they were heading towards the