Read Online The League of Doorways (A Book of Vampires, Werewolves & Black Magic) (The Doorways Trilogy - Book Two) by Tim O'Rourke - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Tim O'Rourke
Ads: Link
Captain in the Queen’s Royal Guard?” William barked at him.
“He’s trying to start the wagon,” Neanna shouted.
Zach stared out of the windscreen to see the frail-looking man take hold of the crank sticking out the front of the beetle and begin to turn it. There was a clunking sound deep within the creature and again it shuddered violently, throwing Zach and the others forward in their seats.
“What a piece of junk!” Bom snapped.
“Maybe you would like to get out and help him?” William howled as the glare of the approaching tiger-bikes lit up the night.
Bom grunted a response as the hermit turned and turned the crank. The beetle made a sputtering noise, and then burst into life. The wagon scuttled quickly backwards as Faraday yanked on the gearstick.
“Thanks, old man,” Faraday said in his deadpan voice.
“Thank you!” the hermit shouted and raised a set of bony fingers to the place on his chest, where only minutes before he had a gaping wound.
Knowing that the hermit had just saved them, Faraday yanked the steering wheel violently to the left and raced away, conscious that the dead peacekeepers would make chase after the beet-wagon, giving the old man a chance to make his escape. Zach glanced back through the black pane of glass fixed into the side of the beetle’s shell, and watched as the tiger-bikes bounded across the desert after them.
Chapter Eleven
Tanner, Anna Black , and her uncle Fandel were led ashore by Van Demon and his crew. They walked along the wooden quay, the spurs attached to the backs of Tanner’s boots jangling. It was cold and the sun had now set over the Onyx Sea. Its thick, black waves crashed against the white sand, dragging the old debris of sunken ships up onto the shore. The seahorses that had brought the ship – stagecoach – this far, lowered their mighty heads into the water and searched for any food that the sea might offer. Their wild manes floated on the surface like seaweed.
Tanner lent to one side, nursing his wounded shoulder. Anna had snaked her arm about his waist to help him along. Fandel walked beside them, his eyes furtively rolling from side to side as he tried to figure out how he might escape. At the end of the quay, Van Demon led them onto the sand. The shoreline was crescent-shaped, and large, grey sand dunes surrounded it.
With their hands still tied behind their backs, Van Demon stood before them, his decomposing face looking more threadbare than Anna had remembered it to be. “So our little journey across the sea comes to an end, amigos,” he smiled, and Anna could see his tongue through the gaping hole in his cheek. “We have enough horses to take only one of thee. Now lemme see, who will it be? The pretty senorita? Senor uncle or thee peacekeeper?”
“The pretty senorita,” one of the Dammed Bandits leered.
Anna looked at him and could see his lungs expanding in and out behind his ribcage, which had had the flesh gnawed from it.
“Silencio!” Van Demon roared, raising one decomposing hand in the air. “Si, Si, she is a beautiful senorita and would fetch a great prize. But I’m after a far greater treasure.”
The other bandits stood behind their leader, their axes, knives, and rifles glinting in the moonlight.
“How about I tell you how to get to the box, and you let me and the girl go,” Fandel whined.
“And what of thee peacekeeper?” Van Demon smiled, that hole in the side of his face flapping open and revealing his rotten teeth.
“Kill him,” Fandel sneered, glancing sideways at Tanner, who stood with his chin resting on his chest.
“Did thee hear that, peacekeeper?” Van Demon chuckled. “Me thinks senor uncle doesn’t like thee very much.”
Then raising his head, Tanner looked at Van Demon and said, “How about you turn around, get back on your boat , or whatever it is, and leave these shores before every single one of you sorry-looking arseholes dies?”
Clapping his ringed fingers together, Van
“He’s trying to start the wagon,” Neanna shouted.
Zach stared out of the windscreen to see the frail-looking man take hold of the crank sticking out the front of the beetle and begin to turn it. There was a clunking sound deep within the creature and again it shuddered violently, throwing Zach and the others forward in their seats.
“What a piece of junk!” Bom snapped.
“Maybe you would like to get out and help him?” William howled as the glare of the approaching tiger-bikes lit up the night.
Bom grunted a response as the hermit turned and turned the crank. The beetle made a sputtering noise, and then burst into life. The wagon scuttled quickly backwards as Faraday yanked on the gearstick.
“Thanks, old man,” Faraday said in his deadpan voice.
“Thank you!” the hermit shouted and raised a set of bony fingers to the place on his chest, where only minutes before he had a gaping wound.
Knowing that the hermit had just saved them, Faraday yanked the steering wheel violently to the left and raced away, conscious that the dead peacekeepers would make chase after the beet-wagon, giving the old man a chance to make his escape. Zach glanced back through the black pane of glass fixed into the side of the beetle’s shell, and watched as the tiger-bikes bounded across the desert after them.
Chapter Eleven
Tanner, Anna Black , and her uncle Fandel were led ashore by Van Demon and his crew. They walked along the wooden quay, the spurs attached to the backs of Tanner’s boots jangling. It was cold and the sun had now set over the Onyx Sea. Its thick, black waves crashed against the white sand, dragging the old debris of sunken ships up onto the shore. The seahorses that had brought the ship – stagecoach – this far, lowered their mighty heads into the water and searched for any food that the sea might offer. Their wild manes floated on the surface like seaweed.
Tanner lent to one side, nursing his wounded shoulder. Anna had snaked her arm about his waist to help him along. Fandel walked beside them, his eyes furtively rolling from side to side as he tried to figure out how he might escape. At the end of the quay, Van Demon led them onto the sand. The shoreline was crescent-shaped, and large, grey sand dunes surrounded it.
With their hands still tied behind their backs, Van Demon stood before them, his decomposing face looking more threadbare than Anna had remembered it to be. “So our little journey across the sea comes to an end, amigos,” he smiled, and Anna could see his tongue through the gaping hole in his cheek. “We have enough horses to take only one of thee. Now lemme see, who will it be? The pretty senorita? Senor uncle or thee peacekeeper?”
“The pretty senorita,” one of the Dammed Bandits leered.
Anna looked at him and could see his lungs expanding in and out behind his ribcage, which had had the flesh gnawed from it.
“Silencio!” Van Demon roared, raising one decomposing hand in the air. “Si, Si, she is a beautiful senorita and would fetch a great prize. But I’m after a far greater treasure.”
The other bandits stood behind their leader, their axes, knives, and rifles glinting in the moonlight.
“How about I tell you how to get to the box, and you let me and the girl go,” Fandel whined.
“And what of thee peacekeeper?” Van Demon smiled, that hole in the side of his face flapping open and revealing his rotten teeth.
“Kill him,” Fandel sneered, glancing sideways at Tanner, who stood with his chin resting on his chest.
“Did thee hear that, peacekeeper?” Van Demon chuckled. “Me thinks senor uncle doesn’t like thee very much.”
Then raising his head, Tanner looked at Van Demon and said, “How about you turn around, get back on your boat , or whatever it is, and leave these shores before every single one of you sorry-looking arseholes dies?”
Clapping his ringed fingers together, Van
Similar Books
![The Diamond of the Rockies [03] The Tender Vine](https://fs.dianahicksbooks.com/569612/thumbs/152x264/the-diamond-of-the-rockies-03-the-tender-vine.jpg)
