Read Online The Ring of Five by Eoin McNamee - Free Book Online
Authors: Eoin McNamee
Tags: Fiction, General, All Ages, Children's Books, Fantasy, Action & Adventure, Espionage, Juvenile Fiction, Action & Adventure - General, Fantasy & Magic, Science Fiction; Fantasy; & Magic, True Crime, Children: Grades 4-6, School & Education, Mysteries & Detective Stories, Schools, Men, spies, Boys & Men, Mysteries; Espionage; & Detective Stories, Boys, Juvenile Mysteries
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like home. Stop it, he said to himself; you're getting out of here. First chance.
"Can you get to the school by the bridge?" Danny asked.
"It's supposed to be for the instructors to keep an eye on us," Les said. "We're not allowed to use it."
"We're forbidden from going onto the two top floors of Wilsons," Dixie said. "It's all dark and deadly up there, from what they tell us."
Danny went out onto the balcony. There was a good view of the roof of Wilsons. There were turrets and peaks and gulleys divided by metal walkways. He could see windows and skylights in unexpected places, as well as what looked like antennas and satellite dishes, all pointing in the direction of the glow in the sky he had seen the previous night. He looked that way, but his view was obscured by trees growing on a ridge, so all he could really see was a darkening of the sky, as though smoke was drifting up into it.
"I expect you'll be inducted tomorrow," Dixie said.
"What's that?" Danny turned to her.
"Inducted. They have to ask you do you want to be a cadet at Wilsons ... and ... some other stuff."
"They have to ask me?" Danny said. "I could say no?"
"It's up to you," Les said.
"So all I've got to do is tell Brunholm and Devoy to stuff it!" Danny exclaimed. "That shouldn't be hard."
He saw his two new friends exchange a look.
"What is it?" he asked. "They kidnapped me."
69
"They shouldn't have done that," Les said slowly.
"No, that was very bad," Dixie said. Danny felt that he had said something wrong, but he didn't know what.
"Listen," Les went on, his smile returning. "There's another way to get down from here." He looked around swiftly to make sure no one was watching.
"Go on," Dixie said, smiling.
"Turn your back to me," Les said. Danny did as he was told. Les put his arms under Danny's armpits, then locked his hands behind Danny's head.
"Ready?" Les said.
"Ready for whaaa--" Before Danny had a chance to react, Les had launched himself from the edge of the balcony.
Danny had never been so scared in his life, the ground rushing toward them at a hundred miles an hour. Then he felt the arms around him take his weight, and he could hear a rustling, whispering sound as his friend's wings cut the air.
"We're flying," Danny gasped as the wind blew through his hair.
"More like gliding," Les shouted over his shoulder, "but I kind of like it. If the old Messengers saw me doing this they'd have kittens."
It took seconds, really, but it felt like much longer. They had almost reached the ground when Les shouted again.
"Hold on tight!" he said. "I've never been any good at landing."
"Now you tell meeeeeee ..." Danny hit the ground
70
face-first and plowed along for several yards before Les bounced back into the air again and flipped over, so that Danny was looking straight up at the sky. Les tried to turn around again but only succeeded in doing a somersault, then a double flip, before both boys came to a crashing halt upside down in a holly bush.
"Ouch," Danny groaned, picking himself gingerly out of the bush. "You need to practice."
"Sorry about that," Les said ruefully. "Thought I had it cracked just before we hit."
"Wouldn't it be great," Dixie said, coming down the stairs, "if we all had wings?"
And she wandered off across the lawn, flapping her arms like a bird. They watched her until she reached the edge of the lawn, then disappeared from sight behind a privet hedge.
"Isn't she a little ... unusual ... to be a spy?" Danny asked.
"She is a bit barmy, all right," Les said, a tone of admiration in his voice, "but she ain't stupid. Just sees the world a different way from the rest of us."
"I suppose so."
"Listen," Les said a bit awkwardly, "I got something I need to do. Will you be all right for a few hours?"
"Yes, no problem," Danny said. He didn't mind the idea of a few hours on his own. He could plan what he was going to say tomorrow at the induction. He might even find a way to escape before then. And even if he didn't
"Can you get to the school by the bridge?" Danny asked.
"It's supposed to be for the instructors to keep an eye on us," Les said. "We're not allowed to use it."
"We're forbidden from going onto the two top floors of Wilsons," Dixie said. "It's all dark and deadly up there, from what they tell us."
Danny went out onto the balcony. There was a good view of the roof of Wilsons. There were turrets and peaks and gulleys divided by metal walkways. He could see windows and skylights in unexpected places, as well as what looked like antennas and satellite dishes, all pointing in the direction of the glow in the sky he had seen the previous night. He looked that way, but his view was obscured by trees growing on a ridge, so all he could really see was a darkening of the sky, as though smoke was drifting up into it.
"I expect you'll be inducted tomorrow," Dixie said.
"What's that?" Danny turned to her.
"Inducted. They have to ask you do you want to be a cadet at Wilsons ... and ... some other stuff."
"They have to ask me?" Danny said. "I could say no?"
"It's up to you," Les said.
"So all I've got to do is tell Brunholm and Devoy to stuff it!" Danny exclaimed. "That shouldn't be hard."
He saw his two new friends exchange a look.
"What is it?" he asked. "They kidnapped me."
69
"They shouldn't have done that," Les said slowly.
"No, that was very bad," Dixie said. Danny felt that he had said something wrong, but he didn't know what.
"Listen," Les went on, his smile returning. "There's another way to get down from here." He looked around swiftly to make sure no one was watching.
"Go on," Dixie said, smiling.
"Turn your back to me," Les said. Danny did as he was told. Les put his arms under Danny's armpits, then locked his hands behind Danny's head.
"Ready?" Les said.
"Ready for whaaa--" Before Danny had a chance to react, Les had launched himself from the edge of the balcony.
Danny had never been so scared in his life, the ground rushing toward them at a hundred miles an hour. Then he felt the arms around him take his weight, and he could hear a rustling, whispering sound as his friend's wings cut the air.
"We're flying," Danny gasped as the wind blew through his hair.
"More like gliding," Les shouted over his shoulder, "but I kind of like it. If the old Messengers saw me doing this they'd have kittens."
It took seconds, really, but it felt like much longer. They had almost reached the ground when Les shouted again.
"Hold on tight!" he said. "I've never been any good at landing."
"Now you tell meeeeeee ..." Danny hit the ground
70
face-first and plowed along for several yards before Les bounced back into the air again and flipped over, so that Danny was looking straight up at the sky. Les tried to turn around again but only succeeded in doing a somersault, then a double flip, before both boys came to a crashing halt upside down in a holly bush.
"Ouch," Danny groaned, picking himself gingerly out of the bush. "You need to practice."
"Sorry about that," Les said ruefully. "Thought I had it cracked just before we hit."
"Wouldn't it be great," Dixie said, coming down the stairs, "if we all had wings?"
And she wandered off across the lawn, flapping her arms like a bird. They watched her until she reached the edge of the lawn, then disappeared from sight behind a privet hedge.
"Isn't she a little ... unusual ... to be a spy?" Danny asked.
"She is a bit barmy, all right," Les said, a tone of admiration in his voice, "but she ain't stupid. Just sees the world a different way from the rest of us."
"I suppose so."
"Listen," Les said a bit awkwardly, "I got something I need to do. Will you be all right for a few hours?"
"Yes, no problem," Danny said. He didn't mind the idea of a few hours on his own. He could plan what he was going to say tomorrow at the induction. He might even find a way to escape before then. And even if he didn't
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