Read Online The Swiss Family RobinZOM (Book 5) by Perrin Briar - Free Book Online Page B

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    The cattle in their pen went wild, running and dashing in different directions, unsure where to go, but knowing their current location was not safe. Then the snapping twigs and rush of foliage dissipated. Only once the animals stopped baying, snorting and meh ing did the Robinsons lower their weapons.
    “They’re getting closer,” Bill said.
    “We have to hurry,” Liz said.
    They bent down over their worktops and got back to sawing, chopping and screwing the armour into shape. It was nearing midday when Bill led the best behaved goat out from the pen and tied her to a hitching post. He picked up a small breastplate made from bamboo. Bill had screwed reinforced strips of metal into it to strengthen it. He wrapped the straps around the goat’s front legs and chest, and then led the goat around on her lead.
    “She seems comfortable, don’t you think?” Bill said to Liz, picking up the pace and making the goat run.
    “Yes,” Liz said. “Does the armour come in pink?”
    Next, Bill affixed armour over the goat’s back and haunches, as well as specially-designed blinkers. The goat would run a mile if she saw what she was facing.
    “She looks badass,” Jack said. “We should paint some skulls on the front.”
    “Yeah,” Fritz said, rolling his eyes. “That’ll demoralise the Spinners.”
    They put the armour on the other animals they would be riding – Lightning, Lightfoot, Herdy, and Valiant. Sometimes the armour rubbed the soft skin around the animals’ legs. The family shaved off any rough edges to make the armour as comfortable as possible. Then the family members put their own armour on. They flinched when they put their boots on – the blisters on their feet hadn’t healed yet.
    Liz climbed onto Lightning’s back and strapped a short shield to her forearm. The zebra swished her tail and snorted with excitement, no doubt expecting another race. Fritz climbed onto Lightfoot’s back. The donkey showed no such excitement. Bill took to his chariot, the four goats in front ducking their heads down and chewing on the grass at their hooves. Ernest made to climb onto Valiant’s back, but the great bull turned and trotted away. Ernest chased after him. He put his foot into a stirrup and began to pull himself up, but Valiant trotted away again. Ernest hopped on his free leg before losing his footing.
    “He doesn’t want me to ride him,” Ernest said.
    “Then you’ll have to ride something else,” Bill said.
    “Like what?” Ernest said.
    Gwek!
    “No!” Ernest said. “I won’t ride her. Not again.”
    “She’s the fastest creature we have,” Bill said. “She could do a lot of good.”
    “We haven’t got any armour for her,” Ernest said. “We’d be dead within thirty seconds.”
    Bill picked up a set of armour plates.
    “I made some for her,” he said.
    “That was fortunate,” Ernest said drily.
    “I thought it prudent,” Bill said. “You know how cantankerous Valiant can be.”
    “Shall I ride Valiant?” Francis said, climbing down the treehouse ladder wearing his armour. “He’ll listen to me.”
    “Francis, we need you to stay here and guard the fort,” Liz said.
    “But it’s not a fort!” Francis said. “It’s a treehouse! I want to come with you.”
    “You can’t come,” Bill said. “Not today.”
    “Not today, not yesterday, not every day!” Francis said, screwing up his face. “Why can’t I come?”
    “One day you will come with us and you’ll wish you didn’t have to,” Bill said.
    “Jack was my age when he first went out hunting with you,” Francis said.
    “Jack was a year older than you,” Liz said.
    “I’ll trade places with him,” Ernest said.
    “You’re not helping, Ernest,” Liz said.
    “But no one else can ride Valiant – he won’t let you!” Francis said. “I can ride him and I can help – all of you. I would have won the race if it wasn’t for the jaguar!”
    “You are helping us,” Bill said softly, “by staying