Read Online The Unwilling Apprentice (Book 2) by Heidi Willard - Free Book Online
Authors: Heidi Willard
Ads: Link
Hawkins, but Fred didn't have time for a laugh at the captain's expense. "I know we only just met, but you have to trust me. This girl isn't here to harm anyone any more than Fluffy was out to eat your men." Hawkins' scowl deepened. "Okay, bad analogy, but she still isn't going to hurt anyone."
"Indeed, I'm not," the girl spoke up.
Hawkins ripped Fred's hand off his face and sneered at the gargoyle. "How do I know you won't carry one of my people off?"
The girl blushed and pushed the tip of one of her bare, clawed feet into the street. The stones broke beneath her thick toes. "I...I can't fly."
Hawkins and Fred stared at her and blinked. Their surprise was interrupted by shouts behind them as several in the crowd spotted the gargoyle in front of the pair. "Monster!" shouted someone in the herd of people.
Fred rolled his eyes. Didn't they have any other word for a gargoyle? Hawkins grabbed the boy's shoulders and pushed them up to the gargoyle. He turned the boy around and looked him square in the eyes. "Do you swear this creature means the city no harm?"
Fred pursed his lips together and gave a firm nod. "I swear it."
Hawkins glanced between the boy and the beast. "All right, I will give you what time I can but my men are as thick as thieves in the streets. If you want any chance to get this-this girl away to safety, and if she can't fly, then you must jump the roofs." Fred gulped, but nodded his head. Hawkins turned and raced back to the street, but glanced over his shoulder with a smirk on his face. "And be mindful you don't get yourselves killed!"
Fred's shoulders slumped and he jutted his chin out in a pout. A shaky hand tugged on his sleeve, and he turned to find the gargoyle girl close beside him. Her eyes flitted between him and the noisy street; she was scared. He sighed and patted her hand. "It'll be all right."
A troupe of soldiers appeared at the front of the alley and the leader, Fred's old friend from the city gate, pointed his spear at them. "Get them!" he shouted.
Fred paled. "Or maybe not." He turned and shoved the gargoyle girl ahead of him down the alley. "Run!"
She stumbled along and Fred slowed down their perusers by toppling every trash can and stack of boxes he could find. The soldiers toppled like metal dominoes and the pair broke from the alley with three options to go. Left or right would take them down a street, and forward would lead down another alley. The way forward looked vaguely familiar to Fred, but he couldn't be sure. The street was filled with people running to and fro. Some were curious to see the monster and others ran away to hide in their houses. A few glimpsed the gargoyle, and the screaming and pointing started all over again.
"Monster!"
"Demon!"
"At least they're using another word," Fred mumbled before he grabbed her arm and pulled her forward into the opposite alley. They'd traveled halfway down the alley when a hand reached out from behind a pile of crates and grabbed his shoulder. He yelped and a small hand clapped over his mouth.
Pat emerged from the shadows and scowled at him. "I'm getting really tired of people yelling," she scolded him.
He ripped her hand off his mouth and frowned back. "And I'm really tired of getting snuck up on."
Pat nodded at the gargoyle girl. "With her around you had better become accustomed to it."
"I'm trying to get her back home," Fred pointed out.
"Then you're going the wrong way. The castle is that direction," she told him as she jerked her thumb to Fred's left.
He sulked. "I was getting there, I just couldn't make a straight shot because I can't find a ladder to get onto the roof."
Pat looked past him at the gargoyle. "Why doesn't she just fly away?"
"I-I can't fly," she informed her. "The cave isn't large enough to allow us to practice gliding, and I was very small when we hid ourselves in the cavern."
"Just our luck..." she mumbled.
"And that's why we need a ladder," Fred repeated.
Pat turned him around and pointed at a
"Indeed, I'm not," the girl spoke up.
Hawkins ripped Fred's hand off his face and sneered at the gargoyle. "How do I know you won't carry one of my people off?"
The girl blushed and pushed the tip of one of her bare, clawed feet into the street. The stones broke beneath her thick toes. "I...I can't fly."
Hawkins and Fred stared at her and blinked. Their surprise was interrupted by shouts behind them as several in the crowd spotted the gargoyle in front of the pair. "Monster!" shouted someone in the herd of people.
Fred rolled his eyes. Didn't they have any other word for a gargoyle? Hawkins grabbed the boy's shoulders and pushed them up to the gargoyle. He turned the boy around and looked him square in the eyes. "Do you swear this creature means the city no harm?"
Fred pursed his lips together and gave a firm nod. "I swear it."
Hawkins glanced between the boy and the beast. "All right, I will give you what time I can but my men are as thick as thieves in the streets. If you want any chance to get this-this girl away to safety, and if she can't fly, then you must jump the roofs." Fred gulped, but nodded his head. Hawkins turned and raced back to the street, but glanced over his shoulder with a smirk on his face. "And be mindful you don't get yourselves killed!"
Fred's shoulders slumped and he jutted his chin out in a pout. A shaky hand tugged on his sleeve, and he turned to find the gargoyle girl close beside him. Her eyes flitted between him and the noisy street; she was scared. He sighed and patted her hand. "It'll be all right."
A troupe of soldiers appeared at the front of the alley and the leader, Fred's old friend from the city gate, pointed his spear at them. "Get them!" he shouted.
Fred paled. "Or maybe not." He turned and shoved the gargoyle girl ahead of him down the alley. "Run!"
She stumbled along and Fred slowed down their perusers by toppling every trash can and stack of boxes he could find. The soldiers toppled like metal dominoes and the pair broke from the alley with three options to go. Left or right would take them down a street, and forward would lead down another alley. The way forward looked vaguely familiar to Fred, but he couldn't be sure. The street was filled with people running to and fro. Some were curious to see the monster and others ran away to hide in their houses. A few glimpsed the gargoyle, and the screaming and pointing started all over again.
"Monster!"
"Demon!"
"At least they're using another word," Fred mumbled before he grabbed her arm and pulled her forward into the opposite alley. They'd traveled halfway down the alley when a hand reached out from behind a pile of crates and grabbed his shoulder. He yelped and a small hand clapped over his mouth.
Pat emerged from the shadows and scowled at him. "I'm getting really tired of people yelling," she scolded him.
He ripped her hand off his mouth and frowned back. "And I'm really tired of getting snuck up on."
Pat nodded at the gargoyle girl. "With her around you had better become accustomed to it."
"I'm trying to get her back home," Fred pointed out.
"Then you're going the wrong way. The castle is that direction," she told him as she jerked her thumb to Fred's left.
He sulked. "I was getting there, I just couldn't make a straight shot because I can't find a ladder to get onto the roof."
Pat looked past him at the gargoyle. "Why doesn't she just fly away?"
"I-I can't fly," she informed her. "The cave isn't large enough to allow us to practice gliding, and I was very small when we hid ourselves in the cavern."
"Just our luck..." she mumbled.
"And that's why we need a ladder," Fred repeated.
Pat turned him around and pointed at a
Similar Books
