Read Online The Warble by Victoria Simcox - Free Book Online Page A

apprehension and was about to put it
away.
    “What are you doing?”
Kristina asked.
    “By the look on your
face, I figured you didn’t want it.”
    Kristina laughed
nervously. “I’d love to carry that knife.”
    Looking a little
puzzled, Werrien handed it to her. “Now you look like a true warrior.”
    Kristina blushed. Even
though it wasn’t a compliment she would have expected, she kind of liked it.
    Werrien helped her onto
his horse, and then he jumped up onto the front of the saddle. They said good
bye to Leacha, and as they headed into the moss-laden forest, Leacha stood
outside her tree house door, sniffling and waving farewell with her
handkerchief.

 
 
11
 
    After tripping over a rock, Ugan toppled
down a slope and landed on a nasty thorn bush. He moaned
with pain as he looked to see that his bottom was stuck with many thorns, some
as large as toothpicks. Just above in a tree, a black raven cawed down to him.
“Oh, quit your squawking, or I‘ll knock you out of that tree,” Ugan’s voice
strained from the intense pain.
    “Give me some of your
food, and I’ll pull those thorns out for you in a jiffy,” the raven said.
    Ugan ignored the raven
and tried to reach around himself to pull out the thorns. The raven felt Ugan
was ungrateful and so he flew away.
    Ugan realized that he
wasn’t able to reach the thorns with his short arms, so he yelled after the
raven, “Okay! I’ll take your offer, but just for a few crumbs of bread.”
    Brushing the top of
Ugan’s head, the raven landed on a rock next to him.
    “Well, come on, I don’t
have all day.” Ugan leaned against the rock and stuck his bottom out.
    The raven hopped to the
ground behind him and took a thorn in his beak. As he pulled it out, Ugan’s
face went scarlet red, and his usually straight beard hairs curled up from the
agonizing pain. The raven kept pulling away at the thorns, and Ugan stuck his
fist in his mouth and bit down on it to take his focus off his pain. Finally,
the raven pulled the last thorn out of Ugan’s bottom. Then it hopped back onto
the rock, and Ugan stood up with a very stiff back from bending over so long.
The raven watched with large, hungry eyes as Ugan began untying his lunch sack
from his waist. Just as he had finished untying it, the raven snatched the
small sack from Ugan’s hand and flew off with it.
    “Why, you
good-for-nothing…” Ugan yelled. With fumbling hands, he tried to untie his
slingshot from his waist. But it was no use; by the time he finally held it to
the sky, the raven was a mere speck off in the distance. Ugan sank down against
the rock, and as his bottom touched the ground, he moaned in pain. Now what
am I supposed to do?
    He had neither food nor
the measly amount of fairy blossom rationed to him by the queen. Feeling such
despair, he drifted off to sleep and began to dream about his life in the past,
when things had been much better. Prince Raspue was still at the palace and had
treated him with kindness. The prince had allowed Ugan to have clean and comfy
sleeping quarters, healthy meals, and plenty of fairy-blossom tea, which gave
him ample energy to do his job, for which he formerly had been paid. He would
have two days a week off, during which he could spend time outdoors, fishing,
working in the garden, or just basking in the sun. His dream was so relaxing
and peaceful, but then it suddenly changed. Four zelbocks were taking Prince
Raspue as a prisoner. They handcuffed him and dragged him out of the palace.
Queen Sentiz watched from the palace window, laughing at the sight of her husband
being humiliated as he was dragged away. While she stood there, her face grew
larger and larger, and her laugh grew louder and louder, until her mouth was
about to swallow Ugan’s head. Ugan woke up, shocked from his dream. Sweating
and shaking, he sat there with his eyes wide and his breathing heavy.
    It was dark out and
hard to see. An owl screeched loudly and made him jump to his feet. He