want me to do?” I asked.
“I don’t want to be taken. I really don’t.” She said it in a little voice that made my insides curl up. I had to do something.
“What day of the week do chickens hate the most?”
There was a pause. “What?”
“I said what day of the week do chickens hate the most?”
“Why are you asking me that now?” I could hear a hint of anger creeping into her voice. Good.
“Fry-day. Why did the chick disappoint his mother?”
“Seriously, shut up with the chicken jokes.” She was definitely getting more annoyed.
“Because he wasn’t everything he was cracked up to be. What do you get when a chicken lays an egg on a hill?”
She began to rock backward and forwards in her chair, though it didn’t move. “Shut up, shut up, shut up!”
I delivered the punch line. “An eggroll.”
And from the shadows off to our left came a giggle.
We both froze. “Who’s there?” I called.
Out of the shadows crept the little girl who had taken the book out of my jacket. All day she’d been sitting in the front row of the crowd, gazing up at me. Now she was back.
And she had a knife.
I instantly fixed my eyes on it. “What are you doing?” I asked, trying to appear calm.
The girl circled round behind me. I tried turning my head to keep up with her but eventually she passed the point where my head wouldn’t turn any more. I held my breath, not sure what was about to happen. Then there was a brief sawing sound and my hands were free.
It felt amazingly good. I could only groan as she went to work on the rope stretched around my chest. When that finally gave way I almost fell forward. I managed to catch myself just in time and massaged my wrists, trying to get some feeling into them. I regretted it a moment later as pain flared sharply through them, but it was better than the numbness. I looked at them and saw that the ropes had left impressions around each hand. I quickly looked away again. The sight just brought more pain.
While I’d been tending to my hands the girl had freed my legs, which also started hurting a moment later. I tried to stand up but collapsed back down again. It would take a lot of stretching before my legs were able to support my weight. I turned to the girl and did my best to smile through the pain.
“Could you go and free that girl over there?” I asked, pointing. She looked up at me solemnly, then nodded and scampered over to Rayna, carrying the knife with exaggerated care. A moment later the sound of her hacking away at the ropes drifted over.
I began jerking and kicking my legs, trying to wake them up. Now that we were free I didn’t want to wait around any longer than I had to.
Wings of Bronze
had fallen off my lap onto the floor at some point during the day and I picked it up, tucking it back inside my jacket. It might have just saved my life. The least I could do was actually read it.
After about five minutes I was able to get up and totter over to Rayna, who was only just getting feeling back into her legs herself. She looked up at me and I saw relief flit across her face. “We’re going to be fine,” she whispered. I just nodded to her.
“Let’s go before they notice that we’re free.” She tried to heave herself up but I pushed her back down.
“Give it another few minutes. I want to try something.”
I turned to the little girl and held out my hand. “Can I have the knife, please?”
She nodded and handed it to me. I don’t know where she’d got it but it was a vicious thing, with a serrated blade on one edge. It looked like it had come from a survival shop to be used against bears or something. I carefully put it to one side and began gathering up allthe cut rope. “Do you know where they put our bags?” I asked her.
She nodded again and skipped off, a white ghost in the darkness. A second later she was back dragging my bag. I coiled the rope and was putting it inside when she returned again with Rayna’s bag.
“What are you
“I don’t want to be taken. I really don’t.” She said it in a little voice that made my insides curl up. I had to do something.
“What day of the week do chickens hate the most?”
There was a pause. “What?”
“I said what day of the week do chickens hate the most?”
“Why are you asking me that now?” I could hear a hint of anger creeping into her voice. Good.
“Fry-day. Why did the chick disappoint his mother?”
“Seriously, shut up with the chicken jokes.” She was definitely getting more annoyed.
“Because he wasn’t everything he was cracked up to be. What do you get when a chicken lays an egg on a hill?”
She began to rock backward and forwards in her chair, though it didn’t move. “Shut up, shut up, shut up!”
I delivered the punch line. “An eggroll.”
And from the shadows off to our left came a giggle.
We both froze. “Who’s there?” I called.
Out of the shadows crept the little girl who had taken the book out of my jacket. All day she’d been sitting in the front row of the crowd, gazing up at me. Now she was back.
And she had a knife.
I instantly fixed my eyes on it. “What are you doing?” I asked, trying to appear calm.
The girl circled round behind me. I tried turning my head to keep up with her but eventually she passed the point where my head wouldn’t turn any more. I held my breath, not sure what was about to happen. Then there was a brief sawing sound and my hands were free.
It felt amazingly good. I could only groan as she went to work on the rope stretched around my chest. When that finally gave way I almost fell forward. I managed to catch myself just in time and massaged my wrists, trying to get some feeling into them. I regretted it a moment later as pain flared sharply through them, but it was better than the numbness. I looked at them and saw that the ropes had left impressions around each hand. I quickly looked away again. The sight just brought more pain.
While I’d been tending to my hands the girl had freed my legs, which also started hurting a moment later. I tried to stand up but collapsed back down again. It would take a lot of stretching before my legs were able to support my weight. I turned to the girl and did my best to smile through the pain.
“Could you go and free that girl over there?” I asked, pointing. She looked up at me solemnly, then nodded and scampered over to Rayna, carrying the knife with exaggerated care. A moment later the sound of her hacking away at the ropes drifted over.
I began jerking and kicking my legs, trying to wake them up. Now that we were free I didn’t want to wait around any longer than I had to.
Wings of Bronze
had fallen off my lap onto the floor at some point during the day and I picked it up, tucking it back inside my jacket. It might have just saved my life. The least I could do was actually read it.
After about five minutes I was able to get up and totter over to Rayna, who was only just getting feeling back into her legs herself. She looked up at me and I saw relief flit across her face. “We’re going to be fine,” she whispered. I just nodded to her.
“Let’s go before they notice that we’re free.” She tried to heave herself up but I pushed her back down.
“Give it another few minutes. I want to try something.”
I turned to the little girl and held out my hand. “Can I have the knife, please?”
She nodded and handed it to me. I don’t know where she’d got it but it was a vicious thing, with a serrated blade on one edge. It looked like it had come from a survival shop to be used against bears or something. I carefully put it to one side and began gathering up allthe cut rope. “Do you know where they put our bags?” I asked her.
She nodded again and skipped off, a white ghost in the darkness. A second later she was back dragging my bag. I coiled the rope and was putting it inside when she returned again with Rayna’s bag.
“What are you
Similar Books
