the pegs outside each stall and the saddles and blankets are in the tack room.’
Lily and Saxon gently entered the stall of each horse, whispering and snickering to the animal, as they passed the bridle over its head.
Lily ran to the tack rooms and fetched the saddles and blankets. She saddled the horses while Saxon held them by the reins.
‘Help me with Caramel’s girth, Sax,’ cried Lily. ‘She always blows out her belly, then breathes out once you’re riding so the saddle slides off. Tickle her tummy, that usually works!’
Meanwhile Ethan and George could hold the guards no longer. They had overcome their revulsion of the manure and were fighting free, fists swinging. Aisha darted back and forth nipping at their legs joyfully.
‘Aisha, that’s enough,’ ordered Ethan. ‘Leave it, that’s a good girl. George, you lead them into the forest – see if you can find some nice sticky spider webs! I’ll go and help Lily.’
Ethan sprinted off with Aisha at his heels, while George kept flinging ammunition at the hapless guards, who were gasping for breath. He stayed until the last second, then threw his shovel at the guards and ran for the woods.
The two guards followed, screaming in rage and indignation, wiping the filth from their faces as they ran, slipping and sliding unsteadily from the muck on the soles of their boots.
George easily reached the cover of the trees. He ran deep into the forest, ducking and weaving. A tiny glimmer of starlight shining between the trees showed him an ideal ambush spot. He dashed through a gap between two trees, bending his massive body almost double.
The guards followed, one waving his cutlass ferociously. Both charged together through the two trees. Suddenly they were enveloped with sticky, clinging cold threads that covered their eyes, nose, mouth and ears.
A huge black spider ran across the face of the skinny guard, who screamed and claweddesperately at his head trying to brush the creature away.
‘Help me,’ screamed the guard, dancing and weaving. ‘Get it off me!’
The other guard helped to brush off the large frightened spider, and pull off the stubborn sticky silver threads.
By this time George had disappeared. The two guards followed warily, the first waving his cutlass in front of their faces to slice any further spider webs.
They entered a gloomy thicket.
‘Ooooooaaaaahhhhhh, oooooooaaaaahhhhhh,’ wailed an unearthly voice from up near the treetops.
The two guards stopped dead in their tracks, their eyes red and bleary from the copious quantities of drugged cherry wine, their faces streaked with muck.
‘Who’s there?’ one demanded in a shaking voice. ‘Come out in the name of Emperor Raef.’
‘Oooooooaaaaaaahhhhhh. Isssss time tooooo diiiiieeeeee.’
The fat guard clutched his companion and pointed up into the trees. Metres above the ground a white apparition fluttered and floated.
‘Commmmmme toooooooo meeeeeeeeeeeee,’ moaned the apparition. ‘I will taaaaake yoooou uuuuuuu tooooooo yourrrrr deeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaath hhhhhhhhhh.’
The guards’ knees trembled visibly. There was a loud trickle as one wet his pants with terror. They looked at each other then turned and ran.
A muffled chuckle of laughter followed their flight. George clambered clumsily out of the high tree, clutching his white shirt in his huge hands. He had hung his shirt out on a long thin branch, shaking it gently so it wafted eerily through the trees in the starlight.
‘Issss time tooooo diiiieee, you black-hearted Sedah scoundrels,’ moaned George. ‘Poor widdle baby wet his pants. Maybe you should go home to your mumsy.’ George roared with laughter at his own joke as he pulled on his shirt, then set off through the forest to the meeting point at the caverns.
The guards ran until they reached their blazing fire.
‘What was that?’ panted one, his eyes searching the surrounding darkness in fear.
‘Some cursed infidel sprite,’ replied the other,
Lily and Saxon gently entered the stall of each horse, whispering and snickering to the animal, as they passed the bridle over its head.
Lily ran to the tack rooms and fetched the saddles and blankets. She saddled the horses while Saxon held them by the reins.
‘Help me with Caramel’s girth, Sax,’ cried Lily. ‘She always blows out her belly, then breathes out once you’re riding so the saddle slides off. Tickle her tummy, that usually works!’
Meanwhile Ethan and George could hold the guards no longer. They had overcome their revulsion of the manure and were fighting free, fists swinging. Aisha darted back and forth nipping at their legs joyfully.
‘Aisha, that’s enough,’ ordered Ethan. ‘Leave it, that’s a good girl. George, you lead them into the forest – see if you can find some nice sticky spider webs! I’ll go and help Lily.’
Ethan sprinted off with Aisha at his heels, while George kept flinging ammunition at the hapless guards, who were gasping for breath. He stayed until the last second, then threw his shovel at the guards and ran for the woods.
The two guards followed, screaming in rage and indignation, wiping the filth from their faces as they ran, slipping and sliding unsteadily from the muck on the soles of their boots.
George easily reached the cover of the trees. He ran deep into the forest, ducking and weaving. A tiny glimmer of starlight shining between the trees showed him an ideal ambush spot. He dashed through a gap between two trees, bending his massive body almost double.
The guards followed, one waving his cutlass ferociously. Both charged together through the two trees. Suddenly they were enveloped with sticky, clinging cold threads that covered their eyes, nose, mouth and ears.
A huge black spider ran across the face of the skinny guard, who screamed and claweddesperately at his head trying to brush the creature away.
‘Help me,’ screamed the guard, dancing and weaving. ‘Get it off me!’
The other guard helped to brush off the large frightened spider, and pull off the stubborn sticky silver threads.
By this time George had disappeared. The two guards followed warily, the first waving his cutlass in front of their faces to slice any further spider webs.
They entered a gloomy thicket.
‘Ooooooaaaaahhhhhh, oooooooaaaaahhhhhh,’ wailed an unearthly voice from up near the treetops.
The two guards stopped dead in their tracks, their eyes red and bleary from the copious quantities of drugged cherry wine, their faces streaked with muck.
‘Who’s there?’ one demanded in a shaking voice. ‘Come out in the name of Emperor Raef.’
‘Oooooooaaaaaaahhhhhh. Isssss time tooooo diiiiieeeeee.’
The fat guard clutched his companion and pointed up into the trees. Metres above the ground a white apparition fluttered and floated.
‘Commmmmme toooooooo meeeeeeeeeeeee,’ moaned the apparition. ‘I will taaaaake yoooou uuuuuuu tooooooo yourrrrr deeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaath hhhhhhhhhh.’
The guards’ knees trembled visibly. There was a loud trickle as one wet his pants with terror. They looked at each other then turned and ran.
A muffled chuckle of laughter followed their flight. George clambered clumsily out of the high tree, clutching his white shirt in his huge hands. He had hung his shirt out on a long thin branch, shaking it gently so it wafted eerily through the trees in the starlight.
‘Issss time tooooo diiiieee, you black-hearted Sedah scoundrels,’ moaned George. ‘Poor widdle baby wet his pants. Maybe you should go home to your mumsy.’ George roared with laughter at his own joke as he pulled on his shirt, then set off through the forest to the meeting point at the caverns.
The guards ran until they reached their blazing fire.
‘What was that?’ panted one, his eyes searching the surrounding darkness in fear.
‘Some cursed infidel sprite,’ replied the other,
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