Hercufleas by Sam Gayton Read Free Book Online Page B

good, but of evil. And because he was their host, without knowing it the fleamily lived off evil too.
    Now Hercufleas knew the truth, they’d have to leave. They would become just like other fleas, scavenging blood wherever they could, always at risk of being squished by thumbs or drowned in hot soapy baths.
    His adventure had ruined everything. But if he hadn’t left with Greta,
she
would be the dead one now, instead of Prince Xin. Hercufleas might have saved her life… but the life his fleamily had known? The life Hercufleas had lived for one, wonderful day?
    That was over.

14
    W ith a cluck, Artifax emerged from the mist and stepped back onto dry land, feet thudding on soft sand. They had crossed the lake to the far shore. Avalon was behind them. Up ahead were endless hills and forests.
    The kingdom of Petrossia.
    Artifax slowed to a stop, his sides heaving, and began preening his feathers. Hercufleas lay in Greta’s hand, miserable.
    In the dark stillness, she leaned into her palm, so close that he felt the warm wind of her breath.
    â€˜Are you alive?’
    â€˜Unfortunately, yes,’ said Hercufleas. ‘I’m sorry.’
    â€˜Sorry? What for?’
    â€˜It was only supposed to be a little adventure, I promise… But it ended up a huge disaster, didn’t it? Now you won’t get your Happily Ever After, and my fleamily will be homeless, and I never, ever should have left the house-hat…’
    He trailed off. Greta’s eyes shone. Her shoulders shook. She was giggling.
    â€˜What’s so funny?’
    She threw back her head and howled with laughter so hard she fell off Artifax and onto the sand.
    â€˜Oh, Hercufleas!’ she cried, tears streaming from her odd-coloured eyes. ‘You’re not a disaster, you’re incredible! You’re unbe
flea
vable! You’re
parasitic
ulous! The
best pest
in all the world! You’re perfect! What a hero I’m bringing back to Tumber!’
    Hercufleas hopped to his feet. ‘Did you just call me a hero?’
    Greta grinned, jumping up and dancing around Artifax, who cocked his head and squawked. ‘Not just a hero, but exactly the right type of hero too.’
    Hercufleas gawped. ‘I am?’
    â€˜Of course!’ laughed Greta. ‘You’re a
giant-slayer!
You saved me from Prince Xin,
and
from Ugor. Compared to you, those two are
colossal
!’
    And she gave him an enormous slobbery kiss.
    â€˜Eurgh!’ he spluttered. ‘Yuck!’
    Greta froze. ‘Yuk!’ she cried. ‘Of course! We have to get you to Tumber, so you can fight Yuk! Don’t worry, you won’t have to do it on your own – you can teach the Tumberfolk about giant-slaying, and they’ll help!’
    Hercufleas blinked. What could he teach the Tumberfolk? All he’d done was bite someone’s finger, then hide in a pig’s nostril and cause a small explosion. And yet the thought made him puff with pride. He was a giant-slayer! A heroic giant-slayer!
    â€˜We’ve got to leave right now,’ Greta said. ‘We’ll have to go through the forests – my boat is back in Avalon. And so is my other clog. But we’ve got Artifax.’ She looked at the great bird’s tiny wings and sighed. ‘I wish Prince Xin had bred your wings a bit bigger – then we could fly over the trees instead of stumbling through them.’ She turned to Hercufleas. ‘No time to lose! Are you ready?’
    It was all happening so fast. Greta was asking him to join her on another adventure. She wanted him to save her again. His destiny was unfolding, right in front of him. So why was he hesitating?
    â€˜Shouldn’t we go back to Avalon first?’ he said. ‘We have to explain what happened, or—’
    Greta scowled. ‘You saw what Ugor tried to do. He’ll be watching. If I so much as set foot on that island… And then there’s Stickler…’ Her face