Sky Raiders by Brandon Mull Read Free Book Online Page A

He even managed some smiles.
    When the wagons started rolling again, Cole’s legs were stiff and cramped. Maybe resting hadn’t been a great idea. Cole began to wonder if he could last until the end of the day. He didn’t look at the guards. He didn’t watch the kids in the cage. He didn’t check the sun. Head down, he just kept trudging forward.
    The afternoon grew warmer. Sweat soaked his scarecrow costume. He had gotten rid of the straw and the arrows, but he wished the sleeves were shorter. At least his hat kept the sun off his face and neck. The inside of his mouth became desiccated. His tongue felt swollen. When he tried to open his mouth, his lips stuck together.
    As evening approached, he often stumbled and sometimesfell. If he didn’t get up right away, the chain towed him forward. Once, he let the chain drag him a good distance, hoping it might rest his legs. The manacle hurt his wrist terribly, and he soon realized that if he didn’t stay on his feet, the front side of his body would become one huge scab.
    While the sunset faded, his head pounded painfully. His tongue felt like an old sponge that had become rigid. No strength remained in his rubbery legs, but he trudged onward, because the alternative was worse.
    When the wagon came to a halt, Cole collapsed and promptly lost consciousness. He awoke with Ham trickling water into his mouth from a canteen, a little at a time. Warm and metallic, it still somehow managed to taste heavenly. A little food followed—fragments of bread, accompanied by some more water.
    “Learn your lesson yet?” Ham asked when Cole met his gaze.
    Not trusting his voice, Cole nodded.
    “Want to join the rest of the slaves in the wagon?” Ham asked.
    “Yes, please,” Cole croaked.
    “Boss asked after you,” Ham said. “I told him you might not last another day on foot.”
    Cole nodded. Ham was probably right.
    “Boss never goes easy on thieves,” Ham said. “But you only tried. You never got away with nothing. And you’re his now. Boss likes to turn a profit when he can. Nobody buys dead slaves. I expect he’ll load you in a cage.”
    “Hope so,” Cole managed. Ham gave him a little more water.
    “You’ll sleep chained here tonight,” Ham said. “Get some shut-eye.”
    As Ham walked away, Cole slumped down and closed his eyes. The ground was lumpy, the camp was noisy, but falling asleep was no problem.

    In the cool twilight before dawn, Ham used a key to unfasten the manacle. Cole tenderly rubbed where his wrist had been scraped and bruised. He stood unsteadily, his legs stiff and sore. Following instructions, he entered the rear wagon’s cage. Breakfast consisted of a crumbly biscuit and a strip of tough dried meat. He drank gritty water from a dirty tin cup, then collected and ate all the crumbs shed by the biscuit.
    After the wagon started rolling, Cole curled up and slept, heedless of the jolts and vibrations of the uneven terrain. When he woke, all horizons were a bright orange, as if multiple suns were rising in every direction.
    “What’s with the sky?” he asked.
    “Been that way for hours,” a girl said quietly. She wore bloody scrubs, as if she came from a horribly botched surgery.
    “Where are they taking us?” Cole asked.
    “Someplace to sell us,” the girl said. “I guess some of the kids are going to the king or something. They kept talking about shaping potential.”
    “Shhh,” hissed a boy dressed like a commando. “We’re not supposed to talk.”
    Surgeon girl looked guilty. Cole glanced around but didn’t see anyone who was likely to overhear them. A couple of the men roved up and down the caravan on horseback, howevernone were currently nearby. The wagon was noisy, and the driver didn’t seem to be paying attention. Still, Cole could understand commando boy not wanting to make a bad situation worse. The eight kids in this cage had all watched him stumble along behind the wagon yesterday. None would be eager to risk trying