The Forgotten Map

The Forgotten Map by Cameron Stelzer Read Free Book Online Page A

Book: The Forgotten Map by Cameron Stelzer Read Free Book Online
Authors: Cameron Stelzer
Tags: Rats – Juvenile fiction., Pirates – Juvenile fiction.
vibrating from the impact.
    â€˜Bull’s Eye,’ Whisker said, trying to cover his fright with friendly conversation.
    Ruby glared at Whisker. ‘I wasn’t aiming at the wheel.’
    With a nervous twitch of his tail, Whisker decided the conversation was over.
    â€˜What are you doing here, Horace?’ Ruby asked, ignoring Whisker. ‘You never get up this early.’
    â€˜We are preparing for cannon classes,’ Horace replied.
    â€˜The cannons are below deck, not up here,’ Ruby sneered.
    â€˜True,’ Horace considered, ‘but it’s too cramped below for a proper demonstration. Besides, look at the sky. It’s going to be a beautiful day. What else could you wish for? A romantic sunrise and the booming sound of cannons – magnificent!’
    Whisker stared out at the horizon. The sky was turning a rich shade of pink and the distant clouds were rimmed with the golden light of the approaching sun.
    It does look stunning , he thought. He chanced a look at Ruby. For a moment, in the soft light he saw a different Ruby; a girl with a serene and peaceful face and a gentle smile. She reminded him of his mother on the summer morning they first launched their boat. He could almost picture Ruby holding his sleeping sister, Anna, as their boat sailed from the flooded inlet into the vast, sparkling ocean.
    Ruby, suddenly aware she was being watched, shot a glance at Whisker. Whisker dropped his eyes awkwardly and awaited the harsh remark that would certainly follow. It never came.
    He looked up and his eyes made contact with hers. She looked at him crossly, but without all of the venom he had come to expect. Their gaze was broken by a loud thudding noise from below the deck.
    â€˜Right on time,’ Horace said, rubbing his hook.
    â€˜On time for what?’ Ruby muttered. ‘Waking up the rest of the crew?’
    The noise grew louder and Whisker saw a large body poke up from the stairwell, followed by an even larger cylindrical shape, thudding on every step.
    â€˜Fred has arrived with our cannon!’ Horace cried excitedly.
    When Whisker turned back to Ruby she was already pulling her sword from the wheel.
    â€˜Make sure the boy doesn’t hit anyone,’ she said sternly as she left the deck.
    Welcome back, Ruby, Whisker sighed.

    As the morning sun rose over the horizon, Whisker helped Horace and Smudge assemble the cannon. Fred made several trips down the stairs, each time returning with a stack of stale pies and a terrible stench.
    â€˜Oooh, yuck!’ Whisker gagged. ‘Your pies are disgusting, Fred. Some are close to putrid.’
    Horace laughed. ‘Putrid is preferred.’
    â€˜But what are they for?’ Whisker asked. ‘Target practice?’
    Smudge twitched his wings to get Whisker’s attention. Excitedly, he pointed to a pile of pies with one arm and the cannon with another. With two more arms he made an explosion gesture. Whisker immediately understood.
    â€˜They’re cannonballs!’ he exclaimed.
    â€˜Exactly,’ Horace said with a wide grin. ‘They don’t call us Pie Rats for nothing.’ He beckoned for Whisker to follow him to the nearest pile of pies. ‘We have two categories of pie projectiles, long range and close range. You are currently looking at the long range variety. They are triple-baked by Fred and left in the sun until the pastry is harder than an armadillo in armour. They won’t disintegrate in the air over long distances and can tear a hole through a sail.’
    He walked over to the second pile of pies. ‘Over here, we have everyone’s favourite, the Close Range Chaos .’
    Whisker took a step towards the pies and caught a whiff of something truly disgusting. He decided not to venture any closer.
    â€˜Close range pies,’ Horace continued, ‘are child-friendly projectiles that disintegrate in the air, showering our enemies in a stinky, sticky

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