Book Description
The bestselling epic continues!
Hal and his brotherband crew are hot on the trail of the pirate Zavac and they have one thing only on their minds: Stopping the bloodthirsty thief before he can do more damage. Of course, they also know Zavac has the Andomal, the priceless Skandian artifact stolen when the brotherband let down their guard. The chase leads down mighty rivers, terrifying rapids, to the lawless fortress of Ragusa. If Hal is to succeed, he will need to go beyond his brotherband training. He will need to challenge the pirate one-on-one, knowing only one of them will survive.
The epic series from Ranger's Apprentice author John Flanagan continues, delivering pulse-pounding adventure and fun.
Hal and his brotherband crew are hot on the trail of the pirate Zavac and they have one thing only on their minds: Stopping the bloodthirsty thief before he can do more damage. Of course, they also know Zavac has the Andomal, the priceless Skandian artifact stolen when the brotherband let down their guard. The chase leads down mighty rivers, terrifying rapids, to the lawless fortress of Ragusa. If Hal is to succeed, he will need to go beyond his brotherband training. He will need to challenge the pirate one-on-one, knowing only one of them will survive.
The epic series from Ranger's Apprentice author John Flanagan continues, delivering pulse-pounding adventure and fun.
Editorial Reviews
About the Author
John Flanagan lives in Manly, Australia.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Land! I can see land!”
It was Stefan, calling from the lookout position in the bow of the Heron.
There
was a buzz of interest from the crew as they surged forward to get a
sight of the coast—at this stage, no more than a distant, hazy line on
the horizon.
Hal heaved a silent sigh of
relief. They had been out of sight of land for four days, cutting
diagonally across from the eastern coast of the Stormwhite Sea to head
for the southern coastline. After days without any reference points or
landmarks, with nothing but the waves to see, niggling fears had begun
to gnaw at his confidence. What if he had misread his sun compass? What
if Stig had let the ship stray off course while Hal was sleeping? What
if Hal himself had made some simple, fundamental error that had led them
off on the wrong path?
When you sailed out of sight of land, he thought, there was always the worry that you might never sail back into sight of it.
He
shook his head, realizing how groundless his fears had been. Four days,
after all, was a relatively short ocean trip. He knew of Skandian
seafarers who had sailed for weeks with no sight of land. He had done so
himself, on ships commanded by other people. But this was his first
time in command.
Thorn came aft from his
favored spot by the keel box. His rolling gait easily matched the
movement of the ship and he smiled at his young friend. He’d spent many
years at sea but he knew all too well what must have been going through
Hal’s mind.
“Well done,” he said quietly.
Hal
gave him a quick smile. “Thanks,” he said, trying to look nonchalant.
Then he couldn’t keep up the pretense any longer. “Must admit, I had a
few sleepless moments.”
Thorn raised an eyebrow. “Only a few?”
“Two, actually. One lasted for the first two days. The other for the next two. Apart from that, I was fine.”
The
fact that the young skirl could admit to his concerns was a sign of his
growing maturity and confidence in his own ability. He was growing up
fast, Thorn thought. But then, command of a ship had that effect on a
person. He either grew into the responsibility or it crushed him.
In
the bow, Stig had climbed onto the bulwark alongside Stefan, but on the
other side of the bow post. He shaded his eyes, then turned and called
back down the length of the ship.
“I can see three hills,” he shouted. “Two big, one small. The small one is in the middle. They’re a little off to port.”
Thorn saw the look of pleasure that came over Hal’s face. He nodded his admiration.
“Sounds
like Dwarf Hill Cape,” he said. “Wasn’t that where you were aiming?”
It was a near-perfect landfall—an impressive achievement for a neophyte
skirl. Thorn was an expert sailor, but the intricacies of navigation had
always proved too much for him.
Hal rearranged his features, trying to hide his pleasure.
“Should have been dead ahead,” he muttered, but then the smile broke through again. “But that’s pretty good, isn’t it?”
Thorn clapped him on the shoulder. “It’s very good. For an old coast crawler like me, it’s beyond comprehension.”
Hal nodded forward. “Looks as if our prisoner is finally taking an interest in things.”
Rikard,
the Magyaran pirate Thorn had broken out of the Limmat jail, was
standing up to peer toward the land. For the past few days he had
remained huddled by the mast, restrained by a heavy chain that secured
him to the thick spar.
“He knows he’s
near home,” Thorn said. “The entrance to the Schuyt River is only a few
kilometers up the coast, and that leads to the Magyaran capital.”
“Are we planning on setting him free?” Hal asked.
Thorn
shook his head. “Not until we know he’s telling us the truth about
Zavac’s destination. If he is, we should be able to find someone who’s
seen the Raven when we head down the Dan River. He’s just going to have to wait till then.”
After
they had left the port of Limmat behind, Rikard made good on his
promise to tell them where Zavac was heading. Zavac was the pirate
captain who had earlier stolen the Andomal, Skandia’s most prized
artifact. He stole it while Hal and his crew were charged with its
protection, so they had a personal interest in regaining it from him.
With
that in mind, they had pursued Zavac down the length of the Stormwhite,
always one step behind the elusive Magyaran ship, a large black craft
named the Raven. They caught up with Zavac and the Raven
at Limmat, a harbor town on the east coast. Zavac, in company with two
other ships, had led an attack on the town and occupied it. The crew of
the Heron had been instrumental in defeating the invaders and
driving them out. Many of the pirates had been either killed or captured
in the ensuing battle, but Zavac and his crew had escaped in the
closing stages, ramming and nearly sinking the Skandian ship Wolfwind in the process.
According
to Rikard, Zavac and his crew were heading for the Dan River, a mighty
waterway that ran all the way from the north of the continental mass, on
the Stormwhite’s coast, to the south, close by the Constant Sea. At the
southern end of the Dan was a fortified citadel called Raguza, a pirate
haven governed by a council of pirates and thieves. Raiders from the
Stormwhite and the Constant Sea sought refuge there, knowing they would
be protected from pursuit and revenge. Ships harboring in Raguza paid a
tribute to the city’s governing body. Usually, this was a tenth share of
any booty they had on board. It was expensive, but it was worth it to
enjoy the security and freedom from pursuit that Raguza offered.
Zavac,
of course, was carrying a large supply of emeralds plundered from the
secret mine at Limmat. Some of those emeralds should have gone to the
men who had assisted in the invasion and occupation of the town. But
they had been defeated and killed or imprisoned, and he had absconded
with their share. With such a rich haul, he had no further need to raid
during the current season and had obviously decided to relax and regroup
in the citadel.
Now, as the Heron
moved closer to the coastline, Rikard seemed to sense their attention
on him. He turned to look at them, then beckoned to Thorn, who walked
forward to speak to him.
“What is it?” he asked, knowing the answer before Rikard gave it.
“Are you going to set me free?” he said, pointing at the approaching coastline.
Thorn shook his head. “I think we need the distinct pleasure of your company a little longer.”
“I’ve kept my part of the bargain! You promised you’d set me free,” Rikard protested.
“No.
I promised I’d set you free once we’re sure you’ve kept your part of
the bargain. I also promised that if you haven’t I’ll throw you
overboard.”
“Well, is there any need to
keep me chained up like this?” Rikard angrily rattled the chain that
secured him to the mast. “After all, there’s nowhere I can escape to.”
Thorn
smiled at him. “That’s in case you decide to do me out of the pleasure
of throwing you overboard. Wouldn’t want you taking matters into your
own hands.”
Rikard scowled at him and
slumped down to the deck once more. He could see there was no point in
arguing any further. In the few days he had been on board, he had
learned that Thorn was not a man to change his mind easily.
“I
know you can’t wait to get back to Magyara and join another pirate
crew,” Thorn said. “But you’ll just have to put up with us for a while
yet.” He turned and walked back to the steering position, where Lydia
and Stig had joined Hal.
“Are you planning on putting ashore?” Lydia asked as Thorn came within earshot. Hal pursed his lips, then shook his head.
“We’ll
run along the coast for another day. That’ll bring us to the mouth of
the Dan. We can go ashore there. We need to find out if anyone’s sighted
the Raven.”
He had a constant,
nagging worry that Zavac may have headed off in another direction
entirely and they had spent the past four days on a wild-goose chase.
“The boys could use a good night’s sleep,” she said. “So could I.”
The Heron
wasn’t the most comfortable place for sleeping. The crew could bed down
on the planks between the rowing benches. But the constant need to
adjust to the ship’s pitching and rolling, and the frequent showers of
spray that broke over her, made it difficult to get deep, uninterrupted
rest.
Product Details
- Reading level: Ages 10 and up
- Hardcover: 432 pages
- Publisher: Philomel (October 30, 2012)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0399256210
- ISBN-13: 978-0399256219
- Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.4 inches
- Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
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