02 The Invaders Read Online Free PDF Page A

considered it for a few seconds and then nodded too. Jesper, predictably, was the one to raise an objection.
    “Training? What sort of training?”
    Hal met his gaze steadily until Jesper dropped his eyes. “The sort of training we did in brotherband. Weapon skills. Fitness training. Seamanship. Sail handling.”
    “But we’ve done that. Why do it again?”
    Hal stepped closer to Jesper to make his point.
    “We did it for three months. Three months! Do you think we know it all after such a short period? And we’re looking to confront the
Raven
and its crew of fifty pirates. They’re warriors who’ve spent all their lives fighting and killing. Do you think three months’ training has prepared us to face them? Because I don’t. And I wantto get the Andomal back when we catch up with them, not get killed in the attempt.” He turned toward Thorn, still sitting on the fallen log.
    “Thorn!” he called. “Will you take on the position of trainer?”
    The shaggy figure stood slowly from the log and walked across to join them.
    “With pleasure,” he said when he was closer.
    Stig raised a hand to get Hal’s attention. “Hal, you said we’d practice seamanship and sail handling. How can we do that while these storms keep blowing?”
    Hal nodded his appreciation of the question. “We’ll set up a mast onshore here and rig the sails and yardarms to it. We’ll make it so that Ingvar can turn it according to the wind, and we’ll work on our sail handling and trimming skills. If there’s calm weather, we’ll put to sea, or do training in the bay.”
    Stig thought about the answer, his head tilted to one side. “Good idea,” he said.
    Hal grinned. “I thought so.” Then, as another hand was raised, he turned a little wearily back to Jesper. “Yes, Jesper. What is it now?”
    “Well, no offense,” he began, and Hal had a moment to reflect that whenever people began with “no offense” they invariably went on to be extremely offensive. “But what qualifies Thorn to train us? I mean… he’s Thorn, after all. No offense,” he repeated.
    Thorn smiled at him but the smile never reached his eyes.
    Hal turned to him. “Thorn, would you like to show Jesper how qualified you are?”
    Thorn appeared to think about the question. Then he movedwith blinding speed, covering the ground between himself and Jesper.
    Jesper, a former thief, was accustomed to moving quickly when threatened. But he never had time to register that Thorn was moving. The old sea wolf’s left hand closed on Jesper’s collar in an iron grip and he hoisted the boy off his feet, holding him suspended, his feet dangling clear of the ground.
    Then he gathered himself and hurled Jesper away like a sack of potatoes. The boy flew several meters through the air, hit the ground and lost his footing, crashing over on his back. As he lay winded, he looked up into Thorn’s bearded face, a face wreathed in a fierce smile.
    “How’s that for qualifications?”
    Jesper nodded several times, and waved weakly in reply.
    “Tha’s pretty good,” he gasped breathlessly. “Pretty good indeed.”

chapter four
     
    T here was only the faintest glow of light touching the tops of the trees on the eastern headland when Thorn woke the boys the following morning.
    Perhaps
woke
is a little misleading. It implies a certain amount of care and consideration. The old sea wolf erupted into the hut, bellowing at the top of his voice and jerking blankets from cowering, whining forms. He carried a long baton made from a trimmed hickory branch and he beat noisily on the frames of the hut to punctuate his cries.
    “Up! Up! Up!” he roared. “There’s perfectly good daylight going to waste and we only get one chance at it before it’s gone! On your feet and get dressed. Up! Up! Up!”
    “What daylight?” Stig grumbled, bleary-eyed. “I don’t see any daylight.”
    “There’s plenty of it in the Eastern Steppes,” Thorn told him. Of course, far to the east, the