Phoenix Rising Read Online Free PDF

showed bright white teeth. “Not yet, Uma, wait till she shows. She’s superstitious.”
    Marcus laughed. “We’re pirates, Rahul, we’re all superstitious.”
    “Enough of this.” Crocker’s hand banged on the deck in the centre of the ring. “Toby’s bet stands. Are we playing or not?”
    Rahul shook the dice into his hand and divvied them out, three to each of the six players.
    “Toby starts, he’s the youngest,” Uma said. Then, as Polly squawked, she looked up sharply, understanding that she hadn’t thought her words through.
    Toby tensed, sensing Crocker’s mirth. “Fine,” he gritted, looking at the dice hidden between his knees. “Four sixes.”
    “Five sixes,” Crocker replied.
    “Six twos.” Marcus rubbed his forehead and Dee grinned at him.
    She leaned back, as she gave her response. “Six threes.”
    “Six sixes.” Rahul rubbed his hands.
    “Seven … threes.” Uma licked her lips. “Back to you, Toby.”
    Toby ground his teeth. Were there likely to be seven threes showing among the group? He calculated swiftly. Eighteen dice and ones were wild. Crocker seemed to like sixes, the others had bet twos and threes. So were there likely to be more than seven threes and ones together showing in eighteen dice? His brain said no, that Uma had made a mistake. But she might have a handful of threes; it was possible. If she did, then among fifteen dice she only had to find four ones and threes. And Dee had also bet threes. Toby pressed his lips together and his feet jiggled wildly. If he didn’t challenge, he had to up the bet. Butthat meant he thought there was more of another number. Did he?
    “Seven … fives.”
    On Toby’s shoulder, Polly stiffened. “Polly want a cracker,” she muttered.
    “Nah.” Crocker rubbed his hands on his greasy trousers. “No chance. Dudo.”
    “You sure, Crocker?” Dee raised an eyebrow. “Eighteen dice out.”
    “I can count. I’m challenging.” Crocker licked his lips. “Dudo.”
    “Fine. Show your dice.”
    Crocker moved his legs to reveal his. Two sixes, one three. No fives. That left fifteen dice and seven fives still to find.
    Marcus held his dice on his thigh. He lifted one hand. A one, a two and a four. That left twelve dice and six fives to find.
    Dee’s dice showed two threes and a six.
    Nine dice, six fives to go. Toby turned his eyes to Rahul, pressing his nails into his hand. Rahul moved his foot to show two ones and a six.
    Toby nodded. Six dice. Four fives remaining.
    Uma grinned and opened her palm: two threes and a one.
    Three dice left; Toby’s own. Three fives left to count. Crocker was already grinning, his chest swelling. He reached out a hand to Toby. “Come on, boy , hand over a die.”
    Toby met Crocker’s eyes then, without looking at his own dice, he opened his knees.
    “A one and two fives, Crocker. That makes seven.”
    Crocker’s lip curled. “You little…”
    “You challenged and lost, Crocker. Throw in a die.” Dee’s voice was low and calm, but they all knew she was the captain’s second for several excellent reasons, not least her ability to out-think and outfight most of the pirates on the ship.
    “Fine.” Crocker threw a die so hard it bounced off Uma’s shoe and landed beneath Rahul’s. “There’s still a long way to go. My start.”
    They shook again and looked to Crocker. He glowered directly at Toby. “Three threes.”
    They went round again, until the betting reached Toby with Uma’s bet of five fives.
    Marcus had bet fives, too. Toby glanced at his hand. Twos and threes. He shook his head. “Dudo.”
    “Show your hand.” Dee turned hers up and Toby’s heart sank. Marcus and Dee both had fives and ones.
    With a sheepish grin Toby tossed a die. Now he andCrocker both had two dice and the others remained with three.
    Round and round they went, until Polly flew off to sit on the gunwale and Marcus threw in his last die with a groan. “It looks as if I’ll be working my free time