Storm Singing and other Tangled Tasks Read Free Page B

was scooping the living weapons into its four-fingered hands.
    Yann cantered behind Helen to block the way to the cliff. Helen crawled away from the twitching pile of poison, and leant against the rock. She could hear Roxburgh still singing below, his voice more powerful and more beautiful than ever, despite the disturbance above.
    The creature gathered as many weapons as it could hold, and took a step towards the centaur. Yann spreadhis arms to block the way. It threw an orange jellyfish, but Yann punched the blob towards the rock, where it stuck for a moment then slithered down into a crack.
    Helen saw Yann raise his fist to his mouth to suck the pain from his knuckles and she yelled, over Roxburgh’s rousing chorus, “Don’t put it in your mouth, it might be poison!” Yann grimaced and shook his hand open instead.
    Helen stood up, considering how to distract the creature from behind, though Yann was doing fine on his own. The creature couldn’t see past him to aim at the crowd.
    The creature stepped closer to Yann, trying to throw over his horse’s back. Yann swivelled and kicked out with his front right hoof, which squelched sickeningly deep into the creature’s chest. It squealed in pain, and dropped its weapons under Yann’s hooves. The centaur made a face as he landed hard on the jelly and spines, mashing them into the earth.
    The creature wailed, “No!”
    It swung out its arm, not in a fist, but like a whip, and its tentacles flicked at Yann’s eyes. The centaur reared up, so the tentacles slashed across his shoulder instead.
    But Yann had stepped too close to the edge, and his unbalanced weight was now all on his two back hooves, one of which was sliding off in a clatter of stones. Helen realised he had only one hoof on solid ground and his weight was pivoting on the cliff edge.
    She leapt forward, reached up and grabbed Yann’s hand. It felt like she was holding the weight of a racehorse and rider, but she held on tight and leant away from the cliff for the split second it took Yannto regain his balance and bring his front hooves down.
    There was a moment of silence, then the crowd below began to cheer and clap.
    Yann kept Helen’s hand in his fist and grinned at her. “So you can lift a horse’s weight. Thank you, human child!”
    She let go and turned round. “Where is it?”
    “It gave up. It ran out of weapons, or ran out of courage.”
    Helen saw a pink splodge lurching towards the cliff path, and thought she heard hissing laughter over the applause.
    Yann stared at the strings of jelly and broken spines under his hooves. “I didn’t mean to kill them, but I couldn’t avoid them.”
    The cheering from below faded into quiet, and Helen realised Roxburgh had finished his song.
    Yann blew on his stung hand. “I don’t think they were cheering for us.”
    Helen and Yann peered over the cliff together.
    A few selkies were brushing dust and gravel from their hair or fur. The rest were pointing fingers or fins up at Helen and Yann. All except Roxburgh, whose fists were held high in triumph, and Rona, whose head was in her hands.

Chapter 4
    “Our apologies for disturbing you,” Yann called down.
    “How dare you interrupt our contest, you impudent half-boy!” the scarred selkie bellowed back. “You and Miss Grey’s other dry-shod friend will come down here now , and explain yourselves!”
    Helen saw a ripple of heads turn towards Rona, who was now staring straight ahead, trying to ignore her friends and the disapproving crowd.
    Helen stepped away from the edge, round the pile of spines, tentacles and gloop.
    “We should deal with our injuries first.” She pointed with her throbbing hand at the red welts on Yann’s shoulder.
    She swung down the green rucksack containing first aid equipment she’d “borrowed” from her mum’s surgery, and pulled out a blue book. She always carried an old vet student book about exotic animals, which was sometimes useful for treating wounded dragons or