Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 85794 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 429(@200wpm)___ 343(@250wpm)___ 286(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85794 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 429(@200wpm)___ 343(@250wpm)___ 286(@300wpm)
“Ah, he’s feeling himself today, your Lordship,” the stable boy said, fighting to hold on to the reins. “Old G’errr is ready to hunt for that pesky Grox!”
“And so he shall. Bring the mounting steps for my friend here,” Thruck instructed.
“At once, my Lord. Here.” The boy handed the reins to Sirex, who was suddenly faced with holding the enormous creature in place.
Gerrr seemed to know that he was no longer in experienced hands because the huge gallumpher tossed his enormous head, nearly lifting Sirex clean off the ground.
“Hold!” he shouted, taking a firmer grip on the reins and dragging the enormous head downward. It took all his strength to control the huge beast and Gerrr didn’t seem inclined to obey easily. There was a cunning intelligence in those beady orange eyes—Sirex sensed that he was going to have a fight on his hands if he wasn’t careful.
The stable boy returned shortly with a massive ladder which hovered over the purple grass. He parked it at Gerrr’s side and then beckoned for Sirex to come over.
“Here, I’ll hold the reins while you mount—he knows me,” he told Sirex. “Mind you hold him in tight and don’t give him his head. Molting makes ‘em want to rut and if you don’t watch him, he’ll go for the wild gallumpher females that live over ‘cross the valley.”
“All right, thank you.” Sirex nodded. He wondered if he ought to ask for a different mount, but he sensed that Thruck had chosen this one for him for a reason. Maybe he was waiting to be impressed or planning to grant Sirex an audience with the Emperor if he did well on his first hunt.
Either way, Sirex wasn’t backing down. He had ridden fire drakes in the past—they could roast a male alive with one breath. Surely a gallumpher couldn’t be any worse.
Could it?
Sirex certainly hoped not. He mounted the ladder and threw one leg over the saddle. Once he was settled, the stable boy climbed up the ladder and handed him the reins.
“Good luck,” he said and gave Sirex a doubtful look. Then he scurried down the ladder and ran off.
Sirex watched him go, wondering what in the Seven Hells he had gotten himself into.
26
PHOEBE
“Here you are, my lady. Only the finest breakfast, just as your lord and master ordered.” The servant boy offered Phoebe a steaming tray with a little bow.
“Thank you.”
Phoebe took it from him, looking down uncertainly at the contents of the tray. The large dish in the center contained a thick, curly purple tentacle about as long as her forearm. Its pale underside was studded with bright yellow and pink suction cups.
Three smaller dishes sat beside the tentacle. One was filled with greenish-brown paste that looked like guacamole that had gone bad and the other two held heaps of powder that appeared to be exotic seasonings. The first powder was bright blue and the other was silver. They reminded Phoebe of the colored sugar you can buy to sprinkle on Christmas cookies.
“What is this?” she asked, nodding at the tentacle.
“Oh, it’s a hoi’po’loi,” the servant boy said. “They live in the Sea of Tears not far from the palace. Some have been known to grow as large as the palace itself, in fact,” he added. “This one must have been a baby though—it’s so small. Which also means it will be tender,” he added, smiling helpfully.
“And these? Are they seasonings?” Phoebe asked, nodding at the three small bowls filled with paste and powder.
“They are! Shall I name them for you?” the servant asked.
“Sure—why not?” Phoebe nodded.
“All right. There’s agtro paste—it’s salty,” he said, pointing at the paste that looked like rotten guacamole. “And there’s foopa powder—that’s sweet.” He pointed at the blue powder. “And here’s some ting-tum seasoning—that one acts as a sweetener and an antidote to the poison,” he finished, pointing at the silver powder.
“Wait a minute—poison? What poison?” Phoebe demanded.
“Er, well the hoi’po’loi has a neurotoxin in it—mainly gathered around the suckers.” He indicated the bright pink and yellow suction cups on the underside of the thick tentacle. “As long as you avoid those, you should be fine. But if your lips and tongue start to feel numb and tingly or you get short of breath, just take a big bite of the ting-tum seasoning and you’ll be just fine.” He grinned broadly.
Phoebe was hungry—but not hungry enough to eat something that had poison in it. “What else did you bring me?” she asked. “I mean, besides the tentacle?”
“Oh, well I did also bring some tunna fruit.” He indicated two small, plump oblong fruits on the side of the tray. They were green with purple spots and had thick brown stems at their tops.
“Are those poisonous too?” Phoebe asked suspiciously.
“Goodness, no! They’re completely harmless,” the servant promised.
“Thank you.” Phoebe nodded. Well, she knew what she was going to be eating—and what she would be avoiding.