waiting for him.
Chapter 18
Screaming lights
âAnyone for seconds?â asked Jazmine, as she held out a ladle containing the last of the stew.
âOh yeah!â Tobias said, rushing over to her with his arm outstretched, handing her his bowl.
Jazmine tipped the ladle and as she did so, Ezekiel side-barged Tobias out of the way and positioned his own bowl directly under the falling stew, catching the last of the tasty meal.
âHey, seriously, not cool, dude,â grumbled Tobias.
âSurvival of the fittest,â Ezekiel chuckled with his mouth full, as he returned to the table.
âDonât you mean survival of the fattest?â
âHere, Tobes,â Jazmine said, glaring at Ezekiel as she passed Tobias the stewpot and ladle so that he could scrape the pot clean of any last remains.
âThanks, Jaz.â Tobias smiled and as he walked back to his seat, he clonked Ezekiel on the head with the ladle and gave him a cheeky wink.
Feeling full after their meal, the boys could quite easily have shut their eyes and had a snooze, but twilight was definitely no time for resting and the young Halfses had been given the first watch. Zavier was sitting on the front porch looking out over the snow-covered treetops, wondering where Ice and Francis had got to.
They are both very wise and will keep themselves out of harmâs way
, he thought to himself, as the last of the sunlight faded to darkness.
Zavier went back inside the cabin, bolting the door behind him. The group heard it and, without a word from Zavier, they knew it was time and automatically assumed their lookout positions. The cabin was subtly lit by the glow of the starfish lanterns and the blaze of the fire. Outside, Fire Fairy pods and starfish lanterns had been strategically positioned to help illuminate the perimeter of the cabin. Zavier was positioned upstairs. He sat on a small wooden chair that he had placed in front of a large window. This position allowed him a good view out across three sides of the cabin and towards the snow-covered forest. Chester was perched on the back of the chair. He now considered himself and Zavier to be somewhat of a special team after their time spent travelling together. He admired all of Libertyâs Berthold, but he and Zavier had formed a special bond and after overhearing Preble telling Zavier that his blood would be spilled in this very forest, there was absolutely no way Chester was going to leave his new friendâs side; not tonight, not even for one split second. Ezekiel and Hazel were positioned at the other windows upstairs, while Aaron, Tobias and April, were all on watch downstairs. Lettitia and Jazmine were attempting to sleep for a couple of hours before swapping watch duty with Hazel and April.
The forestâs inhabitants that had made it to the safety of the cabin were scattered around downstairs, quietly anticipating the Nomedsâ first move. Although the Fire Fairy pods and starfish lanterns were gently lighting the perimeter of the cabin, there were still many dark and shadowy areas within the surrounding forest that could easily be concealing any number of Nomeds. The mood within the cabin was one of foreboding. There had been Nomed attacks in these parts before, but they were infrequent and usually the Nomeds would come in pairs to hunt and then promptly return back to the swamp with their kill. Preble had said that there were many more this time, a group of ten to fifteen within the forest, with the sole purpose of finding and destroying the Berthold of Liberty.
The forest was quiet, the only sound being that of the gentle babbling of the brookâs water over its rocky surface. Zavier sat in his chair in darkness, methodically scanning the area outside. Chester, who was still perched on the back of Zavierâs chair, was finding it difficult to keep his eyes open. All of this travel, danger and excitement were way too much for one tiny passerine bird to cope with
Chapter 18
Screaming lights
âAnyone for seconds?â asked Jazmine, as she held out a ladle containing the last of the stew.
âOh yeah!â Tobias said, rushing over to her with his arm outstretched, handing her his bowl.
Jazmine tipped the ladle and as she did so, Ezekiel side-barged Tobias out of the way and positioned his own bowl directly under the falling stew, catching the last of the tasty meal.
âHey, seriously, not cool, dude,â grumbled Tobias.
âSurvival of the fittest,â Ezekiel chuckled with his mouth full, as he returned to the table.
âDonât you mean survival of the fattest?â
âHere, Tobes,â Jazmine said, glaring at Ezekiel as she passed Tobias the stewpot and ladle so that he could scrape the pot clean of any last remains.
âThanks, Jaz.â Tobias smiled and as he walked back to his seat, he clonked Ezekiel on the head with the ladle and gave him a cheeky wink.
Feeling full after their meal, the boys could quite easily have shut their eyes and had a snooze, but twilight was definitely no time for resting and the young Halfses had been given the first watch. Zavier was sitting on the front porch looking out over the snow-covered treetops, wondering where Ice and Francis had got to.
They are both very wise and will keep themselves out of harmâs way
, he thought to himself, as the last of the sunlight faded to darkness.
Zavier went back inside the cabin, bolting the door behind him. The group heard it and, without a word from Zavier, they knew it was time and automatically assumed their lookout positions. The cabin was subtly lit by the glow of the starfish lanterns and the blaze of the fire. Outside, Fire Fairy pods and starfish lanterns had been strategically positioned to help illuminate the perimeter of the cabin. Zavier was positioned upstairs. He sat on a small wooden chair that he had placed in front of a large window. This position allowed him a good view out across three sides of the cabin and towards the snow-covered forest. Chester was perched on the back of the chair. He now considered himself and Zavier to be somewhat of a special team after their time spent travelling together. He admired all of Libertyâs Berthold, but he and Zavier had formed a special bond and after overhearing Preble telling Zavier that his blood would be spilled in this very forest, there was absolutely no way Chester was going to leave his new friendâs side; not tonight, not even for one split second. Ezekiel and Hazel were positioned at the other windows upstairs, while Aaron, Tobias and April, were all on watch downstairs. Lettitia and Jazmine were attempting to sleep for a couple of hours before swapping watch duty with Hazel and April.
The forestâs inhabitants that had made it to the safety of the cabin were scattered around downstairs, quietly anticipating the Nomedsâ first move. Although the Fire Fairy pods and starfish lanterns were gently lighting the perimeter of the cabin, there were still many dark and shadowy areas within the surrounding forest that could easily be concealing any number of Nomeds. The mood within the cabin was one of foreboding. There had been Nomed attacks in these parts before, but they were infrequent and usually the Nomeds would come in pairs to hunt and then promptly return back to the swamp with their kill. Preble had said that there were many more this time, a group of ten to fifteen within the forest, with the sole purpose of finding and destroying the Berthold of Liberty.
The forest was quiet, the only sound being that of the gentle babbling of the brookâs water over its rocky surface. Zavier sat in his chair in darkness, methodically scanning the area outside. Chester, who was still perched on the back of Zavierâs chair, was finding it difficult to keep his eyes open. All of this travel, danger and excitement were way too much for one tiny passerine bird to cope with
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