The Queen and the Nobody Boy by Barbara Else Page B

to her. “One day you will find your abilities. Wait and see.”
    Her eyes filled with tears. She gave a little shrug and shook her head, but stayed quiet, sipping her chocolate.
    Hodie covered how uncomfortable he felt by holding out another crumb for the squirrel. The squirrel accepted it but stared at him, tail flouncing and eyes narrowed.
    ~
    At a nearby table sat three rough-looking men. One had a bandage round his wrist. Another had a plaster over his ear. The third kept crinkling his eyes shut, as if he had a pain where Hodie couldn’t see. The wind had died back and Hodie realised he could hear what the men were saying in their thick accents. He stayed down and pretended to retie the string round his worn-out boot.
    â€œOgg’ward says we have to hide out till we can return to our hide-out.”
    â€œWhere is our hide-out from here?”
    â€œOgg’ward will not say. It is secret hide-out.”
    â€œBut we are all going to hide in it, yes? When we find it?”
    â€œOh yes. Ogg’ward very clever.”
    They glanced towards the counter. A broad-shouldered man in a tweed coat and thick black beanie was buying himself another coffee – it must be Ogg’ward. He had an enormous black moustache.
    The men huddled closer. “We agree Ogg’ward would kidnap Princessa. But what did he do? No Princessa, but one of her slippers! Much easier to hide than such tall lady. Slipper is decorated with expensive jewels. We will be rich.”
    Hodie’s heart raced. These were the rebels! These men wanted to get rid of Emperor Prowdd’on! He sat up for a better look at Ogg’ward. There was definitely something heroic about the man. Maybe Hodie could join the rebels. They might help him out of the Stones, and show him a safe way of getting south.
    â€œBut where is Princessa?” said one of the rebels.
    â€œAh, Ogg’ward has not told us where she is, to keep it secret,” said another.
    â€œOur leader has such clever brain,” agreed the third.
    Ogg’ward glanced over at the men. They pretended not to know him, but weren’t actually terribly good actors. Ogg’ward trudged off to a corner table by himself. He sipped his coffee, spluttered, and put a hand to the moustache as if he was scared he’d cough it off. It was by far the biggest moustache Hodie had seen yet, like half a guinea pig glued under the man’s nose.
    After another sip of coffee, Ogg’ward stood, picked up a red hold-all from the chair beside him and slung it over his shoulder. He tugged the beanie down to his eyebrows and tried to tiptoe to the door. He wore huge boots, not at all good for tiptoes, but Hodie saw that the other rebels didn’t notice him clomp out. They were too busy laughing, and one of them was doodling on a paper napkin.
    â€œSoon we can retire from being rebels, by ransom of slipper!”
    â€œYes, covered in emeralds and fluff from chin of mountain dove. Worth many thousand of dolleros. We can buy weapon for overpowering very bad Emper … ( cough-cough ) … you-know-who. Or, yes, we could give up being rebels – run to Fontania and live as lazy as their royal family.” The rebel seemed to think it a great joke.
    Murgott put an arm round Sibilla’s shoulders. It looked as if she was crying silent tears into her hot chocolate – by now it would be cold and salty chocolate.
    The duffel bag on the back of Murgott’s chair showed the bulge of the probably matching slipper he had picked up back at the Depot. Perhaps he too planned to sell it to retire on thousands of dolleros.
    Someone opened the door. A thread of wind stole in and under the rebel’s table napkin, and it fluttered to the floor. The three men hunched over and muttered again. They hadn’t noticed the fallen napkin, but the squirrel had – it scuttled over and punctured it in its sharp claws.
    â€œBoy, let’s have a squizz at that