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Pirates of
Quentaris - Sherryl Clark
I’ve been on several sailing ships, including the Endeavour replica, and spent a lot of time trying to understand how the sails and ropes work. It was a challenge to put that in the book without being boring. I also liked the idea of a huge feral cat, and the way many people these days are getting tattoos that are like their own totems. So Captain Blackwine has his cat tattooed on his chest (which led to the great cover image).
Kiall and Eena’s father has been thrown in prison for failure to repay merchants for goods lost in a series of disastrous shipwrecks. Desperate to save him, their only option is to go fortune-hunting in the rift caves – but they can’t afford a guide. Kiall decides to sneak onto a pirate ship and travel through the caves. If he can just steal gold from the pirates and bring it back, all will be saved …
Kiall groaned in his sleep and flung one arm above his head. The nightmare held him in its grip — he was trapped in a dark hole with chains around his wrists and ankles, then somewhere a door banged and a hand grabbed his arm. ‘Kiall! Wake up!’ The hand shook him hard and slowly the chains dissolved. He opened his eyes and, seeing only a dim shape, panicked for a moment. ‘Kiall!’ It was his twin sister, Maya, proving he was no longer in the hole. ‘What? Whatsa matter?’ Kiall struggled to sit up, and heard shouting and banging coming from below. ‘It’s Papa. The City Watch is arresting him. You must come.’ Maya didn’t move back fast enough and Kiall stood on her foot as he leapt out of bed. She only grunted and pushed him ahead of her as she raced back downstairs. In the hallway, two guards held Kiall’s father tightly while their sergeant fastened metal bands around his wrists. Paolo had not gone easily — a vase lay in shards on the tiled floor and a painting hung askew. Kiall’s mother, Ysabel, stood in her nightgown, holding a candle that guttered in the draught from the open front door. ‘Why are you arresting him?’ she cried. ‘He’s not a criminal.’ ‘Shouldn’t have put up a fight then, should he?’ the sergeant snapped. ‘What do you expect?’ Paolo said, wincing at the tight bands. ‘Barging into our house before dawn. I thought you were robbers.’ The sergeant snorted and pushed Paolo towards the door. |
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