Along Came a Wolf (The Yellow Hoods, #1): Steampunk meets Fairy Tale
Page 12
“What’s a yellow hood?” asked Simon, irritated. He didn’t like it when topics came up that he didn’t know everything about.
The guest looked at St. Malo, and then at the ground. He wasn’t sure how to say they were just three kids. He was certain that St. Malo would be furious and perhaps have him killed.
“The Yellow Hoods are a group—disciples of Klaus. They protect that area now,” he said after having thought about it. Simon could detect there was more to the story, but for the moment, he was satisfied.
“Moving on—” said Simon, “I see no tube or crumpled plans under your… excuse for a shirt. Am I missing something?”
“No.”
“Well, then,” continued Simon, “I take it that you were too stupid to run and hide? Are you like a dumb but loyal dog who has returned to his master, only to be shot?”
Simon then leaned forward, pretending to examine the man’s neck. “I wonder how many hacks it’ll take for that head of yours to come off? The axe is dull, I’m afraid—the result of budget cuts. We just can’t seem to find the money to sharpen it. It takes longer, being dull—but it still works.”
The man leaned forward, causing Simon to recoil slightly. “I came because I want to matter,” he said forcefully.
“What could you possibly have that would make me think you matter?” asked Simon. Everything hinged on what the nameless man would do next.
“I brought you something,” said his guest finally, looking back at the ground.
Simon didn’t believe him. “Really? What could you have brought that could possibly change my mind?” He hated having his time wasted. It was bad enough when people he needed did so, but this disgusting peasant? “Dog, what do you have?” he asked angrily.
The wounding words bounced off the man. He knew St. Malo’s reputation, and that he had reached the end of his patience. He pulled out a short metallic rod with a small handle at one end and offered it to his host.
“What’s that?” said Simon, gesturing to it with disgust. He refused to take it.
The man started to crank the handle. “I don’t know, but it was powerful enough when thrown at me by a Yellow Hood to shock me right off my horse. I couldn’t get up for ten minutes. My body still hurts when I think about it. The handle cranks, but I’m not sure what else to do to make it work. I think it came from Klaus.”
Simon gracefully snatched the rod out of the man’s hands, and stood up to examine it. “Well of course it’s something interesting. But, hmm …” Simon turned the rod over in his hands, examining the handle and other features. “Nikolas has had something to do with it—of that I’m sure—but this isn’t his alone.
“This is an excellent prize. With it, you have shown me not only what he is up to, but potentially with whom he is working. My dog, it seems you have brought home a very good stick. It wasn’t what I asked for, but it was what I wanted.”
“So …?” said the man, wanting to know his fate. His exhaustion was showing.
Simon put the short rod down on the side table and looked at the man with an offended expression. “Do you really think I’d get rid of a tenacious, loyal dog that has an eye for good sticks?” He revealed a sliver of genuine appreciation for his guest.
Simon looked at the rod again. “I’ll give you a third of what I was going to pay Andre LeLoup—plenty more than you’re used to. You might even be able to afford one of these chairs— used, of course.” Simon lifted his head, as if talking to the ceiling. “Cleeves—pay the man,” he commanded.
“Yes sir. One third of the amount noted for Andre LeLoup,” said a bored voice from somewhere in the room.
“Thank you,” the man said quietly.
“Now, then—burn those dreadful clothes once you are out of here. Disgusting, really. Not befitting any man,” said Simon, frowning.
He looked again at his new toy, sitting on the side table. This was an unexpected turn of events. He turned back to his guest with a piercing look. “I have need of a man like you. Provided I get your undying loyalty and devotion, I can give you what you want. What do you want?”
“I want to matter,” the man replied.
Simon waved away the answer as nonsense. “Oh, you’ll matter. But what is it that you want?”
“I want those Yellow Hoods on my wall,” said the man, releasing a tiny fraction of his anger.
“A motivated man. Excellent. What’s your name, dog?” asked Simon.
“Call me… The Hound.”
Enjoy this excerpt from
Book 2 - Breadcrumb Trail.
Crumbled Plans
The Hound stood back up and rubbed his head as a dark April rainstorm beat down. He’d landed hard on the slick stone rampart, yet had managed not to slip off or black out. Rain poured off his brown and beige leather long-coat.
For a moment, he looked concerned. He glanced at the control boxes on his forearms and the connections to his oversized, metallic, gear-covered gloves. He hoped rain wasn’t getting in. Satisfied, he turned up the dial on each forearm’s control box. Electricity started to jump and crackle between his fingers. He then turned his attention back to the Yellow Hood at his feet.
The yellow-hooded Tee dangled below the half-built rampart, desperately clutching her slingshot. When she’d slipped, its leather strap had caught between two of the moss-covered stones. She could feel her hands slipping as the rain wormed its way between her fingers to moisten the slingshot’s wooden handle. She looked down and swallowed hard.
The plan sounded bad from the start, but they had trusted the leader of the Tub. It was bad enough to be asked to go deep into the Red Forest, to an open area with an unfinished, crumbling castle tower and half-built rampart wall—never mind the leader’s unwillingness to tell them why they were going there in the first place. Once the opposing secret society’s coach had arrived and the representative for the Fare had stepped out, the plan fell apart.
Tee shot a glance around to look for her fellow Yellow Hoods. Elly, with her gray metal shock-sticks in hand, was dodging and blocking a red-hooded swordsman’s thin blade. Richy couldn’t be seen.
“Lights out, kid,” said the Hound. His gloves crackled and electricity danced from finger to finger.
Tee took a deep breath. She could only think of one option, and it was risky. She freed one hand to delve into her yellow cloak’s hidden pockets. Pulling out a shock-stick, she pressed its activation button while staring into the Hound’s eyes. He hesitated.
“You’ve enjoyed this before, haven’t you? Care to do so again?” Tee said menacingly. She wasn’t sure if she was willing to risk the fall to the cobblestone below.
Suddenly, Tee’s pinky finger slipped off the end of her slingshot. She could feel the other fingers slipping, too. Then, a glint of steel from an arrow aimed at her from less than twenty feet away caught her eye.
The red-hooded archer smiled and said, “Goodbye, little yellow birdy!”
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
In 2014, Adam burst onto the indie author scene, putting an end to over 25 years of writing short stories that few ever saw. The Yellow Hoods series quickly became a best seller. In 2015, he became a full-time author and put aside his 20-year-long career as a software architect.
Adam enjoys engaging with readers and students, whether at events or online. You can follow him on Twitter @adamdreece, or on his blog at AdamDreece.com. You can also check out his Amazon author page. Also, feel free to send him an email!
He lives in Calg
ary, Alberta, Canada with his awesome wife, amazing kids, and a lot of sticky-notes.
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Table of Contents
Contents
Copyright
Dedication
Eorthe
Chapter One - Coming Through
Chapter Two - Of Wolves & Pigs
Chapter Three - Huff and Puff
Chapter Four - Packed Together
Chapter Five - Went to Market
Chapter Six - Tricky Prey
Chapter Seven - What Big Ears
Chapter Eight - What Sharp Teeth
Chapter Nine - What Keen Eyes
Chapter Ten - Licking Wounds
Chapter Eleven - In Sheep's Clothing
Chapter Twelve - Howling for Revenge
Chapter Thirteen - Why, Come In, My Dear
Chapter Fourteen - Of Hood and Wolf
Chapter Fifteen - To the Ends of the Earth
Chapter Sixteen - Tale of The Yellow Hoods
Chapter Seventeen - Rise of the Hound
Crumbled Plans
Thank you
About the Author
Other Books in the Series
The Wizard Killer
The Man of Cloud 9