Beyond the Deepwoods (30 page)
The captain stared back, his mask-like face betraying no emotion. ‘We didn't need an extra crew member,’ he said simply. ‘Besides, I didn't think that a pirate's life was for you.’ He paused. There was clearly something weighing on his mind.
Twig stood there waiting for the captain to speak again. He felt shy, awkward. He chewed the inside of his mouth. The captain's eyes narrowed as he leaned forwards. Twig shuddered. The man's breath was warm and noisy at his ear, the side whiskers tickled his neck.
‘I saw the shawl,’ he confessed, so that only Twig could hear. ‘Your scarf. The one that Maris – your mother – made. And I knew you were … After all those years.’ He fell silent. His lower lip was trembling. ‘It was more than I could bear. I had to get away. I … I left you behind. For a second time.’
Twig squirmed. His face was hot and red.
The captain placed his hands on Twig's shoulders and stared into his eyes. ‘It will not happen a third time,’ he said softly. ‘I shall never abandon you again.’ He wrapped his arms around the boy and hugged him tightly. ‘From now on our destinies lie together,’ he whispered urgently, ‘And you and I shall ride the skies together. You and I, Twig. You and I.’
Twig said nothing. He could not. Tears of joy welled in his eyes; his heart was beating ready to burst. He had found his father after all.
Abruptly, the captain pulled away. ‘But you'll be a member of the crew, just like all the rest,’ he added gruffly. ‘So don't you go expecting any special favours.’
‘No, f … captain,’ said Twig quietly. ‘I won't.’
Cloud Wolf nodded approvingly, straightened up and turned on the others, who had been watching, perplexed. ‘Come on then, you idle rabble,’ he roared. ‘Show over. Raise the mainsail, lift the grappling rope, and let's get out of here.’
A chorus of ‘aye-aye, cap'n's filled the air as the sky pirates set to work. The captain strode towards the helm with Twig beside him, and took the wheel.
Together at last, they stood side by side as the sky ship soared into the air and away, beyond the Deepwoods.
The captain turned towards his son. ‘Twig,’ he said thoughtfully, his eyes twinkling. ‘
Twig!
I mean, what kind of a name is that for the child of Quintinius Verginix, captain of the finest sky pirate ship that ever sailed the heavens blue? Eh? Tell me that.’
Twig smiled back. ‘It's
my
name,’ he said.
A DAVID FICKLING BOOK
Published by David Fickling Books
an imprint of Random House Children's Books
a division of Random House, Inc.
New York
Text and illustrations copyright © 1998
by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American
Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or
transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,
including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage
and retrieval system, without the written permission of the
publisher, except where permitted by law.
Originally published in Great Britain by Doubleday, an imprint of
Random House Children's Books.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
is available upon request
eISBN: 978-0-307-52239-9
July 2004
v3.0