Angel Arias Read Online Free

replaced Ruzalia’s frown that scared them. Lips pursed in fury, she lunged forward and smacked Rajka across the face with an open hand.
    The force made him stagger back. Before he could recover, she slapped him again, so hard this time that he fell to the floor. Then she pulled him up by his shirtfront until her lips were almost upon his.
    ‘Where did you get the beads?’
    Rajka stayed silent, his breath a little ragged.
    ‘I will give you one more chance to answer me. If you don’t, I’ll lock you in the low caves. You been down there, Rajka? The rats like it well. It’s damp and cold and very dark. The tide comes in and fills it so full that there’s no air left to breathe. Even if the undertow doesn’t pull you out, you’ll drown. Now : where – did – you – get – the – beads?’ She shook him hard as she spoke, so that his head jerked back and forth.
    Naif stole a glance around the hall. No one moved.
    ‘Don’t know watcha –’
    Ruzalia balled her fist and wound her arm back ready to hit him. Rajka was tall but Ruzalia was bigger, as tall as a Riper but strong and broad with it.
    ‘We got them from Jud,’ cried the girl in Rajka’s group. ‘Don’t hit him again. Please!’
    Ruzalia froze.
    As the entire hall held their breath, Ruzalia’s crew of pirates burst through the door: Jud, La and El Lobos and Plank. The Lobos twins led the way. They were small, agile-looking men with bald heads and blue skin from their myriad tattoos. Plank came last and by contrast seemed enormous and lumbering. His round face was made rounder by a huge wide mouth and gold front teeth. Between them was Jud. His dirty bandana had slipped down over one eye and he scratched at his long, straggling hair.
    All of them stopped inside the doorway, surveying the scene.
    Ruzalia let her grip on Rajka slacken and he stumbled as his feet took his own weight.
    The pirate didn’t seem to notice. She was looking at her men. ‘La. El. Take Jud to my rooms. Wait with him.’
    The meaning in her voice was clear.
    Jud glanced at the others and plunged back into the hall. They flew after him but Long-Li was the quickest, a blur in the corner of Naif’s sight as he leapt into Jud’s path.
    Jud threw out a hand to ward the old man off, but Long-Li dropped to his knees and in one fluid motion whipped a baton from inside his loose shirt. With a quick, emphatic movement he struck at Jud’s knees. There was a sickening crack and Jud collapsed screaming.
    Everyone began to talk at once, and Rajka hastened backwards to his friends.
    ‘Silence!’ roared Ruzalia. She vaulted onto a table, kicking plates aside. All eyes in the hall shifted from where Jud lay moaning, to Ruzalia’s imposing presence. ‘Eat and go about your chores and stop your filthy whispering!’
    The hall went quiet again; some nodding, some just looking down at their feet. Rajka held his tongue but smouldering anger had replaced the fear in his eyes. The girl who’d spoken up about Jud was clutching his arm as if holding him back.
    Ruzalia gave him a long and meaningful stare before climbing down from the table and leaving the others to drag Jud after her.
    After she and her crew had gone, voices rose in a quick spike of noise and everyone clustered in groups until a clanging brought all their attention to the back of the hall.
    Mesree stood next to the serving tables with a metal soup ladle in one hand and a heavy skillet in the other. A platter piled with hot cakes rested in front of her.
    Suddenly the clusters broke apart and merged into jostling lines. Only Rajka and his friends stayed at their tables, glowering at Markes, Charlonge and Naif.
    ‘Pissers!’ hissed Rajka.
    Naif felt Suki’s absence again, fiercely. Her friend would have known how to cut the boy’s sullen anger dead. So would Kero, or Joel or Dark Eve.
    To her surprise, Charlonge stepped in front of Markes. ‘You know Ruzalia bans bead and pods.’
    ‘Who is she to ban anything? This place is