Saving Thanehaven Read Online Free

going to unchain them?”
    “Of course! Why not?” Sensing Noble’s lack of enthusiasm, Rufus adds quietly, “I’m not making this up, you know. I believe in a better world for everyone. Including the nameless goons doing all the scut work.”
    Suddenly, a deep, hoarse voice breaks into their conversation. The curly-horned gargoyle at the head of the line has turned to address Noble.
    “If you cast off your knife and swear on the Tombs of the Seven Scryers that you won’t harm anyone or anything within the bounds of this fiefdom, then we will give you wayleave,” the gargoyle solemnly announces.
    With a sigh, Noble jerks his knife from its scabbard. He tosses it onto the ground and places his right hand on his breast. “I swear on the Tombs of the Seven Scryers,” he intones, “that I will not harm anyone or anything within the bounds of this fiefdom.”
    “Ditto,” says Rufus airily. “I mean—same here.”
    “Then you may pass.” When the curly-horned gargoyle dips its head and folds its wings, every other gargoyle follows suit. A ripple of movement travels down the road.
    Rufus and Noble exchange glances.
    “I’ll go first,” Rufus suggests. “Just in case.”
    “All right.”
    “Not that I’m worried. This is going to be a cinch.”
    Together they set off, hurrying between the ranks of silent gargoyles. Noble keeps checking over his shoulder, making sure that no one’s about to launch an assault from the rear. The gargoyles, however, don’t move a muscle. And there’s no one else in sight.
    “I’m glad this road is flat,” says Rufus. “Since I figure we’re in for a long walk.”
    “Yes,” Noble agrees. He doesn’t say anything else for a while, because he’s concentrating on the gargoyles.
    At last, however, Rufus begins to exhibit signs of boredom. First, he whistles a little tune. Then he squints at the road ahead, shading his eyes with both hands. Then he breaks the oppressive silence with a question.
    “So what are you planning to do with your life, now that you actually have one? Will you go back home, or marry the princess, or what?”
    Noble blinks.
    “You’ll have to start thinking about the future,” Rufus goes on. “You’ve always lived in the present, and that’s no good anymore. The future is where you’re heading. It’s like that fortress up there—even though you can’t see beyond the curtain walls, you have to imagine what’s inside.”
    But Noble isn’t ready to tackle the fortress just yet. He’s still struggling with an earlier suggestion.
    “I can’t marry the princess,” he splutters. “How can I, when I haven’t conquered the fortress?”
    “Oh, please.” Rufus gives a snort of derision. “Whatever happened to dinner and a movie?”
    “What?” Noble is utterly at sea. “What are you talking about?”
    “Nothing. It doesn’t matter. All I’m saying is, you should consider your options. Do you want to start a family? Or head up the troops? Or keep on drifting?”Suddenly, Rufus stops in his tracks. “Oh, wow,” he mutters. “That’s gotta be the fortress. Or is it some kind of cliff?”
    Noble can’t be certain. Only as they draw closer does it become clear that the pale band stretching across the horizon is a lofty wall. At first, Noble is confused by the glossy, uneven surface of this wall. Soon, however, he realizes that it’s made of gigantic teeth—thousands of them—packed together more tightly than his own. Some of the teeth are molars the size of barns. Some are long, pointed fangs bundled up like firewood. The raised drawbridge is studded with razor-sharp incisors. Way up in the sky, the crenellated battlements look like a string of gap-toothed lower jaws.
    “Weird,” says Rufus. “Mind you, they say that teeth are the hardest part of the human body.”
    “Yes, but I don’t think those are human teeth,” Noble rejoins drily. His gaze drops from the gleaming wall down to the crimson river that encircles the island on