Kent Knights and Bikes

1. Auflage 2024
ISBN: 978-1-915820-23-5
Verlag: Knights Of
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: 6 - ePub Watermark

E-Book, Englisch, Band 1, 256 Seiten

Reihe: Knights and Bikes

Welcome to the sleepy island of Penfurzy, where nothing exciting ever really happens. OR DOES IT? Adventure awaits Demelza and her new best friend in the whole world, Nessa, as they explore the island and uncover the mysteries of the Penfurzy Knights. With a honking pet goose sidekick, quirky islanders and a legendary treasure to find, it's up to Nessa and Demelza to ride their bikes, solve the puzzles before them, and face down danger with frisbees, water-balloons, feathers .... and a toilet plunger. THEIR FRIENDSHIP WILL WARM YOUR HEART. THEIR BRAVERY WILL MAKE THEM LEGENDS.

Gabrielle Kent is the author of the Alfie Bloom series (Scholastic) and runs the Animex festival of Animation and Computer Games. Gabrielle has been named as one of the Top 100 most influential women in the gaming industry. Rex Crowle is a BAFTA award winning animation director and video game designer.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Kent, Gabrielle

Leseproben

Chapter One

WELCOME TO PENFURZY

The wind howled around the cabin like a rabid beast as the rain crashed against the windows. The occupants huddled together in terror as a shadowy figure loomed at the window, moonlight glinting off the blade in its gnarled hand…

‘HONNNK!’

Demelza’s torch and the comic she was reading were torn from her hands as her pet goose flapped his wings furiously, causing their blanket tent to collapse around them on the bed.

‘What is it, Captain Honkers?’ whispered Demelza, grabbing the goose and hugging him so close that his feathery cheek was squished up against her pale freckled face. ‘Are we in danger?’

She popped her head up from the crumpled pile of blankets and peered around the little caravan where they lived. Outside, the wind howled around the caravan like a rabid beast as the rain crashed against the windows. Demelza and Captain Honkers huddled together in terror as a shadowy figure loomed at the window…

Demelza let out a little squeak and dived back under the blankets as the shadow slithered towards the door. ‘Shh, Honkers!’ she hissed, shining her torch at the goose and clamping his beak shut between her thumb and forefinger before he could honk again. She peeked out from under the blanket. Whatever was out there had reached the door.

The handle rattled.

Demelza breathed a small sigh as she remembered locking the door before going to bed. Her relief was short-lived as a metallic scratching sound came from the lock.

‘It’s trying to break in!’ she squeaked at Captain Honkers.

The goose flapped his wings angrily, bursting to honk.

The lock clicked again.

Demelza took a deep breath. ‘If we’re going to be eaten by a carnivorous beast with three mouths and… and tentacles for arms, then we’re going to go down fighting. Aren’t we, Honkers?’

She snatched up a blanket, grabbed her foam sword from under her wooden bed and hid behind the door. Holding up two corners of the blanket, Demelza peered over the top and watched as the door finally creaked open.

The monster slipped inside.

‘Yaaaaargh!’ screamed Demelza, throwing the blanket up and over the beast.

‘Honnnk!’ squawked Captain Honkers, pecking furiously at the thrashing creature under the blanket.

Demelza began to whack at what she thought was its head. ‘Die, creature of the night!’ she yelled as the foam sword flailed. ‘Begone! Back to the pit from whence you came!’

‘Mkay! Kay! Ry smurunder,’ burbled the creature.

Demelza stopped whacking. ‘Did you hear that, Honkers?’ she said, wide-eyed. ‘It’s trying to communicate.’ She pointed her torch at the struggling blanket and prodded it with her sword. ‘What did you say, foul beast?’

The creature wriggled away from her and struggled to its feet before flinging off the blanket and putting its hands up in the air. A large duffel bag containing something big and rectangular fell to the floor.

‘I said, OK, I surrender!’ said the demon, which Demelza had to admit was starting to look much less like hell-spawn, and more like a girl not much older than her.

She had brown skin and punky black hair. Her leather gloves were fingerless and she was wearing slouchy leather ankle boots and not one but TWO earrings in one ear. She was the coolest-looking burglar Demelza had ever seen. She was also the first burglar Demelza had ever seen.

The girl bent down to pick up her duffel bag and Demelza pointed her battered sword warily at her.

‘You’re not from here,’ she said, narrowing her eyes. ‘I know everyone on Penfurzy Island, and you’re not anyone I know.’

‘Just passing through,’ said the girl, brushing the tip of the sword away, then rolling up her sleeve to rub at the little red peck marks Captain Honkers had left on her arm. ‘I thought this place was empty. I’m not sticking around – I was just after somewhere to sleep tonight. Sorry I scared you. I’ll be off now, OK?’

‘Scared?’ said Demelza, her frizzy red bunches bouncing as she leapt to block the girl’s path to the door. ‘We weren’t scared, was we, Honkers?’ She grabbed the goose and held him under one arm.

‘Honk!’ said Captain Honkers.

‘Sure. OK, kid, you weren’t scared. Now, if you’ll move, I’ll go and find somewhere else for the night.’

Demelza stood firm. ‘Who you calling kid? What are you? Ten or eleven? You’s just a kid too. So, shut up, stupid-head!’

‘Say it, don’t spray it,’ said the girl, wiping her face with the back of her hand in an exaggerated motion.

‘So, are you going to get out of my way? Or are you going to try to stab me to death with your toy sword?’

Demelza scratched her chin, accidentally picking the top off a scab she had forgotten was there. ‘I haven’t decided yet,’ she said. ‘If I do let you out, where’ll you go?’

The girl shrugged as she slung her bag over her shoulder. ‘What’s it to you, short stuff?’

The wind whistled around the caravan, blowing open the door and driving the icy rain forcefully against the windows. Demelza could see goose pimples all over the girl’s arms. Her hair and jeans were also dripping wet and she was only wearing a T-shirt under her light denim jacket.

Demelza chewed her lip. Even though this very strange stranger had invaded their fortress, suggested that she was scared, AND called her short, she wouldn’t send even her worst enemy out near the cliffs on a stormy night like this. It was a night just like this when her own mother had—

Demelza shivered and made a decision. She slammed the flapping door shut, locked it and pretended to swallow the key. ‘You’re not going nowhere. Not tonight,’ she said firmly, then picked up her blanket and held it out to the girl. ‘Honkers sez you can stay here with me an’ him. He can sleep in my bed with me, and you can use the top bunk.’

The girl pushed her wet hair out of her eyes and shrugged as though she’d be just as happy going back out in the rain, but Demelza could see a look of relief under the façade.

‘Yeah, I guess I could chill here for a few hours,’ the girl said. ‘Long as you keep that Honkers on your side of the room in case he tries to murder me in the middle of the night.’

‘That’s Captain Honkers to you,’ said Demelza, putting the goose down on her bed and wrapping him up in a blanket. ‘He only lets me call him Honkers.’

She finished tucking the goose in, kissed him on the top of his head and turned to give the girl a sharp stare.

‘Besides, as far as we know, you could be the type that does murdering – sneaking around at night, breaking into people’s bedrooms. The only way to know that you won’t do a murder on us in our sleep is if we’re friends.’ She wiped her hand on her faded pyjama bottoms and held it out. ‘You’ve got to know someone’s name if you’re going to be friends. I’m Demelza. Demelza Penrose. I’m nine and five months. I like comics, drawing, riding my bike and playing computer games. My favourite food is banana and peanut butter sandwiches, and I have a scar on my right knee from when Connan Lenteglos, the most annoying boy at school, dared me to do a one hundred and eighty bunny hop on my bike. I totally did it, though!’ she said proudly.

‘Right. Now it’s your turn.’

The girl paused for a minute, looking at Demelza’s outstretched hand. Demelza wiggled her fingers and gave her biggest and friendliest grin, the one that showed all her teeth.

The girl finally took Demelza’s hand with half a smile. ‘I’m Nessa,’ she said.

‘Just… Nessa?’ said Demelza. ‘One name, that’s it?’

‘Yeah. You know, like Prince.’

Demelza screwed up her forehead. ‘Prince who?’

‘It doesn’t matter,’ grinned Nessa, making Demelza feel she was missing out on a joke.

‘Well then. Pleased to meet you, O mysterious Nessa,’ said Demelza, shaking her hand firmly. ‘The captain and I officially welcome you to Penfurzy, the bestest island in the whole wide world!’

‘Honk!’ said Captain Honkers.

‘You’re right,...