Race Around the Walls

By Martin Hall

Mostril and his friends thought that the arrival of the half wrecked trading ship in the harbour of their home town of Terpomai would be a brief excitement. Surely, it wouldn't be more important than the annual race around the walls?

Stolen necklaces, wrongful arrest and a crafty grandmother proved them wrong.

An exciting, fantasy read for anyone over seven.

This book is the prequel to the 'Elemental Dragons' series, which includes the 'The Dragon's Tooth', first published in paperback by Praxis.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Martin Hall
• Release date: May 4, 2012
• ISBN: 9781476076461

Martin Hall

Professor Martin Hall is Chair of Jisc, and Vice Chancellor of the University of Salford, UK. A British-South African academic and educationalist he has written extensively on South African history, culture and higher education policy. Professor Hall was a member of the Working Group on the Finch Committee which examined Open Access policy in the UK.

Book preview

Race Around the Walls

Martin Hall

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2012 Martin Hall

Chapter 1

Old Mogreb had spotted us stealing fruit from his stall. We dashed down the plaza and split up. Spider turned left into Compass Street and right into the Traceries. I turned right and sharp right into the tangle of back allies we called the Maze. Pelter mell, taking rights and lefts without thinking, I quickly lost the pursuit. Terpomai is not a large city, but very easy to hide in. Five minutes later, I came to our den, the attic of an empty house that leaned against the city wall like a drunken Kalesian sailor.

A swift climb and I was through a small hole in the roof to find Spider already there burying his face in a huge peach. I collapsed opposite him and sighed in an exaggerated way

Lunch is getting harder to find. We shall have to think up something new.

Spider looked up, swallowed, then, wiping the juice from his chin said,

What kept you? I've been here ages.

Well we couldn't both go by the shortest route.

You're turning into an old man. You'll never get round the walls next month. I shall be finished before you reach David's tower

Spider was referring to the race around the city walls once a year on Hector's day. While the young men raced round the city outside to become prince for a day we younger ones ran on the walls along the guard ways. Although there were no prizes, there was great honour for the winner and a lot of money could be made with a correct bet on the result.

There are more things to life than winning races, I said. They were really my Granny’s words. I wasn't sure if it was true, but you can't get to be as old as the moon and not know a few things.

A scrape of a foot on stone made us both freeze.They said that Mogreb's mother was a witch but I did not think that even she could find us here. Spider and I let out our breaths in relief when Spartree's face appeared. He wiggled through, saw the fruit and our guilty expressions and guessed at once.

Apples! Ah, did you think I was old Ma Mogreb's familiar spirit? Creeping up to grab you and take you back to her? He made a face and gave an evil sounding laugh.

Well it's true! She has taken over my soul and turned me into her slave. I have been sent for you and she must be obeyed. Spartree's voice suddenly changed back to normal. But it only takes an apple to break the spell he laughed and pounced on one of them. We laughed with him, trying to sound as if we had seen through his transformation all the time.

Spartree was small and agile in every respect. His face under his blonde curls could look angelic or devilish by turns. The blonde hair was unusual enough in Terpomai. His father was born in the cold lands of the North. My granny was not fooled by Spartree but still said that I should be more like him. Always got your head in the clouds, young Mostril, for all your father thinks you'll be one of the city's great philosophers. I didn't want to be a philosopher. I wanted to be the captain of some vessel going to exotic places, bringing back spices from Kalesia, jewels from the Scattered Isles and Lukandran wine.

What's news? asked Spartree through a mouthful of apple.

The emperor asked my Granny to marry him again, I replied, meaning that nothing had happened since we had last been together.

How did she refuse this time? asked Spider, flicking away his straight black hair and smiling.

She said she wanted a younger man and I imitated her voice, when you're as old as the moon like I am, Mostril, you need a young man to keep the spring in your steps. Now that Spartree, he'll do.

We all laughed and I dodged as Spartree lobbed his apple core at me.

They've opened the walls today, said Spider.

He was referring to the guards letting us practise the run on the walls before the big event. Normally people were only allowed on the parapets, for very special occasions. This also gave the guards a good look at who was the best prospect for a bet.

Yes I must remember to put some money on Tasska. I said dodging the mock punch from Spider.

Are you going to practise, Spider? asked Spartree

Yes, although I probably won't need to.

Mischance hides beneath a proud man's glance, I quoted a proverb my mother used a lot. Spider shrugged.

We climbed out through the roof and jumped down from stone to stone to the ground. Slipping through another maze of back lanes, we emerged into the bright sunlight that filled the plaza, bouncing from the paving polished by generations of sandals. Three abreast we walked down the middle of the road that splits Terpomai in two from harbour to wall. It was if we owned the world. Summer was here, our schooling had just finished for good and for the moment we were free.

As we walked to the door in the base of Hector's tower where we could climb to the top of the walls, I imagined myself as a bird sailing high above the city. Perhaps I would see a trireme of the emperor's fleet entering the harbour, the three banks of oars glinting wetly in the sun. If I flew higher I would be able to see the whole of the city and the mountain it sits against. And if I looked carefully I would be able to see myself standing by the parapets on the wide wall that surrounds Terpomai, our age-old defence that could only fall to treachery.

The rear wall of the city is higher than the rest because it is built part of the way up the mountain's base. From here you can see across the whole of Terpomai, and the sea which borders two of its sides. It was this view that I enjoyed on the days that the walls were opened. From the walls, Terpomai is all rooftops, crooked ones, straight ones, grey stone, red stone and the roof of our den hidden among them. It was this view that inspired Spartree's dream of crossing the city by rooftop. He was considering it again as we stood there, waiting to watch Spider run.

See, over there, Mostril, he said. At that side of the plaza by the bell tower. Those two roofs almost touch, and you could then move on to the customs house and from there on to the cathedral.

I