Sebastian Darke: Prince of Pirates

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Authors: Philip Caveney

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Table of Contents

S
EBASTIAN
D
ARKE

 

Prince of Pirates

 

www.
kids
at
randomhouse
.co.uk

 

Also by Philip Caveney:

 

Sebastian Darke: Prince of Fools
Sebastian Darke: Prince of Explorers

 

Alec Devlin: The Eye of the Serpent

 
S
EBASTIAN
D
ARKE
Prince of Pirates

 

PHILIP CAVENEY

 

Illustrated by Julek Heller

 

 

This eBook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author's and publisher's rights and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.

 

ISBN 9781407020501

 

Version 1.0

 

www.randomhouse.co.uk

 

SEBASTIAN DARKE: PRINCE OF PIRATES
A RED FOX BOOK

 

ISBN: 9781407020501

 

Version 1.0

 

First published in Great Britain by The Bodley Head
an imprint of Random House Children's Books
A Random House Group Company

 

The Bodley Head edition published 2008
Red Fox edition published 2009

 

1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2

 

Copyright © Philip Caveney, 2008

 

Cover illustration by Jonny Duddle
Inside illustrations by Julek Heller
Illustrations © Random House Children's Books 2008

 

The right of Philip Caveney to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

 

This electronic book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publisher's prior consent in any form other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser

 

Set in Palatino by Falcon Oast Graphic Art Ltd.

 

Red Fox Books are published by Random House Children's Books,
61–63 Uxbridge Road, London W5 5SA

 

www.
kids
at
randomhouse
.co.uk
www.
rbooks
.co.uk

 

Addresses for companies within The Random House Group Limited can be found at:
www.randomhouse.co.uk/offices.htm

 

THE RANDOM HOUSE GROUP Limited Reg. No. 954009

 

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

 

For everyone in the Writers' Workshop, past, present and future. Thanks for your good advice and encouragement across the years. In particular for Terie, who provided a timely introduction; for Ed, who drives me around and never complains; and for Eric, who never lived to see his own words in print.

 
PART ONE
C
HAPTER
1

 
THE FOREST OF GELTANE

The ancient wooden caravan had been crossing the wide stretch of plain for several days. Pulled by a single buffalope, it was making decidedly slow progress. Now the caravan creaked to a halt a short distance from the edge of a mighty forest.

 

The owner of the caravan sat perched on the wooden seat, clutching the reins and staring thoughtfully into the trees. He was what many plain-spoken people referred to as a 'breed' – the offspring of a human father and an elvish mother. He was not yet out of his teens and his tall lanky frame was loosely draped in the colourful uniform of a jester, one that had clearly been designed to fit a much bigger man. A garish three-pronged hat was perched on his head.

 

On the sides of his caravan were painted the words,
SEBASTIAN DARKE, PRINCE OF FOOLS
. The word 'Sebastian' looked somehow different to the rest. It had been added in a wobbly, amateurish hand, clearly over-painting another name that had been there before.

 

Alexander, his father, had been a very successful jester. After his untimely death Sebastian had tried to take up where his father left off, but his recent visit to the city of Keladon had taught him one valuable lesson: that whatever skills he possessed, he was not cut out to be a jester. His future lay in a different direction, and this journey, more than anything else, was his attempt to discover what that future might hold for him.

 

'This looks depressingly familiar,' said the buffalope in a slow, gloomy voice. He too was gazing straight ahead into the thick green ranks of the forest, his apprehension fuelled by a journey through those self-same woods in the not-too-distant past. 'I can't believe we're going through there again.'

 

'What's the problem?' asked a voice to their left, and they both turned to look as a little warrior on a tiny pony came riding abreast of them. Though his voice was deep and sonorous, the face that stared out from under his bronze helmet was smooth and baby-like, completely devoid of hair. His large blue eyes showed not a trace of concern. 'Surely, Max, if you've passed through the forest of Geltane once before—'

 

'It was no picnic,' interrupted the buffalope. 'There are
things
in there . . .'

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