Dishonour Among Thieves
“How little you know of your own father. He took something I cherished long ago and hid it away. You will help me find it”The legendary Luck Uglies are the most deadly, dangerous band of men Riley O’Chanter has ever met – and her father, Harmless, is their high chief. Having been in exile for ten years the Luck Uglies are back in Village Drowning, but bringing them out of the shadows and back together was never going to be without its perils. There is bad blood between Rye’s father, and a sinister masked man named Slinister Varlet. As Harmless and Slinister vie for control of their men, Rye finds herself caught up in their dangerous game. Throw in a vengeful son, a dark curse, and a collection of thieves and smugglers and the stage is set for another page-turning adventure.
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First published in Great Britain by HarperCollins Childrenâs Books 2015
HarperCollins Childrenâs Books is a division of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd,
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The Luck Uglies: Dishonour Among Thieves
Text copyright © Paul Durham 2015
Map illustration copyright © Sally Taylor 2015
Cover design © HarperCollins Publishers 2015
Cover illustration © Jeff Nentrup
Paul Durham and Sally Taylor assert the moral right to be identified as the author and illustrator of this work.
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.
Source ISBN: 9780007526925
Ebook Edition © 2015 ISBN: 9780007526932
Version: 2015-03-05
For my three muses, who inspire me even when Iâm a grump.
CONTENTS
Copyright
Map of the Isle of Pest
A Shanty about Bargains
1. ONLY TROUBLE KNOCKS AFTER DARK
2. THE MUD SLEIGH
3. GRABSTONE
4. MESSAGES UNDELIVERED
5. THE SNIGGLER
6. A VILLAGE DROWNING
7. SCALES AND SWINE
8. WHERE NOBODY KNOWS YOUR NAME
9. THORN QUILLâS
10. SPIDERCREEP
11. FRIENDS IN LOW PLACES
12. IN SHAMBLES
13. A LOSING HAND
14. THE SLUMGULLION
15. THE SALT
16. THE PULL
17. BELONGERS
18. THE CURSE OF BLACK ANNIS
19. THE STONE ON THE SILL
20. THE WAILING CAVE
21. TIES THAT BIND
22. THE SHOEMAKER
23. KISS OF THE SHELLYCOATS
24. THE UNINVITED
25. WHAT THE WIND BRINGS, THE TIDE TAKES AWAY
26. UNDER THE CRIMSON HAT
27. GRIT
28. THE BELLWETHER
29. TREASURES
30. A FORK-TONGUED CHARMER
31. REVENGE OF SLINISTER VARLET
32. THE TOLL
Epilogue: Beyond the Shale
A Seafarerâs Guide to Mumbley-Speak and other High Isle Chatter
About the Publisher
Come all would-be heroes and join me in song,
And curse the dread outlaws plagued this Isle for so long.
So take heed my warning, of no favours ask,
Beware the dread outlaws in shadows and masks.
In shadows and masks, in shadows and masks,
Beware the dread outlaws
In shadows and masks.
Our troubles were many, our hopes they were slim.
A dark stranger arrived, he packed promise with him.
On the greyest of nights a bargain was struck,
What then seemed good fortune turned black ugly luck.
In shadows and masks, in shadows and masks,
Beware the dread strangers
In shadows and masks.
Theyâll promise you freedom and all that you dream,
But look past their guise, theyâre not what they seem.
Your sons and your daughters, in bed safely tuck,
Hold tight what you cherish for that they shall pluck.
In shadows and masks, in shadows and masks,
Beware the dread scoundrels
In shadows and masks.
My son he now stalks the dark bâyond the sea,
Family forgotten, but what matters to he?
So take heed my warning, of no favours ask,
And curse the Luck Uglies in shadows and masks.
In shadows and masks, in shadows and masks,
Curse the Luck Uglies
In shadows and masks.
â âShadows and Masksâ,
From Songs of Salt and Stout
and other High Isle Favourites
Abby OâChanter joined her, a cloak flung over her nightdress. Sheâd already untied her hair ribbon for the night and her dark locks fell loose past her shoulders. In her arms she held the family pet, a regal beast with thick black fur and keen yellow eyes. He was as big as a young child, and as he stretched his long forelegs, he extended sickle-like claws for the benefit of the visitors. Shady could be a ferocious guardian when motivated, which wasnât all that often. Abby combed his luxurious mane with her fingertips and raised an uninviting eyebrow. Ryeâs mother had never been one to spook easily.
âWhat is it?â she demanded of the visitors.
The tallest of the three ducked his head under the fresh evergreen garland strung along the doorframe. Shady let out an unexpected rumble from deep inside his throat, the kind he generally reserved for unwelcome denizens of the bogs. Rye saw her mother slip her fingers around his runestone collar in case he decided to misbehave.
