“Where’s Rider?” the captain of the guards barked. “Where is he? I know he’s in here somewhere.” The captain surveyed the mangy crowd in the tavern. “Find him,” he said to the other guards. “Turn this place upside down if you have to!”
Flynn grabbed Rapunzel, with Pascal still clinging to her hair, and ducked behind the counter. Peeking over the top, Flynn saw the palace guards bring in the Stabbington brothers. Their hands were in shackles. Then he saw Maximus clomp into the tavern and begin sniffing around. That horse! How does that horse keep finding me? Flynn wondered.
Someone reached down and grabbed Flynn and Rapunzel. Flynn cringed, thinking he was done for. But the thug lifted a hidden door in the floor, revealing a secret passageway.
“Go live your dream,” the thug said sweetly.
“I will,” Flynn told him, finding this turn of events bizarre but good. Really good!
“Your dream stinks,” the thug bluntly told Flynn. Then he nodded at Rapunzel. “I was talking to her.” Rapunzel smiled at the thug as Flynn entered the secret passageway.
“Are you coming, Blondie?” Flynn asked her.
Rapunzel looked into the dank tunnel and, after an encouraging smile from Pascal, followed Flynn. The door closed behind them, and Flynn and Rapunzel were suddenly gazing into a long, dimly lit passageway.
Inside the tavern, the royal guards continued their search.
Nobody paid attention to Maximus. The horse was used to it. But Maximus had picked up that scoundrel’s scent, and he followed it until he saw a slight irregularity in the floorboards. He also saw Flynn’s puny footprint. Maximus knocked his hoof against the floor, and a door swung open. Aha!
“A passage?” the captain said, coming up behind Maximus. “Come on, men. Let’s go!” The horse charged into the passage, followed by the palace guards.
Before the captain entered the tunnel, he turned toward the Stabbington brothers.
“Conli, make sure those boys don’t get away,” the captain said to one of his guards. The guard nodded, and the captain disappeared into the tunnel.
“Does that hurt?” one of the Stabbingtons asked the man guarding them. The brothers were a full foot taller than he was. And they looked mean — meaner than any other prisoner that guard had seen.
“Does what hurt?” the guard replied nervously.
BAM! The brothers head-butted the guard so hard that he was slammed to the floor, unconscious. Grabbing a spear, the brothers used their brute strength to break their shackles.
“Play it safe?” one brother asked, pointing to the tavern door. “Or go get the crown?” Smiling evilly, they headed toward the tunnel.
They didn’t care about safety. They wanted the precious crown.
Outside the tavern, Mother Gothel was still watching. If there was one thing Mother Gothel did well, it was watch. She knew that patience would always bring her the greatest reward. So she watched ... and waited.
When she finally saw a thug stumble out the door of the Snuggly Duckling alone, Mother Gothel stepped from the shadows. “Excuse me, sir,” she said, using her most caring voice. “I am desperately trying to find my daughter. Where does that tunnel let out?”
Inside the tunnel and happy to be making his escape, Flynn led the way. “You know,” he said to Rapunzel awkwardly, embarrassed to have been rescued by a girl, “for the record, I had everything very under control.”
“Oh.” Rapunzel felt confused. “Okay.”
“It was good of you to step in. So ... thank you for that.”
The tunnel was dark and cool. Flynn found a lantern that cast a warm globe of light around them. They were moving swiftly now, but they still had a long way to go together.
“So, Flynn, where are you from?” Rapunzel asked.
But Flynn balked at the subject. After his humiliation in the tavern, he refused to reveal any personal information.
“So here is my question,” he said. “If you want to see the lanterns so badly, why haven’t you gone before?”
Rapunzel’s eyes grew wide with fear. She faltered, “Uh ... heh. Well ...”
“No,” Flynn insisted. “Seriously.”
But even as he spoke, the cavern began to shake. Debris sifted down on their heads.
Rapunzel turned and saw Maximus charging down the tunnel toward them. The guardsmen were right behind him.
“Flynn!” she cried out.
One of the guards spotted them and shouted, “Rider!”
Flynn chose to respond to Rapunzel: “Run!”
“雷德在哪兒?”衛(wèi)兵隊(duì)長(zhǎng)厲聲問道,“他在哪兒?我知道他在這兒的某個(gè)地方?!标?duì)長(zhǎng)環(huán)視了一圈酒館里臟兮兮的眾人?!鞍阉页鰜?,”他向衛(wèi)兵們命令道,“有必要的話,把這個(gè)地方翻個(gè)底朝天!”
費(fèi)林抓著樂佩矮身躲到吧臺(tái)后面,帕斯考依然趴在她的頭發(fā)上。費(fèi)林從吧臺(tái)臺(tái)面上偷偷往外瞧,他見到宮廷衛(wèi)兵把釘刺兄弟也帶了進(jìn)來。他們手上戴著手銬。他見到捍馬重重地踏進(jìn)酒館,開始到處嗅。那匹馬!那匹馬怎么總是找我?費(fèi)林感到疑惑。
有人俯下身抓住了費(fèi)林和樂佩。費(fèi)林畏畏縮縮,想著自己完了。但是這個(gè)惡棍一把拎起地板上的一道暗門,打開了一條秘密地道。
“去實(shí)現(xiàn)你的夢(mèng)想吧?!睈汗饔H切地說。
“我會(huì)的?!辟M(fèi)林對(duì)他說,他覺得事件的轉(zhuǎn)折很詭異,但挺好。相當(dāng)好!
“你的夢(mèng)想糟透了?!睈汗髦甭实貙?duì)他說。然后他對(duì)樂佩點(diǎn)點(diǎn)頭,說道:“我是對(duì)她說的?!睒放鍖?duì)著惡棍微笑,費(fèi)林鉆進(jìn)了秘密地道。
“你來嗎,金發(fā)美女?”費(fèi)林問她。
樂佩看著潮濕的地道,帕斯考對(duì)她露出一個(gè)鼓勵(lì)的微笑,于是,她跟上了費(fèi)林。門在他們身后關(guān)上。費(fèi)林和樂佩面前突然出現(xiàn)一條長(zhǎng)長(zhǎng)的、燈光昏暗的地道。
酒館里,皇家衛(wèi)隊(duì)繼續(xù)搜尋著。
沒人注意到捍馬。這匹馬早就對(duì)此習(xí)以為常。但是捍馬嗅到了那個(gè)壞蛋的氣味。他跟蹤著味道,看到一處地板略微有點(diǎn)不太規(guī)整。他也看到了費(fèi)林淺淺的腳印。捍馬用蹄子敲打地板,門開了。啊哈!
“一條地道?”衛(wèi)兵隊(duì)長(zhǎng)說著,來到了捍馬身后,“來吧,弟兄們,我們走!”馬兒沖進(jìn)地道,后面跟著宮廷衛(wèi)兵隊(duì)。
隊(duì)長(zhǎng)進(jìn)入地道前,轉(zhuǎn)向釘刺兄弟。
“康利,別讓他們跑了。”隊(duì)長(zhǎng)對(duì)一個(gè)衛(wèi)兵說。那名衛(wèi)兵點(diǎn)點(diǎn)頭,隊(duì)長(zhǎng)隨后消失在地道里。
“痛嗎?”釘刺兄弟中的一個(gè)問看守著他們的衛(wèi)兵。釘刺兄弟比他足足高了一英尺。他們看起來很壞,比衛(wèi)兵見過的所有罪犯都要壞。
“什么痛?”衛(wèi)兵緊張地反問道。
??!釘刺兄弟用頭狠撞衛(wèi)兵,力量很大,衛(wèi)兵被撞倒在地,失去了意識(shí)。釘刺兄弟抓過一把長(zhǎng)矛,用蠻力掙脫了手銬。
“安全起見?”其中的一個(gè)指著酒館的門問,“還是去拿皇冠?”他們邪惡地笑著,向地道奔去。
他們可不在乎安全。他們要的是珍貴的皇冠。
酒館外面,高瑟媽媽還在觀望。要說高瑟媽媽擅長(zhǎng)的事,那就是觀望。她知道耐心總能帶來最大的回報(bào)。所以她觀望著……等待著。
高瑟媽媽終于看到一個(gè)惡棍從舒適小鴨酒館獨(dú)自跌跌撞撞走了出來,她便從陰影處走了出來。“請(qǐng)問,先生,”她用最關(guān)切的聲音問道,“我迫切想找到我的女兒。那條地道通向 哪兒?”
地道里,費(fèi)林很高興得以脫身,他走在前面開路?!澳阒?,”他有點(diǎn)尷尬地對(duì)樂佩說,被一個(gè)女孩救了,他有點(diǎn)不好意思,“我得申明一下,一切都在我的掌控中。”
“哦,”樂佩有點(diǎn)疑惑,“好吧?!?
“你插手進(jìn)來,這很好。所以……謝謝你那樣做?!?
地道里黑漆漆、涼颼颼的。費(fèi)林找到了一盞燈籠,燈籠在他們身邊投射出一個(gè)溫暖的光圈。現(xiàn)在他們走得很快,但還有很長(zhǎng)一段路要一起走。
“那么,費(fèi)林,你是哪里人?”樂佩問。
但是費(fèi)林卻故意回避這個(gè)話題。他在酒館丟盡臉面之后,就拒絕透露一切個(gè)人信息。
“那么,我的問題是,”他說,“如果你這么想去看天燈,你以前怎么不去?”
樂佩的眼睛因?yàn)楹ε卤牭美洗蟆Kе嵛岬溃骸斑馈?。這個(gè)……”
“不,”費(fèi)林堅(jiān)持問,“說真的?!?
但就在他說話的時(shí)候,地道的洞穴開始震動(dòng)。碎石落在他們頭上。
樂佩轉(zhuǎn)身見到捍馬正朝著他們沖過來。衛(wèi)兵隊(duì)就跟在它后面。
“費(fèi)林!”她大叫。
一個(gè)衛(wèi)兵發(fā)現(xiàn)了他們,大喊:“雷德!”
費(fèi)林選擇回應(yīng)樂佩:“快跑!”
瘋狂英語 英語語法 新概念英語 走遍美國(guó) 四級(jí)聽力 英語音標(biāo) 英語入門 發(fā)音 美語 四級(jí) 新東方 七年級(jí) 賴世雄 zero是什么意思上海市寶山文華苑(四期)英語學(xué)習(xí)交流群