Authors: John A. Flanagan
Scorpion Mountain
ALSO BY JOHN FLANAGAN
BROTHERBAND CHRONICLES
Book 1: The Outcasts
Book 2: The Invaders
Book 3: The Hunters
Book 4: Slaves of Socorro
THE RANGER'S APPRENTICE EPIC
Book 1: The Ruins of Gorlan
Book 2: The Burning Bridge
Book 3: The Icebound Land
Book 4: The Battle for Skandia
Book 5: The Sorcerer of the North
Book 6: The Siege of Macindaw
Book 7: Erak's Ransom
Book 8: The Kings of Clonmel
Book 9: Halt's Peril
Book 10: The Emperor of Nihon-Ja
Book 11: The Lost Stories
Book 12: The Royal Ranger
For my Son Michael, once more.
PHILOMEL BOOKS
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Copyright © 2014 by John Flanagan. Illustrations © 2011 and 2014 by David Elliot.
Map copyright © by Mathematics and Anna Warren.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Flanagan, John (John Anthony), author.
Scorpion Mountain / John Flanagan. pages cm.â(Brotherband chronicles ; book 5)
Summary: Princess Cassandra of Araluen has already survived one assassination attempt, but when a second attempt proves that the deadly Scorpion Cult is involved, Hal, his Heron Brotherband crew, and the Ranger Gilan are dispatched to ensure her safety by launching a preemptive strike against Scorpion Mountain and its cult of assassins. 1. Quests (Expeditions)âJuvenile fiction. 2. Seafaring lifeâJuvenile fiction. 3. AssassinsâJuvenile fiction. 4. Attempted assassinationâJuvenile fiction. 5. Adventure stories. [1. Adventure and adventurersâFiction. 2. Seafaring lifeâFiction. 3. AssassinsâFiction. 4. Fantasy.] I. Title. II. Series: Flanagan, John (John Anthony). Brotherband chronicles ; bk. 5. PZ7.F598284Sc 2014 823.92âdc23 2014028703
ISBN 978-0-698-17142-8
American edition edited by Michael Green.
The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for third-party websites or their content.
Version_1
A Few Sailing Terms Explained
B
ecause this book involves sailing ships, I thought it might be useful to explain a few of the nautical terms found in the story.
Be reassured that I haven't gone overboard (to keep up the nautical allusion) with technical details in the book, and even if you're not familiar with sailing, I'm sure you'll understand what's going on. But a certain amount of sailing terminology is necessary for the story to feel realistic.
So, here we go, in no particular order:
Bow:
The front of the ship, also called the prow.
Stern:
The rear of the ship.
Port and starboard:
The left and the right side of the ship, as you're facing the bow. In fact, I'm probably incorrect in using the term
port
. The early term for port was
larboard
, but I thought we'd all get confused if I used that.
Starboard
is a corruption of “steering board” (or steering side). The steering oar was always placed on the right-hand side of the ship at the stern.
Consequently, when a ship came into port it would moor with the left side against the jetty, to avoid damage to the steering oar. One theory says the word derived from the ship's being in portâleft side to the jetty. I suspect, however, that it might have come from the fact that the entry port, by which crew and passengers boarded, was also always on the left side.
How do you remember which side is which? Easy.
Port
and
left
both have four letters.
Forward:
Toward the bow.
Aft:
Toward the stern.
Fore-and-aft rig:
A sail plan in which the sail is in line with the hull of the ship.
Hull:
The body of the ship.
Keel:
The spine of the ship.
Steering oar:
The blade used to control the ship's direction, mounted on the starboard side of the ship, at the stern.
Tiller:
The handle for the steering oar.
Yardarm, or yard:
A spar (wooden pole) that is hoisted up the mast, carrying the sail.
Masthead:
The top of the mast.
Bulwark:
The part of the ship's side above the deck.
Belaying pins:
Wooden pins used to fasten rope.
Oarlock, or rowlock:
Pegs set on either side of an oar to keep it in place while rowing.
Telltale:
A pennant that indicates the wind's direction.
Tacking:
To tack is to change direction from one side to the other, passing through the eye of the wind.
If the wind is from the north and you want to sail northeast, you would perform one tack so that you are heading northeast, and you would continue to sail on that tack for as long as you need.
However, if the wind is from the north and you want to sail due north, you would have to do so in a series of short tacks, going back and forth on a zigzag course, crossing through the wind each time, and slowly making ground to the north. This is a process known as
beating
into the wind.
Wearing:
When a ship tacks, it turns
into
the wind to change direction. When it wears, it turns
away
from the wind, traveling in a much larger arc, with the wind in the sail, driving the ship around throughout the maneuver. Wearing was a safer way of changing direction for wolfships than beating into the wind.
Reach, or reaching:
When the wind is from the side of the ship, the ship is sailing on a reach, or reaching.
Running:
When the wind is from the stern, the ship is running. (So would you if the wind was strong enough at your back.)
Reef:
To gather in part of the sail and bundle it against the yardarm to reduce the sail area. This is done in high winds to protect the sail and the mast.
Trim:
To adjust the sail to the most efficient angle.
Halyard:
A rope used to haul the yard up the mast. (Haul-yard, get it?)
PART ONE
CASTLE ARALUEN