Feast Fight! Read Online Free Page A

crowd, followed by its large grunting owner.
    “Come back ’ere, you stoopid sow!” puffed the pig farmer.
    I was right by Simon the Pieman’s stall – and the escaped pig was hurtling straight for me!

    “My luvverly pies! They’ll be wrecked!” cried Simon.
    “Shoo!” I yelled, desperately waving my sack of curry powder. “Go away! Nice piggy! Shoo! Shoo!”
    The pig hurtled closer and closer – and then at the very last second it veered nimbly away with a loud “OINK!”.
    “Phew!” I said. “That was close – OOF!”
    The pig might have been nimble, but his owner certainly wasn’t. He ran right into me and sent me flying into a big tub of herrings at the fish stall next door.
    “Sorry ’bout that!” grunted the farmer, running off after his pig.
    “Oi, out of my tub!” barked thefishmonger. “You’ll spoil all my fish. They was fresh caught only last week!”
    Simon the Pieman helped me out of the slimy, slippery mess. “Thanks, young master,” he beamed. “You saved my stall! I think you deserve—”
    “The thief!” I suddenly remembered. “Sorry, Mister Pieman! I have to go!”
    I sped off towards where I’d last seen the robber. I was sure he’d been heading for the back lane out of the village. But when I got there I could see no sign of him. Where could he have gone? I stood by the new tailor’s shop and looked up and down the lane. But it was no good. The cloaked thief had vanished into thin air.

Chapter Five
A Thief in the Night
    Patchcoat was waiting for me at the Boar’s Bottom.
    “What happened to you, Ced?” He pulled a herring out of my hood. “Something
fishy
by the look o f it. Not to mention the
smell
. Pooh!”
    As we rode home on Gristle I explained what had happened.
    “I just don’t understand how the robber got into the castle,” I said.
    “Do you reckon it’s an inside job?” said Patchcoat.
    “What, someone in the castle itself?” I said, shocked. “But they’d be stealing from their own master! Besides it’s obviously not you, me or Margaret. The thief was at least as tall as Sir Percy.”
    As soon as we arrived back, I nipped into the kitchen and hid the curry powder behind a pile of logs while Margaret’s back was turned. Then I went straight to Sir Percy’s chamber. He was standing in front of his looking glass in a dressing gown, trying on his collection of plumed hats.
    “Ah, Cedric, there you are,” he said, as I entered. “Where have you been? I need you to help me choose a hat for the banquet.”
    I told him about my trip to the village – and how I’d chased the robber through the market.
    “Really? The – er – market, you say?” he said, putting on a hat with a bright green plume. “Good for you, Cedric. Didn’t catch him though, did you, eh?”

    “No, I didn’t,” I said, surprised. “How do you know?”
    “Ah – oh – I just – er –
assumed
,” he said airily. “You’d have told me straight away if you
had
, wouldn’t you?”
    “Yes, I suppose so,” I said. “But shouldn’t you try and catch him
now
? Organize a search party or something?”
    “No time, dear boy, no time!” said Sir Percy, trying the hat at various jaunty angles. “I have far too much to do before the king and queen arrive. Perhaps after Their Majesties have left.”
    “But what if the thief tries to break into the castle again?” I pleaded. “Won’t you be upset to lose any more silver plates?They’re very valuable.”
    “Ah, yes, alas,” said Sir Percy. “But after all, plates are only – er –
stuff
, dear boy. A noble knight such as myself has very little concern for such shallow worldly things.” He swapped the hat with a bright green plume for another with a fluffy purple one. “Now, which of these goes better with my eyes?”

    It was late by the time Sir Percy had decided which hat to wear. I helped him into his nightgown, and then fetched his warm milk and honey from the kitchen.
    “Goodnight now, Cedric,” he