{"product_id":"return-of-the-temujai-isbn-9781524741464","title":"Return of the Temujai","description":"\u003cb\u003eThe Herons take to the high seas in the action-packed eighth installment of the Brotherband Chronicles, \u003ci\u003eBrotherband: Return of the Temujai\u003c\/i\u003e from John Flanagan, author of the internationally bestselling Ranger's Apprentice series!\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Herons are home in Skandia, but the usually peaceful country is in danger. The Temujai--ruthless warriors from the Eastern Steppes--have never given up on their ambition to claim Skandia for their own...and now they're on the move. Hal and his crew will have to brave the treacherous icy river and rapids to stop them, no matter the cost. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eClimb aboard with the Herons in \u003ci\u003eReturn of the Temujai\u003c\/i\u003e the exciting eighth installment of the Brotherband Chronicles!\u003cb\u003eJohn Flanagan\u003c\/b\u003e (www.WorldofJohnFlanagan.com) grew up in Sydney, Australia, hoping to be an author, and after a successful career in advertising and television, he began writing a series of short stories for his son, Michael, in order to encourage him to read. Those stories would eventually become \u003ci\u003eThe Ruins of Gorlan\u003c\/i\u003e, Book 1 of the Ranger's Apprentice epic. Together with his companion series, the Brotherband Chronicles, the novels of John Flanagan have sold millions of copies and made readers of kids the world over. Mr. Flanagan lives in the suburb of Mosman, Australia, with his wife. In addition to their son, they have two grown daughters and four grandsons.The closer they came to the border fort, the narrower \u003cbr\u003ethe valley became. The steep, almost sheer walls towered \u003cbr\u003ehigh above them, blotting out the sun although it \u003cbr\u003ewas only a few hours before noon. The floor of the \u003cbr\u003evalley was in shadow, the sun only reaching it for a couple of hours \u003cbr\u003eeach day, which probably accounted for the snow that still lay thick \u003cbr\u003eand deep on the ground, even though spring was only a few weeks \u003cbr\u003eaway.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eIn spite of the snow, the small party was making better time \u003cbr\u003enow that they had reached the top of the steep climb that led to \u003cbr\u003ethe pass, and they were moving on level ground again.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThere were two carts, each with a single pair of wheels and \u003cbr\u003epulled by a small, sturdy horse. They were stacked neatly with sawn \u003cbr\u003elumber, and as they were past the steep uphill climb, most of the \u003cbr\u003eHeron brotherband rode on them, finding space among the stacks \u003cbr\u003eof planks and beams that filled the cart trays.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eHal and Stig rode two saddle horses, leading the way for the \u003cbr\u003ecarts. It was a newly acquired skill for the two Heron leaders. Stig \u003cbr\u003ehad decided that they should learn to ride.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“After all,” he’d told his skirl, “we always find ourselves in \u003cbr\u003eplaces where they expect us to ride. We might as well know how to \u003cbr\u003edo it. It’ll save us a lot of walking.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eHal had agreed and Stig had searched around and procured \u003cbr\u003etwo horses, rescuing them from a life where they would be destined \u003cbr\u003eto pull carts, and instead turning them into saddle mounts. They \u003cbr\u003ewere stolid little creatures, quiet and unimaginative, nothing like a \u003cbr\u003efierce, thundering battlehorse or a speedy, slender-limbed Arridan \u003cbr\u003efrom the deserts to the south. But they carried the two riders \u003cbr\u003euncomplainingly—even Barney, the one tasked with bearing Stig’s \u003cbr\u003elarge frame. If need arose, both horses could be coaxed into a slow \u003cbr\u003ecanter or, in extreme situations, a clumsy gallop.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eOnce Stig had found them, Hal hired one of the Araluen archers, \u003cbr\u003ewho was familiar with horses, to teach them the rudimentary \u003cbr\u003epoints of riding. After suffering the inevitable tumbles, bruises and \u003cbr\u003eminor injuries, both of them emerged as reasonably capable riders. \u003cbr\u003eThey were, after all, fit and agile young men, with a good sense of \u003cbr\u003ebalance and the rhythm necessary to match their movements to the \u003cbr\u003ehorses’ gait.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eWith one exception.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“I don’t like trotting,” Hal stated. “I always seem to be going \u003cbr\u003edown when the horse is coming up. It’s an unnatural way to travel \u003cbr\u003eand it’s painful.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eHis Araluen teacher, who could sit to a trot instinctively and \u003cbr\u003eso had no idea how to teach someone else to do so, took the easy \u003cbr\u003eway out.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“Why bother?” he had told the young skirl. “If you’re in a \u003cbr\u003ehurry, canter or gallop. If you’re not, just walk.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThat seemed reasonable to Hal, so he simply ignored the concept \u003cbr\u003eof trotting from then on. Occasionally, when he saw Stig \u003cbr\u003emanaging to sit smoothly as Barney trotted beneath him, he felt a \u003cbr\u003epang of jealousy. He was tempted to ask Stig how he managed it \u003cbr\u003ebut refused to admit his own deficiency.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“I choose not to trot,” he would say, his jaw set stubbornly, \u003cbr\u003ewhenever the subject came up.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThorn, on the other hand, chose not to ride at all, even though \u003cbr\u003eStig had offered to find a horse for him.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“I don’t trust horses,” Thorn said, glaring suspiciously at the \u003cbr\u003etwo stocky little mounts his friends rode. “Even the small ones \u003cbr\u003eoutweigh me by several hundred kilos. They have big teeth and \u003cbr\u003ehooves as hard as clubs. And they’re shifty.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“Shifty?” said Hal, stroking Jake’s silky soft nose affectionately.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“They’re perfectly trustworthy.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“Maybe to you,” Thorn replied darkly. “But not to me. Those \u003cbr\u003ebig teeth could take off a few fingers—and I’ve only got one hand.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eAnd in fact, Barney and Jake seemed to sense his unease around \u003cbr\u003ethem and his antipathy toward them, and they reacted in kind. If \u003cbr\u003eThorn walked too close behind Barney, the horse would often lash \u003cbr\u003eout, trying to kick him. And, several times, Jake had whipped his \u003cbr\u003ehead around and given Thorn a painful nip on the shoulder. But \u003cbr\u003ewith the cunning of their kind, the horses didn’t do so every time  \u003cbr\u003ecame within range, allowing him to be lulled into a false sense \u003cbr\u003eof security, whereupon they would kick or bite once more, without \u003cbr\u003ewarning.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eEven now, as the old sea wolf trudged determinedly beside \u003cbr\u003ethem through the snow, Jake was tending to sidle closer to him, \u003cbr\u003emeasuring the distance between his teeth and the shabby, patched \u003cbr\u003esheepskin vest that covered Thorn’s shoulder—Jake’s favorite point \u003cbr\u003efor biting. Knowing what his horse was planning, Hal twitched the \u003cbr\u003ereins against his neck and pressed his right knee into the horse’s \u003cbr\u003eside, urging him away from Thorn.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThorn noticed the movement, and Jake’s indignant toss of his \u003cbr\u003ehead as his plans were thwarted.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“See?” he said. “I told you those beasts there cannot be trusted.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eStig, sensing that Thorn might be about to launch into another \u003cbr\u003ediscourse on the evils of the equine species, hurried to redirect the \u003cbr\u003econversation.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“So, what’s got Erak up in a lather?” he asked Hal. “Is it something \u003cbr\u003eserious or is he just getting clucky in his old age?”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eHal grinned. “Try saying that ‘old age’ thing around him. He’ll \u003cbr\u003elikely brain you with that big silver-headed walking stick he carries.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eHe paused, then answered the question. “No. He’s had word \u003cbr\u003ethat the Temujai have been nosing around the border.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“They’re always doing that,” Stig said dismissively.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eBut Hal shook his head. “They’ve been doing it a lot more than \u003cbr\u003eusual,” he said. “That’s why he wants Lydia to scout around across \u003cbr\u003ethe border while we check out the fort itself.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eWith their ship laid up for repairs and maintenance during the \u003cbr\u003ewinter months, the Herons found themselves with time on their  \u003cbr\u003ehands. Erak, the Oberjarl of the Skandians, had summoned Hal to \u003cbr\u003ehis lodge in the center of Hallasholm. The young warrior was one \u003cbr\u003eof Erak’s most trusted skirls. Hal led an elite group of fighters in \u003cbr\u003ehis crew, but Erak knew that Hal was more than just brave in \u003cbr\u003ebattle. He was smart, which a lot of wolfship captains weren’t. Hal \u003cbr\u003ecould observe a situation with a keen and intelligent eye, and that \u003cbr\u003ewas what Erak wanted in this case.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“Take a look at the border fort,” he instructed the younger \u003cbr\u003eman. “See if it’s secure against attack. And see if there’s any way \u003cbr\u003eyou can make it more secure.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eFort Ragnak defended Serpent Pass, a narrow pass at the junction \u003cbr\u003eof the Skandian, Teutlandt and Temujai borders. The pass was \u003cbr\u003ethe only practical way to travel down from the mountains and \u003cbr\u003eaccess Skandia’s flat coastal strip. Hal moved to the large map on \u003cbr\u003ethe wall of Erak’s lodge and studied the pass and the fort. The \u003cbr\u003ewalls of the pass were steep, he knew, and the fort was positioned \u003cbr\u003ewhere they came close together, closing a gap of only twenty meters.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“You have archers here?” he asked.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eErak nodded. “Fifteen of them. I rotate them in and out every \u003cbr\u003ethree weeks, along with the rest of the garrison—thirty troops. It’s \u003cbr\u003etoo cold and miserable up there to leave them on site for much \u003cbr\u003elonger—although in winter it’s sometimes hard to get men there to \u003cbr\u003erelieve them.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eSince the Temujai attempt to invade years previously, Skandia \u003cbr\u003ereceived a detachment of one hundred archers each year from their \u003cbr\u003eally, the Kingdom of Araluen. The archers tended to redress the \u003cbr\u003eimbalance between Skandia’s own warriors, who were armed with \u003cbr\u003eaxes, spears and swords, and the mounted Temujai archers. It meant  \u003cbr\u003ethat the Skandians could fight fire with fire, particularly when they \u003cbr\u003ewere ensconced in a secure position, like the border fort.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“I was thinking,” Hal said slowly, “maybe we could set up a \u003cbr\u003ecouple of manglers on the sides of the cliffs—here and here.” He \u003cbr\u003epointed to the cliff walls behind the fort and either side of the fort.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“That’d give the Temujai riders a nasty shock if they attacked.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“Manglers?” Erak said. “You mean like that giant crossbow \u003cbr\u003eyou carry on the bow of your ship?”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eHal nodded. “We could build shooting platforms halfway up \u003cbr\u003ethe walls. Then we could sweep the approaches to the fort before \u003cbr\u003ethe Temujai got in range.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“It’s a good idea,” Erak said, reflecting that this was why he had \u003cbr\u003echosen Hal for the task. The young man had an ability to come up \u003cbr\u003ewith new and unexpected ideas like this, and Erak could see how \u003cbr\u003etwo of those massive crossbows could make a powerful addition to \u003cbr\u003ethe fort’s defenses.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“I’ll get onto it straightaway,” Hal said, stepping back from the \u003cbr\u003emap. “I’ll build them here, then break them down for transport, \u003cbr\u003eand reassemble them once we have the platforms ready. I’ll need to \u003cbr\u003etake lumber to build those as well.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eErak shrugged. “Plenty of trees up there.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eBut Hal shook his head. “It’ll take us time to cut and saw them \u003cbr\u003einto posts and planks. Better if we take whatever we need. We \u003cbr\u003eshould be able to get a couple of horse-drawn carts up through the \u003cbr\u003epass. And we don’t want to give the Temujai too much notice that \u003cbr\u003ewe’re strengthening the defenses. If they are planning an attack, \u003cbr\u003ethey might decide to go early.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“That’s true. Do it that way. And while I think of it, you might  \u003cbr\u003eget that girl of yours to scout across the border and see if the \u003cbr\u003eTemujai have any troops gathering there.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThey both knew that Lydia, the only female member of the \u003cbr\u003eHeron brotherband, was an expert scout. She could cross the \u003cbr\u003eborder and infiltrate Temujai land without being seen or heard by \u003cbr\u003ethe enemy. Hal had no qualms about agreeing to the suggestion. \u003cbr\u003e“She’d rather do that than help build the platforms,” he said, \u003cbr\u003eand left the lodge to start gathering tools and equipment.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“So, what do you think?” Stig asked. “Are the Temujai really getting \u003cbr\u003eready to invade again?”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThe Temujai were a warlike, nomadic race from beyond the \u003cbr\u003emountains east of Skandia. They were committed to a path of \u003cbr\u003econquest and domination and had long cast jealous, hostile eyes \u003cbr\u003etoward the wealthy countries of the west—Gallica, Teutlandt and \u003cbr\u003eeven Araluen. But before they could spread their influence so far, \u003cbr\u003ethey would need to conquer Skandia and gain control of its ships. \u003cbr\u003eSome years previously, they had launched an all-out attack on the \u003cbr\u003eSkandians, breaking through the mountain pass and down onto \u003cbr\u003ethe narrow coastal plain around Hallasholm. The Skandians, with \u003cbr\u003ethe help of a small Araluen force of hastily trained archers, had \u003cbr\u003erepelled them. In more recent times, the Temujai had turned their \u003cbr\u003eattention elsewhere, conquering and plundering the lands to the \u003cbr\u003eeast. But they constantly returned to the Skandian border, the site \u003cbr\u003eof their only defeat, testing the strength of the defenses at Serpent \u003cbr\u003ePass, the scene of their previous incursion.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThey were a cruel and pitiless enemy, small, hardy warriors \u003cbr\u003ewho were skilled riders and expert archers, shooting from  \u003cbr\u003ehorseback with their short, curved bows. Their army was highly \u003cbr\u003emobile and their generals were skillful and cunning. All in all, they \u003cbr\u003ewere a formidable enemy.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThe presence of the Temujai, and their longstanding threat to \u003cbr\u003ethe welfare of Skandia and its people, were a fact of life to Hal and \u003cbr\u003ehis companions. Hal’s generation had grown up all too aware of the \u003cbr\u003eTemujai and their aggressive stance toward Skandia. It was something \u003cbr\u003eto be guarded against and prepared for. They knew that the \u003cbr\u003ethreat could not be ignored. The Temujai, if they sensed any slackening \u003cbr\u003eof the Skandians’ readiness or will to fight, would sweep \u003cbr\u003edown from the high country like a malevolent flood. But Hal and \u003cbr\u003ehis fellow Skandians were well aware of their own ability and battle \u003cbr\u003eskills. So long as Serpent Pass was kept secure and Fort Ragnak \u003cbr\u003emaintained and garrisoned strongly, the Temujai were a problem \u003cbr\u003ethat could be dealt with. Constant vigilance was the answer to the \u003cbr\u003ethreat they posed. Danger would come if the Skandian nation ever \u003cbr\u003eslackened that vigilance, or if the Temujai happened to find an \u003cbr\u003ealternative, and undefended, route down from the high country to \u003cbr\u003ethe coastal plains.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eSo far, neither had happened. From time to time, the Temujai \u003cbr\u003eprobed the defenses at Fort Ragnak. When they did, they found \u003cbr\u003ethe garrison there ready and more than capable of repelling them. \u003cbr\u003eThorn had fought the Temujai many years before when they \u003cbr\u003ehad penetrated down to the coastal strip.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“They want access to the sea,” he replied to Stig’s question.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“They always have. And they want our ships. Their plan is to dominate \u003cbr\u003eour part of the world.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“Charming people,” Hal commented.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThorn shrugged. “War and conquest is what they’re good at,” \u003cbr\u003ehe said. “It’s their reason for being. Their leaders know that if \u003cbr\u003ethey’re not conquering new territories, they’ll begin fighting among \u003cbr\u003ethemselves and the confederation of tribes will eventually be broken \u003cbr\u003eup. They’re like a shark that has to keep moving to stay alive. They \u003cbr\u003ehave to keep moving, fighting and conquering.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“Do they seriously think we’ll just let them walk in and use our \u003cbr\u003eships?” Hal asked.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThorn shook his head. “I’d say they assume that if they invade \u003cbr\u003eus and conquer us, we’ll do as we’re told.” He paused and smiled.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“Of course, first they have to invade us and conquer us.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“And before they can do that, they have to break through the \u003cbr\u003eborder up here. Which is a tough nut to crack,” Stig said.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“And which we plan to make a whole lot tougher,” Hal agreed.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThe three of them fell silent for a few seconds as they considered \u003cbr\u003ethe task ahead and its importance to the well-being of Skandia \u003cbr\u003eand the other nations around them.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThorn raised his hook in a warning gesture to Jake, who had \u003cbr\u003eonce again begun sidling closer to him.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“Just try it, you shaggy barrel,” he said. “I’ve eaten horsemeat \u003cbr\u003ebefore. Next time, I might just bite back.”","brand":"Viking Books for Young Readers","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46301081239781,"sku":"NP9781524741464","price":10.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9781524741464.jpg?v=1767735695","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/return-of-the-temujai-isbn-9781524741464","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}