This was too much for the Masked Avenger. She vaulted over the ropes and pulled Bash backwards by the shoulders, then continued the move, throwing the orc over her shoulder so he landed with a ring-shaking crash in the centre.

  Bop let out a cry of fury and leapt into the ring, hurling herself at the Masked Avenger, but Big Rock had seen her move. He grabbed the orc by one arm and twirled her around his body, then threw her into the corner post.

  ‘Stop!’ shouted the referee. ‘Only two wrestlers at a time in the ring!’

  ‘They started it!’ protested the Masked Avenger.

  ‘Yes, orcs cheat!’ said Big Rock.

  ‘I’m the referee!’ he snapped. ‘I’m the only one who can say if there’s cheating going on, and I say … Aaaargh!’

  Bash and Bop had picked up the referee and thrown him out of the ring. He crashed down on the area outside, narrowly missing Meenu and Milo.

  ‘That is definitely not in the rules,’ said Milo, helping the dazed referee to his feet.

  In the ring, a battle was raging as Bash and Bop clawed and kicked at Big Rock and the Masked Avenger, using every sneaky trick the orcs could come up with – but Big Rock and the Avenger were holding their own.

  The crowd roared, cheering on their own particular favourites, with shouts and chants of ‘Orcs! Orcs!’ and ‘Big Rock and the Masked Avenger!’ The noise in the hall was so loud that at first no one could hear the bell being rung. The referee clambered back into the ring, put a whistle to his lips and began to blow hard, the shrill blast gradually making the noise from the audience subside, and the four wrestlers disentangled themselves from one another and stepped back and regarded the referee.

  The referee, furious, pointed at the two orcs.

  ‘Throwing the referee out of the ring is the worst foul you can do!’ he shouted. ‘You are both disqualified!’

  At this there was a huge roar from the audience, and Bash and Bop advanced menacingly on the referee, sparks coming from their claws as they clashed them together.

  ‘And if you dare to touch me again, I’ll ban you from all competitions!’ shouted the referee.

  Bash and Bop stopped and exchanged unhappy looks. With a last glare at Big Rock and the Masked Avenger, they ran back to their dressing room.

  Even in defeat, the cheers of the orcs’ supporters were ringing around the hall … But they were matched by the cheers for the victors as the referee announced: ‘I declare the winners of this tag contest to be … Big Rock and the Masked Avenger!’

  The champions climbed out of the ring, high-fiving everyone. Big Rock looked around, and then asked: ‘Where’s Jack?’

  Milo shrugged. ‘I don’t know. He walked out.’

  ‘Walked out?’ said the Masked Avenger in surprise.

  ‘Where?’ asked Meenu.

  Milo shrugged again. ‘I think he might have gone back to the caravan,’ he said.

  ‘Okay, we go tell him we win!’ beamed Big Rock. ‘Beat orcs!’

  And the big troll headed for the door.

  Meenu looked at Milo suspiciously.

  ‘What’s going on?’ she demanded.

  ‘Nothing,’ he said defensively.

  And he set off after Big Rock and the Masked Avenger. Meenu frowned and went after them. Something was not right.

  As they neared their caravans, they found Robin and Blaze heading towards them.

  ‘What’s going on?’ demanded the old horse angrily.

  ‘We win!’ smiled Big Rock. ‘Me and Masked Avenger beat Lord Veto’s orcs!’

  ‘I don’t mean that! I mean, why has Jack packed his bags and gone?’

  CHAPTER 7

  They stared at the horse, shocked.

  ‘Gone?’

  Blaze nodded.

  ‘We asked him where he was going, and why, and he just said, “Ask Milo” … ’

  They all turned to look at Milo.

  ‘Well?’ demanded Robin.

  ‘We had a bit of a row,’ said Milo awkwardly.

  ‘I knew it!’ said Meenu.

  ‘Oh, you pair of idiots!’ said Princess Ava. ‘Was this about that money business?’

  ‘Well, yes,’ said Milo. ‘He said … something … and I said … ’

  ‘Oh, you fool!’ said Ava. ‘It was obvious to anyone with half a brain that that piece of paper was a fake.’

  ‘That’s what I said … ’ said Milo defensively.

  ‘You accused Jack of thinking badly of you,’ said Meenu.

  ‘Well … he did,’ said Milo. ‘He thought I’d stolen that money from him and Big Rock and Robin.’

  ‘No, he didn’t!’ snapped Ava. ‘Because, like I said, it was obvious to anyone with half a brain that that piece of paper was a fake, and Jack has got a good brain. He knew it was a fake!’

  ‘Then why didn’t he say so?’

  ‘He did, but you weren’t listening to him properly because you were too upset and more bothered about your hurt feelings!’ said Ava. She groaned. ‘What are we going to do?’

  Lord Veto and Warg watched all this from behind the cover of a tree.

  ‘It seems that Jack has left them, my Lord,’ Warg said.

  ‘Indeed!’ Lord Veto beamed. ‘My plan is working!’

  ‘So, shall we go after Jack?’

  Lord Veto shook his head. ‘No, no. He’ll come to me.’

  Warg looked doubtful. ‘But say he doesn’t? Say he decides to go far, far away instead?’

  ‘No, Warg. Trust me. I understand people. That is why I am rich and successful while you are just … an orc. We’ll let Jack wander around for a bit, getting more and more miserable. When he’s miserable enough, he’ll think about how good my offer is.’ He winked. ‘It’s always best to have the upper hand in any negotiations, Warg. That means he has to come to me, asking for a favour. Not the other way round.’ He grinned. ‘Anyway, at the moment I am about to put the other part of my plan into operation: getting the Masked Avenger onto my team.’

  ‘How will you do that, my Lord?’

  ‘Blackmail, Warg,’ smiled Lord Veto. ‘Blackmail and money.’

  Jack sat on a large rock and looked at the road that wound onwards. Where would he go? He looked at his bag by his feet. All his worldly possessions were in there: a few clothes, and programmes from tournaments when Jack had been part of Big Rock’s team … with Milo.

  Now, that was all gone. He’d left them far behind when he left the caravan, and now he’d never see them again.

  As these thoughts came to him, he felt tears fill his eyes. Milo accusing him like that was so unfair! He’d thought he’d found friends for life when he’d joined up with Milo, Big Rock and Robin … but he’d been wrong. There was no such thing as ‘friends for life’. Milo had shown him that by being so horrible to him.

  I should have told Blaze I was going, he thought. Blaze has been my friend. He’ll miss me. And Big Rock. And Robin. But I can’t stay with them, not after Milo acted the hurtful way he did towards me.

  He dropped his head and tears splashed down onto the ground at his feet.

  I’ve never been so unhappy, he sighed to himself. Not even when my life was at its worst, working in Lord Veto’s kitchens.

  A flapping sound above him made him look up. Blaze swooped down from the sky and landed on the ground beside him.

  ‘The others sent me to find you,’ said Blaze.

  ‘Well, you’ve found me,’ said Jack, wiping his eyes. ‘Now leave me alone.’

  The phoenix looked at Jack for a while, thoughtfully. Then he said, ‘Sorry, I can’t do that.’ Blaze changed into a very large dragon and, rising into the air, wings flapping, he picked up Jack, hooked Jack’s bag on his claws and flew off, soaring ever higher.

  Then he flew even higher yet.

  ‘Let me go!’ shouted Jack.

  ‘That’s not a good idea,’ said Blaze. ‘You’d fall a very long way and hurt yourself.’

  ‘If you’re taking me back to Milo, it’s a waste of time, because I’m not going to say sorry to him,’ said Jack.

  ‘That’s up to you … but he wants to say sorry to you. That’s why he sent me.’

  Jack fell silent for a moment, then said, ‘Did he really?’

  ‘Yes. Now shut up and let me concentrate on flying.’

  Milo, Princess Ava, Meenu, Big Rock and Robin stood in the field by their caravans and stared into the distance, scanning the sky.

  ‘There’s no sign of Blaze,’ worried Milo.

  ‘Jack can’t have gone that far,’ said Meenu.

  ‘Maybe Blaze can’t find him,’ said Big Rock.

  ‘Or maybe Jack doesn’t want to come back,’ said Robin.

  Princess Ava heard a beating sound behind them and turned. ‘Or maybe we’re looking in the wrong direction.’

  The others all turned and watched as the big dragon flew lower and then landed beside them, dropping Jack and his bag on the ground.

  ‘Jack!’ cried Milo delightedly, and he ran towards him. ‘I’m sorry I said what I did, Jack. I didn’t mean it.’

  Jack got to his feet and put his arms around Milo and hugged him.

  ‘I’m sorry for going off like that, Milo,’ Jack said. ‘And for saying the things I said to you.’

  ‘Good,’ said Ava. ‘Now we’ve got that out of the way, can we get back to the important business of who did it, and what we’re going to do to pay him back?’

  ‘But we don’t know who did it,’ said Milo.

  ‘Of course we do!’ said Ava impatiently. ‘Who’s the person who’s got something to gain by splitting up the gang? Who wanted Jack to leave Waldo’s Wrestling Trolls and join him and his Wrestling Orcs? Who’s the one person we know who’s rich enough to be able to put a hundred gold coins into someone’s money-house account?’

  ‘Lord Veto,’ said Meenu, Robin and Blaze together.

  ‘Exactly!’ said Ava. She glared accusingly at Jack and Milo. ‘And you let him do it to you! You’re a pair of idiots!’

  ‘We ought to teach him a lesson,’ said Meenu.

  ‘Jack turn into Thud and throw Lord Veto around?’ suggested Big Rock hopefully.

  ‘Better than that,’ said Meenu. ‘Hit him where it hurts him most!’

  ‘On his nose?’ asked Robin.

  ‘In his pocket!’ said Ava. ‘Money!’

  CHAPTER 8

  Meenu was folding the Masked Avenger’s costumes and putting them neatly away when there was a knock at the caravan door.

  ‘Yes?’ she called.

  The door opened and Lord Veto looked in.

  ‘Good afternoon.’ He smiled.

  ‘What do you want?’ demanded Meenu.

  ‘Just a moment of your time,’ said Lord Veto, and he stepped in. ‘I wondered how you feel about wrestling?’

  ‘How I feel about it?’ said Meenu, puzzled. ‘I like it. That’s why I’m the Masked Avenger’s costume designer and dresser.’

  ‘And you are also very good friends with Princess Ava of Weevil, aren’t you?’ said Veto.

  ‘Yes,’ said Meenu. ‘We’ve been friends for years, long before she became ruler of Weevil.’

  ‘And you’d hate to do anything that might embarrass her,’ said Veto. ‘Especially with her being so very important. I mean, if it were discovered that a close friend of hers was a cheat, a liar and a fraud, it would make her position as ruler of Weevil very difficult. She might even have to abdicate and let someone else take over. After all, no one would trust a ruler who, in turn, trusted someone who was a liar and a fraud.’

  ‘Are you calling me a liar and a fraud?’ demanded Meenu angrily.

  Veto didn’t answer this. Instead, he smirked. Then, ‘Who is the Masked Avenger?’ he asked.

  ‘That is a secret!’ snapped Meenu.

  ‘Is it?’ murmured Veto. ‘Well, what if I told you I know the secret?’ He leant into Meenu and whispered menacingly, ‘What if I told you that I know it’s you and your twin sister? And that you take turns in being the Masked Avenger?’

  ‘I’d say you were talking rubbish!’ retorted Meenu.

  ‘But what would the wrestling authorities say about it if I told them?’ continued Veto. ‘They’d ban the Masked Avenger from wrestling.’ He snickered. ‘And, as I say, once the truth got out, Princess Ava would be left in a very awkward position.’

  Meenu fell silent for a moment, then she said, ‘What if this stupid story was true? What do you plan to do about it?’

  Lord Veto gave a shrug and a wink.

  ‘Why, nothing!’ he said. ‘Provided the Masked Avenger joins my stable of wrestlers.’

  ‘Yours?’ asked Meenu.

  Lord Veto smiled and produced a piece of paper. ‘I have a contract right here,’ he said, offering it to Meenu.

  Meenu took it and read it aloud. ‘I, Meenu, agree to wrestle for Lord Veto’s Wrestlers, in partnership with my twin sister.’

  She shook her head. ‘I can’t sign this,’ she said.

  ‘Yes, you can,’ said Veto. ‘Or else, Princess Ava will suffer. And the Masked Avenger will be banned.’

  Meenu fell silent. Then she said, ‘There’s no mention of money.’

  Lord Veto smiled.

  ‘Ah, money!’ he said. ‘I can offer you five gold coins. Providing you sign the contract, of course.’

  ‘Non-refundable?’ asked Meenu. ‘I mean, I have to protect myself. Say I take the money and sign this contract, and then you do something to break the contract – I’ll have to give you the money back.’

  ‘I won’t break the contract,’ said Lord Veto. ‘I give you my word.’

  Meenu shook her head. ‘Your word is not worth a lot, Lord Veto,’ she sniffed. She picked up a pen and wrote a few words on the contract.

  ‘What are you writing?’ asked Lord Veto suspiciously.

  ‘I’ll read it to you,’ said Meenu. Aloud, she read out, ‘I, Meenu, agree to wrestle for Lord Veto’s Wrestlers, in partnership with my twin sister, for the sum of five gold coins. This money will be kept by Meenu even if the contract is broken for any reason.’

  ‘Agreed!’ said Lord Veto.

  ‘Let me have the money first,’ said Meenu.

  Lord Veto hesitated, then dug into his pocket and produced a handful of gold coins. He counted out five of them and gave them to Meenu.

  ‘There,’ he said. ‘Now sign the contract.’

  ‘I need to have a copy as well,’ said Meenu.

  ‘I’ve got another copy,’ said Lord Veto, and he pulled a further copy of the contract from his pocket.

  Meenu added her extra wording to that copy as well, then signed her name on both and gave one back to Lord Veto.

  ‘There,’ she said. ‘I hope you’re satisfied.’

  Lord Veto smiled.

  ‘Oh yes, I am very satisfied,’ he said, beaming. ‘Welcome to Lord Veto’s stable of wrestlers, Masked Avenger.’

  CHAPTER 9

  Lord Veto was smiling and chuckling to himself as he neared the Wrestling Hall. Life was good! Business was booming! It almost made him feel like singing! Things couldn’t be better! And his voice broke into a warbling:

  ‘I am so happy!

  I am so clever!

  I will be rich for ever and ever.

  Now I have the Masked Avenger.

  And soon I’ll have Thud!

  Oh, clever me!’

  Then he heard Warg’s voice calling, ‘Lord Veto! Lord Veto!’

  The Chief Orc sounded panicky. Lord Veto turned and saw Warg running as fast as he could towards him, waving his arms, then skidding to a halt beside him.

  ‘What is it?’ demanded Lord Veto.

  ‘The Masked Avenger … ’ panted Warg, out of breath.

  ‘Signed and sealed!’ grinned Lord Veto, and he produced the contract with a flourish and thrust it under the orc’s nose. ‘What did I tell you? Blackmail and money! It never fails!’

  The orc scanned the contract, and then shook his head. ‘This contract is null and void,’ he said. ‘It’s worthless.’

  ‘What do you mean?’ demanded Lord Veto indignantly. ‘She’s signed it! That’s her signature! It’s legal!’

  Warg shook his head.

  ‘This says in partnership with my twin sister … ’

  ‘Of course it does! That’s the whole point! I need both sisters!’

  ‘Meenu doesn’t have a twin sister,’ said Warg. ‘She doesn’t have a sister at all. Or a brother. Or any other relatives. Not even a cousin.’

  ‘What?’ said Veto, shocked. ‘Are you sure?’

  ‘Certain, my Lord. I checked and double-checked.’

  ‘Then, if she isn’t the Masked Avenger, who is?’

  ‘As I mentioned, my Lord … ’ began Warg hesitantly.

  ‘If you’re going to start again with that nonsense about it being Princess Ava, forget it!’ snorted Lord Veto. ‘As I said before, she is royal and a very girly girl! It is obviously not her!’

  ‘No, my Lord,’ nodded Warg.

  ‘And right now we have a more important issue to deal with. I’ve just given that girl five gold coins! I’ll get those back to start with.’

  ‘You can’t, my Lord,’ said Warg.

  ‘Of course I can!’ snorted Veto. ‘She lied to me! She pretended to have a twin sister, when she hasn’t. That means she’s broken the contract, so I get my money back.’

  Warg pointed a claw at the words that Meenu had added to the contract and read them aloud: ‘This money will be kept by Meenu even if the contract is broken for any reason.’ He sighed. ‘My Lord, you’ve been conned.’

  ‘What?’ said Lord Veto. He stared at the contract in his hand, and then began tearing the paper into shreds.

  ‘There is no contract!’ he raged. ‘I’ll destroy it!’

  ‘Unless she has a copy,’ said Warg.

  Lord Veto stopped and a look of pain passed over his face.

  ‘They’ve cheated me! I’ve just lost five gold coins! I bet they were all in on it! Meenu, Milo, Robin … ’

  A look of grim and evil determination replaced his look of pain. ‘Just you wait! I’ll have my own back on them! Once that miserable former kitchen boy of mine crawls back to me, begging for me to take him on … ’ He gave an evil smile. ‘Not that I’ll honour my promise, of course. Chief trainer! I don’t want him as a trainer. I want him as Thud the Wrestling Troll!’

 

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