All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted by any person or entity, including internet search engines or retailers, in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including printing, photocopying (except under the statutory exceptions provisions of the Australian Copyright Act 1968), recording, scanning or by any information storage and retrieval system without the prior written permission of Random House Australia. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.

Sun Sword 1: Quest for the Sun Gem

9781742754611

Random House Australia Pty Ltd

20 Alfred Street, Milsons Point NSW 2061

http://www.randomhouse.com.au

Sydney New York Toronto

London Auckland Johannesburg

First published by Random House Australia 2006

Copyright © Belinda Murrell 2006

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

National Library of Australia

Cataloguing-in-Publication Entry

Murrell, Belinda.

Quest for the sun gem.

ISBN 978 1 74166 170 5.

ISBN 1 74166 170 6.

I. Title. (Series: Murrell, Belinda. Sun sword; bk. 1).

A823.4

Cover illustration by David Legge

Cover design by Louise Davis, Mathematics

For my beautiful children – Nick, Emily and Lachie –

who helped me rediscover the wonder

of imagination, and for my darling Rob.

Contents

Cover

Title Page

Copyright Page

Imprint Page

Dedication

Map

Chapter One: Hunt for the Wild White Stallion

Chapter Two: Princess Roana

Chapter Three: The Tree House

Chapter Four: Kenley

Chapter Five: Night Raid

Chapter Six: Escape

Chapter Seven: Arguments

Chapter Eight: Sea of Sighs

Chapter Nine: Smugglers’ Cove

Chapter Ten: Midnight Raid

Chapter Eleven: Sea Monster

Chapter Twelve: Merrow

Chapter Thirteen: Saira the Wise

Chapter Fourteen: The Hidden Village of Mereworth

Chapter Fifteen: The Prophecy

Chapter Sixteen: Riding for Tira

Chapter Seventeen: Search for the Caverns

Chapter Eighteen: Tunnels Beneath Tira

Chapter Nineteen: The Cavern

Chapter Twenty: The Second Tunnel

Chapter Twenty-One: Dungeons

Chapter Twenty-Two: Treasure Chamber

Chapter Twenty-Three: Royal Bed Chamber

Chapter Twenty-Four: The Royal Kitchens

Chapter Twenty-Five: Puzzle Box

Voyage of the Owl

About the Author

Acknowledgements

The full moon had already set and it was dark and chilly. Ethan crouched on the broad branch of a huge old tree, completely hidden by its leaves. He shivered and wrapped his cloak tighter around him for warmth. A slim streak of white hair at his left temple glimmered softly against his light brown hair. He peered through the darkness, ears straining for any noise.

He heard only the sounds of the forest: owls hooting across the valley, a crackle of twigs in the distance as an animal moved through the forest. Could that be the wild white stallion, the object of the Royal Hunt? A rush of excitement surged through him, warming his body despite the chilly air.

‘Too-wit-to-wooooo,’ came a bird call from behind him.

Ethan listened closely. He couldn’t remember ever hearing that bird call before.

An answering ‘too-wit-to-woooo’ came from the other side of the clearing.

Ethan waited patiently high in the tree as the horizon turned from dark grey to the pearly half light just before dawn. At last he heard it.

In the distance a faint jingle of bits and the soft thud of horses’ hooves broke the near silence. Down below he saw a dim figure flit silently through the trees and hide behind a fallen log. Probably another of the villagers hoping to catch a glimpse of the royal contingent, Ethan thought. He wondered if it might be his best friend, Saxon.

He nearly cried out to him but paused as the muffled sound of horses’ hooves grew closer. The king and queen! Into the clearing below came a double file of riders on horseback, following a tall dark man on foot.

The leader was tall and handsome, with black hair and green eyes, who emanated a quiet air of strength. Compared with the finery of the courtiers, his clothes were simple. Ethan shivered with pride and cold – that was Willem, his father, the Royal Master of Horse.

Willem led a golden mare with a white mane and tail. Sitting stiffly on her back was a young woman, the priestess Ostara. Her hair flowed loosely down her back and she wore unadorned robes of white.

Across her lap lay a huge sword, sheathed in a gold scabbard that glowed eerily in the gloomy light. She clutched it tightly with one hand while she clung onto the pommel with the other.

Directly behind her rode the king himself – King Radnor, a large man with a black beard, astride a tall, high-stepping golden horse. King Radnor was clothed in red velvet robes with a golden sun emblazoned across his chest. His long red cloak was clasped at the throat with a brooch of thin gold wire, twisted into the motif of a rising sun.

By his side was Queen Ashana, riding a beautiful snowy white mare. The queen had pale golden hair carefully curled into long ringlets. She wore a long dress of gold silk, trimmed with white lace, and a crown of diamonds and pearls. Queen Ashana gazed around her with interest, then turned to smile at the girl behind her.

Ethan shivered with excitement at the pageantry and mystery of the procession. This was the first time he had witnessed this sacred age-old ritual of Tiregian royalty.

The next rider was a girl dressed completely in white, mounted on a striking white pony with a silver bow and quiver of arrows attached to her saddle. Like her mother, Princess Roana had very pale skin, and long golden ringlets, under a circlet of jewelled silver. She wore a full-length cloak of white velvet, its hood trimmed with white fur, which partially hid her face. She sat ramrod straight, her ice-blue eyes staring forward between her horse’s ears, her head held high.

Both mother and daughter, like all of the ladies of the court, rode sidesaddle, their silken skirts cascading prettily over the horses’ flanks.

Beside his royal sister was a boy of about eight summers – Prince Caspar, riding a smaller pony. He was pale like his mother and sister, with curly blond hair and sparkling blue eyes. Ethan wondered if this was Prince Caspar’s first hunt, too. The prince held a short jewelled sword, which he clutched tightly. He whispered something to his sister. She tossed her head impatiently and gestured to him to be quiet.

Trailing behind the royal family was a mounted contingent of courtiers dressed in robes of embroidered silk in rich crimsons, deep purples, gold, blue, silvers and greens, carrying golden ceremonial bows and arrows for the hunt ahead.

Guards dressed in red livery with the golden sun on their chests rode in the rear, carrying long pointed spears and swords. Finally, on foot came nine priestesses in white robes, their hair long and flowing, carrying bouquets of fresh spring wildflowers.

The procession wound its way into the centre of the clearing then formed a large circle around the young priestess Ostara, King Radnor and Queen Ashana.

Horses stamped their hooves, fidgeting and prancing, setting their jewel-encrusted harnesses jingling. Steam billowed softly from their flaring nostrils.

The light in the clearing was gradually growing. Willem stepped to the side of Ostara’s horse and gently lifted her down. All the priestesses began to sing a soft otherworldy chant, their voices rising and falling.

A golden glow suffused the sky above the treetops, streaking the grey clouds with vivid pinks and reds.

Ethan noted the sky and the ancient saying popped into his mind: ‘Red at night, shepherds’ delight; red in the morning, shepherds’ warning.’ There might be a storm today, he thought idly.

Ostara slowly lifted the huge sword by the hilt, with the blade pointing to the ground. In the growing light Ethan could see the ornate gold engravings on the hilt and scabbard.

Gleaming in the hilt, like a huge red eye, was a round ruby. Golden carved rays leapt around the jewel like the dancing flames of the sun. Below the sun, the engravings and tiny coloured gems depicted the earth unfurling with flowers and plants.

On the reverse side of the hilt was a large round pearl, equal in size to the ruby, signifying the full moon. The engravings under the moon pearl were of waves and fish, while engraved stars studded with diamonds twinkled around it.

The rim of the sun peeped over the treetops, bathing the scene in a golden pink glow.

‘Like the fiery sun does our Lord King Radnor shine his mighty light,’ Ostara intoned.

‘Shine peace and warmth on us, mighty Radnor,’ chanted the nine acolytes.

‘Like the pale full moon Queen Ashana guides us with her sight.’

‘Guide us well, Wise Moon Queen.’

‘In shadow, the wild White Stallion steals through the night,’ Ostara sang.

‘Roam free, wild moon horse.’

‘Chase the night, seek the horse and bring the light,’ Ostara sang.

‘Chase the night, bring the light,’ echoed the acolytes.

‘Let the mighty Radnor set forth his ray, and release the sun for a blessed new day.’

‘Bring the light, bring the day.’

‘Peace be with us,’ Ostara sang.

‘Peace be with us,’ sang the response.

‘Let the hunt begin,’ breathed Ostara, exhaling a misty puff of air.

The sun glinted off the golden scabbard as Ostara slowly lifted the hilt above her head and stepped gracefully across the clearing to pass the sword up to King Radnor.

King Radnor would carry the fabled Sun Sword with him during the hunt through the forest to chase the white stallion. The sword signified the natural power of the sun and moon, and the deep rhythms of the earth and the seasons.

Every spring the Royal Hunt set out on the dawn of the vernal equinox to hunt the wild white stallion. The stallion needed to be captured by dusk, so that he could be released with the royal mares, to father the prized snowy moon horses. If the stallion was found, it was a good omen for a bountiful season with many foals and good harvests.

The king reached down to grasp the Sun Sword by the hilt and swung it above his head, the red ruby flashing like fire and the moon pearl shimmering like ice. A sigh of awe and expectation rippled through the watching crowd.

All eyes were on the flashing Sun Sword of Tiregian. No-one saw quite what happened next.

A zing whirred through the air. A dark lightning streak, faster than thought. King Radnor gave a bellow of surprise, pain and disbelief. The crowd seemed frozen as they watched helplessly.

The king sat astride his horse, clutching the golden sword, with a thick black arrow quivering in his left arm. The Royal Guard surged forward to save him. Too late.

Another arrow flew straight behind the first. This time the aim was true. It hummed straight into the king’s chest, the black feather fletches shivering in the cold morning air.

King Radnor clutched at his heart, gasping in shock. In slow, slow motion he slumped, crumpled and slid from his startled horse to the ground. Before anyone could reach him, a third arrow struck the Priestess Ostara and she tumbled to the ground, like a crumpled white handkerchief stained with crimson.

Screams filled the air. A cloud of black arrows flew through the clearing, picking off the Royal Guards in their bright scarlet uniforms. Horses plunged, acolytes screamed, courtiers fled and red soldiers ran hither and thither in confusion.

Princess Roana’s horse bucked and reared, screaming in terror, then bolted into the forest, straight under the tree where Ethan was hiding. A shadow jumped from behind the log to the right and tried to grab the reins as the horse bolted past.

‘Leave the brat, she won’t get far,’ yelled a scornful voice with a strange foreign accent. ‘We’ll find her soon enough. Capture the queen and the prince.’

With a roar, a wave of hundreds of soldiers, clothed in coal-black armour and helmets, leapt from behind tree trunks and logs brandishing cutlasses. They ran forward, slashing and thrusting into the confusion of screaming, rearing bodies.

Ethan yelled in shock. His first impulse was to leap from the tree branch to the aid of the party below. He slithered down a couple of branches but was stopped by the sound of his father’s shout.

‘Ethan, stay where you are,’ Willem roared. ‘Your highness, you must flee!’

Willem leapt up into the saddle of the horse he had been leading and galloped towards the queen and prince, chasing them off towards the forest. He then wheeled around towards the attackers and tried to bar their way, brandishing only a short dagger.

Willem was soon wrestled to the ground, one arrow in his shoulder and another in his thigh, while a flood of black-clad soldiers streamed past him after the remaining members of the royal family. One of the soldiers struck him forcibly across the face and Willem slumped, barely conscious.

Ethan froze in the tree, his heart pounding, his mouth sticky and dry. His stomach heaved with anxiety as he tried to grasp the reality of the terrifying attack below him. The small group of Tiregians, in their brightly coloured ceremonial clothes, were completely surrounded by a surging sea of black armour. They had no hope of fighting back.

Through the leaves he could see the leader of the attackers, triumphantly grasping the queen’s horse by the bridle. Prince Caspar huddled on his own pony behind her, his eyes huge pools of fright.

The queen was dragged from her horse. She tried to beat her attackers off with her riding crop but was quickly overwhelmed and thrown to her knees, her arms bound behind her. Prince Caspar tried to fight the attackers off with his tiny sword but was dragged from his horse by a dozen soldiers and thrown contemptuously beside his mother.

Dragging himself up, Willem struggled with his captors to reach the queen and her son but was again beaten down into the churned mud.

The leader of the attackers picked up the huge ceremonial Sun Sword from where it had fallen under King Radnor’s body. Brandishing it in the air, he strode over to Queen Ashana. He grasped her by the hair and forced her head down between her knees. He took off his black helmet to reveal his gaunt face, pale waxy skin and black eyes, burning with battle fervour.

‘Ashana, formerly known as Queen of Tiregian,’ he thundered in a guttural voice, ‘I, Lord Lazlac, claim this land and all its riches in the name of my lord and master, the Emperor Raef, ruler of Sedah and the Nine Isles.’

He used the point of the huge sword to gently lift her chin. A small bead of blood welled up under its tip. Queen Ashana stared up at Lazlac defiantly.

‘As the new Governor of Tiregian, I declare you and your son enemies of the people, your sentence to be imprisoned for the remainder of your days in the dungeons of the Royal Palace in Tira,’ Lord Lazlac pronounced. ‘Your son will be taken to the north to Bryn to be educated in the ways of the chosen ones, before going to take his place in the Emperor’s court in Sedah.’

Queen Ashana wailed in despair and grief. ‘No. No, this is not possible!’

Lord Lazlac grimaced at her in a twisted parody of a smile.

‘Oh, to the contrary, my lady. It is completely possible.’ Lord Lazlac bent down and gently cupped Queen Ashana’s face in his hand. She violently twisted away.

‘Very pretty,’ he murmured. ‘I believe I would enjoy a fitting memento of this historic day.’

With that he carefully unclasped a fine gold chain from around the queen’s neck. Dangling on the chain was a heart-shaped locket set with a large, pale purple amethyst surrounded by tiny seed pearls. He held it up to the early morning sun.

‘Yes – a very pretty keepsake. It will please me to keep this by me. Take the prisoners away,’ ordered Lord Lazlac coldly.

The queen stared wide-eyed in shock, as Caspar sobbed beside her. She struggled and fought as the guards dragged her to her feet, and tried to throw herself on the body of her husband.

‘Radnor!’ she screamed. ‘Radnor! Noooooo.’

The guards dragged her over to the other surviving prisoners, who had all been bound tightly and thrown in a pile together. The prisoners were urged to their feet at cutlass point and hustled away, back through the forest. The attackers must be taking them towards the royal hunting lodge, Ethan thought. He saw his father struggle to his feet and stumble, blood gushing from a cut above his brow. Willem looked dazed and unsteady on his feet.

Other guards moved among the fallen bodies in the clearing, roughly searching them for gems and valuables. They dragged the bodies into a pile then set off after their comrades.

Ethan still crouched on his tree branch, trembling with shock and fear. He was torn between relief that his father was still alive and horror at the carnage he had witnessed. When he was quite sure the clearing was empty, he half fell, half scrambled out of his hiding place and dropped to the ground.

‘Mama,’ he murmured. ‘I must warn Mama.’

Eyes averted from the pile of bodies, he ran, crouching and stumbling down the forest path towards the village and home.

Ethan staggered in a daze along the path for many minutes, until a sound pierced his tumultuous thoughts.

‘Too-wit-to-woooo, too-wit-to-woooo.’

He stopped jogging blindly. Where had he heard that noise before? That’s right, he thought, It’s that bird noise. The one I heard just before …

Panic surged through his body, making him freeze momentarily. He listened very carefully. The usual sounds of the forest, but then what was that? A distant scuff. What could it be? Something following him? Or someone?

Ethan ran on faster, energised by renewed fear.

He came to a fork in the path – to the right continued the wider track, just wide enough for a horse and cart, which led out of the forest. To the left ran a much narrower path, the shortcut to the village of Kenley – his home. Ethan stopped again to listen, straining to hear over the sound of his pounding heart.

Again he heard a soft rhythmic thud – the noise of many feet running swiftly and surely along the track behind him, getting closer and closer. The invaders!

Ethan paused as he saw the pile of stones marking the fork in the path, with its marker sign pointing left to the village. A flash of inspiration came to him and he yanked up the sign and turned it back to front to point down the other track. In his pocket he found a stub of chalk and carefully wrote ‘Kenley’ on the back of the sign. It might just slow them down long enough for me to warn the villagers, Ethan thought.

The sound of running feet was very close now.

Ethan glanced around in dismay, then scuttled off the path and burrowed into a thick cluster of shrubs.

In a matter of moments they were upon him.

Through the leaves he saw a pack of at least thirty soldiers in black armour loping up the track, cutlasses drawn and eyes scouring the forest on either side for signs of life.

‘Halt, Sedahs,’ barked the leader. ‘Map!’

One of the soldiers pulled a grubby, torn piece of parchment from his pocket and handed it to the leader.

‘Map, Captain Malish,’ he saluted smartly and stepped back. Captain Malish lifted the visor of his helmet to have a clear view.

‘Mortma was right about attacking the king all the way out here in the forest. The surprise was total and there were barely any soldiers to resist. But some of Mortma’s other details are sketchy – like this dreadful map.’ Captain Malish wrinkled his forehead in confusion as he examined the parchment. ‘It shows here that the path to the village is on the left, but it looks as though we should actually go right. I wonder if Mortma’s ever actually been to this pathetic little village that we need to commandeer!’ The men all sniggered softly at the captain’s little joke.

‘But what of that blasted girl?’ Captain Malish continued. ‘Sniffer?’

A small man scuttled forward, his mouth pursed in excitement. He had a sun-beaten face, with darting eyes and a nose that seemed to drink the air.

Sniffer crouched down carefully, running his fingers over the pebbly track as if reading something there with his fingertips. He moved closer to Ethan until he was only a body length from Ethan’s scrubby hiding place. Ethan closed his eyes and held his breath, willing himself to be invisible. He could hear Sniffer snuffling and sniffing so close he could almost feel his scent being torn from his quivering body.

Finally Sniffer moved away, crawling down the narrower path. He found something interesting caught on the rough bark of a tree. He plucked it and walked back to the others, holding it between his thumb and forefinger, just under his nose.

‘The girl went this way.’ Sniffer jerked his thumb down the narrow path. ‘Fresh hoofprints clear as day, and look …’ In between his fingers were three fine white hairs. ‘Horsehair.’

Captain Malish swore. ‘We need to take that village quickly to secure fresh supplies and slaves for our ships. But Mortma wants that girl. We need to find her.’

‘Sir?’ asked the map bearer. ‘Should I track down the girl with Sniffer, while you capture the village? We should have her in less than an hour and we can take her back to Lord Lazlac ourselves.’

‘No!’ barked Captain Malish, his black eyes flashing dangerously. He caught himself. ‘The girl is nothing – a weak, spoilt child. She won’t get far in this forest. No, I need you both to help us seize the village. We will take the right-hand path and capture Kenley, and then I will come back with Sniffer. I think we will find her highness snivelling in a ditch somewhere waiting for us to rescue her. Lord Lazlac will be well pleased.’ He turned towards the wider path.

‘Formation! On the double!’

The soldiers sprang into their formation and loped off down the right-hand cart track, cutlasses drawn. In a moment the forest was once again still and quiet. Ethan listened carefully before crawling from his hiding spot, his heart still pounding and the words he had overheard churning through his head.

I must warn the village, he thought. Refreshed from his enforced break, he sprinted on.

‘Only a few more minutes,’ he panted. He ran until he thought his heart would burst from his chest. He raced around a sharp twist in the path and stopped short.

Head hanging desolately, mane matted with twigs, sides splattered with mud, stood the once proud royal pony. At her feet lay the crumpled body of a girl dressed all in white – Princess Roana.

Ethan crept over to her, anxious.

‘Your highness,’ he whispered. ‘Your highness, are you all right?’

The girl stirred, moaning. Ethan crouched beside her, torn by indecision. He had to warn the villagers urgently, but he could not leave a princess lying in the mud while that peculiar little man, Sniffer, was tracking her down for some mysterious purpose. He grabbed her shoulder and shook it roughly.

‘Your highness, wake up!’ he whispered fiercely.

The girl lifted her dirt-streaked face.

‘Where am I?’ she asked in a confused and sleepy tone.

Ethan tried to help her up, but his sense of urgency made him clumsy. Princess Roana glared at him haughtily.

‘Take your hands away from me at once, you filthy peasant. How dare you touch my royal personage! Go at once and fetch my maid to escort me back to the lodge.’

Ethan blushed deep crimson in mortification.

‘I … I’m so sorry, your highness,’ he stuttered. ‘I didn’t mean to frighten you. But you can’t go back to the royal lodge. We’ve been invaded. Many have been killed.’ He paused. How could he tell her that her own father, the king, was dead?

‘I must warn my village at once,’ gabbled Ethan. ‘Are you hurt?’

‘Of course I am injured, you idiotic fool. I was thrown from my mount while escaping from the attack. I cracked my head horribly and was dragged behind my horse.’ She winced as she tried to sit up. Tears welled into her eyes.

‘I cannot stand. You must return and fetch my maid immediately!’ demanded the princess.

‘No, I won’t,’ Ethan snapped. ‘I must warn the village. I can’t stand here arguing with you. There’s no time.’

His tone softened slightly. ‘I will hide you in the forest. You must be very quiet. The invaders are probably right behind us. I will return as soon as I can to help you.’

Princess Roana made to speak but held her silence, rubbing the back of her head tenderly. Her hand came away smeared with blood and mud. She wiped her hand on the skirt of her white gown, grimacing.

‘Mighty Sun Lord,’ Ethan swore. ‘I can’t hide you in the forest dressed in white. You’ll be seen for miles. Here, cover yourself with this.’

Ethan thrust his own green woollen cloak at her. The princess wrinkled her nose in distaste as she took the well-worn cloak, but she obediently wrapped it around her, over her own muddy velvet cloak.

‘We will go closer to the village and hide you there,’ Ethan whispered urgently. ‘You must be quiet until I return. I will come as quickly as I can, but we must hurry now.’

Princess Roana maintained a dignified silence as Ethan caught the horse’s reins and hoisted her into the saddle. He clambered up behind her and urged the snowy mare into a slow trot. The princess moaned a little through clenched lips.

Ethan soon found a suitable place to lay the Princess Roana, at the base of a pile of rocks behind a fallen log away from the path. He tethered the horse to a tree, then carefully carried the princess off the path.

He remembered Sniffer and stepped carefully, trying not to disturb the deep leaf litter carpeting the forest floor. Ethan lay her down gingerly, struggling with the unfamiliar weight, and covered her with his cloak, then heaped leaves and fallen branches around her. From a couple of metres away she was almost invisible. As an afterthought he pulled his dagger from its sheath and placed it in her hand. She dropped it in revulsion.

‘Remember, don’t move and be silent – your life depends upon it,’ he whispered, pressing the dagger back into her hand. ‘I will come back soon. I need to take your horse – it will be quicker.’

The princess looked inclined to argue but thought better of it, turning her head away. Ethan turned to go.

‘Boy!’ called an imperious voice from behind him. ‘Her name is Moonbeam. Please look after her.’

Ethan nodded. ‘My name is Ethan, your highness,’ he replied.

As he carefully stepped back onto the path, he used a broken branch to sweep over the slight depression his feet had left in the leaf litter, to hide the clues to the princess’s hiding place.

Ethan vaulted onto Moonbeam’s back and galloped onwards. He saw a muddy puddle on the path and deliberately rode through it to leave clear hoofprints leading away from the princess.

Soon he was out of the forest, galloping through the green-gold meadows and down to the small village of stone cottages, nestled beside a burbling stream. It looked the image of rural peace and tranquillity in the early morning sunlight. The pony’s hooves clattered on the cobbles as he cantered over the arched stone bridge and onto the main road of the village.

‘Run for your lives,’ Ethan shouted as Moonbeam skidded to a stop in the village square. ‘We’ve been invaded. The king is dead. You must flee immediately. There is no time. The invaders are on their way here now.’

Villagers ran towards him, dropping their tasks in bewilderment and confusion.

‘What joke is this, young Ethan? You musn’t frighten the old women like this,’ grunted George, the village blacksmith, a big burly man with curly black hair.

‘It’s no joke, George. I saw it with my own eyes. I saw the king killed and my father and the others taken,’ Ethan sobbed. ‘You must hurry and go.’

The villagers screamed and ran in confusion, searching for children and loved ones and precious possessions. George ran and rang the bell on the village green to warn the workers in the outlying fields and forests.

Ethan slithered down from Moonbeam’s back and tethered her at the gate to his own family’s dear cottage. The garden sprawled around the stone cottage, filled with herbs and flowers, and buzzing with bees. Pale blue forget-me-nevers, white moonflowers, golden angels and pink gilly flowers bloomed by the door.

Smoke curled from the chimney as it did on every morning of every day that Ethan had lived. How could his world be turned upside down while everything still looked just the same – quiet and wonderfully peaceful?

‘Mama … Mama, Lily!’ he bellowed as he burst into the kitchen, warm and sweet with the scent of drying herbs and good food.

There he found his mother stirring a pot of hot porridge over the fire. Marnie was a tall, strong woman with a head of honey blonde hair pulled back into a knot at the nape of her neck. Wisps of hair escaped in unruly strands and clung to her damp skin. She wore the simple clothes of a hardworking mother, but her face was soft and easily creased with smiles.

Marnie was the village healer and herb woman. She harvested plants from her garden, the fields and forest to make ointments, tinctures and reviving infusions. She kept hives of bees for their delicious and healing honey. During birthing time she coaxed and cajoled the new babies, both human and animal, into the world, and many a mother had been grateful for her calm patience, sensible advice and magical hands.

‘Ethan, what is it? Where have you been, you wild boy? You should have been doing your chores this morning, not peeking at the royal goings-on in the forest,’ she scolded softly, her eyes filled with loving humour.

Ethan blurted out all his news – the attack, Willem’s capture, overhearing the guards and finding the princess.

‘How much time do you think we have?’ Marnie asked, her face now set with determination.

‘I don’t know – ten or fifteen minutes?’

‘Ethan, you must find your sister and take her to hide in the forest. She is feeding the animals,’ Marnie ordered. ‘I must go to your father and treat him, and any of the court who are injured.’

‘No, Mama, they will take you,’ interrupted Ethan. ‘It is too dangerous.’

‘I must help your father. You said he was badly wounded. You know I must. And you must help the princess and keep safe. Hide until the soldiers leave. Take a pack with food, medicine and supplies in case you need to hide in the forest for a few days, and to treat the princess’s wounds. I will pack the same for me.’

Marnie started quickly packing two satchels with bread, cheese, jars of ointments, bottles of brown herbal liquid, clean cloths and bandages.

‘Tell Lily to let all the animals go. They will hopefully find shelter in the forest too. We can track them down when it is safe again. Now hurry and go,’ Marnie said.

In the barn at the end of the garden, Ethan found his younger sister, Lily, singing as she fed the hens. At her feet lay the sleeping tawny red shadow of their dog, Aisha. Ethan threw open the gate to the stalls as he yelled instructions. Lily stood shocked and silent, then started helping him to shoo the animals out into the meadow. Aisha barked and chased the animals in excitement at this unexpected change in routine.

‘Go, little ones,’ Lily whispered, her voice catching as she patted the huge female pig on the back. ‘Be safe, we will come for you soon.’

Ethan was about to return to the kitchen when a thought occurred to him. He grabbed a pitchfork from the wall.

‘Go on, Lily. I’ll come in just a moment. There is something I need to do.’

Back in the kitchen, Marnie had a pile of cloaks and satchels ready for them. She had taken the pot from the stove and filled two pails with the steaming porridge, sealing them with tightly wedged lids.

‘Take this, my darlings,’ Marnie whispered. ‘Go to the tree house and stay hidden. Go by the stream and fields, and stay away from the paths. I will try to come for you there. If I have not come in three days, then you must go to your aunt’s and I will find you there.’ She paused and the children saw tears in her eyes.

‘Remember that your father and I love you both with all our hearts and we will always watch over you.’

Ethan and Lily hugged their mother in a wordless, hot, desperate embrace, thick tears choking their throats and making it impossible to see or breathe. Marnie looked carefully at each one of her children in turn, branding their faces into her memory. She dreaded that she might never see them again.

First Ethan – a strong, handsome boy of fourteen summers, with a crooked left eyebrow like his father, and light brown hair with a fine strand of white hair growing at the temple. She touched the pale white tuft with her fingertips and smiled. ‘My blessed boy,’ she murmured.

Next Marnie stroked her daughter’s face. Lily was a year younger than her brother. She was a sunny, happy girl, always singing and dancing about her work. A pretty girl, as agile as a monkey, with long unruly, honey blonde hair, just like Marnie’s own. Both had the same chocolate brown eyes, now clouded with strain and nerves. ‘My beautiful girl.’

‘I love you, Mama,’ whispered Lily into her mother’s shoulder. Ethan bit his lip sharply. Finally Marnie pushed them both away from her with a shudder.

‘May the Moon Goddess bless you both and keep you safe,’ she whispered. ‘Now hurry.’

Marnie shouldered her pack and set off to the royal hunting lodge to find her wounded husband – and the enemy.

Outside the kitchen door, Ethan quickly strapped the packs across Moonbeam’s back. Lily climbed up into the saddle, while Ethan passed her the pails of thick hot porridge. Then he scrambled up in front of her and they galloped off with Aisha at their heels, through the garden, thick with the scent of lavender and roses, past the barn and into the meadow towards the forest.

At the edge of the meadow, they opened the gate to the forest, hoping the animals would find their way to freedom. Behind them they could hear the bustle and shouts as the villagers planned their escape.

The village bell began to ring wildly again, signalling greater danger. The Sedah must have reached Kenley.

Ethan was about to turn Moonbeam’s head straight into the welcoming darkness of the forest when he remembered Sniffer and the hunt for the princess. He and Lily were now riding the royal horse and Sniffer would be tracking them instead.

He urged the reluctant pony across the meadow again and down into the shallow stream. With much kicking, clicking and encouragement Moonbeam splashed her way slowly along the stream, sliding and slipping on the smooth river pebbles. They felt as if they were a very visible target on the bright white horse, but at least they were not leaving any tracks.

Lily and Ethan both heaved a sigh of relief when the stream left the sunlit meadows and meandered up into the dark, safe forest. They grinned weakly at each other.

Ethan’s eyes scanned back across the meadows to the village for any sign of the invaders. He could see nothing, though he could hear faint screams now and a distant clash of steel. He resolutely closed his ears to the sound and turned his face forward to the job ahead.

‘First we should wend our way in a roundabout route to the tree house and store our packs, then I will go to get the princess while you stay at the tree,’ Ethan instructed.

‘I’ll come with you,’ Lily argued. ‘I should check how badly she is injured before we move her. You know how dangerous it can be to move someone if they are badly hurt.’ Ethan grunted at this and urged Moonbeam on, further up the stream into the forest.

After a few more minutes, they left the stream and climbed up the bank, out of the valley and up the thickly wooded side of a hill. Aisha slipped beside them as silent as a wraith, her legs and belly dark with water. Willem had trained her to hunt quickly and quietly.

The first flowers of spring thrust their blooms up through the dark mulch of rotting leaves and moss. Birds twittered from the branches of the trees surrounding them. Their nostrils filled with the deep, warm scent of rich earth, pungent mulch, tangy leaves and fresh air.

On the ridge was a huge ancient tree, its branches spreading up to the sky. Here Ethan and Lily had built a tree house to play with their friends. The tree was easy to climb with plenty of footholds.

High in its branches was a platform of rough hewn planks. A patched roof and walls sheltered it from the rain and wind. Here Ethan and Lily had hidden in their free time to play knuckles or cards with their friends, read books or daydream about faraway adventures.

They tethered Moonbeam at the base of the tree. Aisha flopped down into the soft mulch at the bottom of the tree, while Ethan and Lily nimbly climbed up one-handed, carrying their packs and pails.

They dumped their bundles and spread out the cloaks. The smell of the warm porridge made their stomachs rumble.

‘So now for the princess,’ Lily exclaimed. ‘I hope she’s still there. We can eat when we get back.’ Ethan stared longingly at the pails but simply nodded and swung his legs over the side of the platform for the climb down.

‘We will need to be careful,’ Ethan said. ‘There may be soldiers travelling back and forth along the track between Kenley and the hunting lodge. And we need to try to hide our tracks. I don’t like the idea of that Sniffer breathing down our necks. He gives me the creeps!’

At that moment Sniffer was outside the gate of Lily and Ethan’s cottage. Around him Sedah soldiers rampaged, searching houses, barns and chicken coops for hidden people, animals and valuables. Any villagers found – though the Sedahs found fewer people than they expected – were rounded up ignominiously and herded into the largest storehouse for guarding.

Sniffer ignored the chaos and screams around him. He fingered Moonbeam’s hoofprints in the soft earth outside the fence, quietly snuffling to himself. He picked up and sniffed a tiny tuft of white hair that had caught on the rough timber of the fence, where Moonbeam had rubbed her itchy cheek.

Sniffer opened the gate and, crouching, almost on hands and knees, crawled down the front path. Moonbeam’s hoof had dislodged a fresh wedge of moss from a crack, and the metal horseshoe had left a white scratch on the red brick path. Sniffer carefully followed the clues – a broken twig of lavender, a crushed sprig of thyme, a hoofprint in a moist patch of earth.

The trail led around the back of the pretty stone cottage, pausing at the kitchen door, then down through the back garden past the vegetable garden, beehives, chicken pen, barn and orchard, down to the back gate and into the meadow.

Here the hoofprints were deeper and further apart. The horse had been galloping. Sniffer smiled to himself and started to lope across the meadow, easily following the swathe of bent and trodden grass the horse had left as it galloped through the fresh spring growth. This would be easy – like taking candy from a babe. The infidel princess would soon be in his hands, and Governor Lazlac would be pleased with him – very pleased.

Moonbeam’s hoofprints were easily seen on the bank of the stream. Sniffer smiled again. He squatted beside the trail. There, clearly marked in the mud, was the pawprint of a dog. A large dog. Sniffer ran his hand lovingly over his knife. He would make short work of that dog, no matter how big it was. He snuffled in pleasure.

He stood up and moved down the bank. He carefully forded the stream and searched the bank on the other side. Nothing. He frowned momentarily. He looked upstream. Nothing. He looked downstream. Nothing. His experienced eyes scanned the stream floor. Wait. A small boulder upstream looked like it may have been dislodged.

Sniffer set off upstream towards the forest, wading slowly and carefully through the gurgling water, his eyes peeled for the tiniest sign of his quarry.

Princess Roana was still lying under Ethan’s cloak and a coverlet of leaves and branches, the dagger beside her. She was dozing fitfully, shivering with cold and shock. The sour smell of vomit emanated from beside her. Blood still oozed from a wound on the side of her head, matting the golden ringlets into brownish clumps. Her face was streaked with tears.

Lily wrinkled her nose.

‘She’s vomiting, perhaps she is concussed,’ Lily murmured, running her hands over the princess’s head, neck, back and legs. Lily had helped her mother tend to the sick and injured, and had been learning the skills of the healer since she could toddle behind Marnie’s skirts.

‘She has a nasty gash on the back of her head and quite a deep cut on her arm,’ Lily listed. ‘Lots of scratches and bruises, and the ankle is very swollen. But nothing seems to be broken.’

Princess Roana moaned and her eyelids fluttered open, blue eyes staring around her in bewilderment.

Ethan and Lily hoisted the barely conscious princess up into Moonbeam’s saddle. Lily climbed up behind her to hold her in the saddle. Ethan and Aisha padded along behind. Ethan walked backwards, gently ruffling the leaves with a fallen branch to disguise their tracks.

At the tree house, Ethan and Lily worked together to pull Princess Roana up the tree. The princess did little to help them and she did not speak, crying out only when she was unexpectedly jarred.

By the time they reached the top and all three had collapsed on the tree house floor, the princess’s lips and teeth were smeared with blood from biting against the pain. Ethan made a bed for Princess Roana from the cloaks, with some spare clothes rolled into a pillow, while Lily bathed the princess’s wounds and scratches in water scented with lavender oil.

Lily then carefully removed the princess’s high-heeled white leather boots. The princess winced as the leather peeled away from the swollen, angry ankle. Lily bathed it in icy cold stream water, then bound it tightly in bandages and propped it up on one of the satchels as a pillow.

Lily spooned some white willow bark decoction into Princess Roana’s mouth, then bathed her brow and neck in lavender-scented water.

‘This will help you sleep,’ Lily murmured.

Princess Roana bore all this silently, but at the mention of sleep she suddenly pushed Lily’s hand away with a peremptory gesture.

‘I cannot rest now! Tell me, girl, what is the news of my father, the king?’ she commanded.

Lily froze, her cheeks blanching. ‘My brother said your father died in the attack this morning. I’m sorry.’

Roana bit her lip sharply, struggling with her emotions.

‘And the queen and Prince Caspar?’ she demanded coldly.

‘They have been taken prisoner by the Sedahs with the others who were at the ceremony,’ Lily replied in a low voice.

‘I see. And you should address me as “your highness” when you speak to me. That will be all.’ Roana turned her face away to the wall, only her trembling hands giving away any sign of emotion.

Lily blushed furiously at this rebuke and busied herself stirring the porridge.

‘Your highness, would you like something to eat? It might make you feel better.’

The princess took a mouthful of warm porridge, then gagged and spat it out in disgust.

‘What is that foul gruel?’ she snapped peevishly. ‘I cannot eat food that is fit only for pigs. Take it away.’ She turned her back on them and grumbled as she tried to make herself comfortable on her rough bed.

‘Sorry, your highness, but we are all out of roast peacock today,’ retorted Ethan softly. The princess deigned not to hear him.

Lily laughed silently and pulled a face at Ethan. Together they sat cross-legged on the floor to eat their own porridge.

‘A hot cup of tea would be lovely with this but we daren’t light a fire,’ Lily whispered.

‘I wish I knew what was going on,’ replied Ethan. ‘I wonder if Mama and Dadda are all right. What are we going to do? We can’t just sit here and wait. We must do something!’

‘Mama said we were to stay here, hiding, until she came for us. Besides, we have to look after her.’ Lily shrugged over her shoulder at the silent princess.

Ethan scowled, shoulders hunched as he dug into the platform with the blade of his dagger.

Back in Kenley, a soldier in black armour reported to Captain Malish that a group of villagers had been seen skulking off into the forest following a huge man with a black beard.

‘Get me Sniffer,’ bellowed Captain Malish. ‘I want him to track those villagers and bring them back to me – on the double!’

‘Sniffer’s gone, sir,’ murmured the unfortunate soldier. ‘He was seen splashing down the stream following some scent or other.’

‘Well, get after him and get him back here immediately. I want those villagers caught. Understand?’

‘Yes, sir,’ saluted the soldier, racing after the mysterious Sniffer as fast as he could.

The day crawled by listlessly. The princess dozed and whimpered in her sleep. Lily bathed her wounds again in the evening. They finished the porridge, sharing it with the princess, who this time reluctantly swallowed some. Princess Roana sipped on water from the flask, grimacing at its unfamiliar taste.

Ethan had been right about the impending storm – it broke as night fell. Thunder crashed and lightning streaked the sky. The rain poured down, trickling through the rough roof and walls and puddling on the floor. Lily and Ethan slept fitfully, huddled together under their cloaks, trying in vain to keep dry and warm. When the sun rose, they woke stiff and cramped.

‘I feel disgusting,’ Lily complained. ‘I hurt all over and my clothes are damp!’

‘At least all that rain will make it harder for our friend Sniffer to track us,’ Ethan said cheerily.

The princess tossed and turned deliriously at the sound of their voices.

‘She has a fever,’ Lily whispered, as she bathed the princess’s face, neck and ankle in cool stream water. ‘I think there must be an infection.’

The princess took nothing all day except tiny sips of water from the flask and Marnie’s willow bark decoction.

Ethan sat out on a branch gazing over the forest, his mind ticking furiously, while Lily tried to busy herself tending her patient. They ate bread and cheese, saying little. Both their faces were furrowed with frowns of anxiety as the day dragged by.

The next night and day were equally torturous. The princess’s fever abated and she slept better. Ethan busied himself fetching water from the stream with Aisha, all the while watching the forest anxiously for signs of the invaders. For the moment, the forest was quiet.

Aisha slipped off a couple of times to hunt for food. Lily watched over her patient, bathing her and offering frequent sips of water, and dozing whenever the princess was asleep.

As dusk fell again, Ethan jumped to his feet, swinging his arms. ‘That’s it. I can’t stand this any more. We have waited for three days as Mama asked us to. I have to go and try to find out what is happening. I just can’t sit here any longer while Mama and Dadda …’ He trailed off.

Lily compressed her lips and nodded anxiously. ‘I know. Ethan, please be careful.’

Ethan ran lightly through the forest, flexing his tense and cramped muscles. Aisha bounded along beside him, snuffling the air. Ethan paused when he reached the path, his eyes and ears unnaturally alert. Which way? To the hunting lodge or the village?

After a second’s hesitation he turned right to the village, slipping along the path in the dusk like a ghost. He kept to the hedgerows and walls bordering the fields. As he neared the village he stopped, eyes and ears straining.

All was still. He was just about to continue along the road into the village when Aisha growled low and deep in her throat. He quietened her with a soft touch to her neck.

In the shadows he could just make out two dark figures lurking on the arched stone bridge across the stream. A moment later a third figure joined them.

‘All well?’ queried a familiar voice.

‘Yes, Captain Malish.’

‘Any more villagers slinking back?’ Captain Malish enquired.

‘None on this watch.’

‘Good then. I think Sniffer must have caught most of them. Tomorrow we will torch the village and withdraw to the coast to join our ships.’

‘Good news, Captain – I’ll be pleased to leave this accursed place. I’ve heard there are ghosts and ghouls, and strange faery people out there in that dreadful forest,’ growled one of the guards.

‘Nonsense, man,’ Captain Malish retorted. ‘There are no ghosts or faeries out there. Get back to duty, and no more talk of magic or you’ll be feeling the stroke of my whip.’

‘Yes, sir. Of course, sir!’

Captain Malish strode away towards the village. The two on the bridge shivered and looked nervously out into the darkness, before melting back into the shadows.

Ethan turned and slipped further downstream. He waded across the stream as quietly as he could and crept towards his cottage. The familiar smell of lavender and roses wafted in the breeze. To his left he could hear the faint buzzing of his mother’s beehives.

He listened carefully. The garden was dark and desolate, but the house, his home, was cheerily alight. Lanterns burned in every window. From the open casement of the dining room came a raucous noise of laughing, swearing, bragging and singing.

People were in his home and it was not his family, or even their neighbours. They were dark strangers from another land, and they were sitting at his mother’s dining room table.

Hot red anger bubbled up like lava. Ethan saw himself charging up the garden and screaming at these interlopers to get out! Get out of his home!

But before he could move he sensed Aisha stiffen beside him, her hackles rising, her right paw lifting in the classic hunting pose and her tail lifting like a flagpole. He put his hand on her neck to quieten her before she growled and gave them away.

He sank down to hide in the shadows behind the beehives. Aisha’s warning had been timely. So quietly that Ethan could not have heard them, he saw two darker shadows slip through the darkness of the garden. One tripped on something and cursed softly. Then they slipped away.

Guards on patrol, thought Ethan. I will have to creep past them.

Ethan had a huge advantage over the Sedah guards. To them, the terrain was unfamiliar. But Ethan had grown up in this garden – weeding the vegetables, spreading compost, playing hide and seek with Lily and Aisha, picking the fruit. He knew where everything was.

Because of Willem’s favoured position as Royal Master of Horse, their house was one of the larger cottages in the village, with sprawling gardens and several outbuildings.

Ethan sat quietly for a minute while he visualised the garden in his mind’s eye.

Then he dropped to his knees and started to crawl. Aisha padded quietly behind him. He crawled under the fruit trees, smelling the sweet scent of the blossoms above his head and feeling the soft tufts of grass under his palms. He paused at the end of the orchard and listened intently. No sign yet of the patrol.

He crawled on past the smaller open sheds and the bigger barn that usually housed their animals, melting deep into the shadows. Next was the vegetable garden with long rows of lettuce, spinach, potatoes, carrots and strawberries, and trellises for beans, peppers and tomatoes.

The noise from the house was getting louder. Ethan had nearly reached the dark shadow of the house when Aisha stiffened again, her raised hackles warning Ethan that someone was close by. He calmed her and quickly slithered the last few metres into the deepest shadow. He silently prayed that the noise of the festivities inside would mask his own noise.

Again he felt rather than saw two shadows cautiously prowling through the night.

He lay still, scarcely breathing, with his hand warningly on Aisha’s neck. The shadows disappeared once more. All that was left was the strong smell of bruised thyme where they had stomped through Marnie’s herb garden. His mother would have been furious.

When Ethan was sure they were gone, he carefully stood up to peek through the kitchen window. There was no-one in the room, just a lantern burning on the table. Ethan gasped. He had never seen his home like this. The kitchen was chaos. Herbs had been tipped all over the floor, the furniture had been overturned, china was smashed.

He crawled on to the next window – the dining room where all the noise was coming from. He carefully peeked.

Sitting around the table were a number of soldiers, happily toasting their good fortune with Marnie’s homemade cherry wine. The invaders had removed their helmets and their skin was pale and sallow, yet slightly flushed with fire, good food and fine wine.

Ethan crouched beneath the window, hoping to overhear something useful.

‘Here’s to our last night here, comrades,’ cheered one soldier. ‘Tomorrow we will burn this forsaken village and return to our ships with all our plunder. The day after tomorrow we take to sea to sail to the infidel’s capital of Tira. In a week we will be standing on the palace walls of Tira, lords of all Tiregian!’

Another soldier joined in. ‘Then we shall fill the holds with treasures and slaves to send home to Sedah – and we shall set sail, leaving the horizon burning with the fires of a dozen villages. Our priests will chant prayers against the unfaithful. It will be the dawn of a new age, the age of our powerful Emperor Raef. Krad be praised.’

All the soldiers lifted their mugs and clanged them together in a celebration oath. ‘Krad be praised!’ they repeated.

‘If only my mother could see me now, she would be so proud,’ sighed another soldier, sinking lower onto his bench.

‘The infidel queen and her son have been moved to the Glory of Sedah this evening with most of the so-called Royal Guards. Not that they were much use at guarding royals!’ The soldiers all laughed and drained their cups in another toast.

‘The rest of the slaves will be moved to the ships in the morning. All is in place. Let us drink to sweet victory,’ pronounced the first speaker, sloshing more dark cherry wine into his mug.

The mugs were clashed together again, with dark wine spilling over the table.

A loud voice silenced the celebration. Ethan recognised the voice of Captain Malish.

‘That’s enough, you scoundrels,’ the captain barked. ‘We have much work to do in the morning. What would the priests say if they could see you now – drinking and laughing instead of praying and fighting! You are all too soft. I have a mind to report you to Governor Lazlac and watch his cat-of-nine-tails whip wipe the grins off your stupid faces.’

There was a loud noise of chairs scraping and apologies mumbled. ‘Sorry, Captain, won’t happen again. Just retiring, sir.’

Ethan turned away in disgust. His mind seethed with indignation, anger, desperation and fear. His parents and most of their friends were being taken as slaves in the morning. There must be something they could do to save them.

He and Aisha crept back through the gardens and down to the stream. He sat in the shadow of a stone wall and tried to think. Half-formed plans started whirling through his mind.

It’s no use, he thought angrily. We are just one boy and one girl, with no weapons, no help, no hope against an army of soldiers that even the Royal Guard could not repel.

But we must do something! the other half of his brain retorted. We can’t just sit in a tree house doing nothing while our parents are taken away.

Then an idea came to him. He remembered the barn and crept back to check on his handiwork.

Inside the barn nearly everything was gone – the feed, animals, barrows and tools. All that was left was a mound of straw and manure. In the back of an empty stall he found a broken pitchfork and started work shovelling away the manure.

After several minutes, sweat was pouring down into his eyes. He wiped it away with his shirt sleeve and kept shovelling. A dull thud and a painful shiver up his arm told him he had struck timber. Scrabbling down in the muck, he found an old iron ring.

When Ethan pulled it, a trap door swung up, revealing a cellar below. He scrambled down the ladder into the darkness. With his fingers he found the familiar shape of the tinderbox on the shelf, and struck a flame to light a lantern.

The cellar leapt into life in the light of the flame. Ethan sighed with satisfaction. The invaders had not found the cellar. He had hidden the trap door well.

Down here were the family’s stores for the winter – crates of onions and potatoes, strings of garlic, jars of amber honey, bottles of preserved fruit, cherry wine, wheels of cheese, boxes of apples, racks of dried herbs, cured slabs of bacon and bottles and bottles of his mother’s herbal tinctures.

On the wall were hung several hunting bows and quivers of arrows. There were two longbows – almost as tall as a man, for shooting in the open meadowland – and several shortbows for close-range shooting in the forest.

Ethan touched his own shorter bow. Like all the bows Willem made, it was a beautiful weapon – carved from a single piece of yew timber, with a leather grip and a bow string of flax-linen. Ethan had painted the arrows green and yellow, decorated with his own design so that they were easily recognisable. The arrows were fletched with finest grey goose feathers, which Willem believed gave the greatest flight precision.

Ethan’s mind flashed back to happy summer days spent with his father and Lily in the forest, learning how to shoot his arrows accurately. They had spent long hours practising – shooting over and over again at an old sack stuffed with rags.

Competition among the village boys was fierce and many an afternoon was spent daring each other to hit targets that were increasingly smaller and further away. But these practice shots were nothing to the thrill of creeping through the forest, eyes and ears peeled, hunting for rabbits and deer.

It was much, much more difficult to hit a small moving target like a rabbit. Ethan remembered his elation the first time he shot a small deer and proudly carried it home for dinner. That roasted venison was one of the best meals he had ever eaten.

Ethan took his bow, with its quiver of arrows, lovingly down from the wall. He deftly strung the bow and tucked it over his shoulder. The familiar weight of the bow and quiver made him feel stronger and more confident.

He shook himself mentally and made a quick list of what else they might need – food, tinderbox, rope, daggers, water bottles, candles, soap, cooking pot, blankets. On a low shelf he found leather saddle bags, which he packed to the brim with food and supplies.

Finally Ethan gathered up Lily’s bow and quiver and added these to the pile. He hauled the bags up into the barn, closed the trap door, and carefully replaced the mound of dung and straw.

With a new resolve and a heavy load, he decided to return to the tree house to make plans with his sister.

Lily was sitting up anxiously, peering through the darkness, when he returned carrying the saddle bags of supplies. Ethan swung up into the branches of the tree, his jaw set and his mouth grim. In low murmurs the two discussed what Ethan had seen and heard. The princess lay still in the corner.

‘So we must go to the royal hunting lodge tonight, in the very deep of the night when most of the soldiers will be in their heaviest sleep,’ Lily whispered. ‘We need to find out where everyone is being kept.’

‘I’m not sure where they would put them,’ Ethan replied. ‘It’s just a hunting lodge, not a proper castle, so there are no dungeons. The Sedah soldiers will probably be sleeping in the royal quarters and courtiers’ rooms, with some in the guards’ quarters. They would probably put their prisoners somewhere easy to guard, somewhere all together.’

‘Perhaps the stables, or the storehouses?’ Lily wondered.

‘Yes, that would be perfect,’ Ethan exclaimed, eyes shining with hope. ‘Especially as we know the stables like our own cottage. I’ve mucked out the stalls there plenty of times!’

‘We have a few things in our favour,’ Lily said, ticking them off on her fingers. ‘You learnt a lot tonight from spying on those Sedahs. The invaders sound cocky. They expect no resistance. The last people they would expect to defy them are a couple of children.

‘We know the place – the forest, the stables, the secret paths. Some of the soldiers sound superstitious – frightened of strange spirits and ghouls. We have Aisha, our daggers, and our bows and arrows –’

‘Lily, you are not coming with me. It is too dangerous,’ Ethan interrupted. ‘Besides, you have to look after her.’ He shrugged his shoulder to the corner.

‘You can’t go alone,’ Lily retorted. ‘We will have a better chance if we work together. Besides, I have an idea. There will be guards, even in the middle of the night, but what if I took them some of that cherry wine they’re so fond of, sweetened with a large dash of Mama’s famous sleeping draught?’

‘Are you complete imbeciles?’ came a weak but still haughty voice from the corner. ‘What could you possibly be thinking of! Besides, you cannot leave me alone in this dreadful place.’

The two looked over to see Princess Roana sitting up, her face even paler than usual, her hair a tangled mass of bloodied knots, her dress torn and filthy.

‘Princess, you are awake,’ Lily cried out. ‘How are you feeling?’

‘How do you think I feel?’ Princess Roana scowled. ‘I am stiff and sore and my head aches and I need a bath and some new clothes and some decent food and I just want to go home.’ Her voice dissolved into a sob.

Lily jumped up and went over to the princess with a damp cloth. ‘I know, I know. It has been terrible for you,’ she murmured soothingly.

‘What would you know about how horrendous it has been, you stupid girl! Oh, go away and leave me alone,’ exclaimed Princess Roana. ‘And take that stinking rag with you.’

Lily stopped short, hurt. Ethan bristled, his face flaming with indignation.

‘How dare you speak to my sister like that! Lily has slaved for days caring for you, trying to make you comfortable – bathing your wounds, cooling your fever, feeding and cleaning you. And not even a word of thanks, you ungrateful, rude girl! Why should we care what happens to you? You have been nothing but trouble since we set eyes on you! Come on, Lily – let’s go and see how she fares without us.’

Ethan picked up his pack and started climbing down the tree.

‘No, do not go. Do not leave me here. Stop! I order you to stop!’ Princess Roana bellowed in rage.

‘There is food in the saddle bag and water in the flask, your highness,’ Lily said stiffly, as she turned and followed her brother, tucking her dagger into her belt. ‘You have your bow and arrows to protect yourself. We will leave Moonbeam tethered below in case we don’t return.’

‘So far so good,’ whispered Lily. They slipped silently through the eerily quiet forest, bows at the ready. Years of hunting in the forest with Willem had taught them to move without cracking twigs, snapping branches, or even rustling fallen leaves. Their friends had always complained that they had an unfair advantage when playing hide and seek.

First they headed back to their cottage in Kenley. Once again they had to slip silently past the guards on the bridge, and patiently shovel away the pile of manure hiding the trap door to the underground cellar. Down below they found a small barrel of their mother’s best cherry wine. Lily opened several bottles of Marnie’s precious sleeping draught, brewed from chamomile, poppy and valerian, and stirred them through the cherry wine.

‘I hope that’s enough,’ Lily whispered, sniffing the delicious cherry wine. ‘Perhaps another bottle for good luck.’

‘We had better take a couple of mugs as well,’ Ethan added, placing them carefully in his pack.

An hour later, Ethan and Lily crept towards the hunting lodge, where the royal family came every spring and autumn to enjoy riding and hunting in the beautiful forests. It was an imposing rectangular building with square towers on the corners, set in a clearing in the forest.

Guards stood to attention on either side of the massive studded doorway. Set off to the right was a smaller building that looked dark and deserted. The children crept through the trees to the rear of the lodge, Aisha gliding at their heels.

Here was the large U-shaped stable complex where Willem worked as Royal Master of Horse. His job was to select, breed and train all the royal horses, as well as supervise the team of grooms, stableboys and farriers who looked after them.

Willem was also widely regarded as one of the best hunters in Tiregian. He could track an animal for kilometres through the forest, moving silently and invisibly. His accuracy with bow and arrow was legendary. It was said Willem could shoot more than a dozen arrows per minute and could hit a darting rabbit from a galloping horse at two hundred metres.

Ethan and Lily had spent many hours at the royal stables, helping their father groom and exercise the horses, clean tack and muck out stalls, so they knew the buildings well.

The left building housed the carriages, tack rooms and forge. The right was a large barn where the hay and feed were stored. In between was a long double row of stalls, where up to one hundred royal horses could be stabled.

To the right of the complex was a massive tree, whose branches brushed against the wall and roof to give shade to the horses and workers. Here also were the huge compost bins of manure and straw that the gardeners used to spread on the kitchen gardens.

A pair of guards sat on chairs in the middle of the cobbled front courtyard, warming their hands by the small fire beside them, and playing dice. Tethered near the carriage house stood a pair of saddled horses, their heads hanging dejectedly, picking at a pile of hay.

Ethan and Lily crouched in the shadows watching the guards to see what they could learn. After a while, the thinner guard yawned and stretched.

‘I’d better check on the prisoners.’ He shivered, reluctantly leaving the fire, and strode over to the huge barn on the right where the bales of hay were stored. He took a large key from his belt and unlocked the massive padlock, sliding open the barn door just a crack. He peered in at the darkness inside, then relocked the padlock and hurried back to the fire.

‘All sleeping like babes,’ he grunted to his companion. ‘I wish I was too!’

They settled back to their dice game. In a few minutes, another guard strode over from the direction of the lodge. The two guards leapt to their feet, dropping the dice and saluting smartly.

‘Evening, men,’ said the visitor, holding his hand out to the blaze.

‘Good evening, Lieutenant Foulash,’ the two guards replied smartly.

‘All well?’

‘Yes, Lieutenant.’

‘Well and good, men, you will be relieved at dawn.’ Lieutenant Foulash turned and strode back to the lodge.

‘All well and good if you’re tucked up snug and warm in a bed,’ growled one guard to the other. His companion merely grunted and threw the dice again.

Lily took a deep breath and gazed at Ethan. He nodded and crossed his fingers at her in a gesture of good luck. She gave him her bow and quiver, then hoisted the small barrel onto her hip and crept off through the darkness towards the lodge. Ethan stayed crouched where he was, his nerves stretched like a bowstring.

Then out of the darkness hurried a small shadow, head bent, carrying a heavy burden.

‘Excuse me, sirs,’ called the shadow in a bright high voice. ‘Lieutenant Foulash sent me with some refreshment for you to keep away the cold night air.’

It was Lily.

‘Who goes there!’ bellowed one of the guards, reaching for his sword.

‘’Tis only one of the village lasses sent by Lieutenant Foulash with an errand,’ squeaked Lily nervously.

Don’t chatter too much, Lily thought to herself. Stay calm, look coy.

She moved into the light of the fire. The guards relaxed when they saw her slight figure, struggling with the heavy barrel.

‘Well, what have we here then – a fair village maiden?’ joked one. He reached over to touch her curly honey-coloured hair with his thick sausage-like finger. Lily stepped back hurriedly, putting the barrel down by the fire.

In the darkness, Ethan’s finger twitched on the bowstring, his arrow aimed at the guard who dared to touch his sister.

‘Here is some cherry wine from the village and a couple of mugs, sirs,’ Lily burbled. ‘I hope you enjoy it. Now I must be getting back to the kitchens.’ Lily bobbed a quick curtsey and scurried back towards the lodge.

‘Well, you certainly frightened that one away,’ guffawed the joking guard, as he popped the cork from the barrel and poured a mug full of dark red cherry wine. ‘Smells good … mmm, tastes good too. Well, here’s to Lieutenant Foulash – who would believe he would be so thoughtful, the old devil. Here you go. Drink up.’

Lily and Ethan waited nervously in the dark for more than half an hour while the two guards guzzled mug after mug of cherry wine.

‘I really miss home,’ slurred the skinny guard, tears of emotion running down his face. The fat guard gave him a bear hug that nearly crushed the smaller guard.

While the two guards were busy, Ethan crept over to where their two horses were tethered. He soothed them with his hands, then carefully felt under their saddle flaps for the leather girth that ran under each horse’s belly to hold the saddle tight. He started to unbuckle the girths on both sides of each horse.

On the last buckle, though, his hands fumbled in the darkness, whether from nerves or cold, and he dropped one end, causing the girth to jingle sharply on the cobblestones before he caught it.

The guards looked up from their dice game.

‘Did you hear something?’ cried the skinny one, staring nervously into the blackness beyond the fire’s merry flame.

‘No – it was only the horses,’ said the fatter one, reluctant to leave his warm seat by the fire. ‘Pass me the wine barrel, will you?’

Ethan hardly dared to breathe. With the two girths carefully stowed in his pack, he slipped back to where Lily waited in the shadows.

He grinned at her and signalled with his thumb up. She breathed a sigh of relief and turned and disappeared into the shadows. Ethan followed her.

Behind the stable block they took the chance to whisper to each other.

‘Let’s try the chute,’ Ethan murmured.

They climbed around the side of the manure bins, carefully avoiding the deep muck below. Against the wall was a manure chute from the barn, with a hatch that was bolted shut. After the long winter, the bolt was rusty and stiff. Lily pulled out a bottle of oil from her pack and dribbled a few drops onto the bolt. They eventually wiggled it free and pulled up the hatch with a loud clunk. They froze in terror, but there was no response.

Ethan peered through the hatchway.

‘Look,’ he cried in despair. ‘It’s completely blocked with bales of hay.’

‘Should we call out and wake up some of the people inside to move the hay?’ asked Lily, trying to push the bales away without success.

‘No, it’s too dangerous. They might make noise and alert the guards.’ They thought for a few minutes, scanning the outer wall for inspiration.

‘What about that little window right up under the eaves? I think we could just reach it by climbing up the old tree,’ Lily whispered.

The branches of the huge tree brushed the walls and roof of the barn, almost hiding the tiny window in its foliage.

‘Let’s hope we can fit through it,’ replied Ethan with a grimace. ‘It looks awfully narrow, and very high. Hopefully there is plenty of hay underneath to soften the drop.’

‘Only one way to find out,’ whispered Lily. ‘Let’s climb.’

At the base of the huge old tree they hid their packs in the deepest shadow.

‘Aisha, stay,’ ordered Ethan in a deep whisper. ‘Shush.’ Aisha wagged her tail and stared up at them, golden eyes glowing liquid in the darkness. ‘Good girl,’ he said, patting her soft neck.

Then carefully, quietly, they started to climb up the tree, inching out on a thick old branch that brushed against the barn wall. Towards the wall, the branches became thinner and harder to climb. At last they reached the dusty, dingy window. Legs straddled across a branch, Ethan struggled to wiggle his fingers into the small crack between the window and the wall. He grunted softly as the thin branch rocked wildly.

Then with a sudden lurch the window gave and flew open with a thud.

Ethan wriggled out along the branch and crawled through the narrow opening, the top half of his body hanging over the sill, his legs dangling on the outside. Through the gloom he could make out the shadow of stacked hay bales against the walls and, down below, bodies sleeping on the floor. At harvest time, the bales of hay would have reached the roof, but now, after a long winter, it was a difficult drop from the window to the bales below.

‘I can see them,’ he whispered back to Lily. ‘But the hay bales are too far down on this side. I’ll have to jump. I’ll signal at the bottom then you can follow. We’ll wake them up quietly one by one, then see if we can move the bales over this side to clear the shute.’

Lily nodded, her mouth dry and her heart thudding madly. Ethan slithered out backwards onto the branch then crawled in again, feet-first. In a moment he had dropped out of sight. Lily followed head-first to watch for his signal, then turned around and wriggled through feet-first for the big drop to the bales below.

Someone stirred at the soft thump. Ethan and Lily tiptoed around the barn, gently shaking awake the people who were sleeping, a finger pressed to their lips in a signal for silence. Both children found old friends and neighbours whom they embraced with relief.

But there was no sign of those faces they wished to find the most – their parents.

Ethan found his best friend, Saxon, his large frame curled uncomfortably in a corner under some musty feed sacks. Saxon was tall and strong and funny, his dark hair dishevelled and his black eyes sparkling with mischief.

‘Sax! Thank goodness you’re all right,’ Ethan exclaimed as they fell into a tight bear hug.

‘Ethan. What are you doing here? Did they finally catch you?’ Saxon replied.

‘No. Lily and I are here to rescue you!’

Saxon looked incredulous. ‘R-r-r-rescue us?’ he stuttered.

‘Yes, we climbed in through the little window under the eaves. Sax, have you seen my parents?’

Saxon looked away. ‘Yes,’ he whispered huskily. ‘They were taken away with the queen and prince this evening, with the king’s cousin Lord Mortimer, and many of the soldiers from the Royal Guard. Your mother was taken to tend the prince, who is sick, while they think your father is of some great importance because he was leading the royal hunt procession. We don’t know where they’ve been taken.’

Ethan brushed away hot angry tears.

‘I know,’ he whispered hopelessly. ‘I’ve heard that the invaders have ships at the coast. They sail for Tira the day after tomorrow.’

Lily strode across from the other side of the barn.

‘Ethan, I’ve checked through a crack in the door. The guards seem to be asleep. The fat one is snoring so loudly he’ll wake up Lieutenant Foulash for sure! We need to get moving.’

‘All right,’ he whispered ‘Let’s start moving bales of hay.’

Soon there was a large group of sleepy, frightened faces gathered around in a silent huddle – acolytes, villagers, courtiers and servants of all ages.

Ethan and Lily outlined their plan. Everyone was to help move bales of hay to clear the access to the chute, which was used to shovel out manure and straw dust into the outside compost bins. All the prisoners would have to escape through this smelly escape hatch.

The courtiers wrinkled their noses in disgust at this plan but the only alternative was to stay behind and face the wrath of the Sedah. A flicker of hope began to shimmer through the crowd, and soon they were all working energetically to move the bales. George, the blacksmith, led the workers, his large muscled frame lifting hay bales with ease.

At last a passage was cleared between the bales, and there was the small opening to the outside. An earthy, comforting smell of compost, horse manure and crisp fresh forest air wafted through the aperture.

Lily clambered down first, using her feet to slow her down so she didn’t shoot out into the deep muck. She clambered over the wall of the bin, closely followed by Saxon. Aisha bounded over to lick them both vigorously on the face, her whole body wriggling with excitement to see them safely returned.

‘Good girl,’ whispered Lily. ‘Now for the Goddess’ sake, be quiet.’

Lily and Saxon fetched a pitchfork, a couple of shovels and a wheelbarrow to make a makeshift bridge across the manure. Peering down the shute was a group of anxious faces.

Lily stood on guard at the bottom of the chute, her bow at the ready, while Ethan stood on watch inside the barn, his arrow facing behind them at the barn door.

Parents watched anxiously as the children were hoisted through the chute by George and out into the cold darkness of the night. Saxon helped them clamber over the bridge, while older children helped herd the younger children away to the safety of the forest.

It seemed to take forever to get the children out. Everyone’s stomachs were knotted with anxiety, and ears strained to hear through the darkness, fearing the shouts of discovery.

A small boy started to whimper.

‘Shush, Dafyd,’ Lily soothed. ‘Your mama will come soon.’

At last the children were gone and it was the adults’ turn. The parents breathed a collective sigh of relief. At last the queue started to move faster. George directed the procedure, gently tapping each person on the shoulder to indicate that it was their turn to wriggle through the hatch.

‘Remember,’ warned Ethan quietly, ‘take a roundabout route to the caverns, and try not to leave any marks. The Sedahs have a skilled tracker. We should be safe there until the morning.’ Ethan shuddered at the memory of Sniffer snuffling at Princess Roana’s tracks.

The prisoners waited their turn patiently.

One by one they slid down the chute, hit the shovels with their feet and climbed over the side of the bin without touching the muck below. Each one was helped out by Saxon before slipping away into the forest behind the stables.

Ethan climbed out too, and at last George was the only prisoner left in the barn. There was a loud crash as the huge farrier slid down the shute and hit the wheelbarrow with his heavy boots. It flung up, hitting the metal shovel with a loud clang. Everyone froze as the unexpected noise resonated through the night.

A few moments later, a crash echoed through the barn as the padlock banged against the door and a key grated noisily in the lock. George floundered in the quagmire of manure, mud and straw, struggling to get up. Ethan and Saxon hauled on his arms with all their might, trying to help him out.

The light of a lantern filtered through the barn and down the shute. There was a faint yell from above, and the sound of running footsteps. George scrambled out of the bin, grimacing ruefully at his clothes and boots covered in muck. Lily wrestled with the chute door, trying to close it.

‘Quick, help Lily close the chute,’ yelled Saxon. Ethan dragged the shovel out of the muck to help jam the door down.

But before the door could be closed, the thin guard slid down the chute with a warlike scream, brandishing his cutlass. Saxon grabbed the fork to use as a club. The guard flew out of the chute and landed flat on his back in the manure. The second guard followed straight behind, landing with a splat, face-first in oozing horse dung.

Saxon stifled a giggle then picked up a load of manure with his fork and flung it at the guards. Ethan followed with another shovel full. The guards spluttered and swore as their faces were showered with disgusting filth. George roared with laughter then followed with more dung.

The guards were helpless, spitting and crying for breath, hampered by the drugged wine, the heavy muck and the unexpected attack. One dropped his cutlass and it sank out of sight in the quagmire. The other waved his around blindly, accidentally slashing his colleague on the arm. He screamed in terror, blood spurting through the thick brown ooze.

Aisha ran back and forward in excitement, nose sniffing and tail wagging. A guard’s leg waved dangerously close to her snout and she took a nip at his leg, hanging on grimly as the guard squealed in pain.

Ethan mouthed an instruction to George. ‘You stay here with me.’ He turned to the others. ‘Lily and Saxon, you go round the front and see if we can borrow some horses to escape on.’

Lily and Saxon crept around the building and into the courtyard in front of the stables. The fire still blazed merrily, but the wine barrel lay on its side, with two mugs lying in the dirt next to an upturned chair. They ran past the fire and into the stables.

The horses’ names were painted on nameboards outside each stall.

‘We’ll take three horses – Caramel, Nutmeg and Toffee would be best, if they’re here,’ Lily ordered Saxon. ‘The bridles are kept on the pegs outside each stall and the saddles and blankets are in the tack room.’

Lily and Saxon gently entered the stall of each horse, whispering and snickering to the animal, as they passed the bridle over its head.

Lily ran to the tack rooms and fetched the saddles and blankets. She saddled the horses while Saxon held them by the reins.

‘Help me with Caramel’s girth, Sax,’ cried Lily. ‘She always blows out her belly, then breathes out once you’re riding so the saddle slides off. Tickle her tummy, that usually works!’

Meanwhile Ethan and George could hold the guards no longer. They had overcome their revulsion of the manure and were fighting free, fists swinging. Aisha darted back and forth nipping at their legs joyfully.

‘Aisha, that’s enough,’ ordered Ethan. ‘Leave it, that’s a good girl. George, you lead them into the forest – see if you can find some nice sticky spider webs! I’ll go and help Lily.’

Ethan sprinted off with Aisha at his heels, while George kept flinging ammunition at the hapless guards, who were gasping for breath. He stayed until the last second, then threw his shovel at the guards and ran for the woods.

The two guards followed, screaming in rage and indignation, wiping the filth from their faces as they ran, slipping and sliding unsteadily from the muck on the soles of their boots.

George easily reached the cover of the trees. He ran deep into the forest, ducking and weaving. A tiny glimmer of starlight shining between the trees showed him an ideal ambush spot. He dashed through a gap between two trees, bending his massive body almost double.

The guards followed, one waving his cutlass ferociously. Both charged together through the two trees. Suddenly they were enveloped with sticky, clinging cold threads that covered their eyes, nose, mouth and ears.

A huge black spider ran across the face of the skinny guard, who screamed and clawed desperately at his head trying to brush the creature away.

‘Help me,’ screamed the guard, dancing and weaving. ‘Get it off me!’

The other guard helped to brush off the large frightened spider, and pull off the stubborn sticky silver threads.

By this time George had disappeared. The two guards followed warily, the first waving his cutlass in front of their faces to slice any further spider webs.

They entered a gloomy thicket.

‘Ooooooaaaaahhhhhh, oooooooaaaaahhhhhh,’ wailed an unearthly voice from up near the treetops.

The two guards stopped dead in their tracks, their eyes red and bleary from the copious quantities of drugged cherry wine, their faces streaked with muck.

‘Who’s there?’ one demanded in a shaking voice. ‘Come out in the name of Emperor Raef.’

‘Oooooooaaaaaaahhhhhh. Isssss time tooooo diiiiieeeeee.’

The fat guard clutched his companion and pointed up into the trees. Metres above the ground a white apparition fluttered and floated.

‘Commmmmme toooooooo meeeeeeeeeeeee,’ moaned the apparition. ‘I will taaaaake yoooou uuuuuuu tooooooo yourrrrr deeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaath hhhhhhhhhh.’

The guards’ knees trembled visibly. There was a loud trickle as one wet his pants with terror. They looked at each other then turned and ran.

A muffled chuckle of laughter followed their flight. George clambered clumsily out of the high tree, clutching his white shirt in his huge hands. He had hung his shirt out on a long thin branch, shaking it gently so it wafted eerily through the trees in the starlight.

‘Issss time tooooo diiiieee, you black-hearted Sedah scoundrels,’ moaned George. ‘Poor widdle baby wet his pants. Maybe you should go home to your mumsy.’ George roared with laughter at his own joke as he pulled on his shirt, then set off through the forest to the meeting point at the caverns.

The guards ran until they reached their blazing fire.

‘What was that?’ panted one, his eyes searching the surrounding darkness in fear.

‘Some cursed infidel sprite,’ replied the other, surreptitiously trying to mop his crotch dry. ‘I knew these forests were haunted.’

‘Let’s go and wake Lieutenant Foulash. There’s no point staying here with the prisoners gone.’

‘By the Emperor Raef, he’ll have our heads for batting practice,’ exclaimed the other.

Lily, Ethan and Saxon chose this moment to gallop wildly out the stable door and through the yard, brandishing daggers in the air. They pulled up sharply at the entranceway, waving cheekily back to the guards.

‘Yoohoo, oh terrifying soldiers of Sedah!’ yelled Saxon. ‘Whatever will Lieutenant Foulash say when he finds out you’ve mislaid all his prisoners!’

‘Quick, on the horses – let’s get them,’ screamed the skinny guard. ‘We may be able to save our skins yet.’

Both men ran to the two horses tethered in the yard. At a flying run, they leapt for their stirrups, only to spill ignominiously to the ground with the saddles falling heavily on top of them.

Ethan, Lily and Saxon laughed uproariously.

Ethan turned Toffee back and rode towards the two guards, who stared at him dumbfounded.

‘I think you forgot to check your girths,’ he chuckled. ‘A good rider always checks his girth.’ He grinned down at them cheekily, waving the missing leather girths at the guards as he rode back to the others.

The three children rode off into the darkness, giggling to themselves at the memory of the looks on the guards’ faces.

‘Here, Lily,’ whispered Ethan. ‘Take Toffee’s reins. I’m going back to see if they’ll chase me. Saxon, you meet me round the back of the barn at the chute. Lily, if they follow me, padlock the barn door after us.’

Ethan ran back out into the light of the courtyard. The two guards were just climbing onto their now barebacked mounts.

‘Yoohoo, you big fat cowards,’ Ethan yelled. ‘Bet you can’t catch me.’ Ethan poked out his tongue and pulled a dreadful face. Then he turned on his heels and raced across the courtyard and into the barn. The two guards bellowed with rage, and immediately gave chase.

Ethan tore straight through the barn and slid down the chute into the manure in the pit below. The guards gave chase but hesitated momentarily at the top of the chute, reluctant to receive a repeat performance. Behind them, Lily clicked the padlock bolt into place, locking the barn door from the outside, while Saxon helped Ethan slam the chute trapdoor at the back.

The two guards were helplessly trapped inside the barn and started making a terrible din, yelling and screaming.

The horses in the stables started to snort in fear at the racket. Lily could not bear to leave them in the hands of the Sedah soldiers. One by one she opened their stable doors and whickered encouragingly to them.

Ethan and Saxon came to see what she was doing.

‘I’m going to let the horses go,’ Lily said firmly. ‘I would rather they ran free in the forest than were taken by the Sedahs!’

‘Great idea,’ agreed Ethan approvingly. ‘Plus all their hoofprints will help to confuse that tracker, Sniffer.’

When all the stalls were open, a herd of Tiregian’s best hunters, hacks, ponies and carriage horses trotted out into the moonlight, tossing their heads and shaking their manes. They paused, snuffling the night air, then as one they swerved towards the forest and galloped off into the darkness, splitting off to go in all directions through the trees.

The sight filled Lily’s heart with elation. She vaulted onto Nutmeg’s chestnut back.

‘Come on, boys,’ Lily called quietly, with a grin of pure elation. ‘With all the racket you’ve been making, we’ll have the entire invading force of Sedah on our heels in moments. Let’s get out of here.’

Ethan and Saxon grinned as they leapt on their borrowed horses and saluted smartly. The three of them galloped off into the forest, with Aisha at their heels, their hearts bursting with pride and joy. They had won a battle. The prisoners were free and the guards had been outwitted by three village children! What joy!

Ethan, Lily and Saxon wound their way back carefully through the dark countryside – their plan was to make a large circle around the forest to try to avoid leaving tracks. Their destination was the natural caverns hidden deep in the hills, where the rescued villagers and courtiers had agreed to meet to discuss plans and tactics.

First they rode back towards Kenley. At the shallow ford, they splashed across the stream and up the other side, leaving clear hoofprints on the muddy bank and up onto the path to the village. Where the track became hard as rock they carefully urged Toffee, Caramel and Nutmeg to walk backwards again, all the way down into the middle of the stream, so the trail of hoofprints only led away from the stream. The well-trained royal horses responded readily to their commands.

Back in the water, they turned and splashed quietly downstream, leaving no tracks or scent. Eventually they urged the horses to climb out of the stream onto a rocky bank, which was less likely to show hoofprints, then wound their way through the soft forest floor where the leaf mulch was deepest. They tethered the horses in a remote clearing and made the rest of their way on foot.

Two of the Royal Guards were standing watch under the trees near the caverns. The children announced themselves and were given a formal salute. Inside the caverns, the villagers had built two roaring fires. Around one fire huddled the royal contingent – the courtiers and advisors. Around the other were the villagers and farmers. Both groups were vehemently discussing plans and retaliation. Children were asleep in the soft sand, tucked under cloaks and rugs.

When Lily and Ethan entered the cave, the discussion sank away and many people jumped to their feet. ‘Here they are,’ called one.

‘Well done. Your parents would be proud,’ George said.

‘Thank you both,’ another villager added.

‘Three cheers for our rescuers,’ George cried, and the caverns erupted in sound as everyone cheered.

The children were hugged, thumped on the back, kissed and congratulated until their cheeks burned and they squirmed with embarrassment.

The cheering and celebration only ceased when one of the king’s chief advisors stood up.

‘Peace. Peace, good folk. Enough of this distraction. It is time for a council of war. There is much to be done. The queen and prince have been taken and we should mount an attack to rescue them. Tira must be warned, and we need to plan our defences.’

Ethan tried to interrupt him to say that Princess Roana was safe and sound, but the chief advisor held a hand up for silence.

‘Children of Kenley, thank you kindly for your brave efforts to rescue us tonight, but now it is time for you to join the other children and sleep while we make serious battle plans.’

Dismissed, the three children settled down by the fire, too nervous and excited to sleep. They were ignored by the adults, who continued to argue and disagree, back and forth.

Ethan leant over to George and whispered to him. ‘George, the invaders said they were going to burn Kenley in the morning.’

George roared with indignation and leapt to his feet.

‘The boy says the Sedahs plan to burn our village in the morning. They’ll do that over my dead body!’

The courtiers muttered and frowned. The villagers yelled and ranted. Some wept.

The discussion heated up. Now the villagers demanded that Kenley be saved before an attempt was made to rescue the queen, while some courtiers wanted to set out immediately for Tira.

‘We need help from the soldiers of the Royal Guard to fight off the invaders before they destroy Kenley,’ shouted one villager.

‘No, we should make haste to the coast to mount a counterattack on the ships that wait there!’

‘A party of guards should be sent directly to Tira to warn them,’ bellowed a large courtier in a carefully curled wig, now artfully tufted with leaves and twigs.

‘We need all the guards here, the few that there are, to fight the invaders,’ thundered a red-faced villager.

The shouting rose louder and louder.

Ethan glanced at Saxon and Lily and raised his eyebrows. Lily and Saxon both grimaced in return. Ethan gestured with his head towards the cave mouth. The others nodded in agreement.

They rose quietly and slipped out of the cave. No-one noticed them leave.

Aisha greeted them joyously when they returned to the horses tethered in the clearing.

‘Let’s go back to the tree house,’ Lily suggested. ‘We should check on the princess and we can make plans there. I hope they all come to a decision soon and actually do something. Otherwise the Sedahs will have destroyed the whole land before they even leave the cave.’

The boys laughed grimly.

‘I hope they save Kenley,’ Ethan murmured. ‘I can’t bear to think of it being burnt, but somehow I feel we should go to the coast and see if we can do something to help Mama and Dadda, and the others.’

‘I think you are right, Ethan, though what we can actually do I don’t know.’

They all fell silent as the horses picked their way through the dark. Thoughts and hopes tumbled through their minds like water rushing down a mountain stream.

Captain Malish stood in the empty barn, his knuckles white on the handle of his cutlass. The two guards who had been found locked in the barn lay grovelling on the floor at his feet, their hands and feet tied.

‘You say a band of children overpowered you, set all the prisoners free, locked you in the barn and rode off on some stolen horses?’ Captain Malish demanded furiously.

The guards nodded frantically. ‘Yes, sir … yes, children.’

Captain Malish turned to Lieutenant Foulash, who stood looking pale and wan.

‘I checked the situation myself a couple of hours ago and everything was in order then,’ Lieutenant Foulash said quickly.

‘You consider it in order for your guards to be drinking copious amounts of cherry wine while they are on duty?’ barked Captain Malish, poking the unfortunate guards with the toe of his highly polished black boot.

‘No, no, of course not,’ Lieutenant Foulash retorted. ‘I would never allow that.’

‘But, sir, you sent us the wine,’ whined a guard piteously.

Captain Malish spun on his heel.

‘Wake Sniffer,’ he barked over his shoulder at Lieutenant Foulash.

‘Sniffer cannot track anyone in the dark, sir,’ Lieutenant Foulash said tentatively.

‘I said wake Sniffer,’ Captain Malish shouted. ‘And lock those idiots back in the barn. I will deal with them – and you – later …’

‘Yes, sir, straight away, sir,’ replied Lieutenant Foulash, hurrying to carry out his orders as quickly as possible.

In the tree house the three children found Princess Roana crouching in the darkness, knees up to her chin, face pale and pinched, eyes large and dark with fear.

‘Where have you been?’ she shouted furiously. ‘How dare you leave me here all alone in the dark in this horrid place! I demand you take me away from here at once!’

‘Don’t worry, your highness, we will be taking you away from here just as soon as we have rested and made plans,’ retorted Ethan. ‘We will be very glad to hand you over to your maid servants – the sooner the better.’

Princess Roana’s eyes widened with fear and surprise. ‘My maid servants? But … but I thought they were … you said they were all captured?’

‘They were,’ replied Ethan with relish. ‘But we set them free tonight and they are now sheltering in a cave not far from here. Where we will happily escort you and allow them to take over the task of looking after you.’

‘You set them free!’ cried Princess Roana in disbelief. ‘That is ridiculous! How could you set them free? You are nothing but a couple of filthy village urchins who stink to high heaven.’

Ethan bristled in irritation and proceeded to describe the rescue at the barn in exciting and colourful detail.

Princess Roana sat with her mouth open in surprise.

‘Is this true?’ she demanded of Lily at the end of the tale. Lily merely nodded her head wearily.

‘Good,’ Princess Roana announced. ‘Then you must take me to these caverns at once.’

‘No, your highness,’ replied Ethan firmly. ‘We are tired and need to rest for a while. Besides, we must plan our journey. Our parents have been taken prisoner with your mother and brother. They are now on a ship at the coast, waiting to be taken to Tira. We will ride to the coast and see if there is anything we can do to rescue them.’

‘Rescue them?’ Princess Roana demanded scornfully. ‘How could you hope to rescue the queen and prince from a heavily guarded ship? You must be insane. I will order the Royal Guard to set out at once to attack these ships.’

‘You may be right,’ Ethan acknowledged slowly. ‘However, many of your Royal Guard are wounded or imprisoned on those ships, or even dead, and from what we heard tonight there is much debate about what to do. All I know is that we must try to do something. Anything is better than doing nothing. And besides, we managed to rescue nearly one hundred people tonight. Perhaps we can manage to help a few more?’

Princess Roana rubbed her head fretfully. Saxon nodded. Lily sighed. The wind whistled around the tree, moaning woefully.

‘So, Sax,’ Ethan continued. ‘Will you come to the coast with us, or will you help the villagers try to save Kenley?’

Saxon’s eyes shone in excitement. ‘Of course I will come with you. I know the way to the coast. I’ve been there with my father many times to collect cloth from the merchant ships, so I know the area quite well. Besides, an extra head and hands are always useful.’

‘What about your father?’ Lily asked. ‘Isn’t he away? Won’t he worry about you when he gets back?’

‘Yes, he’s visiting the lacemakers in the east,’ Saxon replied. ‘He won’t be back for a couple of weeks. I’ll leave a note for him telling him what we’re doing so he won’t worry.’

‘That’s settled then,’ Ethan cried. ‘We should eat and drink a little. There are a few supplies to pack, then we will escort her highness back to the warmth and safety of the cavern and her royal hand maidens.’

Princess Roana stiffened but said nothing. The children made a merry picnic feast of bread, butter and honey, washed down with cold stream water. They joked and laughed as they ate, elated at their adventures.

They recounted the highlights of the evening, giggling helplessly as they remembered the look on the guards’ faces as they floundered in the manure. Princess Roana listened carefully, despite her air of nonchalance. She even smiled briefly when Ethan repeated his jibe about good riders checking their girths.

‘Well, I think it is time we escorted her highness back to the comfort of the caverns,’ Ethan announced, when everyone had finished eating.

While the boys packed the saddle bags, Lily unbandaged Princess Roana’s ankle and bathed her cuts one last time.

‘I’ll leave the bandages off. I think your boots will give your ankle enough support now, and we’d never get the boot on over the bandages,’ Lily murmured soothingly.

‘Thank you,’ grunted the princess gruffly, as if unused to uttering such pleasantries.

Lily smiled shyly. ‘A pleasure, your highness. I hope you will be feeling better soon. It will be much more comfortable for you at the caves.’

Princess Roana shrugged stiffly.

In a few minutes they were all ready. Saxon scrawled his father a brief note and left it on the floor, weighted under a rock. He thought it was safer to leave it in the tree house than risk going back to Kenley. His father knew the boys’ secret hiding place, and would find it there.

Ethan and Saxon helped Princess Roana climb down the tree, and up onto her horse. Then they were all trotting back towards the caves.

‘The cave is just over there,’ whispered Saxon. ‘There are two Royal Guards there who will help you inside. We will slip away before anyone tries to stop us.’

‘We wish to thank you both very much,’ Princess Roana murmured formally. ‘We will ensure that the queen rewards you greatly for your kindness.’

‘That’s presuming someone can rescue the queen first,’ muttered Ethan. Princess Roana scowled darkly.

‘Thank you, your highness,’ replied Lily, shooting a dark glance at Ethan. ‘Good luck. I hope you are restored to your home and family very soon.’

They all waved in farewell and urged on their mounts – three dark shadows slipping off into the trees, the other lone pale shadow setting off towards the cave.

Ethan, Lily and Saxon rode in silence for a while. The darkness was eerie. Branches made strange shapes that leapt out at them through the night. Sounds of the forest were amplified and distorted in the pitch black. A bat swooped over their heads, making the horses skitter.

‘Stop,’ cried Lily sharply. ‘Did you hear that?’ They halted their horses and listened carefully. Aisha barked, cracking the darkness.

‘What?’ asked Saxon nervously. ‘I hear nothing – except Aisha.’

‘Shhh, girl,’ ordered Lily. ‘I thought I heard a twig crack, and a sort of little … snuffling noise.’

They sat silent again. There was nothing but the sounds of the forest – small creatures padding on tiny feet, leaves swishing in the breeze.

‘I hear nothing either,’ shrugged Ethan. ‘Come on, let’s go. I think you’re just a bit jumpy, Lily.’

They rode on for another few minutes. Then they all heard the unmistakable sound of a branch cracking behind them. Aisha growled low and menacingly, her hackles raised.

‘Ssshhh. Someone is following us,’ whispered Lily.

‘Let’s hide off the path and watch,’ suggested Saxon. They quietly dismounted their horses and crept off the narrow track.

A moment later a ghost appeared around the bend. A shimmering white rider on a shimmering white horse, floating through the darkness of the forest. The hidden children clutched each other, too frightened to breathe.

Aisha bounded out to meet the wraith, tail wagging and tongue lolling. The ghost stopped.

‘Hello, girl,’ murmured a familiar voice. It was the Princess Roana on Moonbeam.

‘What are you doing here?’ cried Ethan furiously. ‘Why aren’t you at the cave?’

‘We are coming too,’ replied Princess Roana vehemently.

‘No, you are not. Go back to the cave at once!’

‘I will not,’ the princess said imperiously. ‘My family is on that ship as well.’

Ethan and the princess argued furiously for several minutes.

‘That’s enough. Stop it, you two,’ cried Lily in frustration. ‘This is getting us nowhere. We need to keep moving and we need to keep quiet.’

‘We can’t have her with us,’ Ethan spat furiously, glaring at the princess with intense dislike. ‘She will just slow us down, and drive us crazy with all her airs and graces. She will want us waiting on her hand and foot. Besides, we won’t get halfway to the coast with her in that getup.’

Princess Roana’s cheeks burned. She considered what these children must think about her. She supposed she had been rather self-obsessed, but then her father had been murdered, her mother and brother taken prisoner and her country invaded. She had good reason to be so self-focused.

Everyone stared at the princess. Her once golden ringlets were matted with dried blood, dirt and leaves. Her pale face was scratched and bruised. The fine white gown was torn and muddy, but there was no disguising the rich origin of the fabric and embroidery.

‘I will not slow you down,’ Princess Roana retorted. ‘I can ride as well as anyone in Tiregian. And I will not expect you to look after me. I can look after myself!’

There was a long pause. The others glanced at each other doubtfully.

‘We would need to dress her in some of our spare clothes,’ announced Lily. ‘Probably yours are best, Ethan. Mine would be a bit small for her. Anyway, no-one will notice her dressed as a boy. We can cut her hair short.’

Princess Roana bit her lip but sat up straight in the sidesaddle, her muddy skirts flowing over Moonbeam’s flanks.

Saxon grinned. ‘I don’t fancy trying to drag her all the way back to the cave, and we can’t leave her here in the middle of the forest.’

Ethan scowled furiously.

‘Oh, all right then,’ he agreed finally. ‘But just one of your fancy airs and we’re leaving you behind. Understand? And no more “Princess” or “your highness” any more. From now on you are plain Roana – a grubby village lad like us.’

‘Perhaps Rowan would be more appropriate than Roana,’ Lily giggled.

Saxon helped Roana down from Moonbeam.

Ethan unpacked a white shirt, brown breeches and green cloak from his pack. Lily helped the princess limp behind a bush to change, then, grasping Roana’s tangled gold ringlets with one hand, Lily hacked them off with her dagger.

Roana winced, her eyes shining bright with tears, but she said nothing. A few minutes later the proud princess was gone, and in her place stood a young boy with wild, tousled hair sticking up on end, and a mischievous grin. He twirled around on tiptoe, showing off his oversized cloak and swaggering in baggy breeches.

The only problem was the boots. There were no spares, and Roana’s were long and white with high heels.

Ethan and Saxon could not help but laugh. ‘You look terrible,’ crowed Saxon. ‘A wilder lad I never saw. Especially with those boots.’

The mangled hair was tossed under a bush, to be joyfully discovered later by various birds to line their nests. The silken gown, layered petticoats, white gloves, pale stockings and silver crown were stowed in the saddle bags in case they proved useful later. And the convoy of adventurers set off again, riding into the night.

A few hours later, the four rode in total weariness, swaying in their saddles. The thick blackness of night had given away to the grey gloom before dawn. Aisha trotted at their heels, no longer sniffing at rabbit holes or animal tracks, but keeping up a steady pace.

‘We should rest for a while before it gets too light,’ called Saxon. ‘It will do us no good to be completely exhausted. We will need all our wits and our strength.’

The others nodded wearily. ‘I think I can hear a stream nearby,’ replied Ethan. ‘It would be good to rest near water so we can drink and bathe.’

The stream was a few minutes ahead. They forged the horses up the stream away from the path until they found a small clearing.

Saxon, Lily and Ethan slid off their horses and led them to the stream to drink. Then they undid the girth buckles, lifted the saddles off and dumped them on the ground. Ethan was just about to pull up some long grass to rub the sweat from his horse’s bay flanks when he realised that Roana was still sitting up on Moonbeam’s back in her sidesaddle.

‘Well, your highness, are you waiting for the royal grooms to come along and hand you down? Or are you waiting for your maid servants to lay down a rug for your delicate royal feet?’ Ethan asked sarcastically.

Roana flushed. ‘No, I am not,’ she flashed. ‘It is just … it is just that my ankle is still rather sore and it is quite a long drop down, and …’

Ethan scowled. Saxon dropped his saddle blanket and went over to help lift Roana to the ground. Roana muttered a low thanks and hobbled over to the stream to water her horse.

A moment later she had her head under the saddle flap, struggling with the buckles. Roana’s slim white fingers were slick with sweat and grime. The buckles refused to budge.

Lily finished rubbing down Nutmeg and tethered her securely, then came over to Roana. Her strong arms easily hefted the girth buckles undone. She showed Roana how to secure the stirrup leathers and girth, lift the saddle off and undo the bridle.

‘Here, rub her down with some grass to help dry off the sweat,’ Lily instructed. ‘You mustn’t mind Ethan. He’s not usually so touchy. I think it’s just the worry of Mama and Dadda and home and everything.’

‘I know how he feels,’ agreed Roana, hiding her face in Moonbeam’s sweaty flank.

When the horses were all tended, the children drank greedily themselves then curled up in their cloaks and quickly fell into a deep, exhausted sleep.

A few hours later Lily woke. The grey gloom was gone, replaced by a beautiful morning. The sun shone hot from a deep blue sky. Small jewel-coloured birds dipped and flitted through the air, singing and chattering. Their wings flashed ruby, emerald, and sapphire in the sunlight.

The clearing was bathed in a rich golden light. Lily sat up, rubbing her eyes. The others still slept deeply in a tight huddle, curled up in their cloaks with Aisha at their feet.

Lily stretched and yawned, delighting in the warm sun on her face, the birds, the horses snuffling and munching and the sound of the brook tumbling and gurgling over the flat white pebbles. Aisha opened one eye and cocked a black-tipped ear at Lily. Then she padded over to lick Lily on the face.

Lily hugged her and buried her face in her tawny red flank. ‘Oh, Aisha,’ She sighed. ‘What are we doing here?’ Lily wandered down to the stream to drink some water and splash her face. The water felt so refreshing on her hot face that she took off her boots, stockings and long blue dress, and hitched up her petticoat for a paddle.

A big splash of cold water drenched her back. Lily squealed and swung around in alarm to see Ethan chuckling as he splashed her again right in the face. Lily screamed and splashed him back. The shrill squealing woke the others, and Saxon waded in to join in the water fight, splashing furiously.

Roana hesitated on the bank.

‘Come on, last one in is a hairy toad!’ shouted Saxon.

A huge splash from Lily quickly had Roana joining in the fray. Aisha barked and splashed in delight, shaking her coat so that shining droplets of water flew through the air. Everyone laughed and squealed. After the terror and strain of the last few days, it felt wonderful to be wet and cool and having fun in the sunshine.

Saxon collapsed on the bank laughing ‘Enough, enough, I give in!’ The cold water had washed away the grime and exhaustion of the night, and everyone was in high spirits, their hope restored. They all climbed out, giggling and laughing.

‘Some food and then we hit the road again, folks,’ grinned Ethan, rummaging in his pack. ‘A veritable feast – we have cheese and apples and bread.’

‘And hot tea brewed with wild mint,’ added Lily, stirring her green concoction as she hung it over the crackling fire Saxon had made.

When the food and tea were ready, they laid it out on a blanket and then dug in.

‘By the mighty Sun Lord, I think the princess lost all her manners when you lopped off her hair, Lily,’ teased Saxon laughingly. ‘She certainly doesn’t eat like a princess!’

Roana stopped cramming a piece of cheese into her mouth. She squirmed a little. ‘I am rather hungry,’ she said apologetically. ‘I never felt this ravenous in all my life.’

‘It’s the fresh air and exercise,’ Lily laughed. ‘Swimming before breakfast is a very special way to start the day.’

‘Thank goodness for that, you do all smell a lot better!’ smiled Roana shyly.

After breakfast, Lily taught Roana how to saddle and bridle Moonbeam.

‘You need to walk her around a bit so that you can tighten the girth properly,’ Lily instructed. ‘You heard what happened to the guards last night! Here, it might be easier to climb up in the saddle if you stand on that log. You do look a bit odd riding in a sidesaddle with breeches on, you know!’

‘Thank you for your help,’ Roana murmured. ‘I have never had to prepare the horses myself before. I did not realise quite how many buckles and straps there are! However, I am sure I will learn quickly.’

Everyone was stiff and sore and wet when they climbed back into the saddles, but the sun quickly dried their clothes and warmed their cramped muscles.

The trees thinned and the track meandered out into open meadowland. A huge stone archway, with a fiery sun carved in the middle of the arch, marked the boundary of the Royal Forest. They rode through it and continued on their way.

The land rolled away to the horizon with fresh green fields, dotted with snowy sheep and black cows. Other fields of dark black earth were ploughed, ready for sowing. Stone walls and flowering hedges lined the roadway. In the distance they could see a small village of stone cottages and scented gardens.

‘Let us gallop the horses!’ cried Roana.

She leaned forward and urged Moonbeam into a fast gallop. Her heart sang with happiness as her horse flew over the ground, kicking up clods of mud with her hooves. Roana could hear the sound of the other horses thundering behind her. The countryside whirred by in a blur of greens and browns.

This is wonderful, she thought. This is what it feels like to be free!

Eventually the horses slowed down as the road wound up a hill. They trotted up the last rise, puffing and panting at the exertion. At the crest, they stopped and looked out over the land rolling out below – green fields, patches of woodland and, in the very distance, a deep smudge of blue – the sea!

Their eyes scanned the horizon anxiously.

‘Look, Ethan,’ cried Lily. ‘Smoke!’

Over to the right a thick column of ominous black smoke rose straight in the air. Their hearts sank. At the base of the smoke column was a small village – in flames.

‘The Sedahs!’ shouted Saxon.

Grimly they urged their horses on. All joy was sapped from the beautiful day. They rode on and on across the countryside, oblivious to the landscape. The fields stretched to the edge of the very clifftops. As they rode closer the enormous blueness of the sea rose to meet them, stretching to the horizon as far as their eyes could see.

Ethan and Lily had never before seen the ocean. They couldn’t believe the immensity of it – the rolling, swaying, ceaseless power of the sea. The blue-green, white-capped waves changing colours. The pounding, thunderous, never-ending rumble of water crashing into cliffs and rocks and sand. It was one of the most beautiful sights they had ever seen.

They sat awestruck on their horses as they absorbed this new experience. Their lungs filled with the salty, briny tang of fresh sea air. It filled them with new resolution.

‘It’s so beautiful,’ Lily gasped. ‘It goes on forever!’

Saxon broke the spell. ‘It may look beautiful, but the sea is dangerous,’ he warned. ‘It can change in an instant – from calm and sunny to wild and furious. It can smash a boat or a body to smithereens. And there are all sorts of strange creatures that live there – the magical Merrow folk, who sing enchanting songs of love and death, and huge deadly sea monsters, like Octomons and sea serpents that can snap a ship in two!’

‘Do you really believe all that?’ demanded Roana scornfully. ‘Magic Merrows and sea monsters. It all sounds like superstitious nonsense to me!’

Saxon flushed. He ignored Roana’s interjection and pointed over to the left.

‘Over there is Goldcoin Cove – it’s called that because a smuggler’s ship was wrecked there years ago by a sea monster, and the locals said that the sand was awash with golden coins and jewels,’ Saxon whispered quietly.

‘I imagine that could be where the invaders have anchored their ships,’ he continued. ‘It is the best harbour around here. There’s a track that winds down to the cove. We should tether the horses in the copse of trees over there and creep down to see what we can see.’

Moonbeam, Nutmeg, Caramel and Toffee were safely tied up and left to lip the long grass in contentment.

The four children crept to the cliff edge and peered over. The cove below was as busy as an ant’s nest with soldiers scurrying to and fro loading barrels and crates onto boats, lashing cargo and herding animals down onto the sand.

Moored out in the cove were six ships. Closest to shore was a crimson ship, the colour of blood.

‘Our ship – the Queen Ashana,’ whispered Roana through gritted teeth, clenching her hands so tightly her nails cut deep sickle moons in her palm.

The crimson ship was trapped by five huge black tri-masted ships, their massive yellow sails furled and decks alive with crew and soldiers. The stern of each ship was ornately carved and painted gold, gleaming brightly in the sun, with three rows of square-paned windows across the back.

Long, thin vermilion flags fluttered from the masts, making the scene look almost festive and gay. Yet peeking from the side of each ship were the evil black muzzles of cannons pointing ominously to the shore, five on the top level and nine on the second level of each side.

Even more chilling, from the stern of each ship flew the red, black and grey banner of Emperor Raef – two cutlasses crossed with a red eye glowing above. The tip of each cutlass dripped with tear-drops of bright red blood. Lily shivered at the sight of them.

‘Somehow we need to get on board those ships,’ murmured Ethan. ‘Somewhere Mama and Dadda must be being held prisoner with Queen Ashana and Prince Caspar. But how are we going to get on board without being discovered and thrown to those sea monsters?’

‘We need to get down onto the beach without being seen, then hide ourselves in the cargo so we can be rowed over to the ships,’ Saxon suggested. ‘We can hide until darkness, then search the ship.’

‘What then?’ asked Roana sarcastically. ‘I guess we singlehandedly defeat the crew of bloodthirsty invaders, take over the ship and sail away to safety, armed only with a peasant dagger? You are all completely mad.’

‘Well, I suppose you have a better idea, your highness,’ muttered Ethan irritably.

A distant sound caught their attention – the rumble and thud of many feet tramping. Far behind them from the road came a billow of dust and the dark shadow of a vast crowd of people, animals and wagons coming in this direction.

‘Quick. Hide,’ breathed Ethan. ‘This could be our chance. If we can just create a diversion, we could stop the cavalcade and creep into the cargo.’

‘We cannot. We will be discovered for certain,’ asserted Roana. ‘This is madness.’

‘I know,’ Ethan retorted. ‘Of course it is dangerous. But we have not come all this way to just watch quietly while the ships sail away with our parents. We have to do something.’

‘I have it,’ snapped Saxon. ‘Roana’s right. It is too dangerous to try to creep onto the boat with the cargo. What we need to do is wait until darkness falls, then borrow a boat and row ourselves out to the ship in the depth of night. Then we could probably climb up the anchor lines and search the ship while everyone sleeps.’

‘It might work, but where could we borrow a boat?’ Ethan interrupted.

‘I’m pretty sure the smugglers or one of the local villagers must keep a rowboat around here somewhere. It’s just a matter of finding one and launching it.’

‘Smugglers?’ asked Lily. ‘Why would smugglers keep a boat around here?’

Saxon shrugged with a sheepish look on his face. ‘I don’t know. We’re by the sea. Somebody must have a boat. Anyway, who it belongs to doesn’t matter. We just need to find a boat somewhere!’

The others grudgingly agreed this was the best plan so far. So the children split up into two groups – Ethan and Roana would search east and Saxon and Lily would go west.

The cavalcade of Sedahs marched down onto the beach at Goldcoin Cove. At the front was a young soldier carrying a fluttering black and red flag. Behind him marched Governor Lazlac and Captain Malish, followed by hundreds of soldiers in black armour. In the middle huddled farmers and foresters, men, women and children, whimpering and sobbing, their eyes wide with hopeless terror.

Lord Lazlac smiled in satisfaction at the sight of the menacing black warships anchored in the cove, surrounding the lone crimson Tiregian ship.

‘Get the prisoners on board, on the double,’ he ordered. Captain Malish turned to bark this order at the men behind him.

‘Any news from Sniffer yet?’ Lazlac asked, his eyes hooded and dangerous.

‘Not yet, sir,’ replied Captain Malish nervously. ‘I expect a report at any time.’

‘Make sure you let me know as soon as he comes in.’ Lazlac swatted a fly, crushing it with his black-gloved hand. ‘Our friend Mortma is very anxious about that princess.’

At that moment Sniffer was in the clearing where the children had slept for a few short hours in the early morning.

He noted the five flat patches where bodies had lain. He stirred the wet embers of the extinguished fire and then smelt the damp ashes. He measured the four sets of bare footprints running in the wet sand on the river bank – Saxon’s large and broad, Ethan’s slightly smaller, Roana’s narrow with a high arch and Lily’s small and sturdy.

He found the dried twists of grass, sticky with horse sweat and matted with horsehair – one white, two chestnut and one darker brown. He examined the hoofprints.

Finally he surveyed the piles of greeny-brown horse dung. He knelt carefully beside one and pushed his finger down into the heart of the dung pile. It was still lukewarm.

Sniffer snuffled softly in delight. He stooped at the brook to rinse his hand and take a deep draught of water. Then with a quick grin he loped off back up the track following the hoofprints. This is just too easy, he thought.

Saxon and Lily led the four horses, skirting the eastern clifftops for twenty minutes, keeping a sharp eye out for boats and Sedahs. Aisha bounded along beside them. Saxon seemed to know this section of coast quite well. Finally he found a sheltered copse of trees off the track where they could safely tether the horse; then he led Lily and Aisha back to the cliffs.

‘There is another little cove down here,’ Saxon whispered. ‘It’s little more than a crack in the cliff but I am sure the smugglers use it from time to time.’

‘Sax, this cliff doesn’t look like anyone would go down there – smugglers or anyone else,’ Lily argued.

‘Come on – we might as well take a look,’ Saxon replied obstinately.

There was no path leading down. Aisha slithered down first in a tumble of falling pebbles and sand. Saxon and Lily had to climb down a thin cleft in the cliff, gripping onto rocks and ledges and shrubby roots.

At last they landed safely on the small sandy beach at the bottom. At first glance there was nothing to see except waves surging around the cliff base, piles of rotting seaweed and a mass of huge boulders. A flock of white gulls flew screaming into the air. Crabs scrabbled sideways over the boulders.

‘Sax, let’s go,’ Lily called. ‘There’s nothing here, and definitely no boat.’

‘Wait – I was so sure …’ Saxon poked around for a couple of minutes, scrambling among the rocks at the base of the cliff.

‘Lily, look,’ he hissed. Saxon pointed to some scratch marks on a huge boulder and a tiny scrape of black.

Lily frowned. ‘So?’

‘It’s paint. Black paint,’ Saxon replied.

Saxon poked around more, then tugged aside a curtain of hanging greenery. Behind the vegetation was a small cave above the high tide mark, perfectly hidden behind boulders. The entrance was little more than a low hole just large enough for a small rowboat to be stowed.

Saxon wriggled into the dimness. Lily followed hesitantly. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the darkness, but then she saw the outline of a small black boat and, beyond, a number of crates stored on a rock ledge.

‘Lily, look,’ Saxon cried in excitement. ‘Ropes, lanterns, candles and weapons – daggers, swords and cutlasses. There’s even some long black cloaks and knitted fishermen’s caps, which will help to hide us in the darkness. I doubt any smugglers will be wanting these tonight with all the invaders about. No doubt they’ll be laying low – that’s if they haven’t been captured and taken aboard the ships already.’

‘It’s perfect,’ Lily replied, rummaging through the pile. ‘Let’s send Aisha to fetch the others and bring them here. We can tie a note to her collar. I don’t fancy trudging all that way back to find them.’

Lily found some paper in her pack.

‘We should write it in code just in case anyone finds it,’ Saxon said. ‘Here, I’ll write it.’ He scrawled a quick message.

Lily peered over his shoulder. The note said:

Ylil dna xas. Evoc niocdlog fo tsae setunim

ytnewt evoc llams eht ot ahsia htiw emoc.

Taob a dnuof evah ew. Nahte.

‘What does it say? Where did you learn the code?’ Lily asked curiously.

Saxon laughed. ‘Ethan and I made it up so we could write notes to each other like, “Come to the treehouse and don’t tell Lily”.’

Lily punched Saxon on the shoulder. ‘No, really, how does it work?’

‘I’ll show you,’ Sax promised. ‘But first let’s tie the note onto Aisha’s collar and send her off to find Ethan.’

Aisha galloped off eagerly.

She found Ethan and Roana scouring the western cliffs for likely hiding places.

‘Good girl, Aisha,’ Ethan praised. ‘What are you doing here?’

She wagged her tail furiously and licked Ethan’s face. He found the note rolled up into a tight little spiral under her collar and unfurled it.

‘Ylil dna xas. Evoc niocdlog fo tsae setunim ytnewt evoc llams eht ot ahsia htiw emoc. Taob a dnuof evah ew. Nahte,’ he read.

‘What strange language is that?’ asked Roana in surprise. ‘I thought I knew all the major languages, but I have never heard that one before.’

Ethan laughed. ‘It’s a very simple one. It is simply written backwards. Sax and I always used to send each other little notes like this.’ Ethan pointed his finger to the last word and started reading backwards.

‘Look, this is what it says: “Ethan. We have found a boat. Come with Aisha to the small cove twenty minutes east of Goldcoin Cove. Sax and Lily.’

‘Ingenious,’ marvelled Roana. ‘A secret code could come in very handy!’

Half an hour later, Roana and Ethan clambered down into the secret cove, carrying their packs.

‘I think we should make plans and preparations first then have a good sleep,’ said Ethan when they reached the others.

‘Good idea,’ agreed Saxon. ‘I’ve been thinking about our options and think we should approach the ships from the seaward side.’ He sketched out a quick map in the sand with a twig. Aisha sniffed at his map inquisitively, her eyebrows twitching in curiosity. She started to dig a hole in the sand, following his example. Saxon pushed her away impatiently.

‘Approaching from the sea might help us because if they’ve set a guard, they are likely to be watching the beach. They probably won’t be expecting anything to come from the seaward side. We will need to row as silently as we can and head for the bow of the Glory of Sedah – the biggest ship. I think that’s where they’ll be holding everyone.’

The others nodded thoughtfully, seeing the sense in Saxon’s plan.

‘We should leave here on the ebbing tide, just before low tide,’ Saxon expanded. ‘Then we will have the outgoing tide to help us on the way out, and the incoming tide to help us on the return trip. That’s also good timing because the tide takes roughly twelve hours to do a full cycle from low tide to high and back again, and it’s roughly an hour later each day. That means tonight, low tide should be at about three o’clock in the morning, when everyone should be in their deepest sleep.’

‘We should go barefoot so our boots don’t make any sound on the deck,’ Ethan suggested.

‘We’ll need to be camouflaged as well as silent,’ Lily added. ‘We need to darken our skin to make us less visible in the dark – I can use some charcoal to do that. The black cloaks and fishermen’s caps should hide us really well.’

‘Luckily the boat is black – that will make it hard to see,’ said Saxon. ‘I guess it suits the smugglers to be invisible as well.’

‘You seem to know an awful lot about smugglers,’ joked Lily, poking Saxon in the ribs with her elbow. ‘Any particular reason why?’

Saxon just grinned cheekily, shrugging his shoulders.

‘Well, thank goodness for the smugglers – all this stuff will come in very handy,’ said Ethan. ‘Especially the daggers. We should each take an extra, so we have a spare dagger in case we need it. We won’t take the bows – they don’t like getting wet, and they might be a bit cumbersome when we’re sneaking around on boats.’

Roana blanched at the thought of needing a couple of daggers but simply nodded in agreement.

The four continued to discuss the planned strategy, each adding in their own ideas and suggestions.

‘So it’s settled,’ Lily said firmly. ‘Let’s get to work.’

Roana and Saxon used a couple of the smugglers’ cloaks to wind around the rowlocks to muffle the sound of the oars.

Lily charred the end of a stick, using the tinderbox to make a small flame. She used the charred end to smudge black charcoal over everyone’s faces and hands to camouflage their pale skin.

Roana wrinkled her nose in disgust. ‘Yeek. I smell like a chimney sweep.’

‘You look pretty foul too,’ Lily giggled, adding a dab of black paste to Roana’s aristocratic nose. ‘Ahh, much better!’

Ethan sorted through the stockpile of weapons and chose swords and extra daggers for everyone. He stowed a couple of thin, strong ropes in the boat. Aisha sniffed around curiously, generally getting underfoot.

‘Oh, Aisha, I know you’re only trying to help, but can’t you help everyone by staying out of the way?’ scolded Lily, running her fingers along Aisha’s golden flank.

At the back of the cave, Ethan found some thin black shirts, made of silk.

‘Why don’t we all wear one of these silk shirts?’ Ethan suggested. ‘They’ll be a lot less visible than our white ones and they’re loose and easy to move in.’

When everything was ready, they tossed a coin to see who would take each watch.

‘Roana shouldn’t be on watch,’ whispered Ethan to Saxon. ‘She’ll probably just fall asleep and ruin everything. It would be better if we three share it.’

Saxon nodded. ‘We won’t tell her, though, or she’ll probably make a fuss.’ In a louder voice he said, ‘So Ethan goes first, then Lily, then me, and Roana goes last. Now, everyone except Ethan, try and get some sleep. We’ll need it.’

Ethan took first watch, his hand resting gently on his bow, while the others slept, curled up in the long black smugglers’ cloaks. The cloaks smelt a bit musty and faintly fishy, but they blocked out the sunlight and made a cozy bed on the soft sand.

Sniffer found the small clearing above Goldcoin Cove where the children first saw the sea. He found the flattened grass where his quarry had lain down to spy on the Sedah fleet below, torn grass where horses had grazed, and the four sets of tracks, splitting and heading both east and west.

Which way should he go? Sniffer looked up at the sun – it was now late afternoon. He scanned east, then scanned west, thinking quickly. He made a decision. The trail to the west showed two sets of boots – one larger and wider, the other small and narrow, with a rounded heel that dug deeply into the sand in a slightly uneven print.

It was a girl wearing high heels, who was limping slightly. It must be the injured Princess Roana with the older boy. The trail was sometimes smudged over by pawprints following – that dog! Sniffer polished his dagger lovingly, keeping it ready in his hand.

Sniffer followed the trail west, towards the sun, with the sea to his left. It was harder to follow the tracks on the stony cliff tops. At last he seemed to lose the trail altogether. Sniffer continued walking, searching for clues – a kicked stone, a print, a broken twig, anything.

Sniffer moved on slowly, his nose furrowed in concentration, breathing deeply. His fingertips brushed the tops of the stones, as if he could read something there with his fingers.

At last he had to admit he had lost the trail. Patiently, he retraced his path until he found signs of his quarry again. Sniffer searched carefully. Then he found it.

The quarry had doubled back to the east, taking a more direct route, slightly inland. Sniffer picked up pace now. This trail was easier to follow. He snuffled happily as he trotted back to the east, away from the setting sun. Close, so close now.

It was nearly dusk when Sniffer arrived back above Goldcoin Cove. The light was dimming rapidly. He looked out across the water to where the ships were moored, lanterns burning merrily on the rigging. Should he follow the trail to the east and risk losing it again in the growing darkness? Or should he report to Captain Malish with everything he had discovered so far?

Sniffer thought about the flattened patch of grass in the clearing above the cove. The quarry did seem very interested in the ships. Why had they doubled back to Goldcoin Cove? What were they doing here?

Sniffer thought of his options. Perhaps he had better report to Captain Malish and Governor Lazlac. They did get unreasonably impatient. These things take time. Even a tracking genius like himself, with an almost perfect tracking record, needed time to find all the clues. A tracker needs infinite patience, which Sniffer did indeed possess.

Sniffer made his decision. He would report to his superiors. He had a strong feeling that his quarry would be returning to Goldcoin Cove very soon. And he would be waiting.

Sniffer entered Governor Lazlac’s sumptuous cabin in the stern of the Glory of Sedah, following Captain Malish. Lazlac sat at his large desk, writing a report with a black feather quill, surrounded by charts and papers.

The cabin was brightly lit with lanterns and several golden candelabra. A wide bench, covered in crimson leather upholstery, ran along the back wall below the windows. The berth was wide and comfortable, with soft cotton sheets and red velvet curtains, a far cry from the rough canvas hammock that Sniffer had slept in during the long voyage to Tira, down in the airless hold.

Sniffer stood silently, his face impassive, until Governor Lazlac deigned to notice him. This took several minutes.

‘Aaah, Sniffer,’ Lord Lazlac sighed. ‘Where are these troublesome brats? Please do not tell me that you have failed to find them. You know how much I detest failure.’

Sniffer bowed hurriedly.

‘My lord. There are four of them, riding horses, with a dog,’ Sniffer replied. ‘It seems the infidel princess is one of them – she is limping. By dusk I had trailed them to this very cove. They were spying on our ships, and they seemed to be searching for a hiding place nearby. I suspect they may even be planning to return to the cove this evening.’

Lord Lazlac laughed, a harsh, guttural sound that was totally lacking in mirth.

‘Do you really mean to tell me that four snivelling children and a mongrel dog have been spying on the finest warships of Sedah? Do you think they mean to board us and seize our ships! I hope not. They may pollute my deck with snot.’

Lord Lazlac grimaced at his own joke. Captain Malish chuckled ingratiatingly.

‘Captain Malish, prepare a welcoming party to be waiting on the beach. Remember that Mortma wants his precious princess preferably unharmed. I don’t care what you do to the rest … as long as it is very painful.’ Lord Lazlac grimaced again.

‘Yes, my lord. At once, my lord,’ barked Captain Malish, bowing low.

‘Sniffer. You had better get some rest,’ Lord Lazlac added. ‘If those brats don’t turn up as suggested, then I want you to find them first thing in the morning, and bring them to me here. They have already wasted enough of my time.’

Sniffer bowed low and scuttled after Captain Malish, before Lord Lazlac changed his mind and made him search all night.

It was completely dark and very cold when Ethan woke Lily for her watch. She sat huddled in her cloak, eyes staring into the darkness, stomach clenched with nerves. She stroked Aisha’s sleeping body beside her to give her courage and nestled closer to her for warmth.

The time seemed to crawl by. Lily made up stories in her head to help the time pass. She tried to avoid thoughts of home, her parents or the night raid ahead.

Instead she thought about the forest where she lived and the animals who lived there – the gentle deer and rabbits, snuffly hedgehogs, and the dangerous wild boar and wolves. While she did not like shooting animals, she loved tracking them and watching them play.

Suddenly a soft splash caught her attention.

Aisha woke immediately, her head raised, hackles up and her ears pricked, listening for the source of the sound. A soft growl rumbled in her throat. Lily put her hand on Aisha’s neck to calm her.

Adrenalin rushed through Lily’s blood, making her scalp tingle and her heart thump. By this time her eyes were quite used to the total darkness. She crept forward away from her sleeping companions, with Aisha stalking beside her.

At the water’s edge she paused, searching the darkness. There was nothing to be seen except the distant glimmer of white surf outside the cove and the soft shimmer of stars overhead. Shadows loomed large and strange in the gloom.

Her ears could detect nothing except the constant rumble of waves on rock. Then Lily heard a new noise, a soft eerie sound almost like music, yet like no music she had heard before. A haunting, piping melody, only half heard above the waves. The music made Lily’s heart surge with love, happiness and inexplicable longing. She moved closer.

‘I wonder … I wonder if that could possibly be …’

Aisha barked loudly, snapping at the soft little ripples of water on the sand.

Immediately the music, if that is what it was, stopped.

‘Shush, Aisha,’ cried Lily sorrowfully. ‘It’s stopped. That beautiful music. I wanted it to go on forever …’

There was a sudden movement from the rocks at the mouth of the cove and a shadow slipped into the water with a gentle splash. Lily laughed softly, patting Aisha.

‘What could it be? Did I dream it? Was it just a seal or something else?’ she murmured to the dog. But there were no more noises, and eventually she walked back to the others and sat down to watch the waves. When at last the half moon rose in the eastern sky at midnight, Lily woke Saxon and curled up to sleep again.

Saxon sat whittling a piece of driftwood with his dagger, his eyes peering into the darkness. He felt like someone or something was staring at him from the inky blackness of the rocks or the sea. He shook off the feeling, putting it down to nerves and the slow, boring wait.

The tide crept out, bit by slow bit. The waning moon crept up in the sky, bit by slow bit. The waves crashed in and out, in and out, in and out. From fighting nerves, Saxon now had to fight boredom and sleep and impatience.

When the half moon was finally a quarter of its journey through the star-sprinkled heavens, Saxon woke the others.

Roana was furious.

‘Why did you not wake me up for my watch!’ she whispered irately. ‘I suppose you thought I would slumber and not wake you! I bet you let Lily do her watch.’

Saxon, Ethan and Lily glanced guiltily at each other.

‘You were sleeping so peacefully, I couldn’t wake you …’ mumbled Saxon.

‘I thought we agreed that I was not to be given special princess treatment,’ Roana said, glaring at everyone. ‘I am just as capable of staying awake as any of you. I will not be left out. We are all in this together!’

Aisha started whimpering at the anger in Roana’s tone. She nudged the princess with her nose, trying to placate her.

‘I’m sorry,’ Saxon soothed. ‘We weren’t sure. You know you aren’t used to doing some of the things we are. But we won’t leave you out again.’

‘Come on,’ said Ethan gruffly. ‘We should eat something and get going.’

They all sat silently, nerves strung taut as wire, while they ate bread and cheese, washed down with water. Ethan unstrung the bows and stored them with their boots, spare clothes and quivers in the back of the cave.

When they were finished eating they dragged the boat down to the water and stowed the oars. Aisha ran back and forth, tail wagging in excitement. She tried to jump into the boat after the oars.

‘No, Aisha, you’re not coming with us this time, girl,’ Ethan said firmly, rubbing the dog’s ears. ‘You stay here and guard our things.’

Aisha’s tail drooped mournfully, but she obediently walked back up the beach to the boulder hiding the cave and sat there watching. Her left ear flipped inside out, as it always did when she was displeased.

She whined softly as the four children pushed the boat off the sand into the lapping waves. Roana and Lily pushed the boat from the sides, splashing through water up to their thighs, then jumped in the boat and crawled to the bow, shivering at the chilly air on their wet clothes.

Ethan and Saxon pushed the boat from the stern, out past the gently breaking waves, then leapt in after them. They sat on the middle bench, facing the beach, and started to row. Aisha watched them for a while, then turned around and around in a circle three times before curling up to sleep, her ears still cocked to listen for any unusual sounds.

‘Good girl, Aisha,’ called Ethan softly. ‘Wait for us, we’ll be back soon.’

The boat surged forward strongly in the calm water. The sheer walls of the cliffs soared on either side as they slipped out of the cove. Immediately the motion changed as they hit the sea swell.

‘Keep your weight forward,’ Saxon called to the others.

Saxon and Ethan had to row harder to propel the craft against the force of the surf. Towering waves crashed into the boat, drenching them all with salt spray and filling the hull with water. The boys strained and pulled, panting for breath.

The boat sat still despite the rowing, motionless against opposing forces. Another huge wave loomed over the boat, threatening to engulf it. The boys heaved again and the boat jerked forward with a loud sucking noise and shot forward into the air, landing with a loud thwack on top of the water.

Lily clung to the gunwale with clenched knuckles, her heart in her mouth. Both she and Ethan could swim strongly in the river at home, but that seemed so tame compared to this rough, black sea. She refused to think of the deep, dark water below the hull, and what might be lurking there.

In a few moments the boat surged into the relatively calmer water past the breakers.

Roana and Lily bent to bail out the water with tin cups. The boys pulled strongly, their backs already aching with the strain.

‘Ssshh,’ Lily hissed as she caught sight of the mouth of Goldcoin Cove, where the Sedah ships were moored. The boys slowed down their rowing. No-one dared to breathe.

The six ships bobbed menacingly in the dark water, only visible as black shadows against the brighter starry sky. A lantern flickered at the stern of each ship, and candles glowed through the windows of the cabins.

By this faint light they could see the name of the three closest ships carved in gold curly letters: the Sea Dragon, the Black Pearl and the largest ship – the Glory of Sedah.

The boys steered the boat silently towards the dripping rope of the Glory of Sedah’s anchor line. Roana and Lily grabbed hold of the line, fending the boat away from the hull with their arms. Saxon secured the mooring rope to the anchor line.

All four faces stared up at the menacing hulk of the black ship towering up there. There was something strange up there, just below the bowsprit – a terrifying shadow, poised like a large animal ready to pounce. But it was like no animal they had ever seen – a monster! They all froze, silently watching. The creature did not move, just swayed gently with the rocking of the waves.

As their eyes strained in the darkness, they could make out the ugly creature better. A large ferocious head, its mouth open in a silent roar, its many sharp teeth gleaming softly. Red eyes flickered in the darkness.

Long, sharp claws reached out to rake the enemy’s face. Powerful hindquarters quivered with the exertion of staying still, while a long tufted tail curled languidly down the bow of the ship.

The children stared up, terrified, mouths dry, hearts beating and muscles pumped with adrenalin, ready for flight. Still the creature did not leap. Ethan quietly moved forward to untie the mooring rope and push off, back to the relative safety of the sea. Saxon moved to help him, and then paused, staring up at the monster.

He muffled a nervous giggle. ‘It’s all right,’ Saxon whispered. ‘It’s only the figurehead. We usually carve beautiful women for ours, but the Sedahs prefer monsters!’

Lily’s knees went weak and trembling with relief. She took a deep breath. Of course it was just a carving, she thought. It is amazing how shadows play tricks on the mind.

Ethan climbed up the anchor line, swinging arm over arm. He swung up into the shadows on the ship, then snaked down a coil of rope that he had attached to a stanchion. Lily tied this rope around her waist then climbed up the anchor line, as agile as a monkey. The rope came snaking down again.

Saxon grabbed it before it splashed in the water and passed it to Roana. She hesitated then tied it round her waist. She carefully took hold of the rope and looked up into the dark shadows above.

The boat rocked alarmingly and the anchor line creaked and groaned. The ship towered above, rocking slightly with the motion of the waves. The ship and boat moved as if in a formal dance, rocking together, then wrenching apart.

Roana swallowed, the pit of her stomach lurching with nausea. She tried not to think of Octomons or sea serpents lurking in the depths below.

‘Come on, Roana. You can do it,’ hissed Saxon under his breath.

Roana took a deep breath, then climbed hand over hand up the anchor rope as Lily had done. But Roana was not as fit as Lily, nor as used to climbing. Her arms ached with the strain of taking her weight. She reached halfway up the rope. Her muscles started to burn and her arms shook uncontrollably. The effort became greater and greater. At last Roana could not let go of the rope to climb any further.

She hung suspended over the boiling black sea, frozen with fear. Her hands were slick with sweat. She could feel the rope slipping from her grasp. Ethan and Lily felt the guide rope stop, so together they took the slack and hauled with all their might, winding the rope around a timber strut to stop it from slipping back.

Roana was dragged, dangling and kicking, up onto the deck. She collapsed panting in a heap. Ethan untied the safety rope and lowered it down to Saxon. In a moment Saxon was clambering on board too.

In the bow they all crouched, hardly visible in the darkness with their black cloaks and charcoaled faces. They paused for a few minutes, gathering their breath and their courage and their bearings. At a nod, they crept forward, one after the other. Roana lead the way as she was the only one who had ever been on a ship of this size. From the stern they could hear low murmurs and the smell of pipe smoke.

They found the ladder leading down into the deep, cold hold. Hearts thudding, they climbed down and down and down into the very belly of the ship. They crept through the darkness, fumbling their way with their hands.

The hold was filled with crates and barrels of stolen loot. Animals were penned in makeshift stalls, snorting and panting at the unfamiliar rolling of the ship. Further on, they came to a couple of doors with small barred grates and heavy padlocks.

Peeping through the first grate, they saw dozens of Tiregian soldiers in red livery sleeping on the floor in dirty straw. A strong stench of stale vomit and sweat wafted through the bars.

Peeping through the grate in the next door, they saw a smaller room with just a handful of people curled on the floor. One man dozing close to the door had a very familiar shape.

‘Dadda?’ Ethan whispered. The man stirred fitfully. ‘Dadda!’

The man started and struggled to his feet. He limped to the door. Willem had a dirty bloodstained bandage around his head, and his arm in a sling. His face looked puffy and bruised, as though he had suffered a recent fall or blow.

‘Ethan. Ethan, my boy. Is that you? Have the devils caught you too?’ he cried in despair.

Ethan whispered through the grate and briefly explained how they had come to be there and how they had rescued the prisoners from the barn at the royal hunting lodge. Willem pressed his fingers through the grate and gripped Ethan and Lily’s fingers in his own.

‘How is Mama?’ asked Lily fearfully.

‘She is well, she sleeps right here. I must wake her – she won’t believe her eyes to see you both standing here of all places, as bold as brass, with young Saxon! She has been very worried. And who is this black-faced lad with you?’

‘That lad, Dadda, is the Princess Roana.’ Ethan laughed softly as he saw the incredulous look on his father’s face. ‘Can you believe it?’

‘The queen will be so relieved to hear the Princess Roana is alive,’ Willem whispered. ‘Lord Lazlac told the queen that the princess had been thrown from her pony and killed.’

Roana pulled herself up tall. ‘Lord Lazlac will find I am not so easily disposed of,’ she said haughtily.

‘Don’t worry, Dadda,’ Ethan added. ‘We will soon have you all free.’

‘No, you must go,’ Willem cried urgently. ‘You must not be caught. Please, children, escape before it is too late.’

‘No.’ Ethan shook his head vehemently. ‘We can rescue you.’

He started digging at the padlock with his dagger trying to pick the lock, but to no avail. Saxon and Roana tried to chip away at the heavy chain and the iron rings buried in the door and jamb.

Willem tiptoed across the cell and woke Marnie and Queen Ashana. The two mothers wept with joy and fear to find their beloved children alive and here. They gripped fingers with each child through the bars.

‘Your father is right,’ whispered Marnie urgently. ‘It is too dangerous for you to be here. Please go at once.’

A couple of bodies stirred in the cell. Everyone froze.

A man’s voice called from the darkness, quivering with suspicion.

‘Who is there? What are you doing!’

‘Shhhhhh,’ hissed Willem over his shoulder. ‘It is nothing, Lord Mortimer. Go back to sleep.’

‘Don’t “nothing” me, Willem of Kenley,’ cried Lord Mortimer. ‘Do not speak to your betters like that. I tell you someone is there. Who are you talking to? Someone is trying to break in!’

From overhead came a thud, then the sound of hurried footsteps.

‘Go,’ hissed Willem through the grate. ‘Hide yourselves.’

‘Take this, Dadda,’ Ethan replied as he slid one of his daggers through the grate. Lily immediately pushed her spare dagger through as well. Saxon and Roana ran back through the hold and were crouching behind piles of crates and barrels, hiding their faces in the folds of their cloaks.

‘What’s happening?’ called a woman’s voice, high with fear. ‘Who is here?’

A number of the prisoners had woken with the shouting and were now crowding around the doors, yelling and shaking the bars of the grate, rattling the padlock chains.

Ethan grabbed Lily’s hand and they ran to hide themselves in the shadows. Two guards clumped down the ladder, carrying lanterns that bobbed and swayed, casting a flickering red glow over the towers of crates.

‘Be quiet,’ one guard roared. ‘What is all this noise about? Go to sleep or it will be the worse for you all.’

Saxon and Roana took the opportunity to creep back up the ladder when the guards’ backs were turned.

‘There was someone here,’ replied Lord Mortimer. ‘Someone trying to break in.’

‘Nonsense,’ bellowed the guard. ‘There is no-one here.’

‘There was,’ insisted Lord Mortimer. ‘Someone creeping about and fiddling with the lock.’

‘That’s impossible,’ barked the guard, raising his cudgel in anger.

The other guard picked up his lantern and started shining it around the hold, brusquely searching the shadows. Ethan and Lily shrank back deeper into their cloaks. The first guard unlocked the padlock with a large key, using his cudgel to threaten the prisoners back into the corner.

‘The key!’ Lily mouthed. Ethan nodded. ‘Let’s try to surprise him.’

Both children drew their remaining daggers. The second guard was now searching the hold closer to the ladder, with his back to them. Lily and Ethan crept out from their hiding place and tiptoed back to the cell. Peering through the open door, they saw several courtiers cowering in the corner around the queen and the prince, with the first guard shouting at them.

‘You stupid scum, what is all this nonsense? Perhaps I can beat some sense into you!’

Lily and Ethan made a shhh signal. Willem saw them and started, his face pale and grim. Marnie immediately spoke up.

‘Of course there was no-one here. How could there be? The poor fool merely suffered a nightmare.’

The courtiers stared at the two children outlined against the dimness of the hold. The guard saw them staring and turned around, holding his lantern aloft.

‘What the devil …?’ he began.

But he was knocked flying as Willem jumped on him from behind. The lantern flew across the cell, landing in a pile of damp, putrid straw. The glass broke and flames licked out into the straw. The guard struggled and yelled as Marnie joined in the fray, a dagger clutched in her hand. Ethan and Lily ran into the cell to help their parents, their weapons raised.

The prisoners ran forward to stamp out the flames, led by Queen Ashana. The second guard ran back in, knocking Lily out of the way. The cell was filling with dank, acrid smoke, adding to the confusion.

‘What’s going on?’ the guard yelled, wielding his sword ferociously. He used the flat of the sword to beat back the prisoners crowding around his fallen colleague.

‘They’re the ones. They shouldn’t be here. They’re the ones who tried to break in,’ yelled the fallen guard hoarsely.

The second guard turned and lunged at Lily, grabbing for her arm. Marnie barrelled into him, knocking him off course. He reached into his jacket and pulled out a silver whistle, which he blew shrilly. A distant pounding of footsteps could be heard from the port deck, over the roar of the prisoners from both cells.

Willem looked up at his children beseechingly. ‘Go. Go. Please go,’ he yelled.

Ethan glanced at Lily. She nodded. One of the guards was at the back of the cell, holding back the group of loudly protesting courtiers and royalty. The other was blowing loudly on his whistle, struggling to take the dagger from Marnie on his back. Willem ran to distract the second guard, while Ethan and Lily lunged for the open door.

They had nearly reached the ladder when the thud of running footsteps became a loud thunder. Lily tugged at Ethan’s shoulder and they slipped into the shadows behind the barrels at the foot of the ladder, huddling into their black cloaks. A stream of booted legs pounded down the ladder and across the hold towards the cells.

When the last boot had thundered down the corridor, the two children clambered up towards the dim starlight above.

‘Stop there,’ yelled a voice behind them, but they kept on scrambling.

A dagger whistled past their legs, juddering into the timber wall. But still they climbed. A youthful-looking guard leapt for their ankles, recklessly waving his cutlass. He caught hold of Lily’s foot and stabbed viciously at her leg, just as her body disappeared through the manhole.

Lily cast off her cloak and it dropped back down the hole, entangling her attacker’s face and sword arm. She kicked herself free and kept running as blood streamed down her leg, slicking the deck with its sticky redness.

Wordlessly they both ran towards the bow as fast as they could, panting for breath, their hearts thudding. In a matter of seconds they could hear the sounds of pursuit – yells, footfalls, the clatter of arrows being drawn and curses as they missed their mark. Their pursuers carried lanterns, which lit up the deck in a fiery glow.

At the bow they paused, looking over the side. Down below bobbed their borrowed boat with the anxious white faces of Roana and Saxon staring up from the gloom.

‘Jump in the water,’ yelled Saxon. ‘We’ll fish you out.’

Lily hesitated, staring down at the black fathomless depths of the ocean below, then glanced back at the fearsome guards in pursuit.

Ethan grabbed her hand. ‘Come on, Lily, we’ll jump together,’ he urged.

‘Watch out for the girl,’ yelled a soldier behind them. ‘Lord Lazlac doesn’t want her killed. Just stop them getting away.’

There was an ominous twang, then the sound of arrows flying through the air.

Ethan and Lily both leapt out into the thin, cold air, arms and legs flailing.

Lily felt her whole body jerk, then a burning, agonising pain just below her shoulder. Ethan cried out as an arrow buried itself deep in his left arm. And then they were falling, screaming, into the dark sea.

Just before their bodies hit the rock-hard surface of the water, a sight more terrifying than they had ever imagined rose to meet them. In the light from the soldiers’ lanterns they could see something moving. A giant tentacle curled up above them. It was sickly grey, with smudges of purple, covered in large crater-like suckers.

The tentacle groped blindly into the air, stretching and reaching. Another tentacle followed, towering above them. Ethan could hear screams of surprise from the ship above him.

An Octomon! The fabled monster that could crush the bellies of great ships. The sea monster that made salty old seamen whimper in their beds.

Ethan and Lily hit the water with a smash that knocked all the breath from their bodies. Immediately the water foamed with eight long, writhing tentacles. Ethan started to swim for the boat, shouting to Lily to swim too. The water boiled and churned.

Ethan threw off the heavy black woollen cloak that was dragging him under. He could feel the sharp pain of the arrow in his arm but fear of the Octomon drove him on faster.

Lily started to swim clumsily after him, paddling on her side, her left arm virtually useless. Blood swirled in the water around her.

Lily felt a flicker of cold on her belly as something brushed against her. She swam faster. The brush turned to a loving caress, then an embrace. Lily kicked her legs out behind her. She was not moving anywhere.

The hug became stronger, then started to tug. One of the thick Octomon tentacles was wrapped around her waist and dragging her under. Lily screamed as her mouth filled with bitter sea water, burning her throat and nose.

Ethan paused when he heard Lily’s scream and turned around. She was gone.

He turned back and forth, searching the water desperately with his arms, legs, hands and eyes.

‘Lily,’ he screamed. ‘Lily!’

He felt something with his hands. Something cold and wet.

He grabbed at it. It grabbed back.

Something slimy and strong wound around his waist and down his warm body. Ethan struggled and fought. It was like a cable of steel, squeezing the breath from him. The tentacle pulled him slowly under the surface. Ethan took a deep breath before he went under, thinking furiously.

He stopped fighting against the relentless squeeze. His dagger! He grasped the hilt from his belt, took aim and stabbed.

The Octomon jerked and flung its injured tentacle up into the air, slightly loosening its grip. Ethan took large lungfuls of air, saturating his blood with oxygen, and stabbed again.

This time the Octomon flung up its other tentacle, tightly clutching Lily. She breathed deeply and thankfully. She saw Ethan stabbing violently with his dagger as the tentacle that held him plunged toward the sea again.

Lily found her own dagger. She started frantically stabbing the grey and mauve vice that held her, as the tentacle descended once more deep into the icy sea.

She could hear muffled screaming. It wasn’t her own voice. It was Roana screaming from the boat.

The sea chopped and churned as the sea monster wrestled with its prey. Thick black ooze welled from the wounds on the creature’s flesh. In its struggles it lifted them high in the air, then plunged again. Still the creature did not release its vice-like grip.

Above them, on the ship, a band of guards laughed on the deck. ‘That’s the end of them – tasty fish food,’ chortled one. The others collapsed with mirth.

Roana and Saxon rowed out into the maelstrom, then used the oars to beat the tentacles they could reach. Saxon tried to use his sword but couldn’t reach close enough. Roana fashioned two extended bayonets by lashing swords to the end of the oars. They thrust these vigorously at the sea monster. The water swirled with oily black blood.

A cacophony of jeering noise erupted on the ship’s deck as the guards spied the futile rescue attempt.

‘I think our fishy friend is still hungry,’ shouted a guard, raising his bow and arrow. ‘Let’s give him some sweet hot pudding.’ The others chuckled at the joke.

Another guard dipped his arrow head in a sticky barrel of tar on the deck, lit it in the lantern and sent the flaming arrow soaring over the churning whirlpool below. Soon a score of flaming arrows spun through the night, illuminating the mayhem.

Roana and Saxon now had to fight flying flames as well as the hideous sea creature. They stamped out spot fires with their boots, while still lunging with oar bayonets.

The sea monster, stabbed repeatedly and now dazzled by shooting fire arrows, dived deep under the water and headed out to sea, taking its precious prey with it. Roana and Saxon set off in pursuit, rowing with all their strength. Yet their speed was no match for the sea creature’s power. Soon there was no sign of the Octomon, of Lily, or of Ethan.

Eventually Roana and Saxon stopped rowing and leant panting on their oars, as they desperately searched the black waves for a glimpse of their friends.

Roana collapsed in the bottom of the boat, sobbing. Saxon stared down into the black depths of the ocean uncomprehendingly. There was nothing to show that Ethan and Lily had ever existed.

Saxon’s shocked reverie was shattered by a loud explosion from the ship behind them. A roar of flame leapt into the air, followed by an ominous whistling sound. A massive black ball roared through the air, skimming the side of the boat with a sickening splintering sound, but landing harmlessly in the water a couple of metres away.

The boat rocked wildly, water sloshing over the side and saturating Roana. A loud cheer came from the ship. ‘We got ’em. No, a little to the right. Try again,’ came the muffled shouts.

Saxon grabbed the oars and started to row strongly. ‘Quickly, Roana, get up and help me,’ he screamed. Roana obediently clambered up onto the middle shelf seat and took an oar.

Another cannon ball flew through the air and smashed the tip of the boat’s bow before sinking into the sea. A volley of boos came from the ship behind them.

‘Missed ’em. Fire again!’

‘Shall we man the rowboats and give chase, sir?’ asked the enthusiastic young guard who had stabbed Lily.

‘Not on your life, young ’un,’ laughed his superior. ‘Not with that hungry Octomon cruising the water for something to eat. No, those squirts won’t get very far before the monster comes looking for his dessert. Let him enjoy the sport, then he won’t be troubling us.’

Another cannon ball blasted the air, falling only a metre behind the small rowboat. Again the boat rocked like a bucking bronco. The noise was deafening. Water swirled around their shins, and the boat seemed heavier and slower with every stroke.

Roana and Saxon rowed for their very lives, Roana’s muscles screaming in pain, struggling to reach the hidden smuggler’s cove and the safety of their secret cave. At last, they found the narrow crack in the cliff wall and steered into it.

A large wave picked them up and hurled them forward, the boat almost flying on the foaming spume straight towards the beach. Roana felt her stomach flip and heave. She thought she was going to be sick.

Aisha met them at the shore, whining pathetically and sniffing anxiously at the boat, as if Lily and Ethan might suddenly pop up laughing from some hidden spot.

Mechanically Roana and Saxon dragged the boat partway up the sand and crawled, shivering, into the cave.

Wordlessly Saxon passed Roana a thick black cloak to wrap herself in. Aisha wriggled in between them, putting her head on Saxon’s lap, looking up with big sad eyes.

Roana started to cry great heaving sobs.

‘It was all for naught. We lost Ethan and Lily. We did not save anyone. We failed, we failed. It was all for naught. Ethan and Lily are gone.’

Saxon let out an anguished howl, burying his face in his large hands. Roana threw herself against him. They hugged furiously, rocking back and forth, letting the tears pour down. At last there were no more tears to cry, no more words to say, and so they fell asleep, curled up with Aisha to keep them warm.

Deep under water, lungs bursting and muscles tiring, Lily and Ethan struggled weakly in the relentless grip of the monster. Blood pounded in their ears. Their brains screamed for oxygen.

Lily felt herself lightening, slowly succumbing to the temptation to simply give up and float away in the darkness. Her dagger dropped from her fingers. She felt sad but calm.

She closed her eyes, thought of her mother and father and Ethan and Aisha and Saxon and Roana. How distraught they would be.

Then suddenly, strangely, the vice was gone. Lily opened her eyes, staring wide in the murky gloom.

A fantastic scene revealed itself.

I am dead, she thought peacefully. This is what death is.

Lily closed her eyes, her lungs searing with pain. She opened them again but the vision did not disappear.

Soaring towards her through the water came a pod of strange human-like creatures. Their bodies flickered with sparkling, silvery-green scales.

Clouds of long thick tresses floated around their strange, beautiful faces, like velvety dark seaweed. Each carried a long spear, with a wicked tip of sharpened coral pointed menacingly. Merrow! Then all was blackness as Lily slipped from conciousness.

A freezing blast of oxygen shocked her into wakefulness. She was bobbing on the surface of the ocean. Another head broke the surface, then another and another, until eleven heads bobbed in the waves, two brown and nine green. She gulped and gulped, swallowing the beautiful air, sucking it deep down into her burning lungs. She looked in wonder at the strange, pale faces staring at her.

‘Lily, are you all right?’ panted Ethan.

She nodded weakly, her heart thudding. ‘You?’

‘Yes – just!’ He grinned.

Ethan turned to the sea people. He held out his hand, palm up, in a gesture of thanks and good will.

‘Thank you. Thank you,’ he called gravely. ‘You saved our lives.’

The Merrow people glanced at each other and murmured in a beautiful sing-song melody. The mellifluous voices sounded like an orchestra of rolling breakers, sighing winds and leaping fish. Lily nearly wept with joy to hear it.

One of the sea people gestured to the horizon. His hand was webbed with flaps of greeny-grey skin, almost transparent.

As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but rolling black waves, and overhead the dazzling brilliance of thousands of tiny stars. Lily shivered with fear and shock. Her teeth started chattering violently.

There was no sign of land. She began to sink beneath the water, her muscles too exhausted to hold her up. A Merrow man hauled her up again and held her afloat with his cool, pale arm.

A beautiful sea girl pulled out a strange pipe from a large woven pouch around her neck.

The pipe was carved from several branches of pure white coral, engraved with strange symbols of dancing porpoises and spouting whales. She began to play high whistling notes upon it. With a shock of recognition, Lily realised the music was very similar to the strange melody she had heard earlier in the evening while she was on watch.

A small head popped out of the Merrow girl’s pouch, enraptured by the piping. It was a bright-eyed sea baby, with spikes of green all over his head. He sucked his thumb solemnly, peering at the sodden creatures his people had rescued from the Octomon. When Lily caught his eye he smiled shyly, closing his eyes and hiding his face against his mother’s breast.

The high whistling music continued for a few minutes until more heads popped suddenly from the water with a playful splash. These heads were sleek and grey, the laughing faces of dolphins. The sea girl stopped playing and gestured quickly to Ethan and Lily, then towards the dolphins. They looked enquiringly at her. She sang soft and low.

‘Do you think she means us to ride the dolphins?’ asked Lily in wonder.

‘I hope so. I don’t think I can stay afloat much longer,’ grinned Ethan in reply.

The two floundered over to the dolphins, helped by cold, wet Merrow arms.

Ethan and Lily clung to the slippery dorsal fins of their dolphin mounts. There was more musical conversation between their rescuers, then the sea girl played another whistling harmony on her coral pipe, and the whole pod surged off – dolphins in the middle, surrounded by a retinue of mysterious Merrow folk.

The dolphins swam fast and gracefully, surging through the water. A foaming eddy of bubbles gleamed in the starlight in their wake. This ride would be treasured by Lily and Ethan all their lives. The wind whipped through their soaking hair, revitalising their jaded spirits. Spray stung their faces.

A smile of pure joy lightened Lily’s face as she stared in awe at the stars, the sea and the mysterious creatures around her. Light-headed from loss of blood, the ocean journey was surreal and dreamlike. Ethan turned and grinned at Lily, his heart singing with wonder. Pain and horror were momentarily forgotten.

The horizon gradually darkened, until they recognised the looming shadow. Land! Soon they could see the faint glimmer of tiny red lights and smell the wonderful familiar aroma of rich loamy soil and pungent leaves.

‘Lily,’ Ethan cried to her over the waves. ‘I think that is the headland leading to Goldcoin Cove, which means our little hideout is just around the corner.’

Lily nodded, too dazed to speak.

Ethan called to the sea people and pointed over to the right. As one, the pod swerved and raced on. Riding the crest of a towering wave, they surfed through the crack in the cliff and skimmed gracefully to a halt in the foam a few metres from the water’s edge. Ethan and Lily slipped from the dolphins’ backs and staggered up onto the sand, their legs weak and rubbery.

They turned and waved to the Merrow folk. ‘Thank you so much,’ croaked Lily gratefully. The Merrow baby popped his head out of the pouch again and held his plump little starfish hand out to Lily.

Impulsively, she pulled a little string of wooden and amber beads from around her neck and held it out to the baby, stepping back into the waves. He chuckled in delight and reached for them. His mother smiled and placed the beads around his neck, where he sucked on them in delight.

‘Many, many thanks,’ agreed Ethan heartily. ‘We are in your debt forever.’

An old wrinkly sea man held up two daggers towards them.

‘Our daggers,’ Ethan cried in surprise. ‘I thought I had dropped mine.’ He stepped forward into the water to take the daggers back, but noticed a covetous glance from several of the sea folk.

‘No,’ he stopped, gesturing with his hands. ‘Please keep them – with our heartfelt gratitude.’

The sea man hesitated, then tucked the daggers away in a pouch on his back, saluting sternly.

Ethan and Lily turned to stagger up the sand when they were stopped by a singing melody. They swung around.

The Merrow girl sang to Ethan, holding something out towards him. He stepped towards her. In his hand she placed her coral pipe and gently closed her two hands around his hand.

Her hands felt cool and soft. She pointed to him, then mimed playing the pipe. She pointed to the distance, then mimed swimming towards him, and clutched his hand again.

‘I think she means that if I play the pipe, they will come to us,’ Ethan said uncertainly.

‘I think she likes you,’ Lily grinned wearily.

The Merrow girl smiled shyly, cuddling the baby closer. Then she gestured to Lily. She removed something from her neck and held it out to Lily. Cupped in her hand was a perfect, luminous white pearl on a fine gold chain.

Lily frowned. ‘For me?’ she asked, touching her throat.

The sea girl nodded seriously. Lily took it and placed it around her neck, warming the cool pearl with her hand. It felt magical and powerful nestled against her chest.

The Merrow girl with the baby smiled again and waved.

Lily thought she heard her whisper, ‘Fare thee well …’

‘Did you hear that?’ Lily asked Ethan.

‘Hear what … the music?’ Ethan replied.

‘No. I thought … I thought she spoke …’

Silently the pod turned and slipped out of sight under water. It was as if they had never existed.

Ethan was suddenly barrelled by a rush of warm dog. Aisha leapt all over him, wild with excitement, her whole body wagging with her tail.

The sudden welcoming onslaught was too much for Lily, who staggered and fell. Ethan saw dark drips of blood on the white sand, and a flowing gush from Lily’s leg.

The sodden shoulder of her black silk shirt was bloodied with a spreading stain, around the arrow stub. The arrow shaft had broken off during the struggles with the sea monster, leaving the deadly barb buried deep in her flesh.

Aisha licked Lily all over her face with concern, whining anxiously. Ethan hauled her away, mouthing low words of affection.

A sudden searing pain in his arm reminded Ethan that he too had been badly wounded by an arrow. He rubbed the wound ruefully, his hand coming away smeared with blood.

A thudding agony told him that the barb was still buried there. He hauled Lily to her feet with his good arm and helped her up the beach, laying her gently on the sand outside the entrance to the little hidden cave.

He groped under the hanging curtain of creeper and found the cave mouth. Just as he was about to crawl in, he felt a sharp point of steel pressed into his jugular vein.

‘Who’s there?’ growled a ferocious voice. ‘One move and you’re dead.’

‘Saxon?’ croaked Ethan. The dagger blade dropped and Ethan was enveloped in a huge bear hug.

‘Ethan, you’re alive,’ shrieked Saxon, tears streaking down his face. ‘We thought you were both killed. I can’t believe it.’

‘Yes, and you nearly just killed me again,’ retorted Ethan, wincing with pain.

Roana emerged from the cave rubbing her eyes in bewilderment. She screamed in shock at the sight of Ethan’s pale face, and flung her arms around his neck. Ethan flushed and stood awkwardly in the unexpected embrace. There was a babble of questions from Roana and Saxon.

‘Not now,’ Ethan cried. ‘We must help Lily. She is hurt badly.’

Saxon lit a lantern, which cast a flickering glow. Lily lay unconscious on the sand, her face deathly pale, with Aisha standing guard over her. Roana gasped in shock. Ethan felt her pulse, a slight flutter at her wrist.

‘She is bad. Very bad,’ Ethan muttered, his eyes wild with panic. ‘What shall we do? I don’t want to try to pull out the arrowhead – she might bleed to death. If we move her, we could make her worse, but we can’t stay here!’

‘There is a healer called Saira who lives in a village called Mereworth about ten kilometres from here,’ Saxon said. ‘I have been there with my father on one of our trips. I think we should go there at once. I can run to fetch the horses, and help you carry Lily up the cliff when I get back.’

Saxon scrambled off through the darkness.

Ethan rummaged through Lily’s pack to find the stash of bandages his mother had packed what seemed like a lifetime ago. The gash in the leg was deep and still bleeding profusely.

He gently bandaged Lily’s leg with the cloth, which somehow seemed to smell of his mother – of lavender and rosemary. The familiar scents comforted him and made him feel that, somehow, everything might just turn out all right.

He did not want to risk wounding Lily further by bumping the arrow stub, so he wadded up some cloth and tucked it up under the shirt, bandaging it in place.

Lily’s bleeding was now reduced to a slow oozing. Roana clumsily copied his technique to bandage Ethan’s arm. Then they sat together in the flickering lantern light, anxiously watching the slight rise and fall of Lily’s breathing.

They did not notice the tide creeping in, lapping around the hull of the rowboat abandoned halfway down the beach. They did not notice the rowboat lift and tilt and wriggle down into the water. Nor did they notice the next wave, which caressed the bow of the boat and beckoned it to escape on the early morning tide.

Ethan and Roana did not stir until a low whistle warned them that Saxon had returned. Together the three friends hauled, pushed, dragged and heaved Lily’s limp body up the cliff face. Aisha slipped and slid up the rocks behind them.

‘If she wasn’t dying before, we have probably killed her now,’ Saxon said grimly.

Ethan mounted Toffee, hauling Lily up in front of him, with Saxon lifting her from below.

‘Let’s hope that Mereworth wasn’t destroyed by the Sedahs and that your Saira is still there to help us,’ Ethan said, his voice cracking with emotion.

‘Mereworth is tiny, tucked out of the way. I somehow don’t think many people would find it unless they knew where to look,’ replied Saxon mysteriously.

The horses set off at a brisk walk, following Saxon’s lead on Caramel. In the rear, Nutmeg trailed behind Roana on a lead rein. Saxon hesitated once or twice in the darkness but seemed confident of his way. Silently the horses slipped through the meadows and downs.

Finally Saxon found a tiny path, which would have been easy to miss in the darkness. He led the horses down a steep narrow track towards the coast. The cliff dropped away to nothing on the right and rose sheer above them on the left. It wound down and down until they seemed to be in a narrow hidden valley at the base of sharp cliffs.

At last they stopped at a small stone cottage on the outskirts of the village of Mereworth. Saxon rapped quietly on the door. There was no response. He knocked again, more loudly this time.

A few minutes later, a small old woman opened the door holding up a spluttering candle. She had a cloak hastily thrown over her nightgown. Long grey hair tumbled down her back and her face was lined with deep wrinkles. Although obviously old in years, she stood erect and moved gracefully.

‘Saira of Mereworth. It is Saxon of Kenley, son of Rodney the tailor. We need your help,’ murmured Saxon respectfully.

‘You certainly do,’ Saira replied. ‘What have you done to this poor girl!’

Saira took command. Saxon was sent to fetch wood, stoke up the fire and stable the horses in the barn. Roana was ordered about imperiously and obeyed meekly as she fetched herbs, boiled water and found bandages.

Ethan was ordered to rest in a large soft armchair by the fire and given a cup of some hot, bitter brew to sip. Saira poured a trickle of tincture into Lily’s mouth, then gently examined her from head to toe. She sniffed disdainfully as she removed the travel-stained bandages and threw them into a waste bucket.

Saira paused curiously when she found the beautiful pearl necklace but silently continued her expert examination. She cut away the sleeve of the silk shirt, leaving a small patch around the stub. Saira shook her head ominously as she probed the arrow wound. Lily shuddered but did not wake.

‘The arrow is very deep, but did not come out the other side. It must have been shot at quite close range. It is very lucky that she was wearing the silken shirt of the smugglers,’ Saira commented.

‘What do you mean?’ asked Ethan in confusion.

‘The smugglers wear no armour – it is too hard to move on a boat with heavy chain mail. So they wear light shirts of silk because the silk does not tear, like other cloth, when the arrowhead enters the body. This means it is much easier to remove the barb and fragments of arrow shaft, and for some reason the wound is much less likely to become infected. I have had to remove the odd arrowhead in my time!’ Saira smiled.

Lily’s leg gash was cleaned with boiled herb-scented water. With a needle and silk thread, Saira sewed the jagged lip of the wound together. Roana and Ethan had to turn away from the gruesome sight, feeling sick. Thankfully, Lily remained unconscious.

Finally the wound was smeared with a sweet gooey ointment, and the leg was bound with snowy white bandages.

‘The poppy tincture should be taking effect by now,’ Saira murmured. ‘When Saxon returns I will need your help to hold her down while I remove the arrowhead.’

Roana went pale but simply nodded her assent.

Together Saxon and Roana held Lily’s slight body down on the kitchen table. Saira stirred her slim dagger blade in the boiling water on the stove, then waved it to cool. Carefully and gently she probed the wound with her finger, sliding down the arrow shaft to feel where the head was buried. Lily arched violently against the pain, screaming.

‘Hold her firmly,’ snapped Saira.

Saira carefully twirled the broken arrow stub. Roana and Saxon tried not to look.

‘Good,’ Saira sighed. ‘It is not lodged in the bone. You did well not to pull out the shaft. It makes it much easier to find the head.’

As Lily cried and moaned in her coma, Saira used the dagger to make an incision. Using her fingers and a forceps, she located the arrowhead and pulled with all her might. Nothing happened. Saira tugged and pulled, her face growing red with exertion. Everyone held their breath.

The barb suddenly gave with a squelching, sucking noise. Saira flew backwards across the room and would have fallen if Saxon had not grabbed her arm.

‘Got it,’ she cried, waving the forceps triumphantly. She quickly staunched the bleeding, bathing it with boiled herb water, and stitched the wound back together. Finally the stitches were smeared with a thick golden paste, which smelled heavenly sweet, and bandaged.

‘That smells like …?’ Roana queried weakly.

‘Honey,’ snapped Saira, her brow furrowed in concentration. ‘One of the best healing ointments I can use. It helps stop infection and promotes fast healing of the wounds, wonderful for burns. Let’s hope it can work its magic for this little maid.’

Saira carefully finished cleaning the superficial scratches and bruises.

‘This will do for now. The bleeding has stopped, thank goodness – she must have lost a lot of blood in the water. The good thing, though, is that the salt water has cleaned all those wounds beautifully and will help with the healing. Soon she will need some fresh air on them. That’s if she makes it through the next few days.’

Ethan gasped in pain. ‘If she makes it through the next few days …?’ he croaked.

‘Infection is the killer. But we’ve done our best. She can sleep down here with me, so I can keep a close eye on her. We don’t want to move her too far at this stage. She’s had enough punishment, poor lamb,’ Saira whispered, stroking Lily’s forehead gently.

Saira ordered Saxon and Roana to help move Lily to a small couch, which Roana had made up into a bed. Aisha lay on the ground near her feet and steadfastly refused to move, despite Saira’s low grumblings that the proper place for a dog was outside in the barn.

Lily was tucked up, and seemed now to be sleeping peacefully on her stomach.

Saira picked up the dagger and held it up to the lantern to scrutinise it carefully.

‘Now, my boy, it’s your turn,’ she smiled encouragingly. ‘Lucky that you too were wearing the silk.’ Ethan gulped and smiled weakly as he proffered up his arrow-pierced arm.

Saira touched the thin streak of white hair in Ethan’s gold-brown thatch. ‘A sign of blessing,’ she murmured to no-one in particular. ‘You have been kissed by the Moon Goddess. A lucky sign.’

‘Not so lucky with this arrow about to be dug out,’ Ethan replied faintly.

‘What do you mean? You live still, do you not?’ Saira smiled as she washed and dried the dagger. ‘Have another big drink of this poppy tincture – now, Saxon, hold him down tightly.’

Ethan screamed involuntarily as the knife probed the wound. Saxon trembled as he held his friend down with all his weight. Saira was quick and deft.

Soon Ethan too was cleansed, stitched, tended with sticky sweet honey and bandaged. He lay back exhausted and sick. He had never felt so much pain.

‘Now you must all be starving,’ Saira smiled, her harsh manner gone. The three nodded tentatively. Saira moved a huge black cauldron onto the fire, swinging by a hook over the flames. Soon delicious smells escaped with the steam from under the lid.

Saira carved off large chunks of freshly baked bread, smeared thickly with yellow butter, which she handed to the three children. When the pot was merrily bubbling away, she ladled out huge bowls of steaming chicken soup, thick with fresh vegetables.

The three huddled over their bowls, scooping up the delicious chunks and slurping the broth.

‘By the Moon Goddess, what would your mothers think of your manners? You sound like a pack of Sedahs wolfing your food,’ scolded Saira, but she smiled warmly as she ladled out another serving of soup each.

When everyone had eaten their fill, Saira ordered each of them to take a turn with a hot bath in front of the fire and change into fresh, clean clothes. It felt wonderful to be clean and warm and dry.

‘Now tell me what dreadful trouble you children have gotten yourselves into,’ said Saira sternly, only her twinkling eyes revealing her good humour.

Words tumbling over each other, the three children told their story, with many interjections, additions and corrections. Saira listened gravely.

‘We heard rumours of this, even in quiet Mereworth,’ Saira said gently. She turned to Roana. ‘My dear, I am so sorry to hear of the loss of your esteemed father, the king. He was greatly loved in Tiregian.’

Roana blinked rapidly, fighting tears. A barrage of images of her beloved father rose to haunt her.

‘Poor Roana,’ Saxon murmured in sympathy. ‘I know how terrible it feels to lose a parent. My mother died in childbirth, together with my sister, a few years ago. My father and I thought we’d also die from grief. But we survived.’

Roana bit her lip sharply.

‘So the Merrow saved you, Ethan,’ Saira said, tactfully changing the subject. ‘I have heard many tales of Merrow people saving fisherfolk from drowning. They save only those who are pure in heart and deed. You are very fortunate.

‘They are strange magical folk, the Merrow. While they have saved many people by carrying them back to shore, they have also led many a man to their death. The Merrow maids are said to sing so sweetly that men have been enchanted and lost their ships on the treacherous rocks far out to sea.

‘The fishermen of Mereworth dream of catching a Merrow, but they keep very much to themselves. I have never seen one – but sometimes I am sure I have heard their music at dusk when I am walking home over the cliffs …’

Ethan’s hand found its way into his pocket, where he gently fingered the smooth coral pipe with its delicate engravings, remembering the mystical Merrow music it made and the joy of that starlit dolphin ride.

‘Anyway,’ Saira said, standing up abruptly, ‘I think what you all need now is a good night’s sleep. You are sick and exhausted. We can talk more about this later, when we know how your sister is. If she survives it will be a couple of weeks before she can travel again. I may be able to help you learn more about your journey and what you need to do. But for now, you need to rest and heal. I will make you all a herbal brew to help you sleep deeply and let your bodies mend themselves.’

Upstairs in the two tiny attic rooms under the eaves, Roana and Saxon made up beds with fresh, white sheets that smelt of pungent dried lavender. Then all three obediently sipped their foul-tasting herbal brews. In moments they were all sleeping deeply and soundly, untroubled by dreams of monsters, Sedahs or even strange Merrow folk.

In the early morning Governor Lazlac sat sipping his hot sugary tea while he listened to the latest report on those troublesome children.

‘So several witnesses saw the girl and a boy being taken by the Octomon?’ Governor Lazlac demanded.

‘Yes, my lord,’ agreed Captain Malish smartly.

‘And the other two brats, who were stupidly allowed to escape?’

‘Their boat was found just now – badly damaged, half sinking and floating out to sea. There were no bodies.’

‘Aaaah,’ Governor Lazlac mused, looking out the window to the restless ocean. ‘This changes things. Mortma will of course be devastated at the loss of the princess. I think we had better keep a very close eye on Mortma to make sure he doesn’t do anything to upset our plans.’ He turned his gaze on Captain Malish.

‘Tell the men to prepare the ship. We sail now to conquer Tira. With their beloved queen and prince as hostages I am sure we will just waltz through the gates of the palace. It could not be easier!’

It was late afternoon when Roana woke and stretched luxuriously. For a moment she thought she was in her huge feather bed in her palace bed chamber.

Then reality hit and memory flooded back. Roana lay in bed thinking over the many events of the last few days, not quite believing that any of it could really have occurred. Finally hunger drove her from her bed, so she dressed and ran downstairs.

Roana found Ethan sitting up in the armchair by the fire, sipping on a cup of tea. His arm was freshly bandaged and in a sling. His face was still pale and bruised but he looked much better.

‘Good morning,’ Roana said shyly. ‘I mean good afternoon! How is Lily – has she improved? And how are you feeling?’

‘Saira says Lily is better than she expected. But it will be many days before we really know. I am stiff and sore, but alive, thank goodness! Have some tea, and honey toast – it is wonderful.’

Ethan waved a long stick like a sword, with a piece of bread speared on the end, and thrust it close to the flames to toast. Roana laughed and nodded.

‘I truly am starving,’ she agreed. ‘And it smells divine!’

Saira came in just as Roana sat down at the table to hot buttered toast, dripping with golden runny honey.

‘Ah, the sleepyhead is finally up – and eating, I see,’ Saira laughed. ‘Did you sleep well?’

Roana nodded, too hungry to talk, as she gulped down the toast, licking a drip of buttery honey from her fingers in a very un-princess-like way.

‘When you have finished breakfast, I would appreciate it if you could kindly help me with some chores around the place, please, Roana. Saxon, bless his heart, is out chopping firewood for me now.

‘We need to gather vegetables from the garden and chop them for stew, prepare the dough for tomorrow’s baking, feed the hens, cows and pigs as well as your horses, milk the cows, gather eggs and clean out the stables. I need to prepare some more herbal ointments and tinctures, which you could help me with, and of course tomorrow is washing day.’

Roana blanched. She had never even had to brush her own hair or pick up a belonging in her life. She swallowed and nodded.

‘Of course, Saira, but you may need to show me what to do. I have had little experience with farm life,’ Roana replied with dignity.

Saira smiled in satisfaction. ‘It would be my pleasure to teach you, Roana. However, I think we will need to get you some new boots. High heels are not really suitable for farm chores or travelling, and white is not a very practical colour! I think we should be able to swap yours for some more sensible ones from the village. I will speak to the cobbler. Also, something else I think we need to do today is fix your hair.’

Roana blushed self-consciously as she tried to smooth down her spiky pale blonde hair.

‘The colour is too remarkable,’ Saira continued. ‘We need you to be nut brown like a village urchin – then you will pass by unnoticed. I concocted a dye this morning using walnut juice that should suit beautifully. We can use it on your beautiful horse as well.

‘But first we must go and check on Lily. We will bathe her wounds and give her some more herbs for the pain, and help her to sleep as much as possible. I will show you what to do with her, Roana.’

Lily was tended carefully and was soon sleeping peacefully again. Saira nodded in satisfaction, pleased with her handiwork.

‘Now, Roana, let’s fix that hair.’

First Saira tidied up Lily’s hastily done hairdressing with a sharp pair of scissors. Then Roana was seated in front of the fire with an old shawl around her shoulder to catch the drips, with her hair plastered in a foul-smelling brown paste of walnut juice, crushed berries and boiled herbs.

When the paste was washed away, Roana had a new crown of short, dark brown hair.

‘Even your mother, Queen Ashana, would never recognise you,’ exclaimed Ethan, ruffling Roana’s hair.

Roana grimaced in the little hand mirror she held, gingerly touching the damp hair. She couldn’t help but laugh at the strange reflection she beheld.

‘Perfect,’ announced Saira with great satisfaction. ‘And now to get you those boots.’

The next afternoon, after a few hours of chopping, feeding, mending and weeding, Saxon set out to explore the village of Mereworth. He wandered from Saira’s cottage along the cliff tops and down the sandy path to the harbour.

Fishwives gossiping over fences stared curiously at him as he passed, nodding and smiling guardedly. Rope nets, newly mended, hung in the sun to dry.

The air smelt strongly of briny seaweed and fish. Scrawny cats sniffed among the debris along the road.

Down on the beach, small groups of scruffy, ragged children with baskets searched for pipis and shellfish. The children stood ankle-deep in water at the wave’s edge, twisting in the sand with their feet. When they felt something hard they dug furiously to uncover fat purple pipi shells.

Sometimes for fun, one of the smaller children would let a pipi go, just to watch its thick grey tongue curl out, wriggle up on end and dig its way back into the sand. Just when the pipi was half-buried again, it would be scooped back up and thrown in the basket with the others.

On the breakwall and pier, other children chipped off black bearded mussels and flat grey oysters, expertly wielding their dangerous knives.

A raucous call came from the pipi hunters, who pointed out to sea. Saxon shielded his eyes against the harsh glare bouncing from the sea like thousands of glittering diamonds. Out on the horizon he could see a faint white smudge, which seemed to be coming closer.

Several older children picked up the half-full baskets and ran up the beach to the huts on the shore, calling out to the old men sitting snoozing in the sun. Saxon wandered closer, entranced by the busy scene.

A few minutes later the older children returned, leading four donkeys. The little grey donkeys had gay tassels and ribbons on their harness in reds, greens, blues and yellows, and big straw panniers on their sides. Saxon could see now that the distant smudge was actually a dozen triangular sails, skimming across the sea.

Fishwives and old men wandered down to the beach front, carrying baskets and ropes.

Saxon could now see the boats themselves, painted blue and white, with large white triangular sails and strange black symbols marked on the prows. Women and children waded out to meet the boats, while several of the fishermen leapt into the water to steady the hulls. The sails were dropped to the deck as the boats ran aground on the sand.

Two donkeys would be harnessed to a boat at a time, and with the help of many willing arms, the boats were dragged one by one up onto the sand, far above the high tide mark. Saxon waded thigh deep into the water to help, his muscles straining with the heavy weight of the fish-filled boats.

At last the twelve boats were safely beached and the donkeys unharnessed. The fishwives shooed the children back from the boats and set to work sorting the catch.

An old canvas sail was spread on the sand and the fish dumped in a mountain of quivering, leaping, gasping silver bodies. The fish gleamed in the sunlight like a hoard of dwarven silver.

Saxon stood back to watch the fishwives. Their hands flew over the treasure, sorting it into piles according to size, type and delicacy. They chattered and called as they worked, laughing and joking.

The fishermen sat up in the shade of the huts, happy to be back safe and sound on dry land. They sat quietly, tired after their long day’s work, and smoked pipes, blowing rings up in the air. They passed around a flask, which presumably held some strong local spirit.

One of the fishermen stood behind Saxon, watching the sorting. He had a grizzled beard, cut short, crinkly sea-blue eyes and a face baked brown by the sun. His eyes danced with life and merriment.

‘You must be one o’ t’strangers staying at old Saira’s,’ the fisherman said at last, jerking his pipe back up at the cliffs. ‘I heard t’wee lass be sorely hurt, but if anyone can save her it be old Saira.’

Saxon winced, fear clutching at his heart with icy fingers. He nodded.

‘Yes, we are staying with Saira. Lily is very badly hurt but she seems a little better today,’ Saxon said hopefully, not entirely convinced by his own forced optimism.

‘I am Toomas,’ the wiry fisherman introduced himself with a friendly smile. ‘Thank you for your help with t’boats. It be strong work pulling up ashore.’

‘That’s all right. I am Saxon from Kenley.’

‘Oh, aye. I think you be t’son of Rodney the tailor. I remember him. He comes to see us. He likes fruits of t’sea.’ Toomas grinned with a knowing wink. ‘You’ve been here too, methinks.’

Saxon flushed and nodded.

‘It be good for us and good for you when Fox comes, but not so good for t’king, Moonmother bless his poor murdered soul.’

Saxon sighed, overcome with melancholy for his lost family, his injured friends, his invaded village, his embattled country. It was overwhelming, the enormity of it all.

‘You stay here for some days?’ asked Toomas. ‘You want to coom fishing tomorrow?’

Saxon’s eyes lit up. He loved boats and the sea.

‘That would be great, Toomas. When do I need to come down?’

‘Before sun coom up we be long gone,’ Toomas said.

By this time, the fishwives had divvied up the catch into baskets for all the families of the village. Fish was loaded into the panniers on the donkey’s backs and hefted onto shoulders, backs and hips of the strong fishwives and carried home to hearths to be scaled and gutted, cooked and dried, stewed and baked and fried, eaten and enjoyed.

Toomas pulled a couple of fish and some squid from his own basket, and handed them to Saxon.

‘Take these home to old Saira with my blessings,’ Toomas said. ‘There be many thinks she might be a witch, with her herbs and brews and magic hands, but I thank the Moonmother we have her wise ways to help us. Coom early, mind. The Moonmother pulls the tides and she waits for no sleepyhead lad.’

Saxon grinned and nodded, clutching the slippery sea creatures in his bare hands.

Saira was delighted with the fresh fish and squid. She fried it all up with butter and herbs and potatoes for supper that evening.

The rich smell wafted from the kitchen, making Lily stir and wake from her sleep. She lay propped up on pillows, looking pale and wan and weak. While she could not manage to eat much, she did sip on a delicious seafood broth Saira had prepared for her, before falling back into an exhausted sleep.

The next morning Saxon was awake well before the sun came up. He pulled on his cloak and padded down the stairs in his bare feet to avoid waking anyone up. Aisha alone heard him and thumped the rug with her tail, but refused to leave Lily’s side.

Saxon ran down the path to the beach, his eyes searching the way in the blackness.

The dark beach was a hive of activity – fishermen stowing nets and ropes, checking rigging, cleating sails and launching boats.

‘Aye, be that young Saxon?’ called a familiar voice from the gloom. ‘Coom yonder.’

Saxon found Toomas next to a sleek, freshly painted fishing boat.

Toomas was placing a small plaited basket at the base of the mast. The basket held a collection of fresh flowers, pretty shells and finely chopped vegetables.

‘What’s that?’ Saxon asked curiously.

‘Ooh, that be an offering to Moonmother to make tides true, and to Sun Lord to keep skies fair. Later today we be making an offering to t’Seawitch and t’Merrow maids to keep seas smiling and Octomons away and bring us hoom safe.’

Saxon nodded, his stomach clenching nervously at the memory of the dreadful Octomon.

‘And what’s that?’ he asked, pointing to some black symbols painted on the prow of the boat.

Toomas smiled. ‘T’eye is so boat can see way out and home again and see danger. This mark is to show it is Toomas’s boat and this sign be for Merrow. Soom boots mark for Moonmother, soom for Sun Lord and soom for Merrow, t’folk of t’sea.’

Toomas stopped chatting and gestured briskly to his crew, who ran to the boat and started heaving and pushing it down the sand toward the water. Saxon ran to help, pushing with all his might.

The boat gathered speed and slid down the sand and into the waves with a splash. The fishermen kept running until they were thigh deep in water, then swung themselves into the boat with practised ease. Saxon clambered far more clumsily, hauling himself over the stern on his stomach, his clothes dripping.

By the time he was sitting up the sails were hoisted and the boat was surging eagerly out to sea. The fishing fleet was far from the shore when the sun peeped over the horizon and rose as a great red ball into the sky. Saxon sat on a pile of nets, enjoying the wind in his face, the fresh salt air, the beautiful sunrise and the sensation of flying across the surface of the sea.

The day was long and hot and quiet. As the sun beat down, Saxon grew sleepy. The only sounds were the slapping of waves on the hull, the harsh screech of gulls or the odd call from a fishermen pointing to a sign that might mean fish. Gulls hovering over the sea, a dark smudge under the water, a silvery splash – all were signs that might mean a school of fish. The fishermen watched the sea patiently.

Some days the sea was kind and their nets were filled to bursting. Other days the sea was mean, and those nights they would go home with empty nets, to empty pots and empty bellies and children with big hungry eyes.

‘Dolphin starboard,’ cried one sailor, pointing to the right. Toomas pulled the tiller to the left to swing the boat in the same direction as the surging dolphin. Another dolphin surfaced, then another and another. The pod of dolphins played alongside the boat, racing it and chasing it, diving under the prow, leaping out of the water and splashing back under again, showering the fishermen with brilliant droplets.

The dolphins led the fishermen straight into a shoal of large fish, flashing silver in the inky sea. The dolphins surged back and forth, feeding in glee. The silverbacks leapt from the water trying to escape, and fell back into the ocean like a glittering fountain. The hunched-over fishermen scurried and bustled, setting nets and securing knots.

Saxon helped to haul in the bursting nets, his muscles searing. His feet slipped on the slick deck and his hands burned from the rope. The sun beat down. At last the wildly wriggling nets were safe in the boat, filling the hull.

Toomas grunted in satisfaction. The crew scampered over the boat, securing the nets, adjusting sails and bailing out excess seawater.

‘Can you feel that, young Saxon?’ asked Toomas, gesturing broadly out at the vast blue ocean.

‘What?’ Saxon asked curiously.

‘T’wind. It’s changed,’ Toomas replied, nodding sagely. ‘Sun Lord draws t’wind from t’land in t’early dawn. Then in t’heat of t’day, Sun Lord changes t’wind to blow us safe back t’land.’

True enough, the wind was soon blowing strongly back towards the land.

The boat no longer flew eagerly across the sea, instead seeming tired and slow but happy after a good day’s work. Toomas showed Saxon how to tie a variety of fishermen’s knots on a spare length of rope.

The lookout called softly as he spied another shoal of fish. As the boat came closer Saxon saw some larger creatures circling the shoal hungrily.

These were not playful dolphins. Their triangular fins cut through the water like a dagger through silk. These creatures were menacing.

Toomas shook his head. ‘We have enough fish today. Besides, t’sharks do not share t’fish like t’dolphins. Stay away from sharks.’

The sharks attacked the shoal and in a moment the calm sea became a thrashing, churning, frenzied maelstrom. Toomas steered the boat away from the lethal whirlpool and the crew deftly adjusted the sails.

Their arrival back at the beach at Mereworth was again greeted by a crowd of excited children, donkeys, and fishwives with baskets. Saxon watched the whole routine unfold once more with tired satisfaction. This time Toomas handed him a large basket of fish of his own to take home to Saira.

‘Coom any time, young Saxon,’ Toomas grinned, his brown face crinkling. ‘You worked well today and brought us luck.’

Saxon trudged up the hill, his face and arms burnt red from the sun, his muscles aching and his heart singing.

The four children felt sick with anxiety about their parents and the young prince, but everyone realised they had no choice but to rest and recuperate. Ethan recovered almost completely within a few days but Saira insisted he continue to have plenty of rest and wholesome food.

After three days, Lily was able to get up and sit outside in the warm spring sunshine, with Aisha resting at her feet. After five days she could hobble around the garden, and after a week she could walk as far as the village to see for herself the festivity of the afternoon fleet homecoming. Saira finally removed the stitches from her leg and arm. Lily had two ugly, red, puckered scars, but both wounds were healing well. The healing power of young bodies was quite miraculous, Saira told her.

Saxon and Roana kept themselves busy helping Saira, in return for her generous hospitality.

In the mornings Saira woke Roana and Saxon early. The mornings were a busy whirl of feeding and caring for animals, collecting eggs, preparing meals, collecting timber, weeding the vegetable garden, cleaning the house and stables and gathering herbs. Saxon repaired a number of things around the farm and built new herb drying racks for Saira.

In the afternoons, Saxon spent hours down with the fishermen, helping to tie knots and mend nets, and learning the rudiments of navigation. He went out fishing with Toomas again several times, and Saira was always pleased with the basket of seafood he brought back.

After lunch, Roana usually accompanied Saira on her rounds of the nearby villages, visiting the old and infirm, giving advice to new mothers and helping tend to injuries and ailments. Roana was shocked by how the villagers lived, many in tiny cottages housing huge families of children, parents and grandparents all sleeping in one or two rooms.

She helped Saira dole out draughts and infusions, and learnt some of the basic herbs and what their properties were. She learnt that often what the villagers needed most was some sympathy from a friendly ear, along with rest and nourishing food.

After their cottage visits, Saira set Roana to work again on the evening chores. At night she fell into her hard, narrow cot, exhausted, and slept better than she had ever slept in her ornately carved four-poster bed in the palace, with its pretty drapes and deep, soft mattress.

All three children took turns to sit with Lily and read to her, or tell her stories about the village doings. Ethan was forbidden to help with the chores so he enticed Aisha away from Lily’s side and took her for long walks, chatting to the locals to learn more about the Sedah’s whereabouts.

Of this there seemed to be little news. Several distant villages had been pillaged and burned. Humble Mereworth and the other tiny villages nearby had been ignored, probably because they were too out-of-the-way or of no strategic importance. However, the rumour was that the Sedahs would be back soon, with more soldiers, once Tira itself was secured.

The village elders began making preparations – fortifying the village, hiding food and meagre valuables in the hills, and practising their fighting skills. The young children held mock battles in the roadways, using sticks for swords. Some of the young men slipped off in the night to join the bands of rebels who were said to be gathering in the forests.

This news made the children anxious to make some decisions about their future. Should they join the rebels in the forest? Go to their aunt’s? Or ride to Tira?

On the ninth night, there was no moon and the darkness outside was thick and deep. A wild wind sent huge clouds scudding across the sky and howled around the cottage, causing the timbers to creak and groan as though the house were alive and moving.

Lily was almost completely recovered, although still a bit pale. Now she shivered despite the rug wrapped around her and wriggled closer to the fire. She felt for the Merrow pearl at her throat and rubbed it thoughtfully. A picture of the Merrow maid and chubby sea baby flashed into her mind.

‘What a wild night,’ she cried. ‘I am glad we are cozy in Saira’s cottage, and not sleeping out in the forest. Look at Aisha – she is so close to the fire it’s a wonder she hasn’t singed her whiskers!’

Aisha opened her eyes and grunted at the sound of her name, but was soon sound asleep again, her head on her paws almost in the cinders of the hearth.

The others laughed. Saxon rubbed his belly in contentment.

‘Another fine meal,’ he grinned. ‘Saira is definitely a wonderful cook. I could stay here forever!’

‘Not so fast, young man,’ interrupted Saira from the kitchen door. ‘The last thing I need is a big lazy lump of a boy always underfoot in the kitchen and eating everything in the house. Oh no – I think it must be time to be getting you all on your way.’ Saira’s affectionate smile belied her harsh words.

‘Admit it, Saira, you will miss us when we go,’ laughed Saxon, sprawled on a cushion on the floor.

Saira’s green eyes twinkled in agreement.

‘Well, perhaps just a tiny bit,’ she smiled. ‘But I think tonight might be a good evening to learn some more about your journey and what you need to do.’

All the children sat up immediately, burning with curiosity.

‘First, young Saxon, I think it’s your turn to do the dishes,’ Saira teased. ‘When the kitchen’s spick and span, then we can ask the crystal what is in store for you all and for Tiregian.’

Saxon leapt to his feet at once. Ethan jumped up too.

‘I’ll help you so it’s finished faster,’ Ethan cried.

‘Me too,’ added Roana eagerly.

Soon all the dishes were washed, dried and stacked on the shelves of the dresser. The pots were scoured and gleaming by the hearth, the table was scrubbed and the floor swept.

When all was finished, Saira stood up without a word and left the room. She returned in a moment, carefully carrying a round object covered with a silk cloth, intricately embroidered with tiny suns, stars, moons and strange mythical animals.

Placing the object on the table, she sat and ceremoniously removed the silk covering.

Sitting on a wooden base was a perfectly round cloudy pink crystal, about the size of a small melon, veined with white streaks. Saira invited them all to place their fingertips on the crystal.

‘Tis Rose Quartz,’ Saira murmured. ‘It helps to clear the thoughts, calm the mind and lift the veils of time.

‘Listen carefully to what I say when the trance comes upon me, for I may not remember anything after it is finished,’ Saira continued softly. ‘Take close heed of what the crystal reveals and memorise it well. The message may seem confused or unclear, but remember that eventually the crystal will be shown to be true.’

The four friends nodded nervously, mouths suddenly dry and fingers sweaty on the smooth stone.

Saira completed the circle as the fifth pair of hands. At her touch, the crystal seemed to flicker in its cloudy depths. Saira gazed deep into its pink heart, then closed her eyes, breathing out with a sigh. Nothing happened for what seemed like hours, then Saira began to chant in a low singsong voice.

‘Five travellers true, a treacherous journey to take

A princeling to save, a kingdom at stake,

Fire, plague, sea and snow must test,

To the ends of the land they make their quest,

To fetch sun and moon and blade

so the bright magic is whole again made.

The sun is dimmed under Tira to seek

The blade is hidden in the caverns deep,

The moon and stars under sea lost their power.

The princeling imprisoned in a snowy tower.

When all is done the five may rest

When ice is conquered to win their quest.’

Saira’s voice rose to a powerful chant, then fell into silence when the verse was completed. The words shimmered in the air and seemed to brand themselves magically into each of the children’s memories.

Saira shuddered and her head slumped forward onto her chest. Her fingers fell from the crystal. Slowly her eyelids fluttered open. Ethan, Lily, Roana and Saxon stared at her in awe.

‘What does it mean?’ asked Lily excitedly. They all began talking at once, trying to analyse and decipher the strange verse.

They talked and talked, getting louder and louder, and going around and around in circles.

‘Enough talk,’ Saira interrupted. ‘It is late and you need to sleep. We should all think about the crystal’s foretelling and we can discuss plans later.’

The next morning Roana woke early, the strange verse which Saira had chanted over the crystal last night ringing in her ears. Roana shook her head in disbelief.

Of course it probably means nothing at all, Roana thought sceptically. As if a polished piece of rock could reveal the future!

At breakfast, the children talked incessantly about the strange verse which Saira had told them the night before and tried to puzzle out its meaning. Roana still thought it was probably nonsense but she enjoyed the sense of belonging with the others. The thought of a quest thrilled her with a strange sense of excitement and adventure. She was soon joining in with the others, guessing its possible meaning.

Saira came in from the garden, carrying a mixed bunch of herbs. The pungent fragrance of the freshly cut herbs permeated the kitchen.

‘Well, it is nice to see Lily looking so well,’ declared Saira, smiling widely. ‘I will check you over carefully once more but I think you are now well enough to continue on your journey. A few more days rest would be ideal but, from what you have told me and what the crystal has revealed, it is probably best if you continue your travel tomorrow.’

Lily flushed with relief. Everyone whooped with excitement. Aisha barked loudly, joining in the elation.

‘That is fantastic news,’ grinned Saxon. ‘I think we should have a feast to celebrate tonight, and for once Saira is having a night off. I am going to cook a meal you will never forget.’

‘I think I’d better help you, Sax, or you might kill us all with food poisoning!’ joked Ethan.

‘No, my boy,’ replied Saxon with a mock sniff. ‘You and Lily are banned from the kitchen too. Roana can help me!’

‘Oh, great,’ groaned Ethan, rolling his eyes. ‘We’ll definitely all die then!’

‘Well, thanks a lot,’ snorted Roana, hitting Ethan with a rolled-up cloth, pretending to be cross. ‘Perhaps you’d rather starve!’ But secretly Roana was pleased to be part of the joking and teasing.

The others all laughed loudly, excited at the thought of starting their adventures again.

Saxon was true to his word, shooing Saira, Ethan and Lily from the kitchen and locking the door.

Ethan and Lily busied themselves with making preparations for the journey ahead of them, writing lists, checking their equipment and packing. Lily enjoyed poking through Saira’s stillroom, playing with her herbs and potions.

Saira helped them with supplies – a pile of her homemade beeswax candles, a couple of ropes from Toomas, transportable food for the journey and a fresh supply of bandages, ointment and herbal tinctures.

Together Roana and Saxon planned a feast, searching through the cupboards and garden for ingredients and deciding what to cook. Roana made suggestions from remembered palace banquets and, while she was not an experienced cook, she had spent many hours as a small child playing in the palace kitchens, watching the cooks and kitchen maids preparing huge mounds of food.

Together they killed and prepared a chicken from the yard, basting and stuffing it with preserved fruit and rosemary, before slowly roasting it in the oven. Potatoes were boiled and sliced, mixed with diced onions, flecks of bacon and thick yellow cream, sprinkled with salt and thyme then baked. Fresh green lettuce, dainty spring cucumbers, dandelion leaves and meadow herbs were tossed in oil and vinegar. A light fluffy pudding was made, served with strawberries just picked from the garden, whipped through cream and sugar. Mouthwatering aromas wafted through the cottage.

It was a delicious change from the hearty soups and stews they had been eating at Saira’s or the dry bread and cheese they had lived on in the forest. Roana and Saxon set the table with Saira’s best cloth and crockery, fresh candles and a jug of pretty wildflowers.

Saxon called everyone to the table while Roana tossed the salad. Saira cried out with pleasure when she saw the feast being served.

‘This calls for some of my best apple cider,’ she pronounced. ‘Come and help me with the barrel, Ethan!’

When the plates were loaded with hot, steaming food, Saira filled the mugs and made a toast.

‘Thank you all for a very interesting stay,’ Saira called, holding up her mug. ‘I have really enjoyed your company and am looking forward to sharing this delicious meal with you all. Thank you, Saxon, and thank you, Roana, for cooking this feast, and thank you for your very hard work during your stay. I will be enjoying the benefit for many months to come.’

Saxon and Roana flushed with pleasure.

‘Thank you, Saira,’ chorused Ethan and Lily. ‘Without you we might easily be dead!’

There was much laughter and conversation over dinner. The mood was one of exhilaration and anticipation. When the last morsel was eaten and everyone felt as though they might burst, Saira pushed away her plate and looked carefully at each face in turn.

‘Delicious, stupendous,’ Saira murmured quietly. ‘And now to something of great consequence – your quest. Tomorrow you must leave here and seek the answers to the riddle.’

Everyone glanced at the others around the table. Their stomachs contracted with fear, nerves and excitement.

‘What does the riddle mean?’ asked Ethan, his eyes shining. He recited the verse again slowly and clearly.

‘Five travellers true, a treacherous journey to take

A princeling to save, a kingdom at stake,

Fire, plague, sea and snow must test,

To the ends of the land they make their quest,

To fetch sun and moon and blade so the bright magic is whole again made.

The sun is dimmed under Tira to seek

The blade is hidden in the caverns deep,

The moon and stars under sea lost their power.

The princeling imprisoned in a snowy tower.

When all is done the five may rest

When ice is conquered to win their quest.’

‘Well, the five travellers are us, with Aisha, I guess.’ Lily began tentatively. ‘The princeling, of course, is Prince Caspar, who has been imprisoned somewhere.’

‘Somewhere snowy, in a tower, which must be far to the north – but where?’ Saxon added. ‘Fire, plague, sea and snow must test … that means we will have to face many dangers along the way.’

‘And what is the significance of the sun and the moon and the stars? Do you think it means the king is buried in Tira?’ Ethan glanced quickly at Roana in sympathy.

She flinched. A vision came to her of the last time she saw her father – the great royal Sun Sword of Tiregian being passed up to him by the priestess Ostara, the beautiful ruby flashing in the dawn light. Then the arrows flying through the air, the screams and shouts and her father’s long, slow fall into the mud.

Roana shuddered, banishing the image from her mind. Lily rubbed her gently on the arm in empathy.

‘The Sun Sword,’ Roana muttered. ‘Perhaps that’s it! When the king, my father, was killed he had just taken the Sun Sword from the priestess Ostara. It is always part of the dawn ceremony before the hunt for the white stallion at the vernal equinox. The Sun Sword is reputed to have great significance, perhaps even magical powers, although I am not sure I truly believe that.

‘On one side of the hilt is a great ruby, which is surrounded by carving to resemble the sun. It is known as the Sun Gem. On the reverse side of the hilt is a great round pearl, which symbolises the moon – the Moon Pearl. Smaller diamonds represent the stars around it, and they are called the Star Diamonds. Perhaps the verse means that this sword must be found and restored to the royal family.’

‘That could be it, Roana,’ shouted Ethan loudly, his brown eyes burning with excitement.

‘To fetch sun and moon and blade so the bright magic is whole again made.

The sun is dimmed under Tira to seek

The blade is hidden in the caverns deep,

The moon and stars under sea lost their power,’ he recited slowly.

‘It sounds like the gems have been removed from the sword and hidden under Tira and under the sea,’ Saxon mused. ‘But why would the invaders hide them? Wouldn’t you think they would take them back to Sedah or flaunt them here as symbols of their victory over us? And the blade – hidden in the caverns deep? That could be anywhere!’ Saxon cried in despair.

‘There are caverns under Tira,’ Roana said slowly. ‘Secret caverns and a maze of tunnels. There is a secret tunnel from the palace down into the caverns and then out to sea. They have not been used in many years, but I have been shown the hidden entrance at both ends, and taught a map. It was a secret escape route for the royal family if ever the city and the palace fell to enemies.’

‘Bad luck for everyone else who lived in the city,’ snorted Ethan.

Roana blushed but continued. ‘Perhaps the Sun Gem and the sword are hidden in the caverns under Tira.’

‘And Roana can show us the secret way into the caverns,’ Lily crowed.

Saira fetched parchment and a quill and Roana sketched out a rough map. ‘Well, I am fairly sure I know where the sea entrance is. But my memory of the tunnels is a bit hazy. I am certain that the entrance in the palace is in the southern cellars.’

‘We won’t want to go into the palace,’ Saxon cried. ‘It will be crawling with Sedahs and guards.’

‘Well, that is precisely where the Sedahs are likely to imprison Queen Ashana and our parents,’ Ethan retorted grimly.

The talk went on and on, until the candle stubs were sputtering and the leftover food had turned cold and greasy on the plates.

Saira smiled. ‘My children – you have done well. I think you are on the right track to deciphering the crystal’s riddle. Remember, also, there is great knowledge to be found in beautiful Tira if you seek for it wisely.

‘The Sun Gem is indeed a very powerful gem,’ Saira continued. ‘Rubies are the gems of passion and nobility. They bring wisdom and luck to those who wear them, and perhaps most importantly for the Sun Gem, they give the owner the capacity to command.’

The four children glanced at each other with shining eyes and wide grins.

‘Now, one last thing I wish to show you.’ Saira pulled a thick piece of yellowed card from the dresser. A single word was written upon the card in thick black ornate letters. The children crowded around to get a closer look.

‘What does it say?’ Saira asked enigmatically.

‘True,’ said Roana, who was standing beside Saira.

‘False?’ said Lily, who was looking at the card upside down. Saira smiled. She turned the card the other way up. The word was cleverly crafted so it said True one way up, but when you turned it the other way, it read False.

‘Wow, that is amazing,’ breathed Ethan.

‘Just remember that things can look very different when you look at them from a different angle,’ Saira warned. ‘Trust in each other and work together. You are stronger all together than you are alone.

‘But enough of my chatter. Now I think you need sleep, because it is a long hard ride to Tira. I will wash up and you four should go to bed now.’

All four woke early, excitement churning in their bellies. After a hurried breakfast in the dark, they bade farewell to Saira with great bear hugs and a glistening of tears.

Saira pressed a small bottle into Lily’s hand. ‘This is a very strong sleeping draught, which I think you will find much more powerful than the one you put in your mother’s cherry wine. While that worked quite well last time, next time you may need to make someone sleep for a lot longer.’

‘Thank you, Saira,’ murmured Lily, her eyes lighting up as she remembered tempting the Sedah guards with the drugged cherry wine.

‘Also, Saxon, I have heard that an old friend of yours, Fox, has gone to Tira. He may be able to help you – that is, if you can help him.’ She smiled enigmatically. The others stared at Saxon in curiosity. He flushed slightly but said nothing.

Saira waved furiously from her doorstep as the children mounted their horses and trotted down the lane in the early morning mist. Moonbeam looked quite strange to be dyed a dark nut brown like Roana’s hair.

‘Sax, what was all that about your old friend Fox?’ asked Ethan curiously, when the cottage was out of sight. ‘I’ve never heard you mention him.’

Saxon looked a little uncomfortable as he squirmed in the saddle.

‘Oh, no-one really,’ he muttered, shaking his head. ‘Not a friend. Just an old business associate of my father’s – in the cloth business, you know.’

Ethan raised his eyebrows at the girls. They giggled and shrugged in response.

The five retraced their footsteps of ten days ago, back to Goldcoin Cove where the ships had been moored. It seemed hard to believe everything that had happened in that time. Then they were exhausted, weak, injured and dejected, fearing that Lily might even die. Now they were refreshed, excited, fit and optimistic in the fresh morning air. They paused briefly at the cove but it was empty. A few forlorn barrels and some flotsam on the shore were the only signs of the ships that had moored there.

They rode steadily, alternating between walking and trotting. Sometimes they rode in country lanes where they could ride side by side in pairs, while at other times the track became narrow and they rode in single file. They chattered merrily among themselves, Saxon entertaining them with his collection of ridiculous riddles and jokes.

‘What is it that you can hear, but can never see, and which only speaks when you speak to it first?’

‘I don’t know!’ laughed Roana. ‘A ghostly butler?’

‘No, an echo!’ said Saxon. ‘What can you put in a barrel to make it lighter?’

‘Air instead of wine?’ Lily replied.

‘No. A hole!’

‘What is coming quickly now but will never arrive?’ asked Saxon.

‘The end of your jokes,’ quipped Ethan, rolling his eyes.

‘No – tomorrow!’ roared Saxon.

As the day grew hotter and the ride longer, they became more lethargic and fell silent, only talking when they had to decide which path to take.

In the late afternoon they came to a sign pointing to the village of Leacroft, a short ride on.

‘Perhaps we can ask there for shelter,’ suggested Roana, who had enjoyed the luxury of sleeping in a bed again at Saira’s and wasn’t looking forward to camping out.

‘We may be able to make a fire and boil some water for tea and a wash,’ added Lily, rubbing her aching back. She hurt all over, although she was too proud to say so, and her scars burnt like fire.

Everyone straightened up and began to hurry their pace. Even the horses sensed their expectation, pricking up their ears and lifting their tired feet.

As they neared Leacroft everyone could smell a pervading reek of something burnt and foul.

‘Eeek. Smells like Lily’s charcoal paste,’ joked Roana.

The smell grew stronger. As they rounded the bend in the lane they discovered the source of the overpowering stench.

Leacroft was a burnt and empty shell. The little cottages, once surrounded by gardens and hung with vines, were now blackened piles of smouldering timbers and tumbledown stones. The gardens were trampled and ruined. Smashed china and glass littered the main street. It was a scene of total desolation and ruin.

The children stared around them in despair. There were no animals and no people left. Beyond the village, even the meadows of young spring corn were nothing but charred husks.

Aisha sniffed through the ruins curiously.

‘Come on, let’s go,’ muttered Lily miserably, thinking of her own cottage and garden at Kenley and wondering if it too was now nothing but charred ruins.

‘We can press on and find somewhere to camp before dark,’ agreed Ethan.

Aisha barked, howled, and then whined piteously, backing rapidly away from the hole she had been exploring. Lily slid stiffly from Nutmeg’s back and went to investigate. Aisha had a bright red bead of blood on her nose, but still seemed intent on discovering the cause of her attack. Lily heard a sharp hissing noise from the hole.

She bent cautiously and peered into the hole between two fallen building stones. Hiding there was a scrawny black and white kitten. Back arched, fur standing rigidly on end, tongue spitting, it was the epitome of starving outrage. Aisha barked again and lunged at the hole. A lightning paw struck again for Aisha’s nose, but this time she was quicker and darted away without injury.

Lily whispered soft entreaties at the kitten. ‘There, there, sweetie. It’s all right, don’t be afraid, I won’t hurt you,’ she murmured soothingly as she crouched down closer to the hole.

The kitten calmed down slowly, the fur softening, the back relaxing. Lily gently reached for the kitten and scooped it up, but the kitten leapt away in fright, swiping at Lily with its needle-sharp claws. Lily screeched as a bright red welt of blood sprang along her arm.

‘What are you doing, Lily?’ demanded Ethan. ‘Come on, let’s get going.’

But Lily ignored him as she gently coaxed and cajoled until at last the kitten crept from its hole and snuggled into Lily’s arms, purring deeply.

‘Look,’ Lily announced triumphantly. ‘A little kitten.’

‘Just leave it, Lily,’ Ethan snapped impatiently. ‘We need to get out of here now. Who knows if there are still Sedahs about.’

‘I’m not leaving her,’ replied Lily defiantly. ‘I am bringing her with us. She will starve if I leave her here.’

Ethan glared at his sister. ‘Lily, we don’t need another mouth to feed. You can’t possibly bring a cat along with us.’

Lily gave Ethan a mutinous look and tucked the kitten under her chin, stroking it lovingly, then mounted her horse again one-handed.

‘I think I will call her Charcoal.’

Ethan snorted, half in disgust and half in amusement at his sister, who could at times be as stubborn as he was himself.

They all rode on, leaving the tragic ruins of Leacroft behind them. As it grew dark they found a stream. They left the laneway and followed the bank upstream until they found a small clearing where they could make a fire and set up camp out of sight of the road.

Lily and Roana rubbed down the four horses, watered and tethered them while Ethan and Saxon gathered wood and built a small fire.

Aisha slipped off into the night and returned half an hour later, carrying the body of a small rabbit with her. Lily took her dagger and carved off a chunk to feed the starving kitten. Aisha glared suspiciously at the little creature sharing her hard-earned meal but then turned her back and ignored her. The two animals feasted happily while the humans prepared a meal of cold chicken, bread and salad herbs which Lily picked from the stream bank.

‘Delicious,’ sighed Roana. ‘Dinner never tasted this good in the palace banquet hall. It must be all this lovely fresh air.’

‘Or all the hard riding you’ve been doing. There is nothing like hard work to build a good appetite,’ replied Ethan with twinkling eyes. Roana flushed at the teasing, but smiled ruefully at Ethan.

They devoured the meal hungrily and washed it down with fresh cold stream water, then hot tea. The fire crackled merrily. The moon was a thin crescent low in the sky and the darkness pressed in around them.

‘Do you think we need to keep watch tonight, or will Aisha guard us well enough?’ asked Lily as she curled up in her cloak with the kitten in her lap and Aisha with her head on Lily’s feet.

‘I think Aisha would warn us of danger well before we could hear it ourselves,’ replied Ethan confidently.

‘I feel safer knowing we have Aisha with us,’ agreed Roana, patting Aisha fondly.

Aisha thumped her tail loudly and rolled onto her back to have her pale belly scratched. Roana tickled her tummy with a laugh.

They all murmured good night and rolled up in their cloaks close to the fire to sleep.

They travelled like this for days, riding all day and then slipping off the road at night to make camp. They chose the byways and tracks, avoiding villages and farms. The countryside seemed deserted. They rarely saw any people and then only in the distance. At first their muscles were stiff and sore, but they gradually toughened and became used to the long days of riding.

On the fifth day, as their food supplies dwindled, Ethan slipped off at dusk with his bow and arrows to track rabbits. Lily and Roana hated seeing the small lifeless bodies he carried back, but they were so hungry they knew it was necessary. Ethan skinned and prepared his catches expertly out of sight of the camp.

‘Don’t worry,’ Ethan assured them. ‘I only brought back what we can eat in the next couple of days. These will make a fantastic stew with a few herbs thrown in.’

They kept their direction by keeping the rising sun to their back in the morning and the setting sun in front of them after noon. On the ninth day, they noticed that it was harder to avoid the villages. On the eleventh day, they passed a marker stone pointing to Tira.

‘We should reach Tira tomorrow,’ cried Roana, her eyes shining with suppressed excitement.

A rabbit bounded across the road in front of them, a streak of grey fur, with its white tail bobbing. Aisha was off in a flash, chasing the rabbit into the undergrowth.

‘There goes Aisha!’ laughed Ethan. ‘We won’t see her for a while.’

The four rode on, chatting companionably.

‘What’s Tira like?’ asked Lily.

‘Oh, it is truly beautiful,’ began Roana enthusiastically. ‘The sight of the sun setting behind the white spires of Tira is one of the loveliest views in Tiregian.’

‘Heading for Tira, are we, laddie?’ growled a deep voice menacingly. Two large men with thick, wild beards, dressed in rough patched clothes, stepped out from behind the bushes. One lunged out and grabbed Ethan’s reins, while the other grabbed Lily menacingly by the arm, almost dragging her from the saddle.

Ethan reached instinctively for his bow, slung across his shoulders, but the ferocious look on the bandits’ faces and the sudden glint of steel knives stopped him immediately.

‘Wise move, laddie. You don’t want me to hurt lassie ’ere, do you?’ growled the bandit, holding his knife threateningly to Lily’s throat.

Ethan shook his head slowly, his head whirring. He berated himself for being so careless, so unprepared. What was the good of having his bow when it was too late to use it?

The bandits laughed in triumph. It was really too easy.

‘Well, I don’t think the kiddies will be seeing Tira tomorrow, do you, Duglass? It’s a long way on foot from ’ere, laddie, and that’s the only way you’ll be reaching it now. Looks like you young ’uns have been helping yourselves to your master’s stables. These ’orses are far too good for the likes of you.’

‘Oi, look, Ross. This young lad ’ere’s even riding a foine lady’s sidesaddle,’ Duglass cried. They both guffawed loudly at this joke, Ross spraying Lily with spittle.

‘Now, you laddies, jump down from those ’orses cos you really don’t want us to ’urt the pretty little lass, do you?’ Duglass said menacingly.

Lily glanced at Ethan, her face white and drawn. She turned to the highwaymen, tucking her little kitten protectively inside her pocket.

‘Oh please – don’t hurt me, sir,’ Lily squealed piteously. ‘Of course you can have the horses, we won’t cause any trouble, will we, boys?’ She turned pleadingly to the others.

‘Yes, take the horses,’ agreed Ethan quickly, raising his hands in a gesture of submission.

Roana glanced in derision from Lily cowering on Nutmeg to Ethan preparing to dismount from Toffee. She opened her mouth to protest vehemently but a warning glance from Ethan silenced her. She nodded curtly. Her fingers itched to find her own silver hunting bow and arrows stowed on the right of her saddle.

‘Come on then, down you come, my luvly,’ growled Ross to Lily, releasing her wrist. Lily crouched over the saddle, apparently overcome with panic. She fumbled quickly in her saddle pack.

Then with a sudden lunge, Lily swooped up and threw a jar of pinkish liquid into the bandit’s face. She had surreptitiously removed it from her saddle bag while she was hunched over.

Ross’s reaction was extraordinary. He started screaming and scrabbled at his eyes, frantically wiping away the liquid streaming from his eyes, nose and mouth. Staggering back and forth as if completely blinded, he made no attempt to recapture Lily.

The other bandit was distracted by the sudden commotion and twisted to see what was happening. In one continuous graceful movement, Ethan whipped his bow off his shoulder, pulled an arrow from his quiver, nocked the arrow, and fired. The arrow pinged through the air and buried itself in Duglass’s right shoulder.

Duglass screamed in agony and dropped his knife, his arm temporarily useless. He turned to defend himself, trying to scoop up the knife with his left hand. His face was totally disbelieving. Duglass had expected the children to be a meek and easy target. Ethan kicked his heels into Toffee’s sides, causing her to lunge and prance.

Ethan nocked another arrow, aiming carefully at the bandit but not firing. Duglass hurriedly dropped the knife again.

Lily gave a piercing whistle that reverberated around the clearing. Moments later a streak of red-gold lightning came hurtling through the forest.

‘Attack, Aisha!’ screamed Ethan. Aisha obligingly leapt into the fray, dodging the prancing hooves of frightened horses. She jumped up at Duglass and sank her teeth into his left arm, shaking him like a sack and all the while growling ferociously.

The bandit howled in pain and confusion. Ross ran to his aid, his red eyes still streaming with tears, trying to grab Toffee’s reins and beat off the ferocious dog. Saxon pulled out a stout cudgel he had tied to his pack and thwacked that down across Ross’s shoulders, causing him to stagger and fall, knocking over his accomplice. Aisha was on top of both of them in a flash, growling and nipping.

The two bandits screamed for mercy.

‘Call off your mongrel, it’s gonna kill us,’ screamed Duglass.

‘Come on, let’s go,’ yelled Ethan, kicking Toffee into a gallop. The others followed quickly, kicking up clods of mud over the unfortunate highwaymen. The two men’s screams followed them down the forest track. Lily turned to see Aisha still biting and shaking the robbers like rats. She gave a shrill whistle.

Aisha looked up with ears pricked and started padding after the horses. She paused reluctantly and looked back longingly at Ross and Duglass as if keen to take just one more bite of the attackers. The bandits cowered into each other in terror.

‘Come on, Aisha!’ Lily roared. Aisha obeyed immediately and bounded down the track, tongue lolling out in delight.

Ethan paused and turned in the saddle. ‘Sorry, me laddies, but we’ve changed our minds about the luvly ’orses, it’s a bit far to walk to Tira,’ he shouted in a very polite voice, imitating perfectly the rough accents of his attackers. ‘Surely you’ll understand. Have a luvly day, now, won’t you?’

The two highwaymen cursed loudly, scowling after the escaping horses as they rubbed their wounds. Their easy prey had just made complete fools of them.

The four children laughed in relieved, nervous excitement. They all waved cheekily at the disconsolate highwaymen, as they galloped out of the clearing.

When they were far enough away from the ambush, Ethan slowed down to stow his bow safely over his shoulder again.

‘So Lily, what was that you threw at the highwayman?’ Saxon asked Lily curiously.

‘Well, it was a little potion I brewed up at Saira’s house,’ Lily laughed. ‘I wasn’t sure if it would work, but I steeped some red chillies and peppers in alcohol. Chillies can really burn, especially eyes! But he should be all right – eventually!’

The others laughed appreciatively. Roana looked at Lily with new respect.

‘That was clever,’ she murmured.

Lily smiled.

‘Thanks,’ she replied.

The next morning dawned grey and drizzling. Everything was wet – the packs, the saddles, the supplies. Ethan unstrung the bows and stowed the flax bowstrings inside his clothes to try to keep them dry.

Animals and children all huddled together trying to keep warm, as they ate a sparing breakfast of soggy oat and fruit biscuits. The kitten, Charcoal, wriggled deep under Lily’s cloak trying to stay dry. Aisha stared mournfully up at Lily, her eyebrows raised beseechingly – she hated the rain.

‘Nothing for it, Aisha, but to hit the road,’ Lily murmured sympathetically. ‘Let’s find those caverns under Tira – at least they should be dry!’

Hoods up and cloaks wrapped tightly around them, they saddled up and rode on miserably. Mud splashed up from the track. Water dripped from the trees and branches, trickling down everyone’s necks and backs.

For a few hours they rode on in silence. There was no cheerful whistling or singing today. Even Aisha had lost her usual zest for smells and trails, plodding along miserably in the mud, her tail between her legs. They left the forest for the open plains, where the rain was heavier and they were completely unprotected.

Roana pointed out a blur in the distance. ‘There it is,’ she exclaimed in excitement. ‘Tira!’

Through the drizzly mists of the plain, the white spires of Tira could be seen, soaring into the grey sullen sky.

‘No gorgeous sunset today, Roana,’ remarked Lily, huddled into her cloak.

‘All right, now remember – if we are stopped we are simply villagers hoping to find work in Tira,’ Ethan reminded them. ‘Where should we be heading, Roana?’

‘Tira is built on an island,’ Roana explained. ‘Sheer cliffs rise straight from the sea, soaring high into the air. The River Bryn gushes down a chasm on either side of the island. There are three bridges built across the chasm – one to the north, east and west. The gates are locked at dusk, and opened at dawn.

‘The bridges are always heavily guarded and I imagine the Sedahs will have them guarded too. We are approaching from the east. The entrance to the cavern is at the base of the cliffs on the southeastern side, near where the river meets the sea. We need to approach Tira unseen, climb down the sheer cliffs, cross the River Bryn, then find the entrance on the other side.’

The others breathed deeply, absorbing all this information.

‘We also need to find somewhere to hide the horses and their saddles safely,’ Lily added. ‘We don’t know how long we will be so we need somewhere with plenty of food and water.’

‘And somewhere where they hopefully won’t be stolen, so we can find them when we come back,’ Saxon said.

‘Right,’ Ethan agreed. ‘So horses first. Any ideas, Roana?’

Roana thought quietly for a few minutes, her brow furrowed in concentration.

‘It is not ideal but I cannot think of anything better. There is a small wood quite close by, with a little stream that runs through it. I often ride there in the mornings. There is a clearing by the stream that should have plenty of grass for the horses, at least for a couple of days. The horses could be hobbled and perhaps we could hide the saddles somewhere protected.’

‘Well, I guess that will have to do,’ agreed Ethan.

So the horses were carefully hobbled and the saddles and tack stowed under a fallen log. Hoisting their packs, bows and quivers on their backs, they set off on foot through the interminable rain.

The approach to the city of Tira was uncomfortable, wet and painstakingly slow. To avoid detection from the city walls they had to climb down to the sea quite some way from the city and climb around the base of the cliffs. The rocks were slick with spray and often crumbling away, so it was a dangerous and exhausting scramble, up, down, over, round and down again.

Aisha had to be hauled and pushed up a couple of steep scrambles.

The sea was dark grey, whipped into white crests by the wind. Low black clouds scudded across the horizon. Down on the beach, their feet sank into the deep soft sand, making their breath pant with the exertion. Piles of shaggy brown seaweed lay along the tide line, smelling pungently of brine. Small shells crunched under their feet. Stinging sand whipped their faces. Aisha went crazy, snapping at the waves and bounding through the water with high, springy leaps.

‘Look,’ cried Lily, pointing past the breaking surf.

A triangular grey fin surged through the water. The fin disappeared, then a sleek grey body leapt from the water, falling back with a splash.

‘A dolphin,’ called Ethan.

‘I feel that’s a lucky omen,’ Lily smiled. ‘Dolphins must definitely be our lucky animals now.’

‘Good – we need all the luck we can get,’ replied Saxon brusquely.

The dolphin swam along beside them a few metres offshore, until they reached the cliffs at the mouth of the river. Then it caught a wave in towards the shore, flicking off just as the waves crashed towards the beach. It leapt out of the water and was gone.

The children watched it disappear, then turned to face the churning surge of river water roaring down to meet the sea.

‘The River Bryn,’ said Roana.

The others could hardly hear her over the relentless noise of water crashing, thundering and pounding on cliffs, rocks and sand.

As they rounded the base of the cliffs coming into the river chasm they had to climb high up the cliff face to avoid the water. By this time it was nearly dusk, yet even in the falling light they could all see how wild, powerful, wide and dangerous was the chasm they still had to cross.

The wind on the cliff howled around them, threatening to toss them all into the sea.

‘At least in this weather no-one is likely to see or hear us,’ joked Lily, her teeth chattering with cold and nerves.

‘How on earth are we to cross this chasm?’ asked Roana. ‘We’ll never be able to swim it. We’d be swept out to sea and drowned in a moment!’

‘No, we probably couldn’t swim it – but perhaps Sax could,’ Ethan replied. ‘Sax can swim like a fish. If we tied a rope around your waist, Sax, we could haul you in if you get swept away. If you make it across the river without trouble you can tie the rope to something sturdy on the other side and we can climb across.’

Saxon agreed that it was worth a try. He stripped off to his underclothes, shivering in the wet, cold wind. He tied one end of the rope securely around an old tree trunk and the other end around his waist, using his newly acquired fishermen’s knots.

Ethan, Lily and Roana took the slack of the rope, ready to let it out slowly around the tree trunk. Saxon grinned impishly at the others.

‘So let’s go. For heaven’s sake don’t drop me, will you?’

Saxon slithered down the cliff, using the rope as a brake to control his descent. The others took his weight and let the rope out slowly, their heels digging into the soft mud.

The rope cut into their hands, burning the flesh, and they fought against the dead weight on the end of the rope, their muscles aching. When Saxon was halfway down Ethan slipped in the soft mud, suddenly letting the rope out a few metres. Saxon fell, bumping against the rock face, his legs scrabbling wildly for a foothold. Ethan, Lily and Roana hauled desperately on the rope and managed to stop the fall.

Aisha whined pitifully, running back and forth along the top of the cliff, watching for Saxon.

The descent only took a few minutes but the time stretched agonisingly with the burning on their palms and the slow trickle of rain down their necks. At last they felt the rope stop and go slack as Saxon reached the foot of the gorge. He tugged twice on the rope to let them know he was safely at the bottom.

The slack of the rope gradually uncoiled as Saxon moved away from the base of the cliff. Peering through the rainy darkness, the others could see Saxon’s dark shadow picking over the tumbled rocks then plunging into the icy river. The rope jerked and uncoiled rapidly as Saxon’s body was buffeted downstream by the rushing water.

Soon it was impossible to see where Saxon was, and whether he was successfully swimming across the river or simply being swept straight out to sea. The rope uncoiled to its limit and lay still and taut, stretched down into the darkness, trembling with the strain.

There was no sound but the wind, rain and river. There was nothing to see but the white-capped waves and the black shadows of rock and water.

‘I feel sick,’ whispered Lily. ‘We should never have let him try it.’

‘Let’s pull him back to this side,’ Ethan called urgently. ‘He’s safe as long as the rope holds.’

Ethan, Lily and Roana bent to haul on the rope, pulling with all their weight. There was a huge tug from the other end in response. The rope tugged three times – the signal that Saxon had made it safely to the other side! The three friends collapsed into the mud with relief, laughing hysterically.

‘He made it,’ shrieked Lily, tears welling in her eyes. ‘Thank the Moon Goddess, he made it!’

A few moments later the rope tugged again three times to signal that Saxon had secured the rope to something on the other side.

Ethan jumped up and tested the rope. It strung taut and strong across the chasm, sloping steeply down to the other side.

‘You know, Lily, I think we can fly across this chasm,’ Ethan grinned.

Roana and Lily looked at him quizzically.

‘Do you remember the flying slide Dadda set up for us in the barn last spring?’

Taking off his belt, Ethan tied a long thin rope to the buckle. The belt was thrown over the thick rope that stretched across the chasm and then buckled to form a strap.

Gripping the belt tightly with both hands, he lifted his feet off the ground and slithered towards the cliff edge. Hurriedly he braked with his feet on the ground before he slid off the cliff into thin air.

‘A bit of speed should make it work beautifully.’ He smiled with satisfaction. ‘Lily, take a running leap off the cliff and you should fly across the chasm like a great sea eagle. But for the Moonmother’s sake, hold on tightly!’

Lily rubbed the pearl nestled inside her shirt for good luck. It gave her courage. She tucked Charcoal safely inside her pocket and took a deep breath.

Lily gripped the belt with both hands, took a few steps backwards, then ran as fast as she could towards the cliff edge. Stones tumbled off the edge of the cliff and her feet kept running but there was no longer any ground beneath her. She was hurtling through space at incredible speed.

The roar of the river below thundered in her ears with the pounding of her own heart. Spray flew up, drenching her legs and splashing her body. Long tendrils of honey hair whipped her face and salt spume filled her nose, her mouth and her eyes.

The flight was exhilarating and too short. In seconds the shingle of the beach was flying up to meet her feet and she landed with a thud that knocked her over and left her breathless.

Saxon ran to help her up. He was saturated and shivering with cold, with a bloody scrape down one leg.

Three tugs on the rope and the belt went slithering back into the darkness, hauled back by the thinner rope. Moments later all the packs came flying down on the belt. Aisha came across in a sling made from a blanket and two saddle girths, with the belt attached to her collar.

At Lily and Saxon’s end she struggled out of the blanket, shaking herself in indignation at the unfamiliar sensation of flying. Dogs were meant to stay firmly on the ground!

Roana followed, then finally Ethan. Aisha capered around the four of them, her tail wagging furiously, licking each one of them in turn.

‘Well, that was easy,’ grinned Ethan. ‘Now to find the entrance to the secret tunnel.’

‘Easy! It was terrifying!’ exclaimed Roana, her eyes shining with excitement.

‘Easy for you lot,’ retorted Saxon. ‘What about me? You dropped me down the cliff, almost breaking my leg, then I was swept nearly out to sea and thought I was going to drown for sure!’

‘Poor Saxon, we thought you were going to pull us all down the cliff after you, you great lump!’ laughed Lily, thumping him on the back with delight.

‘So, Roana, where is the entrance to this secret tunnel?’ Ethan asked, jerking everyone back to the present.

Roana frowned. ‘On the map in the palace library, it showed a narrow cave at the base of this cliff, facing the river but not far from where the river meets the sea, with a tree above it.’

‘We daren’t use a candle or someone will see us,’ Ethan said. ‘We will just have to split up and look carefully around the base of the cliff. For goodness sake, be careful in the darkness. You can hardly see one foot in front of the other.’

They split into two search parties – Lily, Ethan and Aisha went downstream towards the sea, while Roana and Saxon headed upriver, scrambling about the base of the cliff. Lily and Ethan had just reached the bend where the river met the sea, when they heard a shrill bird whistle signal from Saxon, repeated three times.

They hurried back upriver as quickly as they could in the darkness. They found Roana sitting on a huge pile of rocks with her head in her hands. Saxon had his foot up on a huge old tree trunk on the shale beach, its spreading roots a blacker shadow against the dark cliff.

‘Roana thinks this must be the place,’ called Saxon softly.

Roana looked up, tears welling in her eyes and despair etched onto her face. She rubbed her face, leaving a streak of mud across her cheek.

‘There seems to have been a landslide,’ Roana said. ‘The tree has collapsed and there is an enormous pile of rocks blocking where the cave entrance might be. We could never move them all, and we don’t even know if this is the right place. It’s so difficult to see in this darkness.’

‘Well, we didn’t find anything either up or down river that fitted your description any better, so this is the most likely spot we’ve found,’ Ethan replied in a forced cheerful tone. ‘I guess we had better get to work!’

Roana stared at him in amazement. ‘But … but all these rocks …’ she stammered.

‘Dadda used to say that the only way to climb a mountain is one step at a time,’ Lily said softly. ‘So the only way to move a pile of rocks is one rock at a time.’

Ethan nodded. ‘Exactly, but we need to be careful we don’t start another landslide, so we’ll have to work slowly and carefully.’

The four children set to work, cloth torn from Roana’s old petticoats bound around their hands to protect their skin from the rough rocks. Aisha bounded around excitedly at first but soon gave up and flopped on the beach, her tongue hanging out.

The pile of rocks seemed never-ending. They toiled for hours, until their fingertips were raw and bleeding. Sweat and rain dripped down their foreheads into their eyes, and ran relentlessly down the back of their necks. Their shoulders ached and everyone felt that they just couldn’t go on.

‘Just one rock at a time, just one rock at a time,’ muttered Roana as an endless mantra in her head, determined not to give in before the others.

At last they had cleared away a huge pile of smaller rocks and dirt but there was no sign of a cave – just a huge boulder wedged into the cliffside. Using a sharp-edged stone, Saxon chipped a deep hole into the crumbling earth at the side of the boulder, then wedged in the end of a large branch torn from the upturned tree. Using the branch as a lever, Saxon gently wriggled the boulder free from its earthen prison. He worked methodically and slowly, driving the end of the branch a little deeper behind the rock each time, and gently loosening it. At last, with a powerful surge, using all his and Ethan’s weight, the massive boulder broke free and tumbled down the beach with a huge crash.

They all froze at the unexpected noise. Aisha leapt to her feet, barking ferociously, the fur along her back standing on end.

‘Shhh, girl,’ hissed Lily, running her hands down Aisha’s spine to quieten her.

The boulder had left a gaping black hole in the cliff. Saxon peered into it, cautiously hunching his broad shoulders to squeeze through the gap.

He waved to the others to come closer.

‘I think this is it! We’ve done it,’ he exclaimed joyfully. One at a time they peered through the hole. There was nothing to see except a deep blackness which seemed to stretch back under the cliff for some way, opening to a deeper blackness a short distance away.

Despite their aching muscles and exhausted limbs they jiggled with excitement, thumping each other on the back and hugging.

‘I think we deserve a little rest, and maybe something to eat before we tackle the next challenge,’ grinned Lily, her teeth gleaming white out of the darkness of her filthy face.

‘At least now we can get out of this interminable rain,’ shivered Roana.

One by one they climbed through the aperture and down into the wider crevice beyond. Ethan struck the tinderbox to light the candle. The flame flickered and wavered, casting strange shadows on the rock walls. The deeper shadow at the back seemed to be a low tunnel leading back into the heart of the island.

Saxon held up the candle. In its flickering light they could see a stone archway. Carved in its center was a sun, its stylised rays flaming out in a circle. Roana stretched up to trace the sun with her fingertips.

‘This must be it,’ whispered Roana, her blue eyes shining with excitement. ‘All we need to do now is to follow the secret tunnel all the way up into the palace.’

‘Let’s see if we can build a fire in here, so we can dry off, warm up and have a rest,’ Ethan suggested. ‘I don’t think anyone would see it from outside on this wild night.’

‘Some of the branches under that old fallen tree might not be too wet,’ Saxon agreed.

With renewed vigour, they gathered some twigs and branches and built a fire. It took a few attempts with the tinderbox but eventually they had a small, smoky fire to huddle around inside the cave entrance.

They unpacked some supplies from their packs – delicious crumbly cheese biscuits baked by Saira, and dried fruit, washed down with icy river water.

‘Thank goodness my feet are starting to thaw and my front is toasty warm. But my back is still freezing!’ complained Lily, wriggling even closer to the meagre flames. Small wisps of steam drifted up from their wet clothes.

After their meal they huddled down into their damp cloaks, trying to sleep. Gradually they started to dry off.

Saxon wriggled and squirmed, unable to get comfortable. He threw the last of the wood onto the fire. The flames flared up once more, but soon died away into a pile of smouldering embers.

‘It’s no use,’ he said. ‘I can’t sleep. There’s no more wood and maybe it would be warmer if we started moving. Besides, I just have to find out where the tunnel leads.’

Lily groaned and pulled her cloak over her head. ‘All right, Sax. If we must.’

Saxon leapt up and had a swig of cold river water from the water bottle. The others slowly clambered to their feet and followed suit.

In single file they crawled behind Saxon through the low opening of the tunnel, dragging their packs behind them. The rock fall had brought down the original tunnel roof, leaving only a narrow passageway. Aisha pushed past impatiently to take the lead. She alone did not need to crawl.

After long minutes of painstaking crawling, which scratched their bloodied hands and bruised their knees, the tunnel widened and was high enough to walk comfortably. They all stretched and rubbed their aching muscles.

‘We should be able to move along a bit faster now,’ said Ethan approvingly.

They strode out, happy to be able to stretch their legs, following the bobbing flame of Saxon’s candle as he led them gradually uphill. Weird shadows danced on all sides, looking like black hobgoblins and ghouls.

Suddenly Saxon stopped and Lily nearly knocked into him.

‘There’s a fork in the tunnel,’ Saxon hissed. He peered down each tunnel, holding the candle up high. One tunnel led to the left, meandering slightly downhill, while the tunnel to the right rose steeply straight ahead.

‘Which way should we go?’ asked Lily, frowning.

‘Upwards to the right,’ announced Roana emphatically. ‘The tunnel must climb up to the palace cellars.’

Aisha sniffed the dank air of the right tunnel. The fur on her back stood on end and she pointed straight with her nose, one paw lifted in anticipation. Then she bounded forward, streaking like a ruddy flame away into the darkness ahead.

Saxon nodded and set off up the steep path to the right, the others trudging behind him. Lily whistled shrilly, calling Aisha back to heel. A few minutes later, Aisha reappeared, her tail between her legs, ears down and eyes mournful. Lily fondled her silky black ears then stroked the soft bundle of fur snuggled into her pocket. Charcoal stretched and purred then curled up to sleep again.

The children started to puff and pant as the path turned into a flight of steep narrow steps that twisted and turned.

‘What’s that smell?’ asked Lily, wrinkling her nose in disgust. A waft of a revolting stench reached the others, who suddenly stopped.

‘Ooooh. I’ve never smelt anything like it,’ said Roana, pinching her aristocratic nose with two long grubby fingers.

‘Smells a bit like Sax after a hard day chopping wood,’ laughed Ethan, nudging Saxon in the ribs.

‘Ha ha. And you smell just like your mother’s roses after mucking out the royal stables,’ retorted Saxon swiftly.

‘Actually, after all our rock moving and climbing, we probably all smell pretty bad,’ said Ethan, sniffing himself loudly and wrinkling his nose.

‘Well, whatever it is I suppose we had better keep going,’ grinned Lily. ‘And let’s hope it doesn’t get any worse. I suppose it’s something dead up there.’ She shuddered.

Aisha’s nose quivered with excitement, tasting the air as if she was a wine connoisseur.

‘Heel, Aisha,’ warned Ethan. ‘I know you. You’re probably just dying to go and roll in whatever disgusting mess there is up ahead.’

Aisha strained forward longingly but obediently trotted next to Ethan. Charcoal crawled out of Lily’s pocket and curled in her arms.

They kept climbing. The smell grew stronger and stronger until they had to cover their noses and mouths with cloth to keep from gagging. Water ran in rivulets down the walls and steps, forming tiny waterfalls and puddles. It was slippery and dangerous.

At last, the steps finished and the tunnel levelled out again. They sighed in relief at the break from climbing, and stopped for a breather.

A small black shadow scuttled up the wall. Then another and another. Saxon held up the candle.

The walls and ceiling of the tunnel ahead shimmered and rippled in the candlelight. Lily blinked in disbelief. Were her eyes playing tricks on her? Was she so tired she was seeing the very rock shiver?

Saxon stepped forward with a sickening crunch. Aisha lunged and barked madly, snapping at the walls.

Huge black and brown creatures scuttled up and down the walls, ceiling and floor of the tunnel, fleeing from the light.

‘Cockroaches,’ said Ethan in disgust. ‘Millions of them!’

‘I’ve never seen such enormous ones,’ groaned Lily, bile rising in her throat, her stomach twisting with nausea. ‘I hate cockroaches.’

‘I’ve never even seen such creatures before,’ shrieked Roana in panic. ‘What are they? Are they dangerous?’

‘No, not dangerous.’ said Ethan calmly. ‘Just disgusting. Well, nothing for it but to keep going, I guess.’

Saxon stepped forward with another sickening crunch of cracking shells. Cockroaches fled from their approach.

One fell from the ceiling into Roana’s hair. She screamed loudly, clawing at her spiky short hair with both hands. Lily reached up and quickly brushed it out of her hair.

A huge black cockroach scrambled up Lily’s leg, tangling itself in her skirts. She squealed, slapping at her legs. It was quickly followed by another, then another.

Charcoal spat and hissed, her black fur standing on end, her white patches gleaming in the darkness. Aisha barked madly, the loud screams and barks echoing up and down the tunnel.

Let’s get out of here,’ screamed Lily furiously. ‘Run!’

No-one hesitated. Saxon led the charge up the tunnel, the candle bobbing and spluttering as he ran, hot wax flying. Their feet slipped and slid on the treacherous floor of slimy crushed insect carcasses.

A few minutes later, they burst out of the tunnel into an enormous cave. A terrible stench hit them like a hot slap in the face. It was much, much worse than in the tunnel, making their eyes water and their stomachs heave, even through the cloth wound tightly around their faces.

The candlelight cast a weak circle of light around them. They stopped. Aisha stood completely still, every hair on her body raised in alarm.

‘I think we need some more light in here,’ said Ethan weakly, his eyes straining uselessly through the gloom. He fumbled in his pack and pulled out some more candles. He lit these from Saxon’s candle, his hands trembling, making the flames wobble.

All four friends held up a candle into the deep blackness of that enormous cave. In the middle of the cave, looming high over their heads, was a gigantic mountain of rubbish. Rotten vegetables, broken furniture, smashed crates, rags, dead animals, bottles, torn paper, offal and sodden filth rose in a towering pile of putrid garbage.

The four children stared in disbelief and horror. In a moment their eyes adjusted to the light and they saw something worse. Something much worse.

The mountain was moving. The mountain was heaving. Rats! Thousands of rats scurried, scuttled and climbed, snuffling at rotting vegetables and tearing at offal.

Then they stopped. With one movement the mountain of rats turned and stared at the unexpected intruders. For a long moment the rats stared at the children and the children stared at the rats, seeing thousands of red eyes glaring through the dimness.

A bitter metal taste swamped Lily’s mouth. She thought she was going to vomit.

Roana moaned and stumbled, clutching onto Lily for support.

Then the rats started to run. Moving as one, thousands of rats ran rustling through the rubbish, straight towards the four children cowering at the tunnel entrance, like a torrent of flood water rushing through a sewer pipe.

Aisha streaked silently towards the onslaught. Snapping rats in her sharp teeth, she shook them fiercely with a loud crack, then tossed the limp bodies aside. Rats ran over her, swamped her, nipped her with their needle-sharp yellow teeth. And still they came swarming towards the children.

Roana screamed, dropping her candle. It rolled in the rubbish, spluttered and went out, smoke spiralling ominously in the dense air. The darkness deepened even more intensely than before.

‘Quick,’ cried Ethan. ‘We’ve got to go back.’

‘Aisha,’ screamed Lily. ‘Come here!’ She ran towards Aisha, whistling and clapping her hands.

Aisha paused in her attack and ran back, shaking off dozens of rodents as she leapt gracefully through the piles of garbage.

‘We’ve got to stop the rats or they’ll follow us,’ yelled Saxon.

‘Think!’ shouted Lily. ‘Think. Don’t panic. Fear is our worst enemy.’

‘Fire,’ Ethan called. ‘We need to make a barrier of fire.’

‘Grab some wood,’ Saxon yelled. ‘Anything flammable. Make a pile in the entrance to the cave.’

All four obediently grabbed wood, paper, barrels and crates and clumsily threw them in a pile, between them and the oncoming horde of rats. Saxon knelt and tried to light the pile with his candle. The damp timber smoked and smouldered, but wouldn’t light. He blew gently, sweat dripping down his face. But still it wouldn’t light.

The first rats reached the puny circle of light cast by the candles.

‘Hurry, hurry,’ squealed Roana. ‘Please light, oh, please light.’

Ethan grabbed a plank of wood and swung wildly at the rodents, smashing them away like cricket balls. Roana grabbed another plank and started swinging too, but there were too many rats and they swarmed past them. Some climbed their legs, nipping and biting as they climbed towards their faces. Aisha barked and leapt twisting in the air, snapping at rats.

Ethan and Roana leapt back over the pile of timber, swiping rats off their bodies with both hands. Still Saxon tried in vain to light the fire.

Lily fumbled in her pack and pulled out a dark brown bottle. She threw it on the pile of kindling and it smashed to smithereens, filling the air with a reek of bitter herbs and pungent alcohol. She threw her candle after it.

Immediately tongues of blue flame leapt up then roared into a fierce fireball. The first rats to reach it sizzled in the flames, unable to escape.

Saxon and the others leapt back, their hair and clothes scorched by the leaping fire.

Saxon grabbed a torch of burning wood and threw it at the loathsome rats. It fell and started another blaze. Soon all four were throwing burning missiles towards the flood of seething rodents.

The fire quickly spread back towards the mountain of rubbish. The rats hesitated then turned and fled, back the way they had come. And so did the five friends, running, stumbling, cursing in the dark as they banged knees and shins on the rocky tunnel walls.

Back through the seething tunnel of cockroaches they ran, back to the steep flight of stairs and back down to the fork where they had first turned off.

It was only here that they eventually paused, breathless and panting. Their throats were dry and parched, their muscles screaming with pain and exhaustion. Tears pricked their scorched eyeballs and their hearts felt as though they were breaking.

Roana slumped to the ground, covering her eyes with her hands.

‘It’s hopeless,’ she muttered through clenched teeth. ‘We might as well go back. We will never make it past those rats.’

‘No, I wouldn’t want to face those rats again,’ agreed Ethan, throwing himself down next to her. ‘Or those cockroaches, for that matter. Uggh!’ He shivered in disgust. ‘But perhaps that wasn’t the right way.’

They all looked up at him, then turned to the other tunnel. The left-hand tunnel meandered gently away downhill.

Ethan stood up and wandered over to the tunnel entrance.

He lifted his candle up to the stone wall and rubbed his fingers over a slight indentation there. The dirt crumbled away and there was a carving. Ethan rubbed harder. A symbol revealed itself – a carving of a royal sun, its rays beckoning welcomingly.

‘You’re right,’ Lily murmured. ‘We did go the wrong way.’

Roana shuddered in disgust. ‘Maybe. But who is to say the other way will be any better? I think we should leave this horrible tunnel and go back into the fresh air. I cannot breathe in here.’

‘We can’t do that, Roana,’ Ethan said gently. ‘We must keep going.’

Saxon nodded. ‘We can’t give up now that we’ve come so far.’

‘We have to find the Sun Sword, and the Sun Gem and Moon Pearl, and the Star Diamonds … and we need to rescue our parents, and your brother, Roana,’ added Lily, ticking the impossibly long list off on her fingers.

Roana sniffled, her head buried in her arms, and shook her head vehemently.

‘I’m sure the other tunnel will be much nicer,’ grinned Ethan. ‘I’m sure your royal ancestors would never have built their secret escape tunnel through a rat-infested rubbish dump. The other tunnel must have been the escape tunnel for the grubby commoners.’

‘No, not an escape tunnel,’ retorted Roana, smiling weakly. ‘I think all the rubbish from the town above must be tossed down through a crevice into the caverns below. A perfect breeding ground for rats and cockroaches! I will have to do something about that when I am queen.’

The others grinned in relief, the tension broken.

Saxon took a big swig from his drink bottle, dribbling water down his chin in his haste. It was still cold and felt delicious on his parched throat.

‘Cheers, fellow rat fighters,’ he crowed, raising his bottle in a salute. ‘To the best bunch of ratters in Tiregian.’

The others laughed and all smashed their drink bottles together, before taking a giant swig.

‘Come on,’ Lily said more cheerfully. ‘Let’s check out all our wounds. Rat bites can be nasty, not to mention the horrible grazes on our hands from moving all those rocks.’

She dug around in her pack for a herbal antiseptic wash, clean cloth and ointment. She inspected each one of them closely, including Aisha, and carefully washed and anointed their multiple bites and scratches.

‘Well, this time, we really are going to have a rest before we go on,’ she ordered brusquely, glaring at Saxon. He nodded meekly and obediently pulled his cloak around his shoulders.

‘Yes, ma’am,’ he saluted smartly. ‘Perhaps we can have something to eat too, or are we to go straight to bed with no supper?’

Lily giggled. ‘No, food is a fantastic idea,’ she agreed. ‘Mama always said that good food was the best healer.’

At the memory of Marnie and her simple folk wisdom, Lily stopped joking and frowned, fighting back sudden tears.

‘So – another feast,’ said Roana with false cheer, as she started to unwrap some dried fish and berries. ‘Come on, Aisha – I think you are the only one who truly likes this horrendous fish.’

Aisha bounded up immediately, sitting promptly and begging expectantly with her liquid brown eyes. Roana hugged her and gave her a stick of dried fish.

‘Oh, Aisha, what would we have done without you – yet again?’ She rubbed the beautiful dog all over her soft head, as Aisha crunched on the fish in delight.

Charcoal ventured out of Lily’s pocket to nibble delicately on a piece of fish, patting it playfully with her paws.

After some food they all fell into a troubled sleep.

Roana rolled out of her wide four-poster bed and stretched. A roaring fire blazed in the grate, warming the whole chamber with its cheerful crackling. In front of the fire was her deep bathtub, filled with sweet scented water.

Deep crimson and yellow rose petals floated on the top. Roana stripped off her nightgown and sank gratefully into the warm, soothing water. Her three maid servants knelt at her side.

One gently washed her long golden hair with lavender soap, massaging the soap into a rich white lather. The second poured luscious hot water over her head from a jug, rinsing away the suds. The third girl carefully washed Roana’s feet with a soft flannel.

Roana lay back, her eyes closed, enjoying the luxury of the warm water lapping against her bare skin. One maid servant washed her face with rosewater and chamomile to soften and whiten the skin, while another massaged a creamy lotion into her hair and started to comb it. The comb tangled in her hair and pulled.

Roana screamed with rage and slapped the maid hard across the face. An angry welt rose on the girl’s cheek and her eyes filled with tears before she dropped her eyes, murmuring a barely heard apology. Roana glanced down into the bath.

The crimson rose petals had turned to spots of bright red blood. They spread and widened until Roana realised she was sitting in a tub of hot, red blood. She screamed and screamed in fright, and jerked awake.

Lily leant over and rubbed her on the arm.

‘It’s all right, you were just having a nightmare,’ Lily grimaced. ‘I had one too. I dreamt of red-eyed rats scurrying all over me. It was disgusting.’ She shivered.

Roana looked around at the three other filthy children, rubbing the gritty sleep from their eyes.

‘Sorry … sorry to wake you,’ Roana mumbled. Her cheeks burned in shame at the memory of striking the poor maid servant in her dream. ‘I thought I felt something in my hair.’ She rubbed her short brown crop ruefully.

‘It may have been one of those cockroaches, or just the memory of one,’ Ethan said gently. ‘Even Aisha was whimpering and shivering in her sleep, with her legs twitching as though she was chasing a hundred rats!’

‘Well, since we’re all awake now, perhaps we should move on,’ Saxon suggested, groaning as he hoisted up his pack.

The others all clambered to their feet, shouldering their packs.

‘Well, let’s hope the left tunnel is actually the right tunnel,’ quipped Ethan, flashing a tight smile at the others. Saxon groaned and slapped Ethan on the back.

At that moment, Governor Lazlac was down at the port. A ship had just arrived from Sedah and the Nine Isles, bringing missives from Emperor Raef. It also brought the latest forceful weapons in the subjugation of Tiregian – thirteen High Priests of Krad.

The thirteen priests stood on the deck, shrouded in long black tunics, with sweeping hooded black cloaks. Their faces were hidden deep in the shadows of their hoods. The only sign of colour or life was a small brooch each wore at the throat to fasten their cloaks. A glowing red eye gleamed above two crossed silver cutlasses, encircled by silver wire.

‘Welcome,’ Lord Lazlac said softly. ‘We are most honoured to have the priesthood of Krad here in Tiregian. My soldiers are looking forward to taking you out to the far corners of Tiregian to spread the law and word of Krad, and our most fearful majesty, Emperor Raef. You may be sure his law will be enforced with the full might of our army.’

‘As it should,’ replied the Head Priest. ‘Emperor Raef is most impatient to hear from you. He wishes the first and most valuable coffers of Tiregian treasure to be sent to Sedah as soon as the ships can be loaded. The ruby is particularly important. It will make a fitting tribute to our most powerful Emperor.’

Here the Head Priest rubbed the red eye he wore at his throat.

‘I myself will see to the education of the Tiregian prince,’ he continued. ‘I will set off for the far north in the morning. My brothers will start work immediately on stamping out the local superstitions and rituals. We have an arduous task ahead of us all.’

Governor Lazlac bowed.

‘Follow me to the Palace of Tira,’ he invited. ‘I have had rooms and a meal prepared for you.’

‘That will not be necessary. We will stay here tonight. My brothers and I will fast to prepare for the battles ahead. We will spend the night praying to Krad for guidance.’

‘Krad be praised,’ intoned Governor Lazlac automatically.

He hurried back to the palace, his mind whirling with all the things he had to do.

The left-hand tunnel wound down for a few minutes then started to climb more and more steeply. No-one had any clear idea in which direction they were walking. They had been underground for so many hours and had twisted and turned so often that they could almost be walking in circles.

Once again, the tunnel turned to steep, slippery steps, running with rivulets of water. Roana slipped and skinned her knee but scrambled up silently and kept on climbing.

Aisha stopped and turned to face the rear of their column, her ears pricked. Ethan, who was now bringing up the rear, stopped too. His ears strained through the darkness. He thought he heard a faint noise behind him. A moist flip-flop.

‘Ssshhhh,’ he hissed. The others stopped obediently. It was clearer now. A soft rhythmic padding.

The noise stopped too.

‘It sounded like footsteps,’ Ethan whispered. ‘I think we’re being followed.’

Lily shivered. ‘Let’s keep going.’

They kept walking, a little faster now. The noise continued behind, coming gradually closer, despite their increased pace. They came to a sharp bend in the tunnel.

‘You keep going,’ whispered Ethan. ‘I’ll wait here and see if I can find out what it is.’

‘We should all wait,’ argued Lily. ‘It might be dangerous.’

‘No,’ insisted Ethan urgently. ‘It will stop if it hears we have stopped.’ Sure enough, the padding footsteps had halted too. ‘You keep going. I’ll keep Aisha with me for protection.’

Saxon nodded in agreement and tugged at Lily’s shoulder. ‘Come on.’ As the footsteps echoed away up the tunnel, Ethan crouched behind an outcrop of rock. In his right hand he tightly clutched the dagger and the edge of his cloak, holding it away from his body to make a tent. In his left hand, he held the candle, with its flame hidden underneath the cloak. His eyes adjusted slowly to the darkness.

Flip-flop. Flip-flop. The padding footsteps came closer and closer.

A small shadow hobbled around the bend. Ethan pulled out his candle so that it shone on the creature.

Huge round eyes stared up at him for a second. Then with a shriek they closed and moist webbed hands covered them from the harsh light. The creature was about the size of a small toddler, dark green and slimy like a frog. It had a long pointy nose and large ears, and its skin bubbled with warty protrusions and knobs. It wailed and cowered back from the candle.

Ethan stared at it, fascinated. He had never seen a creature like it before. Was it dangerous? Or merely curious?

The creature peeped slyly from between its webbed fingers. Then it made a sudden leap for Ethan, knocking the candle out of his hand. The tunnel plunged into darkness and Ethan felt cold, froggy hands clutching him tightly around his neck, squeezing the breath from his throat. Ethan choked and spluttered, wrestling with the slimy creature who was clinging around his neck.

He tried to stab the creature with his dagger, at the same time using his left hand to try to break the creature’s choking grip on his throat.

Then Aisha was upon them, snarling and leaping, snapping at the creature’s webbed feet dangling around Ethan’s waist. Ethan fell backwards and at last Aisha could get a good hold on the creature. She bit it on the hind leg and shook it furiously. The creature squealed and loosened its choking grip on Ethan’s throat. He gulped in sweet lungfuls of the dank tunnel air.

As it shook back and forth in Aisha’s strong grip, the creature seemed to open the knobbly protrusions on its body, which leaked out a bitter evil-smelling ooze. Asha sneezed and spat the little creature out, shaking her head furiously to remove the taste.

The creature shot a venomous glance at Aisha and Ethan, then loped away into the darkness. Ethan grabbed for it and caught its leg in his hand. But it slipped through his hand like a greased pig, leaving a searing acid burn on Ethan’s skin.

He ran down the tunnel after the creature but it had disappeared back into the darkness. Ethan stopped and wearily jogged after his companions, Aisha at his heels.

By the light of their final candle, Lily examined the bruises on Ethan’s throat and the burn on his hand. She sighed and rummaged in her pack for ointment and a bandage.

‘What sort of creature do you think it was?’ Ethan asked them all after he’d described his experiences.

‘I have heard stories of hobgoblins living down in these caverns, but I thought they were merely servants’ gossip,’ replied Roana. ‘The kitchen maids leave out saucers of milk for them in the larder. I always thought it was the cats who drank it.’

‘That creature was no cat,’ murmured Ethan ruefully, nursing his burnt hand. ‘I’m glad there was only one, or it would have been much worse.’

‘It has given you a nasty acid burn,’ agreed Lily as she gently dabbed and probed. ‘We’re certainly running through Mama’s medical supplies. Aisha’s lips are burnt from the ooze too, but fortunately her tongue seems unscathed … There. That’s all I can do for you, girl,’ she murmured, gently rubbing the last of the ointment around Aisha’s lips.

Ethan winced as he brushed his hand against his pack. Roana picked it up and tried to carry it for him.

He smiled. ‘Thanks, Roana, but I can manage it, if you could just swing it round onto my back.’

‘We’re off again,’ Saxon called, leading the march.

So it was that, stumbling with weariness, they nearly missed the end of their journey.

On their right in the shadows, Roana, walking in the rear, spied a shallow arched niche that seemed to be merely decorative. Above it were the familiar rays of a carved sun.

‘Stop a moment,’ hissed Roana in excitement. She took the candle and examined the carving, brushing over the rays with her fingertips as she had done in the first cave. The rounded sphere of the sun gave slightly under her fingers. She pushed harder.

With a shuddering, grinding noise the back of the archway slid aside to reveal a secret opening.

The others crowded around to peer inside.

‘I think this might be the secret way into the palace,’ Roana exclaimed. ‘This should lead us into the cellars and dungeons underground.’

‘Well, the way has been marked everywhere else by the royal sun,’ Lily agreed. ‘Let’s go. Lead us to your palatious abode, your royal majesty,’ Lily said with a mock curtsey.

‘Follow me, my trusty courtiers,’ said Roana, lifting up the hems of a pretend gown and stepping daintily over the step into the new tunnel. ‘Come, trusty hound, lead on!’

The new tunnel was in fact the back of a dusty storeroom filled with ancient crates. They crept through the towers of crates and boxes.

The last candle had burnt down to a spluttering stub. They came to a low doorway that led out into a passage, wider and taller than the one they had been following until now.

To the right the passage stretched away in a long straight line, while to the left it petered out in a dead end. On either side of the passage were more doorways, some open and some barred with stout timber doors, securely padlocked.

They peered into a couple of doors. Each was filled with shadowy barrels and crates.

‘Storerooms,’ muttered Roana. ‘I have never ventured down here before. I know there are treasure chambers down here on the east side, the side of the rising sun, while on the side of the setting sun are the dungeons.’

Everyone gave an involuntary shiver.

‘That might be where our parents are being imprisoned – in the dungeons,’ murmured Ethan. ‘They must have arrived at Tira weeks ago.’

‘But which way is east and which way is west?’ asked Saxon. ‘We have twisted and turned around so many times underground that I hardly know which way is up and which way is down, nor how long we have even been down here.’

‘I think we must be on the south side, the seaward side,’ said Roana, drawing a rough map in the dust with the toe of her boot.

‘The underground tunnels are built radiating out from a central circle, like the rays of the sun. The centre is the guardroom and weapon storage and the stairs that lead up to the main palace. The wine and food cellars are to the north. If we follow this passage it should lead to the central guardroom. If we can creep past the guards there we should be able to get to the other tunnels.’

‘The treasure chambers to the east may be where the Sun Gem has been hidden,’ said Lily. ‘You can be sure the very first thing the invaders would have done was set about finding the treasure chambers. They may be storing their plunder down here until they can send it across the sea on ships.’

‘So dungeons first – then treasure chambers?’ asked Saxon.

‘Dungeons first,’ echoed Ethan.

‘Quiet as mice,’ warned Lily.

‘Quiet as rats,’ agreed Saxon, with a flash of white teeth from his blackened face.

Once again, everyone picked up their packs, squared their shoulders, took a deep breath and set off in single file, heading to the north and the guardroom.

After a few minutes walking up the straight tunnel, they caught a murmur of muffled voices and laughter, and the flicker of a light.

Saxon held up his hand to stop the others, then crept forward on his own to reconnoitre.

A few moments later he crept back.

‘There are seven guards playing a game of cards around a table in the guardroom,’ Saxon whispered. ‘A circular passage rings the guardroom where the weapons are stored, and the various tunnels lead off that. I think if we are very careful and very quiet, we might be able to sneak past the guards through the weapon passage.’

Lily kept her hand firmly on Aisha’s collar to remind her to keep silent. They all crept forward to the outer ring passage, which was hung with shields, swords, daggers, chain mail, bows, arrows and helmets.

First Saxon then Lily slipped into the passage and crept on hands and knees, neither looking to left nor right. Aisha followed like a shadow.

They slipped down the passageway past cold dark tunnels opening on their left and two brightly lit doorways on their right. At last they reached what they guessed to be the westward tunnel, where they crouched in the shadows to wait for the others.

The Sedah guards continued to laugh and shout uproariously as they played a noisy game of gambling cards. Roana crawled down the passage close behind the others. Her heart sounded impossibly loud in her ears. She could not believe the guards did not hear it. She crawled past one doorway and caught a glimpse of the table full of guards, weapons leaning against their chairs, but did not slow down.

Roana crawled on down the passage and then had to crawl past another doorway that led into the guardroom. She did not dare to breathe. At last the agonising crawl was over and she was safe in the west tunnel with Saxon and Lily. Panting, she leant thankfully against the wall, her heart hammering in her chest.

Ethan set off last of all. He saw Roana disappear around the curve and then he set off crawling as fast as he could, past one door, then past the other. He crawled past a suit of chain mail and his pack swung against it, making it jingle softly. His heart stopped and then he crawled faster. Had they heard him?

They had.

‘What was that – did you hear something out in the passage?’ called one of the guards nervously, jumping to his feet.

‘I’ll take a look,’ called another. ‘I’m closest.’ Ethan panicked and stood up and ran as fast as he could. He slammed round the corner of the west tunnel and pressed down into the shadows with the others.

‘No, there’s nothing here,’ called the faint voice of a guard. ‘Must have been those accursed rats again. You’re just too jumpy, Sharik – afraid of a few rats.’

There was a loud guffaw of laughter from the other guards, and the game resumed as noisily as before.

The four children walked quickly down the west passage, away from the guard room. They passed a series of heavy wooden doors, heavily barred and padlocked. Each one had a peephole, so prisoners could be observed. Inside each cell a lantern was burning so the guards could easily check on the prisoners.

Everyone took turns at peeking through the spy holes, on either side of the passage, to see if they could spy any familiar faces. Each cell was crowded with prisoners, from all walks of life.

Bodies lay curled together, moaning and tossing in the confined spaces. Aisha ran ahead, sniffing at the cracks under the doors. She stopped at one and started wagging her tail furiously, whining softly and pawing at the crack.

Ethan ran to the door and peered anxiously into the gloom. He gestured excitedly to the others. In a moment all four were huddled around the peephole.

There were less people in this cell. In one corner lay a group of three court ladies, still wearing the silken gowns of the hunting ceremony, although they were badly stained and torn now. Four gentlemen-in-waiting lay stretched out in the centre of the cell, one snoring loudly.

In another corner lay a crumpled couple, sleeping with their arms entwined. The woman cried out in her sleep, tossing with the hidden grief of endless nightmares. Her husband curled closer and soothed her with gentle strokes down her arms, so she settled back to a deeper sleep.

‘Mama and Dadda,’ whispered Lily, her voice choked with tears. ‘They are still alive.’

Roana scowled furiously ‘And look there, my poor mother, the queen of Tiregian, sleeping on a bare cold stone floor. How dare they! Even our dogs slept better than this! Those Sedah devils will pay.’

‘Ssshhh,’ soothed Saxon gently, rubbing Roana on the shoulder. ‘First we need to wake your parents so we can talk with them, and then we can decide what to do.’

Ethan tried the door, but of course it was bolted and padlocked with three large locks. He opened the small shutter in the door, which revealed a barred window through which food and water could be passed to the prisoners.

He gave a shrill bird whistle that his father had taught him while hunting in the forest. No-one stirred. He tried it again, a little louder. This time Willem stirred in his sleep and rolled over. Ethan whistled a third time.

Willem sat up yawning, rubbing his eyes and peering around the cell in astonishment. Ethan whistled again more softly. Willem stood up and tiptoed over to the door. He looked haggard and aged since they had last seen him. His clothes hung loosely from his once strong frame.

‘Ethan, by the mighty Sun Lord, is that you?’ he whispered incredulously. ‘But you’re dead. They told us you were taken by a great sea beast. And Lily too? What miracle is this? Or are you ghosts come to haunt us?’

Ethan gripped his father’s hand through the narrow opening.

‘No, Dadda – we’re not ghosts. It’s true. We are all alive, as you are – thank the Moonmother.’

‘What are you doing here? Have the invaders been defeated? Praise the Moon Goddess. I must wake your mother and let her know,’ Willem whispered. ‘I thought she would die of grief when they came to tell us you were all dead. And your mother too, Princess Roana. The queen has taken it very hard.’

‘No, Dadda,’ Ethan shook his head. ‘The invaders have not been defeated. We crept into the dungeons through a secret passage Roana showed us. We crept past the guards playing dice in the guardroom.’

Willem blanched.

‘You must go,’ Willem said urgently. ‘They will be here at any time. The soldiers check on us every hour. They wake us all through the night taunting us with tales of their misdeeds throughout Tiregian. They must not find you here. It would give us great strength if we knew you were out there, alive and free.’

‘No, we came to rescue you all, Dadda,’ Lily murmured. ‘We are not leaving without you.’

‘No,’ Willem cried, ‘it is impossible. There are three padlocks on the door. The key to each lock is carried by a different person – the Head Duty Guard, Captain Malish, and Governor Lazlac himself. All three must be here together to open the door.’

Willem smiled grimly. ‘They said that they weren’t taking any chances with the queen, after the escape from the hunting lodge barn and the rescue attempt on the ship. We have you children to thank for that! So you see it is impossible. You must go and get as far from Tira as you can.’

‘All right, Dadda,’ said Lily soothingly. ‘But first can we please talk to Mama?’

‘Also we need to talk to you about our quest,’ Saxon added. ‘We must find the royal Sun Sword.’

Willem agreed to wake Marnie and Queen Ashana, in return for the story of their adventures since Goldcoin Cove.

There were many tears and whispered endearments as the two families reunited through the dungeon bars.

‘Is it really you, my dearest Roana?’ begged Queen Ashana. ‘I would scarcely have recognised you. Your poor hair, what have you done to it? Oh, my poor darling. This is simply dreadful!’

‘Mama, at least I am free and alive. It does not matter about my hair – it will grow back. That is, if I want to grow it back. I quite like it short. It is certainly much easier,’ Roana cried rebelliously with a toss of her shorn head.

‘We thought it was best if Roana could not be recognised,’ Lily explained defensively.

‘It is a mighty undertaking you have pledged yourselves to – to find the different parts of the Sun Sword and bring them together again,’ Willem interjected, tactfully changing the subject. ‘Why would the Sedahs want to dismantle the Sun Sword?’

‘It is a symbol of our people, a symbol of the royal family and the faith which underpins Tiregian,’ Queen Ashana replied gravely. ‘The ruby and the pearl are both gems which bestow great power.

‘The Sedahs do not believe in the Sun Lord and the Moon Goddess. They believe in a malevolent deity called Krad. Lazlac says their priests are even now embarking through our country to spread their dark religion through Tiregian.

‘Our people will be punished and persecuted for following the daily rituals that their families have observed for generations. The Sun Sword is an icon that unites our people and will give them the impetus to band together and fight the Sedah invaders.

‘Without it, we are a humble rabble of farmers, foresters, fisherfolk and mountain tribes. But with the sword before us, we are a cohesive community of Tiregians. Some call it magic, others symbolism, but whichever way you look at it, Tiregian needs the Sun Sword.’

‘It is all right, Mama,’ soothed Roana. ‘We will find the Sun Sword and we will make it whole again. We have already come so far. And have you had any news of my brother? Where is Caspar?’

Queen Ashana’s voice caught in her throat. ‘He has been taken to the north, to Bryn. Lazlac taunts me that he is learning the culture and religion of the Sedahs, ready to travel to Emperor Raef’s court. Lazlac says he is happy, that he no longer asks for me, that he is a willing student …’ Queen Ashana stopped, her voice faltering.

‘I wouldn’t believe a word that snake says, Mama,’ Roana retorted angrily. ‘After all, he also told you I had been eaten by a sea monster!’

Queen Ashana laughed. ‘You speak the truth, my beautiful daughter. We pray you are right and that he only seeks to taunt me with his tales. You have grown up so much, my little princess, but your brother is still so young and all alone.

‘I comfort myself with the thought that Caspar is integral to the Sedahs’ insidious plans, whatever they might be, so at least they will take care of him. He is safe as long as they need him.’

She took Roana’s hand through the bars. ‘But Roana, you must also be protected. You must leave these terrible dungeons and make your way to the forests. We have heard that some of the Royal Guards are living there and are training Tiregian rebels to resist the Sedahs. You will be safer there.’

‘Yes, you must go,’ urged Willem. ‘The guards are due to check on us again soon. It would do none of us any good if you were to be discovered.’

‘What have we here?’ purred a silky voice, from the back of the cell. ‘Beggars’ children seeking to steal our jewels and fine food? Let them have it all, I say!’

A proud courtier reclined his head on his crooked arm, for all the world as though he lay on a velvet couch, not the stone floor of a prison cell. His lip sneered in disdain.

‘Lord Mortimer, look – it is the Princess Roana with Willem’s children. They have found their way here,’ Queen Ashana cried. ‘They are hoping to find the Sun Sword of Tiregian and restore it.’

Lord Mortimer laughed mockingly. ‘I imagine the Sun Sword is safely in the treasure houses of Emperor Raef in Sedah by now, my dear cousin.’

Lord Mortimer stood and languorously wandered over to the door to inspect the grubby gang of children crowding there. He smiled at Roana and bowed with a grand flourish.

‘So … it is my pretty little kinswoman – Princess Roana. I would never have recognised you, my dear. How fortuitous that you survived the Sedah’s attack. Although I am rather distressed to find you are keeping such common company now, my dear, that really will not do. What would your father have said about running around the countryside like a hoyden?’

Roana smiled back, but her eyes glittered with irritation. She swept a quick curtsey, her head held tall and proud. Her bearing was every inch a royal despite her cropped hair and stained breeches.

‘My dear cousin, how delightful to see you again,’ Roana replied with her best court manners and sweetest voice. ‘I too had difficulty recognising you in your current situation. By the blessed Moon Goddess, what a calamity! My dear cousin, it looks as though you have broken a fingernail! No, several. Oh, how devastated you must be. I know how much time it usually takes your man to dress you in the morning. And your hair! It looks as though this dreadful incarceration has made the roots of your hair turn grey. How odd that it should only be the roots. I am inconsolable, my poor cousin.’

Willem seemed to have developed a nasty cough and nearly choked. Ethan bit his lip to stop himself from laughing and Lily became very interested in fussing over Charcoal inside her pocket. Lord Mortimer flushed angrily and turned away.

‘As you say, Princess – this incarceration has taken its toll on everyone,’ he spat in annoyance.

The children all noted that Lord Mortimer did indeed have long glossy black hair, tied back with a riband, yet a half-inch strip at the top of his crown was streaked with grey.

Willem stopped coughing, his eyes watering, and winked at Roana, suppressing a grin.

‘So will you please leave now?’ asked Queen Ashana, trying not to smile.

‘And may the Moon Goddess light your footsteps every step of your travels,’ added Marnie, squeezing Lily’s hand through the bars.

The four friends turned and ran back up the dark passage, with Aisha at their heels, their hearts feeling lighter.

Before they reached the central circular passage, Ethan stopped.

‘I think we should separate to reduce the risk of getting caught,’ he whispered. ‘Saxon should take Roana around by the south passage. That should be quieter and safer for Roana. Lily and I will go the northern route with Aisha. We will meet at the main eastern tunnel, the entry to the treasure chambers. By the Sun Lord, be careful.’

The other three nodded and breathed deeply, their hearts thudding. Then one by one, they crept off, two turning right and two turning left. Only a moment later three guards marched out from the guardroom and down the western corridor to begin their checks on the prisoners.

Ethan and Lily tiptoed along the passageway, bows at the ready, ears straining for any sound. They passed two smaller tunnels that were completely dark, then a wider tunnel intermittently lit with lanterns. This must be the northern tunnel, which lead to the wine cellars, pantries and food stores.

Ethan’s stomach growled at the thought of food but they kept going. They crept carefully past the open doorway into the central guardroom. The remaining guards were still chatting noisily and playing cards.

‘Stop,’ yelled a voice from the guard room. Ethan and Lily froze in fear. ‘You’re cheating. You can’t put that card down!’

‘Yes. I can,’ insisted one of the other voices. ‘You’re just a bad loser!’

The shouting continued as Lily and Ethan ran down the passageway, past another two darkened tunnels to the left, until at last they reached the wide well-lit tunnel to the east, the entry to the treasure chambers.

Ethan, Lily and Aisha arrived at the tunnel a few moments before Saxon and Roana. They were just starting to get nervous that the others may have been discovered when the two scurried into the tunnel behind them.

The tunnel stretched away to the east. On either side every few paces were stout timber doors, reinforced with iron bands and securely padlocked.

‘These are all full of treasure?’ gasped Ethan.

‘Well, these outer chambers hold the silver and gold tableware for the royal banquets – you know, cutlery, plates, goblets and serving dishes,’ Roana explained.

‘Your family needs dozens of locked chambers to store their gold cutlery?’ Saxon exclaimed.

‘Well, some of our banquets seat a few hundred people,’ Roana explained defensively. ‘Not all of them eat with gold tableware, of course!’

The next few doors were open and the chambers were empty. Only bare shelves and a few splinters of smashed timber on the floor remained.

‘The invaders have begun taking the treasure back to Sedah,’ Lily said. ‘Oh, I pray we are not already too late as Lord Mortimer said.’

‘Lord Mortimer is a pompous fool,’ snorted Saxon. ‘But why do you think his hair has started going grey? The shock?’

‘No,’ laughed Lily. ‘He must have been dyeing his hair, and it is his natural colour growing through. I nearly died trying not to laugh, Roana, when you talked about his fingernails breaking and his hair growing grey. I thought he would have happily hit you. Luckily the bars were between you!’

‘I would have liked to see him try to hit Roana,’ Saxon added. ‘Ethan and I would be a match for that foppish fool.’

Lily laughed again. ‘I think Roana dealt with him rather well on her own, don’t you?’

‘I do not quite like Lord Mortimer,’ Roana replied. ‘Even though he is my father’s cousin, there is something unctuous about him. I cannot bring myself to be wholly civil to him, much to my mother’s despair.’

‘Well, he is safely locked up in a dungeon so I don’t think he will be troubling you again,’ Ethan said. ‘Roana, where do you think the gems could be, if they are still here?’

‘At the very end of this tunnel is the Great Treasure Chamber where my father stored all the precious jewels, coins and gemstones,’ Roana replied. ‘I think it is this treasure that the Sedahs must want most to take back to the Emperor’s court. That would be a good place to start searching.’

At that moment, Lord Mortimer was thinking about Princess Roana as well. His top lip curled in a vexed sneer.

‘Lord Mortimer,’ cried Queen Ashana. ‘Is it not wonderful that Princess Roana is alive and free?’

‘Indeed,’ he replied. ‘Splendid!’

Two Sedah guards thumped on the door.

‘Would your royal highness care for some supper?’ chuckled one, fancying himself a funny man. ‘Roast pheasant is off the menu today but we have plenty of pig slops.’

A pail of swill was passed through the opening.

‘My dear fellows,’ called Lord Mortimer, rising languidly from his reclining position. ‘A word if you please.’

‘What is it, Fancy Pants? Not happy with the service?’

‘I would speak with Lord Lazlac,’ Lord Mortimer requested lazily.

‘Yes, but would Governor Lazlac speak with you? I think not,’ chortled the joker. ‘Better off just eating up your pig swill like a good boy.’

‘Perchance it would be best if you conveyed my request to Captain Malish,’ Lord Mortimer replied. ‘He understands the repercussions of displeasing Lord Lazlac … if you do not.’

The joker looked momentarily nervous.

‘Well, Mr Fancy Pants, the captain is very busy, but I’ll let him know you’d like a chat.’

Lord Mortimer returned to his reclining position, fanning himself nonchalantly with his hand.

‘My lord, why do you wish to speak to that barbarian Lazlac?’ enquired Queen Ashana, trying to hide her nervousness.

‘As the barbarian says, I am not content with the service,’ smiled Lord Mortimer.

A few minutes later the guards returned, this time with Captain Malish in tow. Lord Mortimer raised himself and wandered to the door.

‘Well, Mortma, what can I do for you?’ asked Captain Malish shortly.

‘I would speak to Lord Lazlac,’ replied Lord Mortimer in a low voice. ‘I have news he will find very informative.’

‘News? From down in this rat hole? I doubt it, Mortma,’ spat Captain Malish. ‘Governor Lazlac is currently very busy.’

‘The news,’ whispered Lord Mortimer, ‘is to do with the Royal Princess Roana. You fools have been unable to track her down, remember? You thought she was taken by an Octomon, remember? You have been outwitted by a simpleton child. I, however, know where to find her.

‘You do remember the deal? I was to deliver you King Radnor and the land of Tiregian, and in return I was to marry Princess Roana and rule as her consort, as a representative of Emperor Raef.’ Lord Mortimer glanced over his shoulder at the grieving widow, his cousin by marriage, Queen Ashana.

‘However, things have not gone quite to plan. You lost the princess, or pretended to. Meanwhile, I have been stuck in this hellhole. Now I have found the princess and I demand to marry her immediately. I will be a hero and negotiate a peace deal with your Master. The people of Tiregian would welcome me with open arms – cousin to the king, married to the royal princess and seeming to save them from the dreaded enemy. Now I know where Princess Roana is and I demand Lord Lazlac keeps his side of the bargain.’

‘Do you indeed?’ purred Captain Malish. ‘Governor Lazlac does not take kindly to threats, or to those who make mistakes. That brat of a princess was lost because you gave us incorrect information and a faulty map. Dozens of our men witnessed her being taken by an Octomon. Do you really think that the Governor will believe that she miraculously survived and that you have somehow found out information about the brat from down here? I think not.’

‘She is here!’ Lord Mortimer protested, then lowered his voice again. ‘I have seen her with my own eyes. She was here in the tunnel with a group of urchins. They are searching for the Sun Sword of Tiregian. I saw her.’

‘There, there, Mortma,’ smiled Captain Malish maliciously. ‘I think it is all getting too much for you down here. You are starting to hallucinate. Perhaps I should recommend to the Governor that you all get some fresh air and exercise up in the palace gardens, and perhaps you need some better food. This pig swill obviously disagrees with you. We don’t want to lose any of our precious prisoners, now, do we?’

Captain Malish drew away from the portal. ‘Attention, men, let’s march.’

‘No,’ shouted Lord Mortimer. ‘I must speak with Lazlac. I insist!’

The three Sedah soldiers ignored him and continued their brisk march back to the guardroom.

Lord Mortimer ground his teeth and started to pace the cell like a caged animal.

‘What did he say?’ asked Queen Ashana anxiously.

‘He is going to ask Lazlac if we can have better food and the occasional stroll in the palace gardens,’ replied Lord Mortimer through clenched teeth.

‘Oh, that would be lovely,’ replied Queen Ashana wearily. Willem and Marnie exchanged anxious glances. They did not trust the supercilious Lord Mortimer.

Ethan, Lily, Roana and Saxon prowled down the tunnel. Each held a flaming torch that they had borrowed from the passage walls. Aisha padded beside them.

At the end of the long tunnel was another thick timber door on massive iron hinges, reinforced with wide iron bands. It was barred with a large black padlock.

‘It is locked,’ cried Roana in disappointment.

‘Perhaps we can smash the lock,’ suggested Ethan unenthusiastically.

‘I have a better idea,’ replied Saxon with a cheeky grin. ‘We could try these.’

Saxon produced a large ring of keys with a flourish.

‘I pinched them,’ he explained. ‘They were hanging on a rack of hooks just inside the guardroom, with a big label saying Eastern Tunnel. I thought they may come in handy! The guards were so busy arguing over their card game they didn’t even notice.’

‘Sax, you were supposed to be extra careful to keep the princess safe, remember?’ admonished Ethan impatiently.

‘Well, let’s hope one of the keys opens the chamber,’ breathed Lily fervently.

Saxon compared the keys on the ring to the padlock. He tried a couple of larger keys and then on the third attempt the padlock clicked open.

‘Thank you, Saxon,’ cried Saxon. ‘You are a genius!’

‘You most certainly are,’ agreed Ethan. ‘And an accomplished thief! What would your father think!’

The children pushed open the door. Inside was an enormous cavern, stacked with chests, crates and boxes of twinkling, winking treasure. Gold cups lay sprawled on the floor as if dropped at the end of a festive banquet. Bracelets, crowns and necklaces tumbled out of overflowing chests. Coins, rubies, sapphires and diamonds glittered in piles.

At first glance the chamber was a chaotic jumble of gems, treasure and gold. At second glance, they saw that the chamber was divided. Roughly one-third of the chamber was in fact quite ordered. Boxes, crates and chests had been packed with precious things and neatly stacked. The rest lay tumbled on the floor like a pile of children’s toys.

‘It looks like the Sedahs are packing up this mess – though they probably made it in the first place,’ quipped Lily. ‘There must be thousands of gems here. How will we ever find the gems from the Sun Sword?’

‘Easy,’ laughed Roana.’ We need to check one gem at a time, just like moving the rocks.’

Lily grimaced. ‘It will take us hours to go through all these chests. I hope we don’t get any visits from the Sedahs. That would be nasty.’

‘You’re right,’ Ethan mused. ‘It would be nice if we could have a bit of notice if the guards decide to pay us a surprise visit. What we need is a warning device. Perhaps we can rig one up partway down the tunnel in the shadows. Something that will make a lot of noise if anyone comes. Like a chest of coins balanced on top of a door, and a thin string rigged across the corridor that would pull down the chest if anyone tripped over it.’

‘Good thinking, Ethan,’ cried Saxon. ‘You are a complete genius! Like me!’

Ethan and Roana rigged up the guard alarm, while the others started methodically searching through the packed chests.

Four hours later, the children had fingered hundreds of gems, coins and precious stones, but nothing fitted Roana’s descriptions of the gems from the Sun Sword.

Lily yawned, stood up and stretched, feeling restless and frustrated. Her fingers felt for her Merrow pearl, which she played with thoughtfully. Her eyes wandered around the chamber, skimming over the precious objects. Something caught her eye.

Over by the door was a pile of plump sacks. Their plain brown ordinariness looked extremely out of place among all this glittering splendour.

Out of curiosity she wandered over to the three sacks. The tops were sewn tightly shut. Lily wiggled her fingertips into a tiny crack in the top of the sack. A golden kernel of dried corn gleamed in the crack.

‘That’s odd,’ wondered Lily aloud. ‘Why would corn be stored in the Treasure Chamber?’

‘Mmmm,’ replied Saxon, engrossed in rifling through a large chest of bright gold coins.

‘Corn?’ asked Roana, busily emptying a casket of jewels. ‘Corn would be in the food cellars.’

Ethan stopped searching through his chest and came over to look at the three sacks.

‘It is an odd place to store something as common as corn, although it is sometimes called peasant’s gold!’ Ethan observed.

‘Unless of course you were trying to hide something really valuable inside it,’ Lily said, her eyes shining, as she tried to loosen the rough string with her fingers.

Ethan ran over to the wall, where some beautifully engraved and bejewelled daggers were hanging. He brought two back and handed one to Lily. They each dug the dagger into the side of a sack and sawed it open. A waterfall of gleaming gold kernels poured out, spilling across the floor and doorway. Ethan tipped up the end of each sack. Nothing but corn.

Ethan and Lily looked at each other in disappointment.

‘I was so sure the corn could only be here to hide something else,’ Lily murmured.

‘Let’s try the last one,’ Ethan suggested.

Together they plunged their daggers deep into the sacks. A river of corn spilled across the floor, forming a wide lake. They plunged their arms deep into the sack, up to their elbows in grain. And together they felt something hard, buried in the remaining kernels. They scrabbled excitedly and pulled it out.

It was a small wooden box, its lid ornately carved with hideous monsters and gargoyles. Lily fingered an unusual black and red carving in the centre of the scene. It looked strangely familiar. Her heart thudded with excitement.

‘A carving of two crossed cutlasses with an eye above them – we saw this on the Sedah ships. It is the mark of Emperor Raef!’ Lily exclaimed breathlessly.

Ethan and Lily examined the box, holding it up to the light. Saxon stopped rifling through gold coins. Roana came over from her chest of gems.

‘But the box doesn’t seem to open,’ Ethan said in frustration.

The box was quite small, easily held in two hands. The sides had many panels of smooth glossy wood, each about the thickness of a thumb. It had a thick base of plain dark wood about the same thickness as the ornate lid. The strange thing was that there seemed to be no catch, no lock, no keyhole, no visible opening. It seemed like a solid piece of ornately carved timber. Yet when Lily shook it there was a faint rattle as something moved inside it.

Each child took a turn to poke, prod and press at the many panels. When it was Roana’s turn to take the box she gasped in shock. The box seemed alive under her fingertips. Her fingers seemed to burn and tingle as she held the box.

‘I think … I think this might just be something,’ she stuttered in excitement.

She pushed and prodded at the central carving of Emperor Raef’s mark. Surely that must be the key to the puzzle, just like pressing the sun symbol had been the key to opening the secret entrance to the palace storerooms in the underground tunnel.

‘Perhaps we can open it by force,’ suggested Saxon, itching to snatch the box from Roana and pull the lid off by sheer strength. ‘We could use one of the ceremonial axes to chop it open.’

‘No. That might damage whatever is inside,’ Ethan argued, taking the box from Roana. ‘If it is some of the gems from the Sun Sword we don’t want to crack them or chip them. There must be some trick to opening it. We just need to figure it out.’

A loud crash sounded down the corridor. The sound of hundreds of coins rained down onto the stone floor. Muffled curses and shouts alerted them that someone had tripped the coin trap.

‘Quick. Someone’s coming,’ hissed Ethan, jumping up with the small box still unopened in his hands. ‘Where can we hide?’

‘Come this way,’ Roana whispered, grabbing her pack and running towards the rear of the Treasure Chamber. ‘There is a secret way that leads to my parents’ private chambers.’ She ducked behind a towering row of shelves containing small caskets and jewellery boxes.

The others ran behind her, each carrying their packs. Behind the shelves was a stone wall, with a flaming sun carved high into the stone. Without even pausing, Roana reached up to press one of the rays. The stone wall grumbled and groaned, then slid away, revealing a dark doorway.

The four children slid through it silently with Aisha. As Roana pressed the handle which closed the stone door, they heard a loud crash as the main door to the Treasure Chamber flew open and seven Sedah guards stormed in.

The guards hit the lake of corn and slipped and slid, limbs flailing. The first four guards sprawled onto the floor, bruised and shocked.

Before the secret stone door slid completely closed they could hear a familiar voice – the harsh voice of Captain Malish.

‘Search thoroughly. Whoever has broken into the Treasure Chamber is still here. I can smell the smoke of their torches. Leave no coin unturned. They are here somewhere and we have them trapped!’

In total silence the children started to climb – a narrow, spiral staircase that wound up and up and up. In moments everyone was short of breath, their hearts thumping and lungs burning. But still the steps climbed up, carved out of solid stone.

At last the stairs ended in a tiny circular landing, the walls made completely of smooth stone blocks. There was not a crack or a chink to be seen. Saxon, Ethan, Lily and Aisha flopped down on the top few steps. Roana lifted her torch and carefully searched the masonry.

Over on the right, high above her head, her fingertips found a tiny crack. She pushed and wriggled. Once again the solid stone, carved from the deepest heart of the earth, magically cracked and separated, silently revealing a narrow aperture. Roana quietly doused her torch and gestured for the others to do the same.

Aisha stood on guard, her hackles raised, a low growl threatening to rumble forth. Ethan hurriedly placed his hand warningly on her collar to keep her quiet.

Everyone blinked in the sudden darkness, until gradually their eyes became used to the blackness.

Roana groped through the narrow aperture. Her hands found a soft heavy hanging – a beautiful tapestry that had been woven by the ladies of the court. Roana remembered it well. It was a scene of a beautiful young maiden in a forest, a full moon glowing in the starry night sky and a pure white unicorn with his bearded head lying contentedly in her lap. The girl was reputedly a study of Queen Ashana as a young maid. Roana carefully lifted the hanging from the bottom, peeking under it just above the floor.

The room was half lit by the glowing embers of the fire, and the pale silvery moonlight which came in through the windows. Roana could make out the shadows of her parents’ familiar furniture. In the centre of the room was a massive four-poster bed, with carved posts and heavy velvet curtains. Roana froze. Someone was in the bed. Someone was sleeping in her parents’ bed! She flushed with bubbling hot anger.

She signalled to the others to wait quietly, then she crawled out under the heavy tapestry. Hardly daring to breathe, she crawled over to her parents’ bed. Sprawled across the wide bed was a man. This must be Governor Lazlac. Roana’s heart froze with horror. She turned away, tears of frustration, sadness and hatred spilling from her eyes.

As she surreptitiously wiped them away, something caught her eye. A dull glimmer of gold, coiled like a snake on the bedside chest. Roana crept closer for a better look. There on the chest was a gold pocket watch, an enamelled snuff box, a jumble of coins and a fine, delicate lady’s necklace – an amethyst heart locket surrounded by tiny seed pearls.

Roana gasped involuntarily, causing Lord Lazlac to stir and roll over. She reached out her hand carefully, and slowly extricated the locket from the pile of treasures.

Roana crawled back to the tapestry and, lifting the corner, signalled to the others to follow her. They each crawled through the gap. Roana pointed to a doorway over on the right, past the huge gaping fireplace with its ornate marble mantle, and past a large roll-top desk.

Lily and Aisha set off at once, followed by Saxon. Lily glanced up at the soaring domed ceiling above them. In the silvery light she could see it was painted as the sky, with the rosy sun in the centre. Fluffy clouds held fat, smiling cupids. At the edges the blue faded to deep indigo, scattered with sparkling stars and an exotic crescent moon.

As he passed it, Saxon glanced down at the huge roll-top desk, scattered with rolled parchments, maps, letters and orders. The flickering light from the fire was stronger here and he could see the contents of the desktop quite clearly. A brass contraption let off a warm, waxy smell. Saxon touched it. Underneath, a stub of candle had been snuffed. A small dish swung just above where the flame should be, its bowl filled with blood red wax. Beside it lay a wooden-handled stamp – a seal.

Roana knelt to press the hidden knob which would close the secret door once more and hide their entrance. Ethan couldn’t help himself. Still carrying the small wooden box, he crept over to the bed for a look at the face of the man that dared to sleep in a dead king’s bed.

The man tossed and turned to face Ethan. His eyes fluttered, then opened. Ethan melted back into the shadows and slipped after the others.

‘Who’s there?’ bellowed a harsh voice from the bed. ‘Is someone there? Guards, fetch me a candle.’

Ethan disappeared through the door and closed it softly, just as another door flung open on the other side of the room.

‘Here’s your candle, my lord,’ murmured a muffled voice. ‘No, my lord, there appears to be no-one here. Yes, of course, my lord. We will investigate further.’

Ethan raced after the others through a long dressing room, hung with dozens of fabulous silken gowns, cloaks, furs and petticoats. His running image flickered in the long mirror hung down one wall. Dozens of shoes, boots and slippers lay in rows like soldiers waiting to do battle.

Roana looked neither to left nor right. She ran down the long corridor and paused briefly at the door at the other end, listening for signs of life.

She ushered the others through the door, then, taking the key from the dressing room side, locked the door from the other side. The children all paused, taking in the details of this new room.

‘Our nursery,’ breathed Roana. ‘This is where Caspar and I slept when we were younger.’

Three beds were pushed against the wall to make room for the toys. A huge wooden castle, filled with painted knights, ladies, horses, wizards, dragons, king and queen, took up the centre of the room. On another side stood a tall doll’s house fitted with tiny lifelike furniture.

On the shelves were crammed bowls and spillikins, hoops and balls, cuddly rag dolls and threadbare teddy bears, and hundreds of books. More books than the village children had seen in their whole lives.

‘I think the guards are after us,’ Ethan panted. ‘Shall we go out that door?’

‘That door leads into the main corridor, which is probably guarded, but I have an idea,’ Roana explained. ‘There is a dumbwaiter that leads right down into the kitchens. It is a shelf on a pulley system so the cook could send our meals up here directly from the kitchens. We might just be able to squeeze in one at a time and hide down in the kitchens. We could get some food and find somewhere safe to look at the box.’

Roana strode to the wall, beside the bookcase. The timber panelling ran right around the room, but one panel was cleverly crafted to slide up, revealing the dumbwaiter behind.

‘You first, Roana,’ ordered Ethan. ‘We must get you away safely.’ Roana looked inclined to argue, but at that moment the door handle leading to the dressing room started to turn, then was shaken vigorously as the turner realised it was locked.

Roana slid up into the opening and crouched on the shelf. The others let down the rope pulley that operated it.

The guards started banging on the door.

‘Open this door at once. Who’s in there?’

The banging turned to pounding, then smashing as the guards tried to knock the door down. Lily crawled in next, snagging her hair on the panelling in her haste.

Saxon and Ethan hoisted a quivering Aisha into the hole and sent her down, her big brown eyes staring mournfully at the boys as she disappeared into the darkness. Saxon had difficulty folding his tall frame into the small space but soon he too was away.

The door started to splinter and shudder. Ethan climbed in, pulled down the panel behind him, and started to let himself down with the rope pulley just as the door burst open from the might of four soldiers battering it with a chest.

The soldiers poured into the room. Ethan could just see through a tiny crack at the base of the panel. He did not dare to move or even breathe. The soldiers started to search the room thoroughly, looking under beds and behind toys, opening chests and wardrobes.

A fifth soldier swept into the room. Ethan recognised him at once – Captain Malish again. His black eyes swept the room. Ethan was almost sure he could see right through the panel to Ethan cowering in his cramped hidey-hole.

‘The door?’ Captain Malish barked.

A soldier scurried over to the second door and tried it.

‘It is locked, sir, from this side.’

‘There’s nothing here, sir,’ remarked another soldier, with a quick salute.

‘Look again,’ growled Captain Malish, swirling on his heels and sweeping out of the room.

The soldiers resumed their search but again found nothing. Ethan’s legs were cramping, his muscles screaming at the unnatural position they had been in for so long. Yet he was scared to move the dumbwaiter in case a slight noise gave him away.

Captain Malish returned.

‘Nothing, sir,’ murmured a nervous-sounding guard.

‘Two of you, guard the door outside in the corridor,’ Captain Malish ordered. ‘Two of you guard outside this door. Call me if you see or hear anything. I will go and report back to Governor Lazlac.’

The soldiers scurried to do as they were bid.

Ethan quietly closed the remaining slit of the panel, then slowly, carefully let out the rope pulley.

His heart thumped painfully. At last he reached the bottom. Four anxious faces peered in at him.

Aisha whined, snuffling him with her black muzzle. The other four all whispered furiously over each other.

‘Where have you been?’ Lily exclaimed.

‘What have you been doing?’ Saxon said.

‘Why did you take so long?’ Roana whispered. ‘We thought the Sedah guards had caught you for sure!’

Lily gave him a big hug as Ethan slithered ungracefully out of the cramped opening. ‘Thank the Moon Goddess you are all right.’

‘What now, Roana?’ asked Ethan wearily. ‘Are there any more secret passages, sliding panels or hidden doorways we need to crawl through? Where are we now?’

‘In the pantry,’ replied Roana with twinkling eyes. ‘And it looks as though our wonderful Cookie is still cooking her precious heart out. Look what I have found – a freshly baked egg and bacon pie, cold roast chicken, lemon tarts, strawberries and raspberries from the garden, and a jug of creamy custard. You are so lucky we waited for you, Ethan!’

Saxon had found a box of candles, and they lit one with a tinderbox.

They all sat cross-legged on the floor with their backs leaning against plump flour sacks. They found some clean cloths to spread on the floor, then hungrily helped themselves to ‘Cookie’s’ stores.

Saxon used one of the jewelled daggers from the Treasure Chamber to cut thick wedges of egg and bacon pie, the pastry crumbly and delicious. Ethan carved the chicken using another golden dagger.

Aisha lay between Lily and Ethan, swallowing her share whole and licking up the crumbs. Charcoal came out to play for the first time in many hours, chewing delicately on a shred of chicken breast, then prancing prettily around the dancing shadows from the candle.

Lily found a jug of freshly squeezed lemonade, which they drank out of their mugs.

Finally the last lemon tart had been eaten, and the last drip of custard licked from the jug. Ethan lay contentedly against his flour sack. He leant over to his pack and pulled out the carved box and started fiddling with it again, pressing panels, pulling edges and rubbing carvings.

‘Do you think this could possibly contain the gems we’ve been searching for?’ he asked lazily. He yawned and rubbed his eyes.

‘What time is it?’ asked Lily, catching Ethan’s infectious yawn. ‘How long is it since we found the entrance to the tunnels – it must be days, or nights!’

‘I don’t know, but I could do with a good sleep now,’ agreed Saxon, rubbing his pleasantly full tummy. He rolled over to get more comfortable, then felt a hard lump in his pocket.

Saxon sat up suddenly.

‘Oh, I forgot,’ Saxon exclaimed, looking slightly sheepish. ‘I picked up a couple of things I thought might come in handy. I borrowed a bag of your father’s gold, Roana. I thought we might need it on this quest … and I didn’t think he’d mind.’

Saxon pulled out a soft leather pouch, filled with golden coins stamped on one side with the flaming sun, and on the other with the crescent moon. The gold sparkled and shimmered in the candlelight. Saxon handed the bag rather reluctantly to Roana.

She smiled at him as she took the bag and stowed it in her pack. ‘Good idea. Much better that we use it than letting the Sedah send it all to Emperor Raef. So what else did you “pick up”?’

‘I don’t know if it will be any use but in your parents’ bed chamber I saw an envelope on the desk. It was addressed to His Most Gracious and Powerful Emperor the Fearful Raef. It wasn’t sealed so I pulled the letter out and brought it with me in case it tells us anything helpful about the gems.’

The others drew near, peering at the folded parchment in Saxon’s hands.

‘It doesn’t say anything,’ cried Lily in disappointment.

‘It appears to be gibberish,’ exclaimed Roana. ‘Just a lot of numbers!’

The parchment was penned in a flourishing hand with a string of numbers.

22 10 2 3 14 1.

24 1 13 14 12 15 4 21 15 18 21 21 14 13. 12 18 16 10 12 6 18 3 17 23 24 3 14. 21 4 23 10 1 22 24 3 17 2 3 10 1 2 24 23 2 14 10 13 1 10 16 24 23 3 6 24 13 10 8 2.

21 10 9 21 10 12

Ethan turned to Saxon. ‘It must be a code, like the codes we used to send to each other – just with numbers substituted for letters!’

‘Yes,’ Saxon agreed. ‘I think you must be right. Let’s see if we can crack it.’

‘There are different spacings between the numbers,’ said Lily. ‘Certain numbers seem to be grouped together, so perhaps each group is a word.’

‘Perhaps A equals 1, B equals 2 and so on up to Z at 26,’ suggested Saxon, peering at the parchment.

Ethan scribbled down some letters and numbers.

‘That would make the first word VJBCNA, which doesn’t seem to make sense,’ Ethan observed. ‘Plus that makes it a bit too easy to crack. Perhaps 1 is a completely different letter and it just loops around a bit.’

‘Well, every word needs to have vowels in it, so the most commonly used letters would probably be vowels like A, E, I and O,’ Roana said. ‘U is not so commonly used.’

‘Good thinking, Roana,’ Ethan laughed. ‘So which letters appear most frequently?’

‘There are quite a few 14s, 1s and 10s,’ Lily observed.

‘Also quite a few 24s and 21s,’ Saxon added. ‘Here the number 21 is repeated inside the word as if it’s a double E or double O.’

Ethan scribbled down the numbers that appeared frequently.

‘There are lots of 10s so that could be E, and if we work forwards from that the first word would be Q E W X I V – it still doesn’t make sense!’

The four children pored over the parchment, making notes and substituting various numbers and letters, scribbling notes on a scrap of paper for what seemed like hours.

‘What if we try making 14 the letter E,’ suggested Ethan, scrawling down a cipher of letters and numbers.

‘So then … 22 would be M, 10 would be A, 2 would be S, 3 would be T, 14 would be E, 1 would be R. Master! That’s it. It makes sense!’

‘So Emperor Raef has the letter R as the number 1 letter in his alphabet,’ joked Saxon. ‘That figures!’

‘I hope we’re right. Let’s each take a number word and work it out, then put it all together,’ suggested Ethan in excitement.

22 10 2 3 14 1.

24 1 13 14 1 2 15 4 21 15 18 21 21 14 13. 12 18 16 10 1 2 6 18 3 17 23 24 3 14. 21 4 23 10 1 22 23 3 17 2 3 10 1 2 24 23 2 14 10 13 1 10 16 24 23 3 6 24 13 10 8 2.

21 10 9 21 10 12

The message they finally jointly deciphered was this:

Master,

Orders fulfilled. Cigars with note. Lunar Moth Stars on Sea Dragon two days.

Lazlac.

Everyone squirmed in excitement as the words were decoded, but when the final message was put together the disappointment was crushing.

‘It doesn’t make any sense!’ Lily cried, nearly weeping with exhaustion and despair.

‘Maybe it’s a code within a code,’ suggested Ethan hopefully.

‘The Sea Dragon was one of the ships at Goldcoin Cove,’ remembered Saxon. ‘Maybe it sails for Sedah in two days.’

‘Lunar means moon, maybe Lunar Moth is code for Moon Gem,’ suggested Lily. ‘Stars could be referring to the Star Diamonds from the sword.’

‘What about cigars, though,’ asked Roana sceptically. ‘I can’t see any way that cigars could mean Sun Gem?’

‘I don’t know,’ Ethan smiled. ‘Cigars, smoke, fire, sun?’

The others laughed, rubbing their faces in frustration and tiredness.

‘Well, this is the only clue we have,’ Saxon said. ‘Maybe the Moon Pearl and Star Diamonds are sailing on the Sea Dragon in two days. So we need to find the Sea Dragon, and then find out where on board the gems are.’

‘Was there anything else in the packet, Saxon?’ Roana asked.

‘Noooooo.’ Saxon paused. ‘I am sure there was nothing else. Only a lot of papers on the desk.’

‘But,’ Ethan wondered worriedly, ‘if Lord Lazlac discovers the note has gone, he will probably change the arrangements.’

‘Hopefully he won’t notice,’ Saxon smiled. ‘I folded up one of the scrap pieces of paper lying on the desk and put it into the packet ready to be sealed. Hopefully he won’t see the note has changed. I think it was a dinner menu from the cook!’

‘It probably said Egg and Bacon Pie, Roast Chicken, Lemon Tarts, Custard and Fruit! I wonder what poor old Lord Lazlac will get to eat now?’ laughed Ethan, patting his stomach.

Just then there was a faint noise from outside the door, which quietened everyone immediately. Ethan hid the little box in his pack, while Saxon and Lily gathered up the pieces of paper they had been scribbling on and stuffed them in their pockets.

The door swung open. Aisha jumped to her feet, growling softly. The four children cowered back into their flour sacks, but there was nowhere to hide.

At the door a round, cross face peered in, holding up a lantern with a red, work-worn hand.

‘What’s going on in here?’ shouted the face in a furious tone. ‘You thieving beggars. Lord Lazlac will have you whipped. How dare you? How dare you! How did you get in, you little thieves! Street urchins! Oh, my pie and the tarts! That was for his lordship’s luncheon!’

She raised her arm with the lantern as though to whip them with it. Lily, Saxon and Ethan shrank back in consternation.

‘Cookie. Cookie,’ interrupted Roana, tugging at the sleeve of the violently waving arm.

‘Don’t “Cookie” me, you ragamuffin,’ scoffed Cookie, cuffing Roana sharply behind the ear. ‘You’ve no right to call me Cookie. Madam to you, if you please.’

‘Cookie, it’s me, Roana. Princess Roana,’ Roana pleaded, tears filling her eyes from the hard blow.

The round face creased in disbelief. Cookie bent towards the scruffy ragamuffin child in front of her, searching her face for some sign of the proud Princess Roana. Incredulity turned to recognition, then turned to smiles, followed by shock and then tears.

‘Oh my dear, I mean, your royal highness. Oh, we thought you were killed. Oh, I’m so sorry, your highness, I would never have struck you if I’d known. Oh, can you forgive me? Oh, I can’t believe it …’ Cookie rambled on for a few minutes, until Roana gave her a huge bear hug.

‘Oh, Cookie. I am sorry we ate all your food, but it was so delicious and we were so hungry and we have been chased by Sedah guards and been lost in tunnels and we are so tired and it is so good to see you!’ Roana cried.

The others looked very relieved that Cookie had turned from a vengeful threat to a beaming friend.

Cookie tut-tutted over them. She bustled them out of the pantry and snuck them down the corridors and up the stairs to her own little bed chamber in the servants’ quarters.

‘No-one will think to come in here,’ she promised. ‘I’ll make short work of any Sedah guards who dare to interfere in my kitchen. They like my cooking too much! I will work out a way to get you out of the palace as soon as you have had a hot bath, a good sleep and a proper meal. Now give me those revolting rags and I will try to wash them for you.’

She dragged in a big tin bath, which she filled with scalding hot water for each child. The soap smelt of lavender, a soothing, comforting scent that lathered up to wash away all traces of the tunnels, dungeons and secret ways.

‘Just a quick one, mind,’ Cookie ordered as she dragged over a screen to hide the bath from the others. ‘His lordship will be wanting his breakfast soon.’

Cookie rustled up some cotton nightgowns and nightshirts from the linen stores for them to change into. Soon she had the girls tucked up top to toe, in her wide box bed with its soft goose feather mattress, patchwork quilt and downy pillows. The boys had a couple of thick feather comforters on the floor.

She brought them all big mugs of frothy hot chocolate milk, with flakes of rich dark chocolate on top. Lily, Ethan and Saxon had never tasted anything so delicious.

‘You mean you had this in bed every morning, Roana? I can’t think of anything more wonderful!’ enthused Lily, snuggling down into the fluffy pillows, sipping the delicate froth.

Ethan had been playing with the box while the others had been having their baths and getting changed. His fingers still fiddled with the panels incessantly as he sipped on his chocolate. His fingers had discovered that the centre finger-shaped panel on the side of the box felt slightly loose, but nothing would make it move completely. He gave up in disgust and moved on to the base.

Roana came from behind the screen wearing a delicate white nightgown embroidered with flowers and edged with lace. She held something out to Lily.

‘Lily, can you help me with this, please,’ Roana asked. ‘I found it next to Lord Lazlac’s bed – I mean, my parents’ bed. It was my mother’s. I do not know why that beast should have it with him but I will wear it until I can return it to my mother.’

Lily took the delicate chain with the amethyst heart locket and clasped it around Roana’s neck. Roana opened the locket. Inside was a curl of hair – black, gold, and white plaited together into a tiny coiled braid.

‘My father, my mother, my brother and myself, plaited together,’ Roana said softly, tears filling her eyes and rolling down her cheeks. She turned her face away and climbed into bed, hiding her tears in the pillow.

Lily sat up to comfort her.

Ethan continued to prod at the base of the little box, which appeared to be a solid piece of wood. ‘I saw Lord Lazlac take the locket from your mother at the dawn ceremony. He said, “Very pretty. I would like a fitting memento of this historic day.” There was something a bit sinister about the way he said it, I thought.’

Ethan wriggled the right side of the box’s base. The base moved a little. Ethan gently pushed it, first towards the front and then towards the back. The timber strip slowly slid away, revealing a narrow cavity at the bottom of the box. A tiny gold key fell out, but there was nothing else inside the cavity.

‘Look,’ Ethan cried excitedly, jumping up from his feather comforter. The others crowded around on the bed. Ethan moved his attention to the other strips of the base. Now that the right-hand side had gone, this allowed the front part of the base to also slide away to the right. This in turn allowed the loose centre panel of the side to slip down to reveal a tiny gold keyhole.

Ethan placed the tiny key in the keyhole and turned it, his hands shaking with nerves. The lock clicked and the lid opened.

No-one could contain their excitement. Even Aisha was shoving her nose inside the box in curiosity.

‘What’s in there!’ ‘I can’t see!’ ‘Is it the Sun Gem?’ ‘Let me look.’

‘Cigars!’ exclaimed Roana in shock.

It was true. There was nothing inside the box but seven thick foul-smelling cigars.

Ethan dropped the box in disgust. Saxon grabbed the box and checked it again, shaking it thoroughly and tipping it upside down.

Lily broke open the cigars in case there was something hidden inside. Thick curls of tobacco fell onto the bed, reeking pungently. She swept up the scraps and threw them onto the fire.

‘It doesn’t make any sense!’ Lily snorted. ‘Why go to all that trouble to hide cigars!’

‘Perhaps Emperor Raef loves solving puzzles and smoking cigars,’ said Saxon half-heartedly.

‘We might as well try and get some sleep. Maybe we’re just too tired to think straight,’ Ethan moaned as he lay down and pounded his pillow in frustration.

Saxon put the box down beside the bed and blew out the candle. ‘Sleep well, everyone. Good night – I mean, it’s probably good morning now but sleep well!’ Everyone murmured good nights.

Aisha climbed up onto the bed and the girls groaned as she tried to find room to sleep. Charcoal curled up in the crook of Lily’s legs.

Ethan tossed and turned, trying to get comfortable, thoughts churning through his mind.

‘Oh, by the mighty Sun Lord, can’t you stop that thrashing around,’ complained Saxon grumpily. ‘I’ll never get to sleep with you making all that noise.’

Ethan sat up suddenly.

‘Light the candle again, Sax!’ ordered Ethan. ‘I just want one more look at that box.’

‘Oh, no,’ groaned Saxon. ‘Can’t we just go to sleep!’

Ethan crawled over, fumbling for the candle and tinderbox. Saxon begrudgingly lit it for him, grumbling under his breath.

Lily pulled the pillow over her head, but then curiosity once more got the better of her and she too sat up.

Ethan picked up the box and examined it closely once more. ‘I think you were right, Lily. It does seem very peculiar to go to so much trouble to hide cigars in a puzzle box with a secret lock, inside a sack of corn, in a heavily guarded Treasure Chamber. I think it must be a ruse to trick anyone who did manage to work out the secret of the box. There must be another cleverly hidden cavity. You would only go to this much trouble to hide something really valuable and really important.’

Ethan’s fingers slid firmly over the base, the sides and the lid, both outside and in. A small square of wood gave way right in the centre of the thick lid. With a strong push upwards, it popped out into Ethan’s hand. The top was the carved symbol of the eye and the crossed cutlasses – the sign of Emperor Raef. This was the lid to a tiny square box.

Ethan prised off the lid. There, nestled in a bed of black velvet, was a huge round gem. A huge round ruby. Its deep warm heart glinted in the candlelight.

‘The Sun Gem,’ breathed Lily.

‘We did it. We did it,’ squealed Roana.

Everyone jumped up and down on the bed, hugging each other, exclaiming over the gem. Aisha cavorted around the room, barking with excitement, her whole body wagging with her tail. Saxon picked up his pillow and whacked Ethan over the head with it. Ethan retaliated with a blow from his cushion. Lily grabbed her pillow and whacked both the boys.

Feathers flew up into the air. Roana had never seen a pillow fight but she was not going to be left out. She thumped a pillow, which hit both Ethan and Lily. Saxon whacked her back. Charcoal scampered out of the way, her back arching and her tongue spitting. Aisha barked, jumping up on the bed too, leaping and snapping at flying feathers.

Lily threw her pillow across the bed, knocking Roana over. Roana squealed in indignation and grabbed Lily around the ankles. Saxon pummelled both girls while they were down. Ethan was just about to hit Saxon over the head with his pillow, when he saw the nearly full moon through the window, setting over the western wall of the palace.

‘Look at the moon,’ he called. ‘It’s nearly dawn.’

The four children collapsed on the bed, exhausted. Ethan carefully laid the Sun Gem back in its tiny box, and gravely handed it to Roana.

‘Here, Princess Roana,’ he said. ‘The Sun Gem belongs to your family. You should look after it until we find the Sun Sword.’ He looked around at the faces of the other three children. ‘But first the Moon Pearl. Today we must find the Sea Dragon!’

Ethan, Lily, Saxon and Roana have cracked the code, only to find that the Moon Pearl is being sent on a Sedah warship back to the land of the invaders. The only hope for Tiregian is for the four children to give chase in order to save the precious stone.

The fisherfolk can help. So can Saxon’s mysterious acquaintance, Fox, a disreputable smuggler who will do anything for a pouch full of Roana’s gold. But the sea is far more dangerous than the land. There are sea monsters, wild storms, greedy pirates, and the sheer power of the ocean itself – not to mention the deadly warship they are chasing.

Will Fox’s stealthy black sloop, The Owl, carry them to safety, or will the Moon Pearl remain in the hands of their enemy? And even if they make it home alive, will Sniffer be waiting for them?

Belinda has worked as a writer and public relations consultant for nearly twenty years. Her overseas adventures inspired her travel stories for the West Australian newspaper and Out & About With Kids magazine, amongst others.

Belinda comes from a very literary family, with a history of Australian writers stretching back 180 years – her great-great-great-great grandmother Charlotte Atkinson published the first Australian children’s book in 1841, and her sister Kate Forsyth and brother Nick Humphrey are both published writers. Belinda’s passion for children’s books was reignited when she had her own three children and began telling and writing stories for Nick, Emily and Lachlan. Belinda is currently writing the next two titles in the Sun Sword Trilogy.

Belinda lives in a tumbledown cottage overlooking the sea in Sydney with her husband Rob, three gorgeous children and lots of animals, including a beautiful Rhodesian Ridgeback called Asha (the real-life inspiration for Aisha).

A big thank you to everyone in my life, but particularly to:

Rob Murrell – for being my first reader, editor, research assistant, military tactician and best friend. His help was enormous, even being woken in the middle of the night to check the final changes to the manuscript.

My sister, the talented writer Kate Forsyth, who pushed and encouraged me to finish this story, even when my computer crashed and everything was lost. Her advice, editing and encouragement were inspiring.

Gilly Evans, my mum, for giving us all an obsession with books and writing, and a lifetime of love.

My dad, Gerry Humphrey, for many true-life adventures, some of which have made it into these books.

My brother and fellow writer, Nick Humphrey, who kept asking when I was going to write a book, and Glyn Evans, who has always been there for us.

Zoe Walton at Random House and Pippa Masson at Curtis Brown, for giving me the opportunity to see the Sun Sword come to life.

Lastly, for being so enthusiastic, questioning, demanding and imaginative, I thank Nick, Emily and Lachlan Murrell, without whom this story could never have been written.

The True/False ambigram click here is reproduced with the kind permission of John Langdon. You can find more of his extraordinary work at his website: www.johnlangdon.net