Emily Rodda - Cavern Of Fear

‘Win to Flash!’ Jinks agreed resentfully. He pushed his pile of coins to Glock’s side of the table.

Glock snatched up the winning spider in his gloved hand and thrust it into its cage.

The spider which had just escaped death jumped up and threw itself against the cage bars.

‘Be still, Fury,’ said Jinks, pulling it away none too gently. ‘You will have your revenge soon enough.’

‘Have you nothing better to do than gamble on fighting spiders?’ Jasmine demanded in disgust.

‘ You seem to have nothing better to do than watch us, weakling,’ growled Glock. ‘Just take yourself off!’

Jinks cleared his throat. ‘I hear the king is going to Tora,’ he said, his face alight with mischief. ‘Are you accompanying him, my lady?’

‘No I am not!’ snapped Jasmine.

Smiling, Jinks pulled a roll of parchment from his coat and pretended to study it. ‘That does not surprise me, under the circumstances,’ he murmured.

Jasmine burned to know what he meant, but was determined not to ask.

‘Lief should not be going to Tora,’ mumbled Glock, filling his mug with ale again. ‘He should be raising an army to invade the Shadowlands—making plans to rescue my people!’

‘Ah, well, you are the last of the Jalis, my lumbering friend, and the Jalis have always been fools for fighting,’ said Jinks, looking down his nose. ‘But do you really want to join the rest of your tribe in slavery across the mountains?’

‘I would not be captured,’ growled Glock. ‘I am Glock, the greatest Jalis fighter. I am protected by a powerful talisman, passed down to me by my family through the ages.’

‘Oh, indeed!’ jeered Jinks.

Glock fumbled under his stained shirt and drew out a small, faded cloth bag which hung on a string around his neck.

‘See here!’ he shouted, pulling the bag open and tipping a carved lump of wood, three stones, a few tiny twigs and a scrap of shrivelled purple into his enormous hand. ‘The talisman of a goblin killed by one of my ancestors. A stone from the belly of a Diamond Serpent, and two more from a dragon’s nest. Herbs of great power. And the flower of a Gripper.’

‘Oh, I see!’ Jinks’ small eyes were glittering with amusement. ‘So you would be safe in the Shadowlands, would you? You could lead our army to victory?’

‘Of course!’ said Glock, in a calmer tone, carefully tipping the heap of objects back into the bag. ‘And so I have told Lief, again and again. But he will not listen! ’

‘Ah, he has more important things in mind, just now,’ said Jinks, with an all-knowing air.

‘You know nothing of what is in Lief’s mind, Jinks!’ flashed Jasmine, very irritated.

Jinks darted a spiteful look in her direction. ‘There you are wrong, my lady. I know what I hear.’

‘You talk like a fool! And stop calling me “my lady”!’ Jasmine exclaimed.

Jinks pursed his lips and went back to studying his parchment.

The silence lengthened, and at last Jasmine’s curiosity got the better of her pride. ‘Well? What have you heard?’ she demanded.

Jinks smiled slyly. ‘Why, everyone knows that Lief is going to Tora to find a bride,’ he said.

Jasmine felt her face grow hot. ‘That is ridiculous!’ she cried. ‘Lief is far too young to marry.’

Jinks looked her up and down, from her tangled black hair to her bare brown feet.

‘Such ignorance is to be expected, no doubt, in one who grew up in a forest, instead of at the palace, as I did,’ he said, his lip curling. ‘But I had thought you would have known, since you are such a great friend of the king’s. Why, rumour has it that your own father has been helping him choose the best of the royal jewels for his bride.’

Glock muttered something under his breath and drank deeply, though he had plainly had too much ale already.

‘The kings and queens of Deltora always marry young,’ Jinks went on, in a lecturing tone. ‘It is their duty. Lief must produce an heir as soon as possible—a child to take his place should he die.’

Jasmine did not answer. Of course, what Jinks said made sense. One life was a fragile thing to stand between Deltora and the Shadow Lord. But Lief to marry! Why had he not told her?

Aware of Jinks’ sharp eyes upon her, she struggled to keep her face from showing any feeling.

Jinks pushed the parchment towards her. ‘See here, if you do not believe me,’ he said. ‘This is one of the old papers our king has been studying. I made arrangements to… ah… borrow it from the library this morning. I like to keep up with affairs of state.’

‘With gossip, you mean,’ growled Glock, burying his nose in his ale once more.

Jasmine glanced at the parchment. It was covered in names, lines and symbols. At the top was a title in flowing script.

‘You see?’ crowed Jinks. ‘Lief will choose his queen from one of the best Toran families.’

Glock snorted. ‘Why go all the way to Tora for a wife? he slurred. ‘There are plenty of pretty girls in Del.’

Jinks looked at him with disdain. ‘Lief is following ancient ways,’ he said loftily. ‘Adin himself married a Toran, and his children did the same. Adin was a wily bird. He knew the value of keeping strong links between east and west.’

‘The Torans say that Adin married for love,’ retorted Jasmine.

Jinks sniggered knowingly. ‘No doubt the Toran lady in question was high-born, well-read and very beautiful,’ he said. ‘I daresay Adin was pleased enough with his choice. As Lief will be in his turn.’

Glock guffawed into his mug, spattering the table with specks of foam.

Jasmine could not bear their company any more. She left the room and made for the kitchen.

But before she could reach it, she was stopped by the sound of Sharn’s voice.

‘Jasmine! Barda was looking for you,’ Sharn called, hastening towards her. ‘Now he has gone to his rest, for he rode all night. And Lief and Doom said to say goodbye. They have just left for Tora.’

Seeing Jasmine’s frown, and misunderstanding it, Sharn smiled kindly. ‘They will be quite safe, Jasmine. Toran magic will speed their journey. They may have arrived even now. They will be back in a day or two.’

‘Bringing someone with them, I believe,’ Jasmine answered in a hard voice. ‘A young lady, of high birth.’

Sharn’s eyes widened. ‘Who told you that?’ she asked sharply.

Jasmine shrugged. ‘I cannot remember now,’ she lied. ‘It is true, though, I imagine?’

Sharn hesitated. ‘I can tell you nothing,’ she said at last. ‘I am sorry.’

That was answer enough for Jasmine. She gave a small nod, and turned to go.

Sharn bit her lip. ‘Do not be angry with Lief, Jasmine,’ she pleaded. ‘He is only doing what he must—what is his duty.’

‘Oh, I understand,’ said Jasmine coolly. ‘I understand completely.’

4 -By Order of the King

By the time Jasmine reached the great stairway, she had made up her mind. She could stay in the palace no longer.

‘We will go back to the Forests where we belong,’ she murmured to Filli and Kree. ‘I am tired of palaces, and rules—and kings.’

There was a tightness in her chest and a dull ache in the pit of her stomach as she began to climb the stairs.

Something stopped her and she looked down to see a thick silver rope strung across the stairway. She had been so lost in thought that she had gone past the second floor where the bed chambers were.

Ahead was the library floor—forbidden to all except Lief, Doom and Sharn.