Emily Rodda: Cavern Of Fear

‘You cannot surely have it in your minds to try to find the Pirran Pipe?’ Zeean shook her head in disbelief. ‘Why, that is madness. If the Pipe ever existed at all, it surely exists no longer. Its country has become the Shadowlands! And, whatever the Shadow Lord feared, it did not defeat him.’

‘We do not yet know the whole story,’ said Lief. ‘There may have been a reason—’

‘Indeed,’ Doom broke in. ‘We must return to Del with all speed, as soon as Marilen can be ready. We must speak to Glock. He may not be the most reliable storyteller we could find, but he is the only Jalis left alive in Deltora. The only one who might be able to tell us what we need to know.’

Far away, at the forge in Del, morning shadows still lay across the cottage and the overgrown herb garden.

Jasmine felt her tight muscles beginning to relax as the peace of the place enfolded her.

When he first became king, Lief had declared that he would not live in the palace, but would go back to the forge, where he had spent his childhood.

But the move had been delayed, and delayed again. And now—well, now Lief was to take a Toran bride, so of course it would never happen.

Jasmine had seen the marble, fountains and fine things of Tora. She could not imagine a lady from that place living in a humble dwelling.

So the move to the forge had all been a dream and a lie. As her faith in Lief had been.

She stared sightlessly at the peeling paint of the cottage door. Because Lief was determined not to invade the Shadowlands, he had decided that she must never know about her sister. So he had sealed the room. How had he dared to make such a decision?

No wonder he has been avoiding me, Jasmine thought. No wonder he cannot meet my eyes.

By Order of the King…

Feeling her anger rise again, she turned her back on the cottage and walked across the yard to the forge itself.

She peered into the place where the great fire had once burned. The heavy hammers, tongs and bellows lay close at hand, as though waiting for their owners to return. It was strange to think that Lief had once worked here, helping his father to make horseshoes and plough shares for the people of the city.

But something else was strange, too, and at last Jasmine saw it.

The forge had lain idle for almost a year. The tools should have been covered with dust. But they were not. And—was it her imagination, or did the metal of the forge seem warmer than it should?

Jasmine looked around. An old chair stood nearby. Its back was dusty, but the seat was partly clean, as though, perhaps, a jacket or cloak had been thrown over it not so long ago.

And on the ground behind one of the chair legs was a folded scrap of paper. It showed no sign of the yellowing of age. So it had been dropped recently. Probably it had slipped from the pocket of the garment that had been thrown over the chair.

Jasmine picked up the paper and unfolded it.

The letters and figures made no sense at all to Jasmine. But she was sure of one thing: Lief had written the note. She had seen his writing too often to be mistaken. This was some sort of code. Yet another secret.

She threw the note to the ground in irritation.

‘It seems you are displeased,’ said an amused voice behind her.

6 - Treasure

Snatching her dagger from her belt, Jasmine spun around. A man was standing watching her. It was the dark, clever-faced man who had tried to talk to her in the entrance hall of the palace. He must have moved as silently as a cat, Jasmine thought, for neither she nor Kree had heard him approach.

The man smiled, white teeth flashing against his brown skin.

The smile made him look younger than Jasmine had first thought. In fact, it was hard to tell what age he might be. His body was lean, but strong. His face was unlined. His hazel eyes were clear and amused. His straight black hair was long, and tied back in a band.

He took a step towards her.

‘Keep back,’ Jasmine muttered warningly, holding her dagger so that it flashed in a shaft of sunlight.

The man stopped, and held his arms away from his body to show that he held no weapon. ‘I mean you no harm,’ he said, without the slightest sign of fear. ‘I have a favour to ask of you.’

‘Speak, then,’ said Jasmine, admiring his coolness in spite of herself.

‘I have a friend who has something of great value to give the king,’ said the man. ‘I have been waiting in the palace on his behalf for many days now. I followed you in the hope that you would help us.’

Jasmine laughed bitterly. ‘If you think I have influence with Lief, you are very much mistaken,’ she said. ‘You would do better to go back to the palace and stand in line again.’

The man raised one eyebrow. ‘I have had enough of standing in line,’ he said.

Jasmine nodded slowly. She recognised in this man a fellow spirit. Someone who disliked rules, and who went his own way. But the last thing she needed now was to become entangled in another problem connected with the palace. She had to plan, to prepare…

‘Let me take you to see my friend, I beg you,’ the man said. ‘The treasure he has been guarding is priceless. Believe me, the king will be grateful.’

Jasmine had no wish to earn Lief’s gratitude. She wanted never to see him again. Yet… if this man was speaking the truth, and his friend’s treasure was indeed valuable, it would cause a great sensation in the palace.

And a sensation was what she needed. She was too well-known to travel all the way to the Shadowlands border without being recognised. If Sharn heard of what she was doing, she would try to stop her. But if Sharn’s attention was diverted, even for a day or two…

‘What is this treasure?’ she asked abruptly.

The stranger shook his head. ‘That is for my friend to tell,’ he said. ‘He has suffered much to guard it.’

Jasmine watched him narrowly. Could he be trying to lure her into a trap?

‘You have no reason to trust me,’ the man said, as if reading her mind. ‘I do not ask you to do so. Walk behind me with your dagger in my back, if you wish.’

Jasmine made her decision. She nodded briskly. ‘Lead on, then,’ she said. ‘But I warn you. One false move, and I will not hesitate to kill you. And whatever this treasure is, it had better be worth my while!’

As the stranger led her into the heart of Del, Jasmine told herself that she had been right to trust him. When, however, he stopped at the burned-out shell of an old pottery, she shook her head.

‘Do you really expect me to enter that place with you?’ she exclaimed. ‘I am not so foolish.’

The man sighed. ‘No doubt you have good reason to be suspicious. But I am the last person likely to be a threat to your safety. Fighting and weapons do not appeal to me in the slightest. My friend lives within.’

‘Tell him to bring the treasure out to me,’ Jasmine ordered abruptly.

‘He will not do that,’ said her companion. ‘He does not believe Del is safe.’

Tired of the argument, Kree squawked loudly, left Jasmine’s shoulder and flew into the air.

Jasmine nodded. ‘Kree will follow you,’ she said. ‘I will wait until he brings me word that all is safe.’

The man looked up at the circling bird, and gave a low whistle. ‘So the stories are true,’ he murmured. ‘You do talk to birds.’

Jasmine did not answer. The man shrugged and climbed through a gap in the ruined wall. Kree soared after him. Soon both of them had vanished from view.