The Girl Who Stole an Elephant
Page 13
Murmurs ran through the crowd.
“And Tuan would be dead, and Marikkar’s children starved if it wasn’t for my thieving!”
People were starting to look uncomfortable now.
“And you say you’re a strong leader, brother.” Leela’s voice rang out and a hush fell over everyone. “A child needs to steal so that the basic needs of your people are met.”
The guard pointing his spear at Leela looked at Chaya across the crowds. His familiar face creased into a look of resolve. He drew back the spear and rested it on the ground.
“What are you doing?” yelled the King.
The guard stared at the King obstinately, then dropped the spear on the floor, where it fell with a clatter.
“Well done, son,” shouted a female voice from the back.
And that’s when Chaya realised why he looked so familiar. The guard was Vijay’s brother, the boy she’d stolen the jewels for.
Seeing this, the guard next to Gamage lowered his spear too.
“She’s right,” shouted one of the villagers. “Why should we live like this?”
“While the King and his ministers grow richer on our country’s wealth,” shouted someone else.
The lords of Serendib’s provinces looked on stonily.
For the first time, a look of fear crossed the King’s face.
The hands binding Chaya dropped away. Leela took a step forward.
General Siri watched and said nothing, waiting to see which side to choose.
The villagers advanced to the front of the pavilion, filtering through the guards, who put down their weapons.
From beyond the pavilion came more villagers, until clusters of them were amassed round the pavilion.
You could hear a pin drop.
There was no need for an attack. The King and his few supporters were well and truly outnumbered.
Leela advanced, until she was standing at the foot of the throne.
The King gulped. “Very well,” he said.
General Siri’s voice rang out over everyone as the King stepped down.
“All hail the new Queen of Serendib!”
Chaya looked at the bronze spear pointing at her neck.
“You’re back!” She smiled at the guard. It was the one who had been fired when she’d got into the royal compound.
He grinned and put the spear down by his side. “I didn’t think you’d recognise me. Queen Leela had someone trace me and gave me my job back.”
“Well, it’s nice to see you again,” said Chaya. “You lost your job because of me.”
“The Queen is so forgiving. Most of us are still here, even those who didn’t side with her to begin with. By the way, I’m not going to let you go up there today. Anything past the lion’s entrance is strictly out of bounds to the public, remember?”
“I’m actually here by invitation,” said Chaya grandly. She pulled out a rolled-up card and gave it to him. It was a request to go and see General Siri for a special reward.
He read it and whistled. “All right, go on up. Someone will direct you to General Siri’s offices.”
Neel was already waiting when she was shown in, and Nour came in shortly after. A guard then pointed them into a large room with a wide window overlooking the promenade.
General Siri leaned on the edge of an ornate ebony desk, waiting for them. He seemed to have been relegated to a clerical position, but in spite of that everything about the room was dazzlingly rich, from the creamy velvet seats of the heavily carved chairs to the jewel-studded letter opener on the table.
“Leave us,” he said to the guard.
Through the window behind him they could see families milling about in the grounds, enjoying a feast being held to mark the beginning of a new reign.
“The Queen has requested I give you these,” said General Siri, handing over three silver plaques. He couldn’t have looked more miserable if he tried. “They award you the status of Heroes of Serendib. There will be a ceremony at a later date, after her coronation.”
“Thank you,” said Chaya. “Although you don’t look too thrilled about it.”
Neel kicked Chaya with the side of his foot.
General Siri’s face hardened. He walked up to the window and looked out at the crowds. “Don’t get cocky, child. You can leave now.”
When they came back down to the promenade Aunty was waiting with Father. She hugged Chaya until her breath was almost squeezed out of her. “Hero of Serendib indeed!” She laughed. “As if your head could get any bigger than it already is.”
Chaya laughed, then gestured towards Nour, who was standing slightly back. “Aunty, this is my friend, Nour.”
Nour blushed.
“What a pretty girl,” said Aunty. “Maybe you’ll be a calming influence on Chaya.”
Nour giggled. “Oh, I don’t know about that.”
“Don’t count on it,” said Father. “If Neelan couldn’t do it in all this time I doubt anyone can.”
“Father! I’ve changed. Honest.”
“She hasn’t,” said Neel.
Father beamed proudly. “The King stood no chance against you three. It was nice that it was a peaceful coup, without a drop of blood being shed. And almost worth all the hassle you gave me.”
“I’m so sorry for everything I put you through, Father,” said Chaya. “I really am.”
Father smiled. “I know you are. Whatever headaches you cause me, no one can doubt you do everything out of love.”
“Look,” said Chaya, embarrassed. “The sweetmeats are out.”
The palace servants ran around like ants, managing the feast. There was dancing and singing, and soon the veenas burst into melody too.
“Come on,” said Chaya, pulling Neel and Nour towards the sweetmeats stall.
Nour put some sweets on a plate. “I guess this is the end of your thieving days then.”
“Why’d you think that?” said Chaya, biting into a syrupy dough ball. “Things are great and I’m sure the new Queen will look after the people who need it most. But who knows, if people need it, help is at hand.”
“You are joking, aren’t you?” said Neel.
Chaya licked the syrup off her fingers and slipped her hand into her pocket. Nour gasped and Neel slapped his hand on his forehead as Chaya twirled General Siri’s letter opener in their faces.
“Relax,” she said, pocketing it. “He has too much stuff to miss it. I’ll put it to good use if someone is in need.”
“Chaya,” said Nour. “I will never understand you. But I have one question. When you broke into my house, why didn’t you steal any of those sugary sweets that you love so much? When I gave them to you in the jungle that was the first time you’d tasted them.”
Chaya smiled as she popped another dough ball in her mouth. “What do you think I am? A thief or something?”
She looked around her. Clusters of people stood chatting on the green, laughing with each other. Sweetmeats sizzled in hot oil, throwing their aroma around the lawns. Children darted through the crowds playing, and the three of them were back safe with their families at last. Serendib had a wise and just new Queen who would rule with care and love. And in the middle of it all Ananda lifted up his majestic head and trumpeted into the blue, blue sky.
Ananda-sized thanks go out to my editor, Kirsty Stansfield, for the care and attention given to this newbie author, and to Rebecca, Julia and everyone at Nosy Crow for your work on this book.
To my agent, Joanna Moult, thank you for your guidance, advice, and for championing me from the very beginning. You really are the sapphire that shines the bluest of blues.
To my designer, Nicola Theobald, and illustrator, David Dean, for bringing the world of my imagination to life so magnificently on the cover and insides.
Massive thanks and gratitude to Julia Green. I learnt more from you in a term than in my whole writing life, and this book is so much richer for it. Also to Steve Voake, my manuscript tutor, without whom my story would have be
en a much quieter one! To CJ Skuse and Janine Amos, for your help and encouragement in getting the characters and setting out of me.
Thank you to the (hopefully lifelong) friends I’ve made in the BSU gang. I don’t know how I’d have done it without the lovely Aubergine group. In particular, much appreciation and lots of jambu to Yasmin Rahman, for the listening ear and the late night chats amidst much tension and ear flapping at every stage. I also value the occasional nugget of wisdom you quite accidentally dispense. To Hana Tooke, for your structural insights, always showing me the way when I can’t see the jungle for the trees. And to Rachel Huxley and Sophie Kirtley, for your elephantine belief in my book and much trumpeting of it.
To my very first writing friend, Sally Lambert. Thank you for being there as we took our first steps on the journey together, with our fellow critiquers from the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators UMG Herts group: Pauline Simpson, Tony Irving and Sue Prytherch.
To Judi Sissons for your support, and to Gehan de Silva Wijeyeratne for your expert read.
To all my family in Sri Lanka and around the world, and my parents. Love to you all; now please buy the book. A special shout out to my sister, Nihaza, who was with me and the first to know when my agent called to say I was going to be a published author.
Finally and most of all, a special thank you to my little family: Farhaan, Nuha and Sanaa. This book is a love letter to our heritage, wherever in the world we may be.
Copyright
First published in the UK in 2020 by Nosy Crow Ltd
The Crow’s Nest, 14 Baden Place
Crosby Row, London SE1 1YW
www.nosycrow.com
ISBN: 978 1 78800 634 7
eISBN: 978 1 78800 702 3
Nosy Crow and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Nosy Crow Ltd
Text copyright © Nizrana Farook, 2020
Cover copyright © David Dean, 2020
The right of Nizrana Farook to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted.
All rights reserved
This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, hired out or otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published. 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 Nosy Crow Ltd.
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Printed and bound in the UK by Clays Ltd, Elcograf S.p.A. Typeset by Tiger Media
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