Flame bristled and snarled, and Nara reached for her own bow.
“Lower that arm,” commanded the woman.
Nara slowly did so, staring into the woman’s ash-streaked face. On one cheek was drawn an oval and on the other a lightning fork.
“A fine creature,” the woman said. “I hope you have it well trained.”
Nara didn’t answer. She heard the bow strings creak as the two archers held their weapons taut. Nara probed the edges of the ravine with her Whisperer sense and felt the movement of others. They had walked into a trap and she cursed herself for not spotting it.
The woman with the sword whistled three times, mimicking the call of a bush lark, and three more nomad warriors stepped slowly into the river basin from the surrounding rocks and trees.
Flame snarled and prepared to pounce.
No! said Nara. Please. They’ll shoot us before you can do anything.
Flame reluctantly obeyed – Nara could feel the effort her companion was making to keep her fighting instincts at bay.
A short, broad-shouldered man stepped to the forefront of the small group of nomads. “Thank you, Kalte,” he said. “You may stand down.”
The archers lowered their bows, but kept their eyes nervously on Flame. As the woman brought down her sword, Nara breathed again, though her every muscle remained tense.
“My apologies,” said the leader. “But we can no longer be sure of a peaceful meeting when our peoples come together.”
“Our peoples?” said Nara. She cast her gaze around the fierce, suspicious faces that surrounded them. Flame crouched by her side, ears flat against her skull, claws ready.
“Yes,” said the man. “We are people of the Red Sands. Nomads, as you call us. And you are from the settlements. You say we hunt on your land, that we steal your cattle, and we say that no piece of land may be owned by anyone but the Earth Mother.” He smiled. “So, you see, we are different peoples.”
Nara nodded. “We’re simply travelling to the river,” she said. “Our journey is urgent – we must go quickly.”
“And we, too, have urgent matters to attend to,” said the man, his smile fading into a grave expression. “Matters that would benefit from the craft of a Whisperer.”
Nara glanced down at Flame.
We should run now, Flame said. Lose them in the Rift.
We wouldn’t go three paces before an arrow cut us down, Nara whispered.
There were more than just two archers in the nomad group, and these people were lean and sharp-eyed, used to hunting prey and seeing off packs of predators in order to survive.
“Come,” called the leader. “You have nothing to fear from us.”
Nara searched his eyes for signs of untruth and the man watched her back. Her feet stood ready to run and the man sensed her indecision.
He raised a hand. “Please,” he said. “In the name of the sun, we ask your help. Only that. We offer food and safety. You would be our guests.”
I can sense no violence in him, Nara whispered to Flame. But equally I think we have no choice.
Flame flared her nostrils, flicking her tail in anger. I should have heard them coming, she said. But you’re right. What choice do we have?
Nara met the leader’s eyes and nodded once.
“Good,” the man said, inclining his head. “Please. This way.”
He led them from the path into a shallow ravine that had once been a river gully. The rest of the band fell in around them and Flame hissed at any who came too close. The sun blazed above the walls of the ravine and Nara walked with sweat on her brow, in and out of shadow. As she watched the tough, well-armed plains people, she wondered whether she and Flame were truly their guests … or their prisoners.
CHAPTER 3
Dawn listened to the rain as it gushed through the old stone guttering of the spiral tower. This was the third rainy day in a row and the yellow stone buildings of Meridar had turned a drab brown under the relentless autumn downpour. She found herself longing for her home in the Southlands once again, and not just because of this cursed northern weather. On the other side of the huge desk sat Lady Tremaine, the king’s warden, and she was in a foul mood. Dawn had insisted that today’s meeting take place in her own chambers and the warden was not happy about it.
She’s still going, said Ebony, perched on the back of Dawn’s carved wooden chair.
I doubt she’ll ever stop, whispered Dawn.
“…and I shall repeat what I said earlier,” droned the warden. “These chambers are not the place for an official meeting. To exclude the king is close to treason. I really do not see why palace protocol should be ignored in such a way.”
The warden sat back in her chair, finally finished, glaring around the table with her arms folded.
Dawn glanced across at Captain Valderin, the Captain of the Palace Guard, and then at Magda, a senior lieutenant in the King’s Guards of the Sun. Valderin wore a look of deep frustration. It appeared as though he was about to say something rash to the warden when Dawn cut in.
“I appreciate your patience, Lady Warden,” she said. “But these chambers are more private than the official ones in the King’s Keep. And, as we know, the king would rather not be disturbed by the unpleasant matters we discuss here.”
The warden raised a dismissive eyebrow, but said no more on the subject. She knew very well that the king was falling further and further out of touch by the week, fixated on his daughter, the princess, and only attending to the most trifling matters of state.
Dawn took Lady Tremaine’s silence as a begrudging agreement. Since Dawn had banished the Narlaw spy from the palace, Lady Tremaine had conceded gradually to Dawn’s authority, though not by much, and not without complaint. The warden had even convinced the king that Dawn should be allowed to speak to Princess Ona. This had never been allowed before. King Eneron had completely shielded his daughter from the world of politics, and the wider world in general. Dawn only wished that Esther, her mentor and the previous Palace Whisperer, had been alive to see her progress.
“A week has passed since Ebony sent word out through the ravens,” said Dawn. “We have three new Whisperers in the capital – not enough for a council of war, but the rest will come.”
“We had better hope they do,” said the warden.
“In the meantime,” said Valderin, ignoring the warden’s comment, “the Palace Guard and the Guards of the Sun have joined to create a combined defence force for the capital.”
Magda nodded in agreement. “We’ve sent outriders to the neighbouring towns,” she said, “with orders to be passed on. All local militia will send representatives to the palace for training. Meridina will have a standing army by the time the demons dare come out into the open.”
“We’ll need both soldiers and Whisperers to defeat the Narlaw,” said Dawn. “Queen Amina’s strength and the unity of the kingdom were the only things that saved Meridina a hundred years ago. We need the same. The demons have already attacked in the northern forests. They may not wait much longer to launch a full-scale invasion.”
A grim silence followed. Only the rain could be heard, hammering against the stone on the veranda.
Ebony shifted uneasily on the back of Dawn’s chair.
“If only we had a leader like Amina,” said the warden. Her tone was wistful and falsely innocent – it was clearly meant as an insult to Dawn.
Dawn felt her cheeks colouring, but she swallowed the urge to reply. “Unity,” she said at last, nodding at Valderin and Magda, who had done so well at working together already. “This is what we must strive for.”
And I think we’ll need a lot of luck, too, she whispered ruefully to Ebony.
Dawn rose from her seat, signalling that the meeting was over. She sensed again how young she was compared to those around her. The impossibility of her position weighed on her. How could a fifteen-year-old be expected to lead a nation into war?
Before Dawn could show the others out, a messenger rushed into
the chamber. The look on his face was such that the news he carried could only be bad.
“Your pardon,” said the messenger, red-faced and out of breath. “There’s been a security breach – an intruder in Princess Ona’s chambers.”
Dawn shared a worried look with Valderin and immediately asked Ebony to fly on ahead of them. Then she rushed, with the guard captain and the lieutenant, out into the chilly stone corridors of the spiral tower.
As soon as Dawn arrived in Princess Ona’s chambers, Ebony flapped across to meet her.
Narlaw, said Ebony. I can sense it everywhere.
Dawn scanned the lush furnishings of the reception room. Not much was out of place, but she too could feel the fading presence of a demon. A shudder ran up her spine.
Through here, said Ebony.
In Ona’s dressing room the scene was very different. It had been ransacked – cupboards and dressers emptied out on to the floor, clothes everywhere and jewellery scattered across the top.
Ebony flew above the mess, then landed and began poking through the strings of pearls and fragile gold trinkets with her long curved beak.
Valderin stepped into the room behind Dawn. “What do you think?” he said.
“A demon was here,” said Dawn. Saying it made her heart sink, but she should have known they’d be back. The question was: what did they want?
“Magda has gone to fetch Captain Niels of the Guard of the Sun,” said Valderin. “He should be able to tell us who was on guard duty here overnight. Perhaps we can determine when exactly they broke in and who might have seen them in the corridors. The king will be furious about this. We must make sure the princess is safe and find the demon as quickly as we can.”
Dawn nodded. She looked to Ebony. What do you see?
The jewels carry the heaviest taint, said Ebony. Do demons like shiny things?
Perhaps this demon does, said Dawn.
She turned back to Captain Valderin, who was speaking quietly with a pair of Sun Guards, the two who had discovered the break-in.
“Where is the princess?” she asked them. “I must speak with her immediately.”
Princess Ona had been taken to a separate wing and was under full guard. Magda was already there and Dawn asked whether she had managed to speak to Captain Niels yet.
“Captain Niels gave me the guard roster from last night,” said Magda. “He’s with the king now, trying to reassure him that Ona is safe. This doesn’t look good for the Guards of the Sun.”
“A shape-shifter is hard to spot,” said Dawn. “The king will understand.”
Magda nodded, though they both knew the king was not an understanding man when it came to his daughter’s safety.
Dawn thanked Magda and stepped past the guards into the princess’s temporary quarters.
Ona rose from her cushioned chair as soon as she saw Dawn enter. Her worried look dissolved into a smile and she hurried to meet the Whisperer.
“It’s terrible,” said the princess. “Who would do such a thing? And to think, I was sleeping right there in the next room.” She shook her head.
Dawn nodded in sympathy. “We’ll find out what happened,” she said. “But you’re safe now. That’s what really matters.”
She peered over Ona’s shoulder and saw Yusuf among a group of young nobles who sat drinking tea. Yusuf nodded to her and she nodded back. He seemed to have recovered well following the ghost-sleep that he was put under when the Narlaw stole his form.
“I need to ask you some questions,” said Dawn. “We have to know if anything was taken, or if you heard or saw anything out of the ordinary last night.”
Ona stepped thoughtfully towards a window seat, away from her friends, and gestured for Dawn to sit beside her.
“I didn’t hear a thing,” said Ona. “That’s what’s frightening about it. How could someone do so much damage without making a sound?”
She stared out of the window at the grey sky and the rain.
Dawn kept silent – she didn’t want to worry the princess.
“I haven’t searched through everything yet,” Ona continued, “so I don’t know what was taken. Luckily I keep my most precious things in my bedchamber. No one could steal them without waking me.”
“That’s good,” said Dawn. “Now, promise me you’ll do whatever Lieutenant Magda says, and that you’ll tell me what’s missing from your chambers as soon as you can?”
“Of course,” said Ona. “If there’s anything I can do to help you catch the intruder…” She paused. “You don’t think it could be another…?”
A grave look passed across the princess’ face. She glanced at Dawn and then out of the window into the neverending rain.
“Another Narlaw?” asked Dawn, softly.
“Yes,” said Ona.
Dawn hesitated, but she realized that she couldn’t keep it from Ona. “I think it was,” she said, “which is why it’s so important that we try to find out why it went through your belongings.”
Ona nodded. “I’ll go back right away and make an inventory.” She spoke with determination, but Dawn could see that the princess was shaken.
Dawn rose and said goodbye, hearing the clink of tea cups and the idle chatter of the nobles resume as she left.
Walking back towards the spiral tower she tried to guess what a demon would want with the contents of Ona’s dressing room. The more she thought about it, the less sense it made. She was missing something. The Narlaw wouldn’t go to such lengths unless they had a lot to gain.
Back in her chambers, all Dawn could do was wait until news came from Valderin or Magda or Ebony. She slid the leather-bound copy of the war diaries across her desk and began to read the words of the kingdom’s greatest heroine, Queen Amina.
CHAPTER 4
The nomad camp was concealed by a thick grove of acacia trees in the shadow of a long, craggy hillside. Domed cowhide tents were placed haphazardly between the trees and cooking fires crackled, their smoke diffusing through the branches above.
Nara met the suspicious glances of the tribespeople as she passed. To them she was not just a Whisperer, but a farm girl, too – someone not to be trusted. It seemed foolish and unfair, but Nara thought of her parents and all the other farmers who believed the same thing about the nomads.
Flame prowled alongside Nara, ears twitching, tail low to the ground. It’s as if they’ve never seen a leopard before, she said.
Well, whispered Nara. Never one like you.
They were led towards the centre of the camp where a large straight-sided tent stood between a pair of tall trees. There was an obvious tension in the camp. These people looked scared, and it made her wonder, more and more, what reason the leader of the tribe had for taking her and Flame as his “guests”.
The leader raised the tent flap and ducked inside. Nara paused as one of the nomads held the entrance open for her. She knew nothing about these people. They had claimed to mean no harm, but could she trust them to keep their word?
What do you think? Nara asked Flame.
Flame peered into the dark of the tent, flexing her nostrils. It smells like a home, she said. That’s all. Their leader – there’s no scent of fear or anger on him. Perhaps he’s honest, but…
Nara felt a hand against her back.
“Why have you stopped?” It was the scowling woman with the short sword.
Nara turned to face her and was about to reply when something else caught her attention. Some distance away at the edge of the camp there was a presence, burning brightly. Nara glanced across, past the tents and the cooking fires and the pack animals.
A girl of about her own age, with her hair shaved close to her scalp, crept out of the bush. She was hurrying back into the camp, but before she had gone three paces she stopped and her head swung immediately in Nara’s direction.
Nara met her gaze. That presence, it was unmistakeable. The girl was a Whisperer.
“Hey!” The woman prodded Nara, more roughly this time. “It’s disrespectful
to keep the Trailfinder waiting. Go inside. Now.”
Nara stumbled forwards, stealing one last glance at the Whisperer girl before being propelled into the tribe leader’s tent.
Flame snarled as she darted in beside Nara.
The nomads backed off, but one of the archers nocked an arrow and the woman who had pushed Nara drew her sword.
“Enough!” barked the tribe’s leader. He stiffened his thick neck and peered at the group with anger in his eyes. “Leave us,” he ordered.
Nara watched the woman reluctantly lower her sword.
“I will stand guard, Trailfinder,” she said.
“No,” said the man. “You will leave.” He turned his back on his scouts, pacing deeper into the tent.
Now Nara and Flame were alone with the Trailfinder. Nara scanned the tent, taking in the modest stacks of blankets and cushions, the woven baskets and the cold fire pit in the centre.
“You must excuse the quality of your welcome,” said the man. “There is much fear among the plains people these days.” He held out a hand in formal greeting. “I am Daan, Trailfinder of the Red Sands tribe.”
Nara ignored his hand and simply nodded. “You claimed to need our help,” she said. “We have a long way to travel, so please tell us what you want.”
Flame stood poised at her side, eyes fixed on the leader.
Daan glanced nervously at her before replying.
“There are demons on the savannah,” he said. “Shapeshifters that have taken the form of lions. They have attacked our herds and driven them away. Without cattle our tribe won’t last another season.”
He paused and Nara’s heart sank as she realized what he was about to ask of her.
“You want us to banish these Narlaw,” she said.
The silence stretched.
Finally, Daan nodded resignedly. “You’re a Whisperer,” he said. “Only you can help us.”
“And what about the girl in your tribe?” asked Nara.
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