The Sorrow of the Waters (Kalika Magic Book 3) Page 16

The key turned easily in the lock. The door creaked open. Indie went to step inside, but Jabar pulled her back. ‘Wait,’ he hissed. ‘You always rush into everything. What if there are guards in there?’

  Indie frowned. ‘I’m not stupid,’ she said. ‘I was going to look first.’

  ‘Shh,’ said Jabar. ‘I can hear someone coming.’

  They pressed back against the wall as the door swung open and a girl looked out. She had red hair and freckles, and she wore a clean white apron over her ragged clothes.

  ‘Who’s there?’ she called. ‘Is that you, Willem? You get back in here right now and apologise to Nima and Kai.’

  Jabar gave Indie a nudge with her elbow. Indie glared at him and shook her head. Ignoring her, Jabar stepped forward so the girl could see him. He held up his hands. The girl’s eyes went to the winding snake tattoo on his arm; her face turned pale and she slammed the door.

  ‘Great,’ said Indie, her voice heavy with sarcasm. ‘And you say I rush into everything.’

  ‘We’ve still got the key,’ said Jabar.

  ‘But she’ll run off and get the guards. We should have stayed hidden.’

  There was a rattle and click, and the door flew open. Indie gave a shriek of joy: Kai was standing there.

  ‘Be quiet,’ said her brother, but he had a huge grin on his face. ‘Do you want the guards to hear you?’

  The girl was standing behind Kai, staring at Jabar. She tugged at Kai’s sleeve, motioning for him to bring them inside.

  ‘Tina thought you were gypsies,’ said Kai, as he shut the door behind them. ‘But then she saw the tattoo.’

  Tina looked at Jabar with wide eyes. ‘I’ve never met a Dasa Warrior. Is it true that you kill people and hang them from trees?’

  Jabar didn’t bother answering. He gave her a look of disgust and turned to speak to Nima, who had appeared at the scullery door.

  Tina didn’t seem to mind. She gazed adoringly at Jabar as he walked across the room. ‘A real Dasa Warrior,’ she said.

  ‘He’s not much of a warrior,’ snapped Indie. She didn’t like the way the girl was looking at Jabar; and the fact that she didn’t like it was making her furious. Who was this girl anyway, with her high-pitched voice and her stupid freckles? And why had she let them in?

  Kai seemed to guess her thoughts. ‘This is Tina,’ he said. ‘She works here in the palace kitchen.’

  ‘Where’s everyone else?’ asked Indie. ‘The cooks and the dish boys and the scullery maids?’ She was thinking of the castle at Ballyndor where the kitchens were full of people.

  ‘They’ve all gone home. Tina was just about to leave, too. She was supposed to lock us in the scullery for the night, but her brother has taken the key and disappeared. She’s waiting for him to come back.’

  Tina dragged her eyes away from Jabar. She looked anxiously around the kitchen. ‘I think you’d better hide,’ she said. ‘Willem has been a little terror lately. If he sees you, he’ll scream for the guards.’

  Jabar stared at Kai. ‘You’re waiting here to be locked in the scullery by a little boy? Are you serious?’

  ‘There are guards just outside the kitchen door,’ said Kai. He sounded defensive. ‘And we have chains on our arms and legs. Besides, we came here to find Sofia, and we haven’t even seen her yet.’

  ‘We have to find the boy with the monkey first,’ said Nima. Indie looked at her in surprise; it was the first time she had spoken since they arrived. Her voice sounded tired and sad, and there were dark circles under her eyes.

  ‘I’ve told her that there aren’t any monkeys here,’ said Tina, with a sigh. ‘She won’t believe me.’

  ‘I’ve seen one,’ said Nima. ‘At least, it was something like a monkey.’ She turned to Kai. ‘I need to go to Undaba tonight. I need to speak to Usha.’

  There was a noise behind them. Indie spun around. Behind her stood a small boy with red hair and a mischievous look on his face.

  ‘Willem!’ cried Tina. ‘Where have you been?’

  Willem held up two sticky hands. ‘Eating honey,’ he said.

  ‘That’s the emperor’s honey,’ said Tina. ‘If Mama finds out, you’ll get a whipping.’

  The boy’s face fell; then he brightened. ‘She’ll only find out if you tell her, and you won’t tell her because you’re not a dobber.’ He looked at Jabar and Indie. ‘Who are they?’ he said. ‘I’m getting the guards.’

  Jabar stood up to his full height and towered over the boy. ‘I’m a Dasa Warrior,’ he said. ‘I kill people and hang them from trees. There’s a tree just outside that door …’ The boy looked at him with wide, terrified eyes.

  ‘And I’ll tell Mama about the honey, even if it makes me a dobber,’ said Tina. ‘So you just keep your mouth shut.’

  Willem sidled closer to his sister and looked up at Jabar. ‘Do you really kill people?’ he asked.

  ‘If I have to,’ said Jabar. He turned back to Tina. ‘Can you take us somewhere safe tonight?’

  ‘Yes,’ said Tina, without hesitating. ‘You can come back to our house. I’ll explain everything to Mama. She’ll understand.’

  ‘Nima and I will stay here in the scullery,’ said Kai. ‘It’s not so bad, and we don’t want Tina to get into trouble.’

  Tina gave him a grateful look. Indie saw it, and liked the girl even less. Tina was happy to leave Kai and Nima locked in the cold scullery, just so she could protect herself. Indie could see through the door that there was no bedding, only one ragged blanket.

  ‘You can’t stay in there,’ she said to Kai. ‘You’ll freeze.’

  Tina was pulling some old flour sacks out from under a bench. ‘I can’t get anything else,’ she said. ‘I’m not supposed to help you at all. But you can use these as blankets – it’ll be better than nothing.’

  ‘This is stupid!’ cried Indie, staring at the sacks. ‘Come with us, Kai. We can all hide at Tina’s house until we work out what to do. You don’t have to stay here.’

  Kai shook his head. ‘Yes, we do. There are too many guards outside. Look at us!’ He motioned at himself and Nima, at their dark skin and curly hair. ‘We’re obviously from the forest. You and Jabar can sneak around without being noticed – you look the same as everyone else – but we can’t. It’s only a matter of time before she sends us back to the island.’

  Indie frowned and opened her mouth to protest, but Nima cut her off. ‘She won’t send us back,’ Nima said in a quiet voice. ‘Sofia ... She has a reason for keeping us here. We have to find out what it is.’

  When Indie and Jabar at last agreed to go with the others, and Nima and Kai were alone in the cold scullery, Nima lay on the sacks and closed her eyes. ‘I don't have my medicine bag or drum,’ she said, ‘but I don’t think I need those things any more.’

  For a long time she lay still, and then Kai noticed her breathing change. She whispered a single word – ‘Usha’. Kai felt the world tilt and shift around him. He grabbed the wall, but it refused to support him. His legs were like jelly, his arms and hands like they were part of someone else. He stared down at his feet in wonder, as if he had never noticed them before. What strange things they were, long and thin and sprinkled with toes.

  Sliding to the floor, he closed his eyes. He could no longer feel the wind whistling through the high window or the rough sack pressing against his skin. Instead, anticipation and relief flooded his senses. He hurtled through the familiar darkness, falling down through time and space to a place he instantly recognised.

  He was standing on a wide open plain of red rock and scraggly trees. A big orange sun shone in the sky. Beside him stood Nima, her hands on the neck of a beautiful white snow leopard: its fur patterned with black rosettes, its eyes a clear blue.

  ‘Usha,’ he whispered.

  The snow leopard turned her head and rubbed up against his leg like a cat. There was a flurry of wings around his head, and Sisika, the red owl, landed on his shoulder. She tilted her head to one side, blinking at him with her sapient eyes.
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  He turned to Nima. ‘What are we doing here?’ he asked. Nima said nothing, but she pointed to the closest tree. There, high in the branches, was the most peculiar creature he had ever seen. It looked at first like a small brown monkey, but then he saw that it had a sharp yellow beak in the place where its mouth should have been, and instead of brown monkey legs, it had the scaly orange legs of a rooster.

  He stared at it. It didn’t look friendly. It was capering up and down the branch, making odd squawking noises. Nima walked towards the tree with Usha close beside her. Kai followed. The monkey creature became more and more agitated as they approached.

  When they were right under the branch, the creature sat still and looked at them. It opened its beak to reveal a set of pointy white teeth. In a voice that raised the hair on the back of Kai’s neck, the creature spoke.

  ‘Willem was right,’ it said. ‘You are ugly.’

  Nima gave a slight bow. ‘If you say so.’

  ‘Did the shaman send you?’

  Nima shook her head. ‘We came to see the great monkey, to ask him to help us. There is a boy in the upper world who needs him.’

  The creature began to caper again. It hissed at them through its pointy teeth. ‘I am the great monkey. The boy needs no one else.’

  ‘No,’ said Nima. ‘You are only half. We seek the power animal, the monkey who carries both the light and the dark. You are only the dark. A part of you is missing.’

  The creature let out a screech. It danced wildly on the branch. ‘You will not find it. The light has abandoned us. It does not walk in Undaba any more. We are all that is left.’

  Nima nodded. She looked sad. She reached out and took Kai’s hand, pulling him away from the tree. Behind them, the creature shrieked and cried.

  ‘I don’t understand,’ said Kai. ‘Are we supposed to destroy it? Will that release the boy?’

  ‘No,’ said Nima. She stared into the distance, speaking slowly. ‘The creature is necessary. It’s part of Willem. You have to have both sunshine and clouds, summer and winter.’

  ‘What are you talking about?’ said Kai. ‘I was asking about monkeys, not the weather.’

  ‘I’m trying to explain it to you,’ said Nima. ‘All life requires balance. What we have to do is find the other part, the light side, and bring it back to this one. Once they’re together, the boy will be whole, and he’ll be able to help us.’

  ‘He may not want to help us,’ said Kai. ‘I don’t think he likes us very much.’

  ‘He acts like that because he has lost his connection to his power animal. All he has left is the shadow.’

  The scullery was cold and dark when Kai opened his eyes. Nima sat beside him, staring up at the window. The pale light of the moon made a soft stripe across the floor. He could hear bird calls and the rustle of night animals in the palace garden. His mind turned back to the monkey creature, and he shuddered.

  There were footsteps in the kitchen, the click of a key in the lock, and the door opened to reveal Willem, clad in dark clothes and boots. There was a look of fury on his face.

  ‘The others are being mean to me,’ he whined. ‘That Dasa boy wants to hurt me, I know he does. And the stupid girl keeps telling me to go away and be quiet. I hate them.’

  His eyes took on a sly look. ‘I’m taking you away from here,’ he said, looking at Nima. ‘Where they won’t find you.’

  Kai sighed. He looked at the small boy with pity. ‘How are you going to do that? You’re half as tall as we are.’

  ‘I know,’ said Willem, ‘but I have this.’ He held out his hand and Kai saw a small clear crystal, shaped like a perfect diamond. Nima jumped to her feet. ‘Where did you get that?’ she whispered.

  ‘From the man at the lighthouse,’ said Willem. ‘I took it from his bag when he was asleep.’

  ‘What lighthouse?’ asked Nima. ‘Where?’

  ‘I’ll show you,’ said Willem, cocking his head to one side. ‘If you come with me.’

  Kai frowned. He turned to Nima. ‘I don’t like this. We should tell Jabar and Indie. They should come with us.’

  ‘I’m only showing you if you come alone,’ said the boy, gazing intently at Nima; then he turned back to Kai, his voice scathing. ‘I don’t mean you,’ he said. ‘You have to stay here.’

  Kai took a step, grabbed him by the collar and pulled him close. ‘You little brat. You’re not taking her anywhere without me.’

  The boy whimpered. ‘Let go. You’re hurting me.’

  ‘Good,’ said Kai.

  Nima put her hand on his arm. ‘It’s better if I go alone. There’s less chance of being seen. Willem can sneak me to this lighthouse and I’ll find out what’s going on. I won’t do anything stupid. If my father is there, I’ll send Willem back for you.’

  She turned to Willem. ‘If I find my father and he’s hurt, you have to come back for Kai. I’ll need him to help me.’

  Willem gave Kai a surly look, but he nodded.

  ‘Promise me,’ said Nima.

  ‘I promise,’ the boy muttered.

  ‘This is crazy!’ said Kai. ‘It must be a trick. You left your father on the plains. How can he be here?’

  ‘I don’t know,’ said Nima. ‘But Kaosha told me that my mother had found him. She wouldn’t leave him; he’s too powerful. She needs him.’

  ‘You’re powerful, too,’ said Kai. ‘Don’t you understand? If she has both you and your father … ’ His face turned pale. ‘The apiki flower and the shaman. Don’t you see? She could do anything.’

  Nima was quiet. ‘Wait here,’ she said, at last. ‘If I’m not back by morning, come and find me.’

  She turned to Willem. ‘You’ll have to undo my chains,’ she said. ‘And Kai’s chains, too. I know you have the key.’

  Willem looked sullen, but he pulled a small key from his pocket and unlocked their chains.

  ‘Now give me the stone,’ said Nima, holding out her hand.

  ‘No,’ said Willem.

  Kai stood up to his full height and glared at the boy. Nima crossed her arms and frowned.

  ‘Take it,’ said Willem. ‘I don’t care. I didn’t want it anyway.’ He passed the crystal to Nima. ‘I’m going to get some bread. It’s a long walk to the lighthouse.’

  He disappeared through the door. Kai turned to Nima. ‘You can’t trust him.’

  ‘I know,’ said Nima. ‘But don’t you see? If I can find my father, we might be able to find a way to connect with his monkey spirit. Baba understands the spirit world. He’ll know what to do.’

  Kai said nothing. He watched as Willem came back into the room with a sack and two loaves of bread. ‘Here,’ he said, throwing one to Kai. ‘This is for you.’

  Kai caught the bread and turned it over in his hands. After the fire fruit, there was no chance he was going to risk taking a bite. Willem had probably dusted it with salt, or something much worse. He watched Nima walk out the door, following Willem into the dark kitchen. The boy pushed the door shut, a satisfied look on his face.

  Kai heard the key turn in the lock. He stood for a long time, staring at the stripe of moonlight, listening to the footsteps fade in the distance … thinking this was all a terrible mistake and he should never have let it happen.

  Chapter 23

  The Lighthouse

  Nima followed Willem through the old kitchen door and out into the palace gardens. The moon lit their path through the trees and bushes, past the sleeping roses, and in and out of arches heavy with flowering vines. The air was filled with perfume, heavy and sweet, and the night swarmed with brightly coloured beetles.

  Nima looked at the flowers in wonder. She didn’t remember seeing them when they first came to the garden in the daylight.

  ‘It’s the moon,’ whispered Willem, seeing her look. ‘These vines only flower at night in the moonlight. The emperor likes that – he’s the only one allowed to enjoy them. He keeps this part of the garden for himself. That’s why there are no guards here. If he wants to walk throug
h the flowers at night, he can.’ He stopped and grinned. ‘But he never does. He’s too lazy.’

  Nima looked at the boy. In the moonlight, he cast a long shadow on the grass, and she watched as it wavered and shook and formed the shape of a monkey with long sticklike legs.

  ‘Come on,’ he said. ‘We have to run now. There are guards on the other side of the wall.’

  She followed him into a secret alley behind the rose bushes. He beckoned her to stay close. Through a hidden gate they crept, and out into the sleeping streets of the golden city. The boy broke into a run. Nima followed, keeping her head down and praying no one would notice her – a Kalika girl dressed in the white robes of a palace slave.

  At last, Willem stopped. He pointed beyond the crooked houses to the bay. Just off the shore, Nima could make out a rocky island, topped by a lighthouse that flashed its lonely light across the water.

  ‘There are caves,’ he whispered. ‘Under the lighthouse.’

  ‘And my father?’

  ‘He’s in the caves.’

  ‘I left him in Gort on the other side of the Dasa Mountains,’ said Nima. ‘He was badly hurt. How can he be here?’

  ‘I don’t know,’ said Willem, pouting. ‘I told you. He was asleep. I took the crystal from his bag. That’s all I know.’

  Nima looked at the dark water. ‘How do we get to the island? Do we have to swim?’

  Willem shook his head. ‘There’s a boat. I’ll show you.’

  When they reached the water’s edge, Nima saw a small boat tethered to the rocks. Willem climbed in and motioned for her to untie the rope. The bay was calm and still. There was no wind. He took one oar and looked at Nima. ‘You have to help.’

  ‘I’ve never rowed a boat in my life,’ said Nima. ‘You’ve done this before. Show me how you did it.’

  Willem frowned, but he took both oars and rowed out into the bay. He puffed and panted, slowly pulling the little boat through the water. Nima sat back with her arms folded. ‘If my father isn’t out here,’ she said. ‘Jabar will come looking for me. You know that, don’t you?’