About The Adventures of Sir Roderick, the Not-Very-Brave

In a land where peace is threatened by assassins, invading armies and unhappy peasants, one knight must be brave enough to protect the kingdom.

‘But that can’t be me,’ thought Sir Roderick.

‘I’m the most junior knight in the kingdom. And definitely the most hopeless. They wouldn’t pick me to go somewhere so dangerous . . . would they?’

Contents

Cover

About The Adventures of Sir Roderick, the Not-Very-Brave

Dedication

Part 1: Mission

Chapter 1: An Unlikely Knight

Chapter 2: A Very Important Mission

Chapter 3: A Pot in the Night

Chapter 4: The Hole in the Tree

Chapter 5: Ruby

Chapter 6: An Alarming Glimpse

Chapter 7: Big, Mean and Scary

Chapter 8: An Unusual Conversation

Chapter 9: Beside the Striver

Chapter 10: The Way Back

Part 2: Mystery

Chapter 11: The Disappearance

Chapter 12: Too Many Questions

Chapter 13: More About Ruby

Chapter 14: The Scar

Chapter 15: A Treasonable Act

Chapter 16: The Parade

Chapter 17: A Private Audience

Chapter 18: Holding a Button

Part 3: Mayhem

Chapter 19: Tracking Sonya

Chapter 20: A Badly Timed Visit

Chapter 21: An Unlikely Partnership

Chapter 22: The Storm Approaches

Chapter 23: Attempts at Persuasion

Chapter 24: Fighting for Control

Chapter 25: Ganfree Banor

Chapter 26: The Queen

Chapter 27: A Farewell

Chapter 28: By the Striver Again

Acknowledgements

About James O’Loghlin

Copyright page

To Bibi the Brave, Nina the Brilliant, Lily the Magnificent, Moss the Mighty, Ivy the Invincible, Graham the Great and Lucy the Excellent

PART 1

MISSION

CHAPTER 1

AN UNLIKELY KNIGHT

The day that was to ruin Roderick’s life actually began quite well. The sun was shining, the air was crisp and Roderick was happily gardening, carefully planting a row of seedlings along a trench he had just dug, completely unaware that a rabbit stew his sister had eaten the previous evening had already set in motion a series of events that would ruin everything.

‘Roderick!’ It was his mother, Gwenda, shouting up the hill from the back door of their cottage. ‘Sonya’s sick. She just vomited on my shoe. You’ll have to come to the city with me.’

Roderick’s heart sank. He hated Palandan and found its busy sights, smells and sounds overwhelming. The market was always packed full of hundreds of stalls and there were people everywhere, all shouting about how wonderful their carrots, or their chickens, or their massages, or their tiny carvings of fruit were.

He quickly cut some lavoria leaves and a sprig of dristlegum, took them down to his workshop, added some cardinia tree bark and mixed it all into a stomach-calming potion for his sister. Then he helped his mother load the cart, and reluctantly climbed up beside her and sat sulking as Archie pulled them down the narrow, bumpy dirt track.

They clopped past farmland where cows, goats and sheep grazed and crops grew and then through several villages, all just a few minutes’ ride from each other, unless you happened to be riding a tortoise in which case they’d be a few hours’ ride from each other. Soon they approached the river, past which stood the city’s great wooden walls. There they joined a line of people, carts and horses, all heading towards the stone bridge and up the hill to the city gates.

The cart slowed to a crawl as the traffic squeezed from the road onto the narrower bridge. Roderick’s mother took off her hat and wiped her brow, then turned to him. ‘I know you don’t like the selling, but look, listen and learn today. Sonya is getting the hang of it.’

Roderick sighed. ‘I just don’t think I’m . . .’

Gwenda held up her hand. ‘Enough! If you think like that, you’ve lost before you start. You’re fourteen. You’re old enough. You just need energy and enthusiasm. The potions you make help people. They deserve to be sold.’

Gwenda thrived at the market. She was all bustle and friendliness, and Roderick marvelled at how she effortlessly persuaded customers to buy. A few minutes of his mother’s friendly chatter and suddenly someone who had been casually wandering past would be pulling out their money bag to buy a potion to keep colds away, an ointment to remove spots or a bag of sweet-smelling herbs to freshen their underwear drawer.

‘Make way for the Queen! Make way for the Queen!’ a deep voice thundered. Approaching the bridge from the city gates were six knights on huge horses riding two abreast, dressed in chain mail underneath sleeveless sky-blue tunics. In the middle of them, Roderick caught glimpses of the Queen, also wearing chain mail but underneath a red tunic covered in silver stars. Her long wave of golden hair shone behind her.

Although Queen Emily had ruled Baronia since Roderick was a baby, he had seen her only a few times, on various ceremonial days when he and thousands of others had crammed into the city square to try to catch a glimpse of her high above on the castle balcony. Now she was about to pass right by him!

As the Queen’s party trotted onto the already crowded bridge, carts pulled over and stopped. The Queen smiled warmly, reaching out to press outstretched hands. The only way Queen Emily could have been any more popular with her people was if she had been coated in chocolate. When she had fallen ill the previous year, the entire kingdom had held its breath, and her recovery had been greeted with great relief, much joy and the consumption of many cakes. As she got closer, Roderick could see her long straight nose, full lips and strong jawline. And her eyes! Blue and bright and so alive! She looked in Roderick’s direction, and then directly at him. Roderick felt the blood rush to his face. The Queen’s eyes gleamed.

Then suddenly they filled with terror.

The Queen screamed, grabbed at the back of her neck and collapsed off her horse onto the stone bridge, just a few steps in front of Roderick. She screamed again and again, each one louder and more pain-filled than the last. They were the sort of screams you make when a stone falls on your toe, and then immediately another stone falls on the same toe.

The screams were contagious. Everyone on the bridge joined in. The knights pulled up their horses. Some dismounted and rushed to her while others looked wildly around to try and see what had happened. One lifted the Queen’s head, allowing Roderick to glimpse a dart, no longer than his finger, poking from the back of her neck, just above her chain mail. Past her, directly in Roderick’s line of sight down by the riverbank, he saw a cloaked and hooded figure holding something. The figure turned and dashed away into the trees.

‘Over there!’ Roderick shouted, pointing, but no one seemed to hear him over the commotion. One knight held the Queen steady while another slowly eased out the dart. A third leapt onto his horse and tried to force his way back the way they had come.

The Queen started to convulse, feet and arms thrashing. She looked as if she was straining to say something, but no sound came, and her eyes bulged as if trying to leap out of her head.

The knights tending her backed away. Like most, they feared powerful magic like this. Roderick hoped someone would do something, but no one did. The Queen’s fit continued, becoming more violent. Her arms jerked up and down, smashing her bare knuckles into the stone.

‘Do you know what poison this is, Roderick?’ his mother asked urgently.

Roderick tried to think. Intense pain. Thrashing about. Screams then silence. All within seconds of the dart. It had to be larabeen juice.

‘I think so,’ he replied.

‘Will it kill her?’ asked Gwenda.

‘If it’s what I think it is, yes. And soon.’

His mother grabbed his shoulders. ‘Can you make something to save her Roderick? Can you save the Queen?’

Roderick swallowed. ‘Maybe.’

Gwenda leapt down from the cart, pulling him after her. ‘Come on, boy, get what you need!’

Roderick ran to the back of the cart and rummaged through his bags of herbs until he had handfuls of rubblestein, zinnyweed and ecolia. He grabbed his crushing handle, mixing bowl and a jug of water then dashed to the front of the cart where his mother was waiting. They moved towards the Queen, but before they had gone two paces, three knights turned on them and drew their swords.

‘Hold!’ said the middle one, a tall, dark-bearded warrior with a scar that ran across his long nose. ‘Did you do this, boy?’ he roared.

Roderick jumped back in fright. His mother stepped in front of him. ‘Of course he didn’t, you horseshoe. He’d be running away if he had.’

‘Stay away from the Queen. Both of you,’ snarled the scar-nosed knight.

‘He can save her,’ said Gwenda. ‘She’s been poisoned!’

‘How can a boy save her?’ demanded Scar Nose suspiciously.

‘We are herbalists,’ said Gwenda. ‘He knows everything about herbs. Tell them, Roderick.’

The three knights stared at Roderick. So did everyone else on the bridge. Roderick swallowed. ‘The dart must have had poison on it,’ he muttered.

‘Speak up, boy,’ said Sir Scar Nose. ‘Have you no voice?’

‘Yeah. We can’t hear a word back here,’ said a scruffy-looking man from a cart along the bridge.

Roderick tried again. ‘It is poison causing her fit. I think it’s larabeen juice.’

The Queen was still thrashing crazily, and now her mouth was foaming. Two knights were tentatively trying to restrain her arms and legs but they seemed reluctant to grab her too roughly.

‘It . . . it has to be,’ continued Roderick. ‘Nothing else could cause this type of fit so quickly. If I’m right, in a few moments her movements will slow. When that happens she will be near death. Once she stops completely . . . she will die.’

‘How long?’ whispered Sir Scar Nose, glancing back anxiously towards the city. ‘Sir Dale has gone for the doctor.’

‘Larabeen juice works fast,’ said Roderick. ‘Once her movements start to slow, the end will be only minutes away. All that can save her is a mixture of these three herbs. They will fight the poison. There!’ He pointed to the Queen. Fifty heads turned with his hand. Whereas moments ago she had been a whirl of agitated motion, now she looked as if she was trying to push an invisible blanket off herself in slow motion.

Roderick looked at Scar Nose. ‘If I don’t make the potion now it will be too late.’

The knight seemed unsure. ‘You’re just a boy.’

‘Why would he lie?’ demanded Gwenda angrily. ‘Ask yourself that.’

‘The Queen’s doctor will soon be here,’ said Scar Nose, looking up the hill towards the city.

‘And if he is too late?’ asked Gwenda. ‘Everyone here has seen and heard my son. If it turns out you refused the Queen treatment that could have saved her life . . . what then?’

Scar Nose hesitated. He looked at the Queen, and then turned back to Roderick. ‘All right,’ he said. ‘Quick, boy, make your potion.’

Roderick knelt on the ground with his ingredients. Into his mixing bowl he put a stem of purple rubblestein, a few tufts of yellow zinnyweed and a pinch of the red, grasslike ecolia. With the crushing handle he ground them into tiny particles, slowly adding trickles of water. He glanced at the Queen. Her movements were even more lethargic.

When the herbs had dissolved, he picked up the bowl. ‘It’s ready.’

Scar Nose cast his eyes again towards the city gates. A horse galloped furiously towards them. On it sat a knight with another man behind him. ‘The doctor,’ said Scar Nose.

Gwenda pointed at the Queen. ‘Look at her. She’s hardly moving. If you wait for the doctor, it may be too late. My son has the only thing that will save her. What if the doctor doesn’t know about these herbs? We’ll argue with him about what to do, and while that’s happening, the Queen will die. For goodness’ sake, man, save the Queen’s life and make yourself a hero!’

Scar Nose stared at the approaching horse, still a few minutes away, then looked back to Gwenda, and finally to Roderick. He nodded. ‘Do it.’

Roderick knelt beside the Queen and the knights tending her. One of them had made a pillow for her out of his cloak. Both eyed him suspiciously, but after a glance at Scar Nose, moved back. The Queen was doing slow motion backstroke. She didn’t resist when Roderick put a hand behind her neck, lifted her head and brought the bowl to her lips.

‘Hold her neck. I need two hands,’ Roderick said to one of the knights.

With his left hand Roderick prised the Queen’s mouth open, and with his other he poured the liquid in. He pushed her jaws together and held them closed. The Queen twisted and turned, trying to open her mouth. Everyone in the crowd stared. No one had ever heard of a Queen being force-fed.

Roderick saw her neck muscles working, and relaxed his grip to allow her mouth to open a little. Seeing the liquid was gone, he let her jaws go completely, and laid her head gently back on the cloak.

Nothing happened. No one moved. Everyone stared at the Queen. Even the horses.

‘Get some water,’ Roderick said over his shoulder. ‘She’ll need it.’ His heart pounded. He wanted the Queen to recover because he wanted the Queen to recover, but he also wanted her to recover because if she didn’t, he would be in big, big trouble.

Still nothing happened. Often when nothing is happening it’s boring, but no one was bored now.

Scar Nose crouched over the Queen, watching anxiously. Word must have reached the town as a snake of people was racing down the hill. The horse carrying the doctor had worked its way through the crowd. The doctor, wearing a top hat and a long waxed moustache, leapt down to the Queen.

As he did, she opened her eyes.

‘She lives,’ whispered Scar Nose.

‘Don’t move her,’ snapped the doctor.

‘Actually,’ said the Queen, softly but clearly. ‘I would like to move. Please, help me sit up.’

The crowd gasped. Scar Nose helped her sit upright and offered her a flask. ‘Water, Your Majesty?’

She waved it away, rubbed her eyes and then looked about, blinking. ‘What happened?’

Scar Nose explained.

‘Goodness,’ said the Queen when he had finished. ‘The assassin?’

‘Not yet found, Majesty. We are searching both sides of the river.’

The Queen shook her head, as if trying to clear it, and then said to Scar Nose, ‘Help me up, Drayshus.’

‘Are you sure you feel well enough, Majesty? Will you drink first?’ he asked.

‘No, I feel fine,’ replied the Queen. Drayshus helped her to her feet. She managed a smile, and then looked intently at Roderick. ‘And what shall we do with you? Saving the Queen’s life deserves a reward.’

Roderick felt a warm glow inside. He had done it! He wondered what his reward would be. Silver? Gold? Perhaps it would be enough so he could expand the herb garden, and put in irrigation channels from the river.

Then came the words that ruined everything.

‘You have done me a great service. In return, I will try to repay you. No longer need you be a peasant. From this day, to thank you for your clear thinking and skilful action in saving my life, I have decided to give you a great opportunity. You will become . . .’ she paused for effect, aware that the hundreds who had crowded towards the bridge were straining to hear every word, ‘. . . a knight!’

The crowd cheered.

Roderick stood in complete shock, eyes and mouth wide open.

Shock can be good or bad. If your Uncle Wilbur turned up on your doorstep one morning and handed you a huge jar of lollies and a new puppy, you would be shocked in a good way, especially if you didn’t even know you had an Uncle Wilbur. However, if you woke up one morning to find that your right arm had vanished, you would be shocked in a bad way. The confusing thing is that both types of shock look the same. So when Roderick looked shocked, everyone assumed it was good shock. Why wouldn’t it be? Knights ranked just below the Queen in importance. They were rich and powerful, and had great lives whizzing around having adventures, rescuing princesses and going to banquets. And not only did they get excellent food, comfy lodgings and a free horse, there hadn’t actually been any wars for ages, so being a knight wasn’t even that dangerous anymore. In fact, the most common cause of death for knights recently had been from heart attacks caused by all the steak and cheesecake they ate.

Knights had it so good that if any Baronian peasant had had the good fortune to be suddenly made into one by the Queen, they would have thought they were the luckiest person in the world.

Any Baronian peasant, that is, except the one that it had actually happened to.

Roderick wasn’t thinking about how lucky he was. He was thinking this: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHH!!!!!!!!!!!! NO! NO! NO! I CAN’T BE A KNIGHT! I DON’T WANT TO FIGHT! I CAN’T FIGHT! I’LL GET HURT! I’LL GET KILLED! WAIT. KILLED?! AAAAAAHHHH!!! AND EVEN IF I DON’T GET KILLED I’LL HAVE TO GO AND LIVE IN THE CASTLE AND I HATE CASTLES AND I LIKE LIVING AT HOME AND WHAT ABOUT MY HERB GARDEN AND WHAT WILL MUM AND SONYA DO WITHOUT ME THERE TO GROW THE HERBS? I DON’T WANT TO LEAVE THEM! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!

As the cheers died down, the Queen smiled again at Roderick. ‘When you woke up this morning, Roderick, did you imagine that before lunchtime you would have saved the Queen’s life and become a knight?’ There were more cheers.

What Roderick wanted to do was to thank the Queen for her generous offer and politely decline, but that was impossible because the Queen’s offer was not actually an offer. Queens don’t make offers. They make pronouncements. The politest invitation from a Queen was as impossible to refuse as a direct command. Any sign that he was unhappy would have been unthinkably disrespectful and quite possibly treasonous. Roderick may have saved her life, but the Queen was still the Queen.

As Roderick stood in silence, the Queen continued, her voice loud enough to be heard by everyone on the bridge. ‘My people, to celebrate the fact that I have survived, there will be a great feast for all in the town square tonight.’

Everyone went berserk. The Queen knew how to please a crowd. She also knew that once you had them cheering, it was time to go. She remounted, gathered her knights (except for one who stayed behind to tell Roderick when to turn up at the castle, what to bring, and ask if he had any special dietary requirements), then gave one more grand wave and rode off into the distance, leaving Roderick with a new life that he did not want.

It was only just after breakfast, but it was already the second-worst day of his life.

CHAPTER 2

A VERY IMPORTANT MISSION

Roderick tentatively gripped his sword, his stomach in knots.

‘It’s not a broom, Sir Roderick!’ boomed Sir Shamus. ‘Hold it up! Like you mean business!’

‘But I don’t mean business,’ was what Roderick wanted to reply, but instead he raised the point of his sword a bit higher and tried to look tough, or at least a bit less un-tough.

He and nine other new knights were training in a dirt yard behind the castle. The barrel-chested and big-bearded Sir Shamus had paired them up and was making them hurt each other. The swords were only wooden, but they still stung when they hit, and Roderick was getting hit a lot. His opponent was Sir Evan, who wasn’t especially big or fearsome-looking, but he was fast and skilful with a sword. Or at least he was compared to Roderick.

‘Attack!’ roared Sir Shamus.

Nine knights rushed at each other. The tenth took a tiny, tentative step forward. Roderick held his sword up weakly, more for protection than anything else, as a barrage of blows rained down on his arm, side, ribs, chest and head.

‘Ow! Ahhh!’ he cried, collapsing to the ground.

Sir Evan snorted and turned contemptuously on his heel.

‘Up, Sir Roderick! Up!’ yelled Sir Shamus, looking disgusted. ‘Now, everyone regroup and let’s do it again!’

For the eighteenth time that day, Roderick groaned.

A few dozen whacks, bashes and bruisings later, he hauled himself up the fourteen flights of stairs to his room on the top floor of the castle and collapsed onto his bed, legs curled under him so he looked like a question mark. His room was shaped like a piece of pie and was only slightly bigger. There was no room for a full-sized bed, which is why the end of Roderick’s had been sawn off. The only other piece of furniture was a cupboard that was tall, wooden and for some reason, bright pink.

As bits of him throbbed (left shoulder, from falling off a horse), ached (chest, from a lance blow and many sword strikes) and oozed (right hand, blood blister from swinging a mace) he stared at the wardrobe and longed for his old life back.

Since the day his father Larn had died four years earlier – the worst day of his life – Roderick had run the family farm. Larn had not only grown herbs and made potions, he had also been a healer, and ultimately it was his commitment to helping the sick that had killed him. When a woman in a nearby village had contracted Fripe fever, a rare, deadly and terribly contagious disease, Larn had taken what precautions he could, but to treat someone you had to get close to them. Thanks to him, the woman had survived. He, however, had not.

His death had not only caused his family great sadness, it had also meant that they had had to work out how to re-organise things so that they could still make enough money to survive. Roderick, who had always been more interested in his father’s work than his sister and mother, had taken over the farm. He had spent mornings in the herb garden, digging, planting, pruning, cutting and daydreaming, and afternoons in the shed creating the healing remedies that his mother and sister sold at various markets. His father had taught him how to make potions, pastes and ointments that could do almost anything: increase energy, cure a fever, quicken the healing of a wound and even cheer up a grump.

Roderick had few friends and rarely left the farm, but his work kept him busy and active. At the end of each day, as he lay down in his small plain bed in his small plain room in his small plain home, Roderick knew that when morning came, there was nothing he would rather do than head back out into the garden.

And now that was all gone.

He was just starting to disappear into the delicious escape of sleep when a tremendous ringing blasted through his head. ‘Arrrgh!’ he screamed as he leapt to his feet, staring frog-eyed about the room. Then he dropped his arms and sighed. He’d never get used to it. The huge castle bells were located just above his ceiling. It was dinnertime.

The knights ate in the Great Hall at long wooden tables with benches on either side. At the front upon a raised dais was the Queen’s table, where she sat flanked on one side by Sir Drayshus, the head knight, and on the other by Sir Lilley, her chief adviser. As always, the Queen looked radiant. No matter how miserable Roderick felt, seeing her always lifted his spirits.

The meat that night was lamb and, as always, it was served with potatoes. The token second vegetable was carrot and as usual no one ate it. Knights weren’t into vegetables.

Roderick let most of the conversation pass him by because it was, as always, about jousting techniques, what to feed your horse before a big battle and, of course, the age-old question of whether a powerful, broad and heavy sword was better than a lighter and more manoeuvrable one.

When most had finished eating, the Queen rose. Instantly there was silence. Slow eaters lowered their cutlery and quickly swallowed.

‘My knights,’ she began, ‘we have been blessed with a long period of peace. Our nation is prosperous. We are on good terms with most of our neighbours, and the giant cockroaches of the north have not attacked for some time. Many of you, thankfully, have never known the horrors of war. Others . . .’ she gestured to the senior knights at the front tables, ‘remember the dark years.’

The Queen gazed slowly about the room. ‘Gentlemen, our period of peace may be about to end.’ She paused. She had everyone’s complete attention. Even if she had been reading out a shopping list, she would have had everyone’s complete attention. She was the Queen.

‘We stand at a turning point in Baronia’s history. What we do will determine whether we continue to live as we have or, once again, face the death, destruction and dismay that war brings.’

She paused. ‘The reason we have had peace with our neighbours the Nareeans for so long is not because they have become peace-loving.’ The Queen lowered her voice. Everyone leant forward. ‘Know this. If they believed that they had the strength to defeat us, they would attack.’

She took a deep breath. ‘I have recently received information that suggests that the Nareeans are on the verge of gaining control of a weapon so mighty that, should they use it against us, we would be powerless to resist.’

Murmurs broke out. Uh-oh, thought Roderick, his tummy beginning to churn.

Sir Shamus rose to his feet. He was known for his fierceness and had the words PEACE KILLS KNIGHTLY SKILLS painted on the ceiling above his bed.

‘Your Majesty, I fear nothing,’ he shouted, which was his normal way of communicating. ‘We will overpower whatever new weapon our enemies have discovered, or die gloriously in the attempt. We will crush and hack and destroy them!’ He smashed his fist on the table for emphasis, knocking over several goblets of wine, including his own.

Agreement hummed from the knights. Many were starting to get excited. They felt there had been a bit too much peace lately, and it was about time there was a reason for them to go and chop some heads off and remind everyone how fantastic they were. One of the problems with peace, if you were a knight, was that if you were not out there fighting to protect the peasants, they started to resent the fact that their taxes paid for your food, drink, lodging, horse and sword, and lately an increasing number of peasants had been doing an increasing amount of resenting.

‘I do not doubt your strength or readiness, my knights,’ said the Queen, ‘but if the Nareeans are able to find and use the weapon they seek, I fear we will be unable to stop them, no matter how well trained and fearless we are.’

Sir Shamus held his arms wide. ‘But what could possibly be so powerful that it could overcome us?’

‘Not what,’ said the Queen softly, ‘but who.’

The knights looked around at each other in confusion.

‘How many of you have heard of Ganfree Banfor?’ the Queen asked. No one put their hand up, but that was because putting your hand up was not a very knightly thing to do. Towards the front of the room there were several nods and murmurs of recognition.

‘When I was young, he was a great sorcerer. Some say he is Baronian, others that he is Nareean. No one seems to know whether he was born with his special powers, or he somehow learnt them. What we do know is that by the time he was a young man he could read and control minds. In battle his sorcery could make one side’s soldiers virtually invincible, and cause their enemies to become confused and afraid. Some say he could make enemy soldiers see giant cockroaches racing towards them when there were none, or make them think they were drowning when they were on land, or that they were unable to move their feet. Many years ago when my father was King . . .’

‘Bless his gracious soul,’ came the automatic response from the knights.

‘. . . Ganfree Banfor worked with our army, and they had many great victories. Such was his contribution to our cause that my father made him a knight. But loyalty did not come easily to him. There were many wars back then. Sometimes Banfor would side with us, but other times he would help the Nareeans, or the Danovians.’

Sir Shamus was once again on his feet. ‘What sort of man is this Banfor if he would fight first for one side, and then for the other?’

At that moment Roderick noticed a bee hovering above him. He was a bit scared of bees. ‘Shoo,’ he whispered, trying to wave it away.

‘Shhh!’ hissed Sir Lovegold next to him.

‘It is said,’ replied the Queen, ‘that Banfor used his talents to help whichever side offered him the most gold.’

‘He is a worm,’ growled Sir Shamus scornfully. Several others nodded in agreement.

The bee buzzed next to Roderick’s head. He flapped his hands at it, trying to drive it off.

‘Be still,’ Sir Lovegold snarled.

Roderick smiled stupidly and pointed at the bee, except he didn’t because it had flown away. Sir Lovegold shook his head in disgust.

‘About fifteen years ago, Banfor suddenly disappeared,’ continued the Queen. ‘Since then, there have been rumours, but no one knows where he is. Of course, a man with his powers would have no trouble keeping himself hidden, but up until recently we did not even know if he was alive or dead. But now we do.’ She paused, looking slowly about the room. ‘He is alive.’

‘If I may ask Your Majesty, how do you know?’ asked Sir Malarf, a tall and thoughtful knight.

Roderick heard a faint buzz above his head. He looked up. The bee was back. He willed himself to stay still and quiet. He had to be brave. It was only a bee.

‘As you may know,’ the Queen went on, ‘we have spies within both Nareea and Danover. Recently, we received information from an informant in Nareea who said that the Nareeans have discovered that Banfor is alive, and more alarmingly it seems that . . .’

Suddenly the bee dived at Roderick.

‘AAARRRGH!’ he shrieked, throwing his body backwards off the bench and waving his hands frantically about. He hit the ground head first, and then rolled away as fast as he could, over and over. Eventually he slowed down and stopped, curled up in a ball, eyes tightly shut.

There was a long silence. Roderick cautiously opened his eyes and looked around. Everyone was staring at him, and nobody looked happy.

Then the bee stung him on the bum.

‘AAAARRRRGH!!!’ screamed Roderick. His bottom felt like it had been hit by an arrow. He grabbed it and rolled around and around on the floor. ‘OW! OW! OW! MY STUPID OUCHING BUM!!’ He rolled and moaned until the pain began to recede and then he slowed down to a stop.

Once again he carefully opened his eyes. He seemed to have rolled right up the centre aisle of the hall towards the front table. When he looked up, it was directly into the eyes of the Queen. She looked a lot less than pleased. He slowly looked around at the knights. Disgust was the most common expression, although he also saw contempt, pity and stifled amusement. He managed to get his mouth working. ‘Sorry, er . . . There was a bee. It stung my . . . you know.’ He patted his bottom and tried a smile. No one joined in. In complete silence, he hauled himself to his feet and walked stiffly back up the aisle, footsteps echoing, to his bench where he tried to sit on his bottom’s unbitten side. His face burnt with shame and he stared at the floor. When at last he slowly raised his head he found himself staring, once again, into the eyes of the Queen.

Oh, Roderick. Roderick’s eyes widened. Her voice was laced with disappointment, but that was not the surprising bit. The surprising bit was that her mouth had not moved. He had heard her voice inside his head.

‘If you are unharmed, Sir Roderick, perhaps we can continue.’ It was the Queen again, but this time her mouth was moving. All eyes once again focused on her. ‘As I was saying, it seems that the Nareeans have discovered that Ganfree Banfor is alive, and where he is. Our spy believes the Nareeans intend to find him, and persuade him or force him to use his great powers to help them make war against us. If they are able to do this, Baronia will be in grave danger.’

Sir Malarf spoke. ‘But Your Majesty, if this Banfor has not involved himself in war for fifteen years, why would he suddenly decide to help the Nareeans?’

‘Perhaps, as in the old days,’ replied the Queen, ‘all the Nareeans will have to do is to offer him gold, or a comfortable house with servants or something else he desires. Or perhaps they will be able to force him to help them. Banfor always had great talent in working with minds, but he was no warrior. If the Nareeans can reach him, who can say what tortures they may inflict to persuade him to do their bidding. What we do know,’ the Queen’s voice rose in volume and power, as she rested her hands on the high table and leant forward, ‘is that every time Banfor has joined with an army that army has been invincible. If he helps the Nareeans, our people will suffer, we will suffer, and our kingdom will suffer. That is why we need to find Banfor before the Nareeans do.’

There was a buzz of agreement. Sir Shamus leapt up yet again. ‘There is no time to lose. Tell me where this Banfor is. I will take a company of men now! We will ride through the night!’

‘Patience, brave knight,’ soothed the Queen, a slight edge in her voice possibly betraying a growing irritation with Shamus’s continual interruptions. ‘It is not that simple. Our information is that the Nareean King knows where Banfor is, and has sent a company of knights west to look for him, but that is all we know. The Nareeans know where Banfor is but we do not.’

Sir Shamus puzzled over this. He shook his head, rubbed it vigorously with his hand, then clenched his fists and looked around for something to hit. He was used to solving problems with action, not thought. Eventually he sat back down.

‘If their knights are heading west,’ said Sir Malarf, ‘it is towards us.’

‘Indeed,’ said the Queen. ‘We have scouts along our eastern border watching for them. None have yet been seen, but it is possible that they may have already crossed into Baronia unnoticed. We must find Banfor before they do.’

‘But how, Your Majesty? They know where he is, and we do not,’ said Sir Dale.

The Queen looked around. ‘There are sixty-eight of you in this room. You will spread out, travel in sixty-eight different directions and search like none have searched before.’

Sir Shamus was unable to contain himself. ‘Majesty! There is another way.’

‘Sir Shamus?’ prompted the Queen, with exquisite politeness but little enthusiasm.

‘We could attack the Nareeans now, before they have Banfor. They have knights away looking for him, which means their capital is unprotected. We could raise an army and make for it tomorrow. In three days’ time we will be there, and by the end of the fourth we will have taken the city!’

A few others made encouraging noises. Roderick gulped and rubbed his bottom.

‘I have considered that option, Sir Shamus, but I will only unleash a war that will cause bloodshed, death and grief if it is the very last option. Even if we win a war, many of our people will die.’ She paused. ‘In all likelihood, many of you will die.’

An uneasy silence followed. Roderick put his hands under the table so no one would see them trembling.

‘Besides,’ continued the Queen. ‘The unfortunate truth is that if there was war between us and the Nareeans now, even without Banfor, I do not know if we would win.’

There were gasps of outrage. Sir Shamus leapt to his feet again, but before he could speak, the Queen held up her hand. ‘It is true, my knights. We have grown comfortable. Life has been easy. While we have prospered, the Nareeans have been quietly increasing their strength. They now have more than a hundred knights and a large and well-prepared army. They might be able to beat us even without Banfor’s help. With it, there is little hope for us. But if we can find Banfor first and persuade him to come to Palandan and accept our protection, then the Nareeans will surely fear his power too much to attack us.

‘My knights, your mission is clear. You must search for Ganfree Banfor. Whoever finds him must explain that the Nareeans want to force him to make war on us, and persuade him to return to Palandan. I will write a letter that I hope will convince him and each of you will carry a copy of it. Do whatever it takes to get him to return with you. Offer him gold, silver, whatever he wants.’

‘Your Majesty, what if he will not return with us of his own free will?’ asked Sir Dale.

‘If he will not come willingly, then, if you are able, bring him unwillingly.’

The Queen looked slowly and intently around the room, as if into the hearts of each of her knights to discover who was totally loyal to her, and who, like Roderick, was just sort of playing along because it seemed like the right thing to do. Roderick concentrated on the floor, but then his head seemed to rise of its own will and he found himself once again staring into the Queen’s eyes. He had the uncomfortable feeling that she was actually inside his brain having a look about. He hoped she didn’t discover how much he hated being a knight.

Eventually, her gaze moved on. Once she had finished she said, ‘Good luck, my noble knights. Sir Lilley will now give you a little more detail about the search.’

Sir Lilley stood up nervously. He was tall and thin with lank blond shoulder-length hair. He had a long nose and almost no lips. It was as if they had been drawn on with a very sharp pencil. ‘Thank you, your gracious Majesty,’ he said with the ingratiating smile that was plastered on his face whenever it was facing the Queen, but never otherwise seen.

‘Knights, our gracious Queen is not only beautiful, brave and . . .’ He hesitated, searching desperately for another word beginning with ‘b’ so he could sound poetic. ‘Balanced! She is also brilliant. She realised that if we just let you all go off and search for Ganfree Banfor any which way, you might all end up going in the same direction, and that wouldn’t work very well now, would it? Very cleverly spotted, Your Majesty.’ He beamed at her. Roderick rolled his eyes. ‘So, I have organised the search. When you return to your room you will find a letter under your door that will tell each of you where you must journey. Proceed to that area, search it and then return as briskly as you can.’ He looked keenly around the room, like a schoolteacher trying to spot someone not paying attention. Roderick knew that if Sir Lilley was in charge of working out who went where, there was no way Sir Lilley himself would be going anywhere dangerous. His mission would probably be to search for Banfor in the Queen’s shoe cupboard.

‘In addition,’ Sir Lilley continued, ‘you will be given vouchers that can be exchanged for food and accommodation in most major villages, and maps. Please do not tell anyone about the nature of your mission, or even that you are embarking on one. Good luck.’

Roderick made his way out into the courtyard, where most of the other knights were gathering to excitedly discuss the new developments. All he could think of were the dangers that lay ahead. Within the castle he was miserable, but at least he was safe.

Suddenly he was thumped on the back so hard he staggered forward. ‘Here we go! Adventure, hey!’ came the hearty voice of Sir Fromley, a big, jolly junior knight with dark curly hair. He was a year or two older than Roderick, and one of the few knights Roderick considered to be, if not exactly a friend, at least someone who might possibly become one.

‘Yes,’ stammered Roderick, trying to suck in some breath. ‘Woohoo. An adventure. Can’t wait.’

‘About time,’ said Fromley. ‘Things have been too quiet around here. See you on the road, maybe!’

Roderick tried to smile enthusiastically and then backed away quickly before Fromley had a chance to hit him goodbye.

As he opened the door to his room, panting from the fourteen flights of stairs, he saw an envelope on the ground and tore it open.

Sir Roderick, esteemed knight of Queen Emily. Your mission is to look for Sir Ganfree Banfor in the Forest of Gilderang.

He sank onto the bed. Oh, no, he thought. Not there. The Forest of Gilderang was one of the most dangerous and remote places in the entire kingdom. It was a dark, dense and damp collection of wood and swamp in the north, rumoured to contain all sorts of wild and fearsome creatures. And it was close to where the giant cockroaches lived.

He couldn’t believe it. Why would they pick him, one of the most junior knights, and definitely the most hopeless, to go somewhere so dangerous? Surely searching the Forest of Gilderang was a task for a knight who knew what he was doing.

Roderick climbed into bed and became a question mark. It was an appropriate shape because he had a few. How had he been able to hear the Queen’s voice in his head? Had he imagined it? And what about later when it had felt like the Queen was peeking inside his brain?

He was tired and more than a bit scared. He shut his eyes, but rather than sleeping, he spent most of the night imagining all the dangers that might lie ahead.

CHAPTER 3

A POT IN THE NIGHT

The next morning was busy as the knights prepared their armour, horses and weapons for the trip ahead. As Roderick polished his sword, he wished there was some way of ensuring his bravery was in good order as well.

By mid-morning, he was ready, and was able to slip away to visit his mother and sister.

After a cup of tea with Gwenda, he and Sonya walked uphill through the herb garden. Sonya was fifteen, a year and a half older than Roderick, and had dark, shoulder-length hair, warm eyes, and an open, friendly personality.

Roderick couldn’t help noticing the decline in the number and health of the plants he had so lovingly tended. He had tried to teach Gwenda and Sonya what to do, but growing just wasn’t their thing.

At the top of the hill they gazed out over the valley.

‘So, anything exciting happened to you?’ Roderick asked.

‘Oh, loads of things,’ Sonya said breezily. ‘Space travel, wrestling giant lizards – it never stops, really. I think the most exciting thing that happened to me this month was finding carrots on sale at the vegetable market.’ She hesitated, now serious. ‘I went to a couple of CAKE meetings in the village.’

‘CAKE! That group that wants to get rid of knights?!’

‘I thought you’d think that was a good thing. Then you could come home. Anyway, they might be called Citizens Against Knightly Excesses, but it’s not just about knights. They’re about a fairer deal for everyone. What we really object to . . .’

‘We?!’

‘I joined.’

‘You joined! Sonya, they’re dangerous. They want to start a revolution. They want to overthrow the Queen!’

‘The way we live now isn’t fair. Why should Mum and I have to fork out so much money in taxes just so you knights can eat steak every night?’

‘We didn’t have steak last night,’ Roderick said indignantly. He thought it best not to tell her it was lamb. ‘Anyway, I give you more money than you pay in taxes.’

‘Oh, thank you, mighty and merciful sire,’ Sonya said with a mock bow. ‘Thank you for being so generous to your needy family.’

‘I didn’t mean it like that.’

‘How can we possibly repay you for your kindness, most noble lord?’

‘All right, I get it. You can stop now.’

‘What about the people who don’t have a knight for a brother, Roderick? By which I mean almost everyone. How do you think they manage? There are people out there who can’t find enough food for their kids, yet every month they have to pay half of what they earn in tax.’

They stared at each other for a moment. Abruptly Sonya sighed and put her hand on his arm. ‘I’m sorry, I’m a bit frustrated. Mum and I have been at each other’s throats. I want to have some say in how we run the farm, but she says no to everything I suggest. She treats me like I’m five years old.’

What she left unsaid, but they both knew, was that when Roderick became a knight it had changed Sonya’s life too. Their mother could not manage the farm alone. If Roderick had stayed, Sonya would have been free to leave. Now, with him gone, she had to stay.

That evening a second envelope was slipped under Roderick’s door. It was addressed to ‘Sir Ganfree Banfor’ and fixed with the Queen’s seal. With it was a parchment containing instructions:

If you find Sir Ganfree Banfor but are unable to persuade him to return with you, hand him this sealed envelope as a last resort. Under no circumstances are you to hand it to anyone else, or to open it yourself. If you are about to be killed, please destroy the envelope and its contents before you expire, or you may be punished. If you do not succeed in finding Sir Ganfree Banfor, then immediately upon your return hand in the unopened envelope to the main office.

Sir Lilley

After another sleepless night during which Roderick imagined one hundred and eighty-six extremely bad things that could happen to him on his mission, he collected his packed lunch from the kitchen, crammed his saddlebags full of food and camping equipment, mounted his horse, Fruitcake, and took his place among the knights in the castle’s courtyard. It was a hot morning and they were all sweating in their chain-mail vests. With his helmet on, Roderick felt like he was inside a boiling kettle.

The Queen appeared above them on the castle balcony. ‘My knights, this is an important mission. Your most important for many years. I know you will be fearless, strong and determined . . .’

I won’t be, thought Roderick.

‘. . . and that you will succeed. The welfare of our kingdom depends on it. Travel safely and with speed.’

The castle gates swung open and they filed out into the town square. Townsfolk who had heard there was an adventure afoot and that the knights were finally going off to do something useful – although exactly what, they were not sure – had gathered to farewell them.

As they cheered and waved Roderick felt a surge of importance. The people of Baronia were relying on him. For a moment he almost forgot to be scared, but as soon as they passed through the city gates he remembered again.

Over the bridge the road split into three. A right turn would take them to South Baronia and the sea. Straight ahead lay the road east to Nareea, and turning left led to North Baronia. About half the knights, including Roderick, took this last route, and then almost immediately half of them turned left again to head west, leaving Roderick and sixteen others, including Sir Shamus and Sir Fromley, heading up the Great Northern Highway. As soon as they were out of sight of Palandan, they stopped and took off their helmets and chain mail. They had to look the part for the big departure, but there was very little chance of any danger so close to home, and no one wanted to boil their brain away. They might need it later on.

Soon they passed the turn-off to Indinwick, the nearest village to Roderick’s farm, and he wished that he could take it. They rode through the morning, passing through lush, farmed countryside and several villages. In none of the villages, it seemed to Roderick, did the knights get the sort of enthusiastic response they were used to. People came out and stared – a knight was a rare sight to see, and a group of seventeen nearly as rare as war – but they appeared more resentful than excited. Clearly, CAKE had been active.

By afternoon there were fewer houses and farms, and more trees. The road cut through a forest that gradually became denser. It opened out again as they climbed through the high pass of the Drayden Mountains, then closed in again as they descended.

Apart from the highway they were on – actually a dirt track just wide enough for two carts to squeeze past each other – there were few signs of human existence. In a few short hours they had gone from the world of people to the world of nature. Roderick noticed herbs growing near the track. There was a sympuss bush, useful for fighting fevers, and carrane, which could be used to make a potion that gave energy and reduced the need for sleep.

Regularly throughout the next two days, their number decreased as knights farewelled the group and turned off onto roads and trails that would take them to their allocated search area.

By the time the sun had dropped low towards the distant western mountains on the third day, only Shamus, Fromley and Roderick were left.

And Roderick’s bum was about to fall off.

It had, as usual, started to hurt soon after he mounted Fruitcake, especially the bit that had been stung by the bee. Why simply sitting on something should cause such pain mystified him. Usually he only spent an hour or two on a horse, and that was enough to make him sore, but a whole day in the saddle, he discovered, was agony. Following it up with another was worse. And he had now been riding almost non-stop for three days. He had passed beyond agony to numbness, which had spread into his legs and back. He knew his bottom was still there – if it had fallen off he would have been sitting lower in the saddle – but he could not feel it at all.

Despite the discomfort, he dared not complain or ask to stop.

Eventually they came to a grassy bank that led gently down to a stream. ‘We’ll sleep here tonight, lads,’ said Sir Shamus. He pulled up his horse and dismounted.

Roderick could have kissed him. He jumped off Fruitcake to the ground but his legs, instead of calmly catching his body’s weight like they usually did, were so numb that they collapsed. Roderick’s cry of surprise was quickly followed by Shamus and Fromley’s laughter.

He tried to climb to his feet, but his legs still wouldn’t work. He was stumbling about like a newborn camel. After a bit he was able to stagger down to the stream where he took a huge drink, and then turned himself around and bathed his aching bottom.

They pitched tents and, while Fromley took his bow and arrow to hunt for dinner, Roderick, his bottom now slightly recovered, collected firewood. Later, sitting around the fire with a bellyful of what was either soupy rabbit stew or stewy rabbit soup, Roderick felt the peace that only a night under the stars can bring. The sky was huge and clear, the fire comforting and even Sir Shamus had gone quiet.

There was something else. It felt good to be on an important mission. For the first time since he had become a knight, Roderick felt like he mattered. Despite the soreness of his bottom, the fact that he had made a fool of himself getting off his horse and his deep nervousness about what would happen next, he was proud that he had been trusted by the Queen to do something significant, and he was determined to do his best.

‘Too woo!’ The sound came from a bush to Roderick’s left. He jumped to his feet in fright, trying to draw his sword at the same time, but he couldn’t get it out properly. He stumbled backwards, lost his balance and began to fall into the fire. Shamus’s strong hands reached out and caught him.

‘What was that?!’ cried Roderick, still struggling to release his sword.

Shamus stared hard at him and then let out a long sigh. ‘An owl, you idiot.’

Nothing happened for a few seconds; then Fromley started to laugh. After a moment, Shamus joined him. Roderick sank back to the ground, face burning with shame.

‘Oh, lad,’ said Shamus, not angrily, but even worse, with pity. ‘What are you doing here?’ He let out another loud sigh, and then got to his feet. ‘I’m off to bed. We’ve got another long ride tomorrow, so don’t stay up late.’

As Shamus disappeared into his tent, Fromley tossed another log onto the fire. ‘Don’t worry about him. You’ll be fine.’

Roderick shifted uneasily.

‘Imagine how great it would be if you or I actually found Banfor,’ Fromley said. ‘Whoever brings him back will be a hero!’

Roderick pictured himself returning triumphantly to Palandan, the saviour of the kingdom. A crackle from the fire brought him back to reality. He wasn’t hero material. He couldn’t even get off his horse properly.

‘How will anyone be able to bring him back? He’s a sorcerer,’ he said.

Fromley snorted. ‘He’s probably just a tired old man who’d love an invitation to be the guest of honour in the Queen’s castle. If I find him I’ll show him the Queen’s letter, and if that doesn’t work, I’ll show him my sword. That’ll persuade him.’

‘I don’t think that’d work for me,’ said Roderick, gazing into the flames. He envied Fromley his enthusiasm. He seemed to always feel at ease, no matter where he was or what he was doing.

‘You’ve got to focus on your strengths, Roderick. Maybe swordplay isn’t for you, but what about all those magic potions you know how to make? You could use them.’

‘It’s not really magic. They’re just mixtures of herbs, that when combined in the right way and under the right conditions can create –’

‘Yeah, yeah, I’m just saying, use what you’re good at. I’ve got my sword, you’ve got your potions. Anyway, the odds are that neither of us will find him. Think of it as a holiday exploring the countryside.’

‘It’s not my idea of a holiday,’ grumbled Roderick. ‘If I had a holiday, I’d be with my mother and sister at our farm.’ He hesitated. ‘Do you miss your family?’

Fromley swallowed. ‘Um . . . sometimes,’ he said stiffly. ‘Well, I better be going to bed.’ He stood up quickly. ‘Goodnight.’

Roderick stared after him. What had he said wrong? Did Fromley think it was un-knightly to talk about missing your family?

Lying in his tent later, he worried about being attacked in his sleep by wolves, robbers or blood-thirsty two-headed bats, even though he knew that blood-thirsty two-headed bats didn’t really exist. His unease was not helped by a nagging feeling that he was not alone. He couldn’t see, hear or smell anything unusual, but he felt some sort of presence. Or he thought he did. Or he imagined he thought he did. Or something. Uneasily he drifted off.

Sometime later he woke. It was still dark. His tent didn’t have a door flap and outside he could see the fire’s embers. Next to it, the pot in which the rabbit stew had been cooked hovered at chest height above the ground. It was floating in mid-air! Roderick’s heart galloped. The pot tipped to one side for a few seconds, then righted itself. After a few more moments of hovering, it tipped again; then after a few seconds, again righted itself. This happened several times, and then the pot slowly lowered itself to the ground. Roderick kept staring at it, but the pot did not move again. Everything was quiet except the beating of his heart.

Next time he woke it was daylight. Outside, it was sunny, and Fromley and Shamus were packing up and washing cutlery, plates and bits of themselves in the river.

The pot stood by the ashes of the fire. He approached it carefully. It appeared to be a normal pot on a normal patch of ground. He poked it quickly with his finger. He touched it again, then picked it up and examined it. Nothing unusual. Its inside was covered with the remnants of last night’s dinner.

Something smashed into his back. ‘Roderick, you greedy guts!’ It was Fromley.

‘What?’

‘You’ve eaten it all before we woke up, you rat. Or did you have a midnight feast? Me and Shamus had to have stale bread and cheese again! There was enough left for us all to have some for breakfast!’

‘It . . . it wasn’t me.’

‘It didn’t eat itself. Well, you can at least clean the pot.’ Fromley stomped off.

If there had been enough stew left for three breakfasts, where had it all gone? He looked about to see if there was any on the ground. There wasn’t. Had the mysterious force that had lifted the pot been hungry?

After they’d packed and loaded the horses, they rode through hills densely covered with trees, seeing no sign of human existence. The Great Northern Highway was now just a rough track upon which only two of them could ride abreast. Sir Shamus kept up a constant stream of stories, many from his time as a guard on the Nareean border. He didn’t like Nareeans.

‘They’re treacherous. Decent fighters, but beware of their tricks. Never trust a Nareean.’

At last, as the track narrowed further and forest closed in on them, blocking out the sun, even Sir Shamus ran out of words. Roderick pulled his cloak tight around him, as much to warm his spirit as his body.

Just before lunch they came to a side road on their left marked by a decrepit wooden sign with the chipped and faded words FOREST OF GILDERANG on it. Below in smaller writing were the words, BEWARE GIANT COCKROACHES. Below that, in even smaller letters it said, PROBABLY BEST NOT TO GO THIS WAY.

Roderick gulped. ‘I guess this is me.’

Fromley manoeuvred his horse beside Roderick’s and looked at him. Then he gave him a huge punch on the shoulder. ‘Ahh, Roderick,’ he said with an uncertain grimace. There was an uneasy silence, and then he added, ‘You’ll be fine!’

Then Sir Shamus did something Roderick had never seen before. He smiled. He may have been trying to appear cheery, but it looked terrifying. Luckily, it vanished as suddenly as it had arrived. ‘Good luck, Sir Roderick,’ he said seriously. He wasn’t even shouting. ‘Carry the nobility and fearlessness of our mighty order of knights with you as, er, best you can. And, uh, try to take care of yourself.’ Then he glanced about and whispered. ‘Look, if you get into trouble, well, I wouldn’t say this to everyone, but you just turn yourself around and hurry home, lad. No point dying for naught, is there?’ He gave another hopeless smile, turned his horse and set off, with Fromley following. Fruitcake began to move after them until Roderick pulled his reins tight.

He watched them trot away, already feeling lonely. They weren’t like him, but they were company. He felt hopeless and afraid. Shamus’s smile had been too humiliating to bear. Both he and Fromley obviously thought he was totally incapable.

He stared at the ground for a long time, feeling sorry for himself. Then another feeling grew. Anger. He didn’t want Shamus and Fromley’s concern, or their stupid smiles, or especially their pity. He would be all right on his own!

He pulled Fruitcake’s head around hard, kicked his sides and surged forward. He kicked again until Fruitcake reached a gallop. The wind was in his face and he felt a burst of exhilaration. He leant forward in the saddle, carried along by the rush of adventure. He knew that it would probably pass, but you had to take what you could get.

Best of all, his bottom had stopped hurting.

CHAPTER 4

THE HOLE IN THE TREE

Before too long Roderick allowed Fruitcake to drop back to a walk. As their pace slowed, his unease rose.

He was alone in a spooky forest. Not the Forest of Gilderang yet, just the forest that didn’t have a name that you had to go through to get to the Forest of Gilderang. Tall trees interlocked over the top of the track, blocking out all but the most determined rays of sunshine. With every gust of wind, shadows danced. The track narrowed even more to a sketchy path criss-crossed with vines, forcing Roderick to slow Fruitcake further, and to draw his sword and slash and hack his way through as he gripped the horse’s reins tightly with his other hand.

Ever since they’d left their campsite that morning, Roderick had had the strange feeling that something was following him. He had looked back over his shoulder one hundred and twenty-six times, but had not seen anything. On several occasions he had heard a crack of a twig or the rustling of leaves but maybe it was just the wind or a squirrel? Nonetheless, as the forest crept in on him, the feeling that he was not alone grew.

He looked behind him again, but all he could see were shadows, vines and tree roots. He urged Fruitcake on, raising his sword to slash another vine.

And then a snake dropped onto his head.

Drop pythons lived in the upper branches of tall trees in dense forests, and slithered about hundreds of feet above the ground. Their eyes were low on their head, almost on the underside, and they spent their days looking down for prey. When they saw something tempting they would position themselves directly above it and then drop and land on their victim, wrap themselves around it, squeeze it to death and, after a rest to regain their breath, swallow it.

This particular drop python was recovering from a bout of food poisoning caused by her latest meal, a diseased squirrel. She had been unwell for five days, but was now feeling much better. She was six metres long, as thick as Roderick’s leg and very hungry.

The python knocked Roderick off Fruitcake and to the ground. Before Roderick knew what was happening, the python’s coils had wrapped themselves around his body. His sword was still in his hand – amazingly he had managed to hold on to it – but it was pinned to his body by the snake and pointed uselessly at his feet. Roderick screamed. As he did, the snake tightened her grip. He tried to breathe in, but the coils squeezed his chest so tightly that there was no room for the air.

The snake’s face was right in front of him. Her mouth opened and a long forked tongue emerged to lick at his face. Roderick’s lungs begged for air, but no matter how hard he sucked he couldn’t get any. He realised he was about to die, his adventure over. He had failed, just as everyone expected. What a depressing final thought. He hoped he wouldn’t be stuck with it for all eternity.

Suddenly a knife materialised from out of nowhere, sticking out of the top of the snake’s head. Blood splattered. The snake’s eyes bulged. Its tongue flapped. The knife rose up out of the snake’s head, disappeared momentarily then once again appeared, stabbing deep into the snake’s head.

The snake’s eyes looked as though they were about to explode. Blood poured out of her wounds and her head wobbled and flopped. Roderick still couldn’t breathe. Again, he tried and failed to suck in air. The world shook. The edge of his vision was black and the black was closing in towards the centre. Every second, there was more black and less world.

He wondered if when the black completely shut out the world that would mean he was dead.

The last thing he saw was the knife disappearing and then stabbing into the snake’s head a third time. He felt blood splatter over him, and then nothing.

Sometime later it occurred to Roderick that he was conscious. That meant, with a bit of luck, that he was alive. Or that there was an afterlife. Slowly he opened his eyes. They worked. The snake’s coils were spread out around him. If this was the afterlife, it was very similar to the life he had just left. Cautiously he prodded a coil. No movement. Was it dead? He found the head. It had three big, bloody holes in it, and its bulging eyes were lifeless. Definitely dead. But who had stabbed it?

He hauled himself to his feet. Fruitcake was nibbling calmly on grass a few steps away. There was no one else in view but he was sure he could sense another presence.

‘Hello?’ he called, trying to sound friendly.

As if in reply, a stick as long as his arm picked itself up off the ground and floated towards him. Roderick jumped back.

‘What are you?’

The stick scratched a line in the dirt, then rose and scratched a shorter line that joined the first one about halfway along. A ‘Y’. A new line appeared, curved and became an ‘o’. A ‘u’ followed it. ‘You’. Letters continued to appear.

You owe me

‘Yes. All right,’ said Roderick.

More letters appeared. I am invisible

‘I can see that,’ said Roderick. ‘Oh! Get it? I said, “I can see that” but you’re invisible.’

The stick rose up as if to hit him.

‘Sorry,’ said Roderick quickly.

The stick resumed writing, spelling out Voice gone too

Roderick tried a question. ‘Why have you been following me?’

The stick scratched out You know spells – fix me

‘They’re not really spells. It’s just mixtures of herbs, that when combined in the right way and under the –’ The stick rose threateningly. ‘All right, sorry. The point is that curing invisibility is hard.’

I saved you

‘Yes, okay, I’ll try. Um, sorry to ask this but . . . are you human?’

Dragon

‘What?!’ Roderick started to back away. The stick scratched again.

Joke. Human. Female

‘Oh. Good. And what happened to you?’

Get my voice back and I might tell

‘I’m Roderick, by the way.’

I know

Roderick waited for her to tell him her name, but she didn’t. ‘Well, I’ll look for my book then.’ He started rummaging through his saddlebags for his spell book.

He had found the book five years earlier in a giant oak tree on his farm, one that had strangely always exerted some sort of pull on him. One day he had suddenly decided to climb it – a very un-Roderick thing to do. He had settled himself on a branch fairly high up to look at the magnificent view and, leaning against the trunk, had discovered a hollow with something inside it – a canvas bag containing a small book with a dusty green cover.

Its yellowed pages were filled with handwritten recipes for potions, ointments and tonics. Roderick had seen recipe books before – his father used them all the time to make cures for everything from hair loss to headaches, poisoning to paralysis, sprained ankles to sore teeth – but never one like this. His father always emphasised that herbs should be used only to help and to heal, and not for any sort of ‘trickery or treachery’. But this book had recipes for mixtures designed to create blindness, to steal a voice, to remove memory and to create nightmares.

Roderick had left the book where he’d found it and had never spoken of it to anyone, even though he had a strong sense that it belonged to his father. Sometimes he had thought about asking him, but he could never quite find the words, and the following year it became too late – his father fell ill and died.

Five years later, on the day he left home to become a knight, he had climbed the tree once more, taken the book and slipped it into his pocket. Just in case.

Now he flicked through it, searching for the recipes for curing invisibility and finding a lost voice. They were both near the back, written in tall, spidery handwriting.

A CURE FOR INVISIBILITY

No matter how invisibility is caused, a cure may be created if the subject takes a cup of the following potion:

Two parts root of Eam tree

Two parts Crackdown leaves

Four parts Weaselthistle

Crush the Eam root in a bowl then slowly add the Crackdown leaves. Add seven parts water and mix into a paste. Boil until half the liquid is gone. Crush the Weaselthistle into a powder then add gradually, stirring in. Leave to simmer until cool. Drink. The return of visibility may take some time.

On the following page was RETURNING A LOST VOICE.

If the voice too has been made invisible a similar potion is needed. Repeat the same recipe for curing invisibility but instead of using the root of the Eam tree, use the root of the Yulour tree.

Roderick had spied crackdown and eam trees in the forest, but had seen no sign of weaselthistle or the yulour tree.

He shut the book and went searching.

CHAPTER 5

RUBY

The wind gusted the fire’s flames, flicking shadows about the woods that Roderick’s imagination turned into bears, dragons and more snakes. Just as he had begun to get used to the forest by day, night had rolled in and made it scary again. Since surviving the drop python he had been checking the branches above him so often he had a stiff neck. He pulled his cloak tight about his shoulders and turned to the bowl hovering in mid-air beside him.

‘All gone?’

The bowl moved from side to side, which Roderick took to mean no. He wondered if the potions would work. The only eam tree he had found was nearly dead, which made him especially unsure about the anti-invisibility potion.

‘It probably tastes worse than the first one,’ said Roderick apologetically. ‘By the way, how come some things you touch turn invisible but others don’t? Like when you touch that bowl it stays visible, and so does that stick you write with, but I could only see the knife you stabbed the snake with when it was in the snake. And then there’s your clothes. They’re invisible, right? Wait. Are you wearing clothes? Because if the anti-invisibility potion works and you don’t have any clothes on . . .’

‘I’m wearing clothes,’ said the bowl.

‘Okay. Good. Because if you were in the nude, and then your invisibility wore off, then . . . Wait. You spoke!’

There was a pause. ‘I spoke!’

‘You can speak!’

‘I can speak!’

‘It worked. It actually worked.’

‘I can speak! I can speak! Oh thank you! Thank you!’ The voice was female and full of joy, but sounded a little odd. Had he mixed the potion wrongly?

The bowl was dancing around. It approached him and then fell to the ground. He felt arms wrap around him. She was hugging him!

‘Thank you, thank you,’ she repeated.

‘Um, it’s fine,’ Roderick stuttered, tentatively hugging back. ‘I’m so sorry though, your voice . . . I don’t think it’s come back quite right. It’s obviously too deep. That can sometimes happen. Maybe I put in too much yulour root. I can try to . . .’

Roderick’s voice trailed off. She was no longer hugging him.

‘What?’ he asked.

‘Deep!’ she growled. There was something threatening about the way the empty bowl was now rising up and back.

‘I mean normal! A bit deep, but mainly normal,’ he backtracked.

The bowl flew through the air and hit him between the eyes.

‘Oww!’ cried Roderick.

‘That’s how it always sounds!’ thundered the air where the bowl had been.

Roderick held his head, and then rubbed it, but it still hurt.

‘I’m a bit sensitive about my voice,’ said the voice.

‘Clearly,’ replied Roderick.

‘Oh come on. Don’t be a baby. It didn’t hit you that hard. There’s hardly any blood.’

‘Blood!’ shrieked Roderick. ‘I’m bleeding?’

‘Just a few drops.’ A cloth hovered towards him. ‘Here.’

Roderick pressed it against his head. He felt her hand on his shoulder. ‘I’m sorry,’ said the voice. ‘Come and lie down.’ He allowed himself to be led into his tent.

‘You still haven’t told me your name,’ said Roderick.

‘Haven’t I? How rude. It’s Ruby.’

‘But who are you . . . I mean why . . .’

‘First lie down. You’ve had a nasty knock on the head,’ Ruby insisted.

Roderick did as he was told. He pulled off his boots and stretched out.

‘That’s better, isn’t it?’ she said gently. A blanket settled about his shoulders.

Roderick was suddenly exhausted. On his first day by himself he had been attacked by a snake, rescued by an invisible girl, had found a lost voice and been sconed by a bowl.

‘Shut your eyes,’ Ruby ordered. Roderick obeyed. ‘Time to sleep.’ It was nice being told what to do. It meant he didn’t have to think.

‘Move over,’ said Ruby.

‘Hmmm?’ murmured Roderick.

‘I’m cold.’

‘Yes, but . . .’

‘I can’t sleep outside,’ said Ruby. ‘It might rain. Then I’ll get sick. I just got my voice back. I don’t want to lose it again. Anyway, I’ve done it before.’

‘Slept in a tent?’

‘Slept in this tent.’

‘Huh?’ Roderick opened his eyes again.

‘Last night. I finished your stew, which was very nice, thanks, although to be honest I would have liked a bit more salt. Then I waited for you to get back to sleep, and I slept in your tent. You snored.’

Roderick saw the edge of his blanket lift and hover in mid-air.

‘Goodnight, Roderick. See you in the morning, and if the other potion works you’ll see me.’

Although Roderick was exhausted, he was also burning with curiosity. Who was this mysterious person lying next to him, and why was she invisible?

‘Wait. What happened to you? Why are you here, in the middle of nowhere? Why were you following us?’

‘I wasn’t following you. We just happened to be going in the same direction. I was turned invisible and my voice was taken, and now I’m looking for a cure.’

‘What do you mean, you were turned invisible? Who by? How?’

‘One day, about eight months ago, it just happened. I was riding my horse along a country road, and I disappeared. One minute I was there and the next I wasn’t. Since then I’ve been voiceless and bodiless. You’re the first person I’ve communicated with.’

‘Someone must have put an invisibility spell on you. Who would have done that?’

‘I have no idea. My family think I’ve disappeared.’

‘Well, you have.’

‘Yes, but they don’t know what happened to me . . .’ Roderick heard an edge of pain in her voice.

‘Where are you from?’ he asked.

There was a pause. ‘Danover,’ Ruby said. Roderick knew of Danover as a small, mainly peaceful kingdom that bordered both Nareea and Baronia to the north.

‘Didn’t you try writing with a stick in the dirt for anyone else?’

‘At first I couldn’t pick up anything. I was more than invisible. It was like I was almost completely gone. I could slap someone in the face and they wouldn’t feel it. I went around doing that for a while. It was quite fun. But then my hand got sore. Eventually I learnt how to pick up little things, then bigger ones, and after a lot of practice I could write with a stick in the dirt.’

‘But why are you here?

‘I was searching for someone who might be able to help me. A couple of days ago I saw you on the road and I thought that, since I was heading in the same direction, I might as well travel with you so I could finish your dinner, warm myself by your fire and sleep in a tent. Last night I heard your friend mention that you could make potions so I was hoping there would be an opportunity to try to communicate with you and ask you to help me. I was going to do it this evening when you made camp, but the snake sped things up.’

‘Where are you going?’

‘So many questions! I should have thrown that bowl harder so it knocked you out.’ She sighed. ‘Okay, listen. We’re looking for the same person.’

‘What! How do you know who I’m looking for?’

‘Because you have been talking about it non-stop for days, you idiot. I’ve been following you, remember. It’s one of the good things about being invisible. You find out a lot.’

‘Why are you looking for . . .’ He stopped. What if she was bluffing and she didn’t really know?

‘Ganfree Banfor. You can say his name, Roderick. I’m looking for him because I thought he might be able to cure me.’

‘Well, if you’re looking for Banfor, I’ve got some bad news. I’m searching for him but I don’t know where he is. He could be anywhere.’

‘But you want to find him, right?’

‘Yes of course,’ he said, hoping it sounded convincing. Did he? He certainly wanted to be a hero, but on the other hand he didn’t want to get too close to anything that might be dangerous.

‘Then you’re heading in the right direction.’

‘He’s around here? Where?’

‘I think I know where he is.’

‘Where?’

‘I’m not sure if I should tell you.’

‘I got your voice back. You have to tell me.’

‘Why are you looking for him, anyway? You tell me that and I’ll tell you where he is.’

Roderick wasn’t sure that was a good idea. His mission was supposed to be secret. But Ruby had probably overheard most of it already and besides, he was far too tired to come up with a convincing lie.

So he told her the truth, outlining the gist of what the Queen had explained to them. When he finished he left a space for Ruby to tell him where Banfor was. She didn’t fill it.

After a few moments he prompted her. ‘So?

‘Hmmm.’ She sounded distracted.

‘So . . . where is he?’

‘Yes, all right,’ she said slowly, as if her mother was ordering her to share her favourite toy. ‘After I became invisible, I snooped around trying to work out how I could get fixed, and I heard about this powerful magician called Ganfree Banfor. But nobody knew where he was. Eventually, I heard a rumour that he might be inside the Circle of Mountains.’

Roderick went pale. ‘You mean . . . where the cannibals live?’

‘No,’ said Ruby reassuringly, ‘there are no cannibals there.’

He felt a little better.

‘The cannibals live on the way to the Circle of Mountains. We have to go past them to get there.’

Roderick started to feel a bit faint. The Circle of Mountains lay ahead of them, west of the Forest of Gilderang. They were tall and much too steep to climb and while there was rumoured to be a path that led through them into the circle’s centre, no one had ever been able to confirm its existence.

He remembered another piece of information about the Circle of Mountains.

‘Isn’t that also where the giant cockroaches are supposed to live?’

‘That’s the place.’

‘That’s not good.’

‘No.’

‘They’re the most dangerous creatures in the world.’

‘Yes.’

‘It’s okay for you. You’re invisible.’

‘They smell pretty good.’

‘I don’t care what they smell like. It’s their teeth I’m worried about,’ Roderick snapped.

‘I meant their sense of smell is pretty good, so even though I’m invisible, they could find me.’

‘Well, I’d still rather be you than me.’

‘Oh would you?’ growled Ruby. ‘You’d like it if no one could see you or hear you? And if your friends and family were worrying themselves sick about what had happened to you, and you couldn’t even let them know that you were right there next to them? You’d like that?’ Her words rushed out, falling over themselves. ‘You know what? I don’t think you’d like it. I think you’d hate it. Just like I hate it.’ Suddenly, muffled sobs filled the tent.

‘Sorry,’ he said, awkwardly sticking out his hand in the general direction of her head to give her a comforting pat.

‘Owww!’ she screamed. ‘You poked me in the eye!’

‘Sorry! I was trying to pat you.’

‘I’m not a cat!’

He tried again, adjusting his aim. This time he found her hair.

She sniffled as he stroked. What a strange girl. One minute throwing stuff at him, the next bursting into tears. And that voice. In a way, the fact that she was invisible was the least strange thing about her.

CHAPTER 6

AN ALARMING GLIMPSE

Next morning they ate bread and cheese for breakfast. Then, as Roderick packed the tent, he considered his options.

Ruby was heading towards the Circle of Mountains. If he wanted to find Banfor, he should go with her. But if he wanted to avoid giant cockroaches and bloodthirsty cannibals, he should go somewhere else.

The safest option would be to proceed as planned to the Forest of Gilderang and search for Banfor there. That was, after all, what he had been instructed to do. Of course there wouldn’t actually be any point searching the forest because he now knew that Banfor wasn’t there, so he could just find somewhere safe and comfortable to camp for a few days, possibly even before he got to the forest, have a bit of a rest and then head home. Mission accomplished, more or less, with no risk of being eaten, torn to shreds or having anything else thrown at him by Ruby.

‘Shall we?’ asked Ruby, once everything was packed. Reluctantly, Roderick nodded.

‘You sit up behind me,’ he said. He didn’t need to decide anything yet. It would only be when the route to the Circle of Mountains and the Forest of Gilderang diverged that he would have to choose.

He mounted Fruitcake, and felt Ruby pull herself up behind him, unless of course it was some other invisible person who happened to be passing by and fancied a ride.

Fruitcake snorted in surprise as though wondering how Roderick had managed to put on so much weight overnight.

They trotted silently through the forest for half an hour before Ruby spoke. ‘It’s thinning out.’

Indeed it was. Sunlight streamed onto the path as the forest opened onto a plain. Ahead the track forked. At the junction Roderick pulled Fruitcake up.

‘Here we are,’ he said.

‘Left to the Circle of Mountains,’ said Ruby.

And right to the Forest of Gilderang, and safety, thought Roderick. He kept Fruitcake still.

‘Does Fruitcake need a rest?’ asked Ruby. ‘I suppose he’s not used to carrying two people. I may have crept into your tent before, but this is the first time I’ve ever sneaked a ride. He’s probably exhausted, and my legs could do with a stretch.’

She jumped off the horse. Roderick didn’t move. He was deep in thought. Should he turn left to danger and a chance of glory, or right to safety?

‘Just going to sit there, Roderick? Someone’s turned you to stone, have they? I thought it was bad being invisible.’ She laughed.

Roderick looked straight ahead. ‘The Queen has commanded me to search the Forest of Gilderang and I must fulfil my mission.’

‘What?’ Ruby said, surprised. He imagined confusion on her face. ‘Roderick, your Queen wants you to find Banfor. She’d want you to go to where he is. Searching the forest doesn’t make sense if you know he’s not there.’

Roderick was gripping the reins so tightly his hands hurt. He wanted to go with her. But he didn’t want to die.

‘Nonetheless, I have my orders,’ he said formally. ‘Unfortunately I am unable to make contact with the Queen to find out whether she wishes to change them. Accordingly I must continue to do what I have been commanded. A knight must follow his orders.’

‘But Roderick, a knight is supposed . . .’ She trailed off, and Roderick thought he knew why. She had just realised he was a coward. When she spoke again her voice was cold. ‘All right, Roderick. It was nice to meet you. Thank you for helping me. Goodbye.’

He heard her take a couple of steps, then say, ‘Oh, and Roderick. Good luck with your mission. I hope it succeeds.’ There was no doubt what that was. Sarcasm.

Then she spoke again, even more frostily. ‘By the way, there’s one thing I don’t understand. This is one of the most dangerous parts of the country. It’s also a likely place for Banfor to hide in, because it’s so remote. So why, then, did they send you to look here? Why didn’t they send a proper knight?’

Roderick swallowed hard, ears ringing, hating himself more than he ever had before. He pulled Fruitcake around to the right and urged him down the track towards the Forest of Gilderang.

They rode for hours along undulating grasslands, up and down gentle hills. From the top of each he could see the forest getting closer. When his shame and humiliation grew so great he thought he would burst, he jumped to the ground and sprinted down the path, Fruitcake trotting a few paces behind.

He wanted to outrun his guilt, his fear and his self-loathing. Most of all he wanted to outrun himself.

Soon, the trees grew denser, and he was on the outskirts of the forest. Exhausted, he found a flat clearing off the track, slumped to the ground and lay on the grass staring at the sky.

Why didn’t they send a proper knight?

The words burnt him. If he could have just been sure that if he had gone with Ruby nothing bad would have happened. But to deliberately choose to go somewhere so perilous . . . If something went wrong, you only had to die once – just one little time – and that was it, forever. Your life was over. Roderick tried to tell himself that he was just being sensible. He didn’t want to die, so why do something that might get him killed? It didn’t make sense.

Why, then, did he feel so bad?

Why didn’t they send a proper knight?

He rolled over onto his tummy and sighed. A purple flower was growing nearby. Bandivane? Something clicked in his head. He crawled over and examined it. Yes, bandivane! He jumped up, rushed to Fruitcake and rummaged through his saddlebags until he found his spell book, and then turned to the page he wanted.

GLIMPSING JUICE

Swallowing Glimpsing Juice will cause a person to fall into a trance, during which they may see glimpses of the future, the past or the present.

Three parts Bandivane (Note: Bandivane is extremely rare, appearing only in isolated clumps in Baronia’s north and is impossible to transplant or farm elsewhere)

One part Grimnew

Two parts Tromaneek

Crush the Bandivane and remove the stem, leaving the sap in a bowl. Mix it with a few drops of water until it is runny, but still thick. Tear the Grimnew and Tromaneek leaves into small pieces and add them slowly, stirring vigorously. Heat the mixture and continue to stir until the Grimnew and Tromaneek leaves have completely dissolved. Allow to cool, and then drink three mouthfuls.

Roderick followed the instructions and when it was ready, pulled his sleeve down over his hand, grabbed the handle of the small saucepan and filled his mug. He blew on it until it cooled and then gulped three mouthfuls. He had never had glimpsing juice before, but he knew that its effects were unpredictable. A person taking it may see something of momentous importance, such as who they will marry; they may see something that affects someone else, but which also has some relevance to their own life; or they may find out something utterly unimportant, such as that they will one day eat a banana while dressed only in red underpants and a green top hat.

Roderick wasn’t expecting to find out exactly what lay ahead for him in life. He just wanted to see something that would reassure him that he would live longer than this mission. If he could just get a glimpse of himself doing something in the future beyond the next few days or weeks, then he would know that he would survive and that, he hoped, would be enough to give him the courage to turn around and follow Ruby. At least, a part of him hoped that. The rest of him, as usual, didn’t want to go anywhere near those cannibals or giant cockroaches.

His mouth had gone dry so he walked towards Fruitcake to get his canteen. He had taken only three steps when the world began to rock up and down. He stopped and tried to keep his balance. The world started to spin. He felt his eyelids force themselves shut and his knees turn to soup. As he sank to the ground, he thought, But what kind of soup? Pumpkin?

He was now in a glimpsing juice stupor. He was awake but he couldn’t open his eyes or move. At first he panicked, trying to fight the paralysis, but that didn’t work so he stopped. Then the images started to come.

He saw a boot. Dark green. He sensed fear. Someone was scared. A knife with a blue handle. A struggle. A girl. The fear was coming from her. It felt as if this was happening not far off. Not more than a few days away, maybe fewer.

Men were overpowering the girl. She was terrified. She needed help. She struck out, pulled at a shirt. It rode up, revealing the stomach of one of her attackers. On it was a curved scar, the shape of a crescent moon.

The girl was pulled away. She was overpowered, a prisoner.

A jolt. Roderick sat up, rubbed his eyes. The vision was over. It was Ruby, he was sure. She was in terrible danger, or she was about to be. But how? She was invisible. In his vision he had seen a boot. Had his anti-invisibility potion worked, but only on one of her feet?

He flexed his hands. He could move again, and move he did. He quickly repacked his saddlebags, jumped on Fruitcake and urged him back the way they had just come, towards Ruby and the danger he had seen.

It was only when he had been riding for some time that Roderick realised that the glimpsing juice had not shown him anything that suggested he would survive and return to the castle safely, and yet here he was rushing as fast as he could go towards danger and possibly death. Did that mean he had suddenly become braver? Or more stupid? He didn’t feel braver. He was still terrified of what lay ahead, but now that he knew Ruby was in trouble, he had to do something.

What that something might be, he didn’t know. Every few minutes he had second thoughts and considered turning Fruitcake around yet again. Several times he slowed the horse to a dawdling walk, and even twice came to a complete halt, but each time he continued.

He rode through the night until he could feel Fruitcake stumbling with tiredness. When they reached the point where he and Ruby had parted, he stopped and the horse immediately fell asleep, standing exactly where Roderick dismounted. Roderick put up his tent and lay down, but sleep wouldn’t come and he waited impatiently for first light. As soon as it arrived he remounted and without visible hesitation, but with a flurry of second thoughts, he took the path she had taken to the Circle of Mountains.

He kept Fruitcake at a slow walk, and tried to look in every direction at once. It wasn’t that he thought there might be danger ahead. He knew there was danger ahead. He had seen it in his vision.

The trees thinned out and the ground underfoot began to change from grass and soil to pebbles and rock. Not knowing how long it would be before they hit vegetation again, Roderick stopped and collected as much green grass as he could strap to Fruitcake so the horse had food for three or four days. Then he checked his own provisions. Bread, cheese and dried meat, plus some berries he had found on the way and three canteens full of water gave him enough for two or three days. And if he ran out he could always share the grass.

Rocky outcrops littered the ground, and green became an increasingly rare colour. Grey and brown, dust, dirt and rock were everywhere. There was a track of sorts but Roderick wondered if sticking to it might invite the same sort of peril that he had seen in his vision, so he headed off to its left and found himself picking a dusty route upwards through rocks, some as big as houses.

Below to his right he could see the track winding its way through a desolate rock valley. Anyone on it could easily be seen by someone higher up, but if he kept climbing it would decrease the chances of him being seen, and give him a better view of everything. As he picked a route up through the boulders he wondered if whoever had captured Ruby was already watching him.

The climb was steep, and pebbles, dirt and rocks slid as Fruitcake stood on them. Several times the horse nearly tripped or slid backwards, and finally Roderick dismounted and led him.

Eventually the slope evened out and Roderick found himself on top of a long ridge. He stared out over the desolate plains and in the distance he could see the Circle of Mountains rise towards the sky.

Far below to his right he could see the track, and to his left endless valleys and ridges stretched west. He didn’t know if he was safe, but at least on top of the ridge he felt safer than he had in the valley. He had a long drink, gave Fruitcake one and then remounted. It was easier going on top. The boulders were spread out and the dusty ground was mainly flat.

Soon the ridge widened and they reached a huge rock platform extending out to the right. As they walked across it Roderick heard a deep male voice. He froze, then pulled out his sword and stared around. He could clearly hear a kind of guttural, excited chant, but there was no one there. He could see all around for miles. What was going on? Had he stumbled upon another invisible person? Maybe the world was full of them.

He heard the voice again, now talking in a language he had never heard before. He tried to identify the direction the voice was coming from. Not out towards the edge of the rock shelf, and not the other way either. It seemed to be coming from . . . below? He dismounted. The noise was coming directly from his right foot! Had he somehow gained the ability to hear what his feet were thinking? Was it a conversation between two of his toes? If it was, why were they speaking a language he had never heard before?

He lifted his foot. Beneath it was a crack in the ground, as long as his hand and as wide as a finger. The noise was coming from there. It was a talking crack! Either that or the crack led somewhere. He got down on his knees, put his ear to the crack and heard the voice so loudly that he was surprised he didn’t get spit in his ear.

He tiptoed to the edge of the rock shelf. There was an amazing view, but there was no time for that. He lay face-down and inched his head slowly over the edge. To his left and right, the rock fell straight down for hundreds of metres, but directly below him was what appeared to be the entrance to a cave. It was about three metres high and below it the rock sloped more gently down towards the valley; a dusty path zigzagged down it to the track at the bottom.

The voice must belong to someone inside the cave. But did they have anything to do with Ruby, and the danger she was in?

Roderick slowly lowered his head further over the edge, facing into the cliff. If he went an inch too far he would overbalance and fall onto the rocks below.

He could now see that the cave seemed to go way back into the cliff.

Near the entrance were the remnants of a fire, and around it were spears, animal-fur rugs, and pots and pans. There was also a collection of bones against the wall, including what looked like at least two human skulls.

Further back, seven or eight people partially covered in animal skins and furs stood in a semi-circle with their backs to him, crowding around something. Or someone? As one of the figures lunged forward, he thought he heard a female voice. Was it Ruby?

One of the figures started to turn around. Roderick quickly pulled himself back up onto the rock shelf, breathing heavily.

What should he do? If Ruby was in there, he had to try to rescue her. But how? It was all very well to take trippy glimpsing juice and then rush off to do something heroic, but now that he was actually here and something had to be done, he had no idea what it should be.

And what if he mounted an exciting and daring rescue only to find that it wasn’t Ruby after all but a dead pig or a bowl of apricots? Worse still, what if they captured him?

A scream burst out of the cave. He knew that voice. That was no bowl of apricots. That was Ruby! He had to do something, and do it quick. He looked around and had an idea. Near where he had dismounted was a pile of head-sized boulders. He ran over, grabbed one, carried it to the edge of the rock shelf and put it down. Then he went back for another and another. He made ten trips, carrying a rock each time.

After placing the tenth rock he ran back past Fruitcake to the other side of the ridge to an expanse of dead yellow straw. It came out of the earth easily. He gathered as much as he could and carried it to the rock shelf, where he piled it up, and then made three more trips. As he passed the crack in the rock each time he heard more shouting and animated conversation, again in a language he could not understand. He got his pair of flint stones from his saddlebag and put them in his pocket. The rocks were lined up in a row along the edge of the rock shelf and behind them was the straw. He was already exhausted from all the carrying, but he was ready.

He walked back to the crack, knelt down, funnelled his hands around his mouth, and screamed directly into the crack the loudest, craziest, weirdest, baddest scream he could. He did this five times, and then raced to the edge of the rock shelf.

Roderick had hoped the scream would scare the cave-dwellers out of their cave, or at least lure them outside to investigate. Sure enough, about eight emerged, looking around in confusion and talking excitedly. They had small, squinty eyes and very big noses, and were dressed in animal skins. There were both men and women, and they all looked strong. Once they had taken a few steps out of the cave, Roderick pushed a rock over the edge. It landed with a tremendous smash just a few paces from where they had gathered. There were startled screams and the cave-dwellers retreated a few steps down the slope. Roderick pushed the second and third rocks and kept pushing until they were all gone. There were more yells. He peeked over the edge. As each rock hit the ground it started rolling down the slope towards the cave-dwellers. Already confused by Roderick’s screams, now they had rocks falling on them. They did what Roderick had hoped: they ran. On either side of the cave the rock became sheer, so their only option was to run straight down the slope, the rocks chasing them all the way.

There was no one left outside the cave. Roderick threw the straw off the ledge into a pile just outside the cave, then lowered himself over the edge and let go. He landed on the straw and clambered to his feet. The cave-dwellers were still scuttling down the slope, but soon they would realise that there weren’t any more rocks coming.

He crouched by the straw and smacked his flint stones together. A spark, but no flame. He tried again. Same result. The third time the spark caught the bone-dry straw. He cupped his hands around it and before long the straw was aflame. Thick black smoke began to billow from the fire.

Down the hill some of the cave-dwellers had stopped and were shouting and pointing back towards the cave. No one seemed to be in a hurry to return. No wonder. One moment they had been happily tormenting someone, the next there were weird screams inside their cave and outside it, falling rocks and a fire appearing from nowhere.

But Roderick knew the straw would burn quickly and once the smoke was gone, the cave-dwellers would come back. He headed into the cave.

Against a wall, where the semi-circle of cave-dwellers had been, lay a pale green boot. Above it were circles of ropes enclosing something that looked human-shaped.

‘Roderick?’ said a surprised, weak voice. Ruby! The boot waved about. ‘Over here.’

Roderick ran over. ‘Why are you just a boot?’

‘I don’t know. It’s the only part of me that’s come back. Anyway, just get me out of here.’

He threw an anxious look over his shoulder. The straw was burning down. He drew his knife and started to saw through the ropes that bound Ruby. He cut through those around her top half, and then knelt down to cut through the loops around her ankles.

‘Watch out!’ screamed Ruby.

Roderick turned, and then instinctively ducked as a spear whistled past him. From the back of the cave strode a big, strong and very hairy man, dressed in rags and holding a huge sword. Roderick backed against the wall, holding his knife out in front of him. It might as well have been a carrot. The man stepped towards him and raised the sword two-handed above his head.

Suddenly Roderick’s sword leapt out of his belt and plunged into the man’s stomach. Blood burst out. The man let out a terrible cry and fell back. Roderick’s sword pulled itself out of the man’s stomach and hovered in the air in front of him.

‘I’d better hang on to this, don’t you think,’ said Ruby. ‘Come on.’

Roderick couldn’t move. He stared down at the cave-dweller. His eyes, a moment ago so fierce, now stared at nothing as he moaned softly. Roderick felt sick. Ruby’s hand pulled at him.

‘But he’s alive,’ said Roderick.

‘We have to go!’

‘We can’t just leave him like that.’

‘Yes we can.’

She pulled harder and Roderick let himself be led from the cave. The smoke was clearing and he saw the cave-dwellers pointing and shouting up at them. Some of them started to climb back up the hill.

‘This way,’ said Roderick, pointing up to the ledge he had dropped down from. Then his heart fell into his boots. ‘Oh no!’ He had been so clever in planning everything, but he had overlooked one small detail. How were they going to get back up the cliff? They needed a ladder, or a rope, or wings.

‘Which way?’ asked Ruby urgently.

‘Umm. Yes, see, I didn’t exactly think about that . . . Wait!’ He knelt down. ‘Get on my shoulders.’

He felt his sword being thrust back into his hand by Ruby and he quickly replaced it in his belt. Her thighs closed around his neck, and he saw her one visible boot dangling near his chest. He pushed up to his feet and turned to face the cave’s mouth.

‘Can you reach the ledge?’ he said.

‘I think so.’

He could hear the cave people getting closer. The weight on his shoulders decreased. She must be pulling herself up. The visible boot left his shoulder and headed to the ledge, and then he felt her other boot lift off him. Roderick turned around. The cave people were nearly at the top of the hill.

‘Grab Fruitcake’s reins!’ Roderick shouted.

‘What?’ She sounded distracted.

‘The horse’s reins! Drop them down to me!’

There was no response.

‘Ruby! Come on! They’re coming!’

‘Right. Sorry.’

The boot scrambled up over the ledge. The nearest cave person was so close that Roderick could see his very large nostrils. He drew his sword. He hoped he hadn’t done it in a way that made it completely obvious that he had no idea how to use it. At least he hadn’t cut himself. Then he had a better idea. He put the sword away again.

One of the rocks he had dropped had not rolled down the hill, but was stuck in a shallow rock gully. Roderick grabbed it and lifted it above his head. The nearest cave person, just a few steps below him, stopped and backed away. The six others coming up behind him also stopped.

Roderick risked a look around. No sign of the reins.

The cave-dwellers spread out across the width of the sloped area below the cave. Roderick guessed that in a moment, knowing that he had only one rock, they would rush him. He kept the rock above his head and slowly backed away until he was at the mouth of the cave. His arms were aching.

The cave-dwellers came closer, over the lip of the slope. Suddenly to his left the reins come dangling down. With a roar Roderick threw the rock towards the cave-dwellers. He leapt for the reins and pulled himself up with all his might. He hoped Ruby had tied them to something solid.

As he had hoped, the cave-dwellers were distracted by the flying rock, giving Roderick time to hook his foot into a loop of the reins. He heaved himself up and grabbed the ledge. A hand grabbed his foot. He kicked hard and it fell away. He got his other foot up onto the ledge, and Ruby’s invisible hands pulled him up. He looked down at the cave-dwellers. They were only metres away, but they couldn’t reach him. ‘Whoopeee!’ he yelled.

‘Enough of that. Hurry!’ said Ruby. She pulled him towards Fruitcake. He tried to re-attach the reins but his hands were shaking too much.

‘Let me,’ said Ruby.

A cave-dweller’s head appeared over the ledge, then a second beside it.

‘Get behind me. I’ll ride,’ commanded Ruby. Roderick pulled himself up behind her, grabbed an invisible waist and they were away.

CHAPTER 7

BIG, MEAN AND SCARY

They had been going for only a few minutes when Roderick began to feel ill. He held Ruby tighter to try to stop himself from shaking, but it didn’t work. He just ended up shaking her too. He felt sobs coming and tried to hold them back, but he couldn’t do that either. Ruby ignored him, whether out of disgust or compassion he didn’t know, but either way he was grateful. They rode hard for an hour, staying on top of the ridge. Finally they found another rock shelf with long uninterrupted views back the way they had come that would let them see if they were being followed. They dismounted, drank, and collapsed in the shade of a rocky outcrop while Fruitcake stood about looking slightly bored.

‘Thank you,’ said Ruby eventually.

Roderick nodded, not sure how to reply. Instead he asked, ‘How did they catch you?’

‘I was following the path along the valley. I knew it was dangerous country but, being invisible, I felt safe. Then your visibility potion started to work.’

‘But only on one foot?’

‘Well, no. It seems to have settled down now, but I was coming and going like crazy for a while. First my body came back, but no limbs, then my body disappeared and an arm and a leg became visible. For a while almost all of me was back, even my head, I think. I could just see the tip of my nose. Anyway, I came around a bend into a sort of rock valley with a cliff on one side, and a net dropped on me. They tied me up and carried me up to the cave. On the way, parts of me began to disappear again, until just my foot was left visible.’

‘Sorry the potion didn’t work properly. It must have been that eam tree. It was nearly dead. But what did they want you for?’

‘I think they were going to eat me.’

‘Oh!’

‘They kept prodding me, and when they found somewhere a bit fleshy they got all excited, and they had this big carving knife . . .’

‘With a blue handle?’ interrupted Roderick, remembering his vision.

‘It was grey, I think. Did you see it?’

‘Sort of,’ he replied vaguely.

‘And there were bones in the cave. Human bones.’

‘I saw them.’

‘The thing is, Roderick, were there any other Baronian knights headed this way?’

‘Not with me. But yes, there must have been because between us we were supposed to search everywhere. Someone could have been with the group that headed west and then come up the back way through the Sirnock Plain. Why? Oh.’

‘Yes. Next to what seemed to be the freshest set of bones there was a tunic that looked like yours with that crest on it.’ She pointed at the crest on Roderick’s tunic.

Roderick started to feel ill again. He wondered who it had been. There was a pause as they both tried not to imagine what had happened to Sir Whoever-it-was.

The sun was heading towards the horizon and Roderick got a jacket from his saddlebag.

‘I heard you scream,’ he said delicately as he sat back down. ‘What did they do?’

‘They were arguing about something. Maybe about what sort of sauce would go best with me. Eventually one of them got out a knife and started performing some sort of ritual dance, doing all these big sweeping moves with it. I think he was building up to something dramatic, like plunging it into my guts, but because he couldn’t see me he kept nearly slicing me. He got me twice by accident, once on the shoulder and once on the arm. Just nicks. Did you know if you’re invisible and you bleed, your blood is invisible?’

Ruby’s left hand suddenly appeared. It was small with long, strong fingers and fingernails that, frankly, needed a good scrub.

‘Oh! Hello, hand!’ she said. ‘Nice to see you again. I’m getting quite used to bits of me coming and going. Speaking of which, why are you here and not searching in that forest for someone you know isn’t there?’

Roderick still didn’t quite know the answer to that one. ‘I guess I just changed my mind.’

‘Well, I’m extremely glad you did. Thank you. And sorry I went missing for a moment there after I got up the cliff.’

‘What happened?’

She sighed. ‘If you must know, I made the mistake of looking over the edge of the cliff down into the valley and I’m . . . Well, I’m not all that good with heights.’

‘You’re scared of something?!’

‘No! Not scared, exactly . . . just . . . um . . .’

‘Just maybe a tiny bit scared?’

Ruby sighed in exasperation. ‘Maybe a tiny bit. Anyway, sorry.’

‘Not a problem. We’re all scared of something.’ Somehow, knowing that Ruby also got scared made him feel a bit better.

‘Anyway, what are you going to do now?’ asked Ruby.

Just as the previous day Roderick had known that he could not make himself accompany Ruby on her search, today he knew he would not turn back. He was still greatly terrified of what he might find ahead, but he knew he would go on.

‘If you think Banfor is in the Circle of Mountains, then that’s where I’m going,’ he said.

‘But what about your orders to search the Forest of Gilderang?’ she said, a hint of mockery in her voice.

‘That will have to wait,’ said Roderick with a half-smile. ‘Anyway, let’s find somewhere safe and out of the way to make camp.’

Next morning dawned grey and drizzly. They had slept in a small cave they had found and after packing up and checking that there was no sign of anyone following them, they continued along the ridge, Roderick in front. Up ahead the mountains rose into the clouds.

‘So how do we find the path that leads through the Circle of Mountains?’ asked Roderick.

‘That’s easy.’

‘It is?’

‘We can’t miss it. The entrance is guarded by giant cockroaches.’

Roderick froze. There was no way he could get past a giant cockroach. The only thing he’d be able to do to a giant cockroach would be to give it indigestion.

The presence of giant cockroaches was the main reason hardly anyone lived in North Baronia. They were as big as houses, fearsomely strong and utterly indestructible, and were known for their ill-temper and unpredictability.

They foraged mainly in forests and valleys, but occasionally one would rampage through a village, rip some people to pieces and destroy some buildings.

In the old days, when a cockroach ransacked a village a group of knights would be dispatched to seek revenge, but after a few hundred years of this the very wise King Reganos did some maths and decided that the results – sixty-two dead knights and no dead cockroaches – suggested it was time for a re-think.

Much to the relief of the knights, the revenge attacks ended. Now giant cockroach attacks were viewed in much the same way as invasions by the smaller and more common type of cockroach: as unfortunate but unavoidable. They were to be survived as best one could, and then forgotten about.

Roderick stared at the mountains. With every step he was deliberately taking himself closer to the world’s most fearsome creatures. That wasn’t sensible. Surely it would be better to be taking himself further away from them. He pulled up Fruitcake and turned him around.

‘What are you doing?’ asked Ruby.

‘I’m panicking,’ said Roderick. ‘It’s good to panic sometimes. I mean, it’s better to panic than, say, get torn to death by a giant cockroach.’

‘Roderick, don’t worry.’

‘Nice advice. Thank you. Can I go home now?’

‘No. I’ve got a plan.’

He didn’t want Ruby to have a plan. If Ruby had a plan it meant that instead of galloping away to safety, he would have to listen to it, because it would be rude not to at least listen to it, and then maybe somehow she’d convince him to give her plan a try and then he’d have to turn around and head towards those cockroaches again.

If only she didn’t have a plan.

Roderick slowly lifted his head and peered down into the valley. He was hidden behind a large rock halfway up – or halfway down – a forested hill. At the bottom of the hill was a clearing that ran along the valley and was about fifty metres wide. On its far side the ground became wooded again and rose steeply towards the Circle of Mountains, except for a narrow, high-walled, rocky gully directly in front of him that led, Ruby believed, to the path that ran into the centre of the mountains.

Actually, calling the area at the bottom of the hill a clearing was not entirely accurate. While it was clear of trees, bushes and grass, and was basically a dusty, rocky plain between a hill and a mountain, it did contain two giant cockroaches. They were huge, even bigger than Roderick had imagined. He had seen an elephant once and thought it was large, but the cockroaches were a bit taller and wider, and about three times as long. Just seeing them made him feel woozy. They both continually looked around, sniffing the wind. Ruby’s boot – still the only visible part of her – was below him, nearly at the bottom of the hill, moving through the thinning trees towards the clearing. Roderick couldn’t watch. He slumped down behind the rock and sat with his back to it. But not watching was even worse, so he got up and peered over the rock again.

Ruby’s plan was simple. She would use her invisibility to sneak past the cockroaches to the other side of the clearing and into the gully. Roderick had initially suggested that they travel down the clearing, cross it out of sight of the cockroaches, and then double back and enter the gully from the mountain slopes on the far side. However, it looked like the sides of the gully were so steep that the only way to get in to it was through the clearing, and that meant getting past the cockroaches.

Roderick had thought of brewing a potion to make himself invisible too so that they could cross together but, while there was a spell in his book for invisibility, the herb and tree root ingredients he needed were nowhere to be found.

To combat the cockroaches’ acute sense of smell, Roderick had made, and then doused Ruby with, a potion that would hide her scent. For good measure he had splashed it over himself as well.

If Ruby made it to the other side of the clearing, she would find the path and then – this is where the plan got rubbery – they would work out how to get Roderick through.

Roderick had been dimly aware of the flimsy nature of the final part of the plan when Ruby proposed it, but his relief at not having to immediately attempt the crossing himself meant that he had nonetheless enthusiastically agreed. He wondered if – assuming she made it through – she would return. She was risking her life trying to sneak past and, if she succeeded, what sense was there in risking it a second time to get back to him, and then a third time to cross again?

Ruby had reached the edge of the clearing near where there were a few small rocks that would provide some cover for her visible boot. The boot started moving across the clearing, looking like it was doing a slow-motion hop from under the cover of one rock to the next. So far, the cockroaches had not noticed anything. Roderick clenched his hands into fists. Halfway across the clearing Ruby’s boot stopped behind a rock. She now had to take seven or eight steps without cover to get to the next one. One of the cockroaches turned its huge head towards her and sniffed. Roderick had an incredibly strong urge not to run down the hill to help, so he didn’t. There was nothing he could have done anyway.

The cockroach took a step towards Ruby. Her boot, still behind a rock, didn’t move. The cockroach raised its massive head and bellowed. The noise was so loud, intense and unexpected that Roderick fell over backwards. He scrambled up again. The boot had not moved. The cockroach was staring directly at the rock behind which it hid.

Roderick held his breath.

For a long time nothing happened. The cockroach kept staring at the rock. Roderick realised that if he didn’t stop holding his breath he would pass out. Still nothing happened. Plants sprouted, trees grew, babies were born. Finally, the cockroach turned away. A few moments later the boot continued across the gap to the next rock, and then from rock to rock until it reached the far side of the clearing. Then it hopped along and disappeared into the gully.

CHAPTER 8

AN UNUSUAL CONVERSATION

Roderick had been waiting for Ruby to return for a night, a day, another night, and now into the morning of the second day.

If he wasn’t so close to two giant ferocious beasts that could kill him instantly, he would have been bored stiff. Instead, he was anxious stiff.

He had spent much of the last day and a half imagining all sorts of bad things that might happen to him, and which may already have happened to Ruby. He had also been watching the cockroaches, partly out of terrified fascination, and partly because if he didn’t watch them, he wouldn’t know if they started to creep up the hill towards him.

He had noticed something odd. The dusty and desolate clearing offered very little sustenance to a hungry cockroach but the slopes of both the Circle of Mountains on one side, and the hill Roderick was halfway up on the other, were full of rabbits, squirrels, birds and vegetation – things giant cockroaches might want to eat. Yet in all the time Roderick had been watching them, both had hardly left the clearing. In addition, while the clearing extended as far as Roderick could see in either direction, the cockroaches stayed directly in front of the gully Ruby had ventured into.

Roderick had also noticed that every couple of hours when one of the cockroaches did actually forage for food, they would wander only a little way up one of the slopes (never, thank goodness, as far as the rocks Roderick was behind), quickly search for food and then return to the clearing.

Roderick didn’t understand it. They were big powerful creatures at the top of the food chain, the most feared beasts in the land. They could go anywhere and do anything they wanted. So why sit in some desolate clearing kicking dust around all day?

Several times he saw one of the cockroaches start to plod out of the clearing, only to stop once they got a few paces past its edge. It seemed to Roderick – or was he imagining it – that as they stopped, there was a sense of frustration, like a dog pulling against a leash.

It was almost as if they were in a cage, and were occasionally let out to feed, before being drawn back again.

There was something else, even odder. It was not something Roderick saw or heard. It was something he sensed, or thought he did. A feeling of . . . what? . . . Frustration? Irritation? It seemed to be a desire someone, or something, had to be free.

The chill in the morning air hadn’t been chased away by the sun yet. Roderick softly stamped his feet to warm them, as if he was tiptoeing on the spot. He tried to concentrate on the feeling again, but now there was only a vague sense of it. Down in the valley, he watched as a cockroach stepped from the clearing into the bush then stopped as if it could go no further. Roderick felt a spike in the feeling of frustration.

Suddenly he understood. The feelings he was sensing were coming from the cockroaches. They wanted to be free. The reason they stayed in the same part of the clearing was because, somehow, they were trapped there.

He looked down at them, trying to work it out. Ganfree Banfor was a powerful sorcerer who had decided to disappear into the Circle of Mountains. What better way for him to ensure his privacy than to use his powers to leash up two of the world’s biggest watchdogs outside the only entrance. Perhaps he had mapped out the exact area the roaches had to patrol, and prevented them from going outside it, except at certain times to forage for food.

But how was he, Roderick, able to sense their frustration? Would anyone who sat watching them for this long become tuned in to what they were thinking? Or did he have some sort of special ability? He remembered hearing the Queen’s voice inside his head at the castle. Did that happen purely because of her ability to project her thoughts, or did he have something to do with it as well?

Meanwhile, there was still no sign of Ruby. With every passing minute it seemed less likely she would return. Either something had happened to her or, less than a day after he had saved her life, she had abandoned him.

He took a deep breath. If he wanted to find Banfor, he would have to find a way to get past the cockroaches on his own. Maybe if he focused more intently on what he was sensing from them, he would find out something that might help.

He pulled himself up onto the rock, sat down, looked down at them and then shut his eyes. At the back of his mind he felt their frustration. He tried to concentrate only on that, and to ignore all other thoughts in his mind.

Concentrate . . . concentrate . . . This rock is a bit uncomfortable. My bum feels kind of . . . Wait. Concentrate on the cockroaches! . . . That’s better . . . concentrate! It’s especially the left buttock, though. Maybe there’s something underneath it. Stop it! Okay. The roaches, their feelings . . . I wonder if Fruitcake is lonely? Stop, you idiot!

The more he tried to concentrate, the more he ended up thinking about everything else. He had never realised how many thoughts there were fighting for attention inside his head.

He tried again, this time leaving his eyes open and looking down at the roaches. He tried to relax. Then he stopped trying to relax and just let himself relax. Instead of concentrating hard on the roaches’ thoughts, he let go and simply allowed himself to hear them. He tried to keep his mind soft, open and empty and the thoughts became easier to . . . not exactly hear, but experience. He was feeling waves of emotions whose meaning was becoming clearer.

WANT MOVE. MOOOVE. STUCK. BORED. OUT. WANT OUT. WANT RUN. WANT FLY. WANT EAT. WANTWANTWANTWANT. WANT MMOOOOOVE!

It went on like that for a while. It had probably been going on like that for as long as the cockroaches had been here. Roderick wondered if he could do more than receive thoughts. He wondered if he could send.

Hello. Hello, he tried to think the words out to them. Hi, I’m Roderick. Up here on the rock. See, I’m waving to you. Hello. Earth to huge scary monsters. Sorry, I didn’t mean monsters, but you are very big. Although I suppose you think you’re normal-sized and everything else is just very small. Anyway, hello?

No reaction. He kept trying, but without success. He was sure there must be a way, but he couldn’t seem to get it. He scratched his head, stood up on the rock and kicked it hard in frustration. ‘Owww!’ He grabbed his foot and hopped up and down. ‘Stupid rock!’ he shouted.

Suddenly he sensed a new feeling. Curiosity. Roderick looked down to the clearing. His tantrum had achieved what his thoughts had failed to. The roaches were looking up at him. He thought as hard as he could, like he was shouting inside his head. It’s me. Can you hear me? Can you? I’m Roderick! I can hear you. No response. In desperation, he zoned in on the thing he knew the cockroaches wanted.

I know you are not free. I want to help.

One of the roaches, the smaller (but still very, very big), lighter-coloured one, cocked its head. Roderick felt a reply. WANT FREE.

Roderick thought, I help you. Yes. He was communicating with them!

HOOWWW? came the thought. Again he was sure it had come from the smaller cockroach.

Good question, thought Roderick. He had no idea how he could help them, but he wanted to keep the communication going. Then, he had an idea. Let me through. Then I will help.

NOOOO!!! smashed into his brain. It felt different from the smaller cockroach’s thoughts, older perhaps and less restless. It must be the larger cockroach, who had swung around to stare at him.

I will help. I promise. Let me through, thought Roderick.

TRAPPED. NEEEED FREEE. This came from the smaller cockroach.

NOT ALLOWED! from the bigger one.

MUSSST! FREEE! thought the smaller.

NOOO! from the bigger.

Roderick had become a spectator to a thought argument between two giant cockroaches. The beasts faced each other, their thoughts crashing together like blows.

Suddenly, the smaller cockroach leapt at the larger and bit its head.

The larger one roared in pain and thrashed its front legs about. The smaller one dived underneath it and must have been getting at something vulnerable, because Roderick was feeling PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! from the bigger one, and its anger turning to fear.

The smaller roach got right under the bigger one and pushed up, lifting the bigger one onto its hind legs. The bigger one’s fear grew to panic. The smaller one pushed again, and the bigger one hung in mid-air, going neither forward nor back, balanced precariously on its thin back legs.

Standing up, it looked as big as a castle. Its head reached nearly as high as the rock Roderick was on. The smaller one pushed harder still and tipped the other onto its back. It was now helpless. Its legs flailed about uselessly, and its panic crashed into Roderick in such powerful waves that he thought it would split his head open.

The smaller one crawled up onto the bigger one’s underbelly and smashed its head down onto it again and again until the larger cockroach’s underbelly cracked and brown gunk came oozing out. Roderick felt waves of desperate fear come from the larger cockroach.

NO, NO, NO, NO, PLEASE, PLEASE

Then its thoughts began to weaken:

Want more, want more, want more, want more LIFE . . . LIFE . . . LIFE.

Then, no more thoughts. The larger cockroach lay still. It was dead.

The smaller cockroach stopped and looked down at the other. It backed off the body slowly, almost respectfully, and then lifted its eyes to Roderick, who gulped.

MAKE FREE, he heard in his head.

In the heat of the moment Roderick had lied effortlessly about his ability to free the roaches from their confinement. If the cockroach let him through into the Circle of Mountains and he didn’t produce the gift of freedom he had promised when he returned, he would surely face the same fate as the bigger cockroach. Except the fight would be over a lot quicker.

He looked around nervously. He wanted to run. Then he realised: he could run away. The cockroach could not follow him. It was in its invisible cage. He stood up. That was the better way. He had promised them freedom, and he couldn’t deliver, so he may as well nick off now before he got himself into real trouble.

He slid down off the rock and went to get Fruitcake. He really wasn’t up to this. It was time to go home.

Roderick!

A powerful boom of a thought interrupted him, demanding attention. It felt different from the cockroach and, he realised, familiar.

Roderick!

It was the Queen!

Go, Roderick. Make me proud.

Without making any conscious decision to do so, Roderick grabbed Fruitcake’s reins and started down the hill towards the cockroach. He didn’t want to be walking down the hill, but his legs didn’t seem to know that. When he reached the clearing the force propelling him gave him a final push and then his legs let him stop.

In front of him towered the cockroach. If he turned and ran now, it would get him before he could take more than a few steps.

The roach growled down at him. YOU PASS. COME BACK. MAKE FREE! Roderick felt inside his head.

He sent back as confident a Yes as he could manage. The cockroach stepped to one side and nodded its head in the direction of the gully.

Retreat would surely be fatal, and standing still wasn’t going to help, so Roderick started walking across the clearing with Fruitcake following.

The cockroach shadowed them, bending close to sniff them every few steps.

At the far side of the clearing Roderick started up into the gully, but the cockroach moved to block his way.

FRREEEEE MEEEE. HURRY! he felt in his mind.

Yes, of course, he thought back as sincerely as he could.

The cockroach stepped aside again. Roderick continued into the mouth of the gully, feeling the cockroach’s stare on his back. The gully thinned and the walls rose steeply on either side. Ahead was a tunnel.

Roderick groaned. Surely, in a fair world, after rescuing someone from cannibals and getting past a giant cockroach, the next bit would be something easy like strolling along a beach or having to eat a bag of lollies, rather than needing to disappear into a narrow, dark and almost certainly dangerous tunnel.

Near the tunnel’s entrance was a tree and some bushes. Roderick broke off a dead branch as long and thick as his wrist, wrapped some dead grass and small sticks as tightly as he could around one end and secured it all with a vine. It was lucky there was a vicious, giant cockroach behind him because if there wasn’t there was no way he would have been able to force himself into the uncertain damp darkness of the tunnel. Its floor was mud and it was just wide enough for three people to walk abreast. He wished there were three of them, and that the other two were big, strong and brave. He pulled out his flint stones and lit the torch. He knew it wouldn’t last long so, dragging Fruitcake behind him by the reins, he broke into a jog, tripping and stumbling along the uneven wet ground.

He was scared, of course, but it was a different sort of fear than what he had felt facing the cockroach. That was a jagged, desperate fear, sharp with the knowledge that the beast could crush him at any moment. What he felt now was less precise, but no less intense. He didn’t know what there was to be afraid of, or even if there was anything at all, and it was that very uncertainty that swirled the terror up and around him.

Then his torch flickered and burnt out. He stopped. It was the darkest dark ever. He held his hand an inch away from his eyes and couldn’t see even a hint of its outline. If his fear levels had been on overdrive before, they were now on hyper-over-megadrive. He tentatively slid his right foot forward. The ground had been flat so far, but Roderick’s mind was full of sudden drops, bottomless pits and giant snakes. He brought his left foot up level with his right, then slid the right slowly forward again. At this rate it would take him a week to get as far as he could throw a stone.

He felt Fruitcake push impatiently past him, and plod ahead. Roderick pulled back on the reins to try to hold him back, but the horse walked confidently on, dragging Roderick with him. Could Fruitcake see, or sense, what was ahead, or would they just walk straight off an invisible cliff? Fruitcake increased his pace. Roderick again tried to slow him, but failed. He half-walked, half-jogged to keep up. On impulse he threw his foot into a stirrup and swung his body up and onto Fruitcake’s back. He lay down low, hugging the horse’s neck and hoping that Fruitcake knew what he was doing.

The ground began to slope downwards and they picked up speed. Fruitcake broke into a canter. Roderick hung on for dear life, expecting that at any second they would trip over some unseen obstacle. Suddenly he sat up. It was only faint, a tiny change in the fabric of the darkness, but he could now just see the outline of Fruitcake’s head.

A few moments later he saw a pinprick of light ahead. Fruitcake broke into a gallop. The pinprick grew. Roderick’s fear changed to hope, and then excitement. He saw sky out of the tunnel’s mouth. As they were about to pass through it Roderick rose in his stirrups to let out a mighty whoop of triumph.

He got as far as ‘Yipp . . .’ before his head smacked into a rock hanging down from the roof and he fell head first into the mud.

CHAPTER 9

BESIDE THE STRIVER

He woke with a splitting headache. The top of his head was tender and painful, and when he rubbed it his hand came away streaked with blood. He felt about a bit more and discovered that at least the blood was only oozing, not pumping. He climbed to his feet and tentatively walked the last few steps out of the tunnel, then blinked as his eyes adjusted to the sunlight.

Below him was a grassy slope that led down into a lush green valley where Fruitcake grazed. To Roderick’s left a waterfall fell into a lake and then emptied into a tree-lined stream. Flowers bloomed, bushes sprouted, fruit hung from trees, and behind it all the mountains circled. It was definitely the nicest place he had been in for at least a few days. He sighed with relief.

‘Hands up, person with skinny legs.’ A male voice came from behind him. ‘And don’t move! Oh, wait. Except for your hands, that is, because I just said “hands up” so of course you have to move your hands. So move them. Move your hands in an upwards way. But keep the rest of yourself, um, unmoved. That’s it!’

The voice spoke very quickly. It was male and sounded older than a child but not quite adult. Roderick obeyed.

‘Turn around. Not all the way around though, or else when you’ve finished you’ll still be facing the wrong way. What I mean is, start turning yourself around and keep turning until you get around so that you are facing me, and then stop turning. Get it?’

Roderick nodded and slowly turned to face the voice.

He was looking at a black bear.

Roderick’s legs almost gave way. The bear was a head taller than himself, standing on its back legs and holding a thick wooden club in a ready-to-swing-at-Roderick position.

‘Who are you, then?’ said the bear. ‘Tell me using the usual way humans communicate, by which I mean verbal speech.’

‘R . . . R . . . I mean . . . Roderick.’

‘Ra-Ra-I-mean-Roderick? What an odd, and very long, name. We have shorter names around here,’ said the bear. ‘By the time you get up in the morning and say your name, it would almost be time to go to bed again! Ha ha ha!’ The bear threw back his head and laughed hugely at the sky, then quickly jumped back to attention, legs wide, club ready.

‘Don’t try it!’ the bear bellowed. ‘Whatever it might be, don’t try it. It is not on. My club and I will stop you doing any sort of it you might have been thinking of doing.’

Roderick, who had not moved, tried to hold his hands up even higher.

‘But I’m not doing anything,’ he spluttered.

‘Maybe not, but you may have been thinking of doing something.’ The bear leant forward, eyes narrowed suspiciously.

‘No, no, I promise, I wasn’t even thinking of doing anything.’

‘What weren’t you thinking of then? Hey? Were you not thinking of stabbing me in the eye with your knife? Is that it? Not thinking about stabbing me in the eye with your knife is only one little word away from thinking about stabbing me in the eye with your knife! And the next step after that is doing it!’ He wiped his brow. ‘Phew. I’m lucky to be alive.’

This was a very odd bear, thought Roderick. Or perhaps all bears were like this, but because they didn’t usually talk, no one ever knew.

‘Well, Mister very long-named Ra-Ra-I-mean-Roderick, what are you doing here, then?’ asked the bear.

‘Please, my name isn’t that long. It’s just Roderick, actually.’

‘Okay, then, Just-Roderick-actually. But that’s still a very long name, you know.’

‘No, it’s not –’

The bear raised his paw. ‘Answer my question! The question I asked before that went exactly like this: “What are you doing here?” No, wait. I know the answer to that one. You are standing there facing me. That’s what you’re doing. All right, smartypants, how about this question. Why is it that, at this particular time, you happen to be standing in this particular place, and not some other particular place? Ha! Try that one.’

Roderick couldn’t think of any reason to lie so he didn’t. ‘I’m looking for Ganfree Banfor,’ he said. ‘I was told he may be here.’

‘I see. I see. I see. Ganfree Banfor.’ The bear raised the corners of his mouth in what may have been a smile. ‘And which particular Ganfree Banfor is that?’

‘Er, I didn’t know there was more than one.’

‘What?! You thought that in the whole enormous world there was not one single other person who had a first name Ganfree and a last name Banfor? Don’t try to pull the fur over my eyes. I know you’re not that stupid.’ He looked sharply at Roderick. ‘Actually I don’t know that. Maybe you are that stupid. Anyway, whether you are that stupid or not, there are probably at least six or twenty-eight or maybe even one hundred and sixty-three Ganfree Banfors in the world.’

Roderick’s head was starting to hurt. ‘Okay. You’ve got a point,’ he said. ‘The one I am looking for is the great sorcerer.’

‘Wait!’ The bear held up his paw again. ‘Is what you are saying that of all the Ganfree Banfors in the world that are real, it happens to be the particular one who does sorcery things that you are looking for?’

Roderick nodded.

Suddenly the bear began to leap joyfully up and down. ‘How amazing! How incredible! Because of all the Ganfree Banfors there are in the world it so happens that the one who is a great sorcerer is the one, the only one, who happens to live here! You’ve come to the right place! Of course, it all makes sense now. I mean, if you’d gone somewhere else, how could you possibly hope to find the one who lives here? So, of course you didn’t go somewhere else. You came here. Is that it?’

Roderick thought the best thing to do would be to just nod again, so he did.

‘You are a sensible bear, you are,’ the bear said approvingly, then narrowed his eyes. ‘Except you’re not a bear, are you? But if you were a bear you would be a sensible one. Like me.’ The bear pushed out his chest proudly. Roderick suppressed a smile, which was a shame because he hadn’t smiled for some days and he could have really done with one.

The bear peered closer at him. ‘I know what you are! You are a sensible non-bear.’ The bear put down his club and rubbed his paws together. ‘Well, Mister Just-Roderick-actually sensible non-bear. I must tell you something. You will love this. I know you will,’ he said cheerfully. ‘You want to find Ganfree Banfor. Guess what my orders are? Go on. Guess.’

‘Ummm . . . to confuse anyone you find?’

‘Ha! Good. But wrong. No, my orders . . . do you know what orders are?’

‘Er . . . yes.’

‘Good. My orders . . . at least the orders I was told to obey, they are not really “mine”. I do not own them.’ The bear looked doubtfully off into the distance for a moment, then back to Roderick. ‘Anyway, my orders are to take anyone I find to . . . guess who? Ganfree Banfor!! And not just any Ganfree Banfor! The exact Ganfree Banfor that you are looking for!’ The bear beamed. ‘So, come with me or I’ll have to bash your head with this club, and that’d hurt! Although I’ve never actually had my head bashed with a club before, so I’m not exactly sure it would hurt. But I think it would, don’t you?’

‘I think so, yes, but we won’t have to find out – I’ll come with you,’ Roderick said quickly.

‘Great! You go first. Wait! Except you don’t know the way.’ The bear looked as if it was trying very hard to think. ‘Hmmm. I know. I’ll lead. Wait! No! Then I won’t be able to see what you are doing and you might escape or kick me or something.’ He looked at the ground.

Roderick decided it was best just to wait.

Eventually the bear thrust a paw triumphantly into the air.

‘I’ve got it! You go first but I will tell you which way to go. Perfect! That’ll work. Head that way.’

The bear pointed towards the end of the lake furthest from the waterfall.

‘Wait! That creature over there that looks like a horse. What is it?’

‘It’s a horse,’ said Roderick.

‘Ha. I thought as much. Is he a friend of yours?’

‘Er . . . yes. He will follow us.’

The bear brightened. ‘By the way,’ he added as they started off, ‘guess who gave me the order to take whoever I find to Ganfree Banfor? Can you guess? It was Ganfree Banfor! There’s that name again! It’s incredible.’

When they got to the end of the lake it narrowed into what was either a narrow river or a wide stream. The bear indicated a path that ran beside it and they walked along it through trees downstream. Roderick wondered if the bear had also apprehended Ruby. He almost asked but decided not to. If she had evaded the bear, he did not want to warn him that she was about. Although why he should help her after the way she had abandoned him he did not know.

After a few minutes the path emerged into a clearing containing a rectangular, wooden two-storey cottage that had a porch out the front that overlooked the river. Two horses grazed outside it and, in front of it, sitting at the edge of the river, a thin old man sat hunched over a fishing rod. As they approached, the man ignored them. As they got closer, he ignored them even more.

‘Excuse me, Mister Banfor,’ said the bear. ‘I see that you are hunting for fish in that passive let-them-come-to-me-via-my-rod sort of way that you seem to like so much and I am sorry to disturb you. But if you turn your head, or even your neck, or even your whole body, towards me, you will see that I am not just an “I”. I am a “we”. Not just one bear, but in fact one bear and one non-bear human. I have another human!’

The man slowly turned to face them. Roderick had thought he had been tired the last few days, but he had never seen such weariness as he did in that turn. The man had a long straight nose and a white beard that fell to his chest. His face was deeply lined. Could this frail old man really be the powerful sorcerer Ganfree Banfor?

Suddenly the man’s eyes blazed with such power and intensity that Roderick took a step backwards. Once again, he felt as if someone was digging around inside his mind. Then the light in the man’s eyes dimmed and he, once again, seemed old and diminished. He sighed deeply. ‘So,’ he said, ‘you have found me.’

His words sounded so despondent that Roderick almost felt like apologising for disturbing him, turning around and leaving him alone. But there was his mission to consider and, of course, the fact that if he did that he would be ripped to pieces by a giant cockroach at the end of the tunnel.

‘So it seems,’ said Roderick. Many times he had imagined what he would say if he ever found Banfor, but he had always pictured a powerful sorcerer in grand robes plucking diamonds and door handles magically out of the air, not a sad old man sitting by a river.

‘When you say he “found” you, Mr Banfor,’ said the bear, ‘he only “found” you after being led here by me. So he didn’t really find you. I found you. Except I didn’t really find you either, because I already knew you were here. You can’t really find something if you already know where it is. So perhaps we should say . . .’

‘Chester,’ Banfor said firmly, raising his hand. The way he said it clearly meant ‘Shut up now’.

‘Thank you for bringing this man to me,’ he continued. ‘You can go now.’ The bear looked disappointed.

‘Perhaps you can find us some lunch,’ added Banfor.

‘Lunch!’ said Chester. ‘I know the one. The meal between the very important but often neglected breakfast, and the frequently over-indulged-in dinner. Yes, yes! Lunch, that pivotal meal that holds the day together. An important mission, Mister Banfor!’ He paused dramatically, then drew himself up to his full height. ‘The question is, “Can I do it?”. And my answer?’ The bear leapt into a dramatic pose, legs wide apart and arms raised. ‘YES! Of course I can!’ He pivoted, dropped onto all four legs and bounded away.

Banfor let out another sigh. ‘Sometimes I wish I’d never taught him to speak. You’d never think a bear would be like . . . that.’ He gestured absently in the direction Chester had gone. ‘But then again, I could stop him doing it and I never do.’ He smiled. ‘So I suppose I must enjoy the company.’ He patted the ground beside him. ‘Do you fish?’

Roderick sat, adjusting his sword. Banfor appeared to be unarmed, but seemed as unconcerned by the sword as a crocodile would be if someone was threatening it with a banana.

‘I never have,’ said Roderick.

‘It’s very relaxing. Especially when you don’t catch any. Peaceful. Sitting looking into the water all day, trying to decide if it’s a river or a stream. A striver, perhaps. Or a ream. See, if you just sat here all day without a fishing rod you might feel a bit useless. But grab a rod, and suddenly you have a purpose. I can sit here all day. In fact, I often do.’

He gave a little tug on his rod, which was actually just a stick with string tied to one end. ‘There’s one! It’s a biggie!’ he said, jerking the rod backwards dramatically. Then he relaxed back into his staring posture. ‘Only joking.’ He looked at Roderick. ‘Not very funny, was it.’

‘Oh, yes. Yes. It was,’ said Roderick awkwardly.

‘Did you come here to fish, Roderick?’

Roderick took a deep breath. This was the moment. He gathered himself and tried to pretend that he knew what he was talking about. ‘I did not, Sir Banfor. I came here because my nation, Baronia, a nation you have helped in the past, is in peril. I have come on behalf of the Queen –’

‘Yes, yes I know all that,’ said Banfor impatiently. ‘You want to take me back.’

‘You can read my thoughts?’

‘No, another knight beat you here. I tortured him horribly to find the truth before disembowelling him and using his brains for bait.’ Roderick looked in horror at Banfor, and then reached to his right hip for his sword. Unfortunately, it was on his left hip, so he ended up grasping air.

‘Oh, for goodness’ sake,’ said Banfor. ‘I’m joking again. Yes, I can read your thoughts. Some of them. Sometimes. Don’t worry, I can’t get at them all. I used to be able to but . . .’ He faltered. ‘Things seem to be fading a bit. But I don’t really need to read your thoughts to be able to work out why you came here. You want me to do something for you.’ For a moment he looked old and alone, but then he summoned a smile and spoke simply. ‘Why else would you have come?’

‘Do you know why I want you to come with me?’

‘Does it matter?’

‘Of course it matters!’ said Roderick. ‘Our kingdom –’

‘Our kingdom, your kingdom, their kingdom. It’s all the same. You want me to help you pursue your interests.’ Banfor’s voice became firm. ‘Your kingdom, or those who rule it, want me to help them to get what they want.’ His eyes blazed, and Roderick again felt their power. ‘I am a weapon, and you want to get your hands on me before someone else does. It’s the same as it always was.’

‘No, you don’t understand.’

‘Well, one of us doesn’t.’

‘Please, let me explain. I am sure you will see the justice of our cause. Our kingdom wants to protect you.’

‘Oh, how kind of you. How lucky I am.’ Banfor shut his eyes and sighed. After a while he opened them again. ‘I really do like fishing,’ he said, sounding resigned. ‘All right. Tell me.’

Roderick explained how the Queen had discovered that the Nareeans had found out where Banfor was, and that they wanted to force him to use his powers to help them defeat Baronia. He described how the Queen had ordered the Baronian knights to undertake a kingdom-wide search to try to find Banfor first and offer him protection.

‘So we are not asking you to come and help us do anything,’ Roderick said. ‘The Nareeans may only be days, even hours, away. We want to protect you from them, so they won’t be able to force you to help them.’

‘Force me?’ Banfor snorted. ‘And how do you imagine they would do that?’

‘They are sending troops. They are ruthless and fierce.’

‘Fiercer than the cockroaches that guard the only entrance to this place? What better protection could I have than them?’

‘Well, they didn’t stop me,’ said Roderick. That had an effect on Banfor. He looked more closely at Roderick, who continued, ‘If I could get past them, then the Nareeans probably can too.’

‘How did you manage that?’ asked Banfor, genuinely interested, it seemed, for the first time.

Roderick shrugged. ‘Oh, it wasn’t so hard.’

Banfor stared hard at him. ‘Hmmm.’ He looked out into the water for some time. When he spoke his voice seemed to come from far away.

‘I don’t want to leave. I really do like the fishing here. If others manage to bypass the cockroaches then I will deal with them as best I can.’ He turned to Roderick. ‘I’m sorry. Your mission has been unsuccessful.’

Roderick was disappointed, but not surprised. He knew what to do next. He reached for his belt. ‘Then, sir, I must try another way.’

‘What? You think that sword will help you?’ Banfor exclaimed, amused.

‘No, no, I would never . . .’ stumbled Roderick. He grasped the pouch next to his sword. ‘I have a letter from the Queen of Baronia.’ He fumbled with the drawstring to the pouch. ‘I was instructed to give it to you if you refused to come with me. Hang on. There’s a knot.’

After more fumbling and fiddling, which quite undermined the sense of drama he had been trying to create, he managed to open the pouch and withdrew the parchment. ‘Only you may break the seal,’ he said.

Banfor was gazing into the river again. Slowly he turned his head and eyed the letter as if it was a smelly, dead rat. Eventually he took it delicately between thumb and forefinger.

‘If you will excuse me,’ he said.

‘Huh?’ said Roderick.

‘I said, “If you will excuse me.”’

‘What for?’

‘For goodness’ sake! Will you leave me alone while I read it?!’

‘Sorry!’ Roderick jumped to his feet so quickly he nearly overbalanced and fell in the river. He headed off towards Banfor’s cabin, outside of which Fruitcake was grazing.

Suddenly he stopped. Across the clearing a girl, a year or two older than Roderick, emerged from the forest. She had dark hair pulled back in a ponytail and wore long brown pants and an off-white shirt underneath a purple vest. But it was her footwear that caught his attention. She was wearing pale green boots.

She saw Roderick and stopped, then slowly, almost reluctantly walked towards him.

For the first time he looked into her face. She had a slightly upturned nose, brown eyes and round cheeks.

‘Ruby?’

‘Hi,’ she replied, looking embarrassed. They faced each other, neither knowing what to say. As is often the case in situations of embarrassment and awkwardness, someone said something very obvious.

‘You’re visible,’ said Roderick.

‘Yep,’ said Ruby, holding her arm up. ‘Here I am.’

Then it was her turn. ‘You made it here.’

‘I guess so,’ said Roderick.

‘How did –’ they both said at once, then stopped.

‘Sorry, you go –’ they both tried again.

‘Roderick, I’m sorry I didn’t come back for you like we planned,’ said Ruby quickly.

‘It doesn’t matter, don’t worry about it,’ said Roderick even more quickly. ‘It was a dumb plan really. You were lucky to get through the first time, and coming back would have been really dangerous, so it’s fine.’

‘That’s what I thought,’ replied Ruby. ‘One of them nearly got me when I crossed, and if I had tried to get back, and then come through again . . . it was too risky. But you must be angry or . . . something.’

‘No, no, no. No,’ he said, trying to sound like he meant it. But they both knew that if he really had meant ‘no’, he would have said it only once.

‘Well, you got past them anyway. Well done!’ she said, trying, Roderick thought, a bit too hard to be friendly.

‘They must have felt sorry for me,’ said Roderick flippantly. ‘Or been full.’

She looked carefully at him, as if inspecting him for claw marks.

‘How did you become visible?’ Roderick asked. ‘Banfor?’

‘Yes. He’s been very kind to me.’

‘Well, I guess that means that soon you’ll run out on him too, just like you ran out on me,’ retorted Roderick angrily. The words had burst out of him before he could stop them.

Ruby went red, and stared back at him. ‘Look, Roderick, I’m sorry I didn’t come back, but it could have got me killed. Yes, you saved my life, and I’m grateful, but I saved yours first. Remember the snake? So we’re even. Let’s leave it at that.’

She turned and walked off towards the cottage.

‘Even? Fine!’ Roderick shouted after her. ‘That’s the golden rule of human relationships, is it? You get even, and then you nick off. Good then. We’re even, so nick off.’

He started to storm off in the opposite direction, then realised that if he stormed that way he’d end up in the river. So he stormed a few steps back over to Banfor and then sort of inwardly stormed off, while he actually stood still and waited for the old man to acknowledge his presence.

All of a sudden Roderick had had enough. He was tired of all this. If, as he suspected, Banfor still refused to come with him, he would head home immediately. He had done his best, but he couldn’t force a sorcerer who had a bear as a bodyguard to come with him. Somehow he would get past the remaining cockroach alone and if he didn’t then Ruby would find his bloodied remains on her way out, and she would feel guilty and that would be good. So, really whichever way it panned out was fine. It was win–win.

Roderick looked down at Banfor, who was staring intently into the water, the parchment held in one hand. ‘She was very concerned about you, you know,’ he said calmly.

‘Yes, I’m sure she was. That’s why she promised me she’d come back and then didn’t. Anyway, she’s not important. Has the Queen’s letter changed your mind? Will you return to Baronia with me?’

He was eager to get his refusal and be on his way. He had come a long way, nearly been killed several times and, frankly, it was all getting a bit much. At the castle they had a big buffet breakfast each morning. All you could eat, with lots of freshly baked muffins. That’s what he needed. A hot bath and a few muffins.

‘I will.’

‘Right then. Well, I think you’re making a mistake, but I’ve tried. So if you will excuse me . . . Wait. What did you say?’

Banfor sighed. ‘I said “I will”.’

‘You mean you will come with me?’

‘Yes, that is what I mean.’

‘You’ve changed your mind?’

‘You’re having trouble with this, aren’t you?’

‘Yes, I . . . I mean, well, I didn’t expect it, that’s all. I was expecting . . . Why did you change your mind? The letter?’ Roderick asked.

Banfor smiled, but there was no joy in it. ‘It is for the best that I come with you. Will you stay here tonight? We can leave in the morning.’

‘Yes. Yes. Of course.’

‘You can stay in the cottage. Your friend has the spare room but you can sleep on the couch. Now if you will excuse me, I will try to catch us some dinner. It may be my last fish for some time.’

Roderick wandered away again. He couldn’t quite believe it. He had found Banfor and persuaded him to return to Baronia. Or at least the letter had. Regardless, all he needed to do was get him back to Palandan and Roderick would be a hero. He tasted the word. Hero. He had never imagined that one day it might fit him. He imagined a parade through the city in his honour, followed by a feast where he sat at the Queen’s side. He might even get a bigger room.

Roderick continued to imagine his heroic future until Chester returned with three rabbits he had caught. Roderick followed the bear into Banfor’s home. Inside was a simple kitchen and sitting room downstairs, and a staircase that led up, he supposed, to the two bedrooms. Roderick dithered about until, as the shadows lengthened, Banfor brought in a swag of decent-sized fish.

Ruby turned up in time for the unusual, but very tasty, combination of fish and rabbit stew. Chester sat with them, and quickly wolfed – or bear-ed – his rabbit down. ‘I may talk like a person, but I eat like a bear. And after I eat like a bear, I walk around like a bear and then I fall asleep like a bear. I really am almost exactly like a bear. Maybe even more than that. But like a person I say ‘goodnight’. And that is exactly what I am now going to say. Goodnight!’ And with that, he got up and ambled outside.

‘Goodnight,’ replied the three humans.

Banfor served dessert, a delicious pear pie. As they talked, Roderick couldn’t help but be surly and uncommunicative with Ruby, but that was all right, because she was the same back. To avoid talking to each other, and because they were genuinely curious, they both plied Banfor with questions about his life. Each question was politely but expertly deflected, and replaced with a query of Banfor’s own, usually directed at Roderick. By the time he had finished his second helping of pie, Roderick realised he had disclosed pretty much everything of significance that had ever happened in his life.

As Banfor made tea Ruby cleared the plates, then they moved over to the fireplace and sat in comfy armchairs.

‘I have spent much of the last few years staring. At water by day, and at fire by night,’ said Banfor thoughtfully. ‘It has brought me great peace.’

‘You will return here very soon, I’m sure,’ said Ruby.

‘Yes,’ said Roderick. ‘Once you are no longer in danger, the Queen’s knights will escort you back here.’

Banfor’s face was expressionless. ‘We shall see.’

‘And it will be my duty to protect you on the way back to Palandan,’ declared Roderick because, he thought, that is what a knight ought to say.

‘Well, that’s a relief,’ said Banfor with a half-smile. ‘And you will have some assistance. Have I told you that Chester is coming with us? He’s a very good bodyguard. Loyal, strong, obedient and he can always find honey. I adore honey. Yes, he does talk far too much about far too little, but apart from that he is an excellent companion.’

Roderick nodded. ‘Yes, of course, if you wish.’

‘Good. We shall leave early,’ said Banfor, then added to Roderick as an afterthought, ‘if, of course, that suits you, sir knight.’

‘That will be suitable,’ said Roderick stiffly.

‘And I believe that the Lady Ruby will accompany us until her path back to her home diverts from ours.’

Roderick gave a start.

‘Now that I am visible again I don’t fancy my chances getting past those cockroaches without you,’ Ruby said to Banfor.

Banfor smiled at her and rose. ‘Goodnight, then.’ He disappeared up the stairs. Roderick expected Ruby to follow but she did not. They avoided looking at each other by gazing into the flames. He wished she would disappear, either into her room or back to invisibility. He had liked her much more when she was invisible.

‘He doesn’t want to go, you know,’ she said. Roderick could feel her gaze on his face. He looked resolutely ahead and said nothing.

‘Before you arrived I got the impression that nothing would get him to leave here,’ she continued. ‘How did you change his mind? What did you say to him? I saw him holding a letter. Did you give it to him? What did it say?’

Roderick sighed. He hated being asked four questions at once. ‘I don’t know what was in the letter. I just told him that the Nareeans are pursuing him and they want to force him to fight Baronia.’

‘How do you know that’s right? Have you seen any Nareeans running around looking for him?’

Roderick sighed again, a big one this time. He knew it was a bit theatrical, but he didn’t care. ‘No, but that just means we got here first. Maybe they were delayed on the way by a treacherous invisible girl.’ He liked that one. ‘Our Queen has spies in Nareea. She knows what the Nareeans are doing.’

‘But what if things aren’t the way you think they are, Roderick? What then? He’s just a tired old man. Can’t you leave him alone?’

‘I’ve already said, we’re going to protect him,’ said Roderick in exasperation. ‘I’m not making him come with me. It’s his decision.’ He crossed his arms but then realised that it made him look defensive, so he uncrossed them again.

‘He doesn’t need your protection,’ continued Ruby. ‘He’s perfectly safe here. He has the cockroaches, the bear and his powers.’

Roderick knew this conversation wasn’t going to end well. He should just wish Ruby goodnight and curl up on the couch. Instead he said, ‘If you and I could get past the cockroaches, then others can too. The bear is only one well-aimed arrow away from being a rug, and as for Banfor’s powers, what have you actually seen him do?’

Ruby held out her arms. ‘You’re seeing it now. He cured me.’

‘That’s hardly going to protect him from soldiers.’

‘He can do other things too. He controls the cockroaches.’

‘I think all he actually does is keep them in an invisible cage.’

‘Then he could put any Nareeans that came after him in an invisible cage too.’

‘But maybe it doesn’t work like that. Maybe it takes days or weeks to build the cage. Or maybe he built that cage years ago when his powers were stronger. I don’t know. I’m just saying I haven’t seen anything that suggests he could protect himself from Nareean soldiers. If he could, why would he need a bear for a bodyguard? Anyway, he obviously thinks he needs protecting from the Nareeans, or he wouldn’t have agreed to come with me.’

Ruby turned back to the fire. Suddenly her eyes lit up and she leant towards him. ‘Wait! Your mission doesn’t actually make sense. It just doesn’t.’

‘Yes it does. The Queen –’

Ruby flapped her hands like she was trying to take off. ‘No, no, no. Listen. You’re offering him protection, because he can’t protect himself from the Nareeans. But if that’s right, then what have you got to be worried about? What harm can he do to you Baronians if he can’t even protect himself from a few Nareean soldiers?

‘But if he is still a powerful sorcerer, then you Baronians don’t have to worry either, because then the Nareeans aren’t going to be able to capture him, are they? When they try, he’ll just use his powers to stop them. So if he has no powers left, you’re safe, and if he has lots of powers left you’re safe too, because he clearly just wants to stay here and fish, and no one is going to be able to make him do otherwise.’

She sat back in her chair with the satisfied look of someone who had finally won a long game of chess. Roderick’s head was hurting.

‘It’s simple, really,’ she added.

Roderick slapped his hand on the arm of his chair. ‘No! It’s not simple! It’s complicated.’

‘Roderick, admit it! You don’t have a clue what’s really going on.’

‘Okay! I agree! I don’t understand everything, but that’s not my job. That’s the Queen’s job. She makes the decisions and gives the orders, and I follow them. And you know what? Usually I’m not very good at carrying out her orders, because I’m not very good at being a knight. In fact, I’m terrible at it. But this time, for once, I’ve actually managed to do quite well. Out of all the knights, I’m the only one who’s succeeded in finding Banfor. And now I’m going to take him back.’

For a few moments Ruby said nothing. When she spoke there was ice in her voice. ‘You just want to take him back so you can be a big hero. That’s it, isn’t it? You don’t care what’s right and what’s wrong. All you care about is that you’re a knight who’s never even been able to hold a sword the right way, and now you’ve got your big chance to show everyone how great you are.’

Roderick’s felt himself turn red. ‘Listen to me,’ he said through clenched teeth. ‘Baronia and Nareea have been fighting on and off for centuries and now the Nareeans want to start it again, and whoever is in charge there thinks that Banfor can help them. Now I don’t know if the Nareeans will be able to force him to help them or not, but I do know that there is a risk of war, and if we prevent the Nareeans from finding Banfor then that risk becomes smaller, which means there will be less chance of people getting killed. So if I can do something to reduce the chance of people dying, that’s good enough for me. I have my orders,’ Roderick spat, eyes blazing, ‘and I will carry them out.’

He stood, stomped past Ruby, out the door and down to the river, where he sat for a long time.

CHAPTER 10

THE WAY BACK

Everyone was quiet the next morning. Except, that is, for the bear.

‘Excitement mixed with fear, that is how I would describe it. In fact that is how I am describing it!’ he exclaimed as the four of them made their way towards the tunnel. He was the only one on foot, walking upright on his hind legs, as Banfor had given Ruby his second horse.

‘Until I met Mister Banfor I thought the whole world was within the mountains, which made me feel big. Not as big as the world, but quite big because I knew every part of the world. Of course, I knew also about the hole that led out of the world because it, too, was part of the world, but I did not know where it went. And I did not want to know. Bears are clever. You know that, of course. We are also brave and good at hunting food and hairy and clean and excellent company, but we are not usually very curious. So I never wanted to explore the hole, and because I never wanted to, I never did! That makes sense!’

‘Er, yes,’ replied Roderick uncertainly. He could see the tunnel up ahead. He wasn’t looking forward to entering it again, partly because he didn’t like dark tunnels but mainly because it would bring him closer to the cockroach to whom he had promised, and was not going to deliver, freedom. He hoped Banfor’s presence would protect him.

‘Then Mister Banfor taught me about curiosity,’ continued Chester, ‘and how interesting curiosity could be, and he helped me to grow some of it in here.’ The bear tapped his head. ‘And now it has grown, and I am taking my curiosity out to see the big world!’

Despite his fears, Roderick couldn’t help smiling.

‘But,’ said Chester, ‘I think that part of having a curiosity is being nervous. Actually . . .’ He looked around and lowered his voice. ‘I am a bit scared now.’

‘Without occasional fear, life can be dull,’ said Banfor calmly, sitting still on his horse. He cast a final look back at his home, and added, ‘Or perhaps just peaceful.’

Then he urged the horse up the hill and into the tunnel. The others followed, Chester close behind Banfor, then Ruby, with Roderick last.

Roderick would have preferred not to have been at the back, but he didn’t want to ride alongside Ruby. As the light behind them receded, he saw a blue glow ahead that seemed to hover in front of Banfor. They travelled in silence and eventually reached the tunnel’s other side. Banfor motioned for them to dismount.

‘Stay close behind me and you will be safe,’ said Banfor. ‘But if you stray . . .’

‘Close but not too close,’ said Chester excitedly. ‘Why? Because if we get too close we will bump into each other and someone might fall over and hurt their knee. It’s usually the knee when you fall over. Did you know that? Or the elbow. The pointy bits are the most vulnerable.’

‘Very true,’ said Banfor, ‘but we should be quiet now.’

‘Yes. Very quiet,’ said Chester. ‘But walking makes some noise, and if we don’t walk, we won’t go anywhere. Unless we hopped, or rolled along the ground. But that makes noise too! And so does breathing. But if we don’t breathe . . .’

‘Chester! Quiet!’ commanded Banfor in an urgent whisper.

‘Yes. Sorry. Quiet. Just soft breathing and silent walking. And no rolling.’

They walked the horses out of the tunnel into the gully that led to the cockroaches’ clearing. As they emerged into it, the remaining cockroach faced them, as if it had been waiting for them to appear. Of its dead companion, there was no sign. Roderick wondered if cockroaches were cannibals.

FREEEE MEEE! FREEEE! Roderick heard in his head. The cockroach’s thoughts didn’t ask, they demanded. Roderick shrank back. Unless Banfor could protect him, he was dead.

The old man looked curiously at Roderick, then faced the cockroach and held up his hand. A mighty wave crashed through Roderick’s head, smashing his thoughts to bits and replacing them with an overwhelming feeling of losing balance and falling. Banfor’s power – for surely that is what it was – cascaded over all else, then seemed to sharpen its focus onto something other than Roderick. He still felt its force, but now it was like a searchlight aimed elsewhere.

The ‘elsewhere’ was the cockroach. It stood frozen, and then meekly bowed down.

Banfor called back to them. ‘Come. She will not harm you.’ He strode confidently past the cockroach towards the other side of the clearing. The others followed cautiously. Ruby and Chester passed within a few steps of the beast, but it did not move.

As Roderick approached, he felt a rumbling in his mind, as if the cockroach was trying to break the chains that held her. She let out a huge howl and slashed a leg at Roderick.

Roderick screamed and, more usefully, dived to his left. The leg whistled past, missing him by centimetres. He tried to scramble to his feet. When he reached his knees he heard Banfor. ‘Hold!’

He froze.

‘Not you, Roderick, the cockroach!’ called Banfor. ‘You, move. Quickly!’

Roderick scrambled to his feet and staggered past Banfor into the trees on the far side of the clearing where Ruby and Chester waited. Behind him the cockroach looked like its head was being pushed into the ground by an enormous invisible hand on the back of its head. Its limbs wriggled but its body seemed unable to move. Banfor slowly backed away from it until he was out of the clearing, and then turned away. The invisible hand released its grip. The cockroach rolled onto its side and its huge chest heaved.

‘Come,’ said Banfor. ‘She cannot follow.’ They mounted their horses and headed up the hill. As they climbed, the cockroach let out a huge wail full of anger and despair. Roderick couldn’t help but feel a bit guilty. At the top of the hill they stopped. Roderick could still see the cockroach far below, but now it looked as tiny as, well, a normal-sized cockroach.

‘Ruby, Chester. Please gather some firewood if you don’t mind,’ said Banfor, dismounting.

‘A command that is not as un-confusing as you might think,’ said Chester. ‘If a branch falls off a tree, is it firewood? No. It is just wood. So when does it become firewood? When we gather it with the intention of using it as firewood? Or when we put it in the fire? What an interesting question. Perhaps it is even a philosophical question. A good one to talk about as we gather, don’t you think, Ruby?’

Ruby rolled her eyes and they headed off.

Banfor sat on a fallen tree trunk. ‘Well, she’s not happy with you,’ he said. At first Roderick thought he meant Ruby, but then realised he was referring to the cockroach. The old man looked drained, as if the muscles and bones inside his face had suddenly decided they weren’t up to it anymore and had collapsed inwards. The lines on his face seemed deeper and wider, and dark circles ringed his eyes. He looked several years older than he had an hour ago. His breathing was laboured, as if he had just climbed a long steep hill, which of course he had. Except he had done it sitting on a horse.

‘Why do we need a fire?’ asked Roderick, trying to change the subject.

‘We don’t,’ Banfor spoke slowly, wheezing. ‘We need . . . them to collect firewood . . . so I can talk to you alone. What happened . . . down there? And where is the other cockroach?’

‘Wait. Are you all right?’

‘No . . . but I will . . . be soon. Tell me.’

Roderick told him everything that had happened with the cockroaches on his way in. ‘So I sort of promised it something I couldn’t deliver. But it was the only way I could think of to get through.’

‘I see. You have . . . made an enemy of one of the world’s most dangerous creatures.’ He paused, looking Roderick up and down. ‘You are also . . . able to communicate in a way . . . not many people can.’

‘I know. What does it mean?’

Banfor held up his hand wearily. ‘Later. This . . . is what we must do. I will widen her cage. I can make . . . it two hundred times bigger. She does not . . . need to guard the entrance again . . . until I return. If I make the cage bigger she may not even . . . realise she is still in a cage. If you send her thoughts as if it is you freeing her . . . she will think you did it, and her hate will turn to gratitude.’

‘Is overpowering the cockroach down there what has made you so weak?’ asked Roderick.

Banfor smiled. ‘Indeed. Everything . . . has its price.’

‘Have you got the strength left to widen the cage?’

‘I think so.’

‘But we’re past her. She can’t hurt me now.’

Banfor took as deep a breath as he could manage. ‘You promised her freedom. Cockroaches hate liars . . . I keep her in the cage . . . but I was always honest with her. One day she will be free again . . . She may hunt you down . . .’

Banfor extended his hand. Roderick helped him to his feet and Banfor faced back down the hill. ‘Now, concentrate. Make her think that you are the one helping her,’ he said.

Banfor stood perfectly still, seemingly strong again, and shut his eyes. Roderick did the same. Once again he felt Banfor’s power throbbing in his head.

You are free. Free. Free, he thought. Somehow he seemed to get in sync with the rhythm of Banfor’s thoughts. Rather than feeling, as he had before, that the old man’s power was going to crush him, this time his thoughts seemed to be carried along with Banfor’s. Roderick kept thinking, Free. Free.

Eventually, faintly, a thought came back from the cockroach. THAAANNNK YOOOOUUUU. He opened his eyes. She stood in the clearing, looking up the hill at them and then slowly bowed her head to the ground. Then she turned and lumbered away down the clearing.

He turned to Banfor, just in time to see him wobble and then crash to the ground.

He knelt beside the old man. ‘Are you all right?’

Banfor strained to speak. ‘No . . . definitely not,’ he wheezed, and then his eyes shut. He was unconscious. Or asleep. Or something.

Banfor tossed and turned fitfully, alternately sweating and shivering. They had made a makeshift bed and pillow for him out of grass, and covered him in a blanket.

‘Has he been like this before?’ Ruby asked Chester.

‘He has not,’ said Chester anxiously. ‘Not exactly like this, because we have never been here before and we have never been now before. So of course he could never have been exactly like this before. There was one time when he was a bit like this before, but bears are not very good with time, so if you ask me when that was I will say “I do not know”. And if you ask me where it happened I will say “At home”, which is now a place that we are not, and which I could get quite sad about not being at, if I wasn’t in the middle of answering your question.’

‘How can we help him to get better?’ asked Ruby impatiently.

‘Better at what?’ replied Chester, confused. Ruby looked like she was about to hit him. ‘Oh,’ the bear said. ‘How can we help him to feel better. Well, I think, definitely, that only the application of one ingredient can create his betterness.’

‘Tell us! What ingredient?’ Ruby demanded.

‘Time.’

‘Time?’ she repeated slowly, then sighed. ‘How much time?’

‘Bears know lots of things about lots of things, but as this bear just said, one thing we do not know lots of things about is time. It will take a period of time, that’s for sure. Anything else is unsure.’

Ruby looked as if any further conversation with Chester would test her sanity, and that it was a test she may not pass. Roderick, meanwhile, collected ingredients and then brewed up a potion used to restore energy to those who were exhausted or rundown. When it was ready, he tried to feed it to Banfor. While some of it dribbled out the corners of his mouth, a few sips seemed to get down his throat.

In the end they did use the firewood. They had no option but to make camp and wait for Banfor to recover. Chester managed to catch two rabbits, and Roderick averted his eyes as, with much slobbering, he scoffed one raw. Ruby, meanwhile, made a stew with the other.

They made themselves as comfortable as possible, which wasn’t very, and slept.

The following morning Banfor seemed a bit better. His fever, if that is what it had been, had subsided and he managed some breakfast of cold rabbit stew. Afterwards, he hauled himself to his feet.

‘Let us be on our way. We have wasted time,’ he said.

‘Are you sure you are well enough?’ asked Ruby.

Banfor nodded. He was still weak, so Chester helped him onto his horse and they rugged him up in a blanket. They rode back along the ridge towards the cave where Roderick had rescued Ruby.

Ruby kept suggesting that they stop and wait for him to recover properly, but Banfor refused. ‘It is a small sickness that comes upon me from time to time,’ he said. ‘It comes, it stays a while and then it goes. Just like you two. Except of course,’ he added drily, ‘you took me with you.’

‘That was just him.’ Ruby pointed an accusing finger at Roderick. ‘I didn’t want you to leave your lovely home.’

Banfor held up his hand. ‘Please,’ he said. ‘I decided to come. No one forced me.’

They travelled through the day without incident – unless you consider a bear continually explaining why things that seemed very simple were actually incredibly complicated to be an incident. When they got close to where Roderick had rescued Ruby from the cave-dwellers, they detoured down the far side of the ridge to avoid getting too close. By nightfall they had reached the turn-off to the Forest of Gilderang, where they made camp. In the whole of the day, Ruby and Roderick had exchanged exactly eight words, being ‘you go first’ (from Roderick to Ruby) at a point where the track narrowed, and ‘you go first this time’ (from Ruby to Roderick) at a point where it narrowed again.

Banfor was gradually recovering his strength, but while previously he had seemed such a calm figure of authority, now he was twitchy. He kept fidgeting, scratching the back of his head or his chest, or twisting his hands into knots and drumming them on his thigh.

‘Are you all right?’ asked Ruby.

‘Yes, yes,’ he said quickly. ‘Mosquitos. They always seem to like me.’ He smiled. ‘I must have tasty blood.’

They camped that night and the next morning quickly packed up and made their way through the forest where Roderick had been attacked by the drop python. Roderick tilted his head back and looked carefully above for others, but saw none. Around lunchtime they arrived at the junction where Roderick had parted company with Fromley and Sir Shamus. The right turn led to Palandan, and the left to Danover and Nareea.

‘This is where I say goodbye,’ said Ruby. She hugged Banfor awkwardly. Not because either of them felt awkward, just because they were both on horseback, and hugging while sitting on a horse is tricky.

‘Thank you again for curing me,’ said Ruby. She flicked her eyes towards Roderick, then leant closer to Banfor. Roderick looked away, pretending to be uninterested, but strained to overhear them.

‘Are you sure you will go with him,’ Ruby whispered, ‘and not with me?’

‘It must be done,’ replied Banfor. ‘Remember what I taught you.’

Ruby nodded and squeezed the old man’s arm. ‘I will. Thank you.’

Huh? thought Roderick. Why did she want Banfor to go with her? And what had Banfor taught her? And why can’t there ever be just one day when nothing confusing happens?

Ruby farewelled Chester. ‘Goodbye,’ said the bear. ‘By which I mean I hope the way in which we say “bye” is good. But I also mean something else; that I hope that when we have said goodbye, all is good for you. And, of course, for me.’

‘Thank you, Chester,’ replied Ruby. ‘You make sure nothing bad happens to Mister Banfor.’

Chester puffed out his chest. ‘A challenge! I accept!’ He saluted Ruby.

Ruby turned to Roderick. ‘Goodbye, Roderick,’ she said stiffly. ‘Take good care of this man.’ She paused, and then added, ‘If you can.’

Roderick tried to form a suitable reply, one which would not only deflect her insult, but would also make her realise how mean and nasty and silly she had been to him. He was still trying to think of the exact words that would achieve all that as she galloped into the distance. They watched her silently until she was out of sight, and then turned south.

‘She was nice.’ Chester sighed. Suddenly, he brightened. ‘In fact, she still is nice! Why would she have changed just because she is no longer with us? She is nice, whether she is here or . . . wherever she is. And speaking of nice, look at that nice tree.’ He ran over to a big oak tree and hugged it.

They continued until the light began to fade, and then made camp by a stream off the road. Chester caught three squirrels for dinner, ate one and then immediately fell into a deep, snore-filled sleep by the fire. Banfor made another stew and, after they had eaten it, he and Roderick sat about the fire drinking tea.

‘Can you tell me more about the mind-talking now? How does it happen?’ asked Roderick.

Banfor, who was now much less fidgety, stared at him for a long moment. ‘I am not sure if anyone knows. It is speech of another kind. Some animals can do it, and a few humans. Not many. Some have the ability but never become aware of it. Others, like you, somehow find out they can do it, and then practise and improve. As you have found out, the giant cockroaches can do it. Butterflies also have the ability, but not fish. I’m not sure why.’

‘But how did you get your powers? I mean, you can control giant cockroaches. Where does that come from?’

‘From my parents.’

‘But how . . . I mean, where did they –’

Banfor held up a hand. ‘I will tell you what I can. My father was a Baronian who lived in a small village near the Nareean border. My mother lived nearby, but in Nareea. Both had similar unusual abilities. From an early age they could sometimes tell what others were thinking, and find things that were lost. By the time they were teenagers they could move small objects with their minds and sometimes even persuade people to do things.

‘In their mid-teens they sensed each other. My mother crossed into Baronia and found my father. When they met, they instantly knew they belonged together. My father left his family and returned with my mother to her village. They tried to keep their powers secret, but eventually word reached those high up in the Nareean army, and one day a group of knights arrived and tried to persuade my parents to go with them and help Nareea fight its enemies. They refused, so the knights tried to take them by force. My parents used their powers to get free, and fled.’

Banfor sipped his tea.

‘Where did they go?’ asked Roderick, fascinated.

‘They realised that wherever they went, sooner or later the army of whatever country they were in would come looking for them. So they went to a place where there were no people. They sensed the emptiness within the Circle of Mountains, discovered the way in and made their home there. They grew fruit and vegetables and fished, and they were content.

‘Then I arrived. I grew up with no other human company but them. The cockroaches did not guard us back then, but whenever someone stumbled upon the entrance to the tunnel my parents, now deeply suspicious of those on the outside, would detect them, and gently persuade them to turn around.’

‘And they taught you how to do the things that they could do?’

‘Indeed. They taught me how to use my mind to communicate, to heal and to persuade. They always emphasised that having such powers brought great responsibilities and that I must never do harm.

‘My childhood was spent entirely within the Circle of Mountains and as I approached manhood I grew restless. I wanted to see more of the world. My parents were not surprised when I said I wanted to leave. They knew the day would come.

‘On the day I left I told them I would return soon. I may even have believed it. I doubt they did. As I walked for the first time through the tunnel that led to the outside world, I felt great excitement. I also felt sadness and apprehension. Then I realised that the feelings of sadness and apprehension did not come from me. I was detecting the feelings of my parents.’

‘Did they not think of coming with you?’ asked Roderick.

Banfor laughed softly. ‘They knew that my desire to leave was not just about wanting to see the world. It was about wanting to learn to live without them. It happens to every child.’

‘And then?’ asked Roderick, eager to hear more.

Banfor gazed deep into the flames for a long time. ‘And then,’ he repeated distantly. ‘Things went terribly, terribly wrong.’

‘How? What did –’

‘That is enough for now,’ said Banfor firmly. ‘It is time to sleep.’

‘But the mind-talking. If I can do it, how should I use this power?’

‘Like we must use all powers, of course. As best we can.’

And with that enigmatic comment Banfor headed towards his tent.

Roderick rose. ‘Please! One more question. Why did Ruby want you to go with her?’

Banfor gave him a searching look. ‘You have good hearing, Roderick, but I am sorry, I cannot tell you.’

‘Because you don’t know or because . . .’

‘Because I am going to sleep,’ replied Banfor, irritation creeping into his voice. Goodnight.’

‘I have felt someone else’s thoughts,’ said Roderick quickly.

Banfor stopped. ‘Indeed? Whose?’

‘Er . . . well . . .’

Banfor looked hard at him, into him.

‘If you want me be honest with you, Roderick, then you must be honest with me.’

Now it was Roderick’s turn to fidget. Eventually he said, ‘The Queen’s.’

A strange expression came over Banfor’s face. It may have contained anger, sorrow, even wistfulness.

‘Ahh, the Queen. We shall see her soon, no doubt,’ was all he said.

‘Do you know her?’ asked Roderick.

‘Oh yes. I used to, at any rate. But I have not seen her for a long time. In fact, I haven’t seen anyone for a long time.’ He looked at Chester, snoring softly on his side. ‘Except for that bear.’

Later that night, Roderick woke, or thought he did. Banfor was by the fire, leafing through Roderick’s spell book, studying its pages. Roderick tried to lean forward to get a better view, but found that he could not move. He was immobilised, and slowly but firmly felt himself being pulled – or maybe pushed – back to sleep. Just before his eyes fluttered shut he thought he saw a tear run down Banfor’s cheek.

The next morning he had a dim memory of something unusual happening the previous evening, but couldn’t quite remember exactly what. Before long even that vague recollection trickled away, and the incident was forgotten.

They travelled all that day and by late afternoon were getting close to Palandan. We’ll reach the city by early evening, thought Roderick.

‘I wonder if we might stop soon. I know we are close, but I am very tired,’ said Banfor, as if he had been reading Roderick’s mind. Perhaps, thought Roderick, he had.

‘Yes, of course,’ he replied. ‘We’ll find somewhere to camp.’

‘Your home is nearby, is it not?’ said Banfor.

‘Yes, we’re quite close to it.’

Banfor raised his eyebrows.

‘Home!’ said Chester. ‘The best place there is! So much more comfortable and nice and warm than places that are not home. Homes are always warm. And even when a home is not warm, when you are thinking about your home with your thoughts, you always think of it as being warm. Even cold homes make warm thoughts! And after three days sleeping in non-warm non-homes, I would very much like to go to a home, even if it is not my home.’

‘Would it be rude to ask if your family might consider accommodating us for a night?’ asked Banfor. ‘Three nights sleeping on the ground has stiffened my back somewhat.’

Roderick had already longingly contemplated calling in to the farm, but had quickly dismissed the idea. He had an important mission to complete. But if Banfor’s wellbeing was an issue, that changed things. He imagined telling his mother and Sonya how he had overcome cannibals and giant cockroaches to find Banfor and save the kingdom, and then devouring some of his mother’s delicious cooking. Maybe she would even make rhubarb crumble! ‘Perhaps we could call in,’ he said tentatively.

Banfor smiled. ‘Family is very important, Roderick. Always remember that.’

‘Except when you are asleep,’ added Chester. ‘By which I mean that family are still important when you are asleep, but you don’t have to remember it when you are asleep because remembering things when you are asleep is very hard. So when you are asleep, forget that family is important. But as soon as you wake up, remember it again, please!’

Before long they came to the Indinwick turn-off and soon after made their way up the dusty track that led to the farm. As always Roderick felt a feeling of peace settle over him as he approached. He couldn’t wait to see his mother and Sonya again.

He trotted ahead to reassure them that the approaching bear wasn’t going to eat them. As he neared the farmhouse Gwenda rushed out of the front door.

‘Roderick, thank goodness! What took you so long?’

‘I’ve been away and –’

‘Have you any news of her?’

‘Huh . . . who?’

‘Didn’t you get my note?’

‘No. What –’

‘It’s Sonya. She’s disappeared!’

PART 2

MYSTERY

CHAPTER 11

THE DISAPPEARANCE

Despite his shock, and eagerness to find out what had happened to Sonya, Roderick managed to introduce Banfor and Chester. His mother was so distracted and anxious that he was sure she didn’t take in a word of it. She didn’t even bat an eyelid when Chester said, ‘Hello and nice to meet you and other polite things like that.’

While Chester rested outside, Gwenda ushered Roderick and Banfor into the house and sat them at the kitchen table, then fought to control herself as she explained what had happened.

‘It was twelve days ago,’ she began, ‘the day you last visited.’ Roderick thought back. That was the day before he had left Palandan to search for Banfor.

‘She left home early in the afternoon, just after you left,’ Gwenda continued. ‘She said she was going into Indinwick to shop and see friends, but she didn’t come home that evening. I thought she must have decided to stay at a friend’s house. She does that sometimes.

‘I expected her sometime the next day, but she didn’t come home. That night I was so worried I didn’t sleep a wink. The next morning I went into Indinwick. None of her friends had seen her. No one had seen her.’ Her voice cracked. Roderick put an arm around her shoulders.

Gwenda had then raced to the castle only to find that Roderick had left on a mission, and that no one could say when he would return.

There had been no one else for her to turn to. The only help the town sheriff, Ranald Renfor, could offer was to suggest that at the age of fifteen, it was ‘time a girl got out from under her mother’s skirts anyway’.

‘Perhaps she just needed to get away for a while,’ suggested Roderick, as much to try to convince himself as his mother.

‘But for nearly two weeks? Without telling me? She wouldn’t torture me like this.’

Roderick covered her hand with his. ‘What did she take?’ he asked softly.

Gwenda brushed the hair from her eyes. ‘Just her normal bag. I’m not sure but she may have taken one extra skirt and blouse apart from what she was wearing.’

‘Did anyone in the village see her?’

She shook her head. ‘I’ve asked all her friends, and everyone else. No one has seen her since she left here.’

‘Is there anyone new she has been spending time with recently? She told me that she had joined CAKE, the anti-knights group.’

‘She goes to their meetings, and she’s full of their ideas about making the world a better place, but that’s just normal for someone her age.’

‘Could the CAKE business be connected to her disappearance? Was she doing anything for them?’

Gwenda shrugged. ‘She wouldn’t have told me if she was.’

‘Had she been talking about anyone or anything else unusual?’

His mother looked at the table, hands clenched, as if trying to squeeze out memories. ‘She has her normal friends in the village. Sven, of course, but I think she’s getting less keen on him. And I’ve seen him about, so they haven’t run off together.’

‘I’ll talk to him. What about at the markets?’

Gwenda shrugged again. ‘When it’s busy all we do is work. Set up, sell, pack up, go home. When it’s not busy she wanders about, talks, shops.’ She frowned. ‘I’ve been over things a hundred times. The only unusual thing I can think of is that recently we’ve been having lots of arguments about how to run the farm. She’s been talking about all these new ways of farming, and new mixtures and potions we should make.’

Roderick remembered that Sonya had mentioned arguments. ‘Maybe she’s just getting interested. Were they good ideas?’

‘That’s the odd thing. She’s always been a bright girl. Like you.’

‘I’m not a girl.’

‘You know what I mean. But all her ideas were terrible. She wanted to start growing strawflour, which needs cooler temperatures and a lot more rain than we get. And she suggested we harvest the herbs earlier so we could get them to market before everyone else, but if we did that they wouldn’t be fully matured and the potions wouldn’t work properly.

‘And the more I said no – and I explained to her why – the more frustrated she got. Maybe she needed to get away for a night or two. But not for two weeks . . .’ Gwenda broke off and gazed at the floor.

‘So where did she get her ideas? Or who did she get them from?’ Roderick asked. Gwenda held up her hands.

Banfor, who had been sitting back quietly, spoke. ‘When did your daughter usually make these suggestions? Was there any pattern? After she had attended the CAKE meetings? After you’d been to market?’

Gwenda beat a rhythm on the table with her hand, as if it might help kick her brain into a higher gear. ‘I remember a few times talking to her about it on the way home from market.’

‘So she may have been talking to someone there,’ suggested Banfor.

‘Maybe. I didn’t see her with anyone, and she didn’t mention anyone, but recently she seemed more eager to get away from the stall, almost as if there was something else she wanted to be doing.’

Roderick sensed that it was time for him to try to give his mother some hope by at least looking like he was taking charge.

‘All right,’ he said as confidently as he could, ‘after I deliver Sir Banfor to the castle, I’ll ask around and find out whether anyone noticed anything unusual Sonya had been doing, or anyone unusual she’d been with, and what was happening at those CAKE meetings.’ He grasped his mother’s hand. ‘We’ll find her.’

Later, lying in his very own comfortable bed, Roderick thought back to his last conversation with Sonya, held just an hour or two before she disappeared. Had there been some clue in something she had said? Where had she gone? He ran it around and around in his mind, getting nowhere, until eventually he escaped into sleep.

Next morning, he was woken at first light by a hand on his shoulder. Banfor.

‘Roderick. We must go.’

‘Hmmmppg . . . gruumpf. What’s the hurry?’ Roderick groaned.

‘I seem to recall you telling me that your kingdom is about to be overrun by the Nareeans,’ said the old man drily. ‘We should get to Palandan quickly.’

Roderick sighed and then reluctantly hauled himself out of bed, scoffed some breakfast and bid his mother farewell, promising to investigate Sonya’s disappearance and return as soon as he could.

They rode silently and soon came over a rise to see the walls of Palandan; the castle towered over them.

‘Oh my goodness, oh my stars, oh my gosh and oh my lots of other things,’ exclaimed Chester. ‘This is a place that is a big place. I have heard about places like this. It is a city, a place where many humans live crushed together as close as they can get.’

Roderick smiled, and then allowed himself a moment of satisfaction. I did it, he thought. I really did it. I got past the cannibals and the cockroaches, and I brought Banfor back. A wave of something he hadn’t felt for a long time washed over him. Pride. Then he remembered his sister. The smile disappeared. He realised that soon Banfor would be whisked away into the palace. This might be his last chance. As they crossed the bridge, he turned urgently to him.

‘Can you help me find Sonya? With your powers.’

Banfor looked at the city walls for a few moments before replying. ‘My powers are not what they once were, I’m afraid. You saw what happened to me when we passed the cockroach.’

‘Yes, but . . .’

‘I will do what I can to help, but it would be unwise to rely on me.’ Banfor turned to Roderick, and fixed him with his piercing gaze. ‘You must search for her. Ask questions. Lots of questions. Use your brain and be bold. Your sister is strong.’

Roderick looked sharply at him. ‘How do you know? What do you know about her?’

‘That is all I can tell you now. Remember my advice. Use your brain and be bold. The answers may be closer than you think.’

‘But . . .’ Roderick bit his lip. ‘But I get scared.’

Banfor looked steadily at him and then said softly. ‘Then, Roderick, you have a great opportunity. For it is only those who feel fear who have the chance to be brave.’ Banfor smiled. ‘Come on!’ He urged his horse forward and it trotted up the hill towards the city gates. By the time Roderick caught up to him, they had nearly reached them.

Roderick looked up at the city walls.

Banfor dismounted and turned to Chester. ‘Chester, people may get a bit alarmed if they see a large bear enter their city,’ he said.

‘Am I a large bear?’ replied Chester. ‘This city is large and compared to it I am a very small bear. And even if I was a large bear, I am not a large bear who wants to attack people.’ He paused dramatically, and then leapt into a fighting pose, arms up. ‘Or am I? Maybe I would become such a bear if the people attacked me first, or if they attacked you first. But will that happen? And before you answer that question let me tell you something and that something is this: I hope that the answer you give is no.’

‘No,’ said Banfor.

‘Phew. I am a bear who does not like to fight. Although,’ he added, ‘I am quite good at it.’

‘Chester, do you think when we are in the city you could walk on all fours?’ asked Banfor. ‘Just so that you don’t alarm people.’

‘On all fours? You mean, like . . .’ He searched around for the word. ‘A bear? Wait! I am a bear! So that would work quite well!’

Banfor pulled a length of rope from his saddlebag. ‘And might you be able to dangle this around your neck? Loosely, of course.’

‘A rope is not something I like,’ said Chester, ‘although I have nothing against ropes. Ropes can be very useful. But they’re not useful for a bear. Ropes don’t help with hunting, or wandering about, or sleeping. And what else is there?’

Banfor held out the rope. Chester sighed. ‘Oh all right. Actually, not all right; it’s still a bit wrong, but I will let you do it because I am big-hearted and kind and humble and cuddly.’

‘It would also be best if when other people are around you do not speak,’ said Banfor.

‘Not speak!’ said Chester indignantly. ‘A bear that walks on four legs and does not speak is a . . . is a . . . normal bear!’ He drummed his claws together. ‘So you want me to go back to being a normal bear for a while. Interesting. It will be like going on holiday. I will do it!’

They entered the city gates looking like two normal people on two normal horses leading an ordinary bear. Banfor looked calm, if not overjoyed, by his return to civilisation.

Almost immediately, Roderick noticed something had changed while he had been away. When he had first become a knight, whenever he went outside the castle almost everyone he passed had nodded, bowed, tugged at their hat or uttered a respectful ‘M’lord’. Now, as they trotted through the city, there was none of that. Instead, he caught a number of resentful stares and under-the-breath remarks, never quite loud enough for him to hear. CAKE’s anti-knight campaign was clearly working.

At the castle gates, Aloysius, the doorman, and another guard stood to attention outside their watchtower.

‘I have important visitors to see the Queen,’ said Roderick nervously.

Aloysius had been stationed at the gates for longer than Roderick had been alive and took his responsibilities far more seriously than anyone thought he should. As always, his appearance set new standards in ironing, tucking in and polishing.

There was a rolled-up parchment in his hand, which he held with the care usually shown only to newborn babies. He looked quizzically at Roderick.

‘It would not matter, sir, if you had all the rulers of the world with you. If their names were not on this list, they could not enter.’

‘This is Sir Ganfree Banfor,’ said Roderick dramatically, expecting a reaction. Aloysius looked less than impressed, and flicked his gaze towards Chester.

‘Oh . . . and his bear. Chester.’

Aloysius studied his list.

‘The bear’s probably not on the list,’ Roderick added.

Aloysius ignored him as his finger slowly travelled down the page. ‘I have found Sir Ganfree Banfor,’ he said in a tone of great importance. ‘He may enter with you, but,’ he paused dramatically, ‘there is no record of a “Chester”, bear or otherwise.’

‘No,’ said Roderick. ‘I said that. See, what happened was –’

‘So you and your human guest may enter,’ continued Aloysius, ‘but the bear may not. There is a form you may fill out at the Queen’s office to request entry for the bear and if – if, mind – it is counter-signed by a senior – senior, mind – knight, or the monarch, then you may return with the form and then – only then – may the bear enter.’

Banfor had been patiently sitting on his horse. He cleared his throat, and fixed the guard with a friendly gaze.

‘I think you will let us all in now. Don’t you?’

Aloysius took a full step backwards. He opened his mouth but nothing emerged. Banfor smiled at him.

‘Yes,’ Aloysius croaked. He took two more steps back until he was pressed into the wall of the watchtower. He motioned the junior guard, who looked bewildered. ‘Let them though! Quickly!’

They passed through the gates, took their horses to the stables and walked to the Queen’s palace, on the far side of the castle. At the entrance were two guards who, when they saw Chester, moved to block the entrance until Banfor gave them a look and they stepped back.

They entered a huge foyer with corridors leading off either side. Roderick had only ever been to the palace briefly to run errands or deliver something important to someone important. In the middle of the room was a wide, ornate spiral staircase. Beside it was a large marble desk behind which sat one of Sir Lilley’s senior secretaries, Drouk, bald and round-faced, looking importantly at a piece of paper he held.

They approached the desk and waited politely for Drouk to acknowledge their presence. He didn’t. Eventually Roderick coughed.

Nothing.

He cleared his throat. ‘Excuse me, Master Drouk, I –’

‘Oh, my goodness!’ Drouk sat angrily upright. ‘Can you not see I am doing the Queen’s business! How dare you interrupt –’

He was interrupted by a fierce growl from Chester, who had risen up onto his hind legs. Drouk’s eyes widened and he pushed his chair back from his desk.

‘Down, Chester, we don’t want to scare the man,’ Banfor said calmly.

Chester dropped to the floor. Drouk gulped. ‘At any rate, how, er, can I assist you, Sir . . . ?’

‘Roderick. I need to see the Queen immediately,’ said Roderick.

Drouk held his gaze a moment. ‘Yes, of course. The Queen.’ He sighed, the sound a man of great importance makes when, once again, he has to deal with lesser beings. ‘As you can imagine, many wish to see the Queen.’ He pushed a piece of paper across the table. ‘If you can fill out this form, listing your reason, your request will be prioritised.’

‘But –’

Drouk held up a hand. The next words came out flat and fast, as if for the seventeenth time that day. ‘If you have returned from your mission to find Sir Ganfree Banfor, please return the Queen’s letter to me and then prepare a written report on what you found, emphasising any information you consider relevant to the search for the said Sir Banfor. The report must be filed within twenty-four hours of your return. Now if that is all . . .’ He waved his hand dismissively in their direction, and returned to his very important piece of paper.

‘This is Sir Gan–’ began Roderick.

‘If you just place all relevant information in your report!’ Drouk interrupted impatiently. ‘That would be most helpful. Thank you!’

‘But this is Sir Ganfree Banfor.’

Drouk froze. ‘This is Sir Ganfree . . .’ he repeated slowly. Then his head jerked up. ‘Who?!’

‘You heard,’ said Banfor gently.

‘You!’ Drouk said to Roderick in disbelief.

‘I’m sure the Queen would like to see us as soon as possible,’ said Roderick, enjoying Drouk’s astonishment.

‘Yes, yes, of course! One moment.’ He immediately rose from his desk and scuttled to a door behind it. Then he stopped, turned and stared at them all again before disappearing through it.

‘He seems nice,’ said Banfor.

‘Shall I eat him with my teeth?’ asked Chester.

‘Not yet,’ said Banfor.

Soon Drouk returned. ‘Please, follow me,’ he said, this time with exquisite politeness. They climbed the stairs and reached a foyer that led to a set of double doors at least as big as a set of quadruple doors. They extended nearly to the ceiling, and looked much too large and heavy to open. Luckily they didn’t have to try, as within the giant left-hand door was a smaller, normal-sized one.

‘Excuse me,’ said Drouk, and went through it. A few seconds later he returned and beckoned them through.

They stepped into the biggest room Roderick had ever seen. It was the Queen’s throne room, but it was so huge you could have put a hundred thrones in it, then blindfolded someone and told them to try to find one, and it could have taken them hours. If he squinted, Roderick could just see the Queen at the far end of the room, seated on the biggest chair in the world on a raised platform two steps above the ground.

He wondered how they were supposed to get to her. Sure, he had just gone to the end of the kingdom and back, but that was on a horse. They started walking. Halfway there, Banfor was puffing.

Eventually, they stopped at the bottom step, Roderick swelling with pride. This was his moment. Alone of all the knights, he had succeeded, and now he stood before the Queen as the saviour of the kingdom.

He lifted his gaze to meet her strong, wise eyes. Except he didn’t because they were directed elsewhere. She was staring at Banfor, and her eyes didn’t look strong or wise. They looked shocked.

Roderick had rehearsed his lines a thousand times over the past few days, but now he stuttered them out.

‘Your Majesty, I mean . . . This is, um . . . Can I present . . . Sir Ganfree Banfor.’

There was a loud bear-shaped cough.

‘Oh, and his bear, Chester.’

‘Hello and other things people say in that awkward bit when they meet each other, but do not yet know each other.’ Chester had clearly forgotten Banfor’s instruction not to talk.

‘H . . . hello,’ said the Queen a trifle uncertainly. She quickly regained her composure and turned back to Banfor. ‘It’s been a long time, Ganfree.’

‘Hello, Emily,’ said Banfor evenly.

As Roderick watched the two study each other, his brief feeling of importance faded. He realised that he was just a tiny player in a drama he knew almost nothing about.

The Queen turned back to Chester. ‘How remarkably clever. A bear that can talk.’ Chester’s chest puffed out. ‘I wonder. Would you like a room in the palace near Sir Ganfree, or to sleep outside?’

‘Well, I am a bear who sleeps,’ said Chester. ‘In fact, as far as I know, there are no other types of bears apart from bears who sleep. And a bed is a good place to be asleep and I know that, because I have slept in a bed and it was good.’

The Queen had no reply to that, apart from a slightly confused smile.

She then focused on Roderick and her smile became warm. ‘Sir Roderick,’ she said, ‘once again you have saved me. But this time it is even more important. Because when you saved me from the poisoned dart you just saved me, and had I perished the kingdom would have found another ruler. This time, by bringing Sir Ganfree to us, you may well have saved our entire kingdom. When time allows you must tell me how you managed this feat.’ She stepped down from her throne and took Roderick’s hands in hers. ‘But for now, I thank you.’

Roderick’s head filled with joy, and he couldn’t stop a huge, not very knightly grin from spreading across his face. He felt better than best. He felt like he mattered; so good that, even though he knew that important conversations were about to occur between the Queen and Banfor, he hardly minded when he was very politely dismissed. He understood. He was not a ruler, a decider or a leader. He was a doer. And he had done. Somehow, in the last two weeks, he had become a proper knight.

Floating on a wave of self-satisfaction, he climbed the stairs to his room, and wondered how long it would be before he was moved downstairs to bigger quarters.

CHAPTER 12

TOO MANY QUESTIONS

Roderick spent the rest of the day unpacking, washing his clothes and having an extremely long bath during which he turned not one but two fresh tubs of water brown.

The next morning he rode into Indinwick to the thatch-topped house where Sonya’s friend Sven lived with his parents. Sven was home alone and nervously invited Roderick in to sit at their plain kitchen table. He was tall, blond and thin, with pimples on his cheeks. He had always adored Sonya, whereas Roderick knew that Sonya had never been more than fond of him.

He started by asking what Sven knew about Sonya’s involvement with CAKE.

Sven hesitated.

‘I don’t care about CAKE,’ said Roderick. ‘I care about my sister. You’re not going to get into trouble.’

Sven swallowed, looked around and then seemed to make up his mind. ‘It would have been about three months ago. She got interested in going. Me, not so much, but I went to keep her company.’ He shrugged. ‘I would have gone to a meeting about apricots if she was going, and I don’t even like apricots.’

‘What did they talk about at the meetings?’

‘They kept going on with all this stuff about fighting for a better deal for everyone and doing away with the “extravagance of castle life’’. Sven looked up quickly. ‘No offence.’

Roderick motioned for him to continue.

‘Um . . . and stuff about returning power to the people. Sonya was right into it. I didn’t really listen much, to be honest.’

‘Why did you keep going?’

‘I . . . I liked going with her. And they served great cheesecake after the meetings.’

‘You see a lot of Sonya, don’t you?’ probed Roderick.

Sven slowly nodded.

‘Was there anything else you noticed recently that was different or unusual?’

Sven’s eyes lowered. ‘Not really.’ There was something in his tone. Hurt.

‘Are you sure?’

‘Well, I used to see her a couple of times a week. We’d go for a walk or a ride, or just, you know, talk. But . . .’ He trailed off.

‘That stopped?’

‘Pretty much. About a month before she disappeared. I thought I must have said something, or done something. Then I thought . . .’ He exhaled. ‘Maybe she’d met someone else.’

‘Did she say anything about that?’

‘No. But she wouldn’t have to me. It was just a feeling. And now . . . it’s terrible. How can I help find her? I mean, I’ve asked around. I’ve looked places she liked going. Nothing.’

Roderick thought it unlikely that any further help that Sven could give would actually be helpful, but promised to keep him informed of any developments.

As he rode back to Palandan a theory tugged at him. Could Sven, worried that he was losing Sonya, have confronted her and lost his temper? But if anything like that had happened, surely Sonya would have just belted him.

As he neared the city he felt chills on his spine. He had tried to hold everything together but now that he had time to think, the horror of his sister’s disappearance crashed into him.

He knew she had felt trapped on the farm, but their mother was right. If she had decided to leave, she would have left a note, or sent word that she was all right.

Could she have been kidnapped? But his family wasn’t rich and there had been no demand for ransom.

Where was she?

Roderick’s hands began to tremble. So did his stomach, his chest and his brain. He slid off Fruitcake, staggered across the ditch at the side of the road and through a clump of trees, so at least he was hidden from passing traffic and could fall apart alone. He dropped to his knees, pushed his head into the ground and his bottom towards the sky and wished that all the bad things would go away.

Later, he lay empty in the grass among the trees. His mind was still flooded with worry, but at least he had regained control of his body. He was about to haul himself back to his feet when he saw two figures on horseback approaching, also heading towards Palandan. They were knights, probably returning from their mission. Roderick decided to wait until they passed and hid behind a tree. He was in no mood to talk.

As they passed he peeked around the side of the tree to see who it was. It was Shamus and Fromley! And draped across the front of Shamus’s horse was a third person, whose hands were tied together. The horse’s motion bounced the person uncomfortably up and down. As they passed, the prisoner raised his head and Roderick found himself staring into his eyes. Except they weren’t his eyes. They were hers.

It was Ruby!

Roderick stifled a cry. Ruby’s eyes widened but her gag stopped her making any sound.

Roderick gave them a few minutes’ start, then mounted Fruitcake and cantered along the road until he caught them.

‘Hail, good knights,’ he called, settling Fruitcake into a walk beside Fromley’s horse. Shamus’s horse was the other side of Fromley’s, with Ruby draped over it so that she was facing away from Roderick.

‘Roderick!’ Fromley cried. He swung his hand into Roderick’s back, almost sending him flying to the ground. ‘Are you just getting back too?’

Although half of Roderick’s mind was anxious about Sonya, and the other half was curious about Ruby, there was also a third half that was proud of what he had done and eager to share the tale. He prayed Ruby would not interrupt, and then remembered that she couldn’t because she was gagged.

He told them how he had found Banfor, what had happened within the mountains and of their return, leaving out all mention of Ruby. Fromley kept jumping in and asking questions while Sir Shamus stared at Roderick harder and harder. As the tale went on, his eyebrows rose higher and higher up his forehead until they completely disappeared into his hair.

When Roderick finished, Fromley smiled and shook his head. ‘Roderick!’ he said. ‘Roderick!’

Sir Shamus had turned red, and his eyes looked too big for his head. He kept opening and closing his mouth, but the only word that came out was an incredulous, ‘You?!’

Roderick tried to hide his pride by asking, ‘And what of you?’

As Shamus still seemed unable to properly speak, Fromley did.

‘When we left you we headed north towards Danover. We split up and searched the hills around the border there for a few days, but of course found no sign of Banfor. Then we met up again and on our way back we came across this girl. By then Shamus was a bit . . . er, frustrated by the lack of action, and –’

‘She’s a Nareean. I can tell,’ Sir Shamus said gruffly. ‘They’re different.’

The words, ‘No, she’s Danovian’ almost popped out of Roderick’s mouth, but he managed to stop himself. Had Ruby lied to him about where she was from?

‘Shamus can pick a Nareean from five miles,’ said Fromley. ‘So we stopped her and asked her who she was. She said she was Baronian.’

Roderick tried to hide his surprise. Now Ruby had three nationalities!

Shamus shook his head, ‘Nareean. Plain as day.’

‘How can you tell?’ asked Roderick.

‘When I was a border guard I saw lots of Nareeans. Rounder face than ours, longer ears. Buttocks shaped more like oranges, whereas we have apples. Usually dark-haired. Little things like that.’

‘What about other nationalities, like Danovians?’ Roderick coaxed.

‘Spent time on that border too,’ said Shamus. ‘They’re generally smaller than us. Fairer complexion. Almost all have blue eyes. This one has brown, like most Nareeans. Troubled times like these, you can’t be too careful of spies. We searched her and found a map of Baronia with all these different places circled on it. And now that we know where Banfor was, the map makes more sense because one of the places circled was the mountains where you found him. And you know what she had written on that part of the map? A capital “B”.’

‘She’s one of the Nareeans looking for him,’ said Shamus.

‘So,’ said Fromley with a smile. ‘We brought her home with us. We’ll let the Queen decide whether or not she’s a spy.’

‘Of course she’s a spy,’ said Shamus. ‘Why else would she lie about where she was from?’

‘You said she was heading into Baronia when you first saw her?’ asked Roderick. Ruby had told him that she was leaving Baronia and going home to Danover.

‘Yep.’ Fromley nodded.

Roderick was trying to decide whether to tell Fromley and Shamus the truth: that Ruby had nothing to do with the Nareean army, and had only been looking for Banfor because she wanted her invisibility cured.

But was that the truth? Maybe Ruby was a Nareean spy. For all Roderick knew, before he arrived within the Circle of Mountains, Ruby may have been trying to persuade Banfor to return to Nareea with her. He remembered what she had said to Banfor when they parted. ‘Are you sure you will go with him? And not with me?’ Why should he stick his neck out to try to help her when he didn’t know what she was really up to, or even who she really was? Anyway, whatever he said, Shamus wasn’t about to let her go. So he stayed quiet.

He looked at Ruby bouncing up and down across the horse. That had to hurt. ‘Do you think she’s all right like that, Sir Shamus?’ he eventually asked timidly. ‘Should we stop for a rest?’

‘Huh!’ Shamus snorted. ‘Do you think the Nareeans would stop for a rest if you were their prisoner, Roderick?’ He dug his heels into his horse’s side, urging it into a trot that bounced Ruby even more roughly. Roderick winced. For the rest of the ride into Palandan he made sure he stayed on Shamus’s left, so that Ruby was facing away from him. He definitely did not want to have to look her in the eye again.

Soon, they reached the city. At the castle gates, Aloysius pointed out to Shamus that Ruby was not on his list and therefore could not be allowed to enter the castle. In reply, Shamus pointed out that he had been sleeping on the hard ground for the last two weeks and he was tired and hungry and a little bit grumpy, and if Aloysius didn’t change his mind, Shamus might well think that the quickest way to solve the problem would be to chop Aloysius’s head off with his sword. Aloysius decided to let Ruby in.

Inside, they rode into the stables and dismounted. Roderick offered to look after the prisoner while Fromley and Shamus reported their return and arranged for guards to take her to the dungeons.

‘Don’t untie her,’ warned Shamus, pausing at the stable door. ‘Nareeans are cunning.’ He looked Roderick up and down. ‘Although it seems you’re more capable than you appear.’ A hint of a smile battled its way through Shamus’s beard, and Roderick couldn’t help but feel proud.

Shamus strode out the door with Fromley, leaving Roderick and Ruby alone. Roderick pulled off her gag. She looked terrible. Exhausted, bruised and filthy. He helped her off the horse onto the ground and propped her back against the stable wall, then knelt beside her and offered water, which she drank greedily.

But he didn’t untie her.

‘Roderick,’ she groaned weakly. ‘I’m not a spy. Come and visit me in the dungeons and I can explain.’

‘You lied to me.’

‘I’ll tell you everything. I promise. Visit me in the dungeon,’ she pleaded, ‘and bring a pinch of herniflour, a rollotree root and a handful of dipweed. Please.’

He recoiled. She was using him, just like before. ‘Why?’ he said icily. Footsteps approached.

‘Just bring them and I’ll tell you. If you don’t believe me then, you don’t have to give them to me. But at least bring them. Please!’

Fromley and Shamus stomped in with six guards. Overkill, Roderick thought, for a girl who could hardly stand.

Roderick woke next morning to find a letter had been pushed under his door. It was from Sir Lilley, and informed him that his belongings would be moved to a ‘more spacious suite’ on the second floor, and that the Queen would officially thank him for his ‘heroic deeds’ at a parade to be held in the town square in three days’ time. There was also a key to his new quarters. Roderick could hardly believe it. A parade in his honour!

It was Tuesday, one of the week’s three market days, and after breakfast Roderick headed into the town square, already full of hundreds of stalls. He dodged his way between them until he came to his mother’s. When he saw her, surrounded by herbs in bags and potions in jars, she looked so alone that Roderick felt his throat catch. He realised with a stab of guilt that the recent rise in his own fortunes had coincided with what was probably – along with Roderick’s father’s death – the worst period of Gwenda’s life.

He told her the news that there was to be a parade in his honour.

‘That’s wonderful, Roderick,’ she said emptily. She saw his disappointment. ‘I’m sorry, darling. It is wonderful for you, after all you’ve had to put up with. But I’m just so worried about Sonya.’

‘That’s all right, Mum,’ said Roderick, giving her a hug. ‘I’ll ask around. Someone must have seen or heard something.’

Roderick had come to market often enough over the years to know many of the stallholders. Over the next few hours he talked to dozens of them. A few, his mother’s close friends, knew Sonya was missing and responded gravely to Roderick’s questions. With those who did not know, Roderick chatted, gossiped, joked and eventually casually enquired where, when and with whom they might have recently seen his sister.

By lunchtime he had spoken to a lot of people and, as the stalls were being packed away, he found a quietish place on the grassy bank by the city wall and assessed his findings.

The sum of all the individual bits of information he had obtained was this: in the two weeks before her disappearance Sonya had frequently been seen around the markets with a man of average or above average height, aged between twenty and forty, with most guessing closer to twenty. His hair colour had been most commonly described as brown, but there were also votes in for black and blonde. About half the people he spoke to said that the man’s hair was curly, while the other half were sure it was straight. Fendall at the massage stall said he was positive that the man was bald. Five people had said that they thought there may have been something a little odd about the man’s face, but none could specify exactly what.

Some thought the man worked at a stall, but were not sure which; others were sure he did not. No one could remember seeing the man since Sonya’s disappearance.

None of it was much help.

What had Banfor said? Use your brain and be bold. The answers may be closer than you think. Why couldn’t he have said something more helpful like, The man Sonya was seen with lives in a big brown house at the end of Gonk Street.

After reporting back to, and once again trying to comfort, his mother, Roderick walked out the castle gates, over the bridge and into the forest. He had some herbs to find. Not because he had decided to give Ruby what she wanted – but if he had them, then he had the option of either giving them to her or not, and having options was always a good thing. Plus a bit of gardening in the forest might help to clear his head.

Later, he returned to the castle and called in at the stables to see Fruitcake. He had spent every minute of the past two weeks with the horse, and Roderick missed him. The chief stablehand, a burly-looking man called Jonas, was cleaning out the next stall, and Roderick asked him for something he could feed to his horse.

‘Carrots, sir. Over there.’ He pointed to a bucket by the wall. ‘Good idea to feed him up. Might be off again before too long.’

‘Er . . . huh?’

‘That’s what I figured anyway. They’re telling me I got to get all the horses ready for another big ride soon. Queen’s orders, they say. How am I going to do that? They just got back from two weeks away! They need feeding up, re-shoeing, grooming and a big rest, not to be racing off again. I’ve got to get the vet in for half a dozen of them. They don’t seem to understand that you got to take care of a horse. Why, some of ’em aren’t even back yet. How am I s’posed to get ’em ready to go when they aren’t even back yet?’ He shook his head.

‘Tough job, yours,’ said Roderick sympathetically.

Jonas looked warily at him. ‘Er, not that I’m complaining, sir. Of course it’s a mighty honour to serve the Queen.’

‘Of course. I understand.’

He looked relieved. ‘Thank you, sir.’ He touched his cap.

As he walked into the castle Roderick wondered why they would be going on another journey. It was very unusual for all, or even most, of the knights to be away from Palandan at the same time. The search for Banfor had been the first instance Roderick had known it to happen. The only other occasion he had heard of all the knights riding together was when there was war. But wasn’t the whole point of finding Banfor to prevent war?

He was so lost in thought he almost climbed right past the second floor where his new room was. When he turned the key he found that it was, in fact, two rooms! There was a sitting room that was three or four times as big as his old bedroom and which had a couch, a comfy chair, a table and a view of the town square, and off it a spacious bedroom with a bed long enough to actually fit his entire body. Nice one!

In the middle of the sitting-room table sat a bowl of strawberries. Wow! Roderick gobbled a handful, slumped into his new couch, put his feet up and fell asleep.

He was woken by a knock at the door. He lurched over to it and creaked it open. It was a castle guard. ‘Villager named Fendall, Sir Roderick, at the gates. Asked to see you.’

The good thing about falling asleep in your clothes is that you don’t have to waste time dressing. The bad thing is that when you wake up you feel grotty and stupid. Roderick stumbled down the stairs, trying to wipe the sleep from his eyes and mind. As he emerged into the courtyard he saw long shadows and thought it must be the late afternoon. Then he realised that the sun was on the wrong side of the sky. It was early morning. He had slept right through the afternoon and night. No wonder he was hungry.

He passed through the castle gates to where Fendall the masseur, a big man with a long dark beard, stood waiting. Roderick steered him into an alcove outside the castle walls.

‘Sir Roderick, sorry to disturb you, but the fella I seen with your sister. I was wrong. He’s not bald. I seen him again.’

Those words woke Roderick up quicker than three cups of coffee and a slap on the ear.

‘Where?’

‘I was leaving town to go home a little while back. He passed me riding the other way on the bridge.’

‘You’re sure it was him?!’

‘Saw him clear.’

‘Did you get a better look at him? Is there anything else you noticed about him – apart from his non-baldness – that could help me find him?’

‘Oh yes,’ said Fendall. He pointed at the castle walls.

‘The castle? What do you mean? A servant? A guard?’

Fendall shook his head, pointed at Roderick.

‘Me?’ Roderick didn’t get it. Then his hand flew to his mouth. ‘A knight?!’

Fendall nodded. ‘He wasn’t dressed as a knight when I saw him with Sonya. But he was today.’

Whenever knights left the castle, they had to wear their chain-mail and a tunic bearing the Queen’s coat of arms, as well as their knightly undershirts and leggings. If the person to whom Sonya had been talking to around the markets had been a knight, then he had been in disguise.

Who was it? Everyone had struggled to describe the face of the man Sonya had been seen with. The problem was that when a person sees someone’s face, they don’t think about the shape of their eyes or the length of their nose; they just make a mental picture of the face and later, whenever they think of that person, they pull up that picture: but if you ask them to describe the individual features – eyes, mouth, shape of head etc – usually they cannot.

Which is why, when Roderick asked Fendall to describe the man’s face, all he could manage was: ‘It was just . . . like a face . . . a normal face.’

‘Was there anything unusual about it?’ prompted Roderick.

‘Like what?’ asked Fendall suspiciously.

‘I don’t know . . . like something . . . odd?’

‘You mean like an extra nose or three ears, that sort of thing? Nah.’

‘Anything else you noticed?’ asked Roderick hopefully.

Fendall looked vacant, but then his face brightened. ‘He might have coughed.’

‘Coughed?’

‘As I passed him. You know, like a . . . cough.’

Roderick sighed. If he could just get Fendall into the castle when all the knights were gathered, he would be able to point the knight out. But getting non-knights inside the castle was not easy.

‘Thank you, Fendall.’

Fendall nodded and then hesitated. ‘Ask you something?’

‘Of course.’

‘This business about CAKE. Talk your sister was involved there. And . . .’ He looked around. ‘My own boys are a bit involved too. Are they in danger? I can warn them off, see.’

‘I don’t know if Sonya’s disappearance has anything to do with CAKE,’ said Roderick. ‘And the Queen has never mentioned anything to us knights about CAKE. We don’t have any orders to take any action against any of its members.’

Fendall pulled at his beard. ‘Hmm. Thank you, then.’

As Roderick walked back to his room, he tried to work out what it meant. Why had a disguised knight befriended his sister just before she disappeared?

Use your brain, Banfor had said, but Roderick felt like he’d lost the instructions.

Fendall’s question about CAKE nagged at him, too. He remembered what Jonas had said about the knights’ horses being prepared for another journey. Could it be for a move against CAKE?

CHAPTER 13

MORE ABOUT RUBY

One of the good things about being a knight was that you were almost always treated as if you were important. With confidence and assertiveness, a knight could get away with almost anything. For example, Sir Donald had once been captured by bandits. He managed to escape but without his sword or armour. Eventually he staggered into a village. Rather than begging for help, he made for the biggest and best house, announced to the family who lived there that he was a knight and that he would be staying the night, told them what he wanted for dinner and asked them to find a stable and food for his horse. Everyone had instantly obeyed. Sir Donald didn’t threaten anyone, or throw his weight around. He had simply explained what was going to happen, and because he was a knight, it did.

So when Roderick began to feel nervous as he descended the stone steps to the underground dungeons, he reminded himself that he didn’t need to come up with a believable reason why he wanted to see Ruby. He just had to march confidently in and say what he wanted.

It was gloomy at the bottom of the staircase, and the air tasted stale. Behind a wooden desk sat Hendrug, the chief gaoler who, given his job, was an inappropriately cheerful man with twinkly eyes and a nearly permanent smile.

He looked up at Roderick and grinned. ‘Why, good morning sir. How lovely to see you! And how can I be of service?’

‘I need to see the new prisoner,’ said Roderick as assertively as he could. ‘The Nareean spy.’

‘Right you are, sir. We’ll get that going for ya!’ replied Hendrug merrily. He led Roderick down a cold, dark, damp stone corridor past a series of solid steel doors.

‘And what a lovely day it is, sir, I must say.’ Hendrug beamed.

‘Didn’t think the weather would make much difference down here,’ replied Roderick.

‘Oh I don’t mean the weather, sir. It’s just good to be alive!’ The gaoler took a deep breath and then exhaled with great relish. ‘Beautiful.’

Roderick had been trying to breathe in as little of the putrid air as possible. He smiled as politely as he could without opening his mouth.

A low moan came from behind one of the doors, and sobbing from another.

‘Even the prisoners are chirpy today!’ Hendrug continued. ‘Of course they are! How could anyone not be happy on a day like this?!’

He stopped before a door and pulled out his keys. ‘I’ll have to lock you in if you don’t mind, sir. Just holler when you need me. I’ll be a-waitin’! Unless you like it so much you want to stay a couple of days!’ He let out a peal of laughter.

The door creaked open. ‘Here we go, sir. It’s all yours,’ said Hendrug, spreading his arms wide like a real estate agent proudly showing off a mansion. The cell was a stone cube about eight paces across whose only source of light was a small, high window. Ruby was on the ground doing sit-ups.

Roderick stared at Ruby as the door closed behind him.

‘Exercising, then?’ he asked, continuing his habit of stating the obvious whenever he saw her.

‘Not much else to do, really.’

‘I came.’ There, he’d done it again.

‘Thanks. Seat? I can highly recommend the floor. After a couple of hours – or is it days, I’m losing track – your bottom will go totally numb and it won’t seem uncomfortable at all.’

Roderick sat, resting his back against the wall.

Ruby rested hers against the opposite wall, facing him. ‘Did you . . . ?’ she began and then stopped. Roderick realised she had been about to ask whether he had brought the herbs.

‘You told me you’d explain,’ he said.

Ruby sighed. ‘I’ll try.’

‘Are you a Nareean?’

She hesitated.

‘I can just go again,’ said Roderick, starting to rise.

‘No! No . . . Yes. I am.’

‘Why did you say you were from Danover?’

She looked about, as if for the truth. ‘The night before I saved you from the snake I was at your campsite and I heard Shamus tell you how devious and dangerous Nareeans were. I thought it would be easier to say I was from Danover. If I said I was Nareean you might have thought I was one of the ones looking for Banfor.’

‘Which would have been right. You were a Nareean who was looking for Banfor.’

‘Yes, but not for the reason you thought. I just wanted him to cure me.’

‘How do I know that?’ He stared at her, searching for signs of truth or lie. ‘I know you tried to talk Banfor out of coming back with me. How do I know you didn’t try to talk him into going with you back to Nareea?’

Ruby looked at her hands.

‘And why were you heading back into Baronia when Shamus and Fromley found you? You said you were going home. To Danover.’

‘I . . . I was concerned about Banfor. I wanted to make sure he was all right.’

‘Come on!’ Roderick scoffed. ‘How would you do that? I was taking him to the castle. You wouldn’t have been able to get near him. That doesn’t make sense.’

Ruby avoided his gaze. Roderick risked a bluff. ‘Banfor told me the truth about you.’

Her eyes flickered, anxious. ‘No he didn’t,’ she said quickly.

‘You’re right. He didn’t. But you just did. You’re not telling me the truth. Goodbye.’ He got to his feet.

‘Wait.’ She leapt up. ‘I’ll tell you! I will. I promise.’

They stared at each other. Roderick was trying to make himself holler for Hendrug, but his voice wouldn’t obey. Eventually he sighed and sat down again. ‘If any of this is a lie, I’m going.’

Ruby took a deep breath. ‘What I’m going to tell you could get me killed five times over in at least three different kingdoms.’

‘At least the last four times, it wouldn’t hurt,’ said Roderick. Quite witty, he thought, but totally wasted on Ruby, who pressed on as if he hadn’t spoken.

‘I’m Nareean. My father was a knight, one of the King’s advisers. We lived in the castle at Windorn. My two older brothers were educated inside the castle and learnt all that knightly stuff, but daughters of knights went to school in the city. So I had comfort, good food and servants in the castle, but I gradually realised how poor most of my school friends were. After a while I started to ask for bigger lunches so I could share with those who didn’t have enough.

‘When I was fifteen my best friend Ellen got sick. It started out as a cough, but soon she couldn’t get out of bed. Her parents couldn’t afford a doctor, so I asked my parents to help. My father had never liked me mixing with the townsfolk, and he refused. He said that Ellen’s family was trying to take advantage of me, and that if we helped her, soon everyone would be asking things of us. My brothers agreed. Every night I argued, pleaded, even begged my father as Ellen got sicker and sicker.

‘Eventually, in desperation, I tried blackmail. I told my father that if he wouldn’t help, I would leave. I was sure that would change his mind, but he just looked back at me and said, “So be it.”

‘I packed a bag and took what money I had. As I went to leave, my mother joined me at the door with her own bag. I had not realised how unhappy she was in the castle. We left together, found lodgings in the town, paid for a doctor and soon Ellen recovered.

‘Our money wouldn’t last forever, and my mother had always been a good seamstress, so we became dressmakers. She taught me, and we opened a shop.

‘But I couldn’t stop thinking about the contrast between the wealth of those who lived inside the castle, and the poverty of everyone else. It was so unfair. Ellen’s parents worked hard all their lives, and paid half of everything they earned in tax, and in return they couldn’t even get a doctor when their daughter was dying. Why should knights have the best of everything, paid for by everyone else? My mother agreed. So we started CAKE: Citizens Against Knightly Excesses.’

Roderick’s jaw dropped. ‘Wha . . . you?’

The prisoner sat back, looking smug, a sight not often seen in the dungeons of Palandan.

‘We didn’t plan for it to get so big,’ said Ruby. ‘The first meeting was just my mother and I and a few other shopkeepers. We had a cup of tea and talked about how the money we paid in taxes should be spent on doctors and schools, not on fattening up knights.’

Roderick shifted uncomfortably. ‘I’m not fat,’ he muttered.

‘Give it time.’

Unconsciously, he put his hand on his belly. There was a bit of a bulge there. Maybe it was just the way he was sitting.

‘Anyway, kingdoms need knights,’ he said. ‘What if there’s a war?’

‘When was the last war, Roderick? Fifteen years ago? Where does all that money go in peace time?’

‘Training. So we’re ready,’ said Roderick uneasily.

‘You don’t need to eat roast beef every night to be ready. You could just train for a few weeks every year, then spend the rest of the time doing something useful. And if there ever was a war, people could pay high taxes then, rather than all the time!’

Ruby took a few deep breaths. ‘Sorry. I get a bit carried away sometimes. So we started holding regular meetings and talking more about the changes we wanted. Soon hundreds were coming. I began travelling, setting up meetings in villages and towns across Nareea and before long there were branches everywhere. Lots of people bitterly resented what was going on and CAKE gave them a chance to talk or, more often, shout about it. People even questioned the role of the King: why should he have all the power, just because the old King happened to be his father?

‘That’s when the authorities started to get interested in us. Questioning the authority of the King amounted to treason.

‘Inevitably, the King tried to shut it down. Some meetings were raided, but they couldn’t drag off half a village’s population. They were after the leaders: they thought if they could stop us, everything would go back to normal. So we kept moving, and kept our whereabouts as secret as we could.

‘With CAKE thriving in Nareea, I visited Baronia and CAKE became just as popular here. Before long I was travelling every day, setting up new branches. Then one morning, all of a sudden I disappeared.’

There was only one word to say, so Roderick said it. ‘How?’

‘I wish I knew. One moment I was there, the next I was gone. It happened just after I had left a village in western Nareea.’

‘What did you do?’

‘I sat there staring at my hand for ages, trying to see it. I was in shock. I couldn’t believe I was gone. Then I headed home to my mother, as you do when something bad happens. At first I didn’t realise that I’d also lost my voice. Being invisible, I didn’t have any reason to use it. It would have just scared people. Each night I’d find a village, tie up my horse somewhere out of the way, then tiptoe into someone’s house and try to eat their food.’

‘Try?’

‘When I first became invisible I could hardly lift things. I had become . . .’ she waved an arm about, ‘. . . insubstantial. I had to bring my mouth to the food because I couldn’t lift it. Then I’d sleep on their couch. One night someone came home late and sat on me. We both got the shock of our lives and ran screaming out of the house. Except when I screamed no sound came out.

‘I thought that when I got home I would be able to communicate with my mother by writing, but I couldn’t even hold a pen. So I spent the next few months sneaking around Windorn pinching food, trying to work out who might be able to cure me. Eventually I heard whispers about this great magician called Banfor, but no one knew where he was. It was a couple of months before I heard rumours that he may be in the Circle of Mountains. I stole a map, and off I went. The rest you know. I met you. I could hold things by then so I could communicate by stick. Then, when I found Banfor, he turned me visible again.’

‘Why? He seemed so reluctant to use his powers.’

‘Maybe because he saw the tragic injustice of it all. Or because he felt sorry for me. Or because he was curious to see what I looked like. I don’t know. It’s hard to tell with him.’

‘What about you telling me – and Banfor – that you were going “home” to Danover, but then turning around and heading back into Baronia?’

‘Ah, that.’ She sighed. ‘When I left you I was genuinely heading home. Not to Danover, of course. Nareea. I crossed the border and stopped for the night at a village called Rasten, where I knew some CAKE people. They told me my mother had died while I was away.’

‘Oh,’ Roderick said, the way people do when they want to convey sympathy and understanding, but aren’t quite sure how to do it.

‘Yes,’ she said flatly. ‘Some time after I went searching for Banfor, my mother was arrested. They didn’t kill her, but they did lock her in a damp cell like this one, and when she got sick they didn’t do anything to help her.’ She looked at her hands, turning them over and then back, as if playing a slow-motion game of jacks. ‘So in a way they did kill her. When I found out she was dead, there was no point going home. I decided to turn around and visit all the CAKE branches in Baronia, and maybe set up some new ones. There wasn’t anything else for me to do.’

She looked up at him and smiled. ‘So on that note . . . will you give me the herbs? Hard to say no after hearing about my dying mother, isn’t it?’

Roderick fidgeted at the bag in his jacket.

‘You brought them, then,’ she said.

‘What do you want them for?’

‘Haven’t you worked that out yet? Banfor taught me how to make myself invisible again.’

‘So you want to use them to escape.’

‘No, I want to be invisible again so I can play pranks on that lunatic gaoler. Yes! To escape.’

Roderick tried to think if there were any holes in Ruby’s story. ‘Who turned you invisible?’ he asked.

‘I don’t know. Obviously someone who is pretty good with spells. I asked Banfor if he had any ideas.’

‘What did he say?’

‘He smiled enigmatically. He did say that to make someone invisible for the first time is really hard. It takes a very strong spell or potion and can be done only by someone very skilful. But after that, becoming invisible again is relatively easy. So easy that if you can give me the herbs you have in your pocket . . .’ She beamed a smile.

‘And if you get out, then what?’

Ruby looked indignant. ‘Then I won’t sit and rot here for years.’ She took a deep breath, and clenched and unclenched her fists. ‘Should I lie to make it easier for you to help me? Shall I say that I’ll go home, settle down and make dresses? No. If I get out of here I’ll continue to work for CAKE. That’s all I have now.’

The last sentence pinched Roderick.

‘But what about the person who made you invisible? Won’t they just do it again?’

‘They might. But I can’t live my life differently because I’m afraid of that happening. And if it does, Banfor taught me how to cure myself.’

‘But aren’t you . . . afraid of what might happen? Next time it might not be invisible. It might be dead.’

‘You think I should forget CAKE?’

Roderick looked down. ‘I think that’s probably what I would do.’

This time they both examined their hands. Ruby broke the silence. ‘Look, Roderick, we’re all afraid of something. Remember me at the top of that cliff after you rescued me from the cannibals? I was frozen stiff.’

But Roderick was thinking about a different moment; when Ruby had farewelled Banfor on their way back from the Circle of Mountains. He stood up. ‘So that’s it. You’ve told me everything?’

Ruby spread her arms. ‘Yep.’

‘I’ll be off then.’ He stood and turned towards the door.

‘But the herbs. I need them!’

Roderick rounded on her. ‘I heard what you whispered to Banfor just before you left us,’ he said furiously. ‘You asked him to go with you, instead of with me. Back to Nareea, right? You were trying to get Banfor to go with you to Nareea. Just like the Queen said. Which means that you haven’t been honest with me, have you? So I’m leaving.’

Ruby jumped to her feet. ‘Roderick, please!’ she pleaded. ‘I wanted him to help CAKE! Let me explain!’

Roderick paused, and then nodded.

‘People know the system is unjust,’ said Ruby. ‘They want change, but you knights will never willingly give away power. The only way change will happen is if we make it happen. It’s easy for people to come along to our meetings and complain, but it’s a lot harder for them to decide to fight for change against their king or queen. No one really believed we could do that. Not even me. We lacked confidence, not to mention weapons, experience and training.

‘But if we had the great Ganfree Banfor with us – what a difference that would make! Perhaps then people would believe, and if they did, that’s half the battle won. So after Banfor cured my invisibility I tried to convince him to come and help us fight. He was, I think, considering my request.’ Her eyes searched his. ‘Then you came along and very quickly he agreed to return to Palandan with you, which effectively meant he was saying no to me.’

An uneasy silence fell. Slowly Roderick sat down again. Ruby sat against the opposite wall.

‘So why did he go with you, Roderick? What did you say to him that changed his mind?’

‘He came with me because he believed he was in danger from the Nareeans, and that we could offer him protection,’ said Roderick.

‘Is that really the reason? That letter you gave him. What did it say?’

‘I can’t tell you.’

‘I’ve been honest with you! I’ve told you enough to get me hanged.’

‘I can’t tell you because I don’t know.’

‘Oh.’ she said flatly. ‘Was it the letter that changed his mind?’

Roderick thought back to his meeting with Banfor by the river; at first the old man had told Roderick that he would not come with him. Then Roderick gave him the letter. Then Banfor said he would come. Pretty clear, really.

‘Yes.’

‘So there must have been something in the letter that changed his mind.’

They sat in silence, failing to figure it all out.

Ruby examined the wall, then fixed him with a look. ‘You need to find that letter.’

Suddenly Roderick wanted to be somewhere else. Partly because it was dark and cold and miserable in the cell, but mainly because it was all getting too confusing. His priority was his sister. He had wasted enough time. He stood up again. ‘Actually I’ve got a few other things on my plate at the moment.’

‘You can’t just walk out on this, Roderick. There’s something odd happening and you’re responsible. You brought him back. You need to find out what’s going on.’

‘No, I don’t! There are other things I need to do. My sister . . .’

He stopped. He wanted to tell Ruby about her, but he also didn’t want to.

‘Don’t go looking for excuses, Roderick. If anything bad happens because you brought Banfor back, then it’s your fault.’

‘I just . . .’ His mouth was stuck.

‘I know. You just followed orders. I remember that one from last time,’ she snarled. ‘You do what you want. I don’t care. But at least let me do something important. CAKE will make things better for people, but I can’t do anything if I’m stuck in this cage! So just leave me the herbs. That’s all I want!’

She stuck out a hand, demanding. They glared at each other. Finally Roderick found some words.

‘You know what your problem is, Ruby? You say you care about people, but you don’t. You use them and manipulate them. Everything you have ever said or done to me has been because you wanted something from me.’

He pulled the bag of herbs and threw them at her feet. ‘Hide them as best you can and don’t use them until at least tomorrow, so they don’t suspect I gave them to you. If there’s anything left over, make sure you take every last trace with you so no one will know what happened.’

She stared at the herbs, her salvation.

‘And promise me,’ he continued, ‘that you’ll leave Baronia immediately and you won’t come back.’ There was a pause, and then Ruby nodded once. ‘And one more thing,’ said Roderick. ‘Don’t ever ask me for anything again.’

Ruby tucked her tools of escape under her thin, dirty mattress in the corner of her cell and then turned back to him. Roderick knocked hard on the cell door. He felt his bottom lip start to quiver. He wanted to tell her about Sonya, and to ask her to help him solve the mystery of her disappearance, but all Ruby cared about was herself.

He heard the door swing open behind him, followed by Hendrug’s voice. ‘Lovely to see you again, sir. I trust you had a nice time. What a shame you have to be off!’

As Roderick strode out of the cell, Hendrug called cheerfully after him. ‘Do visit us again. We’re always open!’

CHAPTER 14

THE SCAR

That night at dinner Roderick scanned faces, hoping that the vague description Fendall and others had given him of the knight seen with Sonya would clarify itself into a real person. However, well over half the knights had thick dark hair, and the longer he looked, the easier it was to see how almost anyone’s face could be described as being, in some way or another, a bit odd. After dinner he returned to his quarters and wrote down the names of all sixty-eight knights.

Use your brain.

He concentrated on the names, waiting for some sort of clue, breakthrough or inspiration to appear. None did. His mind wafted about until he caught it thinking about Ruby. Of all the many words she had said to him, six kept returning: You need to find that letter.

What had it contained that so quickly changed Banfor’s mind? Every knight had received a presumably identical letter before they set out on the search. He wondered if any knights still had theirs or whether they had all been returned to Drouk.

Fromley had arrived back only two days earlier, and was not someone who always followed rules and regulations as closely as he should. Maybe he still had his. Even if he did, it would be sealed of course, but that would be the next problem to solve. Roderick left his rooms and trotted up one flight of stairs – for some reason Fromley, too, had recently been moved lower down the tower to improved quarters – and knocked.

‘Who is it?’ called Fromley.

‘Me!’ said Roderick then, realising that might not be enormously helpful, added, ‘Roderick.’

The door swung open and Fromley stood there, wrapped in a dressing gown. ‘Just got back from the bath. Had to make sure it wasn’t the Queen before I opened up the door dressed like this.’ He grinned.

He ushered Roderick in. Fromley, too, was now in a suite. It wasn’t quite as big and nicely decorated as Roderick’s, but it wasn’t far off. He disappeared into his bedroom, re-emerging a few moments later, still in his dressing gown but with pants on and carrying a singlet and shirt. They sat opposite each other on matching couches, a low tea table between them.

‘Nice room,’ said Roderick.

Fromley coughed. ‘Sure is.’

Roderick wanted to ask him what he had done to earn the upgrade, but didn’t quite feel comfortable doing so, so instead he lapsed into small talk about how good it was to be back. He tried to find an opportunity to gently ease the conversation towards the Banfor letter, but none came so eventually he just jumped in.

‘You know that letter we were given to pass on to Banfor? Ever wonder what was in it?’

‘Not enough to open it and risk a treason charge.’

‘No. Of course not.’

‘Drouk made sure we handed them straight in when we got back.’ Fromley put his hand to his mouth and coughed. ‘The pompous little twit even checked the seals in front of us.’ He snorted. ‘As if we’d interfere with the Queen’s seal.’

‘So, no idea what was in them, then?’

‘None. Why so curious?’ Fromley stood, pulled off his dressing gown and raised his arms above his chest to put his singlet on. Roderick’s eyes fell to Fromley’s large but firm stomach.

His heart stopped. Then it started pounding. Fromley had a scar the shape of a crescent moon on the left-hand side of his stomach.

Use your brain.

Fromley pulled his singlet over his head and then noticed Roderick looking. ‘What is it?’

‘Your scar,’ he said hollowly.

The answers may be closer than you think.

Fromley rubbed it absently and coughed again. ‘Oh, that. Haven’t you seen it before? You’re lucky you never had a little brother. They’re far more dangerous than big ones. When I was eleven he pushed me onto a boiling-hot horseshoe that my father had just knocked into shape. I can still smell it. Burning flesh. Yuck!’

Roderick wasn’t listening. He was remembering the vision he’d had when he had taken glimpsing juice at the Forest of Gilderang.

He saw a boot. Dark green. He sensed fear. Someone was scared. A knife with a blue handle. A struggle. A girl. The fear was coming from her. It felt as if this was happening not far off. Not more than a few days away, maybe fewer.

Men were overpowering the girl. She was terrified. She needed help. She struck out, pulled at a shirt. It rode up, revealing the stomach of one of her attackers. On it was a curved scar, the shape of a crescent moon.

The girl was pulled away. She was overpowered, a prisoner.

The scar he had seen in his vision was Fromley’s scar. Roderick didn’t understand. The vision had shown him Ruby being captured by the cave-dwellers on her way to the Circle of Mountains. How could Fromley have been involved? He was miles away, up north with Sir Shamus.

Or was he? Could he have circled back? But why? Or could one of the cave-dwellers have an identical scar?

He remembered that after he had rescued Ruby, she had mentioned that the cave-dwellers had threatened her with a knife with a grey handle. But the knife in his vision had had a blue handle. At the time he had paid it no mind, but . . .

Another thing. The dark green boot in his vision. Ruby’s, he had thought. He tried to picture Ruby in her cell. Her boots were green, but not dark green. They were light green.

Use your brain.

Then it hit him like a punch. He had misinterpreted his glimpsing juice vision. The knife he had seen had nothing to do with the cave-dwellers. The green boot was not Ruby’s. When he had sensed a girl, he had jumped to the conclusion that it was Ruby because he’d been thinking about Ruby. But he had been wrong.

What if the vision he had had was not of Ruby, but of Sonya? He tried to picture his sister heading out the front door of their home in Indinwick. He was almost sure she had a pair of dark green boots.

Could his vision have been of Sonya being abducted by the man with the scar? By Fromley? It was mind-blowing . . . but the knife, the boots, the scar . . . it all added up.

Roderick looked up at his friend, trying to keep his face neutral. Several people had said the man who had been seen with Sonya had something odd about his face. He studied Fromley’s. He had never noticed before, but Fromley’s eyes were slightly uneven. The right was a fraction lower than the left.

Fendall had said the man he had seen with Sonya had coughed as he rode past him on the bridge that morning.

And Fromley had coughed three times since Roderick had entered his room.

‘Got a cough?’ asked Roderick as casually as he could.

Fromley patted his chest. ‘Nothing much, just a little one.’

‘Where were you riding back from this morning?’

Fromley looked surprised. ‘Did you see me? I visited my parents. They’re not far away. Why?’

‘It’s lovely, this new room of yours. You must have done something pretty special to earn it. What would that have been, I wonder?’

Fromley looked uneasy.

The answers may be closer than you think.

Roderick stared at his friend. His enemy. ‘That’s why that last night we camped together – the night the rabbit stew disappeared – you went to bed as soon as I mentioned my family. You felt guilty.’

Fromley looked at him in confusion. ‘What are you talking about, Roderick?’

‘Where’s the blue-handled knife? The one you used to threaten my sister?’

‘Roderick, I have no idea what you’re . . .’

Roderick slammed his hand down on the table. ‘Where is she?’ he shouted.

Fromley recoiled. ‘Who? I don’t know what you mean.’

Roderick got up and walked into Fromley’s bedroom.

‘Roderick? What is it?’

Against the wall, underneath the window, stood Fromley’s sword.

Be bold.

He picked it up and went back into the living room.

‘Roderick!’

‘I’m not good with a sword, but I’m good enough to cut an unarmed man in half, so you’d better tell me what you did with my sister.’

‘Your sis . . . Wha . . . ?’ Fromley raised his hands and backed into the couch. Roderick closed in on him, the tea table between them.

‘I don’t know anything about –’ Fromley began.

Roderick smashed the sword down onto the table as hard as he could. The blade went halfway into the wood and for an awful moment Roderick thought it was stuck. He heaved back and pulled. The sword jumped out, the momentum pushing the handle into his chest. He really wasn’t good with a sword, but his demonstration of effort, if not skill, had had an effect. Fromley was pale.

Roderick yelled into his friend’s face. ‘You do know! I know you know! SO TELL ME!’

‘All right! All right!’ exclaimed Fromley.

Roderick gripped the sword tightly, ready. ‘You were seen with her several times. What did you do with her? Where is she?’

‘She’s safe. I promise.’ Fromley was trying to sound calm and reasonable. ‘She’s under guard somewhere. She is in no danger.’

‘Where?!’

‘I don’t know.’ He cringed as Roderick raised the sword. ‘I promise I don’t! I handed her over to others.’

Roderick felt like this wasn’t really happening and that he wasn’t really there. But it was and he was. ‘Why?’ he asked.

Fromley opened his mouth but nothing came out.

Roderick smashed the sword on the table again, flat side down this time so it wouldn’t get caught. ‘Why?!’

Fromley waved his hands about as if grasping for the answer. ‘I was just following orders,’ he said weakly.

‘Whose?’

Fromley coughed once more and then looked around desperately, perhaps weighing the threat Roderick posed against that which he would face if he disclosed the name.

‘I’ll be dead if I tell you.’

‘Perhaps,’ said Roderick, pushing the point of the sword closer to Fromley’s neck. ‘But you’ll be dead right now if you don’t! You might think I’m not a killer, and normally I would agree, but this is my sister!’

‘All right!’ Fromley took a deep breath. ‘It was Sir Lilley.’

Roderick blinked, then gulped. ‘Go on.’

Fromley hesitated. Roderick flicked the sword closer to his chin. ‘Talk!’

‘Okay! First he told me to pose as a farmer visiting from eastern Baronia and befriend your sister. That was easy enough.’ Fromley’s eyes didn’t move from the sword. ‘I went to their stall and struck up a conversation with her. We arranged to meet again. Lilley wanted me to talk to her about herbs, and suggest to her some new and better ways of farming. He didn’t care what, as long as it sounded convincing. He gave me some books about herbs so I’d have some idea of what I was talking about. For the life of me, I didn’t have the foggiest what was going on, but Lilley said it was important. I had to do what he said.’

‘What then?’

Fromley looked up at him. ‘He told me to suggest to Sonya that she come away with me to “my farm” for a couple of days so that I could show her some of the farming techniques I had talked to her about. I was told to persuade her not to tell her mother, because she might not have let her come.’

‘She wouldn’t have,’ said Roderick. He tried to put it together. Fromley, steered by Lilley, had played on Sonya’s frustration at being stuck on the farm and her rapidly growing desire for independence. By suggesting new ways of farming to her, he had set her on a collision course with Gwenda. Because Sonya’s suggestions had made no sense, Gwenda had refused to try them, and Sonya’s frustration had increased to the point where she had agreed to go away with Fromley without telling her mother.

Lilley had been clever. By manipulating Sonya to go with Fromley willingly, he had avoided the risk of anyone seeing her being abducted, or of her escaping.

But why would Lilley want to abduct his sister?

‘Tell me what you did,’ said Roderick.

Fromley cleared his throat. ‘We arranged to meet near Indinwick in the early afternoon on the day before we left to search for Banfor. I brought two horses. Lilley had given me directions to take Sonya to a farmhouse about an hour’s ride east. When we arrived there were three men there and she realised that I had betrayed her.’

‘There was a struggle and your shirt got pulled up.’

‘I can’t remem . . . how could you know that?’

‘Where’s the farmhouse?’

Fromley looked uncomfortable. ‘I could find it again, but they weren’t going to stay there with her. That was just the handover place. They were going on.’

‘And you don’t know where, because why would they tell you?’

Fromley coughed and then nodded. Roderick’s head was boiling. ‘Then you came home, and the very next day you and I rode away side by side, all chummy chummy.’

‘I didn’t know we’d be travelling together. Lilley promised me nothing bad would happen to your sister . . . I’ve felt so terrible about what happened. I swear. It’s been the worst thing ever –’

‘Poor you. Did Lilley say anything about why? Anything?’

‘Just that it was important that Sonya was kept somewhere safe for a while.’

‘She was somewhere safe. She was at her home.’

‘He meant somewhere where he could –’

‘Control her?’

‘I guess so. He just wanted her . . . away for a while.’

‘But that’s all you know.’ Contempt dripped off Roderick’s tongue.

‘I’m sorry.’ Fromley put his head down. ‘I was just following orders.’

Roderick looked at him like he was poo on a shoe, then dropped the sword and walked out the door.

Back in his room, Roderick sat on his bed and tried to figure it out.

Why would Sir Lilley want to take his sister prisoner? Could it have something to do with her involvement with CAKE? But according to Sven she had only been to a few meetings. Or maybe Sonya had somehow stumbled on some information that made her dangerous to Lilley? But what? And how? Could she be some sort of a hostage, taken prisoner so that Lilley could pressure someone else into doing something? But she was just a poor farm girl and Sir Lilley was one of the most powerful people in the kingdom. That didn’t make sense either.

Roderick’s brain hurt. He slumped back, missed the pillow and whacked his head on the wall. Ow! Now it hurt more.

What to do? Take a sword to Sir Lilley? No chance. As one of the Queen’s top advisers, he had guards with him almost all the time. Besides, it wasn’t as if Roderick had suddenly become a brilliant fighter. He hadn’t got the better of Fromley through his superior swordsmanship. On the other hand, he thought with a measure of satisfaction, for the first time ever he had been in a conflict with someone else and they had been more scared than he was. True, that someone else was half-naked and unarmed, but it was something.

The contents of the Queen’s letter to Banfor also continued to nag at him. He was confused, troubled and fidgety, and eventually that’s the sort of sleep he fell into.

CHAPTER 15

A TREASONABLE ACT

The next morning as Roderick dressed, a plan to get hold of the Queen’s letter arose in his mind. After a breakfast of two and a half walnut and apricot muffins, he made his way to the stables where he found Jonas brushing a horse.

‘Morning, Jonas.’

‘A busy one as always, sir.’

‘Jonas, have all the knights returned from their mission?’

‘Still three horses out, sir.’ Roderick remembered the Baronian chain mail Ruby had seen in the cannibals’ cave. One of the three would not be returning.

‘Any idea when they are expected back?’

‘Could be ten minutes, ten days or never.’

Roderick pulled three gold coins from his pocket.

‘Perhaps you could send word to me as soon as one of them gets back.’

Jonas palmed the coins. ‘That I can, sir. I’ll send one of the stableboys.’

‘Another two coins for you if you can delay the knight here in the stables until I get here.’

‘I’ll do what I can, sir.’

Roderick spent the rest of his morning doing some knightly training; sword-fighting and unarmed combat. Despite the fact he had saved the kingdom by saving Banfor, nothing had changed. Once again, he ended up bruised, beaten and bashed.

He returned to the castle after lunch. A few minutes after he got back to his room there was a rap at the door. It was a stableboy. Two knights had returned from their search.

When Roderick got to the courtyard he circled around and approached the stables from the front gate, as if he was just coming back to the castle. As he walked past, over the stable wall he pretended to suddenly notice Sir Egmont and Sir William unslinging their packs from their horses.

‘Sir Egmont. Sir William. You’re back! Thank goodness. People were worried.’

‘Roderick,’ said Sir Egmont, a tall, unsmiling, senior knight whose buck teeth and long, dour face made him look a bit like a sad rabbit. ‘Are we the final ones?’

‘I think so. You must be exhausted. Why don’t you go straight up to your rooms and I can arrange for someone to carry your bags up.’

They looked uncertainly about, tempted by Roderick’s offer but unsure about leaving the belongings that had been their constant companions for the past weeks.

‘How long since you had a bath, gentlemen? A hot one is only moments away. Someone did the same for me when I got back.’

That convinced them, and they shuffled off with the bow-legged gait of those who have spent too long on horseback. When they were out of sight Roderick deposited another two gold coins into Jonas’s palm. ‘If you see that I am undisturbed for the next five minutes it will be doubled.’

‘I have a few questions about this, Sir Roderick, but you’re paying me not to ask them, I suppose.’

‘I am.’ Roderick gave him another coin. Jonas nodded. ‘Five minutes, sir.’ He beckoned his stableboy and they stepped outside.

Roderick quickly laid the knights’ packs on the ground and then knelt and searched them. Sir William’s luggage consisted of underpants, vests, food, saucepans, a plate, cutlery, a bed mat, food and water. Sir Egmont carried the same, but with one addition: a small orange teddy bear. Of the Queen’s letter there was no sign. Roderick sighed. They must have it with them.

He jumped to his feet. Wherever it was, they wouldn’t take it into the bath. Roderick rushed outside and pushed two more coins into Jonas’s hand.

‘Thank you, Jonas. Have their bags taken up to their rooms and –’

‘I know. You never did nothing.’

‘Exactly.’

Roderick raced across the courtyard and into the castle to the bath chamber on the ground floor. He entered the large tiled room. Benches ran down two walls, while the other two contained doors to eight cubicles, each of which contained a bath. Two of the doors were shut, indicating the baths were occupied. On one of the benches sat two piles of clothes. Roderick had to be careful, as either knight could emerge at any moment, and servants came in regularly bearing fresh jugs of hot water.

He rifled quickly through their clothes, casting frequent glances back over his shoulder and listening hard for approaching footsteps. The first pile contained just a singlet and a big robe. Its owner – Sir Egmont, he guessed by the robe’s size – must have first gone up to his room to change out of his riding clothes.

Sir William’s pile, too, contained only a robe and singlet. Roderick cursed. The letters must be in a pocket of their clothes in their rooms.

Sir Egmont’s room key was sitting on top of his robe, which meant he would probably notice immediately if it wasn’t there when he got out of the bath.

He looked through Sir William’s pile again. His room key was in the pocket of his robe. If Roderick took it, William probably wouldn’t realise it was gone until he reached his room.

He heard Banfor’s words again. Be bold.

Roderick grabbed Sir William’s key and rushed out, nearly colliding with a servant carrying a jug of water. He climbed the spiral stone stairs briskly. As he passed the first floor he realised he didn’t know where Sir William’s room was. He examined the key but there was no number on it. He couldn’t ask anyone, because if he did end up finding and taking the Queen’s letter from William’s room, William would soon discover the theft and anyone who had been asking where his room was would be a suspect.

He heard footsteps coming down the stairs, and around the bend came one of the stableboys. Roderick smiled, and with renewed energy bounded up the stairs. The stableboy must have just delivered Egmont and William’s bags. All he had to do was look for the room with bags outside.

He checked the corridor on the second floor. No bags outside any door. Same on the third, fourth, and so on until he reached the eighth floor. There it was: a room with saddlebags outside. Roderick checked the corridor was empty, walked to the door and tried the key. It didn’t work. Rats! This must be Sir Egmont’s room. On the tenth floor he found another pile of bags outside a door. This time the key worked and he slipped inside the room, closing the door behind him. He hoped William liked long baths.

In a pile in the middle of the floor were the clothes William had been wearing. They smelt disgusting: of dirt, sweat and horse. Roderick sucked in a big breath and rifled through them.

The letter was in an inside pocket of William’s tunic. A moment later it was inside Roderick’s. He opened the door a crack, peeked out, and then quickly pulled it shut again. Someone was coming down the corridor. He prayed to no one in particular and everything in general that it wasn’t William. The footsteps came to the door. And passed! He heard a key turn in another door, and then a creak as it opened and shut.

Roderick eased the door open again. This time the corridor was empty. He slipped out and locked the door behind him. In the stairwell he stepped softly and listened hard. If he ran into Sir William now, it would be awkward. When he was between the eighth and ninth floors he heard footsteps. He turned and retreated back up to the ninth floor and scuttled down the corridor. The footsteps got louder, and then softer again as the person continued climbing.

Roderick hurried back to the stairs and ascended a few until he was able to glimpse a pair of bare feet and the bottom of a white robe. It was William. Roderick took William’s key out of his pocket and placed it on a stair, and then turned and headed for his room. When Sir William got to his room and discovered his key was missing, he would retrace his steps, find it on the stairs and hopefully think it had fallen out of his pocket.

Roderick sat on his couch staring at the letter. To read it he had to break the Queen’s seal, and that was treason, a crime punishable by imprisonment, or even death. He turned the letter over and over, and then looked at the fireplace. He could just burn it and no one would ever know he had stolen it.

And his curiosity would drive him crazy.

He took a deep breath and cracked the seal. Inside was a single sheet of parchment, one side covered in perfect handwriting. The words were surely identical to those on the letter that Roderick had given Banfor, which had convinced him to return to Palandan.

To the most esteemed Sir Ganfree Banfor, greetings. Please forgive the intrusion of the knight bearing my message. He is but my servant and any displeasure you feel towards him should rightly be directed towards me. I have been forced to take this action by an unfortunate series of events that I hope to soon be able to explain fully to you in person.

I must convey to you the unfortunate news that our Lady Sonya may be in considerable danger. I believe your special skills could greatly assist in securing her safety.

I hope this will prompt your speedy return to a place you were once very familiar with. My knight would be pleased to escort you to Palandan as speedily and in as much comfort as is possible.

I hope to see you very soon, Sir Ganfree.

Her Majesty,

Queen Emily

Roderick sat back, his head spinning so fast he thought it might take off. Was the ‘Sonya’ referred to his sister, or another Sonya? Surely it must be his sister, but since when was she ‘our Lady Sonya’?

Could there possibly be some connection between the disappearance of his sister and the search for Banfor? Sonya had gone missing the day before Roderick and the other knights had left to search for Banfor. The letter he had just read had been slipped under each of the knights’ doors the evening before they left. That is, the evening of the day upon which Sonya had disappeared. But how would the Queen have found out Sonya had disappeared so quickly? More importantly, why would she – or Banfor, for that matter – care so much about the disappearance of an ordinary peasant girl, even if she was the sister of one of her knights? And why would the Queen think that Banfor could help?

And why would a reference to ‘Lady Sonya’ being ‘in some considerable danger’ cause Banfor to decide to return to Palandan when he clearly did not want to leave the mountains? Why would he care so much about her?

And why did the Queen’s letter say nothing about the threat Baronia was facing from the Nareeans? Wasn’t that the reason she had sent them to search for him?

After sitting and thinking awhile, Roderick knew what he had to do next: tell the Queen that he had discovered that Sonya had been abducted by Fromley, acting on the orders of Sir Lilley. That was the best way to help his sister, and it was his duty as a knight. He would go and find her immediately.

He walked to the door, and then stopped. He couldn’t just walk into the Queen’s throne room. Access was tightly controlled by Drouk. And Drouk worked for Sir Lilley. What if Roderick told Drouk why he wanted to see the Queen, and Drouk was in on Sir Lilley’s plan?

That wouldn’t be good.

He remembered that the parade to honour himself and Banfor would be held the next morning. Surely he would be near the Queen then. He would wait for the parade, and look for an opportunity to speak privately with her.

He folded the letter and tucked it in an inside pocket of his tunic, and then thought about it all some more until he was even more thoroughly confused. Eventually, the bell rang and he headed down to dinner. Afterwards, he went straight to bed. He had a feeling that tomorrow was going to be a big day.

CHAPTER 16

THE PARADE

The next morning Roderick put a ceremonial robe over his tunic and made his way to the stables. He mounted Fruitcake and walked him out into the courtyard where the other knights were assembling. Roderick had ridden in several parades before, but always near the back. He still could not quite believe that today it would be he, along with Banfor, who was being honoured. As he moved past more experienced, skilful and senior knights to take his place at the head of the column the confusion that had enveloped him over the last few days receded, and he felt a burst of pride.

They would ride two laps of the giant town square and then he would take his place on a stage that had been erected near the town gates.

I’d better not do anything silly, he thought anxiously.

Banfor and the Queen arrived, surrounded by a group of guards. The Queen looked magnificent on her white horse. She wore a flowing purple robe over a sparkling silver tunic, and her long golden hair cascaded behind her. Banfor had on a plain green tunic and ahead of him strode Chester, who came over to Roderick.

‘What a kerfuffle this is! Horses, knights, people who aren’t knights and even a bear. Me, of course! The only bear in the parade! Of course we are not parading yet. We are standing still, waiting to parade and talking to each other. Or at least I am talking to you but when I finish you will probably talk back and that will mean that we will be talking to each other. And then soon we will parade and I will be the only bear parading, just as now I am the only bear waiting to parade!’

‘Hello, Chester,’ said Roderick with a smile.

The Queen had pulled in next to Roderick, with Banfor beside her.

‘Your Majesty,’ Roderick said nervously. He twisted sideways in the saddle to face her and bowed low. Too low. He overbalanced and started to slide off his saddle. Instinctively, he threw out a hand to steady himself. It landed on the Queen’s knee. Six guards instantly sprang alert and raised swords. No one was allowed to touch the Queen! Roderick quickly pulled his hand away, which meant he resumed falling, collapsing with a thud onto the cobblestones between Fruitcake and the Queen’s horse.

Guards and knights stifled laughs.

Paws lifted him up. ‘Bears are not good at bowing, Roderick,’ said Chester solemnly. ‘Bears never bow, in fact. But if we did bow, we would try very hard not to bow like that.’

Roderick’s face was burning as he scrambled back onto Fruitcake.

‘Roderick,’ said the Queen kindly. ‘A bad start, yes? But you had a bad start as a knight, too, and now you have proven that you are a great knight. Come. Let us begin.’

She raised her arm high and walked her horse forward, a mounted guard on either side. Roderick fell in step behind her. Next to him were two guards and next to them Banfor and Chester. The castle gates swung open and a great cheering began. Crowds had crammed into the square. People pressed forward, trying to get as close as they could to the heavily guarded and cordoned-off track that encircled the square. So many people! So much noise! It was overwhelming. Roderick started to panic.

A voice spoke inside his head. They’re cheering for you.

It was Banfor. Roderick looked across at him. The old man met his glance and gave him the smallest of smiles. Roderick heard his voice inside his head again. Try to enjoy it.

Roderick nodded. Feeling a bit calmer he tapped Fruitcake lightly with his heels and they walked through the gates. The cheering was deafening. Streamers rained. Whatever progress CAKE had made, an old-fashioned parade to honour a hero still got people excited. As the waving and smiling knights walked their horses slowly around the square, Roderick finally felt a part of the group he had been so unwillingly drafted into. Today he belonged. He deserved to be a knight.

By the time he was halfway around the square, Roderick wanted the parade to last forever. As they rounded the final bend and headed back past the castle gates, he heard boos and jeering coming from one part of the crowd. It was a group of forty or fifty mainly young men and women on the inside of the track. CAKE. Several held banners with slogans such as ‘Knights Feast While We Starve’, ‘Goodnight Knights’, ‘Our Taxes Fatten Your Bellies’, and ‘Abolish Knights For A Fairer Baronia’.

The demonstration was loud but peaceful. As the Queen trotted past she looked straight at the group and smiled delightfully, and the jeering and booing seemed to quieten. One man even lowered his banner.

On the second lap Roderick was able to ease Fruitcake over to Banfor’s side. He had to shout to be heard above the crowd. ‘Thanks for calming me down back there.’

Banfor nodded and Roderick was suddenly at a loss for words.

‘How do you like Palandan?’ he asked lamely.

‘It is much as I expected,’ said Banfor.

‘Are you missing your home?’

The old man smiled thinly. ‘I miss fishing. But Chester is very excited by it all. Everyone knows he can talk now, and he likes all the attention.’

The bear was ahead of them, waving and strutting along proudly, pushing his chest out as if the whole parade was for him.

Roderick realised what he had to ask Banfor.

‘Um . . .’ he began. There was no way to ease into it. ‘Do you know my sister Sonya? I mean, have you met her?’

Banfor’s head snapped around like a door slamming shut in the wind (except much quieter). He stared at Roderick.

‘Is that a yes?’ asked Roderick.

There was a long pause. Eventually Banfor spoke sadly. ‘No. I do not.’

‘But why did you react like that when I mentioned her name? I read the Queen’s letter.’ The words tumbled out. ‘It was about Sonya. That’s what changed your mind and made you decide to come back. Is that my sister?’

Banfor looked long and hard at Roderick. ‘I am doing what I can to help. What I think is best. That is all I can tell you. I’m sorry.’

‘But that’s not telling me anything. Why did –’

Banfor spoke sternly. ‘That is all I can tell you.’ He looked around, then leant in. ‘You have made progress, but you must keep going! Keep thinking. Keep being brave. Question everything. And everyone. Even those you trust.’

Roderick stared at him. He opened his mouth, but before anything could emerge there was a whoosh! and the guard directly in front of him screamed terribly and fell from his horse. The reason he had behaved in such an unprofessional manner was obvious. An arrow was sticking out of his neck.

The crowd’s cheers turned to screams. Horses bucked and neighed. The guard had been one of the two on either side of the Queen. There was a second whoosh and the other guard fell from his horse, an arrow in his back. Panic broke out. People screamed, tried to run in all directions. The Queen turned her horse and urged it back past Roderick towards the castle. As she did, another arrow whistled past her. Knights shouted orders that nobody obeyed. Chester appeared, grabbed the reins of Banfor’s and Roderick’s horses, and growled furiously. He put the reins between his teeth, dropped to all fours and ran towards the castle. Even in their panic, people had sense enough to get out of the way of a bear, and a pathway opened in front of them. Soon they were inside the gates, where they stopped.

‘A bear such as me,’ panted Chester, ‘might be clever enough to be able to talk with words. But sometimes a clever bear has to know when it is best to just be a bear.’

The Queen was nearby, surrounded by nervous-looking knights. She seemed calm. ‘Come,’ she said, ‘we must go to the tower balcony. The people must see I am unharmed.’ She strode towards the main tower, followed by about a dozen knights. Roderick looked at Banfor, who sighed, then dismounted and followed. With a steadily increasing amount of huffing and puffing they finally reached the main castle balcony on the fourth floor, which overlooked the town square.

Below them the panic continued. Thousands of people were trying to get out of the open by squeezing into the alleys that led off the square. There were bottlenecks of hundreds of people around each alley, and those in the middle were getting crushed. Every second, more people added to the pressure. The huge city gates, which could have quickly released the tide of people, had been closed for the parade and no one had thought to open them.

‘I need their attention. The gong,’ said the Queen.

Sir Malarf ran to the giant gong at the end of the balcony and struck it hard three times, but there was too much noise below for it to be heard. The Queen’s eyes found Banfor’s and she looked long and hard at him, asking something unsaid.

A look of distaste flickered across Banfor’s face; then it was gone. He made his way to the Queen’s side. Together they stared out into the crowd, and then both shut their eyes.

Roderick felt a great wave of calm wash through him. He started to smile, not knowing why. Everything seemed just fine. He looked around at the other knights on the balcony. They were clearly feeling it as well.

Down in the square the panic was subsiding. People stepped back from the edge of the bottlenecks. The crush un-crushed. Some people even sat down. The Queen motioned towards the gong and its deep bass note rang out three more times.

Again she held up her hands and now every head was turned towards her.

‘My people,’ she began in a strong, measured voice. ‘I hope you do not mind a last-minute change of venue for our celebration today.’ She smiled. There was some laughter at the joke. Nervous and strained laughter, but laughter nonetheless.

‘The first thing I must tell you is that despite what seemed to be an attempt to slay me with an arrow – in fact, several arrows – I am unharmed.’ On the last word she raised her arms, almost conducting the cheer that arose from the crowd. She slowly lowered them and looked down at the bodies of the two guards in the square. ‘However, two of my guards took those arrows.’ Roderick saw Sir Drayshus appear at one end of the balcony. He strode towards the Queen and whispered urgently in her ear. She nodded gravely and continued, ‘And I have just been informed that they have been slain by them. Without their courage and sacrifice, I may have perished . . . and I thank them.’ She bowed her head.

When she raised it again, there was fire in her eyes. ‘Who is responsible for this attack?’

She let the question hang.

‘There has been more violence against us. The night before last, our village of Taroom, near the Nareean border, was attacked!’

There were shocked murmurings. While relations between Baronia and Nareea had never been friendly, there had been no acts of aggression for years.

‘People’s houses were set on fire, many were injured and . . .’ she paused dramatically, ‘. . . seven Baronians were killed.’

Gasps.

She looked around the crowd. ‘I ask again; who is responsible? This is what we know, my people. The Nareeans have been building up their forces and preparing for war. They have also been searching for the powerful sorcerer, Sir Ganfree Banfor, so that they can try to force him to help them invade our country. But in that, they have failed. Sir Ganfree has accepted our offer of protection. He is not only a great sorcerer, he is also a good man, and he has no wish to be used by the Nareeans. So let us welcome this good and great man, Sir Ganfree Banfor, back to Baronia. Thank you, Sir Ganfree, for your presence in our country. We are honoured and grateful.’

The crowd applauded enthusiastically. Banfor looked less than excited by it all.

‘Sir Ganfree is here only because our knights searched the entire land to find him. It was a difficult and for some, a dangerous mission. For one brave knight, Sir Worner, it was fatal.’ She left a long moment’s silence. Now Roderick knew who the bones in the cannibals’s cave belonged to.

‘Today’s parade was also intended to salute the courage and determination of all the knights who searched for Sir Ganfree. It was one of the most important missions our knights have undertaken, and they carried it out, as always, with courage, skill and determination. We thank them.’ The crowd applauded enthusiastically. ‘We thank especially the one who found Sir Ganfree. He is a young knight who faced and overcame many dangers on the way.’ The Queen turned to Roderick and motioned him closer. He stepped tentatively forward. ‘My people, I give you . . . the heroic Sir Roderick!’ She took his hand and held it aloft.

The roar of the crowd embraced him, lifted him up. He was floating on a sea of applause. He felt as if he was being hugged by thousands of people who all cared about him, appreciated him, liked him, even loved him. It was a high-grade, smile-making buzz. He loved it and wished the moment would last forever.

Now when people saw him they wouldn’t think, How did that guy ever become a knight? Or, I wouldn’t trust him to protect us against an invasion of caterpillars. Instead it would be, Isn’t that Sir Roderick, the knight who saved the kingdom?

The cheering gradually died down.

‘My people,’ said the Queen, ‘the Nareeans tried to find Ganfree Banfor to help them attack us. Now it seems that, even without him, they have decided to wage war. They have tried to assassinate me, they have destroyed one of our villages and they have slaughtered our helpless countrymen and women. Does anyone believe that they will stop at just one village?’ She looked slowly around the crowd. There was complete silence. ‘How should we respond? Can we let such unjustified aggression and violence continue?’

A few ‘no’s’ came out of the crowd.

‘Can we allow the Nareeans to strike once more against innocent, hard-working Baronian families?’

More ‘no’s’, this time louder.

The Queen’s voice increased its power. ‘Shall we ignore what has happened, and let it happen again?’

‘No!’ shouted almost every voice.

‘I have spoken before about my desire to avoid war. I still have that desire. No war is without victims. No war is without casualties. But if we do nothing, those unprovoked attacks will surely continue and escalate. By attacking Taroom, the Nareeans have left us with no choice. The skills of Ganfree Banfor, which we feared may be available to the Nareeans, will now assist us. We will prevail!’ She held aloft her gleaming sword. ‘Tomorrow,’ she shouted, ‘we march on Nareea!’

The crowd roared its approval.

CHAPTER 17

A PRIVATE AUDIENCE

Below, the crowd calmly dispersed. Banfor looked drained and leant on Chester as he left the balcony. The Queen was next to Roderick and he knew he might not get another chance.

‘Your Majesty,’ he said. ‘May I speak?’

‘Of course, Roderick. What is it?’ she said easily. The powerful, even fierce, tone she had used to address the crowd was gone.

Roderick glanced around. The balcony was still full of knights and guards. ‘It’s private. Important.’

She looked at him. ‘Follow me.’

They left the balcony, escorted by four guards, and followed the corridor to the main staircase. They walked up one flight, and then the Queen passed through guarded double doors to her private chambers. As Roderick followed her, a hand rested lightly on his shoulder.

‘Forgive me, sir,’ said the guard it was attached to, ‘but none may enter the Queen’s residence armed, except her guards.’

‘Of course,’ said Roderick, passing over his sword and knife.

They entered a sitting room so large it needed seven sofas, eighteen lounge chairs, five tea tables and three life-sized statues of former monarchs to make it look not quite completely empty. The Queen sat in the largest and grandest-looking armchair, and Roderick sank into a couch opposite so soft and deep that his knees ended up awkwardly higher than his lap. Servants instantly served them tea.

The Queen smiled. ‘What is this urgent business? I have much to do, as do you. Tomorrow we ride and I want you at my side, Roderick.’

‘Your Majesty.’ Roderick wasn’t sure where to begin. ‘My sister has been missing for more than two weeks now.’ He quickly recounted the main details of her disappearance and his attempts to discover what had happened to her. The Queen sat silently sipping her tea, occasionally asking for more information. Roderick deliberately did not mention that he had read the Queen’s letter to Banfor as admitting that he had committed treason didn’t seem like a good idea.

‘Your Majesty, the reason I am telling you about this is not simply to try to get help to find my sister, although that is part of it. It is because she was abducted by a knight.’

The Queen raised her eyebrows.

‘Sir Fromley has admitted to me that he abducted my sister,’ said Roderick, ‘and he says he did so under the orders of Sir Lilley. Your Majesty, regardless of my desire to find my sister, it is my duty to inform you of what these two knights have been doing. Why it was done and where my sister is now, I do not know.’

The Queen looked hard at Roderick and then moved next to him on the sofa. Her arm went around his shoulders. The strain of the last few weeks suddenly welled up and tears pushed past his eyelids.

‘My dear,’ the Queen said sympathetically. ‘How terrible for you. You have done the right thing. Thank you. If we have rotten apples in our midst, we must find them and bring them to justice. We will discover what has happened to your sister and why.’ She squeezed his shoulder. ‘Do not fear. We will find her.’

She called to an impassive guard waiting by the door. ‘Gwynn, summon Sir Fromley at once. And, without alerting him, keep an eye on Sir Lilley. I want to know everything he does.’ Gwynn nodded and left.

‘Roderick, you may not be safe. Sir Fromley may tell Sir Lilley, or others who are involved, that you know what they have done and someone might think that the best way of keeping their enterprise secret is to kill you. Have you told anyone else?’

Roderick wiped his eyes, and shook his head.

‘Rest assured, I will get to the bottom of this,’ continued the Queen. ‘In the meantime you must stay somewhere safe.’ She turned to another guard, standing exactly where Gwynn had been. ‘Boris. Escort Sir Roderick upstairs to the guest chambers. Ensure that you retrieve anything he wants from his quarters and provide him with anything else he would like. Roderick, you must stay out of sight while I investigate. I will let you know as soon as I discover anything about Sonya.’

Roderick nodded. The Queen gave his shoulder a final squeeze and motioned for him to follow Boris. He was escorted along a corridor, up two flights of stairs and along another corridor to a door that Boris unlocked and ushered him through.

The suite was palatial, which wasn’t surprising because it was in the palace. There were four luxurious white couches, an oak table so ornate and detailed that it would have taken a team of carpenters weeks of twiddling and shaping to complete it, and huge glass doors that opened onto a balcony overlooking the city.

Off the main room was a bedroom, a kitchen and a bathroom.

‘The larder is stocked with food, sir,’ said Boris, ‘but if you require service of any kind, please just pull the cord hanging next to the door. There will be guards stationed outside your room at all times to ensure your safety. No one will be able to enter without the Queen’s permission.’

Boris bowed and departed. Roderick picked the biggest of the big couches and slumped into it. There was nothing to do but wait.

It took him less than a minute to discover the first truth of waiting. Waiting was horrible. Nothing happened while you were waiting, because that’s what waiting was. It was the bit between things happening, when nothing happened.

After six minutes he worked out the second truth of waiting. The more eager you were for the waiting to end, the slower time moved. The more you wanted something to happen, the less it did.

He explored the suite. That killed a minute. The view from the balcony was a good time eater. When he had lived on the fourteenth floor he’d had a great view, but only out a poky little window. Here he had a balcony he could sit on. So he tried to sit and not worry or run thoughts around in his head.

The only bit he succeeded at was the sitting.

At first he worried randomly. After a while, realising he wasn’t going to be able to stop, he resolved to at least try to worry in some sort of orderly fashion. So he went right back to the time the Queen had sent all the knights on the mission to find Banfor and sifted through everything that had happened since, trying to spot a clue he had missed.

Banfor, Ruby, Sonya, the Queen, Fromley, Lilley. They were all icebergs. He knew something about each of them, but so much more was hidden.

Eventually he dozed, and was woken by the sound of a knock and the door opening. The length of the shadows suggested it was late afternoon. He stood as the Queen walked in. She motioned him to a couch and sat opposite him.

‘Roderick, I have something to tell you.’ She gave him a long, serious look. ‘You may think I have done something terrible. If you do, I understand. But know this. My duty is to do what is best for Baronia and that is all I have ever tried to do.’ She took a deep breath. ‘Your sister is safe and comfortable. She is being taken care of. But she is not free.

‘She has performed a service of incredible value to Baronia. She may well have helped to save us from destruction. Sonya disappeared because we needed to get the help of Ganfree Banfor.’

Roderick had at least twenty-seven questions already. He opened his mouth to let some of them out. The Queen raised her hand. ‘The letter you gave Ganfree. Do you know what it said?’

Roderick felt himself turn red.

‘Well, er . . .’

‘You won’t get into trouble.’

‘I . . . well I happened to get hold of . . . a copy, so yes.’

‘You are full of surprises, aren’t you?’ she said, not angry. He let out a breath of relief.

‘I knew it was possible, even likely, that Ganfree would not agree to help us. He had deliberately chosen a quiet and solitary life removed from all duties and responsibilities. But I also knew that without his help we were doomed. I knew – from our spies in Nareea – that they were planning to attack us, and that their forces far outnumber ours. If we lost – if we lose – thousands of our people will be killed, and the rest enslaved.

‘I was desperate. I needed to find a way to . . .’ She searched for the right word. ‘To encourage Ganfree to help us. Because I was sure he would make a difference.’

‘What difference? What can he do?’ asked Roderick.

The Queen sighed. ‘You felt what happened on the balcony. A wave of calm. It was almost all him. I have some small powers.’ She waved her hands dismissively. ‘But they are nothing beside his. He caused thousands of panicking people to calm down in an instant. Imagine hundreds of Nareeans in a battle frenzy charging towards us. Now imagine a wave of restful calm flowing over them.

‘The wonderful thing is that when Ganfree does this, no one gets killed. The enemy just doesn’t want to fight anymore. They turn around and go home. And then, so do we. All the pain, all the suffering of war is prevented.’

‘But what has all this got to do with Sonya?’

‘Your sister is the leverage I used to make him come back. The letter I wrote to him said enough for him to know that she was in trouble.’

‘But . . . but if he doesn’t care about Baronia enough to come and help us, why would he care about some girl who lives on a farm?’ asked Roderick.

The Queen looked him in the eye. ‘Because he is Sonya’s father.’

Roderick’s head spun. He thought he had been as confused as he could get, but clearly he had been wrong. ‘Her father? But her father is . . . We already have a father. Or, at least, we did. Wait? Does that mean he’s also . . . my father?’

‘I will explain,’ said the Queen. ‘Many years ago Banfor spent some time here, helping my father defend Baronia against the Nareeans. During that time he fell in love with a woman, and they had a child: your sister, Sonya. Tragically, Sonya’s mother died in childbirth. Banfor was heartbroken. He left Palandan and disappeared, and nothing was seen or heard of him for many years. We now know he went into the Circle of Mountains. But before he left he sought out your father, Larn, who he knew well. Banfor knew Larn was a good-hearted and wise man, and he asked him to take and raise Sonya. Larn agreed. Soon after, Larn met your mother, and eventually they had you.’

‘But . . . why didn’t my parents ever tell Sonya any of this?’

The Queen shrugged. ‘Perhaps they did. Can you be sure that they did not?’

Roderick considered this. If his parents had told Sonya, would the three of them have kept it from him? His first thought was no, but then again, it seemed that every day was bringing new surprises. He tried to refocus on the present. ‘So, you arranged for Fromley . . . You ordered the kidnapping?’

The Queen nodded gravely.

Roderick tried to piece it together. ‘Then you told Banfor that his daughter was in danger to make him come back. But how did you know he would care? He never visited her. He’s never sought her out.’

‘I didn’t know, but I had to try. It was the only thing I could think of. He may not have ever visited Sonya but perhaps his powers have allowed him to keep watch over her from afar.’

Something else occurred to Roderick. ‘You hoped that if Banfor thought Sonya was in danger he would come back. But she didn’t actually have to be in danger. You could have just written in your letter that she was in trouble. You didn’t actually have to kidnap her.’

The Queen shook her head. ‘Usually that would be correct, but not with Banfor. If Sonya had been safe at home, Banfor would have been able to detect that. The kidnapping had to be genuine.

‘Sir Lilley was just carrying out my orders,’ she continued. ‘He instructed Sir Fromley to befriend Sonya and then lure her away. She is now being held, safely and comfortably, but against her will.’ She wrapped her arms around herself and seemed to shrink a bit. ‘I have done a terrible thing. I have deprived a young woman of her liberty. Not forever, but for a while. Your sister.’ She seemed to be almost talking to herself. ‘But I did it because it was the only way to get this man to help us. Have I done wrong? I honestly do not know.’

Roderick suddenly got a glimpse of what it must be like to be Queen. Every day she had to make decisions that affected the lives of tens of thousands of people. Maybe some of those decisions were easy, but surely most of them were hard; rather than choosing between right and wrong, she would often be picking between ‘possibly mostly rightish’ and ‘perhaps a bit more wrongish’. It would be the hardest job in the world.

The Queen continued. ‘Even now that I have Ganfree here, I can’t let Sonya go. Do you understand why?’ She was almost pleading with him.

‘Because then he’d go home?’

‘I think he would. His concern for Sonya is the only thing that keeps him here. I promise you that as soon as the Nareean threat is dealt with, Sonya will be set free and, of course, very generously rewarded for the help she has provided Baronia.’

‘What will Banfor do then?’

‘It may be that once he knows Sonya is safe he will want to revenge himself upon me for blackmailing him in this way. He certainly has the power to do so, no matter how many guards I have. But what matters most is the welfare of our country and our people.’

‘But now he knows what you’re doing, couldn’t he find Sonya and set her free himself?’

‘I wondered myself if he would be able to do that. Years ago he could have, but he has not done so, and I think we must take that as meaning that, by himself, he cannot.’

Questions kept coming to him. ‘Why didn’t you tell me all this before? Downstairs?’

The Queen paused, squeezed her brow. ‘I’m sorry. I didn’t know how you would react. I . . . just had to think things through first.’

‘Was it just coincidence that it was me – Sonya’s brother – who found Banfor and not another knight?’

‘Yes and no. Yes, because I did not know for sure where Ganfree was, so I needed to send all the knights out as far and wide as possible to search for him. But information I had gathered over the years suggested the most likely place he would be was in our north, possibly in the Forest of Gilderang. Although, as it turns out, he wasn’t there. But he was nearby. I have been meaning to ask you. Why did you leave the area you had been assigned to search to look for him in the Circle of Mountains?’

‘Er, well . . .’ Roderick did not want to mention Ruby. Given that she was a suspected Nareean spy, and he had just helped her to escape the dungeons, it would make things even more complicated than they already were. And things were already pretty complicated. ‘I just had a feeling she . . . I mean he . . . might be there.’

The Queen nodded. ‘Yes of course. And that is precisely why I sent you. You have powers that the other knights do not, Roderick. If, as I suspected, Ganfree was being guarded by the cockroaches, then the greatest swordsmen in the land would not have been able to get past them. You used your mind, didn’t you?’

Roderick nodded slowly.

‘As I said, I have some limited ability to use my own. You know this. You felt me talk to you in your head in the dining hall after that bee stung you, yes?’ Roderick nodded again. ‘And you felt me give you a little push down the hill when you were reluctant to get too close to the cockroaches? And of course you felt Ganfree and I use our powers today on the balcony.’

‘Yes.’

‘It is clear that of all the knights, Roderick, you have the greatest potential to develop these sorts of powers. I can sense it in you. And I can help you to develop them.’ She looked gravely at him. ‘You could be very powerful, Roderick. I hope you will always use that power to help Baronia. If you do, you could become one of my most trusted and important knights.’

Roderick could hardly take it all in. At the back of his mind something nagged at him. Something important, from the day he had saved the Queen’s life. Why hadn’t she wanted a drink?

‘How long have you known about me?’ he asked.

The Queen’s lips twitched. ‘What do you mean?’

‘That day on the bridge. I didn’t really save your life, did I?’

There was a long pause, and then the Queen clapped her hands in delight. ‘I knew you were clever. How did you know?’

‘When you were hit by the dart your symptoms were those of someone who had been poisoned with larabeen juice, so I made you the antidote and you recovered. But larabeen juice makes your mouth go dry. When someone survives, they always have an extremely dry mouth. But you didn’t. There was so much going on I didn’t take it in at the time, but when you recovered, you didn’t ask for water and even when you were offered it, you refused.’

The Queen clapped again. ‘Very good, my dear.’

‘But . . . I don’t understand?’

‘I have been on the lookout for someone with the potential to develop powers of the sort Banfor has for a long time. Eventually I sensed you. I knew you had potential, and that if I could help you to develop and use your powers in the right way, you could help me to keep Baronia safe. I found out a bit more about you, and it was clear that you would never willingly become a knight. So I created a way to make you one.’

‘But I was only on the bridge that day by chance . . . because Sonya was sick.’

‘She had dinner at a café in Indinwick the night before, and I arranged for a powder to be added to her food that would inconvenience her the next morning. I posted a lookout and, as your cart approached the bridge, we rode out the city gates. When I was near you I hid a dart in my hand, screamed and fell to the ground. You “saved my life” and I was able to thank you by making you a knight.’

Roderick was stunned. ‘But I saw someone run away into the trees,’ he stammered.

‘That was arranged.’

‘You thrashed about, foamed at the mouth.’

‘I swallowed a powder that caused me to do that.’

‘But why go to all that trouble? Why not just order me to come and live in the castle?’

‘People with these sort of powers are incredibly rare. I have been on the lookout for someone like you for fifteen years. I wanted to keep it a secret from everyone, Baronians, Nareeans, even you, until I could find out what you were capable of and whether, if I helped you to develop your powers, you would use them to help Baronia, or just to help yourself. Once again, I am sorry. I know how happy you were on the farm. But everything I have done has been to protect Baronia. And before you condemn me, remember that you have just been honoured as a hero by the entire city. Do you really wish that you had never become a knight?’

Do I? wondered Roderick. Initially he would have done anything to return to his old life. But after all that had happened, would he go back to it now?

‘Your kingdom needs you, Roderick,’ continued the Queen. ‘We have Banfor now, but for how long? Dark days are ahead. In the old days the side upon which he fought always won, and you have the potential to be as powerful as he was.’

‘But what about Sonya? Where is she? Can I see her?’

‘I hope you will understand, Roderick, why it is not possible now. You have my word that she is safe. As soon as we have, with Ganfree’s help, persuaded the Nareeans to leave us alone, you will be reunited with your sister, and Ganfree can return home.’

‘But what if it happens again? I mean, even if we can push the Nareeans back this time with Banfor’s help, what if they come back next year, or the year after that?’

‘I hope we will never be forced to go to war again. I wish we were not going to war now, but the attack on Taroom leaves us with no choice. But I have learnt my lesson. Never again will Baronia be unprepared. We will build up our army and increase the number of knights. I should never have let the numbers decrease, but we seemed to be in such a long period of peace.’ She let out a slow breath. ‘I have failed my people.’

Her shoulders straightened. ‘And if, in the future, there does come a time when once again we need to fight, perhaps you will have developed your powers to the extent that we will not need Ganfree Banfor.’

Roderick’s eyes widened. Could he possibly . . . ?

‘Yes, you can, Roderick,’ said the Queen.

He imagined himself at the head of the army, saving Baronia by using the power of his mind.

‘The Nareeans are preparing to ride against us,’ continued the Queen. ‘Perhaps they have already set out. Tomorrow we ride east to meet them.’ She reached out her hand to him and suddenly she looked less like an all-powerful ruler and more like a tired and anxious woman. It reminded him of how his mother had looked in the months after his father’s death. She stared into his eyes. ‘I hope I can count on your help, Roderick.’

He took her offered hand. ‘Yes, of course.’

CHAPTER 18

HOLDING A BUTTON

After the Queen left, Roderick needed time to think, but he didn’t get it.

‘It’s not true, you know.’ The voice came from behind him. He leapt up and stared around, but the room was empty. ‘Ruby?’

‘She’s told you a whole lot of lies.’

‘How . . . ? What are you doing here?’

‘I thought that if your Queen was lying to you, you’d want to know,’ said the voice as it moved to the sofa the Queen had just vacated. ‘I came in with her. She’s very good.’ The cushions compressed.

‘We had a deal,’ Roderick said to the cushion. ‘I gave you those herbs, and in return you promised to leave Baronia and not come back. Why do you keep popping up everywhere?’

‘Because you’ve just been fed a mountain of lies.’

‘No I haven’t. Nareea is about to attack us.’

‘Except that they’re not.’

‘How could you possibly know that? When were you last in Nareea? Months ago! How could you know what’s going on there?’

‘I know my country. It’s not happening.’

‘When we first met, you told me you weren’t even from that country. You were from Danover. So you’re right. There is a liar about. You!’

‘If you listen for just a minute I’ll explain. Sit down.’ Roderick hesitated. ‘Come on,’ she bossed. Reluctantly he slumped into the sofa opposite hers.

‘The village that was attacked near the border,’ she said.

‘Taroom.’

‘Yes. It wasn’t Nareeans who did it.’

‘Who was it then?’ he replied. ‘Angry squirrels? A gang of rabbits?’

‘Baronians,’ she said.

‘Our soldiers attacked their own people? That’s ridiculous!’

‘It’s true! So that it would look like the Nareeans had done it.’

‘Come on! People were killed. Baronians wouldn’t kill Baronians.’

‘They did.’

‘What proof do you have?’

‘This!’ she said. There was the noise of hand hitting wood, and a small dark circle lay on the table.

‘What’s that?’

‘A rhinoceros. What do you think?’ Her turn for sarcasm.

He picked it up. ‘A button?’

‘Very good. What sort of button?’

It was white with a black cross in the middle. ‘A round one?’

Ruby sighed theatrically.

Roderick’s impatience was growing. ‘Stop playing games. If you’ve got something to say, say it!’

‘All right. With the herbs you left me, I made myself invisible, escaped from the dungeons, stole a horse and headed for Nareea. By nightfall I had nearly made it to the border. I camped out and then next morning crept into a village to steal some food, and everyone was talking about how a village nearby had been attacked. I decided to call in to see if the CAKE members I knew there were okay. I was looking through the remains of one of their houses for any sign that the family who lived there might have survived when I found that button. It looked out of place somehow so I picked it up. Baronian soldiers had started to arrive to help with the clean-up and I noticed that . . . Well, hold the button up against your shirt.’

Roderick pulled the top of his tunic down, exposing the top button of his knight’s white shirt, and held Ruby’s button next to it. They were identical. ‘So?’

‘In the ruins of a house supposedly attacked by Nareean soldiers, I found a Baronian soldier’s button.’

‘Ruby, you’ve got this wrong. You said yourself that Baronian soldiers were there helping. One of them must have lost a button.’

‘Take a closer look at it. Turn it over.’

On the other side of the button was the same design, but about a quarter of it was blackened.

‘See the black mark? It must have been caused by the fire, which means the button was there while the fire was burning.’

Roderick considered this. ‘So there was a Baronian soldier’s button in the hut. What does that mean? Maybe a soldier went there and lost a button once, or maybe a soldier lived there, or a kid found the button and brought it home. Or maybe the Nareeans dropped it there on purpose to try to make trouble.’ He was building up a head of steam. The next words rushed out. ‘Or maybe you stole the button from one of our soldiers, then held a match under it, so that you could then come in here, tell me some more lies and cause more trouble! Maybe that’s what happened.’

There was a long pause. The sofa cushions shifted. ‘So why don’t you find out the truth?’ asked Ruby.

‘Huh?’

‘I just heard the Queen tell you how wonderful your mind powers are, so use them. Pick up the button, do whatever it is you do and see what you get. Then you’ll know.’

Roderick turned the button over in his fingers. ‘I haven’t done anything like that before.’

‘Scared you might discover I’m right?’

Roderick looked at the cushions, then at the button. ‘All right,’ he said. ‘Let me concentrate. That means you have to be quiet for a minute. Have you ever done that before? You have to close your mouth and only open it to suck in air.’

‘Ha, ha. Very humorous.’

Roderick tried to focus on the button. He looked hard at it and tried to push his brain right inside it to grab its history. He pushed as hard as he could. Nothing. He kept pushing, trying to use his anger to overpower the button and discover its story.

‘Don’t you think . . .’ began Ruby.

‘I knew it! You can’t do it. You can’t not talk.’

‘I was just going to say that I’m no expert, but you look like you’re trying to solve a really hard maths problem. You need to relax.’

He was about to bite back at her, but then realised that her advice made sense. He recalled trying to communicate with the cockroaches. The harder he had tried, the more nothing had happened.

He loosened his grip on the button, let it sit lightly on his palm, shut his eyes and let his mind focus on . . . nothing.

For a while that’s what he got. Nothing. Then he saw the button. It was on the wrist of a Baronian shirt. The rest of the shirt was covered by a plain black tunic and over the tunic was a plain black coat. It was dark. The person wearing the shirt was crouching. The person’s hands moved, light flickered and a flame grew. He – Roderick was sure it was a man – was holding a torch of sticks and grass. The man crouched low and ran, then stopped and touched the torch to something. A hut. He was setting the hut on fire. The fire caught and flames licked the hut. The man ran on. Other dark shapes carrying torches were near him. There was shouting, smoke, screams. The man set another hut alight and moved on. More screams. The next hut was harder to light. The thatched wall would not take. The man found a weakness at the bottom of the wall and thrust the torch into it. The hut started to burn and he quickly pulled his arm away. As he did, his button caught on the thatch and popped off.

The image faded, but Roderick kept his eyes closed. He needed to think before Ruby started talking again. He had seen someone wearing a Baronian soldier’s shirt lighting a fire, but was it a Baronian soldier, or someone disguising themselves as a Baronian soldier? If it was Nareeans and they had gone to the trouble of disguising themselves as Baronians, why would they have hidden the Baronian shirt under a dark tunic and cloak? Why not let it be seen? Once again Roderick centred his awareness on the button. Suddenly he knew. He didn’t know how he knew, but he knew. The man wearing the shirt had been Baronian.

His eyes jumped open. He looked at Ruby’s sofa.

‘A Baronian lit the fire.’ He stood up. ‘I have to tell the Queen.’

‘Don’t you think she knows, Roderick?’

He froze. ‘But if she knew,’ he said slowly, ‘why would we be marching against Nareea tomorrow?’

Ruby sighed. ‘Don’t you see? If you Baronians think the Nareeans attacked Taroom, it gives your Queen the perfect excuse to start a war.’

‘That’s ridiculous. Why would she want to do that?’

‘This is the woman who has already admitted she kidnapped your sister.’

‘But she had to do that. She needed Banfor here to help her stop the war.’

‘Or to help her start it.’

‘What about the arrows fired at her today during the parade? Someone tried to kill her.’

‘Did you happen to notice that they all missed? She’s trying to make it look like the Nareeans are the aggressors. First, fake an attack on a village near the border, then fake an assassination attempt.’

‘You think she arranged it? That’s crazy!’

‘She’s already admitted she faked that other assassination attempt on the bridge. Why are there guards outside this door?’

Roderick was feeling increasingly uneasy. ‘To protect me. My life may be in danger because I found out about Sonya’s kidnapping.’

‘Is that what she said? Because that doesn’t make sense. The Queen ordered Sonya’s kidnapping. She’s admitted that. Those who did it were following her orders. They’re not going to do anything to you unless she tells them to. Those guards aren’t protecting you. They’re there to make sure you don’t go anywhere. She needs to keep you here until she’s sure that you won’t tell everyone that she ordered Sonya’s kidnapping. Roderick, your Queen arranged for your sister to be kidnapped. She is trying to start a war and you are her prisoner.’

Something else nagged at Roderick. Another piece of the jigsaw. He remembered Jonas in the stable complaining that he had been ordered to prepare all the knights’ horses for another long journey. ‘Queen’s orders,’ he had said. At the time, Roderick had wondered what the journey could be. Now he knew: the horses were being prepared to march on Nareea.

He tried to remember when he had spoken to Jonas. Three days earlier. Three days ago Jonas had orders from the Queen to ready the horses to ride again. Yet the Queen had said that she had only decided that they had to march on Nareea after Taroom had been attacked, and that had just happened the night before last.

Why would the Queen have ordered the horses be readied before the Nareeans attacked Taroom? Unless . . .

Question everything. And everyone. Even those you trust.

Unless she had already decided that the war was going to happen. Unless she already knew that Taroom was going to be attacked.

Roderick felt as if everything was collapsing. The only word he could manage was, ‘Why?’

This stopped Ruby for a moment. When she spoke, it was less stridently. ‘I don’t know. But this is what we do know. The Queen wanted Banfor, and got him by kidnapping and threatening his daughter. Once he got here, Taroom was torched, and that gave her a reason to go to war. Meanwhile, you started to dig around and uncover things, and suddenly you’re being kept here under armed guard.’

Through all the difficult times he had had as a knight, what had kept Roderick going was the knowledge that he had been chosen by the Queen to serve her. When things threatened to overwhelm him, he had clung to the idea that if he carried out the Queen’s orders, he would be doing the right thing. Returning with Banfor and fulfilling his mission had filled him with pride, and the two times that the Queen had thanked him – on his return from the Circle of Mountains and today at the parade – had been the greatest moments in his life.

‘If you’re right,’ he said, ‘by bringing Banfor back, I’ve delivered to the Queen the weapon she needs to go to war.’

Ruby nodded.

‘Back at the mountains you tried to warn me that there was something about our mission to find Banfor that didn’t make sense,’ continued Roderick slowly.

Ruby nodded again.

‘And I wouldn’t listen,’ said Roderick aloud, but to himself. He punched his leg. ‘Why?’

But he knew the answer. Because he had wanted to be a hero.

And now he was one.

But at what cost?

He felt sick.

Ruby’s voice came from far away.

‘Ask yourself this. Tomorrow you’re supposed to march off to fight Nareeans. Do you really think that’s what you should be doing?’

They both sat still, examining their hands and their options. ‘Why did you come back, Ruby? You could have just kept going to Nareea, and told them what you’ve told me.’

‘In a couple of days the Queen will use the power she has over Banfor to start a war that no one, except her, wants. You helped create this mess, so you should help fix it.’ Her tone lightened. ‘Besides, in Nareea I’m a criminal, and in Baronia I’m an escaped spy. Who else but you would listen to me?’

Roderick let his head fall back. He stared at the ceiling and half wished it would fall in on him. At least then he would get some peace.

PART 3

MAYHEM

CHAPTER 19

TRACKING SONYA

Roderick tried the door. It was of course locked, so he knocked loudly. Within moments a tall, thickset guard with blond hair and a beard opened it. ‘Yes?’

‘I need to speak to the Queen urgently.’

‘I will send a message immediately, sir,’ said the guard, moving to shut the door.

Roderick put out his hand to stop it. ‘Sorry, it can’t wait. I must go to her now. It is of the utmost importance.’

‘I will send word that the matter is urgent, sir, but the Queen’s orders are that it is not safe for you to leave these rooms . . . Huh!’

As he was talking, the soldier’s sword had drawn itself from his scabbard and was pointing at his nose. Ruby, invisible, had grabbed it.

‘It really is quite urgent. Sorry,’ said Roderick, stepping through the door.

The hovering sword advanced on the guard, who backed up against the far wall of the corridor. The sword then rounded on the second guard, who had drawn his own sword.

Roderick turned to him. ‘I think your friend’s sword thinks you should let me leave. What do you think?’

The second guard hesitated, looking from the levitating sword to Roderick and back again. Suddenly, the levitating sword slashed through the air towards the second guard, closing in on his neck. The guard struck back, but his confusion robbed him of strength and skill. The hovering sword struck a fierce blow, knocking the guard’s sword to the ground, then came to rest lightly on his neck. The guards’ eyes looked as if they were about to detonate. Roderick picked up the dropped sword and herded both guards into the suite he had occupied, relieved them of their keys and a knife, which he stashed in his belt, then locked them in.

‘You carry both swords,’ said Ruby. ‘One floating along might attract attention.’

Roderick tucked them into his belt and then started to creep along the corridor. A hand tugged at his shirt. His stomach lurched and he stifled a cry.

‘Don’t creep,’ said Ruby. ‘Stride. No one except the Queen, those guards and maybe one or two other knights knows you’re supposed to be locked up, so look like you own the place and we’ll walk out of here.’

He nodded and tried to walk tall. They reached the circular staircase and started to descend. Two servants moved respectfully to the side of the stairwell to let Roderick pass. As Roderick and Ruby rounded the staircase’s final turn they emerged into the palace’s giant foyer. Servants and knights hurried across it in various directions.

‘No noise now,’ whispered Roderick back over his shoulder.

‘I’m in front of you, you idiot,’ hissed Ruby.

Roderick moved as confidently as he could across the foyer, trying to walk in a relaxed nothing-much-happening-here-definitely-not-anyone-escaping-or-anything-like-that sort of way, and made it through the palace’s two massive doors and out into the courtyard.

He blinked in the sun. The courtyard was, as usual, littered with servants hurrying, and knights strolling, chatting or playing horseshoes. Three knights were making their way diagonally across the courtyard towards him. The middle one was Sir Lilley. Roderick’s stomach did a somersault with a sideways flip. He jumped back behind a pillar. Lilley passed within a few steps of him and entered the palace.

‘Remember,’ whispered Ruby in his ear. ‘You’re Sir Roderick. You’ve just been honoured in a parade. You’re a hero. Stop hiding, walk over to the stables and get us a horse.’ She gave him a firm push.

Roderick started walking again, hoping that he was the only one who could hear his heart thumping.

A group of knights were playing cards around a stone table. One of them was Fromley. He looked up and for a moment their eyes met. Roderick pulled his gaze away and kept going.

They reached the stables and Roderick extracted Fruitcake. He felt Ruby get up behind him and they trotted towards the castle gates. They were twenty steps away from them when the two guards Roderick had just locked in his room rushed out of a doorway built into the castle walls next to the gates. Behind them were four other guards. Roderick didn’t know how they had got out of the room, but they had done it quickly. The guard with the blond beard whispered urgently into the ear of Aloysius the doorman, and then stepped forward. ‘Sir Roderick, it is the Queen’s orders that you return to the palace.’

As he spoke the other guards pushed the huge castle gates shut. Roderick looked around. There was no other way out. Even with the invisible Ruby, there was no way they could defeat all of them, especially as he couldn’t even be relied upon to get the better of one.

Suddenly there was a fearsome growl behind them, and a big furry shape rushed past. Chester! He bounded straight at the guards, who wisely scattered. Blond-beard was either braver or slower than the rest and started to draw his sword. Before he could unsheathe it, Chester had batted his arm away, picked him up and turned him upside down by his ankles. ‘Hello, Mister Person who no longer has a sword or even feet that do what they are supposed to do and make contact with the ground. That’s a long name, isn’t it?’ he said cheerfully. ‘We’re going to leave now, but when I say “we” I don’t mean you. I am sure that with your brain inside your head you will think of following us, but I am going to wait just outside the city gates and if anyone who is you, or smells like you or looks like you or any of those others comes out of the gate, I’m going to say hello to them in a friendly fashion and then eat them, which involves biting and chewing and swallowing and digesting for me, and screaming and bleeding and hurting for you.’

As he was talking, Chester strolled over to the castle gates and, still holding Blond-beard upside down with one paw, pulled the gates open with the other. Roderick urged Fruitcake through the gates. Chester laid Blond-beard down on his back, and then picked up a chain that was used to secure the gates from the inside, and followed them out. Once outside he pulled the gates shut behind him and wrapped the chain around its huge handles, effectively locking it.

‘Come on,’ urged Chester, jogging towards the city gates. ‘We have stopped them for a while, but how long is a while? By the time the while is over, we need to be not here. In fact not even close to here. Wherever we are, we will still say it is here, but it needs to be a very different “here” to this “here”. That makes sense!’

They rushed through the city gates and across the nearly empty bridge, then turned left off the road into the trees.

‘By the way,’ said Chester, ‘I have not seen Ruby, but I think I can smell her scent with my nose. Bears have excellent smelling noses. Are you a person who is a here but who is unseeable again, Ruby?’

‘Hello, Chester,’ panted Ruby. ‘But why are you here?’

‘Because a long time ago I was born and I haven’t got around to the bit where I die yet. Is that a good answer? No, it is not. Accurate, but much too vague and general. Let me try this answer. I was with Mister Banfor in the castley place and he shut his eyes and looked the way Mister Banfor looks when he is trying to see things without his eyes, and nothing happened for a while, and then nothing happened for a bit longer, and then he opened his eyes and said, “Chester, go and help Roderick and Ruby leave the castle. Meet them at the front gate.” Then I started to ask him a very long and quite complicated question and he stopped me and said “Go! Now!” And so I stopped talking, which was the hardest bit of the whole day, and I came. And now we are here.’

They headed further into the trees and when they could no longer see the road they turned right so they were travelling east, parallel to it. They stopped for a moment and looked back but could detect no signs of pursuit.

They moved onwards, picking their way carefully between the trees, still heading east towards Nareea. As their distance from Palandan increased, Roderick began to think about his next problem: what to do next.

Soon evening dropped in. They found a narrow stream tucked away and dismounted. Chester disappeared into the trees, and soon returned chomping a rabbit. Before they had escaped from the palace, Ruby and Roderick had stuffed as much of the food from Roderick’s room into their pockets as they could, so they were able to have a dinner of bread with cheese and ham, followed by gleaming apples so crisp that the sound of Ruby’s first bite made Roderick jump.

Roderick took a very loud bite of his own, chewed and then with his mouth still half-full said, ‘So we need to find my sister. Agreed?’

‘Agreed,’ replied Ruby.

‘How do we do it?’

‘Simple,’ said Ruby. ‘We sneak back into the castle and torture your friend Fromley until he tells us where she is.’

‘Sneaking is not something a bear does well,’ said Chester. ‘We are too big for sneaking. If it’s sneaking you want, you’re better off with an animal who is not a bear. Maybe a fly, or a lizard. Lizards are excellent sneakers.’

Roderick shook his head. ‘Fromley doesn’t know where she is,’ he said. ‘He took Sonya to a farmhouse an hour’s ride east of Palandan and handed her over to some other men who took her somewhere else. The only people who know where she is are probably Sir Lilley and the Queen, and they’ll have guards all around them.’

Roderick took another bite of his apple. Two startled birds leapt off a branch.

‘She’s probably somewhere between that farmhouse and the Nareean border,’ said Ruby. ‘If the Queen wants to use her to make Banfor do what she wants, she’ll need Sonya close when the armies meet, so Banfor will know that she can carry out any threats she makes against Sonya. We’re in the right general area, so you can do the rest,’ she said cheerfully.

‘Huh? How?’

‘You found out what happened in Taroom two nights ago just by holding a button. Surely you can find your own sister.’

Could he? Would he be able to track her like a bloodhound? He rubbed his eyes. The weight of the day suddenly pressed down on him. It was worth a try, but first he needed sleep.

They lay side by side, staring at the stars. Luckily, it was a dry night. Eventually, Roderick asked, ‘So why did you really come back?’

She hesitated. ‘I owed you for helping me escape that dungeon. And I didn’t think you would want to fight – maybe die – in a war that was wrong. But the main reason is that maybe we can stop this war from starting. If we can rescue Sonya, then the Queen’s hold over Banfor will be broken. If she can no longer rely on his help, it might stop her.’

As Roderick drifted towards sleep he felt something prod his brain awake. Something searching and seeking. His eyes jumped open. It was the Queen! She was trying to find him. He heard her inside his head, persuasive and needy. ‘Come back, Roderick. I need your help. Please.’

The message repeated, echoing inside his mind and becoming more and more convincing. He began to wonder what he had done. How could he have run away at the moment his country needed him most? He had deserted his Queen, and his people. What had he been thinking? He was needed. Without really making the decision to, he found himself pulling on his boots.

Ruby grabbed him. ‘What are you doing?’

‘I have to go back. I’m needed.’

‘Roderick! Snap out of it!’ She slapped him hard on the cheek.

‘Ow! That hurt!’

‘Good! Now sit down.’

She pulled him down to the ground and threw the blanket over him.

‘Don’t move.’

Roderick heard Ruby get to her feet and walk off in the direction of Fruitcake. In a moment she returned with the horse’s bridle and reins and tied one end to Roderick’s ankle.

‘What are you doing?’

‘The other end’s tied to my wrist. You’re not going anywhere. If you try to untie it I’ll wake up and punch you in the nose. Goodnight.’

He lay back uneasily. Ruby’s intervention seemed to have broken the Queen’s hold over him. He could still sense her in the background, searching for him, but he no longer felt as if he had to return to Palandan. Yet he wondered if he had done the right thing in leaving the palace. He knew that he had been tricked and manipulated, he just wasn’t sure by whom. Was it really the Queen who was telling lies? Or was Ruby, once again, using him? And what was Banfor up to?

The next morning, Chester loped off to hunt for some breakfast while Roderick and Ruby ate more ham, cheese and bread. Afterwards Roderick sat cross-legged, shut his eyes and tried to find his sister.

He let his mind go quiet, not concentrating too hard, and pictured her. He thought of times they had spent together, playing and running, arguing and fighting. A pang of homesickness washed through him.

A new feeling entered his mind. A sort of worried boredom, or bored worrydom. Monotony mixed with anxiety. He had a sense that it was connected to his sister. He realised that this was what a prisoner might feel. He let himself connect with the feeling and tried to develop a sense of where it was coming from. He got a vague sense of over-there-ness, further east towards Nareea but north as well.

He opened his eyes. ‘Let’s go,’ he said.

Ruby jumped to her feet. ‘You’ve found her!’

‘Not quite. But I’m pretty sure of the general direction. By the way, are you invisible forever now, or will you come back at some point?’

‘It’s supposed to be temporary this time. Another day or two, probably.’

They decided they were far enough away from Palandan to risk the road and travelled east through the morning. At some point Roderick felt the Queen’s presence again, but it wasn’t as strong as it had been the previous night, perhaps because they were further away, and he had no urge to turn around. He wondered if the Baronian army had left Palandan yet.

Regularly he tried to zone in on his sister. At first he had to stop, dismount and sit cross-legged with his eyes closed while he tried to work out which way to go, but the more he did it the easier it became, and soon he was able to get a sense of what direction they should head without even dismounting.

In the middle of the afternoon they came to a track that led off the road and wound away north into tree-covered hills.

‘This is it,’ said Roderick, turning Fruitcake onto the track.

‘How do you know?’ asked Ruby.

‘I don’t know. I just do.’

‘Sometimes you know something without knowing how you know it,’ said Chester solemnly. ‘That is a clear known true fact that is definitely true.’

Trees closed in on them as the track climbed. The forest wasn’t as dense as the one that had dropped a snake on him on his way to the Circle of Mountains, but Roderick felt uneasy nonetheless, and kept casting anxious glances skywards. Each time he did he saw dozens of snake-shaped branches. Or were they branch-shaped snakes?!

The track led them to the top of a hill, then down into a narrow valley. At the bottom it turned left and ran uphill again, alongside a narrow bubbling stream. Progress was slow as vines and branches intruded onto the narrow track. As they picked a slow path upstream, Roderick saw a narrow track leading up the hill on the other side of the stream. He splashed Fruitcake across. He could feel his sister’s presence almost constantly now.

‘We’re getting closeish,’ he said.

The track was terribly overgrown, and wound up and down, but mainly up through gullies and gorges, over streams and fallen logs. Eventually a sustained rise led them to the edge of a clearing at the top of a hill. In the middle of the clearing stood a stone cottage.

‘She’s in there,’ said Roderick.

‘Are you –’

‘Yes. I’m sure. Let me concentrate.’ He shut his eyes. A few moments later he opened them again. ‘Three guards, I think.’

It was starting to get dark.

CHAPTER 20

A BADLY TIMED VISIT

Roderick crept across the grass towards the cottage.

‘Roderick,’ whispered Ruby behind him. ‘You’re creeping again. Walk confidently. You’re on official business, remember?’

Roderick tried to straighten his shoulders. His left hand grabbed his right to stop it shaking. It didn’t work because his left hand was shaking too. He tried to tell himself that their plan was a good one and it would work. He had an invisible girl at his side, and a bear keeping watch. What could possibly go wrong? At the front door of the cottage he raised his hand. The last thing in the world he wanted to do was knock on the door, so he didn’t. He might have stayed like that for hours if Ruby hadn’t grabbed his hand and bashed it firmly against the door three times.

He heard a chair scrape, then a suspicious voice with a slight accent. ‘Who is it?’

‘It is Sir Daniel,’ said Roderick. ‘I have orders from the Queen.’

‘What’s the password?’

Roderick froze. Ruby jabbed him in the ribs.

He found his voice. ‘This is no time for games. War is coming. I was told nothing of a password. I have urgent orders. Open up or I will batter the door down and you can explain your impudence to the Queen!’

Roderick heard muttering inside, then a bolt slid back and the door creaked open. Inside, three guards with drawn swords faced them. Behind them was a plain sitting room with chairs and benches, and to Roderick’s left a kitchen table, stove and pantry. Two corridors led off the room, one to Roderick’s right, the other directly behind the guards towards the back of the house.

The guard on Roderick’s left had black hair and a confident look. In the middle was a big one with a brown beard, and the third was bald and thin with darting eyes. They were all dressed in shabby shirts and jackets, and were clearly not Baronian soldiers.

‘What welcome is this?’ said Roderick, stepping inside. The thin guard cautiously moved around him to shut and re-bolt the door. Roderick hoped Ruby had managed to squeeze through in time.

‘I have ridden all day from Palandan. Perhaps a drink of water before the three of you cut me to pieces.’ He took a few steps over to the room’s right-hand side, away from the kitchen, extremely aware of the three swords aimed at him.

The guards followed him. The kitchen was behind them, which meant that they did not see a large pot rise off the table, hover over to the black-haired guard and smash him a frightful blow on the head. He groaned and collapsed, his sword clattering to the floor next to him. The other two guards leapt back in shock.

‘Goodness gracious!’ said Roderick in mock surprise. ‘That’s an angry pot you’ve got. Maybe it doesn’t like being cooked in.’ The pot floated down to the floor beside the prone guard, and his sword now rose into the air and started swishing towards the two remaining guards.

‘I’m not much of a swordsman,’ said Roderick, ‘but I do know that the aim of sword fighting isn’t to kill or injure the sword. It’s to kill or injure the person holding the sword.’

The sword swished closer to the heads of the guards. They each raised their own to parry it.

‘But what do you do,’ continued Roderick, drawing his own sword and taking up a position next to the hovering sword, ‘if there isn’t anyone holding the sword? How do you stop a sword that fights by itself?’

The airborne sword suddenly launched a violent array of strokes, backing the guards up against the wall.

‘Look,’ Roderick said seriously, ‘enough mucking around. Give me the keys or I’ll tell that sword to cut your ears off!’ The guards hesitated. ‘And then your noses.’

The guards exchanged a look, and then the bigger one removed the keys from his belt and tossed them to Roderick, who fumbled and dropped them, denting the cool, calm and collected image he had been trying to project. He picked them up quickly, and then motioned the guards to sit on the floor. They sat.

‘Where is she?’ he asked.

The guards stared at the still-hovering sword but said nothing.

‘For goodness’ sake,’ said Roderick. ‘You’ve given me the keys. You’ve sat on the floor. There are only three or four rooms in here. It isn’t going to take me long. Where is she?’

The thin guard looked down the corridor that led to the right-hand side of the cottage.

‘Thank you,’ said Roderick, and then addressed the sword. ‘If either of them moves, start slicing ears.’

He hurried down the corridor and tried the first door he came to. The third key opened it.

Sonya was sitting on a bed inside. He’d found her! And she looked unharmed.

She leapt to her feet. ‘Roderick! But how –’

‘I can tell you everything later. Are you all right?’

She nodded.

Roderick grabbed her hand. ‘Let’s go.’

‘But I haven’t even packed.’ He opened his mouth, but she quickly added, ‘Joke.’

As they re-entered the main room, they saw the sword was still floating above the two conscious guards. The third had begun to moan and roll groggily around on the floor. There had been another development too. One of Ruby’s legs had returned, and her other foot was rapidly joining it. Her invisibility was wearing off.

Then there was a knock at the door. Everyone froze, and they all stared at the door, as if it was going to tell them who was outside. The sword closed in on the guards.

‘Let me in.’ It was Chester. ‘In the door, I mean, in a way that is as quick as you can open the door and say, “Come in, Chester.” In fact, to save time you don’t even have to say that!’

Roderick unbolted the door. Chester hurried inside, causing the guards’ and Sonya’s eyes to widen. Roderick re-bolted the door.

‘People are coming, who are people with swords,’ panted Chester, ‘and who are also people on horses, which means that all together they are people on swords with horses. Wait, it is the other way around. But whoever they are, they are people who I think are about to knock on the door that I just knocked on. And I think that the fact that the people I am talking about are here and not somewhere else means that there is now much more trouble than the trouble there already was.’

Another knock came. Everyone looked at the door again. Roderick put his finger to his lips. ‘Who is it?’

‘Sir Ledwick with a company of men sent by the Queen to provide extra security for your guest. Open up!’

Roderick knew Sir Ledwick as an experienced, strong and fiery knight. ‘How many of you are there?’ asked Roderick. They were in trouble, but he wanted to find out just how much. He noticed that both of Ruby’s legs were now visible.

‘What does that matter? Open up!’

Roderick tried to keep his voice steady. ‘All right, all right. Just let me get the key.’

He grabbed Sonya’s hand and pulled her down the corridor towards the back of the house. Ruby, whose hips had now returned, stayed with the guards, her sword waving menacingly in front of their noses. Chester, next to her, picked up a chair. ‘Bears don’t use chairs for sitting,’ he whispered to Ruby, ‘but bears can use chairs for other things. Not for eating, but maybe for whacking people on the head, which is what I might soon use this chair for.’

A door led off the corridor to the left. Roderick tried the handle. It was open. Inside was a bedroom with a window big enough to squeeze through. That was, however, impossible as three iron bars crossed it.

‘Hurry up, curse you,’ Sir Ledwick thundered from outside.

Roderick heard shoulders ramming the front door of the house. There was one more door at the end of the corridor. It was also unlocked. Inside was another bedroom. Above one of the beds was an unbarred window big enough to climb through.

‘Wait here,’ he said to Sonya and raced back up the corridor just in time to see the door smash open and Baronian soldiers rush into the room. Ruby, now fully visible, had backed up to the doorway of the corridor, and Chester stood beside her, brandishing the chair.

‘Chester, don’t talk now. Just listen. Ruby and I are going down this corridor. You stay here and hold them off until I scream, “Now!” Then run through them out the front door and into the forest. They won’t follow you. They want us. All right?’

‘This is a bad thing,’ muttered Chester nervously. ‘And there are lots of things to say about this thing, but this is not the time to say them, so instead I will just do some nodding, which means yes.’ He nodded.

The soldiers advanced, swords drawn.

‘A bit of roaring might help too,’ suggested Roderick.

Chester let out a huge bellow and started waving the chair about. Roderick grabbed Ruby’s hand and sprinted back down the corridor to the bedroom.

‘Quick. Out,’ he said to Sonya, leaping onto the bed and cupping his hands together for her foot. She stepped up on them, pulled herself up, pushed the window open, squeezed through it and disappeared.

Roderick pulled himself up onto the window ledge. From the front of the house he heard commotion: shouting, more roaring and what sounded like a chair connecting with a head. He pulled Ruby up, shouted, ‘Chester! Now!’ then jumped, tumbling over as he hit the ground next to Sonya. They scrambled to their feet. A moment later Ruby landed beside them. They were in a clearing. The forest was just thirty or forty steps away. If they could just get to it, the trees and the darkness would swallow them up.

‘HURRY!’ ordered Roderick and they raced for the trees.

‘They’re here!’ The shout came from behind them. Soldiers raced around the corner of the cottage. A moment later, Sir Ledwick dropped out of the bedroom window. Roderick and Sonya were only a few steps from the trees.

‘Roderick!’ He looked around. Ruby had fallen, and Ledwick was walking purposefully towards her. Without thinking, Roderick drew his sword and raced back. As he passed her, without taking his eyes of Ledwick, he said, ‘Go with Sonya.’

As Ruby pulled herself up, Roderick yelled as loudly as he could, raised his sword above his head and charged at Ledwick. On some level he may have known that a furious scream would distract attention from the two fleeing girls, and that the other soldiers would be less likely to chase them if their leader was being attacked, but neither of these thoughts passed through his conscious mind. For once, for a few precious seconds, he was free of the maddening complications of thought and acted out of the pure animal instinct to protect and defend.

His ferocity took Sir Ledwick, a far superior swordsman, by surprise. Sir Ledwick raised his sword to parry Roderick’s blow, but its force knocked the flat of the sword back into his nose. Roderick swung again and Ledwick desperately parried. Roderick took a step back, swung his sword in a wide arc at the semi-circle of soldiers carefully closing in on him, and slowly backed further away. Then he turned and ran for his life into the forest.

There was no sign of Ruby or Sonya. He blundered through the trees, hearing footsteps behind him. It was so dark that it was surely only a matter of time before he tripped and fell, but his only chance of escape was to run as fast as he could. A branch whacked him in the face, opening a cut on his cheek. He pushed his arms out in front of him, trying to bat other branches away.

Suddenly, still running at full speed, he broke out of the trees onto steeply sloping rock. Too late he saw the rock shelf fall away into nothingness in front of him.

Before he could stop himself, he had run off the edge of a cliff.

He had only a moment to wonder how much hitting the ground was going to hurt, and then he found out. A smashing, bashing pain pummelled him all over until his body found the only escape on offer: unconsciousness.

Sonya and Ruby ran downhill through the trees, hearing clomping feet chasing them. Sonya still had no idea who the girl was beside her, but staying together seemed to be, at least for the moment, the best option.

The bush thickened, which both slowed their progress and made it noisier. Ruby wondered whether they should just crouch down and hope the soldiers passed them by. She pushed back to her left, towards a thinning in the undergrowth.

It opened out until they were able to jog reasonably quietly through the trees. They could still hear soldiers here and there, but none seemed too close. Abruptly they emerged onto a short, steep rock shelf. Sonya moved to the edge and looked over. Through the gloom she could see a sheer drop down to more bushes and rocks below. She motioned for Ruby to head back into the trees, but before they could, three soldiers stepped out of the darkness onto the rock.

‘Halt!’ shouted one.

‘Surrender and we won’t hurt you,’ said another.

‘Come on,’ said Sonya, running further along the rock shelf. Ruby followed. Ahead, it broadened out. The guards yelled for reinforcements. Sonya and Ruby leapt over rocks and around corners. Ruby looked to her left for a way to re-enter the forest to get more cover, but the rocks rose steeply on that side, and climbing them would slow them down too much. To her right, the drop was still sheer. The guards were only about twenty paces behind. Ruby heard water rushing in front of her. A fast-flowing stream, ten metres wide, rushed out of the forest and over the edge of the rocks. On the far side of the stream two more soldiers appeared. Ruby looked to her left up the hill. Another soldier was clambering down the rocks towards them. They were cut off on three sides, and the fourth was a cliff.

Slowly they backed up to the edge of the cliff. The soldiers approached until they formed a line blocking any chance of escape. Sonya looked over the edge. It was a big drop, but at its bottom was a huge pool into which the waterfall emptied. There was no way of telling how deep it was. If they jumped, it could kill them, or just make them wet. Sonya knew one thing. She didn’t want to be taken prisoner again.

‘We have to jump,’ she said to Ruby.

‘Jump?!’ Ruby glanced over the edge and nearly vomited. Impossible. She had never been good with heights. She didn’t even like sleeping in an upstairs room.

The soldiers, swords drawn, approached cautiously.

‘They can’t follow us,’ said Sonya. ‘They’re wearing armour. They’d sink. We’ll escape.’

Ruby’s head spun. ‘I can’t,’ she gasped.

The soldiers were just steps away. Ruby looked over the ledge again. She couldn’t.

‘It’s our only chance. Come on.’ Sonya grabbed Ruby’s hand and leapt. Ruby was jerked forward but instinctively twisted her hand free. Air rushed past Sonya, then she splashed into the water. There was a delicious second of relief as she discovered the water was deep, and then she shot back to the surface. ‘It’s fine,’ she shouted up to Ruby.

Ruby stared down at her, helpless. She knew that if she jumped she would be all right, and that they would escape. But she couldn’t take the step. She just couldn’t. She remained frozen in place until a soldier grabbed her arm and pulled it up behind her back while another held a sword against her neck.

The soldier holding the sword shouted down to Sonya. ‘Swim to the side, and stay there till we get down to you. Or I’ll slit her throat!’

Sonya didn’t know anything about the girl at the top of the cliff. She didn’t know who she was, or why she had tried to help Roderick rescue her. She didn’t even know her name. What she did know was that all she had to do was to paddle to the far side of the pool and disappear into the trees and she would be free. She had been a prisoner for weeks now, and had hated ever second of it. She had yearned for freedom every waking second of every day, and now she had it.

But the girl at the top of the cliff had risked her life to try to rescue her.

Sonya sighed. ‘All right,’ she called and paddled to the side of the pool.

At the top of the cliff, Ruby called, ‘No! Go! Escape!’ A soldier covered her mouth with his gloved hand, but there was no need. Sonya had heard, but kept swimming towards them. She was going to save Ruby’s life, whether Ruby liked it or not. Ruby bowed her head in shame.

CHAPTER 21

AN UNLIKELY PARTNERSHIP

Roderick woke in a world of pain. His head throbbed, his ribs ached and his left leg was agony. He pushed his eyes open. The good news was that there wasn’t really a tiger gnawing on his right calf. It just felt like there was.

He seemed to be wedged in a narrow crevice between two large rocks, with his feet stuck inconveniently and uncomfortably above his head. He tried to kick his legs around to get them underneath his body, but they were wedged tight and the pain was excruciating. Eventually, panting and cursing, he gave up.

He let his tired eyes shut, and drifted somewhere near unconsciousness. All that prevented him from going completely under was the pain. It kept reminding him he was alive.

At some point he was awake enough to wonder what had happened to Ruby, Sonya and Chester. Had they escaped? He tried to open his mind to search for a sign of them, but the pain keep intruding and closing it down. Eventually he picked up something. It was a trace of Sonya, but he couldn’t tell how far away she was or in what direction. She was alive, though, he was sure. There was something else, something similar to what he had felt when he had tracked her before. He honed in on it. A sense that she was not free. Yes. She was once again a prisoner.

Roderick sank back deeper into the crevice. His rescue had failed, which meant that a war was about to start that would kill and injure hundreds, maybe thousands, of people.

And it was all his fault. If he had just listened to Ruby at the Circle of Mountains when she had tried to warn him that there was something not right about his mission . . . but he had ignored her because he had wanted to be a hero. And even when he had finally woken up and tried to fix things by rescuing Sonya, he had failed. He was useless. He was better off just staying in the crack and not doing any more damage to anyone.

Perhaps this was the end. Perhaps he was going to die wedged hopelessly in this crevice.

Unconsciousness was inviting itself back into his head. He welcomed it. His eyes fluttered shut, his awareness of the world dimmed, and he embraced the quieting peace that was cloaking his world in silence and darkness. It was time to give up, and to die alone and useless.

He let go. His breathing slowed, and the cold, empty void reached out to him.

Suddenly a desperate, powerful thought entered his mind. Keep going! it demanded. He wanted to ignore it, but its power pushed him to do something.

Furious at the interruption, he kicked his legs down and around, ignoring the stabbing bolts of pain. He pushed, pulled and fought until his legs were below his body; then, with one foot either side of the crack, he pushed up. Pain flooded his left knee, forcing him to cry out. He shoved his hand up and groped about until he found a handhold. He grabbed it and pulled, pushing with his good leg until he was able to grab the top of the crack. One more shove and his head was out. He looked around. There was no sign of anyone. He pulled himself out of the crack, crawled off the rock and into some trees and collapsed, panting, in a heap.

When he had sufficiently recovered he assessed the damage. His knee looked like it belonged to someone twice his size, his head throbbed, and one ear was tender and bloody. His ribs hurt, and there was a deep cut on his shoulder. But he was alive.

He heaved himself to his feet. His bad knee hurt to walk on, but he could manage. He limped to a tree, broke off a low-hanging branch to serve as a walking stick, and then slowly, painfully began to hobble up the hill.

He needed food and water desperately, so he headed back towards the cottage where Sonya had been kept. He approached it warily, limping across the clearing to the back wall as quickly as he could. He inched around, listening hard. Silence inside. The window they had climbed out of was still open and, with great difficulty and lots of pain, he hoisted himself through. He then cautiously crept through, checking the rooms. The cottage was empty.

In the kitchen he greedily stuffed bread, cheese, dates and cold meat into his mouth. Whatever was left he put in a bag. He found two water flasks, filled them at a nearby stream, and then set off unsteadily but determinedly in the direction he was sure the soldiers would have gone: towards the Nareea–Baronia highway to meet up with the Queen’s forces.

As he limped onwards he tried to hone in on Sonya, and got a weak sense of her somewhere ahead of him. Then he tried to sense Ruby, but got nothing. He had a horrible thought. They needed to keep Sonya alive to use as leverage on Banfor, but if Ruby had been captured, what would they do with her? He increased his speed from a slow to a medium hobble.

After a few steps he stopped, cursed himself for being so stupid, shut his eyes and tried to find his horse.

He sensed Fruitcake wandering slowly back down the winding hilly track they had come up. He remembered how he had communicated with the cockroaches, and sent out as strong a message as he could to his horse: ‘COME!’

Next he focused on Chester. He sensed the bear in the forest somewhere near the cottage and tried to summon him as well.

The efforts exhausted him. He gathered some leaves into a pile, laid his head down and slept.

He was awakened some time later by a very long tongue licking his nose. Fruitcake!

‘Good boy,’ he said, patting him.

‘I am not a boy!’

Roderick sat up. Chester was sitting across from them, pulling bugs out of his fur. ‘Even if I was younger than I am,’ he continued, ‘which I am not, because I am exactly as old as I am, but even if I was, I would not still be a boy. I would be a cub, because that is what things like you, which are humans, call young versions of things like me, which is a bear.’

‘Chester!’

‘That’s a much better name for me. Because my name is Chester.’

‘Are you all right?’

‘It depends on what you mean by all right. I am lost. I am tired. I am hungry. I am confused. I have a cut on my shoulder where one of those sharp swordy-swords said hello to it. And I have bugs in my fur. But on the other side of things, I am alive, it is not raining, I have found you, and when I pick the bugs out of my fur, I can eat them.’ To illustrate, he picked a bug off his chest and shoved it into his mouth. ‘Yummy yum yum!’

‘What happened to you?’

‘I ran out of the cottage using my feet, and as I did, one of those soldiers whacked me with his sword. I ran into the forest where there were lots of trees made of wood, and there I did some hiding and some bleeding from my shoulder. Then some time passed and I saw the men who like to carry swords bring Ruby and Sonya back to the cottage. I wanted to un-prisoner them, but there were too many swords, and too many men holding the too many swords, and my sore shoulder was very sore, and it was still doing some bleeding. More time passed and then they all headed off towards the big road and I did more bleeding and then I went to sleep. And then I woke up and heard you calling in my head, so I came.’

Roderick examined Chester’s cut. It was deep, but the bleeding had stopped. He ripped a strip off his saddle blanket and bound it as best he could, and then while the bear rested, he gave Fruitcake some water and let him graze nearby.

He did nothing else for a while, and then for a while longer. He couldn’t seem to find the motivation to get going. He knew what he had to do: find Sonya and free her, and then prevent the war. But how?

Roderick punched the ground in frustration. He had no plan. He may as well just go back to the crevice and slide in again. He punched the ground again, harder. It hurt but somehow that was a good thing, so he did it again. He was almost beginning to enjoy it in a sort of pathetic, self-pitying way.

‘If you are a person who wants to punch things,’ said Chester, ‘and I think that at the moment you are exactly that sort of person, then maybe you could come over to me and punch all the big bugs that seem to think that my fur is actually their very own home.’

Roderick rose slowly to his feet, staring at Chester. ‘What did you say?’

‘I said, if you . . .’

‘No. What’s in your fur?’

‘Big bugs. That is, bugs that are big.’

‘That’s it! Chester, you’re a genius!’ He ran over and hugged the bear. ‘This is what you need to do. Head to the Nareea–Baronia highway, a big road.’ He pointed south, down the hill. ‘Go that way and you should reach it in a few hours. Turn left at the road and find the Queen and her army. They’ll be on the road somewhere. Don’t let them see you. Hide in the trees and keep watch on Mister Banfor and Ruby and Sonya. They’ll all be there.’

‘So I will be a watching bear.’

‘Yes! But if anyone tries to harm them . . .’

‘Then I will act like an angry bear. Because I will be an angry bear!’

‘Exactly.’

‘And while I am being a watching bear or an angry bear, what sort of a non-bear will you be being?’

Roderick walked over to Fruitcake and climbed onto his back, pulling him around so they were facing up the hill Roderick had earlier staggered down – the opposite direction to where his sister, the Queen, Ruby, the Baronian army, the Nareean army and the oncoming war all were. He kicked his heels into Fruitcake’s sides. ‘I’m going bug-catching!’

For much of the day Roderick and Fruitcake followed their noses through the bush, keeping a general direction north. Progress was slow until early afternoon when they reached a track that headed in more or less the right direction, based on the sun’s position. In the late afternoon the track joined a wider dirt road. Roderick had little idea of where they were, but at every intersection he chose the option that took them closest to north.

As evening crept in he stopped, and fed and watered the exhausted Fruitcake and himself. Every part of Roderick wanted to lie down and sleep but instead he reached into his pocket for his spell book, then cursed when he realised he didn’t have it. Instead, he searched his memory for the recipe for Vigourama.

Vigourama was a sleep-banishing, energy-giving potion. Luckily carrane, the ingredient that banished sleep, and leedlepick, which supplied the energy, were both relatively common, and he soon found both. He was pretty sure it was a simple mixture of three parts carrane to four parts leedlepick, so he measured out the portions, crushed them up, and then mixed them with water in his saucepan. He made a fire and boiled the mixture, impatiently waited for it to cool, and then tipped some into a small scoop of bark and held it under Fruitcake’s mouth. The horse sniffed suspiciously and then lapped it up. Roderick emptied one of his flasks, poured the rest of the mixture into it, and then took a swig himself. He hoped he hadn’t got the recipe wrong, or else he and Fruitcake might be about to turn into toads! But almost immediately he felt a burst of energy shoot through him. He mounted Fruitcake and set off again, hoping that it worked just as well on horses.

A few minutes later it was clear that it did. Fruitcake, who would normally be spent after riding so many miles, was surging forward as if he was in a race. They kept up a steady pace as darkness fell, and soon after joined the main road north.

The night passed in a blur of travel until the potion abruptly wore off, Roderick’s head started to nod and then, in slow motion, he slid off the horse and the ground hit him in the face. He staggered to his feet and, leading Fruitcake, stumbled off the road into some grass where they both fell straight to sleep.

It seemed seconds later that the rising sun prised open his eyes. His mouth felt as if it was full of dirt. He realised that was because it was. During the night his slightly blocked nose had caused him to keep his mouth open and he had taken a few involuntary bites of ground. He swigged and spat water to wash it out, and then ate some bread and gave both himself and Fruitcake another dose of Vigourama.

Several more hours riding, and a wide detour around the home of the cave-dwellers, brought them to the clearing in front of the tunnel that led into the Circle of Mountains. It was just as he had last seen it, except the cockroach was gone. Of course. Banfor had widened her cage.

Roderick dismounted, shut his eyes and opened his mind. Almost immediately, he sensed the cockroach close by. He tried to project friendliness and a need for help. After a few moments, he sensed she was coming and opened his eyes. The cockroach was strolling up the valley. Roderick gulped. If she wanted to, she could kill him in an instant. He tried to summon some courage, but it had all scuttled off to somewhere less dangerous.

He projected the thought, Need help. He remembered the bargain he had struck with the cockroach; that in return for safe passage into the mountains, he would set her free. Banfor had set her free, or at least free-er by making her cage much bigger, and he had tried to make it appear to the cockroach as if it had been Roderick who had done it. But what had the cockroach made of it?

I helped you. Now I need help, thought Roderick.

NOT YOU. SORCERER, came the angry reply.

Rats!

I asked him to, Roderick thought. That wasn’t strictly true, but the cockroach didn’t object.

STILL IN CAGE, thought the roach.

Bigger cage, thought Roderick, smiling in as friendly a fashion as he could.

STILL CAGE!!

Suddenly, Roderick realised the fatal flaw in his plan. He had come all this way to try to enlist the aid of the cockroach, but even if he could get her to agree to help him, she was trapped. She couldn’t get out of the cage Banfor had made. Why hadn’t he thought of that before? He had raced up here as war beckoned, far away from his sister, for nothing.

Unless he could break the cage.

Surely he wouldn’t be able to. But at least he could try.

Try break cage, he thought. Yes?

A strong thought straight back. YES!

If break cage, you help me. Yes?

Roderick sensed uncertainty. If we break cage, you help me, he thought again.

The cockroach paused, and then nodded its huge head.

Roderick sat on the ground and closed his eyes, and together the knight and the giant cockroach extended their thoughts out to the cage. Roderick tried to feel the cage, understand it. He sensed the power that had gone into making it. The cage was invisible and, to all but the cockroach it held, undetectable. To her, however, it was stronger than a brick wall. It needed to be, because a brick wall wouldn’t have held her.

He felt the cockroach’s thoughts and tried to join with them. They needed to keep it simple, and he tried to focus all his energy on the idea of freedom. As their thoughts merged and focused, their power increased.

But not enough. Even together they were nowhere near strong enough to break the cage. It was as if they were throwing buckets of water against a metal door. Roderick knew with absolute certainty that they would not, could not, succeed. The magic Banfor had used to create the cage was simply too strong.

He was just about to open his eyes when he felt the glimmer of another presence. It was outside the cage, far away. Banfor! Wherever he was, he had detected their attempt and was trying to help. Roderick redoubled his efforts and felt the cockroach’s thoughts also refocus. Now there were three thoughts merging and Roderick had a delicious feeling of belonging, of shared power, of three becoming one and the one being greater than the three. He felt safe, warm and powerful.

Time passed – he didn’t know how much – until the third power gradually withdrew and disappeared. He realised their attempt to open the cage was over. He didn’t know whether it had succeeded or failed, but it was over.

He opened his eyes. He was trembling, and sweating. Even the cockroach looked shaky.

Then he felt its triumphant mental shout of joy: FRRREEEEEEE!!!

Roderick smiled. It was his first one in a long time.

CHAPTER 22

THE STORM APPROACHES

Fromley looked down into the valley to the road that ran along it, and followed it as far into Nareea as he could. He and Sir Ulmer had been sent ahead of the main Baronian force to look for the Nareean army. They had climbed a steep rocky hill to the top and followed a thin, neglected track along the ridge. It offered good views of the road below, and there was enough cover provided by trees and rock to hide behind if needed. He guessed they had probably already crossed into Nareea.

Fromley had been picked for his sharp eyes and he squinted into the distance. A glint caught his eye. He stared. There it was again. Sun on metal. He motioned Ulmer down and they both dismounted and pulled their horses behind trees. Away to the east he could now make out a moving swarm. The Nareean army was coming.

He swallowed. ‘Here we go,’ he said. Ulmer was pulling at his straggly beard and chewing his lip. Fromley wondered if his own nervousness was as obvious. ‘You keep watching,’ he said. ‘I’ll report back.’

He carefully led his horse back along the track and then, once he was out of sight of the advancing force, leapt on and raced back the way he had come.

The cockroach’s joy was filling the thought waves.

FFFRRREEEEEEEEEE!!!

Now you help me, Roderick thought.

FREEE. WHAT I WANT.

You promised to help me.

The cockroach paused, pawing the ground. Roderick sensed unwillingness. Her muscles were tense, eager to be away.

Cage could come back, thought Roderick.

Now he sensed uncertainty.

Help me free sorcerer. Then you free forever.

The cockroach raised her front legs and flicked them about. She turned her head this way and that, and then eventually, with something that looked suspiciously like a sigh, came to rest. HELP HOW?

Not all cockroaches can fly. In fact, most cannot. However, most giant cockroaches can and Grynaldeen – for that, Roderick discovered, was her name – could. Getting on was tricky. Eventually he climbed a tree, slid out along a branch and lowered himself down between her wings. Her back was broad and level, but also smooth, which meant that there was nothing to hold on to. That was fine while they sat on the ground, but he was worried that once her great wings started flapping he might get blown off. He moved forward to where her neck would have been if she had had one. Instead there was just a crack where head met body. Roderick wedged his legs along the crack, and held on as firmly as he could to the back of her head.

Grynaldeen began to flap her wings so fast that they were virtually invisible. Instead of the force pushing Roderick off her back as he had feared, the wind they generated squeezed him from both sides and pushed him forward against the back of her head. He could hardly move, much less fall.

They took off, rising into the air and moving forward at what quickly became a tremendous pace. Roderick remembered Fruitcake, and sent a thought command to him: Follow. He hoped it was enough.

Roderick had hoped to use the time they were in the air to work out what he was actually going to do when they reached their destination, but that wasn’t going to happen. The wings made a deafening noise, he was squashed against the head of a giant cockroach and he had to keep giving Grynaldeen directions. There was no room to think about anything else.

Fromley was back in Baronia, his horse picking its way between rocks down the steep slope to the road at the bottom of the valley. When they reached it, he urged it into a gallop. Before long he rounded a bend and saw the Baronian army. He hurried his horse towards the front and centre where the Queen rode. As he approached he dipped his head respectfully. She nodded acknowledgement and motioned for him to fall in beside her.

‘Majesty,’ he began.

The Queen raised her eyebrows.

Did that mean ‘speak’ or ‘don’t speak’? Fromley wasn’t sure, so to buy time he cleared his throat. He looked around and then back at her eyebrows. They were still up. He hesitated.

‘Come on, then,’ said the Queen impatiently.

‘Sorry, Majesty . . . I wasn’t sure if . . .’

‘This . . .’ she raised her eyebrows again, ‘. . . means “speak”.’

‘Pardon, Majesty. They are coming, as you said. We should meet them within the hour at a point very close, I would guess, to the border.’

The Queen raised her eyebrows again. This time the left went slightly higher than the right.

Fromley hesitated.

‘That means “go”,’ she said.

‘Right,’ said Fromley, nodding. ‘I’ll go then.’

‘Don’t let me have to explain it again.’

Ruby was fully visible, and once again lying across the back of a horse. At least this time there wasn’t anyone riding the horse. It was being led by a mounted soldier who occasionally glanced back to check she was still there. Her hands were tied to her feet by a rope that stretched under the horse’s belly. With an effort she raised her head. Soldiers everywhere. Away to her left, at the back corner of the company, was Sonya, who had been allowed to sit astride her horse. It was also being led, but she had an additional two guards riding just behind her. Clearly she was the more important prisoner.

Ruby had caught the occasional glimpse of Banfor in the front row of the company. She guessed the Queen did not want Sonya close enough to Banfor to be able to talk to him, but she needed her close enough so that if Banfor did not do as he was told, she could threaten her.

After they had been captured, or in Sonya’s case recaptured, they had returned briefly to the cottage in the clearing. Ruby had been strapped to the horse, and her backpack searched and then stuffed into one of the saddlebags. The three small bags containing the remainder of the herbs she had used to make herself invisible had not aroused the interest of the soldier who had searched the bag. He probably thought she was a keen gardener. Which meant that they were still there, just inches away from her in her saddlebags. Not that she could get at them.

Sir Ledwick had led them through the forest towards the Nareean–Baronian highway. Once there, they had not had to wait long before the Baronian army arrived. Then they had all travelled east together, towards Nareea.

Ruby continued to work away at the ropes binding her wrists. She twisted and turned, pulled and pushed. Her hours of effort were finally having an effect.

Not on the rope, though. On her wrists. They were raw and sore.

As his horse followed the road up a gentle rise, Fromley cast another look back over his shoulder towards Sonya. Up until yesterday he had mostly been able to push to the back of his mind the image of the girl he had befriended and then betrayed. He had got the shock of his life when he had seen her among the host of Baronian soldiers who joined their party yesterday. He couldn’t stop looking at her. Once she had caught him and stared back, and he had turned away in shame. When he had been instructed to befriend her, he had found the order a pleasure to obey. The more he had got to know her, the more he liked her. Nonetheless, when he had been told by Sir Lilley that luring her out of the city and handing her over to others was extremely important for the future of Baronia, he had done it. He didn’t understand why it was important, but that was not his job. He had been trained to obey, and he had obeyed. He had done the right thing.

So why did he feel so bad about it?

They crested a rise and his heart skipped a beat. Just a few hundred metres away was the Nareean army. It was one thing to see them ant-like in the distance, but now he could make out the spears and swords that could stab, wound and perhaps even kill him. Nervously, he rubbed his crescent scar through his chain-mail.

Earlier, the Queen had explained that Banfor’s special powers would protect them, and Fromley had believed it. But now that he found himself confronted by real soldiers holding real swords that could hack through his real flesh, he didn’t feel so confident. Suddenly, it wasn’t an exciting adventure anymore. He wanted to go home.

He glanced around. By the looks of it, he wasn’t the only one feeling this way. Colour was draining from the faces of the soldiers and knights near him like water out of a bath. The long period of peace – apparently only seconds away from ending – meant that few had experienced real conflict. They had trained and fought mock battles, but this was different. This was real. They could die.

He looked over to the Queen. She was whispering in Banfor’s ear. Together they bowed their heads and shut their eyes. Fromley wondered if they were praying and, if so, to whom. Then a slow, warm wave of confidence and strength began to fill him. His worries dissolved and floated away. Everything was going to be just fine. He felt calm and powerful. Who were these Nareeans anyway? How dare they think they could defeat the mighty kingdom of Baronia! They would crush them like worms. He gripped his sword firmly. This was the weapon that was going to hack through flesh. He looked up at the enemy. He was ready.

Banfor pushed confidence out into the path of the Baronian soldiers. He made it, shaped it, reinforced it and added to it. It was tiring work. He was old and out of practice, and it was sapping him. And it was wrong. However, he thought, stealing a glance over his shoulder back to Sonya, the alternative was far worse. If he didn’t do as the Queen commanded, all it would take was one hand signal from her and his daughter would be slain.

The King of Nareea, Melane the Fourth, halted his army within hailing distance of the Baronians, and then, accompanied by just three knights, trotted several paces forward. Ahead of them walked a soldier holding a green flag, the sign of truce.

The Queen also trotted out, with three knights behind her, and a soldier with a green flag in front.

They both stopped five paces ahead of their own armies, and fifteen paces apart.

For a few moments there was an eerie silence, as if all were pausing to contemplate the destruction that was about to be wrought. Then King Melane spoke in a strong, deep voice. ‘Why do you march against us after so many years of peace?’

‘It is you who should answer that question,’ replied the Queen.

‘We are only here because two days ago I became aware that you had announced to your people that you would march against us.’

The Queen scoffed. ‘But it was four days ago that your soldiers attacked and killed the defenceless Baronians of Taroom. We march to defend ourselves from your attacks.’

The King looked puzzled. ‘We know nothing of this.’

‘And I expect you know nothing of those who fired arrows at me three days ago in Palandan.’

‘That is correct. Nothing. All we know is that your army is marching against us.’

‘Why do you lie? Baronians are dead. A village has been burnt.’ The Queen spoke with conviction and passion. ‘If you wish to attack Baronians then here is our army. Attack it. But how dare you slaughter innocent people?’

‘Hold your accusations. I tell you, we know nothing of this,’ replied the King angrily. ‘We have no quarrel with Baronia.’

The Queen laughed scornfully. ‘You say that only now that you see the might of our army. You are brave when it comes to killing innocent women and children in the dark, but by light of day, you are cowards!’

The King’s eyes bulged with rage. There was no greater insult. ‘You will see what cowards we are,’ he bellowed. ‘Hasten back to your army, liar Queen. For the long peace is about to end!’ He turned and trolled back to his army.

As the armies readied themselves, adjusting helmets, swigging water and fastening armour, the Queen trotted her horse across to Banfor.

‘Now, Ganfree, for your daughter’s sake, help us. We have strengthened our forces. It is time to weaken our enemies.’

A look of disgust crossed Banfor’s face. Immediately the Queen scanned the hill where two guards flanked Sonya’s horse. She raised her arm, and one of the guards pulled a knife out of his belt.

‘If I bring my arm down, the knife goes into her leg.’ There was steel in her voice. ‘If I bring it down twice, her heart. Now! Will. You. Help. Me?’

Ruby wriggled her red and chafed hands back and forth against the rope. Each time she did, a bolt of pain shot through her. It took a huge effort of will to continue to inflict pain upon herself in this way, but whenever she wanted to stop, she thought of Sonya swimming to the edge of that pool to be recaptured. For the six hundred and twenty-eighth time Ruby cursed herself for having been too scared to jump. If she had just done it, she and Sonya would have escaped, the Queen’s hold over Banfor would have been broken and hundreds of men would not be about to kill each other.

So she kept rubbing her wrists against the rope. It felt as if she had been doing it forever, and that it would continue forever. Then suddenly one wrist was free.

Fromley had never been so ready to fight. He felt invincible. He rushed forward with the rest of the army, impatient to hack and destroy. The Nareeans were surging forward too, until abruptly they slowed. They looked scared and lost. Before long the entire Nareean army had come to a halt. It was going to be a massacre! Fromley picked out the one who was going to feel his sword first. He walked his horse purposefully towards him, sword gripped firmly, ready to kill.

Suddenly he was interrupted by a high-pitched shriek of enormous volume. He looked around and then up. His mouth fell open. Flapping towards them was a creature so big it blocked out the sun. Even though he was full of confidence and courage, it was terrifying. A giant cockroach! It flapped down into the narrow gap that separated the two armies. Everyone stopped. As the cockroach’s wings came to a halt, there was total silence. No one moved.

There was someone on the cockroach’s back. Fromley squinted. When he saw who it was, he nearly fell off his horse.

Roderick slowly rose to his feet on the cockroach’s broad back. To his right, a gentle hill was covered with Baronian soldiers. To his left, on another gentle rise, were the Nareeans. Everyone was staring at him: hundreds of soldiers, scores of knights, a King, a Queen, his sister, Ruby and a sorcerer. And, hidden in the trees, a bear.

He opened his mouth and then shut it again. He needed to work out what he was going to say before he started speaking. Then he felt a voice inside his head.

Roderick. You have come. The voice was warm and comforting. My excellent knight, you have rescued us again. You have found a way to stop the war, and to send the Nareeans home without bloodshed. Well done!

It was the Queen. He looked down at her. She was smiling warmly. She was right. He had prevented war. If he had been a few seconds later it would have started. He had saved hundreds of lives.

Come Roderick, came her thought-voice, friendly and inviting. Let us use your large friend to make the Nareeans surrender. Let us shoo them back home. Then join me and we can rule Baronia in peace. End the fighting, Roderick. Bring peace. Join me. Make the Nareeans go away.

Warm, soothing thought-waves filled his head. What she was telling him made sense. It was the right thing to do. Grynaldeen could frighten the Nareeans away, and then, finally, Roderick could rest and let the Queen take care of everything. All he had to do was to turn the cockroach to face the Nareeans, and use her to scare them off.

Of course! Because the Nareeans were the enemy.

He sat down again on Grynaldeen’s back. Another thought came. Get the beast to attack our enemies. Destroy them! Yes. That would save the lives of all the Baronians who would have died in the battle. Now they would live, the enemy would be defeated, and once again he would be a hero. Maybe he’d even get another parade.

He started to insert the command into Grynaldeen’s mind, but before he could, a new thought entered his head. It was unpleasant, at odds with the exquisite and unfamiliar peace he was feeling. Wake up, Roderick! Wake up! it screamed. It was like his mind was being slapped. He jolted alert. It was Banfor!

Roderick blinked. He realised the Queen had, once again, nearly persuaded him to do what she wanted him to. He had been about to obey the woman who had kidnapped his sister, ordered an attack on a village full of her own people, and who now wanted to start a war.

Roderick scanned the crowd and saw Banfor sitting on a horse at the end of the front row of Baronians, to the left of the Queen. His eyes were closed, his brow furrowed in concentration. Roderick’s eyes flicked to the Queen just in time to see her forcefully nod her head at Sir Daniel, next to Banfor. Sir Daniel drew back his heavy, gloved hand and smashed the old man a backhanded blow to the face. Banfor hit the ground with a thud, and did not move. Attention was so centred on Roderick and the cockroach that no one else seemed to notice.

Any doubts Roderick had had about the Queen’s guilt vanished. Ruby had been right about her. She had to be stopped. He shook his head vigorously to clear it, and then turned Grynaldeen back so she was again facing directly up the valley. For the second time he climbed to his feet. The Queen stared at him. He could still feel her trying to push her power into his mind but somehow he was now able to observe and be aware of it without it affecting him. He could float above and around it, not trying to resist, merely ignoring it.

All eyes were focused on Roderick and the cockroach, even those belonging to the soldiers who were supposed to be guarding Ruby. While she now had both hands free, any move she made to escape would attract attention. Still lying across the back of the horse, she reached carefully down into the saddlebag next to her head. Inside it she felt three smaller bags, each containing a different type of herb. The only other thing she needed was water to dissolve them in. She continued to feel around the saddlebag for a flask. Nothing.

There was another saddlebag on the other side of her horse, near her feet. She stole a glance at the soldiers. They were transfixed by the huge cockroach. Ruby slowly eased her feet towards the ground until her right hand could reach back behind her into the other saddlebag. Right at the bottom, just within reach, was a flask. She grasped it in her fingertips, and pulled it gently out. She held it down low, concealing it under the horse’s tummy, and with her other hand extracted a pinch of one of the herbs, which she scrunched and crumpled in her hand. Then she tipped them into the flask. She did this with the other two herbs and then shook the flask as vigorously as she dared, unscrewed the lid, and swigged. For a moment nothing happened.

And then, for the third time, she began to fade away.

CHAPTER 23

ATTEMPTS AT PERSUASION

Roderick looked around at the hundreds of soldiers waiting for him to speak. He opened his mouth and hoped something good would come out.

‘Baronians!’ he shouted, ‘and Nareeans! You are gathered here ready to fight, but this war should not start. There is no reason for it.’ He turned to face the Baronians. ‘My fellow Baronians, the Nareeans did not attack our village. They did not try to assassinate our Queen. They are not our enemies. You have been lied to!’

Sir Drayshus was near the Queen. He spoke firmly. ‘Sir Roderick, someone attacked Taroom, and someone fired arrows at Her Majesty. If not the Nareeans, then who?’

Roderick wondered how many of the knights were in on the Queen’s plan. Sir Lilley certainly was. Fromley too perhaps. But Sir Drayshus? He took a deep breath. ‘You have been lied to by the Queen. She ordered the attack on Taroom and arranged the fake assassination attempt so that she would have an excuse to start this war.’

There was a collective gasp from the crowd, both Nareeans and Baronians, followed by agitated murmurings. Eyes turned to the Queen. Her face was impassive. Then she sighed. ‘Oh dear, Sir Roderick,’ she said, almost to herself. Then she raised her voice. ‘My knights and soldiers, I am afraid there are only two possible explanations for this sad turn of events. Perhaps Sir Roderick has, unfortunately, lost his mind.’ She paused and said the next words with compassion. ‘As my knights know, he has never been the most robust of people. I do not know what he has gone through and how he came to be on this great beast’s back, but perhaps it has all been too much for him.’ Her voice hardened. ‘Either that, or he is a Nareean spy, and is now working for their purposes. Perhaps the Nareeans have somehow helped him to control this great beast, and are using him to spread lies among us.’

Grynaldeen uttered a fierce cry and took a step towards the Queen. Roderick tried to calm her. The Queen was unmoved.

‘Sir Roderick, you may use that creature to kill me if you wish. My life is unimportant. But doing so will not make your lies true.’

‘The Queen kidnapped my sister!’ shouted Roderick. ‘She did it to force Ganfree Banfor to help her. And just then she ordered Sir Daniel to hit him.’ Roderick looked down at the old man lying motionless on the ground.

‘Oh dear, Sir Banfor has had a turn,’ said the Queen. ‘I urged him to rest but he would not. He was so eager to defeat our enemies. Sir Lilley. Attend to him immediately.’ Sir Lilley, who was near the back of the company – no doubt to minimise his chances of being involved in the battle – made his way cautiously down the hill, keeping a watchful eye on the cockroach.

Roderick tried again. ‘Baronians,’ he called, ‘the Queen has forced Ganfree Banfor to help her carry out her wicked plan by taking his daughter prisoner and using her as a hostage.’

‘A hostage?’ replied the Queen, shaking her head as if confused. ‘Before you said that I took your sister prisoner. That was it, wasn’t it? Now you are saying I took Sir Ganfree’s daughter prisoner? Which one is it?’ She turned to the Baronian soldiers. ‘I’m a little confused, I must say, about what exactly I am supposed to have done. I think Sir Roderick might be as well.’ There were a few chuckles at this.

‘They are the same person,’ said Roderick, feeling desperation suck the power out of his voice. ‘My sister is Banfor’s daughter. You kidnapped her to force him to help you.’

‘Oh I see,’ the Queen mocked. ‘Your sister is Sir Ganfree’s daughter, is she?’

‘You told me she was.’ Roderick was sweating and yet somehow he had also gone cold inside. He knew it wasn’t going well. Every Baronian had been trained from birth to believe that everything their ruler said was true and wise. For Roderick to convince them otherwise would require more than just words. He needed proof. Banfor couldn’t help him this time. He was unconscious, and Roderick suspected Sir Lilley would arrange to keep him that way.

‘Did I, Sir Roderick? Are you sure I said that?’ Her tone was of someone humouring a dangerous madman, which is what the crowd seemed to think Roderick was.

‘Yes! Ask my sister. She is there.’ Roderick pointed up the hill to where Sonya sat stiffly on her horse, a mounted guard close on either side.

‘Of course, Sir Roderick, if that is what you wish,’ said the Queen. She turned and focused her attention on Sonya. ‘Have you been taken prisoner by me, dear?’

Sonya went to speak, but couldn’t seem to open her mouth. Her head turned mechanically from side to side. Roderick sensed the Queen’s power at work, but could do nothing to intervene.

‘It is the Queen. She is stopping her from speaking!’ he yelled. People scoffed, shook their heads.

‘How did you come across the lady?’ the Queen asked Sir Ledwick, who was near Sonya.

‘Your Majesty,’ he replied, ‘we were stationed away to the north and on our way to join your force when we came upon her wandering along a forest track. She was distressed and lost, and could not explain what she was doing or why she was there. We brought her with us for her own protection.’ He looked at Sonya, and added, ‘She would not have survived long on her own.’

‘Such a shame,’ said the Queen. ‘If in fact this girl is Sir Roderick’s sister, it may be that troubles run in this family.’ She turned back to Roderick. ‘This is getting silly now. Whoever that girl is, I did not arrange for her to be kidnapped. I grant you that the way in which you – or the Nareeans – have managed to tame and fly that beast is an impressive trick, and I shall enjoy extracting the secret of how it was done from their King when he is a prisoner in our dungeons. But we have our country to protect. Either assist us or stand aside.’

Roderick did not know what to do. He was in control of the most powerful animal in the world but it was all bluff. He would never use her against his own people, or even against the Nareeans. He had come to prevent bloodshed, not cause it.

His control over Grynaldeen was not sufficiently precise for him to make her pick up the Queen and take her away. All he could really do was aim and unleash her. If the Queen ordered the Baronian army to attack, he would have to get the cockroach quickly out of the way before she got caught up in the battle and started squashing innocent people.

He looked around. On both sides archers fidgeted with bows. Roderick realised that if the Queen or King Melane gave the order, he would be filled with holes in seconds. All that might be preventing them was their uncertainty as to what Grynaldeen would do if he was killed.

‘There is more,’ he pleaded. ‘It was the Queen who ordered the attack on Taroom. She did it so she could have a reason to start a war. She wants war. She wants power!’

He pulled from his pocket the Baronian button Ruby had found at Taroom and held it up. ‘Look. A Baronian soldier’s button, found among the ashes of Taroom.’

But no one could see the button. To them it was a dot.

Sir Drayshus glanced at the Queen, who nodded. Drayshus dismounted. ‘Sir Roderick,’ he began, walking slowly towards the cockroach. ‘Even if that is what you say it is, and it was found where you say it was found, it could have got there any number of ways. The Nareeans could have put it there, couldn’t they?’ He, too, was adopting the humouring tone.

Drayshus’s eyes flicked sideways to the Baronian archers. They held their bows firm and ready.

‘No. When I held it, I knew Baronians had raided Taroom.’

The crowd murmured. Roderick knew that what he said made no sense to them. He had lost them.

Fromley watched Roderick in amazement. The scared, weak boy he used to feel sorry for had just flown on the back of the most dangerous creature in the world. His claims were sensational, amazing and clearly unbelievable. Yet something nagged at him. A fragment of words he had heard in a farmhouse.

As instructed by Sir Lilley, he had lured Sonya away from her home to travel with him to a farmhouse an hour’s ride from Palandan. He had felt terrible all the way, because he knew what would happen when they arrived. As he had led her inside the farmhouse three men – northerners by their looks and accent – stepped forward and surrounded them. Sonya looked uncomprehendingly at him as they grabbed her. One of the northerners had pulled a knife and they had led Sonya down a corridor. She had looked back over her shoulder and, with fear in her eyes, begged him for help. And he had looked at the floor. While two of them had locked her in a room at the back of the house he had made awkward small talk with the third northerner who at some point had said – he could remember exactly – We’ve got the easy job anyway, no raiding for us. No following soldier orders.

At the time he had been feeling so desperately terrible that he had not really taken it in, but afterwards he had puzzled over the words. Now that he had heard what Roderick had said about the attack on Taroom, perhaps they were beginning to make sense.

Sir Drayshus stepped closer, and spoke carefully the way you might speak to a madman who was armed with a giant cockroach. ‘Aside from that button, Sir Roderick, do you have any more evidence of the events you describe?’

Roderick tried desperately to think. ‘Ask Sir Banfor.’

Sir Lilley was kneeling over him, smearing a paste on his forehead. ‘He is very ill,’ he said. ‘I doubt he will recover soon.’

Roderick looked around for Ruby but couldn’t see her. No one would believe a Nareean anyway.

‘How can we control that cockroach, Sir Roderick?’ continued Drayshus soothingly. ‘It is a dangerous beast.’

The Queen sat calmly on her horse. ‘Sir Roderick, one final question if I may,’ she said. ‘Are you knowingly acting as an instrument of the Nareeans, or have some dark arts of theirs overtaken your mind and made you behave in this way?’

Roderick bowed his head. He noticed his hands were shaking. What more could he do? Could he use Grynaldeen to block the armies coming together? But even she was not invincible. Eventually they would shoot arrows into her eyes. It had all gone wrong. The Queen had won.

As Fromley watched Roderick’s failing efforts to convince the soldiers of the Queen’s treachery, he tried to work it out. Sir Lilley had told him that Sonya had to be lured away from her home for the good of Baronia, and he had believed it. But according to Roderick, he had been duped into kidnapping an innocent girl. Plus he had just heard the Queen deny that Sonya had been kidnapped, and he knew that wasn’t true. Sonya had been kidnapped, and he was the one who had done it. Could the Queen not know about the kidnapping? But Sir Lilley had arranged it, and surely he would only have done so if the Queen had ordered him to. Maybe Roderick had figured it all out.

Those words from the farmhouse kept echoing in his head: We’ve got the easy job anyway, no raiding for us. No following soldier orders.

It meant, surely, that other northerners had gone on a raid. Could it have been the raid on Taroom? Had the raid on Taroom also been organised by Sir Lilley? Could it have been carried out by Baronian soldiers commanding a group of northerners?

Roderick’s crazy story was beginning to make sense.

The Queen sensed Roderick’s uncertainty and pushed her thoughts into him. She wasn’t trying to flatter or soothe him this time. Her thoughts were like blows. You’re weak. You’re bad. It’s your fault. You’re a failure. Give up. They circled around and around in his mind. Roderick sank to his knees and let his head fall forward onto Grynaldeen’s back.

The Queen stared hard at a Nareean soldier, concentrating fiercely. The soldier suddenly ran across the space separating the two armies and smashed the nearest Baronian a two-handed blow with his sword. The Baronian screamed.

‘The Nareeans are attacking,’ cried the Queen. ‘Fight, my soldiers!’

It was as if a spell was broken. The battle was about to begin.

Soldiers started to slowly move forward. Fromley knew that within seconds it would begin, and then there would be no stopping it. As loud as he could, he roared, ‘NO! STOP!’ Remarkably, everyone did. Perhaps everyone was so confused by all that had happened that they were not yet completely ready to fight. Perhaps they were happy to grasp any excuse to put off the hacking and bleeding that was to come. Perhaps it was because Fromley was a big man with a deep and commanding voice. Whatever the reason, everyone stopped.

‘Do not fight,’ he shouted. ‘Sir Roderick speaks the truth. This war is wrong.’

Sir Drayshus turned his horse to face him. ‘Roderick is your friend, Fromley. I know that. But friends are not always right.’

‘I helped kidnap Roderick’s sister.’ There were gasps from the Baronians. ‘Sir Lilley ordered it.’

All eyes turned to Sir Lilley, standing next to the prone body of Banfor and rapidly turning the colour of beetroot. His eyes darted about.

Fromley continued. ‘Sir Lilley ordered me to deliver Roderick’s sister to three northerners in a farmhouse. One of the three said something about other northerners going on a raid under the orders of some soldiers. I think he meant Baronian soldiers, and the raid was on Taroom. It is as Roderick says. He is right.’

Roderick pulled his head up from Grynaldeen’s back. He stared at Fromley. The friend who had betrayed him and become his enemy was now trying to help.

‘I cannot believe this of Sir Lilley,’ said the Queen. ‘This is more lies. Restrain Sir Fromley. It is well known he is a close friend of Sir Roderick’s. It seems they have been plotting together. There will be time enough to extract the truth later. But now, my army, there is a battle to win, and glory to be earned!’ She raised her sword above her head. ‘Attack!’

Nobody moved.

Sir Drayshus spoke. ‘Your Majesty, with great respect, embarking on a war, even a battle, should only be done when there is no alternative. You have said that yourself. In light of the information Sir Fromley has provided it would seem sensible to investigate these matters further. That is,’ he turned to the King, ‘if the Nareeans will allow us to at least postpone this battle.’

‘We have no wish to fight,’ said the King. ‘We are here merely to defend our nation.’

Drayshus whispered something to Sir Keith next to him, who dismounted and strode over to Sir Lilley. Drayshus fixed Lilley with a look of steel. ‘Sir Lilley, I believe there are some matters you need to explain. I hope you will do so willingly.’ Lilley swallowed and looked pleadingly at the Queen, who would not meet his eye. Sir Keith laid his hand firmly on Lilley’s arm.

Surely, Roderick thought, whatever Lilley’s loyalty to the Queen, he would not be brave enough to keep his mouth shut once Sir Drayshus started asking him hard questions. The Queen’s role would be fully exposed.

‘This is ridiculous,’ said the Queen, slipping off her horse. ‘It is just what the Nareeans want. We are falling into their trap.’ She walked along the front line of soldiers. When she reached its end, she turned left up the hill. Where was she going? There was enormous tension. No one yet knew if Roderick’s accusations were true, but there was a growing feeling of unease and suspicion. Finding out that a knight as high ranking as Sir Lilley may have been involved in treachery was shocking. If the Queen was also involved, it would be head-busting.

Sir Drayshus hesitated. As head knight and chief of the army his duty was to obey the Queen. But he had a higher duty: to act in Baronia’s best interests, and if what Roderick said was true, the Queen was definitely not doing that.

Seconds ticked by as he wavered. Drayshus knew that if he made the wrong move, he could spend the rest of his life in gaol for high treason. Or be executed. He felt everyone’s eyes upon him. He sensed that the Baronian army would do what he ordered them to, even if the Queen objected.

He decided. ‘Baronian knights and soldiers! Step back! Your Majesty, this war must not –’ Before he could continue, the Queen, who had made her way up to where Sonya sat on her horse, reached up, grabbed her arm and yanked her off. She wrapped her arm around Sonya’s neck, pressed a knife to her throat and started back down the hill, pushing Sonya in front of her.

‘If your ears are so full of the words of spies and traitors that you will not help me defend our great nation, then I must do it alone,’ she declared.

She pushed forward towards the Nareeans. Sir Drayshus stepped into her path.

‘No, Your Majesty. These matters need to be investigated before we commit to war. If what Sir Roderick and Sir Fromley have said is untrue, they will face serious punishment.’

The Queen pushed her knife against Sonya’s neck. Sonya cried out, and a trickle of blood appeared. ‘I command you, Sir Drayshus. Step! Aside!’

Drayshus locked stares with the Queen, and then his eyes flicked to Sonya. He slowly exhaled and stepped back.

The Queen pushed Sonya forward again. Roderick realised they were heading towards him. When they reached the cockroach the Queen whistled and her horse came running. The armies were frozen. Minutes ago they had been on the verge of hacking each other to pieces, but now they were paralysed by the threat of a knife against a girl’s neck. The Queen motioned Sonya up onto the horse and, keeping the knife close to her at all times, climbed up behind her. ‘Roderick,’ she said, ‘off the beast. Now!’ Once again she brought her knife to Sonya’s neck.

Roderick had no choice. He slid down the side of Grynaldeen to the ground. ‘Up,’ ordered the Queen. Sonya struggled to stand on the horse’s back, reached up and grabbed the join between the cockroach’s head and body, and pulled herself up. The Queen scrambled up onto Grynaldeen’s back herself, all the while keeping her knife close enough to Sonya for it to be a constant threat. ‘Lie down across it,’ ordered the Queen. Sonya obeyed, stretching out face-down on Grynaldeen’s back. The Queen sat behind her, a leg on either side of the roach.

Grynaldeen had become used to Roderick directing her. He didn’t try to brutally impose his will. Rather, the boy had worked out how to suggest, persuade and guide her in a way that made it not unpleasant to obey. Now she was aware of a new force inside her head, and there was nothing gentle or persuasive about it. These were hammer blows of brute power. At first they were trying to force her to fly, but flying was a delicate and complex operation. No matter how strong a person’s powers, it was virtually impossible to make a cockroach fly without its cooperation. Then the commands changed. Grynaldeen tried to resist, to push back against them, but they were too strong. Like it or not, she was being directed to kill.

Roderick saw Grynaldeen prowl towards the Nareeans, snarling fiercely. He tried to aim calming, peaceful thoughts at her, but the Queen was in complete control. The cockroach charged forward into the Nareean forces, trampling some, clawing others and scattering the rest.

The Baronians stood by, unsure whether they should rejoice in the slaughtering of the Nareeans, join the cockroach in attacking them, help the Nareeans defend themselves against the beast, or flee themselves. Unable to decide, most opted to cautiously back up the hill out of harm’s way. Sir Drayshus, incapable of taking a backward step to anyone or anything, drew his sword and moved in front of the cockroach, blocking her path to the Nareeans. Grynaldeen’s front leg effortlessly swatted him away. He flew through the air and crashed into a tree, and then lay crumpled and still at its base.

CHAPTER 24

FIGHTING FOR CONTROL

Ruby, invisible, spied Banfor lying near the bottom of the hill, at the front of the Baronian army. If she could wake him, maybe he would be able to stop the Queen. She dodged between soldiers towards him. Chester was there already, making sure none of the soldiers got too close to Banfor and muttering to himself.

‘He is asleep but it is daytime. And he never sleeps in daytime. Therefore, he is not asleep. But when he is not asleep, he is awake, and when he is awake his eyes are open. And his eyes are not open. Which means not awake. So he is not asleep and not awake . . . But what else is there?!’

‘Chester. It’ll be all right,’ said Ruby, laying an arm on his shoulder.

‘Ahhh! A voice and a touch but no body! This is a day when everything that is not supposed to happen, happens.’ He sniffed. ‘Is it Ruby the unseeable again?’

‘It’s me,’ Ruby said. She heard a roar. The cockroach was not far away, slashing at the Nareeans with its legs. ‘Let’s get him out of the way. Can you pick him up?’

‘I am a strong bear, by which I mean strong even compared to other bears. And even if I was not, I would still be stronger than a strong human.’ He scooped Banfor up. Ruby took his arm and led him back through the ranks of Baronians to the top of the hill where, past the soldiers, they found a tree. Chester laid Banfor under it.

‘We have to wake him,’ said Ruby.

‘So he is asleep. But it’s not night, and he only sleeps at night. So he cannot be –’

‘Chester!’ Ruby interrupted firmly. ‘Help me sit him up.’

Together they eased him into a sitting position, his back resting against the trunk. Ruby squatted in front of him. ‘Ganfree. Ganfree.’ Gently, she slapped the old man’s cheek.

‘Is he a person who is all right,’ Chester asked worriedly, ‘or is he a different person from that? Oh I do hope he has not become a person who is not all right.’

Ruby hoped the same thing.

Roderick leapt behind one of the few trees at the bottom of the valley as Grynaldeen swept around and past him, chasing a group of Nareean soldiers. She slashed out with a leg and one fell, screaming, blood spurting from his arm. Roderick drew his sword, not because it would help, but because it made him feel like he was doing something. His sister was only metres away, but those metres were filled with a snarling cockroach.

At the back of his mind he could feel something. A faint signal trying to get stronger, someone trying to haul themselves out of a deep pit. He tried to latch on to it but another fearful roar pulled him back to the chaos. The roach was coming for him. The Queen wanted to get him. Roderick turned and ran uphill. His foot hit a tree root. He stumbled, fell, hit the ground and looked over his shoulder. Grynaldeen towered above him. She lifted up her front legs, ready to rake them over his body. He would be ripped apart. He froze. I’m dead, was all he could think.

The roach paused, front legs hovering over Roderick. He felt the Queen’s command: Kill.

He looked up at the cockroach. Their eyes met and for a moment time stopped.

He realised Grynaldeen was trying to resist the Queen’s commands, to give him time to escape, but that she would not be able to do it for long.

Roderick scrambled to his feet and ran. An instant later Grynaldeen’s front legs smashed down where he had been. She started to follow him, but a flurry of arrows bounced off her side. The Nareeans had got their archers organised. The arrows themselves caused her no damage, as far as Roderick could tell – only a direct hit in the eye would harm Grynaldeen – but the Queen was vulnerable. She turned Grynaldeen and charged her towards the archers.

Roderick backed away up the hill, wondering what would happen if the Queen was able to permanently harness the cockroach’s power. Surely she would become virtually unstoppable, even without the Baronian army behind her.

As Roderick watched the back of the cockroach chasing the scattering Nareean archers, he had the beginnings of an idea. The cockroach’s sides were steep and smooth, and any sort of approach from the front was madness. However, her back was less steep. If he took a run-up, he might be able to scramble up onto it.

Again, Ruby slapped Banfor’s cheek.

‘Are you hitting him?’ asked Chester indignantly. ‘I cannot see you because I cannot see you, but the sound is like hitting. That is not how this person usually wakes up. He doesn’t usually wake up from hitting. He usually wakes from non-hitting.’

‘It’s a very deep sleep, Chester,’ said Ruby. ‘He needs some help.’ She slapped him again.

Banfor moaned and his eyes flickered open. His hand went to his forehead, then he held it in front of his eyes.

‘Some sort of . . . strength-sapping ointment . . . rubbed on my head.’

He looked down the hill, where the cockroach was still running amok. He frowned and then closed his eyes again.

‘Is he a person who is asleep again?’ asked Chester anxiously.

‘I don’t think so,’ said Ruby. ‘I think that he’s concentrating very hard.’

Below, the Nareean soldiers valiantly tried to defend themselves, but anyone who got within reach of the cockroach had no chance. Next to it a giant oak tree stretched to the sky.

Ruby had an idea.

‘Chester! Take care of him. He is thinking very hard. Don’t let anyone disturb him.’

Ruby started running down the hill.

Chester’s words followed her. ‘I will try to do what you say, as much as a bear like me – in fact, a bear exactly like me – can turn a person saying things into a bear doing them.’

Roderick was behind the cockroach who moved left and right, lashing out with her legs at any Nareeans she could get close to. Roderick wanted to hesitate, to delay, to run away, to do anything other than what he needed to do. Instead he took a deep breath and ran down the hill as fast as he could towards Grynaldeen. When he got to her he leapt high up her back. He made it halfway, and desperately scrambled his legs and arms for holds. He found a bump on her back he could grab and clung on to it. He had hoped that the noise made by Grynaldeen and the panicked Nareeans, as well as the concentration it would take the Queen to direct the cockroach, would give him a chance of getting up behind the Queen without her noticing. So far, so good.

He wedged his foot into something. He realised it was Grynaldeen’s bottom. He now had a secure, if not very pleasant, foothold, but there was no way he could get from where he was up to where Grynaldeen’s back broadened and flattened out.

Grynaldeen twisted sharply and Roderick’s legs flew up and out. His left hand lost its grip and the other was slipping off. Suddenly he felt a force steady him, then physically lift him up higher onto the level part of the roach’s back.

Banfor!

Roderick was now only about eight steps behind the Queen, but Grynaldeen was bucking so furiously that it may as well have been eight hundred. He was lying face-down but if he tried to stand, walk or even crawl forward he would surely be thrown off immediately. Then he felt another force, a calming wave similar to what he had felt on the Queen’s balcony, but this time directed solely at Grynaldeen. It was Banfor again! He was trying to calm the cockroach! Grynaldeen’s frenzied movements slowed as she was soothed by the old man’s thought waves. Roderick saw the Queen’s shoulders tense. She had felt it too. She looked around, trying to locate the source.

Ruby reached the bottom of the oak tree. She took a deep breath and grabbed a branch.

‘Don’t look down,’ she told herself as she started to climb. Her hands shook. Every last part of her wanted to stay close to the ground, but she forced herself to pull and push her body up the tree. Eventually she reached a branch that was higher than the cockroach’s head. She started to crawl out along it in the direction of the cockroach. Then she made a mistake. She looked down. She gasped, and then froze, eyes clenched shut. Being up this high was too much.

She forced herself to open one eye, then the other, and then somehow made herself inch further out along the branch. Then she stopped. The cockroach, with the Queen, Sonya and Roderick all on its back, had slowed its bucking and twisting and was now directly below her.

Now that the cockroach’s movements had slowed, the soldiers on the ground had time to get out of her path. The Queen stared around, searching for Banfor.

Roderick tried to think. The Queen and Banfor were both trying to control the cockroach. The Queen was driving her to attack while Banfor tried to hold her back. But what would happen if Banfor reversed his tactics?

Roderick tried to reach out to the old man with his mind.

The Queen spied Banfor at the top of the hill. She raised her knife and held it above Sonya’s back, staring defiantly up towards him. The implication was clear. She would bring the knife down unless Banfor released his grip on Grynaldeen.

Suddenly a vast surge of energy flew into Grynaldeen, who instantly went from slow motion to another frenzy of bucking. The Queen was thrown sideways. Roderick desperately clung on. Another buck threw the Queen further over the side of the cockroach’s back but, just as it looked like she was off, she found a handhold where Grynaldeen’s head met her body. She steadied and hauled herself back up. Once again, the Queen raised her knife.

Roderick desperately clung to Grynaldeen. He had to reach the Queen. He scrambled to his knees, kept low and propelled himself forward along the cockroach’s bucking back. He took two steps; on his third the cockroach lurched to one side. Roderick was thrown off his feet. He pulled himself to his knees, planted a foot and flung himself forward as Grynaldeen bucked again. He landed on his belly, a couple of steps behind the Queen. As he pulled himself up again, she started to bring her arm down to plunge the knife into his sister’s back. He threw himself forward and grabbed the Queen’s wrist.

Sonya was still lying face-down across Grynaldeen’s back, with no idea what was going on behind her. ‘Sonya, get off!’ he screamed, but his sister did not move. He realised Grynaldeen’s shrieks were drowning out his voice.

The Queen suddenly stopped trying to force her arm down towards Sonya, and thrust it back. The knife handle crashed into Roderick’s nose. He yelled and fell back. The Queen wrenched her arm free as Grynaldeen twisted, throwing Roderick backwards and sideways. He threw his hands out to grab something, but he was off balance and they pawed uselessly at Grynaldeen’s smooth back. Slowly, inevitably, he felt his centre of gravity shift until he knew he was beyond the point of recovery. He toppled off Grynaldeen and fell to the ground with a dull thud.

The cockroach was directly under the branch. Ruby tried to will herself to jump. And failed. She just couldn’t.

She slapped the branch in frustration. It was just like what had happened back at the waterfall. She knew what she had to do, but she was too scared to do it.

As Roderick fell from the cockroach’s back, Ruby’s disgust at her cowardice finally overcame her fear and she pushed herself off the branch. She landed heavily on the beast’s head, and nearly bounced straight off to the ground. Somehow she clung on. Sonya was right in front of her. As the Queen stabbed her knife down towards Sonya’s back, the still-invisible Ruby dived at Sonya’s legs, grabbed them and pulled Sonya off the cockroach. The Queen’s knife sliced through the air where Sonya had been and plunged into Grynaldeen’s back. Ruby tumbled to the ground and an instant later Sonya crashed down on top of her, knocking the wind out of her.

Up the hill, Banfor sent a surge of energy into Grynaldeen. She roared and bucked ferociously and the Queen was thrown sideways and off.

As the Queen fell, Banfor sensed her hold over Grynaldeen weaken. He was almost spent, but he concentrated all his remaining energies on soothing and calming the cockroach. His face strained, veins stood out on his neck and sweat ran down his brow as he caused the knife to lift up out of her back and fall harmlessly to the ground. He sent waves of peace at Grynaldeen, and persuaded her to wander away up the valley and lie down in the shade of a large tree. As she settled herself, Banfor let out a long, wheezing breath and collapsed backwards.

Roderick rose unsteadily to his feet. Sonya was sprawled a few steps away. He didn’t know it, but Ruby was next to her, struggling to suck air into her lungs. Near them the Queen was hauling herself up. She had lost her knife, but her sword still hung from her belt. Slowly, she drew it, and leant on it for support. Soldiers stood about, still wary of the retreating cockroach and unsure what to do. Sir Drayshus still lay unconscious. The Nareeans stood back, waiting to see what would happen.

Roderick went to draw his sword. It wasn’t there. He looked around, but could not see it. He pulled out his knife instead and held it in front of him, facing the Queen.

The Queen stepped slowly towards him, her sword held limply by her side. ‘Roderick,’ she said, ‘that’s not a very nice thing to point at your mother.’

Roderick stopped. What?!

She took another step.

‘Stay there,’ he said. He lifted the knife, holding it by its point. ‘You’ve got a sword, but I can throw this knife.’

She laughed. A ragged laugh, not quite hysterical. ‘You’re not going to throw that at me, Roderick.’

Another step.

‘Because I’m the Queen. And because I’m your mother.’

‘You’re not. And I will.’

‘You won’t. And I am. Look at my nose. It’s the same shape as yours. And look inside yourself. Use your mind and you will see it is true. I’ll tell you the whole complicated story.’

‘Stop talking,’ said Roderick. He raised the knife, ready. ‘I’ll throw this. Banfor will –’

‘Die soon,’ interrupted the Queen. ‘He will, Roderick. That last effort sapped him. He’s got nothing left. He’s gone,’ she said softly but without any hint of concern.

Roderick searched his mind. There was no sign of Banfor.

‘You see,’ she said. ‘He can’t help you. Your mother is right.’ She took another step. She was just a few paces from him now. Was she tightening her grip on the sword, or was he imagining it?

‘Your parents are not who you think they are,’ she said. ‘Your father is Banfor and I am your mother. And you could be more powerful than both of us, if you join with me and learn what I have to teach you. But right now, Roderick, you aren’t strong enough to defeat me. You know that, don’t you?’

He felt an overwhelming desire to agree with her. He was so tired. He didn’t want to throw a knife at her, of course he didn’t. Especially if she really was his mother. Besides, he’d probably miss.

He dropped the arm holding the knife to his side. Suddenly he felt a powerful message in his head. THROW IT! Without thinking, just obeying, he raised his hand and with all his might, threw the knife.

As it sped through the air, the Queen narrowed her eyes in concentration. The knife slowed and wobbled, and a hint of a smile appeared on her lips. The smile died, however, as a new force thrust the knife forward again. The Queen’s eyes widened in terror as the knife flew at her neck. When it reached it, it stopped dead and rested lightly against her white skin.

The knife slowly pushed forward, forcing her backwards up the hill towards a pile of rocks. As the knife continued to close in on her she stepped back, tripped over a rock and fell. The knife zeroed in on her neck again, pinning her to the ground. The Queen tried to roll away, first left then right, but the knife covered her every move expertly, exerting just enough pressure on her neck to stop her.

Soldiers, both Baronian and Nareean, cautiously crept closer. Roderick sensed Banfor and turned in surprise. The old man was shuffling down the hill towards them, half leaning on and half being carried by Chester. He looked desperately sick, pale and drained of life, but Roderick realised it had been he who had caused him to throw the knife, and he who now controlled it.

He rushed towards Banfor. ‘I thought you were gone. I couldn’t sense you.’

‘An old . . . trick. A bit like . . . hiding behind a bush,’ he panted.

Roderick saw a knight limp slowly towards them. It was Sir Drayshus. Every step looked like it cost him, but he was alive. Banfor turned to him. ‘You need to understand everything so that you can work out what to do. Yes?’

Drayshus nodded, pain obvious on his face.

‘My soldiers,’ said the Queen, ‘do you not see what this man is doing. He –’

‘Silence!’ roared Banfor. Roderick had never seen him enraged before. ‘Or the knife will do its work.’ The knife pressed tighter against her neck, almost drawing blood. ‘Not one word. And not one thought. The knife will hear both.’

The anger seemed to energise him.

‘I need to talk to you all. Baronians, please set up your biggest tent. It would be best if King Melane was there as well. A doctor must attend Sir Drayshus, and Sonya. Ruby, I know you are there. Your invisibility is no longer needed, so we will end it as soon as possible.’ He looked around, as if for other problems to solve. ‘And could someone please build a fire and make me a nice, strong cup of tea? One sugar, please.’

CHAPTER 25

GANFREE BANFOR

Banfor had asked them to come to the great tent that had been erected at the bottom of the valley as the day’s light began to fail. It was the Queen’s tent, as big as a small house, but she had not been invited.

Beforehand, Roderick finally had a chance to talk to Sonya. When he told her all that had happened, his sister could hardly believe it.

‘But . . . you?! Rescuing someone from cannibals?! Escaping from the castle?! Riding a giant cockroach?!’ She peered closely at him. ‘Is it really you, or has some brave hero taken over my little brother’s body?!’

Roderick felt both embarrassed and proud.

He went to find Sir Drayshus and asked him to send word to their mother that he and Sonya were both safe. Drayshus had a nasty bump on his head and a sore shoulder and leg, but had taken command of the Baronians. He had spoken with King Melane, and they had agreed to postpone any decisions until they had heard what Banfor had to say. Meanwhile, the Queen remained where she had been, pinned by the knife and guarded. Each time she tried to speak the knife’s pressure on her throat gradually increased until she stopped. The same thing happened, Banfor told Roderick, whenever she tried to use her mind powers.

Echoing around Roderick’s head were the Queen’s words, I am your mother.

Was it true? How could it be?

He was walking towards the tent when a familiar figure tentatively approached him.

‘Roderick,’ said Fromley, ‘I am so sorry for what I did.’ He stared at the ground.

Roderick put his hand on Fromley’s shoulder. ‘If you had not spoken up today, I would have been lost. People would have been killed. You made the difference.’

They clasped hands.

‘Do you think I could . . . should I . . . apologise to your sister?’ Fromley asked.

‘You can try. I don’t think she’s armed, so she probably won’t be able to kill you. Make sure you wear your armour, though.’

They exchanged smiles. Roderick entered the tent. Inside, Banfor was seated on cushions, looking old and frail. He seemed to have aged even more in the last few hours. Next to him was a cup of tea and a steaming pot. A once-again-visible Ruby sat on one side of him and Sonya on the other. Next to Ruby was Chester. Drayshus, two other senior Baronian knights, and King Melane and two of his knights were also in attendance. Roderick took a seat next to Sonya.

Once all were settled, Banfor began. ‘Let me try to explain what has happened. We need to go back some years to understand what Queen Emily has done, and I need to tell you some of my own history. Some of you know that I grew up within the Circle of Mountains and left them for the first time when I was a young man. My parents had warned me to use my powers only when necessary but on the very first day I used them to persuade some villagers to offer me food and a bed. I reached out my mind, and soon they were fussing over me like I was the King! It was exhilarating.

‘After living all my life within the mountains I was fascinated by the busy and diverse world I had emerged into. I travelled through Baronia, Nareea and beyond. Everywhere I went, my powers made it easy for me. I could plant thoughts in people’s heads so they would do what I wanted, or I could perform some simple piece of magic to impress them.’

He took a sip of tea.

‘There were many who wished to purchase the skills I had, and I was happy to sell. I was in demand, courted by monarchs wherever I went. I travelled the world helping to put down a rebellion by peasants in one place, defeat an invasion of dragons in another, and assist in conquering a new territory somewhere else.’

Banfor looked around the room. ‘To you, who have lived your lives loyal to your country of birth, this must sound repellent. Perhaps it is, but I had nowhere to be loyal to. I used my powers to advance the interests of anyone who would pay. Afterwards I would feel burnt out and empty inside, and yet the urge to keep using them grew stronger.

‘I returned to Baronia where, as always, I was welcomed warmly, and given the best room in the castle. King Bertold asked, of course, for my assistance in the long-running war with Nareea, and I, of course, agreed to give it. Back then the Nareeans had the upper hand. Their army had pushed into Baronian territory, and the King wanted to push them back. He suggested I work closely with the young, brave and dashing new commander of the army: his daughter Emily, now your Queen.

‘With a company of knights and soldiers we roamed the Baronian countryside searching for Nareeans. I would sense their location and then we would plan our attack. Emily was clever, bold and decisive. When we attacked, I would fill the Baronians with confidence and courage, and the Nareeans with self-doubt and fear. In this way, we were successful, and soon the Nareeans were in retreat.’ He cast a slightly embarrassed glance towards King Melane, who looked sternly back, unblinking.

‘Most soldiers fight only because they have to, but I could tell that Emily truly loved the excitement of battle. She wanted to conquer the world. We were both, in different ways, addicted to power, and we urged each other on. I became aware that she, too, had some potential to develop mind powers, and to my great regret – I have many regrets from this period – I helped her to develop them.’

‘We worked together for a year and then returned to Palandan, where the King made me an honorary Baronian knight. By then, Emily was pregnant. I was the father. Sonya,’ he gestured to her, ‘was born two months after we returned to Palandan.’

Sonya’s hand went to her mouth. ‘But . . .’ was all she could manage. Banfor put his hand gently on her arm.

Roderick was stunned. The Queen had told him Banfor was Sonya’s father, but that her mother had died in childbirth.

I am your mother. Could it be?

Banfor continued. ‘I wondered if the birth of our daughter would slow Emily down but it seemed to strengthen her will to conquer. And I was so under her spell – there was nothing magical about it, it was the same spell men and women have been placing each other under for centuries – that I did whatever she bid me to do.’

He looked regretfully at Sonya. ‘Two months after your birth we were off again, returning to battle. We left you with a wet-nurse.

‘Before long, the Nareean King . . .’ he looked at King Melane, ‘. . . your father, asked for peace. King Bertold was eager to accept but before the war could end, the two kings had to negotiate a peace treaty.

‘The end of the war should have been a source of great joy but – this is how corrupted we were – it terrified Emily and me. Both of us had become dependent upon the thrill of battle. Of course, I could have found another war in another country, but the idea of leaving her was unthinkable. While discussions between the kings continued, the armies remained in the field. One day I detected a small force of Nareeans near the Baronian village of Krindon. We should have left them alone, knowing that peace was probably only a day or two away. Instead, our force of one hundred and fifty men attacked. The Nareeans were outnumbered two to one and, with Emily urging me on, I whipped our soldiers into such a frenzy that they killed them all.

‘It is not easy to describe what happened next, both because it is confusing and because I am still ashamed. I had filled the Baronian soldiers with so much fury that this victory was not enough. They ransacked Krindon, hacking to death innocent people, their own countrymen and women, and burning the village to the ground. Then our company turned on itself. The soldiers fought and killed each other.’

Roderick stared in shocked silence as Banfor looked at the ground. His next words were even more laboured.

‘At last I came to my senses, and tried to pull the soldiers back. But by then it was too late. It only ended when almost all the Baronian soldiers were dead, killed by each other, and those left alive were too injured to continue fighting.

‘Reports soon reached the King who, disgusted, ordered our arrest. I fled across several borders. If Emily had not been the King’s daughter, she would have been imprisoned. But he could not do that to his only child so instead, with his consent, she returned to the palace, collected Sonya and then, as far as Baronia knew, vanished.’

He paused, and took another sip of his tea.

Roderick was unable to contain his curiosity. ‘Where did she go?’

‘To a little farm outside Indinwick.’

Roderick’s eyes widened.

Banfor sighed. ‘There was another man with powers I had met in Baronia, a healer of great skill. Larn, the man Roderick and Sonya know as their father. King Bertold, who was often troubled by illness, relied greatly upon him.

‘I believe Emily and Larn had previously been close but when I arrived her attentions had turned to me. When we started working together with the army, Emily had tried to persuade Larn to join us. She often talked about how unstoppable the three of us would be together, but Larn was uninterested. He was a healer, and that is all he wanted to be. When Emily had to disappear she cut and dyed her hair, and went with Sonya to Larn’s farm. Even though they were only a short ride from Palandan, no one suspected who she was. None of the local people had ever seen the King’s daughter.’

Roderick looked at Sonya. She looked as shocked as he felt. It was as if the whole foundation upon which their lives had been built was being shaken, and every sentence Banfor uttered shook it harder.

‘Larn had previously had great affection for Emily,’ continued Banfor, ‘and it seems that some of it remained.’

He paused and took a deep breath. ‘Emily brought something else with her. I did not know it when we parted, but she was pregnant with our second child.’

Banfor turned to look at Roderick, and everyone else’s eyes followed.

‘You,’ Banfor said softly.

I am your mother.

Roderick’s head spun. It was like he wasn’t really there. Not only was his mother not his mother, but his father was not his father.

‘I do not know all that happened in the next few years,’ continued Banfor. ‘Did Emily genuinely love Larn, or was she just using him because she needed somewhere to stay with her two young children? Did she come to enjoy life as a farm wife and mother, or was she burning with eagerness to return to Palandan? Perhaps the truth lies somewhere in the middle.

‘Meanwhile, I wandered far and wide, trying to forget Emily and what we had done. I wish I could say I changed my ways, but I did not.

‘I returned to Baronia after two years. It was not hard to track down Emily. I came to the farm one night, and climbed a tree that gave me a clear view into the farmhouse.’ He looked slowly at Sonya and then to Roderick. ‘The four of you were clustered happily around the fire. As I watching that cosy domestic scene, my world changed. I saw for the first time the wickedness of my own life. I had led a worthless and immoral existence while Larn raised my children. The constant use – abuse – of my powers was sucking the life out of me, and I knew that if I continued the way I was going, I would soon be dead.

‘I realised one more thing; that in the happy scene I was witnessing through that farmhouse window, there was no place for me.

‘I hid the spell book that I had compiled on my travels in the tree. I needed to get rid of it immediately, but I could not bring myself to destroy it.’

Roderick spoke up. ‘When I found it, I was sure it belonged to my father. And it did – just not the father I thought.’ He thought of Larn, the man who was not his father, but who had been everything he could have wanted in one, and a lump came to his throat.

Banfor smiled, almost shyly. ‘Once I had hidden the book . . .’ His voice faltered. He looked down for a long moment then up at Sonya and Roderick. ‘I left you,’ he said quietly.

Sonya reached her hand to his shoulder. He patted her hand, and continued in a stronger voice.

‘I walked through the night, promising myself that I would create no more trouble. But there were too many temptations. There was only one place I might find the strength and support I needed to change. I did not stop until I reached the Circle of Mountains.

‘My parents met me as I emerged from the tunnel. They knew I had done wrong, but they also knew that I had returned for the right reasons. I promised them I would never use my powers for ill again, and that I would not leave the mountains. And for many years I did not.

‘My life became simple. Fishing, cooking, climbing on the rocks that make up the inside walls of the mountains. I continued to feel temptation, but my parents helped me resist. The years passed and I managed to find a kind of contentment. Fifteen years after my return my parents died peacefully together. Before they did, they built the giant invisible cage and used their powers to lure two cockroaches into it, so as to prevent anyone from the outside world finding me and tempting me back to my former life.

‘I buried them by the river, and felt truly alone.’ Chester looked up, worriedly. ‘Luckily I had Chester,’ he said quickly, patting the bear.

‘I wondered if my parents’ deaths would prompt me to think of leaving again, but they did not. Life went on.’

CHAPTER 26

THE QUEEN

Banfor looked at Roderick and Sonya. ‘And what of the Queen, your mother? Some things I detected when I was in the mountains, and others I have discovered since my return. Sir Drayshus and I have also had the opportunity to speak to Sir Lilley this afternoon and after only minimal persuasion,’ one corner of Sir Drayshus’s mouth lifted in wry amusement, ‘he shared his knowledge of recent events.

‘Emily and Larn lived without incident on the farm as Roderick and Sonya grew. Larn continued his work as a healer, growing herbs, and making ointments and potions. About a year after she had left the palace, Emily began to visit her parents again, as her father, the King, was seriously ill.

‘Soon after, King Bertold died. Emily was his only child and therefore next in line for the throne. Enough time had passed, it seemed, for her to be given another chance and she was crowned Queen. Larn stayed on his farm with Roderick, who was one, and Sonya, who was two. Why this happened is less clear. Did Emily feel it was her duty to become Queen, and did Larn refuse to leave his home? Did she think it was better for her children to stay with the man who they thought of as their father, rather than grow up in the unnatural environment of the palace? Did Larn think that when Emily became Queen she would again become corrupted, and persuade her to leave the children with him? Her giving you both up could have been a genuinely selfless act, or she may have been happy to move on to another life. Only she knows.

‘After she left, Larn employed Gwenda to cook, clean and take care of the children. Eventually they grew close and she stopped going home and became Larn’s wife.’

Roderick’s head had never had to absorb so much new information in such a short time. He wondered how much more it could take before it started to overflow and dribble out his ears.

‘Why did they never tell us?’ asked Sonya.

Banfor shrugged. ‘Perhaps it was too difficult, too complicated. Perhaps the time was never quite right.’ He took another sip of tea. ‘Emily ruled Baronia for many years without any hint of corruption or malice. She must have found the experience of being Queen challenging, daunting and interesting enough to keep her fully occupied. However, recently that changed.’

‘Why?’ asked Ruby.

He turned to her. ‘Perhaps because of you.’

‘Me?!’

‘CAKE scared her. People flocked to it, and started to question things that for centuries they had accepted. CAKE threatened Emily’s power, her wealth and even her position. She discovered that you, Ruby, were CAKE’s driving force, and she wanted to get rid of you. I do not know if she tried to kill you. I suspect that would have been her preferred option, but she wasn’t able to. She was powerful enough, however, to make you disappear.’

Ruby stiffened in her seat. ‘It was her?’

‘Yes, and it nearly killed her. Emily was very sick last year.’ Drayshus nodded. Roderick remembered too. For two weeks the Queen had been unable to leave her bed.

‘It was the effort she expended making Ruby disappear that made her so ill,’ continued Banfor. ‘Such feats sap the body’s strength. It could easily have killed Emily. But even after Ruby disappeared, CAKE kept growing. Emily realised that to safeguard her power she would have to find another way. Her solution was what we nearly experienced today: war.’

‘I don’t understand,’ said Roderick.

‘It would have made perfect sense to her,’ said Banfor. ‘A war would undermine CAKE by showing that a large army was needed to protect Baronia. And victory, of course, would lead to a great upsurge in Emily’s own popularity. Her lust for power had re-awakened. Ruling one kingdom was not enough for her; she wanted to conquer another.

‘But she couldn’t just attack another kingdom without a reason. That would have made her very unpopular. She had to make it look like they were the aggressor.

‘Meanwhile, she wanted Roderick close. It could have been partly a maternal urge, but I think the main reason was that she had detected that he had the potential to develop strong powers, and she wanted to see if she could harness them – and him – for her own ends. Of course her spies had kept a close watch on Sonya and Roderick throughout their lives, and she knew Roderick would never willingly become a knight. So she created a situation that would allow her to unwillingly make him one.’

Banfor explained how the Queen had faked the poisoned dart attack on the bridge.

‘Have we all been played for such fools?’ muttered Drayshus, shaking his head.

‘There was no way you could have known,’ said Banfor. ‘Emily wanted a war, but with whom? The obvious answer was Nareea. The two nations had fought before, and there was always suspicion and distrust between them. But she had to be sure that she would win. However, the only way to increase the size of the army would have been to increase taxation, and that would have pushed more people towards CAKE.

‘Her mind turned to sorcery. Making Ruby invisible had nearly killed Emily, so she knew her own powers were limited. Roderick had potential, but he wasn’t ready. That’s when she thought of once again enlisting my help.

‘But how could she persuade me to help her when it seemed I had turned my back on my previous ways? She decided to kidnap my – our – daughter and use her as a hostage. While she knew I had abandoned my children, she suspected, correctly, that I would still be concerned for their wellbeing.

‘As you know, she sent out her knights to look for me. She suspected I was in the Forest of Gilderang. She sent you in that direction, Roderick, because she thought your powers might help you get to me. And indeed they did. There was another reason, too. She knew I would know you were my son. And I did. As soon as you entered into the Circle of Mountains, I sensed who you were. Sending our son somewhere so dangerous was a sign from Emily that she meant business with our daughter.’

‘Why didn’t you tell me that I was your son then?’ asked Roderick.

‘I wanted to find out what was really going on before I did something as dramatic as that. I didn’t want to upend your life without a good reason.’

‘I think my life has been pretty thoroughly upended anyway!’ said Roderick.

‘True enough. Of course, before you found me, the invisible Ruby did. I listened to her story, and decided to risk using my powers to cure her. I refused her invitation to return to the world and help CAKE –’ heads turned in surprise towards Ruby, ‘– not because I did not think her cause was just, but because I was still unready to leave. I had too many bad memories of the outside world.

‘But when Roderick arrived, and gave me Emily’s letter, it was clear that Sonya was in danger, so I came.’

‘Would the Queen really have harmed her own daughter?’ asked Ruby.

‘I do not know. I was not prepared to take the risk.’

Banfor turned to Roderick and smiled. ‘Even in these difficult circumstances, it was wonderful to finally meet my son. I used my powers once again, to widen the cockroach’s cage, but the effort drained me. Not only that, it re-awakened the itch that had lain dormant for so long. Roderick and Ruby, you noticed how fidgety I was afterwards. When I recovered, all I could think about was using my powers again. It has been a constant fight not to ever since. In fact, even now,’ his voice climbed higher, and a not-so-pleasant smile played at the edges of his mouth, ‘there is a part of me that wants to unleash havoc and create madness in this very room.’

An uneasy silence followed. Banfor smiled, reassuringly this time. ‘Worry not; I will not succumb.’

‘But couldn’t you have rescued Sonya?’ asked Ruby.

‘Emily managed to mask her location, even from me. I knew she would be able to detect any mental activity on my part aimed at finding or releasing Sonya, and if she did, she would harm her. Emily said that if I wanted Sonya released, I had to help her defeat the Nareeans. Meanwhile, she organised the attack on Taroom, and another fake assassination attempt, again blaming the Nareeans. As you all know, the armies met and if Roderick had not appeared when he did, we would now be at war and many of you would be dead.’

‘Would you have used your powers against Nareea?’ asked Sonya.

‘Not willingly. But she had a soldier behind you who, if she had signalled, would have put a sword through you.’

A thought tugged at Roderick. ‘You said the Queen could detect anything you did. You helped me break the cockroach’s cage. Didn’t she detect that?’

‘At the time she was in deep discussions with her advisers, so I took a chance. I think she noticed something had happened, but she did not know exactly what. After that, though, I could feel her monitoring me more carefully, so I could not risk doing anything else.’

Roderick remembered the powerful command to ‘keep going’ that he had felt when he was wedged in the crevice and ready to give up after his failed rescue of Sonya. ‘Before that, when I fell off the cliff, you helped me then too.’

‘No, I did not,’ said Banfor.

‘Then who was that? Who sent me the message to keep going?’

Banfor gave him a long look, and then another small smile crept onto his lips. ‘That, I suspect, was you.’

The old man sank back in his seat; he was obviously tiring.

‘She was Queen over all Baronia,’ said Sonya. ‘Wasn’t that enough? Why did she want to start a war?’

Banfor shrugged. ‘Power can be addictive. Once someone has some, they want more. Conquering Nareea may have first entered Emily’s head as an unrealistic fantasy, but it became her burning obsession. If she had succeeded, that wouldn’t have been enough either, and she would have looked for another target.’

‘The real question is this,’ said Sir Drayshus. ‘What do we do with the Queen now? If she can control people’s minds, then no gaol will hold her. And if we exile her, then she will either return or create trouble elsewhere.’

‘The crimes she has committed are primarily against your people, not mine,’ said King Melane. ‘But perhaps you should ask yourselves if she has done enough ill to forfeit her life. A person who had committed these deeds in my kingdom would face death.’

Sir Drayshus looked at Banfor. ‘Many have died for less.’

‘No,’ said Banfor firmly. ‘If we kill those who have done wrong, then we become killers. When I started using my powers, I did not intend them to lead me towards evil, but they did. If we kill in the name of justice, then perhaps next time, or the time after that, we will kill with less cause.’

He paused, and looked at Sonya and Roderick in turn. ‘There is another way. I may be able to neutralise her powers. Perhaps just for several years, but perhaps forever. It is a tricky procedure, especially with someone who will fight all the way, and I am not at my peak. But if I succeed, she will no longer have her powers, and you will be able to safely contain her in a prison. If later on her powers start to return, then someone,’ he looked at Roderick, ‘may be able to sense it, and repeat the neutralising procedure.’

‘But you are so weak,’ said Ruby.

He smiled fondly at her. ‘I will sleep long tonight and regain strength.’

‘What about the cockroach?’ asked Roderick.

‘She is your responsibility, Roderick,’ said Banfor. ‘You tamed her. What do you think should be done?’

Roderick thought a moment. ‘Send her back?’

‘Indeed.’ Banfor nodded. ‘She is free now. Her cage is gone. Let her rejoin her kin. Now I must rest. Tomorrow will be a battle. Not one with swords, but a battle nonetheless.’

CHAPTER 27

A FAREWELL

Roderick waited outside the small tent where Banfor and the Queen had been since early morning, trying to mentally eavesdrop on what was happening. There was no sound or sign of movement, but he felt conflict, commotion and static. Throughout the morning the struggle had ebbed and flowed. Sometimes it appeared that Banfor was succeeding in sucking the Queen’s powers out of her, while at others she seemed to be pushing him to the brink of exhaustion and collapse. He wondered how long it could go on.

The middle of the day came and went as the struggle continued. Eventually, as the afternoon shadows lengthened and the day’s warmth began to fade, he sensed a huge flurry of activity and then . . . nothing. He didn’t know who had won, but he was sure it was over.

Sir Drayshus, Ruby, Chester and Sonya were all waiting as well, sitting under nearby trees. Roderick beckoned them over, and pushed the tent flaps aside.

Both Banfor and the Queen lay still, either asleep or unconscious. The Queen was stretched out on the ground on her back covered by a rug, whereas Banfor looked as if he had been sitting and had fallen backwards against the tent wall, which now cradled him. Drayshus and Chester carried him outside and propped him up under a tree. Drayshus motioned for guards to surround the tent.

Ruby put a cup of water to the old man’s lips. He sipped, gingerly opening one eye, as if to check if it was safe, and then the other. He looked several years older than he had the previous night, and he hadn’t looked that good then.

‘It is done,’ he croaked in a hoarse and wavering voice. ‘She has no powers left.’

‘Well done!’ said Roderick.

‘Done. Yes.’

‘We’ll get you warm,’ said Sonya. ‘Some soup.’

‘You’ll be strong again in no time,’ said Ruby.

‘No,’ he said, with great certainty. ‘I will not.’

‘Of course you will!’ said Ruby.

‘Do not argue.’ Each word, each breath, was an effort. ‘It took all my power.’

‘Don’t talk. Save your strength,’ said Sonya.

‘For what? I am dying.’

There was a shocked silence. Roderick sensed it was true. Perhaps the others did too, because this time there was no argument.

‘You knew this would happen, didn’t you?’ he said.

Banfor smiled weakly. ‘Do you remember . . . how shocked Emily looked when she saw me . . . for the first time at the palace?’ he asked.

Roderick nodded.

‘Do you . . . know why?’

Roderick shook his head.

‘How old am I?’ he wheezed.

Roderick had always thought of him as an old man. Now he looked like a husk, a container with the life sucked out. He shook his head.

Banfor heaved a breath. ‘I am thirty-nine. Two years younger than the Queen.’

Roderick tried to hide his own shock. Banfor looked double that age.

‘The misuse of my powers aged me . . . and not just on the outside. They sucked the life out of me. The reason I stayed . . . in the mountains . . . for so many years was not just because I was scared to return to the world . . . it was also because there was no love of life left in me. All the good things had been burnt away. I was . . . dead inside. So I hid away . . . and wasted my life. That is what these . . . exciting powers can do, Roderick. Remember that.’

‘But the Queen. Why does she not look old?’

‘She has used . . . her powers to keep herself looking young. But on the inside she is like me. Over the next few days, you will see her age . . .’

Sonya took his hand. ‘You are wrong,’ she said gently. ‘All the good things in you have not been burnt up. You cared enough for me to leave the mountains, you saved us from the Queen in the battle and now you have sacrificed yourself to make us safe from her.’

A smile struggled onto Banfor’s face. ‘For so long I was too afraid of my own weakness to re-enter the world . . . and over the last few weeks Emily . . . has tempted me in every possible way . . . to turn back down the dark road. Today she did the same. Together, she said, we could rule the world. Perhaps we could have. But I am glad we will not.’

He took a deep breath. ‘I have finally acted the way I should have . . . the first time I left the mountains. For the last fifteen years I have existed, but I have not lived. But in these last few days I have discovered what life can be . . . what it should be.’

He squeezed Ruby’s hand. ‘Goodbye, courageous girl. Do well, and keep fighting for what you believe in.’

He beckoned Chester in. The bear knelt beside him, eyes glistening. ‘Goodbye, big, strong bear. My oldest friend and, for many years, my only one. I know the world can be confusing, but you will always find a way.’

He motioned to Roderick and Sonya and they each took one of his hands. He pulled them in and hugged hard. ‘That is what I have waited too many years to do . . . I did not think it would ever happen. Sonya, never feel guilty that I had to leave the mountains. It was the best thing I have ever done . . . Be happy and live well.’

He turned to Roderick and stared into him. ‘How did it feel to sit atop Grynaldeen in the sky controlling her? Did it feel good?’

Roderick thought back. ‘Yes. It was amazing.’

Banfor gripped Roderick’s wrist tightly and his eyes blazed. ‘Beware that feeling! It is poison! Power takes more than it gives. Promise me you will use your powers properly. And seldom.’ He squeezed tighter. ‘Promise!’

‘I . . . I promise,’ stammered Roderick.

Banfor relaxed his grip and spoke softly and warmly. ‘You have done much good, Roderick. You stopped a war, and saved many lives . . . No one expected that of you, not even yourself . . . You have overcome much. Especially your own fear. It need never rule you again . . . Be strong, and do not be afraid to ask for help.’ He heaved another breath. His eyes were dull. He grasped Roderick and Sonya’s hands. ‘Goodbye . . . my children.’

‘Goodbye . . . Father,’ said Roderick. He tasted the word. It felt odd, but not wrong.

Sonya squeezed his hand. ‘Goodbye, Father.’

Banfor’s final words were just a whisper. ‘I will miss the fishing . . . I liked fishing . . . Take care of Chester.’ His eyes fell shut and Roderick felt a great current of power surge from Banfor’s hand into his own. Then nothing.

His father was dead.

CHAPTER 28

BY THE STRIVER AGAIN

After the death of Banfor, Roderick sent Grynaldeen home. He tried to let her know how important her contribution had been, but it had probably got lost in the translation. In any event, the cockroach looked extremely relieved to leave.

Roderick, Sonya and Ruby decided to return Banfor’s ashes to his home, the Circle of Mountains. Sonya wanted to see the place where her father had lived, and of course it was Chester’s home, although the bear was uncertain where he was going to live now that Banfor was gone.

First, however, Roderick and Sonya had to visit Gwenda. They travelled with the Baronian army back from the Nareean border towards Palandan. Drayshus had taken control, and the Queen was respectfully, but heavily, guarded. At first she tried to persuade the guards who surrounded her that she was the victim of a terrible injustice, but it had no effect as Drayshus had ordered them all to wear earplugs made from dried tree sap.

As far as Roderick could tell, the Queen’s powers were completely gone and, as Banfor had predicted, she was aging before their eyes. The change was extraordinary. Within a day and a half she had become an old woman.

On the second morning of the ride Roderick saw Fromley tentatively position his horse beside Sonya’s. At first he spoke staring at the ground, but later on they were still riding next to each other, and he even made her smile once or twice.

Shortly after, to Roderick’s great delight, Fruitcake trotted out of the woods. He had made it back from the Circle of Mountains! Roderick fed and watered him happily, and rode him the rest of the way.

They reached the turn-off to Indinwick on the afternoon of the second day. Roderick knew Drayshus was eager to get back to Palandan, so it came as a surprise when he called a halt and ordered camp to be set up. He then asked Roderick to walk with him.

They followed a small stream through the woods. Eventually Drayshus spoke solemnly and, for the first time, with some deference. ‘Sir Roderick, you are the Queen’s son.’

‘It seems so, yes.’

‘And so you are next in line to the throne.’

‘Wait. Shouldn’t it be Sonya?’ Roderick asked. ‘She’s the Queen’s daughter, and she’s older than me.’

‘It is the law that sons inherit before daughters.’

‘Isn’t that unfair?’

Drayshus spread his hands. ‘It is the law. Roderick, despite the doubts of many, you have proven yourself a worthy knight. Without you we would now be at war. If the accusations against our Queen are proved at her trial – and I have no doubt that they will be – then part of her punishment will, of course, be her removal from the throne.’

Roderick could guess what was coming next.

‘Which means that you will be the next King of Baronia.’

Even though he knew it was coming, it still made his head spin.

Him – king? It was bizarre. Scary. And just a little bit exciting.

‘Ahh,’ he said eventually. Was that a good response?

‘It is a big job,’ said Drayshus.

No kidding, thought Roderick. Just like the Earth is a big rock and Grynaldeen is a big bug.

‘Do I have a choice?’

‘Yes, you may decline – in which case your sister would be next in line.’

‘Uh-huh,’ Roderick responded uncertainly.

‘You need time to think, I take it?’

Roderick nodded.

‘The Queen will be tried as soon as we return to Palandan. It should be over in two weeks. That is when we shall need an answer.’

‘Do you think I could do it?’

Drayshus studied him. ‘With respect, Sir Roderick, a month ago my answer would have been no. But since then you have done things that I would never have believed you capable of. If you decide to take on this challenge, be assured that I will, if you wish, be at your side to offer all the support and assistance that it is in my power to give.’

He extended his hand, and Roderick shook it warmly.

The next morning they said their farewells. Drayshus led the army back to Palandan, and Ruby, Sonya, Chester and Roderick travelled to the farm. While Ruby took Chester for a walk, Gwenda, Roderick and Sonya talked. Gwenda confirmed much of Banfor’s tale, and added a detail of her own.

‘I never knew who your real mother was,’ she said. ‘Larn would never tell me. Now I understand why. And he insisted that we never tell you that we weren’t your real parents.’

Sonya drummed her fingers on the table. ‘Well, I promise you that I’m never going to refer to that horrible woman as Mother.’

‘Yes,’ added Roderick. ‘When Sonya or I are naughty, you’re the only one who’ll ever have the right to send us to bed without dessert.’

Gwenda laughed, a relief to everyone after all the intense revelations.

They stayed for a week, walking, sitting by the fire and playing card games. Roderick, for the first time since he had become a knight, was able to tend his beloved herb garden. When it was time to go Roderick did so in the knowledge that he would be back soon, and that the place where he grew up still felt like home.

Roderick, Ruby and Sonya travelled north on horseback, with Chester striding along beside them. Ruby trotted ahead with him at one point, allowing Roderick to broach the subject of Fromley with Sonya.

‘How did his apology go?’

‘Best one I’ve ever had.’

‘So did you forgive him?’

‘Maybe,’ she said, smiling. ‘But I might let him beg a bit more before I do completely.’

There was something about the way she said this. ‘But surely you can’t like him. I mean, he kidnapped you.’

‘But in a very charming way. We had a great time for weeks. It was just the last few minutes that were unpleasant.’

‘You mean the bit where he delivered you into the hands of paid thugs so they could hold you prisoner. That bit?’

‘Well, as I said, he apologised for that and anyway he was just . . .’

‘Following orders. Yes, I know all about that.’

‘You’ve done that a few times yourself, haven’t you, Roderick?’ chimed in Ruby, who had drifted back to them.

‘Hey, this is a family argument, thank you.’

Roderick was glad to see that Ruby and Sonya were quickly becoming friends. They had long discussions about the future of CAKE and Sonya’s continuing involvement in it.

Ruby had spoken with both King Melane and Sir Drayshus before they had departed, and they had both agreed to meet with her again to discuss CAKE’s proposals for change.

King Melane had also agreed to find out who was responsible for the arrest and subsequent death of Ruby’s mother. Ruby had believed him when he had said he did not know about it. After all, Ruby figured, it would be hard to be king. There would be so much to do, so many things to think about.

Roderick was thinking the same thing. While Ruby had no doubt about her future course, he was wrestling with the biggest decision of his life. As they travelled back towards the Circle of Mountains, he often allowed himself to fall behind the others to try to think it through. It was almost impossible to believe. All he had to do was say yes and he would be the King of Baronia, in charge of the whole kingdom, including all the knights who, up until recently, had thought he was a hopeless joke. He allowed himself a smile at the thought of Sir Shamus bowing and swearing allegiance to him. Of course, becoming King would be daunting and terrifying, but wouldn’t it also be exciting? And he had his powers to help him. With some practice, he would be able to tell what people were thinking, and that would help.

He stopped, remembering Banfor’s words. Power takes more than it gives.

If he became King would he, too, become hooked on power? Would it corrupt him, as it had his real parents? As King, surely every day there would be opportunities to use, and to misuse, his powers. It would start with him ‘persuading’ people to do the right thing, but where would it end? In a few years would it be him manipulating events to create a war to satisfy his own craving for power?

The alternative was to return to the farm. He had been content there before. In fact, he had never wanted to leave. But after all that had happened, could he be content there again? And if he did live out his time there, refusing to use his powers because of his fear of being lured into temptation, might he not end up like Banfor, feeling that he had wasted his life?

He wished his father was around to ask for advice. Either of them!

As they rode north he discussed his dilemma with Ruby and Sonya. Ruby was excited by the idea of him becoming King. ‘Think of all the changes you could make,’ she said. ‘You could make life so much better for people.’

He wondered what further role, if any, Ruby would play in his life. They had each saved the other more than once in the past few weeks, and their fates had seemed inter-twined, but would they now drift off to separate lives?

Sonya was less inclined to give him advice and deflected his requests for it. ‘You have to decide. Do what you think is best.’

And now two girls, one boy and a bear stood by the river, contemplating the loss of the man who had changed all their lives. The boy held a wooden cylinder. He was fourteen years old and, like his sister beside him, had already lost two fathers.

His sister looked across the river to the far bank. Beyond it were trees and, behind them, a vast ring of mountains rose to the clouds.

‘No wonder he didn’t want to leave. It’s beautiful,’ said Sonya.

‘But less so now,’ remarked the bear sadly. It was the shortest sentence anyone could remember him saying.

Roderick unscrewed the lid of the cylinder and handed it to Chester. ‘You knew him longest,’ he said.

‘But you were his family,’ said the bear, pushing it back, ‘and his species.’

‘You were more family to him than we were,’ said Sonya.

‘All right,’ said Chester, ‘which actually means “perhaps”. Of course “all right” doesn’t really mean “perhaps”, but what I really mean is “perhaps”.’

He held the cylinder out over the river and gently tipped it forward. Banfor’s ashes fell into the water. Fish investigated the disturbance. The ashes floated for a while and then slowly sank, dispersed and disappeared, becoming nothing and part of everything else.

‘This place is a place that has always been my home,’ said Chester. ‘But I think I am realising that the main reason it was a place that was my home was because it was the place where my great friend Mister Banfor lived. And now my friend Mister Banfor has finished all his living.’ He stared into the water, blinking. ‘I think that means that this place is not as much like a home as it used to be. Perhaps now my home is not in this place, but . . .’ he paused, looking shyly about, ‘. . . with the people who I have started to think of as my new friends.’

Ruby have him a hug. ‘Of course it is, Chester. We’ve been hoping you would say that the whole trip.’

Sonya nodded and squeezed his paw as Roderick patted him on the back.

And Chester beamed.

Roderick looked up at the mountains and beyond to the sky and sucked in a deep breath of crisp, clean air. He understood why Banfor had loved this place so much, and why, after his chaotic time in the world outside, he had been able to find peace here.

Suddenly Roderick knew what he must do. Taking the kingship would be fraught with difficulties, especially if he tried to implement some of the changes Ruby wanted, and he was not sure if he would be strong enough to resist the temptation to use – and perhaps misuse – his powers. But he also knew with absolute certainty that he had to try, because if he didn’t, he would spend the rest of his life wondering whether he could have risen to the challenge. He realised that there was something worse than failure, and that was being too scared to make the attempt.

He thought of Banfor, his father. He had spent fifteen years hiding from the outside world.

For the last fifteen years I have existed, but I have not lived.

He would not make the same mistake. He had had a taste of a life of adventure; it could be terrifying, dangerous and difficult, but it was a life lived to the full. And unlike Banfor, he would have help; from Drayshus, Ruby, Sonya, and from a big furry bodyguard.

A fragment of a conversation he had had with Banfor came back to him.

‘But I get scared.’

‘Then, Roderick, you have a great opportunity. For it is only those who feel fear who have the chance to be brave.’

It was time for him to stop doubting himself. He would take the kingship and do his best.

He turned to his friends. ‘Chester. Ruby. Sonya. I’ve made a decision, but I’m going to need your help.’

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

When you write a story you fuss endlessly over all the words to try to make sure that they are the right ones and that they are in the right order, and so by the time you eventually let the story out for other people to look at, you think you’ve got it pretty much as good as you can get it. So a great debt of thanks to the fine folk at Pan Macmillan for all their sensible and clever suggestions that have made this story much, much better. I particularly appreciate how they managed to make those suggestions in such a nice way that I never once felt like sulking.

In particular, thanks to Claire Craig for her enthusiasm, skill and great judgement. Also, Jo Lyons did a fantastic job editing and made lots of very helpful suggestions, and thanks to Libby Turner for all her fine work.

Thanks to Sam Bowring for pointing me in the right direction.

Huge thanks to the first readers: Bibi, Nina, Lily and Lucy for their excellent suggestions, for their enthusiasm and encouragement and for adding sparkle to everything, every day.

Thanks to my parents for encouraging my love of reading and for instilling in me the idea that if I wanted to do something, then I’d better give it a crack.

Finally, a big thank you to fear. Yes it is unpleasant and horrible but many good things come from staring it down. Writing a longish story is hard and you need something to keep you going. For me it was fear – the fear that if I didn’t write one, I would regret it.

About James O’Loghlin

James O’Loghlin is the host of Sunday Evenings on ABC Local Radio. From 2004 to 2011 he hosted The New Inventors on ABC TV, and from 2002 to 2006 he hosted The Evening Show on ABC Local Radio. He has hosted and appeared on many other television and radio shows.

James began performing stand-up comedy in 1990 and for most of the 1990s managed to combine a successful comedy career with a day job as a criminal lawyer.

He has written several other books, including one children’s story, Andy’s Secret Weapon.

First published 2014 in Pan by Pan Macmillan Australia Pty Limited

1 Market Street, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 2000

Copyright © James O’Loghlin 2104

The moral right of the author has been asserted.

All rights reserved. This publication (or any part of it) may not be reproduced or transmitted, copied, stored, distributed or otherwise made available by any person or entity (including Google, Amazon or similar organisations), in any form (electronic, digital, optical, mechanical) or by any means (photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise) without prior written permission from the publisher.

This ebook may not include illustrations and/or photographs that may have been in the print edition.

Cataloguing-in-Publication entry is available

from the National Library of Australia

http://catalogue.nla.gov.au

EPUB format: 9781743517987

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Cover design by i2i Design

Cover illustration: Nigel Buchanan

The characters in this book are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

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