“It does not matter, Siptah,” said Alara. “I am still scared.”
“Purr-princess, your father has spent many years purr-preparing you for the throne.”
Alara shrugged. “I know what needs to be done, but I fear I am unable to rule the purr-people.”
Siptah turned to look at her, but lowered his eyes quickly. “You? Scared?” He shook his head. “I never thought that of you.”
“Why? I am flesh and blood, just like you, just like everyone.”
“I suppose. You always seem so confident.”
Alara laughed. “That is purr-part of the training.”
Kate climbed to her feet and joined them. She ached all over, but it was her throat that needed attending to first.
“Ah, you are awake,” said Alara.
Kate smiled and reached for the leather pouch filled with water. “Did I sleep long?”
“Not long,” replied Alara. “An hour at most.”
Kate allowed several mouthfuls of water to wash away the dust, then lowered the leather skin and sat down. “Thank you for saving me. I don’t think I could have held on for much longer.”
Alara rose to her feet. “I am glad it is over. Excuse me.”
Kate watched the princess walk away. Alara was the future queen of Miu and for the first time Kate saw Alara in a different light.
“She is too young to be a queen,” Kate said to Siptah.
“She will have a regent until she comes of age.”
“How old is that?”
“Thirteen.”
Kate stared in silence at the corner where Alara had disappeared around. Thirteen! Kate knew she wouldn’t be ready to rule a land when she turned thirteen in a few months. No wonder Alara was scared.
“Why did you run from me, Kate?” asked Siptah.
She felt her face grow hot. Her fingers played with the cord hanging from the water pouch.
“I ...” she shrugged, “I was embarrassed.”
“Why?”
This time she wouldn’t run away. Not after what happened last time. This time she would face the issue head on, but she found she could not look him in the face.
“Because, as a kitten, I told you all my secrets ... I never thought anything of it, at the time, but ... if I’d known you were really a boy, I wouldn’t have shared as much.”
Silence.
She had shared her inner most feelings and thoughts, things she had never said to another person before. She wanted to look at him, but if she found him smiling, she didn’t know what she would do. Curiosity got the better of her. She looked up.
Siptah looked devastated. He stared at the pack in his crossed legs. Then their eyes met.
“I am sorry. Alara told me to stay away from the family. Not to get attached. But you must understand that as kittens, we could not help but act as kittens do. I knew I should be detached. Alara was always warning me, but she found it so much easier than I did. I think that was because of her training. I wanted to purr-play, chase things, hunt, and be purr-patted. Just like a normal kitten.”
Another silence.
“I truly am sorry,” he whispered.
To Kate’s relief, Alara returned. The princess looked at them strangely, then bent and picked up her pack. “We should be going now that we have had a sleep.”
“Yes. Emma will be scared,” replied Kate, gathering her things and climbing to her feet. “We have to help her. Which way do we go?”
Siptah adjusted the axe on his back then pushed two fingers into a small pocket at his waist. “I found this,” he said, holding up an ornament of a purple cat with gold eyes.
“Oh!”
Alara’s gasp made Kate’s heart beat faster. “What is it?” Kate asked Siptah.
“It is the protector of the Antechamber.”
“I don’t understand,” said Kate.
“Min has left us a clue,” said Siptah. “He has taken Emma to the Antechamber.”
“But why?” asked Alara. “Why would he risk letting me get so close to claiming the throne? It makes no sense.”
“The door from the Antechamber to the Court has been barred for years. There is no access that way so he must have something planned.”
“What?”
Siptah shrugged. “I do not know, but it will be dangerous. Of that, I am sure.”
Chapter Ten
“Is it far?” Tired, Kate’s mind filled with terrifying images of Emma being held captive. Would Min harm Emma? Anger swept through Kate. Emma was just a little girl. She couldn’t defend herself. A moment later Kate’s anger melted and fear filled her belly. Min was horrible and shrewd. Could Alara and Jasper beat him?
“Far enough,” replied Alara, who walked a few paces ahead of Kate.
Kate lowered her head and pushed her doubts away. Alara and Siptah had tried to warn Kate to be cautious, and she had already learned how badly things could go when she rushed into things. For Emma’s sake, they had to think before they took action. Kate looked deep inside herself for some confidence and determination.
“We will be there in an hour or so,” added Siptah.
Kate glanced over her shoulder, at Siptah, walking quietly behind her. In a sense she felt trapped, but that was her mind running away with her again. Siptah was right, she had to stop thinking about what had happened in the past and move on, look ahead. She had to stop dwelling and start planning.
“There are only five of them,” she said aloud. “We can handle that.” If only she could make herself believe her own words.
“We do not know how many more will be waiting in the Antechamber,” said Siptah. “Besides, they have a wizling remember.”
Kate didn’t want to hear things like that, but Siptah was right again. It was better to be prepared. She sighed.
“I need a weapon.”
“No you do not,” said Alara. The princess stopped and turned to look at Kate. “You will not enter the Antechamber. It is too dangerous. Siptah and I will rescue Emma. You will wait in the tunnel.”
“I’ll do no such thing!”
The two girls glared at each other.
“Emma is my sister, and I will not sit back and watch. I can help.”
“How?”
Kate swallowed and looked down at the ground between their feet. “I don’t know, but I’m helping you get Emma out of there.”
Siptah stepped up behind her. She felt his presence before she felt his hand on her shoulder. “We will assess the situation when we arrive at the Antechamber. You will help if that gives us the advantage.”
Kate felt the warmth rising up her neck to settle in her cheeks. Neither of them believed she would be useful. She clenched her fists tightly, her fingernails biting into her palms, but she said nothing.
They continued walking. A short time later they stopped to rest.
“I have seen that scowl on your face before,” said Siptah.
Kate remained silent.
“When Joe talks to you, you look like that,” Siptah added. “Angry. Defiant. What did he do to make you hate him?”
Kate looked up. “Hate him?”
Siptah nodded. “I saw the hate every day. He must have done something terrible. What was it?”
Kate stared at the strips of meat in her hand. Did she hate Joe? She thought she did, but why? What had he done apart from marry her mother? There must be another reason she disliked him so much. There had to be.
“Kate?”
She shrugged. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Why? Was it that bad?”
No.
“Or is it because he is not your real father, and you resent him for that?”
Silence.
“Joe is a good man. I think you are too hard on him,” added Alara.
Kate felt a lump form in her throat. “I told you, I don’t want to talk about it.”
She climbed to her feet and walked away. “I’ll be back in a minute.”
“Where are you going?” asked Sipt
ah.
“Oh, you know ...” Kate lowered her voice and squeezed her knees together. “I need to ... go.”
Siptah grinned and nodded.
Kate hurried along the tunnel and around the first bend. Out of sight of her companions, she stopped and sank to the ground. Propping the torch up beside her, she dropped her face into her hands and tried to push the anger away. She couldn’t. It was too hard. Did she really hate Joe? Was she being deliberately mean to him? Her mother’s smiling face popped up in her mind. Her mum was happy and Joe was the reason. He showered her with love and affection. He did the same with Emma, and the only reason he didn’t do it with Kate was because she wouldn’t allow him to.
“Kate? Are you all right?” Alara called from the resting place.
“Yes.” Kate got up and dusted herself off. “I’m on my way back now.”
As she approached them, she forced a smile. “Ah, that’s better. Are we ready to go?”
Alara nodded and led the way.
Soon clean air filled Kate’s nostrils and a soft breeze whipped at her hair. “Where’s that coming from?”
“You will see,” replied Alara.
“Yes, you are in for a treat,” added Siptah.
Moments later, they left the tunnels and walked into something that made Kate stop and catch her breath. Moonlight shone through an enormous opening in the cavern roof. Twinkling stars announced a mild night. The hoot of an owl sent something scurrying away into the shadows.
“Where are we? This is beautiful.” Kate sighed with wonder.
“We are standing in the basin of a volcano,” said Siptah.
“What!” Kate turned to look at him. “No way.”
A huge grin spread across his face. He nodded and his eyes sparkled.
“It is true,” said Alara. “The volcano is extinct, of course, and has been for thousands of years so you do not have to worry about an eruption. Did you not realise that we have been travelling through lava tunnels?”
Kate was speechless. She shook her head.
Alara smiled. “Not all of them, just the more recent tunnels.”
They stood in silence for a moment inspecting the scene before them. Rectangular shaped buildings, up to four stories high, stood crowded together. The small cut out windows and skinny entrances held no glass or doors. Wooden ladders thrown against the sides of the buildings lead to flat rooves, many overgrown with foliage. Originally made with stone blocks and smeared with something thick that resembled cement, Kate noticed that with time the outer casing was slowly eroding away leaving an untidy, mottled effect.
“This is incredible.”
“This place was once a thriving community called Pueblos. Our ancestors used to live here before we moved to Manu,” said Alara as she walked around a circular object on the ground in front of them. “This is a kiva.”
Kate followed Alara. The light from the torches, and the moon, enabled her to see the opening in the middle. She laughed. “It looks like an upside down saucer.”
Siptah grinned. “That hole is the door. To get into the room, you would have to use a ladder. There are several of these rooms around the basin. We are told they were used for religious ceremonies.”
They moved up four narrow steps and onto the next level.
“How long has it been here?” asked Kate.
“A thousand years or more,” said Alara.
A worn path took them through the maze of buildings. Kate was tempted to go inside and look around one of them, but knew that this was not the time.
Kate spotted another kiva and behind it stood a life-sized stone statue with beady eyes.
“We believe that is the founder of Peublos,” said Siptah, as if he could read her mind.
Kate smiled. “Why is the place empty?”
“A sickness took many lives. The survivors moved away from the basin and started afresh elsewhere. Scrolls from that time are still—” Alara stopped abruptly.
“Purr-princess?” Siptah rushed forward. He stared into the shadows, searching for intruders. “What is wrong?”
The light danced in the tears that welled in Alara’s eyes. “I was going to say the scrolls are still in my father’s purr-possession, but I suppose they are in my care now. If I claim the throne in time, that is.”
Silence.
“I’m so sorry, Alara,” said Kate, placing one arm around the princess’s shoulder and hugging her.
“Thank you,” said Alara. She pushed her hands over her tear streaked cheeks. “Come. We must stop dawdling. We have allowed ourselves to become distracted.”
With that, their pace quickened and the idle chatter stopped. Minutes later they reached the opposite side of the basin. Kate turned to take a final look at Pueblos before stepping into another tunnel.
***
“We must leave the torches here,” whispered Siptah, propping his torch against the tunnel wall. “The Antechamber is not far.”
“Won’t they be expecting us?” asked Kate, placing her torch beside Siptah’s. “If they are smart, they will have the tunnel guarded.”
“That is true,” replied Alara, “but we are not in the tunnel they will be guarding.”
“What do you mean?”
“We took longer to get here because we have come a different way.” Siptah grinned. “We will be able to observe them and make a plan.”
Alara nodded. “Surprise is on our side.”
Leaving their packs with the torches, the companions crept along the tunnel. Kate saw the light from the cavern before they reached the bend. When they edged their way around the bend, Kate dropped to her knees as the flickering light reached them.
“Shh!” Siptah held one finger to his lips and motioned that she should stand up.
Kate stood and realised that although she heard voices, no Miuans could be seen. She followed Siptah and Alara to the edge of the tunnel, suddenly aware that the noises she heard were not level with them, they were below them. They stood in a concealed tunnel entrance high above the cavern floor.
Siptah touched his lips with his finger again, indicating that they should say nothing. Alara gestured to Siptah then moved away to peer over the edge of a high stone barrier. Siptah turned and looked in the other direction.
Kate stood quietly looking at the stone platform. It looked man-made ... Miuan made. Questions filled her mind. If the Miuans made this, why didn’t Min know it was here? If he did know of its existence, then maybe they were walking into a trap. If he didn’t, how would they get down to the cavern floor in order to rescue Emma? And ... if they were cats, why couldn’t Min smell them as they approached?
Kate gingerly walked across the small platform to stand between Alara and Siptah. The high barrier, made from natural rock and stone, prevented them from falling over the edge, and hid them from the people below.
Below, she saw Min pacing back and forth beside a huge stone Fire Well. He gazed intently at the ground.
The wizling stood quietly nearby, in his usual stance; the white bone held in front of him, his head tilted to one side.
Min stopped pacing and spun around to glare at the wizling. “Well, do you see them?”
The wizling lifted one hand.
“No! No!” Min threw something into the flames. Sparks flashed and shot up into the air before everything returned to normal. “How did you gain your robes? You are useless.”
“Let the boy work, Min,” a voice demanded. “You must learn to curb your impatience and let your wizard do his job.”
Kate strained to see the last speaker. A tall, heavy man walked into view wearing a long, black cape. A soft gasp escaped Alara’s lips. Siptah reached for his axe, but stopped before he actually removed it.
“He is no wizard,” said Min. “He is only a wizling and not a very good one at that.”
Siptah grabbed Kate’s arm and pulled her away from the barrier.
“He will be, if you allow him time,” said the stranger.
Siptah pushed Kate an
d Alara into the tunnel. They moved away from the cavern, and the voices, as quickly and as quietly as they could.
When they reached their belongings, Kate turned to Alara. “Who was that Miuan? You recognised him.”
“I should have known,” replied Alara.
“My father never trusted him,” interrupted Siptah.
Alara’s face softened and she gripped Siptah’s arm. “Your father is a good judge of character, Siptah. I did not want to believe it was purr-possible, but of course, it makes sense.”
“Who is he?” asked Kate again.
“He is Min’s father, my Uncle Hebeny,” replied Alara.
“And he is the one who murdered the king,” added Siptah.
Chapter Eleven
“You do not know that for sure, Siptah.”
“Yes, I do. Why do you insist on purr-protecting him?” Siptah glared at Alara.
Kate wrung her hands as her gaze shifted repeatedly between her two companions.
“He has always been nice to me,” replied Alara.
“Of course he has.” Siptah knelt down. “He knows you will tell him things if you trust him. He has been using you.”
For a moment, Kate thought Alara was going to say something nasty as the princess’s eyes narrowed, her jaw dropped open and her orange nose twitched. But Alara remained quiet. Her gaze fell to the ground at her feet. “I know you are right.”
Siptah looked up at her. “He and Min have been purr-plotting against you and your father the whole time. I know it.”
Alara nodded, but said nothing.
Siptah straightened up. “You two must stay here. I am going back to the cavern to find out what their purr-plan is.”
***
“Are you sure, Siptah?”
“Yes,” Siptah said to Alara. “They have been purr-plotting this for years. When you left it gave them the purr-perfect opportunity. The purr-people think you have abandoned them. Min and his father killed your father, and now they must kill you before you enter Manu and reach the court.”
Alara sat in silence.
Siptah looked at Kate. “You and Emma are not a concern to them. However, they will use you both to get to the purr-princess.”
“Use us?” Kate shifted her back to a more comfortable position.
Siptah nodded. “As bait.”
Silence. Kate stared at the rock wall, numb. This could mean that if she rescued Emma, they would be allowed to return home. But ... it might also mean that Min would kill them both if his need for them disappeared.