The 7th Knight

8 THE WHISPERING WAYS

When they got back to the barracks later that day and everyone was changing for dinner, Kai decided to ask about Rat.

He sees things from the other worlds that we do not and so appears mad in our eyes, said Saladin.

Ha! replied Finn. He just got dropped on the head when he was a bearn!

A what? said Alex

A baby, ya dolt, said Finn throwing his surcoat at Alex.

Have you ever noticed, Kai said thoughtfully. That he appears and disappears without any explanation.

Geoffrey looked up. I thought it was just me. The other day he walked into that wardrobe and didnt come out. When I went to look, he shrugged, there was nothing.

Thats kraik talk! Alex threw Finns surcoat at Geoffrey.

I believe him, the same thing happened to me earlier, said Kai walking up to the wardrobe. Everyone stopped to listen this time. He just walked in here, he opened the wardrobe, and disappeared.

Once again, there was nothing strange about the wardrobe. It was a bit bigger than the others and the back wall was solid, the clothes were in the same place if a little messy. Kai found the symbol of the Welsh dragon again and ran his fingers over it. There seemed to be finger sized dents around the picture. His hand tingled when he pulled it away.

Whats that? Geoffrey pointed at the carving. That wasnt there before.

Maybe Rats taken to doing a bit of carving on the side, Alex suggested. A present for his bestest little friend Geoffrey, he teased ruffling Geoffreys hair.

Get off! Geoffrey shoved him away, then looked embarrassed at having been so bold. Kai smiled, it looked like Geoffrey might be finding his confidence.

The bell sounded and the boys were called for the evening meal. When they finally gathered at the long tables Alex started telling Karel about the carving. Karel just warned him that if Steward found any carvings on the furniture he might just use his knife and make a copy in the skin of the culprit. But Tara overheard and quickly turned to Kai.

What did it look like? When Kai explained she looked excited. Thats brilliant! I heard some of the 4th summer girls saying that if you found a dragon symbol in the castle that you had found the way to King Owens treasure.

What? chorused Kai and Abigail. Their grandfather had been called Owen.

You know, the last king, Owen of Conway. His treasure was never found, it is said to be hidden by kraik powered magic in a tomb guarded by krolloks and dirt sprites. Anyone who finds the carving finds the door.

It slowly dawned on Kai that King Owen and Granddad Owen were the same person. This meant that he had to completely redo his mental picture of the granddad he had heard about but never met. When his Dad had told him stories of Granddad Owens adventures in the Cavalry, he always just thought it was during the last war.

I found a carving once, James from Kestral Watch bounced into the conversation as he walked by. He was a small boy for his age, wiry but with a shock of fair hair and an infectious smile. I pushed and pushed until it moved. And then he paused for effect. I lost two rings for breaking the furniture. He laughed and moved down the table to sit with the other third-summer children.

When the meal started Abigail leaned over to him with a stern look. She paused between words to make sure he understood that this was an order: Dont. Mess about. With the carvings.

I thought you wanted to know about the prophecies. Kai thought about it for a moment. Couldnt that be GranddaI mean King Owens treasure? The prophecies?