Twelve-year-old Carmen has a secret: she can talk to her cat Grim. But the powerful Brotherhood has banned pets, and the penalty is death.
Ward is the most wanted boy in the world. The only thing standing between him and the hangman's noose is maste...
Though it lay at the city's heart, people avoided Flag Wood. It was wild and strange, with impenetrable thickets, and tracks that wound about and came to dead ends, and holes where the ground had subsided into ancient stairwells, and clearings littered with half-buried masonry. Bareheepians had learned to be fearful of olden things; to be seen in Flag Wood was suspicious in and of itself. So it was a quiet place. On a Saturnday there was only the sound of birds, and the rustling of leaves, and the muted roar from the nearby market.
"Did they actually say they were coming?" Mildew said from atop a lintel, where she sat, absently examining a graze on one bare dirty knee.
"Not exactly," Ward said as he paced about below.
"Prolly jerking your chain."
"Nobody's making you stay."
Mildew was about to retort, but then a boy's voice drifted through the trees.
"Leif doesn't like this place. I don't either."
"Harden up Rupe. Leif's no baby."
A girl, a boy, and a fel emerged into the clearing.
"Hi," Ward said.
"Hi," Slops said.
Mildew and Carmen said nothing.
"Who's Leif?" Ward said.
"Oh," said Slops, and began to forage in his sweater. This struck Ward as odd, but then the boy's hand emerged with a straw-coloured thing with a pink nose.
"Oh, it's a gerbil," Mildew said.
"He's a gillywig," Slops said. He seemed at a loss for words then, and busied himself with putting Leif back in his sweater instead.
"We didn't think you were coming," Ward said.
"Got held up," Carmen said. "My Aunt and Uncle were coming over, so we had to bring Grim and Leif with us – well we had to find them first." She sat down on a piece of masonry and crossed her arms. "Okay. We're here."
"Oh," Ward said. He glanced at Mildew, who was gazing off into the trees, then at Slops, who was looking expectantly at him. He'd figured Mildew would be the one to take charge.
"Well I suppose I asked you here because – um, I'm looking for something."
"I see," Carmen said slowly.
Ward glanced at Mildew again, but she didn't seem likely to take over. He turned back to Carmen and Slops. "The Oliphant," he said.
Carmen's eyes widened.
"You've heard of it?" Ward said.
"It's the horn that wakes the Sleepers," Slops said. "It's a myth used to subjugate the masses."
Carmen paid no attention to Slops. Perhaps he said things like this all the time. "I thought you were looking for avory?"
"It's made out of avory," Ward said. "I mean, it might be."
"Oh."
"The Kidsman tole you to find it," Mildew said, finally. "He tole me to help you. That's all I need to know."
"Slops?" Ward said.
"Oh – um. Carmen, what do you reckon?"
"I wasn't asking her."
"Oh gee. I don't know. Should we Leif?"
Now he's asking the gillywig, Ward thought. "Slops, I'm asking you."
"Well I – do you think it might be true? Cos my mere and pere'd -" He glanced nervously away to the east, as if his parents might hear him. "But what if I'm wrong? I'm wrong about lots of stuff. Oh gee."
Ward crossed his arms.
"O-okay," Slops said.
"Carmen?" Ward said.
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