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...
Ward looked across the clearing to where Grim sat on a sunken plinth, cleaning behind his ears. He wondered what she meant.
It was the following day. They had agreed to meet in Flag Wood again. Slops was there already. Mildew was not.
"Just let me explain," Ward said again.
Carmen set her jaw and looked away into the wood.
He told her about seeing Wrinkler and Blanket in Xandra Wood. He said nothing about Lightfinger's parents.
He thought Carmen would jump to her uncle's defence, but her face blanched. "Ward, that's – that's bad."
"You don't trust him?"
"Trust him? My uncle is a very dangerous man."
"What're you talking about?" Slops said.
"Shut up," Carmen said, "I'm thinking." She paced about the clearing, rubbing the back of one hand with the fingers of the other.
Mildew emerged from the bushes. She must have caught the tail-end of their conversation, because she said. "About that. I arksed Nick."
"And?" Ward said.
"Flip wasn't peaching."
"So what was he doing?"
"Giving my uncle false information," Carmen murmured.
Mildew turned her hand into a gun, cocked it at Carmen, and winked. Ward felt a weight slide off his chest.
"I shoulda guessed," Mildew said. "Flip'd never flip. Kidsman knew all about it. Was his idea, after all." She stopped and looked around at them. "What about the Oliphant then? Nutted anything out?"
"We only just got here," Ward said.
Slops looked uncomfortable for some reason. But then, he often did.
Carmen didn't seem to be listening at all. Her attention was on a rock lying on the ground, which she was toying at absently with the toe of her shoe, her face slack with thought. Finally, she looked over at Slops. "Maybe it's time we showed them, Rupe."
Slops's face screwed up. "He asked me not to -"
"Well you showed me. So technically you've already broken your promise."
This had the effect, as far as Ward could tell, of confusing Slops. In his doubt he seemed to fall back on firm ground: obedience to his cousin. He removed his satchel and began to forage it around inside. His hand emerged with a brownish-white stick.
"Can I see it?" Mildew said.
Slops murmured something non-committal. Mildew, taking this as a yes, took the stick from him. She turned it about in her hands, running her eyes up and down it, from end to end. Then she put the end of it to her mouth and blew. A low, haunting note sounded through the wood. Ward shivered.
"Can I have it back now?" Slops said.
"Oh sure. Here."
"Who gave it to you?" Ward said.
Slops murmured something.
"Corvus," Carmen translated.
"Your Grandmere said it was David Nassar's," Ward said.
"Corvus's prolly ascended from him," Mildew said. "His great-great-great grandson or something."
"Or he stole it," Ward said.
"If it's so precious why would he give it to Slops?" Carmen said.
"Afraid of being found with it maybe," Ward said.
"His place is full of forbidden stuff," Carmen said. "What's one flute?" She paused. "I think we should ask him."
Slops's eyes filled with panic. "But then he'll know."
"That you broke your promise," Mildew said. "Gerbil-boy is right. And how do we know we can trust Old Abe anyway? Nar, there's only one person we can trust."
"Snapper could tell us -" Ward began.
"I wasn't talking about Snapper."
"We don't have to show it to anyone," Slops said. "I shouldn't've even showed you."
Mildew's voice softened. "Chances are it's just one of them fake Oliphants Snapper was banging on about, Slops. The Kidsman'll be able to tell us straight away."
"I'm scared," Slops said. "I don't think we should be messing around with – with this."
Deep down Ward felt the same. He would never have admitted it though. On the other hand, he was deeply curious about the flute.
"Ka-Carmen?" Slops said desperately.
"I don't know if I trust Corvus or Nick," she said. "On the other hand I don't think this is the Oliphant at all. And I -" she seemed to search around for the right words, "I'm not sure I like you getting so attached to it Rupe. Maybe we should take it to Nick and be done with it." She hurried on, "I mean, just to show to him."
Slops looked miserably at the ground. Then he suddenly jumped down from the plinth and tossed the flute to the ground. "Me and Leif're going home."
And with that he left.
"Slops!" Carmen cried, but he had already disappeared.
Mildew picked up the flute and turned to Carmen. "You gonna throw a tanty as well?"
Carmen didn't reply. She was still gazing off into the trees where Slops had vanished.
Ward said nothing. He'd decided he didn't like being a bully.
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I don't like being a bully either, so vote now and save me the trouble.
