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...
They had wasted valuable time at Killing Field, arguing over who should take the Oliphant. Ward had been adamant that it should be Slops. Who better? But Slops had been uncharacteristically resistant.
"What about the prophecy?" he said, glancing down at Ward's foot.
"I don't care about the stupid prophecy. I'm sick of hearing about it."
"But if it's true?"
Ward had turned to Carmen for help, but she had looked away. Mildew shrugged. Nick watched on silently, a slight smile creasing the corners of his mouth, as if Ward and Slops were actors in a comedy he had paid to see.
Ward turned back to Slops. "But you already know how to play it."
"Not really."
"Oh come on."
"I don't know how to read that." He pointed at the parchment in Ward's hand. Ward had tried to thrust both it and the Oliphant at Slops, but the boy had taken neither, clasping his hands tightly behind his back.
"Are you scared?" Ward said.
Slops's face turned crimson. "Are you?"
Ward fell silent. Then he stuffed the Oliphant and parchment in his pocket, turned, and marched off across the field. He didn't look back. When he reached the concealed entrance to the underground he looked back and saw Mildew and Nick clambering through the waste. Slops and Carmen were gone.
Once back underground Nick took the lead. Ward and Mildew could barely keep up with his deceptively long gait. After ten minutes he stopped at a fork in the tunnel and turned to them. "I have business elsewhere."
"You're really not going to help them, are you?"Ward said.
"I made no promise." He avoided Ward's eyes. "Good luck," he said. Then he whipped around and disappeared into the gloom.
Ward swore. Mildew gazed into the darkness where Nick had gone, a desolate look on her face.
"Come on," Ward said, moving up the other tunnel. "I still have to work out how to play this stupid thing."
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