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...
Carmen and Slops looked at each other. Slops shrugged. Carmen had hoped Slops would do the talking for them both, but she should have known better. So she turned to Old Abe and said, "They won't let me keep Grim."
"Who is they?"
"My mere and... my mere."
"She wants to get rid of him?"
Carmen felt her face go hot. "Well she doesn't want to. She just thinks she has to."
"I see," Old Abe said. "And why would she think she has to do this?"
"It's the Brotherhood. They've got a new law – got to register all animals. You can't have pets anymore. Only working animals."
"The Brotherhood is powerful. Perhaps your mere's concerns are justified?"
"But he's my best friend. And I can't let him go in the wild. He'd die."
"He might," Old Abe said to the fire, as if it were more interesting than what Carmen had to say. "So. What are you going to do about it?"
This was not at all how Carmen had imagined the conversation would go. No, it had been a mistake coming here. Slops had overestimated the old man. She began to wonder whether he could be trusted after all. She had already told him far too much.
"I'm going," she said, standing up, Grim in her arms. "Come on Slops."
"But -"
"I'm leaving, with or without you." She crossed the room. As she put her hand on the door handle someone spoke.
(don't be a fool)
She knew it wasn't Grim – his thoughts felt a particular way. She looked over her shoulder at the old man, but he was still gazing into the fire. His archon, however, was watching her closely.
(can I trust him?)
The archon preened its feathers and ignored her.
"Sir?"
"You can call me Corvus." He turned to her and smiled for the first time.
"Mr. Corvus. Um. Could you take care of Grim? Until – well for a bit – until this, um, blows over?"
"I'd be honoured."
"He's a good fel," Slops put in. "He won't be any trouble."
"I can see that," Corvus said. "There's just one problem. I'm leaving. I would take Grim with me, but I'm going by ship, and I don't know if he would like it."
"No he wouldn't," Carmen said.
"However, it's only for a couple of weeks," Corvus said. "I rather think he will be okay here until I get back. There are many mice in this building – too many. Is he a good mouser?"
"Oh yes," Carmen said. "I think he'd like that." She looked down at Grim, and felt something tug at her heart.
"I'll leave plenty of water out for him," Corvus said. Then he clapped his hands. "Well, that's settled. It will be dark soon. Your parents will be worried."
"Not mine," Slops said proudly.
"In any case, Bareheep is no place to be wandering around after dark."
At the door Carmen found that she couldn't bear to part with Grim.
(I promise I'll come back)
He purred and rubbed his whiskers against her neck. She put him down on the floor and he looked up at her. He seemed suddenly very small.
(don't cry)
came his thought, but it was no use.
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