The Land of Miu
Book 1 of The Land of Miu Series
Second Edition
Karen Lee Field
Kayelle Press, Australia
2nd Edition
First published in 2010 with the title “Cat’s Eyes”
Smashwords Edition 2011
This book is available in print at most online retailers.
Copyright Karen Lee Field 2010
All rights reserved. Except as provided by the Copyright Act 1968, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
Kayelle Press, Australia
Email: admin@kayellepress.com
Website: www.kayellepress.com
ISBN 978-0-9808642-4-3 (ebook.)
Cover design by DigitalDonna.com
Text design by Kayelle Press
Dedication
For Barry
A believer in magic
Chapter One
“Mummy, there’s a dragon sitting on our veranda,” called Emma from the front steps.
Sitting in a sunny alcove near the kitchen, twelve year old Kate Dawson rolled her eyes and looked up at her mother.
Jacqui Dawson continued to spread chocolate icing over the top of a freshly baked cake. Kate returned her gaze to the book in her lap, ignoring her half-sister’s outburst. She only managed to read a couple of words when her mother’s voice interrupted.
“Emma’s only five, Kate.”
Kate remained silent. The warmth of the sun through the window making her feel sleepy, she watched her mother sprinkle finely chopped almonds across the top of the cake. Their eyes met. She knew what was coming before her mother spoke.
“Please go and see what she’s talking about.”
Kate sighed and snapped the book shut. “Mum, do I have to? It will only be something stupid.”
Her mum raised an eyebrow. “Yes, you do.”
Kate wanted to slam the book onto the low table beside her and storm out, but she knew that reaction would only get her into trouble. Instead, she let the book slip into the crease of the soft cushions and walked out calmly.
Outside, Emma sat on the top step with one hand pressed over her mouth. The other hand clasped one of their two kittens, Jasper, tightly in her lap. Kate looked around and saw nothing to indicate a dragon was anywhere near. The shrubs were tall and green, not squashed into the dirt as would be expected if a dragon came to visit. The flowers smelt sweet, the opposite of what she suspected the odour of a dragon would be like. Kate wasn’t surprised by either of these things. She didn’t expect to find a dragon, just like she didn’t expect to see half the things her little sister claimed to see.
Kate stood with her hands on her hips. “Where’s the dragon, Emma?”
Emma bobbed up and down, obviously trying to be quiet. Jasper meowed as he tried to free himself from the little girl’s clutches. “Shh, you’ll scare it away.”
Kate wasn’t sure if Emma was talking to her or the cat.
Emma pointed at the rocks in the garden, a huge smile lighting up her face. “It’s right there, sunbaking.”
Taking a step closer, Kate squatted down in time to see the long, scaly tail of a tiny lizard disappear behind a rock.
“Oh, you scared it,” Emma said, a pout taking the place of the smile. Jasper leapt out of Emma’s arms and ran into the ferns to hide with his sister, Sophie.
Kate shook her head. “It’s only a lizard, Emma. Not a dragon.” Anger bubbled up inside her. When would Emma stop telling these stupid stories? “You shouldn’t make things up all the time. It’s annoying. I was trying to read.”
“What’s all the shouting about? What’s going on with my girls?” a deep voice called from the driveway.
“Daddy!”
Emma jumped onto the grass and ran into her father’s arms, while Kate sighed once again.
“Where’s my hug?” Joe Dawson picked Emma up and swung her around, making Emma scream with delight. She threw her arms around his neck and pressed her cheek hard against his. Their blond hair mingled, indistinguishable. Laughing, he walked up the steps and held his free hand out to Kate. “Do I get a hug from my big girl too?”
Oh, please!
Turning away, Kate rushed inside, grabbed her book and fled to the back yard.
Rectangular in shape, visitors always commented on the mysterious landscaping. No one could see the back fence from the house, even though the block wasn’t very big. Shrubs and flowers had been strategically placed to provide areas of privacy.
Kate crossed the grassed area where sheets flapped gently on the clothes line. She walked through a gap in the shrubs and sat on a bench overlooking a rock and flower garden. A wooden well took pride of place in the centre of the garden. The well was tiny, no bigger than a potted plant, but Joe had promised to build a large, brick well when he had time.
Kate stared at the array of flowers surrounding the well and sighed with contentment. This was one of her favourite spots. The other being her bedroom, which was the only place she could find solitude. She opened the book and read.
Ten minutes later, Kate’s mum appeared, carrying a basket of folded, clean washing. “Kate?”
“Yes?” Kate closed her book again.
Her mum put the basket down and sat beside her on the bench. “Your dad told me what happened when he got home from work. He’s worried about you.”
“He’s not my dad.”
“Kate!” They stared at each other for a moment. “Joe adopted you. He loves you and I won’t have you being disrespectful.”
Kate turned her gaze back to the colourful garden and remained silent.
“He tries so hard to include you, Kate, and to love you. I hate seeing you brush him aside like you do. And after all these years ... it isn’t fair.”
Kate allowed herself to be pulled into an embrace. “We both love you.” Her mother’s voice sounded croaky. Kate felt a lump come to her own throat. “We just want everyone to be happy.”
It had been such a long time since they had hugged each other. Kate buried her face into her mum’s neck, sweet perfume filling her nostrils, soft blond hair tickling her arms. For a moment, Kate almost believed it was possible to let the feelings she had go. The sound of footsteps, and the squeal of her half-sister, evaporated the moment.
Emma crawled up onto the bench between them, forcing mother and daughter apart.
“What’s up?” asked Emma, looking up into Kate’s face.
“Nothing.”
“Are you crying?”
“No,” Kate said through gritted teeth.
Their mother stood and held out a hand to Emma. “Come on, you can help me with dinner. Kate wants to be left alone for a while.”
With another loud squeal, Emma pushed herself off the bench and grabbed her mother’s hand. “Can I put the fancy shakers out? I love those shakers so much because they look like soldiers. Sometimes, I pretend they talk to me.”
“Yes, you can. Come along.” Bending to pick up the basket of washing, she turned and winked at Kate. “I’ll call you when dinner is ready.”
***
“Joe, I don’t know what to do.”
Kate paused at the living room door. Her mother sounded upset. Maybe she should return to her room and come back later.
“Calm down, Jacqui. Kate doesn’t have to call me ‘Dad’ if she doesn’t want to. I understand. ‘Joe’ is better than ‘Mr Dawson’. I’d hate it if she called me that.”
“But it’s been almost seven years since we were married. I thought she would have accepted you by now.”
Kate wanted to turn around and walk away. She knew eavesdropping was wrong.
“I will always love Kate like she’s my own. When she’s older she’ll know that, but pressuring her now will make things worse.”
“I feel caught in the middle,” came her mother’s soft reply. “I love you both.”
“I know that, and so does Kate. Stop worrying.” A pause followed and then Joe added, “As I always say, ‘Life is experience, but you can’t have experience until you have life’.”
Kate returned to her bedroom. She looked around the room, everything was neat and tidy. Everything belonged to her. She touched the gold framed photograph of her biological father and then touched the long strands of her own hair, which had fallen forward over her shoulder. It was thick and dark, just like her father’s. Almost black. Sadness filled her. He had died when she was only a baby, so she had no memories of him. She wished she had at least one.
***
On Friday afternoon, Kate arrived home from school to find the house quiet. No one was home, but Kate wasn’t worried. She was old enough to be on her own. She was twelve.
Sophie and Jasper, the two tabby kittens, played in the backyard. Kate remembered the morning her mother had opened the front door to find them sitting on the door step, looking frightened and hungry. That was only three months ago and already the whole family loved them both dearly.
Kate never tired of watching them chase each other—tumbling, jumping, racing and play fighting, but sometimes they got rough with each other. She couldn’t help but laugh at how serious they looked then. Their little faces had many expressions and their eyes were so mysterious. Kate loved cat’s eyes.
This afternoon was no exception.
Kate sat on the bench and felt something brush against her legs. She looked down to find Jasper staring up at her.
Kate patted her lap. “Come on then.”
Jasper sprang up onto her lap and started purring. Kate scratched his ears and stroked his back. He rolled over, stretching out one paw to gently touch her face. Kate laughed and rubbed his belly. “You’re a lovely cat.”
Meow.
She looked at the little well to find Sophie sitting regally beside it. “Do you want a cuddle too, Sophie?”
Meow.
Jasper jumped down and ran into the flower garden. Kate could see his green eyes looking at her, but he refused to come out when she called him.
Kate’s gaze returned to Sophie. The kitten stared at her. Kate couldn’t pull her gaze away. Sophie stood, her tiny white paws dainty in the lush green of the garden. Tail straight up in the air, the kitten walked slowly towards Kate and stopped two strides away. She sat in that regal position again, her long tail wrapping itself around her paws.
Meow.
“What’s wrong, Sophie?”
Jasper crept out of the garden and walked over to sit beside Sophie. Two sets of green, mysterious eyes stared at her. They were only babies, so why did she see knowledge behind those eyes?
The spell was broken when Emma rushed out the back door. “Kate, we’ve been to the park. It was such good fun. You should come with me and Mummy next time.”
Jasper jumped high into the air and dove into the safety of the shrubs and flowers. Sophie shot Emma one disgusted look and followed her brother. Mysterious eyes once again nothing more than cat’s eyes.
“There’s no need to shout, Emma,” said Kate. “You scared the kittens.”
Emma covered her mouth with her hands for a moment and looked at the two sets of eyes staring at her. “Oh, I didn’t mean to. I’m sorry, little kitties. Come and play with Emma. Come on.”
The kittens turned and ran farther down the garden.
“Emma, tell me about the park,” said Kate, trying to distract her sister.
Emma climbed up onto the bench beside Kate. “It was wonderful fun,” she said with a grin. “Mummy pushed me on a swing, and then I pretended I was a monkey until my arms were sore.” She showed Kate her sore arms. “Then I rode a butterfly into outer space. That was the best fun of all.”
“Emma, don’t be silly.”
“It was a butterfly on a big spring,” said Emma. “It rocks all over the place. I was pretending. It’s lots of fun to pretend.”
“I know,” replied Kate.
Emma nodded her head, the excitement plain on her face.
“I’m going inside now. Coming?”
Emma slid off the bench. “No, I’m going butterfly hunting.”
***
After dinner, Kate grabbed her book and returned to the alcove to read. Everyone was watching television. Kate thought she’d get a few minutes peace. She was wrong.
“What are you doing, Kate?” asked Emma.
“Reading.”
“What’s it about?”
Kate sighed. “It’s about a princess who runs away to live with some dragons because she wasn’t happy at home.”
“Oh.” Emma pressed her nose against the glass and peered out into the dark night. “Where are Jasper and Sophie?”
Kate looked out at the stars. “I don’t know. They usually want to come in by now and sit with Joe while he watches TV.”
“Or run up the curtains to make Mummy mad,” said Emma with a giggle.
“Yeah, that too.” Kate couldn’t stop the grin that spread over her face.
“Did they run away from home too? Like the princess in your story?”
“Don’t worry, they’ll be back soon,” said Kate. “They’re probably hunting for mice.”
“No, I mean when they came here. When they were really little.” Emma held out her hand. “Remember when they could both sit in Daddy’s hand?”
“Yes, they were little, but kittens don’t stay with their mothers as long as humans do,” said Kate, looking down at her book. “Why are you asking all these questions?”
Emma didn’t smile. Her eyes were wide and her face pale. “I think the kittens are in trouble. I heard them talking today and they said a meanie by the name of Min was after them.”
“Emma, stop making things up.” Kate swung her legs from under her and pushed her feet into her slippers. Her fingers turned white as she clasped the book tightly.
“I’m not,” said Emma. She shook her head. “When I went butterfly hunting I heard them under that big rock down near the fence. They didn’t hear me ‘cause I was quiet as a mouse, but I heard everything they said.”
Kate stared into Emma’s eyes. The little girl looked sincere, but Kate knew better. “Cats don’t talk.”
“Our kitties do,” said Emma. “Jasper said Min will find them soon and he wanted to run away. I don’t want them to run away. I love them so much.”
Kate groaned. All she wanted to do was read her book, not listen to Emma make up tall-tales about their tiny kittens. When would she grow up?
“Emma, you’re being silly,” said Kate, rolling her eyes. “I don’t have time ...”
Emma spun around and reached for Kate’s hand. “I’m not pretending, Kate.”
The knot in Kate’s stomach grew tighter.
“They are in big, big trouble,” said Emma, releasing Kate’s hand to throw her arms wide to indicate how much trouble she thought the kittens were in. “Min is coming for them and he’s going to kill Sophie.”
“That’s enough!” Kate stood and walked half way across the room. “I’m sick of the stories you make up and I’m going to my room.”
“Kate ...”
“My room is out of bounds to you, Emma,” said Kate, ignoring Emma’s plea. “I don’t want you following me and I don’t want to hear any more about talking cats.”
“But Kate, Min is going to kill Sophie,” called Emma. “We have to help them.”
Chapter Two
Kate awoke with a start. It was still dark outside, but the red digits on her clock radio told her that the sun would soon be rising.
Something had woken her, but she wasn’t sure what it was. Then she heard a noise and she knew it wasn’t the first time she’d heard that sound that morning.
It was the yowl and screech of a cat. It made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end.
Yowwwl.
They had to be right outside her bedroom window. Kate turned over. A dark shadow of a person stood beside her bed. Kate’s breath caught in her throat. Her heart pounded. She sprang into a sitting position.
A whimper.
“Emma?”
Silence.
Kate reached towards her lamp, the dim glow shone on Emma’s tears. Two large eyes stared at her.
“What’s wrong?” asked Kate. “Why are you crying?”
“The kitties need our help,” said Emma, wiping the tears from her face with both hands. “I told you Min was after them.”
Kate threw the blankets back. “It’s all right, Emma. All cats fight with other cats.” She grabbed a tissue and wiped her little sister’s face. “Cats hunt at night and get themselves into all sorts of trouble. Did you know that? That’s why Mum likes them to come inside at night.”
Emma shook her head. “Doesn’t matter. You heard them. Min’s here. I know it.”
Breathing a soft sigh, Kate left the bed and took hold of Emma’s hand. They walked across to the window and Kate flung back the curtains. “Here. Kneel on the table so you can see,” she said to Emma, lifting her up.
It was dark outside, but the bright moon gave off enough light to see by. Everywhere was quiet and still. Everyone was asleep. Below the window, standing in the shrubs, was a black kitten with gold eyes. Opposite it stood a small, shaggy white cat. They couldn’t see its eyes because it had its back to them.
The black cat’s head was low to the ground. It looked like it was about to attack the white cat, but then it saw the girls and looked up.
The white cat leapt through a gap in the shrubs and ran away.
Gold eyes stared up at the girls. Emma moved closer to Kate, who quickly put her arm around the little girl’s shoulders.
“See, it’s not the kittens,” said Kate in a whisper. “It’s two strays.”
“I don’t like that black cat. It looks mean,” said Emma in a quiet voice.
The cat turned, ran through the shrubs and disappeared over the fence.
Kate pulled the curtains closed, blocking out the world. “Well, it’s gone,” she said. “We can go back to bed now.”
She lifted Emma off the table and put her down on the carpet.
“I can’t sleep.” Fresh tears spilled down Emma’s face. “I want Sophie and Jasper to come home.”
Kate looked around the room. What was she going to do? How could she get Emma back to bed? Then she had an idea.
“Why don’t you climb into my bed,” she announced. “We can pretend we’re having a slumber party. You will enjoy that.”
The tears stopped. “What about the kitties?”
“After breakfast I’ll help you find them,” said Kate. “We’ll bring them home and make sure they eat well, and then we’ll play with them so they know we still love them. How does that sound?”
“Okay.”
The girls climbed into bed, and Kate turned out the light. It was still warm between the sheets and her eyes began to close.
Yowwwwl.
A moment later there was another screech and something crashed to the ground.
“Sophie!” Emma jumped out of the bed and ran to the window. “Sophie is out there, Kate. We have to help her. Please help her. That black cat must be Min. He’s going to get her.”
Kate rushed to the window in time to see the black cat pounce on a small tabby kitten. It was Sophie. Jasper shot out from a hidden place, his claws slashing the air, a growl deep in his throat. The black cat released Sophie and rolled away. Jasper jumped at the other cat’s throat, but was swiped to one side with a clawed paw.
Kate grabbed the window latch and threw the window open. Pressing her face to the flyscreen, she hissed. “Psss.”
The cats rolled to their feet, their bellies close to the ground, neither’s eyes leaving the other.
“Psss. Get out of here,” yelled Kate. “Psss.”
The black cat looked from Sophie to Kate, and then scooted away, leaving the kittens cowering in the dimness.
Emma left the window and ran to the bedroom door. “Come on, Kate. We have to let them in before that mean cat comes back.”
Kate listened to her sister run down the hallway, and then turned to look out the open window. Sophie and Jasper stared at her. Sophie gave her a haunting look before she turned and ran away. Jasper followed.
In the distance, Kate saw the first rays of the sun turning the horizon a brilliant shade of crimson. She closed the window and returned to bed.
Within fifteen minutes, the sun would be up, but it was still early and Kate wanted to go back to sleep. The warmth of the sheets did nothing to help her relax. Her eyes refused to close.
She turned her back to the window, and forced her eyes shut, but it didn’t make any difference. She kept hearing Emma’s frightened voice and seeing the kittens in a replay of the fight she had witnessed.
Finally, she sat up and strained to hear what Emma was doing. Had she let the kittens in and returned to her bedroom? Was she sitting with them in the enclosed back veranda, where their beds were kept, giving them cuddles? Then other thoughts pushed the earlier ones out and Kate’s stomach did a somersault. What if the kittens didn’t come in? Would Emma wander off looking for them?
“Oh, she’s such a pain,” said Kate. She threw the blankets off her and put on her slippers again. Grabbing the dressing gown from the end of the bed, she pulled it on and left the room.
Emma’s bedroom door was wide open, but the room was empty. Kate walked past her mum’s room. The door was closed and it was quiet inside. Her mum and Joe would still be asleep. The lounge room was cold, and the kitchen had lots of shadowy nooks which made it spooky. Then she stepped out onto the enclosed veranda.
It was empty. There was no Emma and no kittens, and the screen door swung back and forth in the early morning breeze.
Kate groaned. Emma had left the house in order to find the kittens. Kate went cold, her stomach tightened, her palms went clammy.
Standing on the top step, Kate peered out into the garden. “Emma?”
Beyond the row of shrubs, a blinding blue light appeared in the shape of an upside down triangle.
“What—”
“Sophie, Jasper, come back.” It was Emma’s voice.
“Emma!” Kate ran down the steps and along the garden path. She ran around the bushes that blocked the bench and the well from view of the house, and stopped in her tracks.
The bright blue light came from the well. It shimmered, casting a blue haze over the entire area. The bench looked different, as did the trees and flowers, but it was the well that caught Kate’s attention. Gone was the small wooden well her mother had brought home from a market. In its place was a huge, brick well, covered in moss and ivy. A thick, coarse rope held a bucket high above the circular opening. White flowers cascaded from the wooden roof, yet the shimmering blue light streamed bright around the edge of the roof into the sky.
Kate stood mesmerised for a second. Then she saw Emma.
The little girl climbed over the side of the well.
“Emma?” called Kate. “What are you doing? Get away from there!”
Emma ignored her. She lowered herself into the well and disappeared.
“Emma.” Kate ran across the grass, the early morning dew soaking into her slippers. “Emma!”
The bright light receded, not reaching so high into the sky. Kate hesitated. The light became dimmer and dimmer, lower and lower.
“Emma!” Kate screamed. Where was her mother? Where was Joe? She needed their help. She screamed again then ran the short distance and peered over the side of the well.
A rope ladder dangled into the dimming light, but she could see nothing below.
She looked up. The light no longer touched the wooden roof. It looked much smaller, the beautiful flowers gone.
Kate climbed onto the brick wall and looked at the ladder. There was almost no blue in the light now. It reached only a foot above Kate’s head.
Decision made, Kate lowered herself onto the rope ladder. Down a step, and then another step. The light quickly followed her. Down two more steps.
The light snapped off.
Kate held the rope tightly, fear washing over her entire body.
It was completely dark.
Chapter Three
No light.
Kate waited for her eyes to adjust, but nothing happened. She looked up, but the circular entrance had disappeared. The early morning light had gone. She held the rope ladder until her fingers tingled and her legs wobbled.
“What’s going on?” She looked up again, then down into the darkness below. She climbed the ladder and reached up with an outstretched hand. Solid rock.
Kate groaned. Down was her only option.
Laughter.
“Emma?”
The laughter echoed off the walls, filtering up the well from far below, filling Kate with hope. Shaking, she gingerly lowered one foot until she felt support under her soft slipper. She lowered the other foot and moved down another rung. Moving slowly and carefully, she continued down, down, down.
***
Unaware of the passing of time, not knowing how far she had gone, Kate’s focus remained on the rope. She tried to ignore her sore hands and aching feet. Emma managed to move down the ladder and so would she.
How long had it been since she heard the laughter? There were no more sounds to guide her, to comfort her. Often Kate paused and looked up, but she couldn’t face the long climb back the way she had come. Besides, retracing her steps would only lead her back to a dead end. She needed to rest and, most of all, she needed to find Emma.
Her concentration lapsed and she slipped.
One hand left the rope, and her fingers scraped the stone wall. The unseen graze throbbed. Snatching her hand back, a light sticky substance covered her palm. Blood? No, it was something else. A cobweb. How big was the spider that made the web? Was it deadly? Kate pictured giant spiders as big as the tunnel she was in, with long hairy legs and a multitude of ugly black eyes. Her scream bounced off the walls and faded away. The rope shook violently.
“Don’t be silly. They don’t exist. Stay calm.” Kate cursed her vivid imagination. She had to remain rational.
“Kate?” called Emma from a distance. “Is that you?”
Relieved, Kate forced herself not to cry. She pushed the thought of man-eating spiders out of her mind. “Emma? I’m on the rope ladder. Stay where you are. I’m coming to get you.”
No reply.
With renewed energy, Kate continued her long descent, one rung at a time. Then, a dim light edged its way in. Her eyes finally picked out the shape of the rock walls and the ladder. Finally, her foot found solid ground. Terrified to let go of the life line to the world above, Kate held onto the rope firmly with one hand and turned around. Trembling, her legs weak, she breathed a sigh of relief when she saw solid light in the distance.
“Emma?”
The light flickered as someone moved about, then another light bounced towards her, growing bigger and bigger by the second. With it came the echo of running feet, and finally Emma’s smiling face as she came to a stop in front of Kate. One hand held a flaming torch above her head.
Horrified, Kate took the wooden torch from Emma’s grasp and looked at it for a second. “You could have burned yourself. Where’d you get this?”
Emma pointed to the distant light. “Over there,” she said, her breathe came in short gasps. “You took forever coming down here. Sophie said you would because you came the long way, but I didn’t believe her.”
“Emma, don’t start ...” Kate let the reprimand fade away as she looked down at Emma’s face.
Kate looked in the direction of the light, and then at the flaming torch in her hand. “Oh, I see. We must be in a mine shaft.” The tension in her aching joints dispersed. “The workers will get us out of here. We’ll be home in time for breakfast.”
She dropped to her knees, threw her free arm around Emma and pulled the little girl against her. “I’m so glad you’re all right. I was worried.”
“Why wouldn’t I be?” asked Emma, wiggling away from her.
Kate looked at Emma. The little girl’s eyes were big and round with excitement. Her pink pyjamas were dirty and she wore nothing on her feet. The white band holding her long, blond hair up in a pony tail had loosened, allowing stray strands of hair to fall into her face and around her shoulders.
“I don’t know,” Kate whispered, not feeling as confident as she should. “I don’t know what’s going on, but we’ll be home soon.”
Emma grinned and grabbed Kate’s hand. “Come on then. Sophie and Jasper will tell you lots of stuff.”
“The kittens?”
“Yes,” said Emma.
Kate held the torch above their heads. The light lit up the path ahead of them. She allowed Emma to take her towards the light. The miners would be shocked to see them. As they drew nearer, Kate’s stomach twisted with nerves. Would the miners be friendly? What was waiting for them? What was happening? She looked over her shoulder once, but the darkness behind them forced her forward.
A moment before they saw the source of the light, which was hidden behind a large boulder of stone, Kate stopped walking. She considered turning back, returning to the ladder and climbing up into the darkness. She wanted so desperately to hear her mother’s voice calling out to her, even Joe’s voice, because she knew she’d be safe with either of them. She reminded herself that the ladder lead nowhere. She squeezed Emma’s hand and stepped around the boulder.
“This doesn’t look like a mine shaft to me,” said Kate. She placed the torch on a rock beside her, straightened and looked around.
In the centre of a small, rock clearing was a stone dais. The raised platform looked out of place. The tall flames of a fire, set in the stone at the edge of the platform, licked the air. Flickering shadows of light danced upon the rugged walls and ceiling. Beside the dais was a stone slab with half a dozen wooden torches, like the one she had been holding, lying on it. Except these ones were not lit.
Sophie sat on the slab. With her back arched, and her long tail curled around to cover her paws, Sophie’s eyes regarded Kate with interest.
Kate swallowed and looked away.
Jasper, darker in colour and slightly larger in build, sat on top of a large boulder behind Sophie. Jasper’s green eyes darted from Kate to the opening behind her and back again. His ears twitched from side to side as if he was listening for something in the distance.
“You were right, Sophie. She must have come the longest way,” said Emma. “But here she is. What do we do now?”
The kittens didn’t move.
Nerves were making Kate’s hands sweat, her dressing gown felt heavy and hot. She stared at the kittens for a moment, and then tried to speak. Her throat had gone dry and croaky. She coughed and tried again.
“Emma, this is silly,” said Kate. “Cats don’t talk. I can’t believe we’re down here. We have to go home. Mum and Joe will be worried.”
Kate stepped away from the kittens and the dais, and pulled gently on Emma’s hand. The little girl refused to budge.
“We can’t go back that way,” said Emma, her voice calm.
“Why not? We have to find a way out of here.”
“Because—” began Emma.
“There is no exit that way,” a male’s voice interrupted. “And, it is dangerous. You must come with us.”
Kate jumped back, her heel scraping on the boulder behind her. Her eyes locked with Jasper’s. She stared at him in disbelief, and fascination. The voice, which was deeper than she imagined for such a small cat, had come from him.
“We are being purr-pursued,” said Jasper.
Kate watched his tiny mouth form the words.
“If you do not come with us, you will be captured by Min,” continued Jasper.
“Min will not leave witnesses,” finished Sophie.
Kate was speechless.
“See, Kate, I told you the kitties could talk,” said Emma.
Kate looked down at Emma and found a huge smile covering the little girl’s face. Kate tried to smile too, but found it difficult.
She stared at the kittens. “What’s going on? Who are you? Why did you come to live with us? Why would Min care about us? What are you talking about?” The questions tumbled from Kate.
Jasper jumped from the boulder and darted past Kate. He disappeared down the tunnel she had come down with Emma.
Sophie looked briefly in Jasper’s direction, and then turned her gaze back to Kate. “You ask too many questions. We have no time now, but the tunnels are long and confusing. You will get lost if you go off on your own. You must come with us.”
Meow.
The sound came from the tunnel. For a fleeting moment, Kate thought she was daydreaming. She thought she had imagined all the events from the time she had left her bedroom until now. Sophie’s mysterious eyes put an end to that notion. When she looked into those cat’s eyes, she knew what was happening was real and things were only going to get worse.
And they did.
Jasper bounded into the clearing and pounced back up onto the boulder. He sniffed the air and crouched with his belly low to the rock, but he didn’t settle himself into a sitting position. He was ready for flight. “We must leave ... now!”
Sophie turned, jumped from the slab onto the stone floor and ran across the small clearing. Jasper waited on the boulder. His ears and whiskers twitched.
“Move!” said Jasper. “Min approaches. There is not much time.”
Kate peered at Jasper for a second, and then her eyes found Sophie waiting in the opening of a tunnel.
“Come on, Kate,” said Emma, pulling her in Sophie’s direction.
Kate snatched up the lit torch. As they passed Jasper, he leapt to the ground behind them and followed.
Chapter Four
Slippers were not suitable footwear for a person rushing down cramped tunnels. Especially fluffy slippers with open backs and thin soles. They refused to stay where they belonged—on the feet—and caused the wearer an endless amount of pain and frustration.
In fact, Kate found herself cursing them every time she slipped over and fell to her knees. Why hadn’t she put on her joggers? They would have been ideal for this situation, but how was she to know that she would end up in an underground cave, on the run? If she had known, she would have thought to get dressed too.
Finally, with her knees scraped and bruised, she kicked the soft slippers off in disgust.
“I’ll end up breaking a leg wearing those things,” she said to Emma, who was bare footed and coping quite well.
“You must not leave them behind,” said Sophie. “Min will know you are with us if you do.”
“And we do not want that,” added Jasper.
Kate snatched the slippers up and pushed them into her dressing gown pocket. “There. I’m ready to keep going. Where are we going anyway? And who is Min?”
“This way,” said Sophie, and she darted down another dark tunnel.
Kate groaned. That was one way to answer a question without really giving a reply.
They continued on. She tried to remember the route they had taken so far, but it was no good. The tunnels twisted and turned in every direction. She was lost. She and Emma were at the mercy of the kittens, and Kate wasn’t happy about that one bit.
“Ow!”
Kate looked up in time to see Emma drop to the ground.
“Emma?” Kate rushed to her sister. “What’s wrong?”
“I hit my toe on a rock. It hurts bad. I want m-mummy.” Emma started to cry.
Kate pulled her little sister against her and gave her a hug. “Don’t cry. Mum and Joe will come for us.”
“How will they know where to look?”
I wish I knew, Emma.
The two girls stared at each other. More tears spilled down Emma’s dirty face.
“Show me your foot,” said Kate, moving the torch in front of them.
Emma, her chin on her knee and both hands wrapped around her sore foot, pulled her hands away and wiggled her toes.
“It’s not bleeding,” said Kate. “Can you walk?”
“Hurry,” said Jasper. “Min is not far behind us.”
“She’s hurt,” said Kate, her eyes narrowing. “She needs—”
A loud explosion caused the ground to shake and loose dirt to shower on them from above.
Emma screamed.
“She needs to be moving,” said Jasper. His green eyes searched Kate’s face, and then he looked at Emma. “I know she hurts, but if Min catches either of you—”
“Come quickly,” interrupted Sophie. “The next cavern is just around the next bend in the tunnel. We can rest there. It will be safe.”
Kate looked at Emma. “Do you want me to carry you?”
“It hurts, but I’m a big girl,” said Emma with a grin. “Daddy always tells me that.”
Emma was right. Joe often praised them both.
“Purr-please,” whispered Jasper.
The girls rose to their feet. With one quick glance over her shoulder, Kate hurried Emma down the tunnel.
A moment later, they stepped into another cavern. Twice the size of the previous one, rocks and boulders lay strewn across the floor. A high, jagged ceiling loomed over them, making Kate nervous. What if another section of rock fell? In the middle of the tumble of stone stood another dais, the flames reaching high into the air.
“Are they always lit?” she asked Jasper.
Kate watched the flames dancing in Jasper’s eyes.
“They are called Fire Wells,” he said. “They use an energy which lies deep within the earth.” He pounced onto the closest boulder, leapt to a higher rock, then jumped across a wide gap and landed on a flat platform. “The dais was built around the opening to the Fire Well. Long ago, our people used to use these places to worship, and draw on the Power.” He paused. “Now we have other ways of obtaining the Power.” Head low, he walked lazily along the platform and pressed his little orange nose onto something Kate couldn’t see.
Boom!
Kate and Emma jumped.
They turned around. A thick stone door slammed shut and a heavy wooden bar fell into place. The door could not be opened from either side without the bar being removed first.
“A door? In a tunnel?” Kate looked up at Jasper. “What is this place? Who is Min? Why are we being chased?”
“We will not linger here for long,” said Jasper from the platform above the door. “Min will have to go a long way back and around, through many other tunnels, to find his way to the other entrance, but this will give us an advantage.”
“Where’s Sophie?” asked Emma.
“I am here.”
Kate and Emma turned around and gasped. Standing before them was a young girl, but she was no ordinary girl—she was cat-like.
The girl stood eye level with Kate, and she looked to be about the same age too. They stared at one another. Kate could not deny seeing that same mysterious look she had always seen in Sophie’s eyes, and those eyes were still the eyes of a cat. Long-slit pupils surrounded by the colour of emerald above a flat, orange cat-nose. A pair of pointed ears twitched on top of her furry head. However, no fur could be seen on the lower half of her face and beneath the cat-nose a human mouth smiled at them. It was the strangest sight.
Kate glanced at Emma and found the little girl’s eyes gleaming in awe. Her mouth hung open and she stood perfectly still.
Kate’s attention turned to Jasper. He sat quietly at the base of a rock. Was he grinning at her? Kate quickly returned her gaze to Sophie.
“I don’t know what to say,” said Kate. “Who are you?”
Sophie continued to smile. “My real name is Alara, but I want to thank you for purr-picking such a beautiful name for me. I love the name Sophie, but now that I am in my true form, you must call me by my true name.”
Alara turned and walked gracefully away. A strip of the silver-tipped, light-grey fur covering the top half of her face also ran down the back of her neck and disappeared into the top of the leather jerkin hugging her body. Yet her arms appeared to be free of fur and she had hands and fingers instead of paws.
Jasper sprang up and trotted after Alara, his nose almost touching the knee-high boots she wore.
Kate and Emma followed.
“Sophie, why have you got fur?” asked Emma.
Kate shot her a look, and shook her head, but it was too late. Alara stopped walking and turned to face them.
“Alara, you must call me Alara,” said Alara. She smiled. “I am not human.”
Silence.
Alara looked at Jasper. “You must change now.”
“Are you a cat?” asked Emma.
Alara laughed. “No, I am not a cat.”
Kate watched Jasper carefully.
“I am one of the purr-people of Miu,” continued Alara. “Miu consists of two cities. Manu, the city we are from, in the west and Bakhu in the east. We have lived in these underground tunnels for centuries. We avoid contact with humans normally, but these are special circumstances.”
Jasper walked towards a horseshoe shaped arch. Kate hadn’t noticed it before. It looked like someone had turned it upside down and wedged it between the stone wall and a large boulder to keep it in place. Apart from the shape, there was nothing spectacular about it.
“We have adopted the customs of many cultures over the generations,” said Alara, “and there are many we have rejected too.”
Jasper stopped. He turned his head and caught Kate’s gaze. With a flick of his tail, he ran through the arch and disappeared behind the boulder.
All talk stopped.
Kate leaned to one side, trying to see through the arch, but she saw only shadows. Her heart pounded in her chest.
A moment later, a boy stepped around the opposite side of the boulder. His pale green eyes caught Kate’s gaze for a split second, then he quickly lowered them to the ground. The fur on his head was midnight-grey with ginger tips. Like Alara, he wore leather breeches tucked into knee-high black boots. His jerkin was thick leather too. As he walked towards them, he pushed a sling into his belt, and Kate could see the tip of a stone axe strapped to his back.
“How did you change shape?” she asked Jasper.
He refused to meet her gaze. He set about adjusting and readjusting the tie that laced the front of his jerkin. “When the arch is activated, it enables us to shape shift.”
“You can turn yourselves into other creatures too?” asked Kate, amazed.
He looked up. “No. Only a cat.”
“Oh.”
“What’s your real name then?” asked Emma.
“Siptah,” replied Jasper.
An awkward silence followed.
Kate was the first to find her voice. “Who are you? Why were you our kittens in the first place?”
“Does this mean you won’t be our kittens anymore?” asked Emma, the smile fading from her face.
Alara looked at Emma and nodded. “Come,” she said. “Come and rest for a short while. We will tell you more.”
Kate and Emma followed Alara away from the arch. Kate stared at Alara’s back, wondering if a tail was hidden somewhere in those loose breeches. It didn’t look like it.
“We can sit here,” announced Alara.
They filed into an area where the scattered rocks were small enough to sit on. Once seated, Alara knelt beside Emma and inspected her foot.
Kate looked at Siptah and was surprised to find him carrying a spear with a stone arrow bound to the end. Everything was getting weirder by the minute.
“Siptah,” said Alara, “can you bring some wrappings?”
Siptah leaned the spear against a boulder and headed back the way they had come.
Alara sat on a rock opposite Kate. “The wrappings will protect your feet.”
Kate nodded and Emma remained silent.
“I am Alara, daughter of King Wosret, next in line for the throne,” said Alara, her voice soft and matter-of-fact.
“Sophie’s a princess, Kate,” said Emma with excitement. “A real princess.”
“So it seems,” replied Kate. “Now we must listen, so that she can tell us what’s happening.”
“My father heard of a threat to kill me. He was not sure whom he could trust so he sent me away until it was safe to return.”
“Why us?” asked Kate.
“Your mother’s well is placed on top of a portal. It has not been used in many decades. In fact, not since the humans settled in the area. We needed somewhere remote. My father thought it would be safer. As far as I know, no one knew of our whereabouts, yet a messenger arrived yesterday morning and told me that my father has ... been murdered.”
Kate felt the colour drain from her face. Murdered? Why did Alara look so calm?
Siptah returned with the wrappings. He knelt in front of Emma and set about using the thin leather to wrap each of her feet. He then wrapped and folded a second piece of leather around the first, with leather cord to hold it in place.
“Murdered?” asked Kate. “Who would do that?”
“Min, I suspect,” replied Alara. “He has betrayed us all, even his own father.”
A deep-throated growl escaped Siptah’s lips.
Kate glanced at him in time to see him roll his eyes and shake his head.
Alara’s tiny nose twitched, but she ignored Siptah. “My uncle is loyal. However, with my father murdered, and me missing, it would open the way for Min—my cousin—to take the throne. I have no siblings.”
Kate looked at Siptah. “I thought Jasper ... I mean Siptah was your brother.”
Colour crept over Siptah’s face, but his eyes remained focused on the wrappings.
Alara grinned. “No, Siptah is my bodyguard.”
“Your bodyguard?” Kate laughed. “He’s only a boy. Your father should have sent a man to protect you.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, Kate wished she could retract them. Warmth washed over her face and neck, her palms became clammy, and a small groan escaped her lips. “I’m sorry, Siptah,” she said. “I didn’t mean ...”
His big, sad eyes locked with hers and the words froze in her mouth. A moment later he lowered his head and mumbled, “I am not worthy.”
He shifted his position and fumbled with the wrappings in his hands until Kate lifted her foot towards him. She bent and tried to look at his face. “I’m sorry, Siptah.”
“Siptah’s father is my father’s bodyguard. He is a good man and an excellent purr-protector,” said Alara. “My father would have sent him with me, but the purr-people of Miu cannot shape shift once they reach their thirteenth year. As we did not know who we could trust, and as Siptah is a guard-in-training, it was decided that he was our only choice.”
Kate looked down at Siptah only to find him staring up at her. She wanted to reassure him somehow, but instead, she returned her gaze to Alara.
“If I do not return to take the throne before dawn after the next full moon, Min will receive the crown,” finished Alara.
“When is the next full moon?” asked Kate.
“Tonight.”
Chapter Five
“That’s a long time,” said Emma. She climbed to her feet and looked down at the foot wraps, a big grin lighting up her tear stained face. “These are cool. Can I keep them when we go home?”
Alara inclined her head.
“Purr-princess, we must be on our way,” said Siptah, reaching for his spear.
Alara stood, her eyes forlorn, but her hand steady when she held it out and took a second spear from Siptah.
“Yes, I suppose we must hurry home too,” said Kate. She took hold of Emma’s hand and turned to look at the barred entrance. “Can you help me lift the bar, Siptah?”
Siptah shook his head. “N-no, you must not. It is dangerous.”
Kate looked at him. “You said that Min would have to go back and around to come through the other entrance, which means there is no danger for us.”
“He will have someone guarding the door,” replied Siptah.
It was Kate’s turn to shake her head. “We have to go home. There are four of us and only one of them. We can knock him out or something.”
“Kate, we do not know how many there will be,” said Alara. “Anyway, you cannot go that way as you cannot get home without our help. You must come with us to Manu.”
Emma tugged on Kate’s hand. “Can we, Kate? I want to see where they live. Can we go with them? Please.”
Kate squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. It was too hard. How was she supposed to make decisions if everyone went against her? “We can’t,” she whispered, trying to curb her frustration. “We have to go home.”
She wanted to go home. Home was peaceful and quiet. Home was safe. At home, she had her mum and Joe to protect her, to make decisions for her.
“Kate,” said Alara, “the only way for you to get home is to come with us. The way back will not take you to where you want to go. When I receive the crown, I will send you home.”
“And what if you don’t receive the crown?” The words tumbled out of Kate’s mouth in a rush. Her free hand was clenched in a fist. “What if Min gets the crown? What happens then?”
Alara and Siptah exchanged looks.
“Besides, you used my mother’s well before, why can’t you use it again?” asked Kate.
“Cat’s whiskers have a certain power in Miu,” said Alara.
Kate stared at Alara’s face. She didn’t have whiskers.
“They are rare in Manu, and probably in Bakhu too, I am not sure,” continued Alara. “With them we can do a number of things—including travelling through portals.”
Kate leaned forward to say something, but Alara didn’t allow her to speak.
“However,” Alara said quickly, “we only had two whiskers and we have used them both, but we will find another way.”
“There is another way. Right there—”
“What was that?” Alara interrupted, holding up a hand for silence.
“What? I didn’t hear anything,” replied Kate.
“Shh.”
Kate looked at Siptah, then Alara, who half turned to look over her shoulder.
“Siptah?” Alara raised her spear.
“Purr-princess, we were wrong,” said Siptah. “Min foresaw our movements. He comes through the purr-passage.”
“Kate?” Emma’s grip on Kate’s hand tightened.
“What do you mean? Where’s the passage?” asked Kate, ignoring Emma’s whimpers.
“It is over there,” replied Siptah. “He didn’t follow us down the other purr-passage, but he did send someone to follow us. He anticipated our movements. He knew we would bar the door. He tricked us into believing he was following us, so that we thought we had time to rest. We gave him the time he needed to come the other way.”
Kate turned to look in the direction Siptah had indicated. She saw a natural cave entrance. There was no thick door, or heavy bar, to protect them. Light bobbed up and down from the movement of several torches.
“Run!” shouted Siptah.
They turned and ran, Siptah leading the way. Kate pulled Emma along, praying her sister wouldn’t fall over. She could hear Alara’s boots crunching on the stone behind them.
Too late.
A blast of light shot past their heads, hitting the wall beside the tunnel exit. Shards of stone flew into the air and shot in every direction.
Ducking, Siptah darted to one side, turned and grabbed Kate’s dressing gown. With one almighty yank, she felt him pull her towards him before he shoved her and Emma behind a boulder.
“They have a wizling with them,” said Siptah. “Stay there.”
“What’s a wizling?” asked Kate. Shielding her head with her free arm, she crouched down beside Emma.
“A wizard-in-training,” replied Siptah, looking across the cavern.
“A wizard,” chorused Kate and Emma.
Kate followed Siptah’s gaze. Halfway across the cavern stood a teenage Miuan. The black fur on the top of his head was disarrayed by a circlet of gold. In his left hand he carried a long, white bone. His mouth twisted into a frightening smile and he raised the bone.
Two more young Miuans filed into the cavern and two cats jumped onto boulders on either side of the group. Pacing back and forth, their heads low and their tails whipping the air, they hissed in Kate’s direction.
Kate’s heart raced. Those gold eyes. She had seen them before, only recently. They belonged to the black cat from under her bedroom window.
With a grunt, Siptah threw his spear. The tip shattered on impact with the boulder, only a hand’s width in front of the black cat. Siptah snarled and rushed towards the Miuan wearing the circlet, pulling the stone axe over his shoulder as he ran. Alara was quick to follow, a long-bladed dagger grasped tightly in one hand, the spear in the other.
Before they covered half the distance, a loud bang stopped them in their tracks. Something shot into the air.
Emma whimpered. Her body trembled violently. “Kate?”
Kate looked down at her and saw large tears welling in even larger eyes. She put her arm around her sister’s shoulders and pulled her small, shaking body tightly against hers.
Kate looked back at the centre of the cavern, and gasped. A thick cloud of dust swirled above the group’s heads. Formless, at first, it began to thicken. A solid mass with two tentacles ... no, it couldn’t be tentacles. Kate plainly saw one end form into an arrowhead point. It whipped the air. Long and curved, another dark mass appeared at the end of the other tentacle. Two dark, twirling holes turned bright red. Smoke gushed out of the end.
Kate gasped. A dragon.
Bright red eyes glared at Alara and Siptah. Saliva oozed through large, razor sharp teeth. Bringing its head closer, the mouth opened and ...
Thud.
The dragon disappeared.
At first, Kate wasn’t sure what had happened, but when she looked at her new-found friends, she saw the leather sling in Siptah’s hand.
“Djal, you will have to do better than that,” said Alara.
“He is unable to, Purr-princess,” added Siptah, pushing the sling back into the top of his breeches. He picked up his axe, his attention moving away from the wizling to one of the cats.
“Min, you coward,” said Siptah. “You need so many, when we are so few.”
The black scraggy cat hissed, jumped off the boulder, and landed out of view. The other cat followed. A moment later, two boys stepped forward. One of them looked at Alara. “Cousin,” he said with a nod, his fingers lacing the red cord in the front of his jerkin together, “I will have the crown.”
“I think not,” replied Alara.
“We will see.” Min grinned. His gold eyes glistened.
Emma started crying. “I’m scared,” she mumbled.
Kate kissed the top of her head. “We have to be quiet,” she said, straining to see what was about to happen. “We’ll be all right, but you must do exactly as I say. Can you do that?”
Emma nodded.
“Good girl.”
Kate swallowed. It was important that Emma thought Kate felt confident even though Kate knew differently.
At that moment, Min jumped forward and swung his axe at Siptah. The clash of hard wood and stone echoed around the cavern. Each boy deflected the other’s strike, both grunting with the effort. They swung again.
Djal remained perfectly still, his eyes shut, the bone poised. Everyone, but Kate, ignored him.
Alara had problems of her own. Three teenage Miuans spread out before her in an arc. All three stepped forward with barbed spear points aimed at her waist. Kate hoped Alara remembered the rock behind her. She had little room to back away. But what else could she do? It was one against three.
Struck with fear, Kate stared helplessly at Alara.
Then, leaning back on her right leg, Alara swung her left leg in a wide arc hitting two of her assailants in the jaw. They staggered back. One hit his head against the rock behind him, and blood spurted from his nose to cover the front of his thick leather tunic. He moaned in agony.
Feet firmly back on the ground, Alara quickly twisted around and managed to block the swing of the third Miuan’s spear. Within seconds, she had him stumbling backwards across the cavern.
Kate breathed a sigh of relief. She had never imagined that a princess could be so nimble and quick.
Alara and Siptah continued to fight Min and his henchmen. Yet Kate’s attention was drawn back to the boy they called Djal. He wasn’t wearing the leather tunics the others wore. He wore a cloak.
As the energy increased, it gushed through his body and clothing, lifting the ends of the cloak until it looked like he had wings. Underneath the cloak, his clothes clung tightly to his body. Ripples of energy flowed through his small frame. The bone shook in his outstretched hand.
Kate stared at the wizling. What was he doing? Why was it taking him so long to do anything? His concentration intensified. Kate saw beads of sweat rolling down his temples.
Alara jumped into Kate’s line of vision. The point of the spear thrust at her came to a halt where her stomach had been a moment earlier. Kate gasped and rose to her feet. She couldn’t just hide behind a rock. Alara and Siptah were out-numbered, they needed help. One of them would be hurt if something wasn’t done. Kate moved a step closer, and then she hesitated. What could she do to help?
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