Book of Fire: a debut fantasy perfect for fans of The Hunger Games, Divergent and The Maze Runner. Michelle Kenney

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СКАЧАТЬ on market day, and it was already attracting curious glances.

      Five minutes later, I was weaving through the dark forest in the direction of our treehouse. It hadn’t taken long to persuade the guards of my need to return, being Grandpa’s granddaughter had its advantages.

      The muted call of an owl rang out behind me before it swooped low, and found a place to rest in the low-hanging branches silhouetted just ahead. It did little to calm my nerves. I loved my forest home but the silence tonight was eerie, and when I reached our treehouse, I scaled the willow ladder swiftly. Jas greeted me, and I rubbed her favourite milky-white spot behind her black-tipped ears with affection, enjoying her warm breath on my skin.

      ‘Now where to hide the thing?’ I muttered, scanning our living space for inspiration. The Book of Arafel was revered, and there were a number in the Council who would jump at the opportunity to take it into ‘safekeeping’. Jas mewed plaintively, and I spun on the spot to eye her bed and empty food bowl.

      ‘Of course! Good girl, Jas!’ I whispered, running to her bed area and pulling her large woven basket to one side. Jas could be pretty formidable and highly protective of her family home. I wished any intruder all the luck in the world if they decided to inspect her bed.

      Once the book was stowed under one of the old loose boards beneath Jas’s bed, I crouched beside the stew pot, and ladled some of its warm contents into her bowl. She emptied it in seconds, before creeping under my arm. I looked into her cool yellow eyes as I hugged her close.

      Eli and Grandpa were both so goddamned selfless they would probably break their own necks trying to look out for one another. Then there was Max, Max my annoying, do-anything-for-anyone best friend. Only, I quite liked him annoying me – I’d got used to it.

      I gritted my teeth. There was only one possible way in the world I could keep an eye on them all.

      Purpose flooded my cold limbs, and I leapt up abruptly, startling Jas.

      ‘Sorry, girl,’ I apologized, soothing her disgruntled yowling with an extra large ladle of stew.

      Two minutes later I was sprinting through the dark forest, my leather rations bag over my shoulder. The soft, rhythmic padding of paws behind me alerted me to Jas’s tail, and I was grateful for her company, if only for a short while. The trees were hung with a clingy mist, broken by just a few determined stars, but I was grateful for the cover as I leapt over mossy boulders and ducked beneath sharp branches.

      I knew the forest of Arafel like the back of my hand, particularly the route to the exit cave, but night-time excursions were always discouraged by the Council. I didn’t flout the rules like Max, but as I darted through the dark trees I felt a kernel of excitement spark inside me. I had no idea what I was letting myself in for, and the scribbled note I’d left for Mum had made promises I wasn’t sure I could keep.

      I jumped for a familiar branch and heard it creak as I swung through, planting my feet on a fallen tree and running to its tip. I paused and listened to the forest’s murmur. The misty veil draped the forest in pallid light tonight, making it look fairytale.

      When Eli and I were small, Grandpa would tell us about the wood sprites that came out at night, when we were sleeping. His gruff voice would enrapture us with stories of how they sat on mushrooms and drank out of acorn cups, before bathing and dancing naked in the moonlight. Tonight, I wouldn’t have been surprised to see their tiny svelte shapes darting among the undergrowth.

      Grandpa’s stories accompanied me as I ran, and before too long, I was creeping up towards the clearing in front of the tunnel cave. Silently, I shinnied up a young hazel tree and surveyed the area. All seemed deathly quiet. Even the nocturnal animals seemed to be watching and waiting. I leapt down lightly and sprinted into the open cave.

      A lantern flickered against the rough inside walls, and the floor was littered with signs of the task force’s rushed departure, including discarded ration bags and, among them, Grandpa’s walking stick. I dragged my eyes from it, and prayed Eli would have the sense to find him another one on the other side. Cautiously I glanced out towards the forest, the tunnel-watch guard would be back soon.

      I turned to face the still water pooling at the back of the cave. It was silently chilling. But there was no other way. Casting one final look back at moonlit Arafel, I tightened the shoulder strap on my ration bag, and stepped into the freezing water. The cold reached through to my bones with its clawing fingers, and I fought to contain the panic welling up my throat.

      Then Grandpa’s voice was at the back of my head, calming my jagged breath and steeling my nerves.

       You know what to do, Talia.

      I set my jaw, and the last thing I heard as I dived was the faint, disapproving growl of a flecked cat, hidden in the trees across the clearing.

      ‘Take care of Mum, Jas,’ I prayed, as the icy black consumed me.

Chapter Three

      If I disliked the tunnel when Eli was with me, I detested it on my own. Although the guide rope stayed in place, there was no encouraging tug, no ray of daylight to pierce the numbing gloom. Summoning all my resolve, I kicked down into the tight tunnel as fast as I could, the rough walls scraping my skin relentlessly until finally, the roof began to rise. Straightening my arms, I powered upwards until my head broke the surface of the outside water.

      For a moment, it was as much as I could do just to crawl out and lie on the stone floor, savouring the sweet night air. But as my strength returned, I pulled a dry blanket from the emergency rations box and patted the excess moisture from my tunic. The task force had left little behind save for a small cracked mirror, a handful of nuts, and a portion of dried fruit wrapped in large elephant-ear leaves, another newcomer to our warmer climate. I pocketed the mirror, and tossed a couple of the sweet hazelnuts into my mouth.

      With fresh life seeping through my veins, I forced my gaze out towards the rushing water separating our cave from the rest of the thick forest. The stepping stones were only visible twice a day, and by the look of the swirling rapids, I hadn’t got lucky.

      Carefully withdrawing the small mirror, I shone it in the direction of the submerged stones. I could just make out the slimy jade surface of the first flat surface beneath the white torrents. Every instinct told me it was madness, that the river was at its most dangerous, and yet I knew from experience there was no other passing place for several miles. The task force had to have passed this way.

      I pocketed the mirror again abruptly. I’d used these stones countless times, and I could jump them blindfolded so long as I got the rhythm right. Not allowing myself to dwell any longer, I leapt onto the first foothold. My feet were immediately submerged in about two feet of the surging water, and as I staggered under the sudden, violent pressure, instinct took over. Gripping my leather-clad toes into the rough rock, I pushed off and leapt. My feet barely had time to graze the top of each submerged stone before I was springing to the next, every jump knocking me further off-centre and towards the foaming black.

      Then finally, just as my legs threatened to buckle with the sheer velocity of water, I landed in the soft, quiet grass of the forest bank. I shuddered with relief, but there was no time to rest.

      Throwing a swift glance around, I set off at a quiet sprint towards the south perimeter of the forest, where the intrusion had been detected. It wasn’t long before the trees beckoned above ground, and the forest was flying by. This was my natural place, running through the branches, knowing instinctively which branch СКАЧАТЬ