Prologue 227Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA5wOTnd6Wh
Freya giggled and flicked her hair off her shoulder. Her daddy was so silly. Of course teddy didn’t chug tea that way.
Her father was lying out on the grass in front of her. He had hidden his face behind the silky brown teddy bear and was making slurping noises while holding the tiny porcelain cup to the bears mouth.
The sun was warming her back through the light pink dress she wore. She was on her knees on the grass and the dress was spread around her in heaps of frills. It was the middle of summer and the smell of the sea wafted over the garden walls at her. She thought that the sea smelt like food. Like one of the dinners chef would bring out to her and lay on the picnic blanket. The smell was too salty though. Daddy would never let her eat that much salt.
“That was delicious.” Her daddy spoke in an animated voice and made the bear move with his words. His own dark hair was sticking over the top of the teddys head, making it look like the toy was wearing a wig.
She laughed again. “Daddy!” She drew out the word and shook her head.
Her dad moved the bear and pouted at her. “Daddy what?” He mimicked her tone.
Her daddy’s real bear was sleeping a few feet away. His huge head was rested on his paws and he opened his eyes and yawned at the sound of their high-pitched voices.
She felt the grass stroke her knees as she crawled closer to her daddy.
“Give me him.” She said. The bear was light and soft. She hugged his warmth to her chest and sat back again. “Before you give him too much tea.”
“Too much tea? There is no such thing.” Her dads smile was perfectly even and so wide that she could count the teeth at the front of his mouth. It was a smile she had to return every time he brought it out.
Just then one of the servants came across the grass. He had come from the hedge maze which led to the door of the castle. The stark green of the hedges made his purple uniform look even more rich.
Freya looked from the man to the flowers growing behind her. Yep, exactly what she thought, they were the same colour. She would have to tell Rowan she was right.
The man cleared his throat. “Your majesty.”
Her daddy drew his legs under himself and stood. Once he was upright, the man folded into a bow.
“What is it?” Her daddy sounded impatient.
The man adjusted the white ruffs around the rim of his jacket. “There is news from Snawcar.”
Her daddy’s body moved with a sigh. “What does she want now?”
“She is wondering about the...” The man stopped short and his eyes slid to Freya.
She smiled up at him, but he looked away as quickly as he had looked.
Her daddy noticed where the man was looking and glanced at Freya too. The man was standing before him, pulling at his long sleeves before putting his hands behind his back.
Her daddy came and crouched in front of her. She stroked the fur on teddy’s head. It looked better when it was going left rather than right.
“Freya, honey, I have to go and talk to this man.”
Freya didn’t look up. She didn’t want her daddy to see the frown on her face. “Why?” She asked.
Her daddy grasped her tiny shoulder and gave it a light squeeze. “Its boring daddy stuff. I would much rather be here with you.”
She tilted her head up and looked at the servant who immediately cast his gaze to his feet.
“Then stay.” She pleaded.
Her daddy chuckled. “I can’t do that. but how about later we will come out and paint the roses?”
She didn’t react. She knew if she held out long enough, she would get hot chocolate too. And she loved hot chocolate.
“I will get chef to make up a kettle of hot chocolate to bring out with us.” Her daddy smiled.
“Okay.” She started to make teddy move along the grass, as if he were walking without her help.
“That’s my girl.” He touched her face before he strode off with the servant, his bear dragging itself up and following. The servant didn’t even look directly at her daddy when he was speaking. She thought that was weird but was soon distracted by the swaying of the roses and the other flowers. The rows of them to her left were waving in the light breeze. Her picnic blanket almost blew away, so she put one of the tea cups one each corner. That would keep things tidy.
At the other side of the picnic blanket Buddy moved a leg onto the fabric to help keep it down.
“Thanks.” She said to the tarantula.
***
Elora was always amazed at how loud her mother could shout. At aged eight, she had heard her shout a lot, but she still wasn’t used to it. She was huddled at the entrance to her and Cade’s room. She hoped that by sitting here she would work up the courage to go down the hall and tell her mother to keep it down. Tell her dad to stop making her mum mad. Azura, her snow leopard, was curled into her side, softly snoring. She had no idea how the animal could sleep through any of this.
She ought to go and tell them to stop, while Cade is still sleeping. 227Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuiIwO1g4Qg
She looked down the hallway, but she couldn’t make her feet take her there.
“Damn.” She whispered, her voice barely heard over the roar of another one of her mother’s insults from the other room.
“El?”
She turned her head at the sound.
Cade was sitting up from the bed, rubbing his eyes with his small fist.
She cursed herself for speaking and waking him.
“Cade go back to sleep.”
“What you doing?” His voice was groggy, and he was sliding his feet out of the bed.
“Nothing. Go back to sleep or you will wake Thor.” She no sooner said the wolf’s name than his grey patchy face poked out from under Cade’s bed. The wolf shuffled out, almost making Cade stand on his head.
Cade used his toe to gently push at the wolf’s face. “Thor move.”
The wolf licked her brothers toes and moved to the side. The further the animal came out the more that Elora smelt wet dog. Guess that means dad never fixed the hole in the wall under there.
Cade’s feet didn’t make much of a sound when they hit the stone floor. He shuffled over to Elora, yawning so hard that his eyes squeezed shut.
“Are you listening to what mammy and daddy are talking about?” Cade leaned out of the room, over Elora.
Grabbing his nightshirt, she pulled him back in. “No. Go back to bed.”
“You’re not the boss of me.”
Elora was going to argue this with him when they heard a smashing from the room from which the voices were coming. 227Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeAwlIpJ1Ap
They were both frozen for a moment.
“Can we go and see if mommy is okay?” Cade rocked onto his toes.
Elora was thinking the same thing but she didn’t want to take Cade in there. Instead she listened. It wasn’t long until she heard their mothers booming voice again.
Cade let out a breath and sat on the floor facing Elora.
Elora studied him. He was so small, even for a four-year-old he was particularly tiny. His blue eyes took up most of his face and his rosy cheeks were round despite his slight frame. He blinked while listening to the fight and Elora knew from experience that he was trying to hold back tears.
She looked down the hall again. It was long and grey, and a mouse ran across it. She wanted to close her eyes and plug her ears. But Cade needed her.
She smiled at him. “Mommy will be coming to check on you soon. You don’t want her to know you are up.”
Cade chewed on his nails.
“You shouldn’t do that.” Elora removed his hand from his mouth.
“Sorry.” He flinched at the sound of another bang. “I am scared.”
“Don’t be. They aren’t mad at you.”227Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnfwcDgCjuy
Cade shuffled closer to her and she let him nestle into her side. Her leopard didn’t look amused when the boy almost sat on her.
“I don’t like it here.” Cade was whispering so Elora had to lean closer to hear him.
“This is home.” She felt him shiver against her.
“I know but, I don’t like it.”
Elora had thought the same thing before. She looked down at the top of his head. She hated listening to her parents, and she hated that he had to listen.
“I wish I could do something.” She said.
“A boy I know ran away. He joined the cirus.” Cade sounded unsure of the last word.
“The circus.” Elora corrected.
“We could do that.”
Elora almost laughed despite the situation. she couldn’t imagine what it would be like trying to run away with a small child in tow. She was old enough, she could make it. But Cade was still little. She supposed Thor could carry him, but the wolf wasn’t even fully grown yet. He only looked large next to Cade.
Besides, the first time that Cade’s feet got cold or he was hungry she would hear about it for the rest of the journey. Then again, he was used to being a but hungry. Would he really complain about it that much?
There would be nowhere for them to go. Cade wanted to join the circus and if they were older maybe. But as young as she was Elora had still heard stories about what the traveling circus was really like. If a friend of Cade’s had gone there, he was most likely sold there. If you were a grownup then the circus was fine, but Elora had heard it wasn’t good for kids. 227Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡctb1BTKhDe
However, she and Cade were both smart kids. They could figure out where to go. they could hide out in the woods and live like Robin hood for a bit. They wouldn’t steal anything but in the stories he always managed to build a home there. She could live in a tree house and help Cade into one.
She shook her head. Her thoughts had gone from mocking the idea to actually considering it. But if she ran away, what would happen to them? It was exciting, sure, to go on an adventure just the two of them, but it was scary too. There were monsters out there and mean people. 227Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSWjx8avvPr
She felt Cade jump as another smash rocked through the house.
She was beginning to think that whatever they ran into out there, couldn’t be worse than what was in here.
“Do you really want to run away?” she asked him. 227Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh7EtdSRMGh
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