by Kit Downes
Zara quickly knelt by the Knife Demon’s box and turned it over. The Knife Demon clattered wildly inside it, but the lid stayed closed.
“What are we going to do with that?” said Zal. “Can you break the spell?”
“I don’t know how,” said Zara, lifting the box up. “We’d better give it to Professor Maltho. If the Academy had the Crystal Flowers of Kandara, they should be able to deal with this.”
“OK, but keep it closed,” said Zal, as Zara placed the box on the Nygellian rainbow carpet. “This carpet is our last chance to be in the race.”
“No, it isn’t,” said Zara. “We don’t need this carpet any more. We can race on the Rainbow Carpet. Our Rainbow Carpet.”
“What?” said Zal.
“Where is your Rainbow Carpet anyway?” said Sari.
“We left it at Miles’ house,” said Zal, eyeing the box. “OK. We’ve got two days until the race—”
“Wraff, wraff!”
Rip was standing beside one of the scrolls that had fallen off the table in the commotion. He nudged it with his nose, making it unroll. It was a copy of The Shirazar Star.
“What’s wrong, boy?” said Zal, picking it up. “What’s… OH, CAMELPAT!”
“What is it?” said Zara.
“The date!” said Zal, pointing to it.
He dropped the scroll onto the table and ran to the window, stepping over the snoring Leader. He threw it open and looked out onto Water Dragon Square. The Shirazan flag was flying from the roof of the Royal Palace in the distance. Under the shade of the square’s orange trees, people were excitedly making bets. Others were hurrying out of the square in the direction of Plateau’s Edge Street and the other good places to watch the race.
“Oh, no!”
“We must have been inside the bottle longer than it felt,” said Zara. “We’ve lost two whole days!”
“What time does the race start?” said Sari.
“Midday.”
“Then you’ve got about one hour,” said Sari, looking up at the sun.
“Oh, thank the Stork! Then we’re OK,” said Zara. “I’ve still got time to fix the Rainbow Carpet.”
“ZAL! ZARA!” cried Miles, as he opened the door. “Where have you been? Oh, Holy Stork! Sari Stormstrong!”
“Nice to meet you too,” said Sari, pushing past him into the house. “Did we really have to bring them?”
“Yes, we did. They’re wanted in Azamed,” said Zal, steering the Nygellian carpet through the door with the still-sleeping Shadows piled on top of it. “Don’t worry, Miles. She’s here to help.”
“Sorry to barge in,” said Zara, “but we need the Rainbow Carpet.”
Fluffy mewed sharply at Rip, just as he led the tigers in. Fluffy took one look at them and jumped into Miles’ arms.
“Let’s make this clear, Thesa. I’m not helping you,” said Sari. “I’m settling the score with my ex-client. You’re helping me.”
“Your ex-client?” said Miles, trembling.
“Yes. We found them,” said Zal, pointing to the Shadows. “Sorry it’s been two days. We were trapped in a bottle.”
“Oh! The Shadow Society!” said Miles. He leant against the wall as Zal landed the Nygellian carpet in the corner of the room. “You caught them! What a relief! But… Oh, great! You found another rainbow carpet!”
“Yes, but don’t worry about the race rules,” said Zara. “We’re not going to need it any more.”
The Rainbow Carpet – their Rainbow Carpet – was standing in the corner of the room. Zara went straight over to it and unfurled it. The black and grey mess of the ink stains rolled out across the floor. But the carpet’s colours, the seven colours of magic, were still there beneath the ink, just as they were in everything else in the universe. Zara placed both her hands on the weaving and summoned up her magic. It came quickly, still warm from her duel with Etan. Zara closed her eyes and reached through her memories. She felt the carpet pile beneath her palms and remembered what the carpet was like when it was new and perfect. She pictured the seven bands of colour and how they flowed and merged together. She pictured the carpet’s decorations – the coiling water dragons, the flying doves and the ancient Nygellian crown – just as she had first seen them when the carpet hung newly finished on Zal’s spare weaving frame. Zara opened her mind, her magic and her heart and reached into the Rainbow Carpet.
The carpet shivered. Magic sparkled through the black and grey. The carpet rose up off the floor, slowly and shakily, and then it steadied. The dried ink cracked, revealing the seven colours like the sun breaking through clouds. The ink fell off in a shower of black dust and the Rainbow Carpet floated perfect and pristine again.
Zara sighed.
“Thank the Stork!” said Zal.
“That was amazing,” said Miles.
“We’re back in the race,” said Zara.
“Congratulations,” said Miles. “What a relief. Two rainbow carpets. And I take it that’s the Knife Demon?”
Fluffy sniffed at the box. The Knife Demon rattled again.
“I don’t understand,” said Sari. “If this is your carpet, what happened to it?”
“The Shadows used the Crystal Flowers of Kandara on us,” said Zara.
“They did?” said Sari. “How did they get hold of them?”
“What do you mean ‘how’?” said Zara. “You stole them for them.”
“Never mind that. We need to celebrate,” said Zal. “Does Celeste still drink that great pomegranate and mango juice?”
“Oh, of course,” said Miles. “She always wants it before the race. I’ll get some.”
“Don’t worry. I remember where you keep it.”
“What are you talking about?” said Sari. “I stole the Knife Demon for Mr Leader. The Crystal Flowers were for my other client.”
“What other client?” said Zara.
“No! Wait, Zal! I can get it!” said Miles, as Zal strode into the kitchen.
“Don’t worry, I remember,” said Zal, as he went through the kitchen door. “Second shelf on the right next to the…”
Zal froze in place. Standing on the kitchen table was a vase of yellow and violet flowers. The stems, leaves and blossoms were carved out of solid crystal, exactly as they had been drawn in Professor Maltho’s book. Next to them was a clear glass decanter, shaped like waves in a stormy sea, filled with a liquid of constantly shifting shades of blue. Beside it was a neatly folded pile of shimmering silver cloth, which looked as fine as silk. Beside that there was also an elegantly curved silver hunting bow, strung with a bowstring as thin as spider’s web. A wooden box sat open beside it, with a set of dark red chess pieces inside. There was also the handle of an elegant scimitar, the metal carved into the shape of roaring flames, and a flat metal boomerang with razor-sharp edges, carved all over with air-flow channels. Zal’s expression changed as, one by one, he recognized all the items illustrated in The Shirazar Star. Everything that had been stolen in the crime wave was laid out and neatly organized on the Nocturnes’ kitchen table.
“Camelpat,” said Miles, behind him.
Zal’s neck prickled like lightning. He spun around, grabbing his sword hilt and wrenching it from his scabbard just as Miles moved, like a striking cobra, drawing his sword in the fastest diagonal-draw-cut Zal had ever seen. His friend’s eyes had turned to stone.
SHHINNNG!
Their blades met in mid-air. Zal’s scimitar snapped, one inch above the hilt. The broken steel blade flew across the kitchen and stuck, quivering, into the wall. Miles’ free hand shot forwards, clenched into a fist, and ploughed into Zal’s nose, sending him stumbling backwards.
“ZAL!” shouted Zara.
Zara, Sari, Rip and the tigers had come running as they heard the swords being drawn. Sari raised her spear and red magic filled Zara’s hands, just as Miles pulled out a small, bulging black pouch and held it out towards them, holding his nose with his other hand. He squeezed and the pouch burst in a cloud of dozing dust.
“Still slow, Zal,” he heard Miles say. “Always too slow.”
Zara groaned as she woke up. Her head felt like it was filled with fog and she had to force her eyes to open. There were two more groans beside her, as Zal and Sari woke up.
“Hi, guys,” said Miles, who was crouching on the floor, just finishing tying Cloudclaw’s legs together. “I’m sorry.”
Zara tried to lift her hand to rub her eyes, but ropes bit into her wrists. She, Zal and Sari were tied back to back in three chairs in the middle of the living room. Across from them, the Shadows were tied to the sofa, slumped against the ropes and still snoring. The tigers were lying tied up on the floor, and Miles had even tied Rip to Fluffy’s cat basket. Miles’ own fast six-colour carpet, which Augur and Zal had given to him as a birthday present years ago, was floating by the door, loaded with the stolen items and ready to go.
“MILES!” said Zal, as he woke up properly. He struggled against the ropes, rocking his chair. “It was you! You total camelpat! It was you all the time!”
“I’m so sorry,” said Miles. “I know that doesn’t really cover it, but I am. I never dreamed it would get this bad.”
“You stork dropping! You used the Crystal Flowers on us.”
“That was an accident,” said Miles. “I was figuring out how they worked. What were the chances that you would be flying over the park at the same time?”
“Let me out of this chair! I’m going to—”
“You’re my other client?” said Sari, flexing her arms against the ropes. “No wonder you always wore that hood and the false beard.”
“Yes, that was me, and thanks for all your help,” said Miles. “You were better than I ever hoped for. You got me everything.”
“Grrr? GRAAARRR!”
Cloudclaw woke and found himself tied up. Miles jumped out of the way just in time as he thrashed on the floor, waking up Sheertooth and Jeweltail. Their muscles bulged as they strained to break the ropes.
“You’re planning to sabotage the Champions’ Race?” said Zara.
“I wish I wasn’t,” said Miles. “Believe me. But I’ve got no other choice. I tried everything I could think of to persuade Dad not to compete this year, but none of it worked. This is the only option I’ve got left.”
“Have you gone crazy?” said Zal, still struggling. “He’s the Red Squirrel! Why the Stork wouldn’t you want him to compete?”
“Because he’s getting too old for it,” said Miles. “He and Celeste both are. They can’t fly like they did when they were young any more. But Dad’s set on winning this year and I don’t want him to get hurt.”
“So you’re going to ruin the race to stop them?” said Zal.
“No, of course not!” said Miles. “I’m going to make sure he wins.”
He shook his head sadly.
“You don’t know Dad as well as you think you do. You don’t know how important being the Champion of Champions is to him. It’s his life’s work. If he loses now, in his last race, it could destroy him.”
“You’re going to help him?” said Zara.
“Exactly,” said Miles. “I hope I won’t have to. Dad might still win on his own. I’m just going to be there to make sure he doesn’t lose.”
Miles stood and pushed his sword into his sash. He went over to his carpet and quickly counted the stolen items again, checking they were all there. Zara looked around and sighed with relief. Miles had put the Knife Demon’s box on a shelf, well away from the two rainbow carpets.
“What about us?” said Zara. “We know your plan now.”
“Don’t worry. You’re not going to remember it,” said Miles.
“I’ve got a very good memory,” said Zal.
“After Dad’s won the race, I’m going to come straight back here and feed you all some amnesia potion,” said Miles. “I got it from the same magician who sold me the dozing dust. Then I’m going to set everything up so it looks like you captured the Shadow Society – and its hired thief, Sari Stormstrong – but sadly you breathed in some dozing dust during the fight and slept through the race. You missed your chance to be Champions, but you’ll still get to be heroes.”
“But Miles, think for a minute,” said Zara. “What if your dad finds out it was you? That’s going to hurt him more than losing.”
“He’ll never know,” said Miles, opening the door and sitting down on his carpet. “All I need to do is get him through this race so he can retire happy and then everything will be OK.”
“But Miles!”
“I’m really sorry.”
Miles pressed down with both hands and the six-shader glided neatly through the door, loaded with magical weapons. Miles reached back and pulled the door shut behind him.
“Rip!” Zal called. “Wake up, boy! Chew through the ropes!”
“Don’t bother,” said Sari, standing up. The ropes fell loose around her chair.
“How did you…?”
“I’m the greatest thief in the Great Desert,” said Sari. “You don’t get to my level without knowing all there is to know about knots.”
She knelt down beside Jeweltail and freed her with a single pull on the ropes.
“We’ve got to stop him,” said Zara. “Sari, untie us. We’ll pay you.”
“Don’t worry, that won’t be necessary. I’m coming with you anyway,” said Sari, as she freed Sheertooth and Cloudclaw. Cloud went straight over to Fluffy’s basket and started chewing Rip free. Rip groaned as he woke up.
“You are?” said Zara.
“I’ve just been betrayed by two clients in a row,” said Sari. “I have to deal with this now. I’ve got my reputation to protect.”
She reached between Zal and Zara’s chairs and pulled and the ropes around their wrists instantly loosened.
“Uuurgh?” came a voice from across the room. “What’s happening…?”
They looked around as the Leader raised his head. Hara, Mira and Etan were stirring too.
“Oh, I’d forgotten about you,” said Zara.
“Vulture’s curses!” said the Leader, sitting up and struggling against his ropes. “Where are we? How did you get out of the bottle? How are you still breathing?”
“Your plan was stupid,” said Zal.
“We’ll tell you about it later,” said Zara, “after the Royal Protectors get here.”
“What? No! Don’t you dare summon them!” said the Leader. “I’ll curse you with every enchantment in the book! I’ll make you die a thousand deaths, ten thousand painful deaths and a hundred thousand … agonizing deaths!”
“Just be quiet,” said Zara. She quickly went to the Rainbow Carpet and checked it was OK. “You can sit there until we get back. Come on, we need to go. We’ve got half an hour until the race.”
“Wait, I just need to get something,” said Zal. He hurried over to the wall where Miles’ spare swords were hanging. He lifted one down that was roughly the same size and shape as his own broken one.
“Good idea,” said Sari, picking up her spear as Rip and the tigers climbed onto the carpet.
“Yes. I can’t believe he broke mine,” said Zal, as he tucked the sword into his sash and tried drawing it. “Mistress Shen never taught me how to do that… Whoa!”
The sword leapt up out of the scabbard and almost shot out of his hand. Zal had only pulled gently, but there had been no resistance, as if the scabbard wasn’t holding the blade at all.
“What the…?” Zal pulled the scabbard out of his sash and peered down it. He held it under his nose and sniffed. “Butter…? BUTTER! MILES! YOU STORK DROPPING!”
“Butter?” said Zara.
“It’s lined with butter!” said Zal, holding up the scabbard. “Diagonal-draw-cuts! That’s how he always wins!”
“Cheating’s something he�
�s good at,” said Sari.
“Come on. Let’s go,” said Zara.
“That total camelpat! I’m going to kill him!” said Zal, as the Rainbow Carpet glided out of the door.
Above the starting line, the flags of all Seventeen Kingdoms fluttered from the Arch of Champions. The arch was made of snow-white marble and carved all over with the story of Emperor Clearju and the first Champions’ Race. It stood on the very edge of the plateau, looking out over the desert and the first section of the race track.
Behind it was a great open courtyard that served as the starting area. A dozen servants were dusting and polishing the Royal Pavilion ready for the Empress’s arrival. On a raised platform, the ten judges were taking their places behind a long curved table, that was laid out with maps, rule books and score sheets. The gates had just been opened and the Royal Protectors were letting in the spectators, some of whom had slept in the street all night to be sure of getting good seats. In the crowds, people were placing bets, praying to the gods and casting good-luck spells for their kingdom’s Champions. In front of the Royal Pavilion, Paradim Nocturne was standing with a group of friends, including Augur and Arna, Professor Maltho and Mistress Shen.
“It’s so good to see you two again!” said Paradim, shaking both their hands at once. “You don’t come to Shirazar often enough. It’s been far too long!”
“Yes, but you never come to Azamed either,” said Arna, shaking his hand and glancing over his shoulder.
“Thank you, Paradim. How’s Celeste?” said Augur, anxiously searching the crowd.
“Oh, raring to go,” said Paradim. He was a tall and strong man, with a weathered, but handsome face. His hair was already brushed and combed back into his famous long red ponytail, though it was now streaked with a couple of strands of grey. “I felt her feathers trembling when I gave her breakfast this morning. But where the Stork are Zal and Zara?”
“Nowhere!” said Augur.
“They’ll be here!” said Arna. “Don’t worry. They’ll both be here. On time. I hope.”