Mellow greeted Nightingale, but when she replied it was in a beautiful song Mellow had never heard before and did not understand.
‘Where does she come from?’ Mellow asked.
‘I do not know,’ the Prince replied. ‘But sometimes her arms become wings and feathers appear on her skin.’ The Prince stroked the girl’s long hair. ‘Perhaps one day she will be able to tell me.’ Then his face grew serious. ‘But we do not have much time, Mellow,’ he said, looking at the smoke drifting towards them. ‘You must take our baby, take her far away where my father will not find her. You must keep her safe.’
‘Where will you go?’ Mellow asked.
‘We will lead the soldiers away. Our daughter is called Oriole. Teach her the ways of goodness and love. And please, Mellow, promise never to tell her about us or the King. She must never go to the City of Solace or he will destroy her.’
Mellow knew there was no other way. ‘I understand,’ he said. He watched the couple kiss their child one last time, and then the Prince took Nightingale’s hand and they ran away together through the forest.
Mellow flew to the highest tree. He summoned the birds, who came at once. They carried the baby far away to a forest where an ancient Banyan tree grew. And there in its giant branches the child was raised. And Mellow kept his promise and never told her about her parents.
But now Oriole was in grave danger. Mellow knew from the rumour of small things on the land and in the sky that the Barbarian Army was drawing close to the City of Solace.
Rabbit was looking for a stall that sold a delicious kind of mushroom. It was late, almost dusk, and it was his last errand before going back to the shack and to Panther.
He was about to buy the mushrooms from the vendor when he saw Boy in the distance. He hadn’t seen Boy since he had left for the Demon Monster’s mansion. Rabbit thought that Boy must have met a terrible fate and he had been sick with grief. He’d kept looking over at Boy’s unrumpled bedding, hoping that he would suddenly appear. But now, here Boy was, safe and whole, thanks to the wing-footed God of Honourable Thieves.
Rabbit was about to call out when he saw that Boy was not alone. There was a girl with him, a strange-looking girl. She had long shining dark hair, odd shoes that looked like they were woven from vines, and a dress made of a type of cloth Rabbit had never seen before.
Rabbit watched as they slipped between two buildings. He ran up to the narrow passageway and peeped in. He could see their shadows. Then they seemed to disappear.
Pulling at his earlobe, Rabbit wondered why Boy hadn’t come home. He thought long and hard about what to do next. Boy needs Panther to protect him from the bad gangs, he told himself. He’s just a kid. And he needs me to cook for him – how skinny and pale he looks.
He was about to go after Boy when he stopped. Another thought had struck him. Maybe Boy had actually stolen a treasure from the Demon Monster and the girl is trying to trick him out of it? What if she’s leading him right now to her gang’s hideout? No, the best thing to do is to tell Panther. He will know what to do.
So Rabbit turned and scurried back to the shack at the end of Ratskin Alley.
In the middle of the night, Boy awoke. Something had disturbed him from his sleep. He looked at Oriole. The moon shining down into the tiny alcove caught her cheek so it glowed silvery white. Boy’s thoughts turned to the precious dagger. Earlier in the night, Oriole had looked into the stones, first the emerald then the ruby, but had seen nothing. Boy was longing to try, but he was too embarrassed to ask. What if I have the Sight? he kept thinking. The stones might tell me where my ana and ata are.
He reached down beside him, feeling for the dagger. It was not where he had left it. Carefully, so as not to wake Oriole, he searched the alcove. Then he felt something small, hard and circular stuck into the fibres of the blanket. He prised it out. It was an earring.
‘Panther,’ he whispered in horror. He’s been here, and he’s stolen the dagger.
Boy groaned silently. He had made up his mind never to go back to Panther. Now he had no choice. He had to get the dagger back or the city would be lost and Mellow would die. And Boy would never know about his ana and ata.
He looked down at Oriole sleeping, stroked her hair gently, then crawled out of the alcove. As he made his way to Ratskin Alley, he thought long and hard about his plan.
When Boy opened the door of the shack, Panther pounced. ‘If you’ve come for the dagger, forget it,’ he hissed. ‘You were meant to share your find with us but you kept it for yourself.’
‘Dagger?’ Boy replied. ‘That’s the least of the treasures at the Demon Monster’s mansion. There’s a lot more stuff. I just need your help to get it.’
‘You hungry, Boy?’ Rabbit said, overjoyed to see Boy safe. ‘I can cook you some –’
‘Forget food for once, Rabbit!’ Panther snapped. ‘There’s more important business to attend to.’ He cocked his head to one side, a greedy look on his face as he turned to Boy again. ‘More treasure, you say?’
‘Yes, so much I need help to carry it. And easy to get at, too. Come and I’ll show you, Panther.’
Panther moved uneasily, a twitch in his right cheek. He went to twirl the earring in his earlobe and was surprised to find it gone.
‘Is this what you’re looking for?’ Boy said, holding up the small silver ring as if it were a trophy.
Panther grabbed the earring from Boy and put it back through his ear. ‘What about the Demon Monster? Is he . . . er . . . dangerous?’
Boy realised that Panther was afraid. The thought made him feel grown-up.
‘The Demon Monster is terrifying, murderous and cunning,’ he said. ‘But I think he’ll be asleep. You just follow me and we should be safe.’
Panther hesitated. A look crossed his face that was both scared and greedy. Finally, he nodded. ‘All right then. Bring me the looting bag, Rabbit.’
‘Rabbit better stay here,’ Boy said. ‘You know how clumsy he can be. We don’t want to wake the Demon Monster.’
Rabbit looked hurt, but Boy knew that deep inside he was glad to stay behind.
‘Looks like we’ve finally found the big prize,’ Panther said, trying to cover his nervousness. He put on his jacket, thrust the jade dagger into his waistband, and followed Boy.
When they got to the wall, Panther had trouble wriggling through the hole. He was much bigger than Boy. The vines tugged and tore his clothes, and by the time he came out the other side he was in a foul temper.
‘So where is this treasure room?’ he demanded.
‘Just a little further,’ Boy said. He led Panther deep into the trees. Even though it was dark, he knew the way by heart now. Behind him, he could hear Panther stumbling over roots and running into low branches.
‘Lucky that Demon Monster is asleep,’ murmured Panther.
It took a few moments for Panther to realise that Boy had disappeared. He stopped and looked around.
‘Boy!’ he whispered. ‘Where are you?’
There was no reply. When he was following Boy, Panther had been thinking about all the treasures they were going to steal and how rich they were going to be. But now fear set in stronger than before. He was lost amongst these strange tall trees, in a place like he had never imagined.
‘Panther,’ he heard Boy whisper. ‘Over here.’
He stumbled towards the voice.
Then Boy said, ‘Don’t move!’
Panther stopped and looked up. Huge shapes loomed over him in the dark. His first thought was that it was the Demon Monster himself. He didn’t dare breathe. He wanted to call out to Boy. Where was he?
Then the clouds broke apart and moonlight flooded the garden. There, above him, was an enormous creature! And Boy was riding the shoulders of this beast!
Panther cried out in terror.
‘Take out the dagger and put it on the ground,’ Boy said fiercely. ‘These are the beasts of the Demon Monster. They are the reason people disappear in here. But I have become
their friend.’ He patted the creature he was riding. ‘Put down the dagger and I will stop them from eating you. But be quick – I cannot hold them for long.’
Panther glanced around in fear. Other terrible creatures surrounded him. He was trapped. He stared up at Boy. Slowly, reaching behind him, he pulled out the dagger and dropped it on the ground.
Boy slid down off the statue, walked over to Panther, and picked up the dagger. ‘Thank you, Panther. This dagger will save the city. We had to have it back.’
‘Who’s we? And why are these beasts just standing there?’ Panther was starting to realise that he had been tricked. He scowled. ‘Why you little . . .’
He lunged at Boy. A noose slipped over his neck from behind and tightened, pulling him back.
‘Sorry, Panther,’ Boy said. ‘Meet the Demon Monster. You’ll be staying at his house for a little while.’
Behind Panther, Lord Taku grinned at Boy and nodded. Boy gave him a little bow of respect, then ran back through the forest to the hole in the wall.
Oriole woke with a start. Boy was gone. She waited, listening carefully for his footsteps. Then she began to worry. Maybe he had left her and gone back to his old life. She wrapped the ragged blanket around her shoulders and thought about Mellow, wondering how he was.
It was not quite dawn when she heard someone approaching. It was Boy’s soft tread. She peeped out and, relieved, saw him sidling up the narrow passage.
‘I was so worried. Where did you go?’ she asked.
Boy pulled out the dagger and sat down beside Oriole. ‘Panther stole it when we were sleeping. So I got it back.’ Then he told Oriole of how he had lured Panther into the Demon Monster’s garden.
‘You should have seen Panther’s face when he saw me riding the bird creature,’ Boy laughed. ‘And now the Demon Monster has him tied up inside his house.’
‘How very brave and clever you are, Boy,’ Oriole said, touching his arm.
Boy’s chest swelled with pride. Then he yawned, feeling suddenly very tired. ‘Now that Panther knows where we are, we have to find another hideaway. I’ll just rest for a bit first.’
He put his head on his knees and was fast asleep in moments.
As Oriole watched Boy sleep, she felt a heaviness in her chest. How could someone so small and alone be so brave? He had rescued her from the dungeon and helped her find her precious dagger. Underneath all the bluff and talk, he was good and kind. Yet he had no one – no home, no family. At least she had Mellow and the birds and her Forest. Her heart ached for him.
Suddenly Oriole heard the sound of someone big squeezing down the passageway. She prodded Boy urgently in the ribs.
‘What is it?’ he asked, groggily.
‘Someone is coming,’ Oriole whispered.
The puffing and panting grew closer, and the person cursed under his breath.
Boy sat up in alarm. ‘It’s Panther! He must have escaped Lord Taku. We have to get out of here, now.’
Suddenly a large hand reached into the alcove.
Oriole cried out and pushed herself as far back as she could go to avoid the grabbing hand. Something rushed through her, but how strange she felt. It was as if a tree root was twisting and coiling inside her stomach. Blood was rushing through her veins, into her arms and along her back, and there was an intense itching sensation all over her body.
Boy quickly unsheathed the dagger and stabbed Panther’s hand once, twice.
Panther withdrew his hand, screaming in pain.
‘Run, Oriole!’ Boy cried, and they scrambled in the opposite direction down the narrow passageway.
Oriole found it hard to go fast. Something was wrong. Her stomach felt hard and her skin . . . if only she could stop the unbearable itching. She could hear that Panther boy breathing and grunting loudly not far behind them, and she forced herself to keep going.
Finally, they fell out into a laneway and raced off through the night like animals fleeing a ferocious fire.
When they came to a junction where two alleys crossed, Boy hesitated. ‘This way,’ he finally said and pulled on Oriole’s arm.
But this time he had made the wrong decision. A two-storey building blocked their escape.
‘Oriole,’ Boy said as they turned. ‘Stay behind me.’
Panther stood there, grinning at them. ‘That wasn’t very smart, was it, little rat?’ he said. ‘You tricked me once and you’re not going to do it again.’
‘Don’t come any closer,’ Boy said, raising the dagger.
‘How big and brave you are in front of your friend. Why don’t you tell her how you cry like a baby when I beat you. How you snivel and grovel and beg for mercy. You’re just a worthless little cockroach and now I’m going to squash you.’
As Panther spoke, the roots inside Oriole’s stomach grew tighter and tighter, twisting around themselves until she had to cry out. ‘Stop! Leave him be!’
The notes were so piercing they tore through Boy’s body and he had to cover his ears with his hands.
Panther stared at Oriole. ‘Hey, you’re the girl with the singing tongue. Well, well. The Lord Chancellor has offered a large reward for your return, you know.’
A new feeling came over Oriole. Her skin no longer itched. It felt cool, as if she had been sprayed with a fine mist. She looked down in surprise at the turquoise feathers erupting from her arms. They were small at first, but very quickly they lengthened and spread across her shoulders and down her back.
Panther gasped and stepped backwards.
‘What is happening to me?’ Oriole said. Soon her arms had disappeared and in their place was a set of magnificent turquoise wings.
Boy stared in wonderment. She was beautiful.
‘Step behind me, place your arms around my neck and hold on tightly,’ Oriole whispered.
And as Panther charged at them, she lifted her wings and they flew.
Oriole and Boy stood on the roof of the two-storey building that blocked the alley. They looked down at Panther, who was prowling back and forth.
‘I flew like a bird,’ Oriole said, smiling. She looked at her wings, long and full and soft by her sides. She lifted one up. Even though it was bigger and longer than her arm, it felt so much lighter.
‘You carried me up here as if I was a bit of dust. You were so strong,’ Boy said, staring at her.
Oriole nodded. ‘It is all so new and strange. It seemed to happen when that Panther boy was saying horrible things to you.’
‘You were angry.’
‘Is that what that feeling is called?’
‘Yes, but usually it doesn’t change people into birds,’ laughed Boy. ‘We are not safe here. Panther is more dangerous than ever now that he knows what you can do. We need to find a place to hide.’
‘Then we will wait for that Panther to leave and then go to Lord Taku’s mansion,’ Oriole said. ‘He will not dare to go there again.’
By the time they arrived in the walled garden, Oriole’s wings and feathers had disappeared.
‘You are truly your mother’s child,’ Lady Butterfly said as she sat them down with some sweet walnut tea and they told her of their adventures.
Lord Taku’s face grew grave. ‘This is bad,’ he said. ‘I am sorry Panther escaped. Now he knows of your powers, Oriole.’
‘But they will both be safe here, won’t they, Uncle?’ Lady Butterfly asked.
‘For the moment, yes,’ Lord Taku replied. Then he sighed and stood up, looking out the window. ‘Very soon, though, we will all be in danger.’
‘How so, Uncle?’
‘The Barbarian Army will be upon us any day,’ replied Lord Taku, closing the shutter.
‘The Lord Chancellor is a traitor,’ Boy said. ‘Oriole heard him send a messenger to the leader of the Army, telling them that the city was weak and to attack now.’
Lord Taku frowned. ‘The King’s weakness has given Lord Chancellor Mzia great powers. He has always wanted to be ruler.’ He traced the hook-shaped scar on his cheek
with his finger.
‘Can you not warn the King?’ Oriole said. ‘You were friends once – surely he would listen to you.’
‘Ai . . .’ Lord Taku sighed. ‘We have not spoken to each other since the Fell. We are like strangers now.’
‘What if I go to him?’ she said. ‘What if I tell him who I am?’
Lord Taku shook his head. ‘The King is in very poor health. If you mention the Prince, it might bring back painful memories. Even though you are his granddaughter, I am afraid of what he might do.’
Lady Butterfly took the children aside. ‘Come, I will show you both where you will be sleeping,’ she said.
The house was built around an inner courtyard. There was a well in the centre where fresh water was drawn, and a small grove of fruit trees. There was also a vegetable garden. The floor of the courtyard was covered in round stepping stones edged with soft moss.
Lady Butterfly slid open a door that led off the courtyard, and there on the floor were two padded sleeping mats woven from fine reeds and covered with bright-green silk quilts. A low wooden table stood in the corner with two ceramic cups on it. Lady Butterfly filled the cups with a liquid that was the colour of tea and told them it would help them sleep. She pointed to a low stand.
‘Over there is some water and a cloth for you to wash, Oriole.’ Then she wrinkled her nose. ‘Boy, come with me to the bathhouse. You need a good scrubbing.’
Boy didn’t much like the sound of that, but with a reluctant smile at Oriole he followed Lady Butterfly.
Oriole undressed by the light of a candle. Her dress was wearing thin. The jade dagger that she kept at her waist lay on the quilt. She looked at it a moment, wondering if she should try again to see the truth in the stones. No, she thought. I am too tired.
Oriole soaked the cloth in the water and cleaned herself. How good it felt. She ran a hand over her shoulder, feeling her smooth skin. There was no sign of feathers or wings now. The thought that she could change into a bird gave her strength. And it also excited her. She longed to tell Mellow. Had he known about this all along? she wondered.
The Wishbird Page 7