The Whisperer (16 page)

‘Like what?’ she asked, deliberately creasing her face into a frown.

‘Like running away. It would be a most unwise act.’

‘Why’s that, Master Tyren?’

‘Oh, he already knows why. But the consequences of that sort of unwise decision on his part would ultimately involve you.’

‘Me? Why?’

‘Because you’re his friend. You’ve not known each other long but I can see he’s fond of you and your companions. And you see, Tess, the best way to get anyone to cooperate is to focus one’s attention on those they like most. I doubt that Griff will risk any more limitation of your pets because he doesn’t want to upset you any further.’

‘They are
not
my pets, Master Tyren.’

‘However you choose to describe them, young lady, is entirely up to you. But I know they’re hurting and so are you. I imagine this is causing Griff concern and the best way for him to solve this is to get on with pleasing me and performing to the best of his abilities.’

‘And so you’ll let my companions go if Griff cooperates?’

‘In time, yes. Both of you will need to earn my trust. Especially Griff. You might like to tell him that.’

‘I will, Master Tyren, thank you for explaining it to me,’ she said evenly, not showing him that she spoke through gritted teeth. ‘I plan to earn your trust as soon as I can because I want my friends to be out amongst the grasses and trees.’

‘I’m sure you do. You know how to achieve that.’ He raised his dirt-brown cap to Tess in a mockingly polite gesture and left.

It was all Tess could do to prevent herself from growling aloud at his back.

He’s lying
, Davren said.

I know. He can make more money out of Griff than we could ever make him. Griff is where he sees his greatest potential but we are Griff’s weakness.

I believe we can trust Griff.

I know we can. Just do your best to reassure the others, Davren, because none of them are listening to me.

It was only as they drew close to the soft lantern light that Lute noticed it was not a dwelling they were approaching. It was a series of interconnecting cave-like structures: some natural, some obviously dug out of the range of hills.

‘What is this place?’ he asked, a little overawed. He could see people moving about in the muted light.

‘I told you, as close to home as I can give you for now,’ Little Thom said.

‘But who are these people?’

‘Friends,’ he replied.

Within moments they were met by boys who skipped out to take the horses and Lute was suddenly being ushered deep into a tiny, shallow valley, surrounded by a cluster of hills. They crossed the valley on foot—it took barely a couple of minutes to do so and then they were entering one of the hill chambers. Lute noted that Thom knocked, whilst Mungo had disappeared at some point.

‘Come,’ a voice boomed.

Thom opened the door, reassured Lute with a soft grin and whispered, ‘Be humble, Peat, whoever you are.’

Inside, a tiny brazier burned, warming the surprisingly spacious chamber with its rocky ceiling. The smoke was cunningly fed through a flue at the back of the hill. Lute was amazed by the ingenuity of the architecture.

Sitting before the fire warming his toes was a dwarf. His beard was luxuriant, dark and peppered with streaks of silver. For his short stature it was clear this man was bound with muscles, his shirt drawn tight against his chest and his bared arms thick, strong and covered with an array of beautiful designs that Lute recognised as the result of painful inking needles. He’d only seen someone with an ‘ink’ once before and it was a very small mark at the back of the neck. The dwarf’s true skin colour was lost beneath the maze of art in wild colours, rich and almost with a light source all of their own. The pictures seemed to pulse they were so intense.

The dwarf turned from the flames. ‘Aha, what have we here, Little Thom?’

‘I found him skirting the road leading out of Tarrow’s Landing. He’s hurt: set upon by road thieves—probably that pair who prey on unsuspecting strangers using the ferry,’ Thom said.

‘Come closer, boy. You’re giving me a crick in my neck making me twist it like this.’ A fat forefinger beckoned him.

Lute obeyed, glancing quickly at Thom, who nodded.

‘Well, you look healthy enough.’

‘I am, thank you.’

The dwarf regarded him gravely. ‘And well mannered too.’

‘I was raised to be polite to my elders,’ Lute said, not sure what was the right thing to say.

‘Indeed. And what name did your gracious parents give you?’

‘I’m called Peat.’

‘Peat? That’s a common name of our farm folk.’

‘And I’m from common stock.’

‘Is that so?’ The dwarf regarded him steadily.

Lute nodded, mesmerised by the dwarf’s enormously bulbous nose and by the beady charcoal-coloured eyes that flashed both intelligence and mischief beneath the bushy brows.

‘And so, Peat, are you hungry?’

‘A little.’

‘We can remedy that.’ The dwarf glanced over at Thom, who opened the door and muttered to someone who must have been
guarding outside. ‘I hope you like rabbit stew. It’s what’s on offer at our fine establishment tonight.’

Lute was taken aback, completely uncertain of how to take this strange little man and yet he had no reason to mistrust him—other than Pilo’s warning to mistrust everyone. ‘Er, thank you. I can pay.’

‘Good. Now apparently you’re hurt?’

Lute shrugged, kept to the same story. ‘I took a fall when I was attacked.’

‘How bad?’

‘We think his rib’s broke,’ Thom answered.

The dwarf made a tsk-ing sound. ‘And we shall have that seen to as well. Thom, you’d better ask Nanny to bring her salves and bandages.’ He returned his attention to Lute. ‘So, young Peat. You seem to be taking a keen interest in my inks. Like them?’

‘They’re fascinating.’

‘Each tells a story that occurred in my life.’

Lute’s eyes widened. He pointed to a spot near the dwarf’s left elbow where a huge eagle was carrying a child. ‘I’d like to hear that one,’ he said with no little awe. ‘Does it hurt to have it done?’

‘Mightily!’ the dwarf exclaimed. ‘Here we are. Nanny’s here, and the food won’t be far away,’ he said, nodding at the guard who ushered in an old woman.

Lute nodded. ‘Thank you, er…’ He suddenly realised he didn’t know what the dwarf was called. ‘I’m sorry, I don’t know your name.’

At this the dwarf grinned widely. ‘I go by the name of Bitter Olof, child.’

Griff had waited for his brothers to finish their second performance and was now watching them wash off their painted faces for the night.

‘That went well,’ he said.

Phineas rubbed his cheeks with a flannel. ‘That’s because we
were good tonight although, Mat, you’re leaning too far to the right when we do the Crab.’

‘No, brother,’ Mat said, flicking Phineas with a towel, ‘you are positioning yourself too far to the left.’

‘What rot!’ Phineas replied and this set off a tall debate between the brothers.

Griff butted in. ‘Listen, I need to speak to you both.’ His brothers stopped their playful arguing and looked at him. He shrugged. ‘It’s important.’

‘We’re all ears,’ Phineas said, casting a troubled glance at Mat.

Griff had already checked that no-one else was around but Mat assured him. ‘What’s on your mind, Griff? I imagine your skill already tells you that everyone else has gone to sit around the fires for the night.’

Griff nodded. His brothers were the final act for the evening and thus always the last to clean up and re-appear for the late toddy around the camp fires. ‘Have you got any of that Dragonjuice left?’

Phineas looked at him puzzled. ‘Almost the whole bottle.’

Mat threw a mock glare at his elder brother. ‘You lied! You promised me old Chauncey had found it and drunk it.’

Phineas shrugged. ‘Why, Griff?’

‘I need you to use it to get Chauncey and Jasper drunk.’

‘What?’ the boys exclaimed together.

Griff hushed them and then proceeded to tell his brothers everything he knew.

‘Tyren threatened us?’ Mat asked, disbelief in his voice.

Griff nodded. ‘It’s his way of keeping control of me, Mat, that’s all. It’s nothing personal. You and Phineas have done nothing wrong. Your act is perfect.’

‘Don’t defend him,’ Phineas said, scowling. ‘What a slime he is.’

Mat arched his eyebrows at his brother with a sigh. ‘But you’re not telling us this for idle reasons are you, Griff? You’ve obviously got something more on your mind.’

Griff bit his lip. This would be the hard bit. He took a soft breath of courage. ‘I’m leaving, Mat.’ The boys stared at him as
though they hadn’t heard him properly. He filled the silence hastily. ‘It’s the only way to stop Tyren. He’ll never let up. And he’s going to keep using you two and Tess to blackmail me. I can’t do it.’ He shook his head. ‘I just can’t do this because it’s like a pain. It’s hard to explain, but to hear what all the people just in the Travelling Show alone consider important to think about is overwhelming. It’s endless noise in my head and often despair.’

‘I thought you could block it,’ Phineas said softly, frowning.

‘To a point I can, and it’s helpful when I’m doing the grunt work because I’m usually too busy to think, to focus on anything but my work. But Tyren’s going to change all of that and I swear I’ll just die from the intensity of everyone’s thoughts in my head.’

‘We said we’d stick together. Da—’

‘I know what Da wanted. But he wouldn’t want me to be this miserable…or cowardly.’

‘Where are you going?’ Phineas pressed.

‘I don’t know. I know you two are happy here and won’t leave, but I’m taking Tess.’

‘Now I know you’ve gone mad,’ Mat responded. ‘That is plain stupidity.’

‘Why?’

‘One person running away is bad enough. Two of you, and I presume a host of strange galloping beasts, is hardly going to be an invisible party that moves easily, is it?’

‘Just stay, Griff. Don’t risk it. You belong here with us,’ Phineas tried.

Griff gave Phineas a sad smile. ‘I love you both, you know that, but I don’t belong here. I never have. I know that you both love being with the Travelling Show and I understand why, with you both being such excellent performers. Father was just glad we were sticking together and that was why he agreed to me leaving too. But I was never cut out for this life and certainly not to be in front of audiences. And Tyren is going to want me to do more and more of it.’

Mat stood looking angry. ‘I don’t agree to this.’

‘You don’t have to,’ Griff challenged reluctantly. ‘This is my decision, not yours.’

Phineas looked unhappy but he nodded. ‘I’ll miss you, little brother.’

‘So you’re just going to let him run away to who knows where?’ Mat said to Phineas, astonished.

Phineas shook his head. ‘I can’t stop him, won’t stop him. I think Tyren’s being cruel.’

‘But why risk Tess?’ Mat urged.

Griff explained. ‘She hates it here. She is less suited to the Travelling Show than I am. And she has no choice but to perform—that’s what he bought her for and he can always punish her creatures if she doesn’t earn enough for him or do what he wants. No, it’s a bad situation for Tess and I’m going to help her get away.’

‘But to where, Griff?’

He didn’t want to say anything about the Whisperer and as he thought about the boy he remembered what his most recent words had been:
I am royal
, he had said. What did that mean? ‘I don’t know where we’ll go but perhaps it’s best we have no plan and that you have no idea. Then Tyren can’t use you any further.’

‘So why involve us at all? Why not just sneak off into the night?’ Mat growled and Griff knew his big brother was upset, worried for him.

‘Because I need your help…both of you.’

‘What can we do?’ Phineas asked, throwing down his towel and pulling his shirt back on. ‘I’ll help in any way I can, Griff.’

Griff could hear his second eldest brother’s angry thoughts; his fear that something might happen to Griff and that he would never forgive himself if something did.

‘You mustn’t worry about me, either of you. I’ll get word to you somehow that we are safe. Just be patient and I’ll find a way to put your minds at ease.’

‘Our father put me in charge of us,’ Phineas added.

‘I know. But he doesn’t have to know that you were ever told. As far as anyone’s concerned, I just sneaked off into the night,
but I have to release the creatures first and to do that I have to get to the keys on Chauncey’s belt.’

‘Ah, the Dragonjuice liquor; now I get it,’ Mat said, eyes gleaming with mischief.

‘Except to make it work, you not only have to get Chauncey drunk but you two have to get drunk as well—or Tyren will suspect you did it deliberately. You have to look blameless. I’ll steal the keys when you’re all too far gone on Dragonjuice to care.’

Mat laughed sadly. ‘Count me in.’

Phineas frowned, uncertain. ‘Griff—’

‘Please, Phin. Don’t say anything more. Just say yes. But remember, you can’t act, you have to genuinely drink the stuff and be ill with it if necessary. We cannot risk that Tyren doesn’t believe I took advantage of you.’

‘Where?’ Phineas finally said, as though all the fight had gone out of him.

‘Build your own fire somewhere away from the others and near to that line of bushes. I’ll hide in there,’ Griff said, pointing. ‘Chauncey won’t be able to resist coming for a nose around and you can say you didn’t want to share the bottle with anyone. Offer him some to stay quiet. You know he won’t leave. Try and drink less than him. I need him out cold as fast as possible but you two definitely need to swallow enough to convince Tyren you were not involved.’

‘Leave it to us,’ Mat said with seemingly unshakeable confidence.

Griff didn’t think Phineas looked quite so convinced. ‘So you’ll promise to get word to us?’

‘I promise. I’m not going to hug you just in case anyone’s watching from afar. Laugh, Mat, as though I’ve said something funny.’ His brother obliged. ‘I love you both. Stay safe.’

‘Griff!’ Phineas called to his back. Griff turned. ‘There’s some money in our wagon in the tea caddy—’

‘No, Phin, I—’

‘Take it!’ Mat said. ‘We don’t need it,’ he added generously, smiling first at his elder brother and then at Griff. ‘You might.’