‘While you slept, we buried Rolf, as is proper,’ he said. ‘But before that …’
‘Before that, I searched the body,’ Jasmine said calmly, taking a yellowed, folded paper from one of her many pockets. ‘Which is not proper, according to Barda. But stitched into the hem of the Capricon’s cloak, I found this.’
She handed the paper to Lief. Eagerly he unfolded it. As he had hoped, it was the second part of Doran’s map.
Jasmine leaned over to tap a finger on the Sister symbol. ‘There,’ she said. ‘That is why we will be going to the mountains of the north.’
‘Shadowgate,’ Lief muttered, reading the name beside the symbol. ‘I have never heard of it, or seen it on a map before!’
‘Nor I,’ said Barda grimly, frowning at the box in his hands. ‘It does not sound an appealing place.’
‘Neither did Dragon’s Nest,’ said Jasmine. ‘But at Dragon’s Nest we made a lie of the verse printed here. We not only found the first Sister, but we destroyed it. And we survived! That is what we should be thinking of tonight, Lief.’
She took the map fragment from Lief, and put it away once more. ‘Tonight, we must rest and be glad,’ she said firmly. ‘What is the point of worrying about the future? It will come soon enough.’
‘Indeed!’ Lindal agreed heartily. ‘This is a time to celebrate, not moan and worry about things that cannot be changed.’
She sprang to her feet. ‘Let us go to Broome at once!’ she cried. ‘We will take them by surprise, but all the better! I hate speeches and parades. Hot baths, fish stew, good ale, loud music and friends to clap us on the back—what more could anyone ask?’
‘Nothing at all,’ said Barda with satisfaction.
There was a tiny click and he gave a shout of surprise. Somehow his blunt fingers had found a hidden catch in the carving of the box. A small rod of polished wood now protruded from the cube, very near to the top.
He pulled eagerly at the box’s lid, but it remained firmly closed. He looked up in comical dismay.
‘There is more than one lock!’ he exclaimed. ‘Curse this foolish toy!’
Lindal laughed uproariously. ‘Throw it away, old bear!’ she cried. ‘You will never solve the puzzle.’
‘I will,’ Barda grunted, shoving the box back into his pocket. ‘I will solve it, if it is the last thing I ever do.’
Cold fingers seemed to run down Lief’s spine. He shivered, and wondered why.
I am cold, he told himself. I am cold and tired, that is all.
‘Lief!’ shouted Jasmine, jumping up and kicking at the fire to put it out. ‘Lief, are you ready?’
Her face was turned to him, full of love and laughter. Barda and Lindal towered behind her, scuffling with one another like children.
Lief’s heart warmed.
What is the point of worrying about the future? It will come soon enough.
‘Yes,’ he said, grinning and climbing to his feet. ‘Lead on! I am ready.’
Preview
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First published in 2003.
This edition published in 2011.
Text and graphics copyright © Emily Rodda, 2003.
Graphics by Kate Rowe.
Cover illustrations copyright © Scholastic Australia, 2003.
Cover illustrations by Marc McBride.
Collectors’ Edition cover design by Nicole Leary.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, storage in an information retrieval system, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher, unless specifically permitted under the Australian Copyright Act 1968 as amended.
National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry
Rodda, Emily, 1948-.
Dragon’s nest.
For children aged 9 and above.
ISBN 978-1-74169-957-9.
Title. (Series: Rodda, Emily, 1948– Deltora quest 3; 1).
A823.3
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eISBN: 978-1-921-98967-4