The Missing Kin Read Free Page B

garden. This notion made his
memory jangle, but he still couldn't put a claw on
when he'd seen her before. 'What is she doing here?'
he asked Targesh.
    Targesh looked pained. He glanced at Simangee,
but she ignored him and gazed at the ceiling,
humming. 'I took a patrol outside the valley.'
    'I thought we'd agreed to stay hidden. We are still
vulnerable.'
    'In some ways, that's true, Adalon who was once
of the Eastern Peaks,' the stranger said. She clicked
her claws together. 'But since Wargrach told everyone
you were killed in one of Graaldon's eruptions,
no-one is actually looking for you.'
    'Who are you?' Adalon snapped.
    She stood and bowed. 'Varriah, at your service.'
    Simangee hummed a little. 'Don't you remember
her? She was a house steward in Queen Tayesha's
palace.'
    'Ah,' Adalon said. 'Now I remember.'
    Adalon was taken back two years, to a much
happier time. Simangee, Targesh and he had gone to
Challish for the spring festival. They'd been pleased
to leave the wild weather of the Eastern Peaks, where
winter lingered for months after the lower-lying
provinces of Thraag had seen thaw and budburst.
Adalon's father had been unable to go because he
was planning irrigation works on the estate, so he'd
entrusted the young people to Adalon's Great-Uncle
Baradon. The old saur loved nothing better than
a trip to the capital and kept the party entertained
on the journey with his tales of the best eateries in
the city.
    As heir to the Eastern Peaks, one of the provinces
of Thraag, custom demanded that Adalon present
himself at the palace, along with his friends and
great-uncle. It was Varriah who was given the job
of guiding them through the maze of protocol and
etiquette. She'd performed this task with jaunty
good humour.
    'Varriah,' Adalon said warily. What was one of
Queen Tayesha's household doing here? She didn't
look like a spy, but Adalon was well aware of how
fragile their safety was. 'You're a long way from
Gralloch Palace.'
    She grimaced. 'I know. And I haven't seen hot
water for days.' She frowned at her claws. 'I'd
forgotten how smelly those riding beasts are. Can't
something be done about that?'
    'She was running away,' Targesh said.
    'Not running away,' Varriah said, looking pained.
'I was looking for a better position.'
    'In the wilderness?' Adalon asked.
    'Well, yes, of course . . .' She looked around.
'This is a splendid place you have here. However did
you find it?'
    Targesh harrumphed. 'I was talking to Bolggo,'
he said to Adalon. 'He said some of the village
younglings had gone exploring. I found them near
the fire gate.' He looked uncomfortable. 'I thought it
could be useful to do some scouting outside.'
    The fire gate was the only way in or out of the
Hidden Valley. The tunnel wound through the flank
of Graaldon, the smoking mountain, to the ashy,
barren wasteland outside. Regularly, the tunnel
filled with molten rock, which poured out onto the
volcano's feet, making it a perilous path.
    'We'd spoken of patrols,' Adalon said to Targesh.
'I was going to organise them . . .'
    'You've been busy,' Targesh said. 'The younglings
were eager.'
    'Of course.' Adalon paced back and forth, his
hands behind his back. He had so much to do, so
many plans, so much preparation to undertake. He
felt buried in decisions and choices.
    'You can't do everything yourself,' Simangee said
to him. 'We are part of this too.'
    Adalon stopped pacing and grinned. 'Reading
minds again?'
    'It's a matter of knowing you too well, Adalon.'
    Targesh rumbled in his chest. 'This one has news.
    Best to listen.'
    Rebuked, Adalon sat at the table and faced
Varriah. Targesh joined them. 'Tell 'em,' he said to
the Billed One.
    Varriah studied her claws again. 'Well, I decided
that the climate of Challish didn't suit me at all –'
    'You said the Queen wants to invade Callibeen
by the end of the month,' Targesh interrupted.
    Varriah narrowed her eyes, but nodded. 'All
Thraag is mobilised for war. The Army has been
swelled by volunteers inspired by