The Chosen Ones by Scarlett Thomas

Author:Scarlett Thomas
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Canongate Books

17

After they’d lost the first set 0–6 Wolf requested a toilet break, and he and Effie went out into the quiet corridor. Soon, Raven and Lexy found them. Raven took out her wonde and cast the Shadows, and then they found a quiet room off the hallway where they could hide for a few minutes. Apparently Terrence Deer-Hart was on the prowl looking for Effie. Lexy set about rubbing an ointment into Wolf’s arm, while Raven chanted a healing spell over Effie.

‘Where’s Maximilian?’ said Wolf.

‘He’s trying to steal the caduceus from Leander,’ said Lexy. ‘Apparently he can disappear now, which is quite helpful.’

‘Can you see anything yet?’ asked Wolf.

‘No,’ said Effie. She didn’t admit to her friends that she was actually becoming quite scared. She knew that they looked to her for leadership and there was no way she was going to let them down. Especially when they were trying so hard to help her.

Soon it was time to go back. There was no sign of Maximilian or the caduceus. Wolf led Effie back to her seat by the umpire’s chair and got her water bottle out for her. Not that she needed to replace any fluids. She hadn’t had to run at all in the whole of the last set.

On Court Two the Tusitala School second pair, Olivia and Josh, were also having a hard time. Effie could hear jeering and booing coming from the spectators.

‘What’s happening?’ she asked Wolf.

‘I think they might have just won their first point,’ he said.

Just then something dropped into Effie’s lap. It was the caduceus. Maximilian had got it! And he must have slipped through between the dimensions in order to deliver it. As soon as Effie touched it, her sight was restored. How could that be? She blinked once, twice. Yes, her sight was fine. Effie knew the words to the Shadows well after having heard Raven recite them so often. She had a sense that she could say the spell now and it would work. She muttered it and – yes – to her surprise, she managed to hide the caduceus. What else could she do? She didn’t want to cheat exactly, but . . .

Her hearing was enhanced, just as it had been on the bus, and so she could hear what Tabitha was saying to Barnaby on the other side of the umpire’s chair.

‘Well, I’ve got no more M-currency either.’

‘You must have something in your bag?’

‘I’ve got a chocolate bar.’

‘No, you idiot. Something to replace my power. There’s no way we’ll win otherwise.’

‘Are you insane? We didn’t drop a point in the last set.’

‘Yes, because I had plenty of M-currency.’

‘Well, it’s chocolate or nothing.’

‘I’m sure I had one more dried monkey brain in here somewhere.’

‘God, you’re disgusting,’ said Tabitha. ‘I don’t know how you can eat that revolting stuff.’

‘You eat crushed butterflies for breakfast every morning!’

‘That’s different.’

‘Can’t your friends do something?’

‘They’re selfishly saving their power for their own matches,’ said Tabitha. ‘What about yours?’

‘Same. We’ll have to rely on our skill.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.