The Unwritten Books 3-Book Bundle by James Bow

Author:James Bow
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Dundurn Press
Published: 2014-01-29T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TEN

SWEET AIR

Peter struggled awake and rolled out of his canoe-bed. “I mustn’t sleep,” he gasped. “Mustn’t sleep!”

He sat up, rubbing his eyes in confusion. Why mustn’t he sleep?

All at once, the answer came to him.

“Rosemary!”

He scrambled up and looked around the room. He was alone. Bringing his breathing under control, he stepped to the door and opened it a crack. He heard voices outside.

“That woman!” Fiona stormed. “She’ll ruin everything! I could have ripped her to shreds where she stood!” “That was her,” said another voice, soft and lilting, but full of fear. “Darius and I saw her on the edge of our world. She is a songbreaker, Fionarra! She robbed me of my second with just one word from her lips.”

Fiona hissed. “A songbreaker! And to think I just left her out there. But she could not have got in here without help. Someone must have pulled her in, Loria.”

“Merius?” said Loria.

“Merius. He’d do anything to embarrass me before the council. He might even be stupid enough to bring a songbreaker amongst us. Wait till Eleanna hears this.

Yes, she will hear of this.”

“But what about the songbreaker?”

“Does anybody else know what she is?” asked Fiona.

“No, only Darius and I saw her powers.”

“Then do not talk about her to anyone else.”

“But —”

“We must not cause a panic. At least not until I can be sure that Merius is behind this. Then I will expose his treachery.”

“Is your rivalry with Merius all you can think of? We have a songbreaker in the village! We have to make her leave. If she is linked with Peter, then perhaps —”

“No.”

“But —”

“No! I will not send Peter away after all that I’ve risked. Peter belongs here!”

Peter shut the door quickly but quietly. He had to think, and to do that, he didn’t want to hear Fiona’s voice, even in the next room.

He leaned against the wall. So, Rosemary had followed him to this world, or had fallen into it. Judging from Fiona’s tone of voice, she wasn’t welcome here.

How could a people who had accepted him reject somebody like Rosemary?

The dominant voice in his head spoke out: Because she’s human and you’re not. You belong here and she does not.

And yet he knew Rosemary well enough to know that she would not leave without him.

The battle of wills between Rosemary and Fiona played out in his mind, with this “council” standing behind Fiona. He knew he had to make Rosemary leave, for her own sake. To do that, he had to talk to her. And he sensed the council and Fiona would frown upon that.

So, the council and Fiona had better not see him talk to Rosemary.

Stepping to the window, he pushed up the casement and hauled himself over the sill.

Behind him, the door clicked. Ariel sidled in and stared at the empty room. Her eyes fell upon the window.

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