Read The Color of Darkness for Free Online

place?”
    â€œChromos,” said Barshin. “It’s the land of colors. A world made of our minds—of our imaginations, if you like. But not an imaginary world. It is another land that sits on top of our world, in exactly the same place. Everyone sees a world unique to themselves in there, though. And apart from you, only Zadoc knows what you see. Because what you see in Chromos is the color at the core of your very being: what you imagine most deeply—your desires, and your fear.”
    â€œHow does it know?” Cath shrank for a second at the thought that something had seen inside her, looked deep into the thoughts she always kept well hidden away.
    Barshin shook his head. “It just knows. That’s what Chromos is made of—the longings and the dreams of every creature that has ever lived, and much more besides. It just knows.”
    Dreams. Did that mean she could do things there? Make things? Become things?
    â€œI want to go back,” she said.
    Barshin nodded. “Of course. You can escape into Chromos whenever you like, if you know how. You can’t always control it, mind—you might spend seconds in there, or hours, or days. You might travel only a few yards, or hundreds of miles. You might see just as you see on earth, or you might see another world entirely. Anything is possible in Chromos. You just have to know how to call Zadoc, and then you can come and go as you please.”
    â€œCan’t I go by myself?”
    Barshin twitched his whiskers and said, “Oh no! As I warned you—you must always be on Zadoc’s back, or touching him, at least. He ensures that you only see the strongest possibility in your mind. Imagine if you were to see all of them! You’d go crazy on the spot. But I could call Zadoc again for you, if you wanted. I can always call him.”
    â€œYeah,” said Cath. “Call him now. Maybe Dad’s coming back. I should go now.”
    The colors still danced before her eyes. That wide plain, the animals, the house—was that really out there, somewhere? Could she really find it again?
    â€œWell, you see, the thing is, I need a favor. Perhaps you could do something for me? And then I’ll call Zadoc for you, whenever you want.”
    â€œDo what?” Cath didn’t take her eyes off the hare, even though she knew she should be looking out for Dad.
    â€œI need to get a message to someone. I was told he might be a tela, too, but I’ve tried talking to him and I don’t think he can hear me. Do you think you could give him the message?”
    There was bound to be a hidden bit. There always was, if anyone ever asked you to pass on a message. That was the sort of thing that happened all the time on the Sawtry.
    â€œI can’t,” said Cath. “The minute I get out of here, Dad’ll find me.”
    â€œHe won’t,” the hare assured her. “I promise you. Didn’t I say that time passes strangely in Chromos? Look—the sun’s higher, and the morning dews have gone—we must have been away for a while this time. They’ll have searched and not been able to find you, nor to follow your scent out of here—how could they, when you didn’t leave? I’m certain they won’t still be waiting. If they are, I promise to take you straight back into Chromos. And I’m not asking you to go alone, I’ll come too. I just need you to speak for me, so that this message is heard and understood.”
    Cath considered Barshin for a moment. He might be lying. But what reason could he possibly have to lie?
    â€œOkay,” she said grudgingly. “Who is he, this guy you want?”
    She half expected the hare to say Dad, or one of the guys on the estate, although there wasn’t any reason to think a hare would want to say anything to them. He didn’t look like a gangster hare.
    Barshin said, in a curious, tight voice, “A boy. He’s called Danny