Read The Jewel of Kamara (The Delthenon Chronicles) for Free Online

stood
up for the quiet, reserved prince. She closed her eyes and found herself back
at Amarill.
    —
    The
day was warm, the heat held in by the clusters of grey clouds. She breathed in.
She smelt the dampness in the air. It would rain soon. She knew he would want
to be back inside the castle before the rain came. He hated getting wet. She spun
around, her eyes searching for Teddy. She spotted his blonde hair as he
crouched behind the bushes. She smiled to herself. He was never good at hiding.
She always had to pretend to search for him for longer or he’d get upset. His
brother never did that and always teased him about it causing Teddy to cry. She
hated Nicolass for that.
    There
was a clap of thunder, and she heard Teddy stifle a scream. It wasn’t just
rain. A storm was rolling in. Now he really would be scared. She ran towards
him, her calls to him getting lost in the howling wind.
    She
gripped his hand when she reached him and pulled him to his feet. “Come on,”
she said. “We have to run.”
    The
thunder boomed again before the clouds opened up and the rain fell down in
sheets.
    “It’s
too far,” he cried, his eyes shining bright with fear as the sky flashed with
lightening.
    Tempani
bit her lip, her mind racing. It was true. They had strayed far from the castle
during their game. Teddy’s guard was normally close by, but today he had gotten
sick and had run for the privy. He had told them to stay put, and he would send
another guard out but as soon as he’d disappeared they’d run off, eager to play
on their own.
    “There’re
caves,” she called out as she dragged him. “We can hide in there until the rain
stops.”
    They
ran slowly, their feet sliding on the mud as they rushed past trees and began
to climb up the path to the caves that overlooked the sea. She knew the climb
well and led him over fallen logs and around large rocks until they stumbled
into the first cave. It was small, but they were little so it would do.
    Teddy
slumped to the ground and shivered. The air was still warm so she knew it was
not out of coldness that he shivered. She sat down beside him and put her arm
around him.
    “I’m
not scared,” he whispered. He was only five yet he knew that as a prince he was
expected to be brave.
    “I
am,” she lied. “It’s all right to be a little scared.”
    He
nodded. “Just a little.”
    They
sat together, listening to the waves as they crashed violently against the
cliffs. She sent a prayer to the Goddess to watch over any fishermen out in the
waters. The sky outside darkened as the storm rolled across the coast.
    “Papa
will know where we are,” she murmured as he rested his head against hers.
    “Will
you tell him I was brave?”
    She
opened her mouth to respond but no sound came out. Her eyes widened as she
heard the sound of scratching at the entrance to the cave. She felt Teddy move
and quickly put her finger to her lips urging him to stay quiet.
    Amarill
was outside the protective charms that kept strange creatures out of the city.
She had seen a herd of half horse, half human creatures that her mama had told
her were called centaurs. And she knew their lake was home to a water sprite.
Chae swore he’d seen it, but she never had.
    She
looked around her for something she could use to hit whatever it was that
lurked outside. There were a few twigs, but they would snap in an instant.
Teddy’s bottom lip trembled as he watched the entrance. Her fingers grazed over
a rock as her hands fumbled in the darkness. She gripped it in her hand and got
to her feet, her legs shaking now as the fear set in.
    Teddy
screamed as the creature blocked the small stream of light that they had coming
in through the entrance. Tempani inched forwards, squinting her eyes in the
darkness, and she too almost screamed in fright. Staring back at her was a
griffin. She had seen one in the air once but never this close.
    She
turned back to Teddy and held out her hand. His eyes were wide with fear.
Living