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insisted. “Her name was Uma. She said she knew you. She told me you’d promised not to bring Emira back to the City of Jewels.”
    This time Lemo stopped what he was doing and frowned. “Promise?” he said. “What promise?”
    “Your promise to Uma,” said Sharat impatiently.
    Lemo still looked confused. “The name does sound familiar,” he admitted.
    “Oh, for God’s sake, stop pandering to the boy,” snapped Pias. “Can’t you see it’s just another one of his stories?”
    Sharat ignored him. He had no time to lock swords with Pias now. He turned to Hussein. “
You
remember the promise,” he said. “You were the one that told me about it. Tell him we have to get out of here!”
    Hussein’s face wore a shadow of concern, but he shook his head in regret. “It’s too late,” he said. “The Emperor’s guards have already arrived to escort us to Shergarh.”
    Sharat turned to look. There they were. Soldiers. On horseback.
    “Of course we’re not going to leave,” said Pias impatiently. “Have you forgotten how much gold we’re getting for tonight’s show?”
    “Nobody has forgotten, Pias,” said Hussein sharply, but then he turned to Lemo.
    “The boy is right, perhaps we shouldn’t have come back,” he said in a low voice. “I remember your promise, even if you don’t.”
    Lemo eyed Hussein thoughtfully. The
mahout
was his right-hand man. He trusted him completely. With a sigh he passed his hand across his forehead. “My memory hasn’t been its best since I got married,” he admitted. He glanced at Sharat. “Well, there’s nothing I can do about it now,” he said. “But let’s make tonight our last night in the City of Jewels.”
    Pias didn’t dare object.
    Hussein smiled down at Sharat. “A day can’t make that much difference, can it?” he said, trying to be reassuring. “Now go and get your things while we hook up Emira’s cage.”
    Sharat hesitated, but he could see that this was the best that he was going to get. For a brief moment he considered taking Emira and escaping to the mountains by himself, but he didn’t quite have the courage. After all, he had no idea what kind of danger he might be facing and he would feel a lot safer travelling with the circus … tomorrow.
    Reluctantly, he gathered together his props and pulled on his new white trousers. Then, with trembling fingers he reached for the amulet. As he looked down at it in wonder, he felt an unfamiliar tugging on his heart strings. Who
was
his mother? What had she looked like? And why wouldn’t Lemo ever talk about her?
    With a sigh, he slipped the amulet into his pocket. He would show it to his father later – perhaps it would jog his memory – but first they had to perform for the Emperor.

    The circus made a colourful procession as it wound its way through the cobbled streets of the old town towards Shergarh. Both elephants were painted with bold designs. Baba the bull-elephant led the way, pulling Emira’s golden cage, and Tara the she-elephant followed. On their backs sat Lemo and Hussein, looking majestic in their turbans, while Sharat rode proudly on Tara’s neck, guiding her with movements of his feet and a special language used only by
mahouts
.
    Behind them, the rest of the troupe – magicians, fire-eaters , contortionists and acrobats – trundled along on their painted carts, while Lara the horsewoman brought up the rear, her dark curls decorated with brightly coloured feathers as she looked down from the back of her Arabian stallion. Only Mohini wasn’t there. She’d gone on ahead to help with preparations at the palace.
    Sharat glanced down at the people that lined the streets as they processed through the City of Jewels. By the light of day he thought he could see a look of desperation intheir faces and once or twice he caught sight of fights breaking out in the crowds as they jostled for position.
    Up ahead loomed the walls of Shergarh. Beyond those walls it was possible to catch a