Tiger Thief (22 page)
Authors: Michaela Clarke
Sharat hesitated. He couldn’t remember much about being the Prince of Jinnis. “I don’t know,” he said with a sigh. “I don’t want to think about that now. All I want to do now is settle back into life at the circus.”
Still, he couldn’t help feeling a sense of wonder as he put his hand up to touch the seed that was tucked safely into a pouch strung around his neck. His heart was filled with love as he remembered the Queen of the Forest. His mother. Perhaps one day, when he had planted this seed he would see her again. He hoped so.
In her own bunk, Aya’s thoughts had turned unbidden to her terrible secret.
“What do you think will happen to Doctor Rookh?” she asked.
Sharat hesitated for a moment. “Do you care?”
“No!” said Aya, her voice fierce. “I hope I never see him again.”
“Then you don’t have to,” Sharat assured her. “The circus is your home now. We’ll look after you.”
Aya’s reply was inaudible. He heard her stifle a yawn.
Smiling, he turned over, wriggling to make himself more comfortable. It was so nice to be back in his own bunk and tomorrow he would go out hunting with Emira just as he always had. Muttering goodnight he closed his eyes and soon he too was drifting off to sleep.
Outside, the wind blew away the clouds and a crescent
moon shone its light on the living earth. For a while a few of the circus crew remained around the camp-fire talking quietly, but it wasn’t long before even the stragglers wandered off to their tents.
From her place under the caravan, Emira let out a sigh. All was still. It seemed nothing could disturb the peace of the night. But still the tiger didn’t sleep. Instead she sat like a sentinel, her eyes glinting in the moonlight as she turned her head to face the valley below.
First published in the UK in 2013 by Nosy Crow Ltd
The Crow’s Nest, 10a Lant Street,
London, SE1 1QR, UK
This ebook edition first published in 2013
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Text copyright © Michaela Clarke, 2013
Cover illustration © Dominic Harman, 2013
Cover and inside pattern and typography © Sarah Coleman, 2013
The right of Michaela Clarke to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by her under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, incidents and dialogues are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictiously. Any resemblence to actual people, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
ISBN: 978 0 85763 067 4