open.’
‘Milo?’
Milo wanted to spit. Instead, he shrugged. ‘Sure. Why not? He’s got a sword at least.’
‘Good,’ Olivia said. So now –’
But before she could ask which way they should go, the company heard a delicate whirr in the air over by a stand of tulips. Then silence.
‘What was it?’ she whispered. ‘What is it?’
Leo frowned. ‘There’s nothing there but those flowers.’
‘But I heard something.’
‘So did I,’ Ephemia said.
Olivia squinted hard, but whatever it was seemed invisible.
Milo glanced at Leo. ‘Shall we take a look?’
Leo shook his head so fast it nearly flew off his shoulders. ‘If there’s something there, we should leave it alone.’
‘Whatever it is, it’s watching us,’ Olivia said. ‘I can feel it.’
‘I feel it too,’ Milo nodded. He took a step towards the tulips. ‘Who’s there?’
Whatever it was stayed still.
‘You three stay here,’ Milo said. ‘I’m going to investigate.’
‘Let me,’ Ephemia offered. ‘I’m smaller.’
Milo shook his head. ‘You need to protect Olivia.’
‘Oh really? I’m not a baby,’ Olivia shot back. ‘If there’s danger, I need to take my share.’
‘There’s enough danger here for all of us,’ Milo said. ‘This one’s on me.’
‘Yes, this one’s on him,’ Leo agreed, and dived under the mushroom cap.
‘So much for brave Pretonian princes,’ Ephemia muttered.
Milo picked up his rock and approached the giant tulips. Thick, green leaves thrust out of the ground, rising halfway up the mighty stalks before collapsing backwards under their own weight. Dewdrops the size of bowling balls clung to their surface. Towering above the leaves, massive cups of red petals perched at the tips of the stalks, every tip a perfect lookout.
Milo peered up at the flower heads, searching for a sign of the unseen presence. Nothing: every petal was perfectly in place. His neck prickled. Whatever was spying on him wasn’t watching from above. It was over by a leaf to his right.
Two droplets on the leaf caught his eye. At a glance, they looked like all the others, each as big as his head. But instead of being clear, they were a pale green.
Milo realised, to his horror, that the droplets weren’t droplets at all. They were eyes on a monstrous green head, camouflaged against the leaf. Milo stared as the creature’s hideous shape emerged. Now he could see the long green body. The grisly mandibles. The spiked forelegs raised as if in prayer.
Milo struggled to stay calm. ‘It’s a giant praying mantis.’
24
Prey
The mantis flickered its papery wings.
‘Stay absolutely still,’ Ephemia warned. ‘If you move it’ll strike.’
‘Talk to it,’ Olivia whispered urgently. ‘Make it leave us alone.’
‘I can’t,’ Ephemia said, eyes riveted on the mantis. ‘Meat-eaters don’t listen when they’re hungry.’
‘Leo,’ Olivia begged. ‘Help us.’
Leo shrank behind the fungal stem. ‘How?’
‘Wave your sword.’
‘And draw attention? Are you crazy?’
‘Then give your sword to me.’
‘No.’
‘Fine, be that way,’ Olivia said. She slipped off her cloak, and held it in front of her. ‘Milo, I’m going to make a distraction. When I say Go—’
Too late. The mantis pounced. Milo was hurled to the ground. He smashed the rock on the insect’s mandibles. It reared in fury.
Olivia roared forward waving her cloak. The mantis twisted its head to the flapping cloth. It flew to attack the intruder. Olivia unfurled her cloak to protect herself. The mantis caught it in its claws and tossed it towards a jungle of weeds. A flash of silver fell from the pocket.
‘The pysanka!’ Ephemia cried, as the mantis toppled Olivia. It held her fast, one foreleg on her chest, the other on her stomach.
Milo jumped on its back and pounded its steely thorax. The mantis ignored him and prepared to chew off Olivia’s head.
At that moment, something huge jumped under the boughs of the peony bush. A
‘Milo?’
Milo wanted to spit. Instead, he shrugged. ‘Sure. Why not? He’s got a sword at least.’
‘Good,’ Olivia said. So now –’
But before she could ask which way they should go, the company heard a delicate whirr in the air over by a stand of tulips. Then silence.
‘What was it?’ she whispered. ‘What is it?’
Leo frowned. ‘There’s nothing there but those flowers.’
‘But I heard something.’
‘So did I,’ Ephemia said.
Olivia squinted hard, but whatever it was seemed invisible.
Milo glanced at Leo. ‘Shall we take a look?’
Leo shook his head so fast it nearly flew off his shoulders. ‘If there’s something there, we should leave it alone.’
‘Whatever it is, it’s watching us,’ Olivia said. ‘I can feel it.’
‘I feel it too,’ Milo nodded. He took a step towards the tulips. ‘Who’s there?’
Whatever it was stayed still.
‘You three stay here,’ Milo said. ‘I’m going to investigate.’
‘Let me,’ Ephemia offered. ‘I’m smaller.’
Milo shook his head. ‘You need to protect Olivia.’
‘Oh really? I’m not a baby,’ Olivia shot back. ‘If there’s danger, I need to take my share.’
‘There’s enough danger here for all of us,’ Milo said. ‘This one’s on me.’
‘Yes, this one’s on him,’ Leo agreed, and dived under the mushroom cap.
‘So much for brave Pretonian princes,’ Ephemia muttered.
Milo picked up his rock and approached the giant tulips. Thick, green leaves thrust out of the ground, rising halfway up the mighty stalks before collapsing backwards under their own weight. Dewdrops the size of bowling balls clung to their surface. Towering above the leaves, massive cups of red petals perched at the tips of the stalks, every tip a perfect lookout.
Milo peered up at the flower heads, searching for a sign of the unseen presence. Nothing: every petal was perfectly in place. His neck prickled. Whatever was spying on him wasn’t watching from above. It was over by a leaf to his right.
Two droplets on the leaf caught his eye. At a glance, they looked like all the others, each as big as his head. But instead of being clear, they were a pale green.
Milo realised, to his horror, that the droplets weren’t droplets at all. They were eyes on a monstrous green head, camouflaged against the leaf. Milo stared as the creature’s hideous shape emerged. Now he could see the long green body. The grisly mandibles. The spiked forelegs raised as if in prayer.
Milo struggled to stay calm. ‘It’s a giant praying mantis.’
24
Prey
The mantis flickered its papery wings.
‘Stay absolutely still,’ Ephemia warned. ‘If you move it’ll strike.’
‘Talk to it,’ Olivia whispered urgently. ‘Make it leave us alone.’
‘I can’t,’ Ephemia said, eyes riveted on the mantis. ‘Meat-eaters don’t listen when they’re hungry.’
‘Leo,’ Olivia begged. ‘Help us.’
Leo shrank behind the fungal stem. ‘How?’
‘Wave your sword.’
‘And draw attention? Are you crazy?’
‘Then give your sword to me.’
‘No.’
‘Fine, be that way,’ Olivia said. She slipped off her cloak, and held it in front of her. ‘Milo, I’m going to make a distraction. When I say Go—’
Too late. The mantis pounced. Milo was hurled to the ground. He smashed the rock on the insect’s mandibles. It reared in fury.
Olivia roared forward waving her cloak. The mantis twisted its head to the flapping cloth. It flew to attack the intruder. Olivia unfurled her cloak to protect herself. The mantis caught it in its claws and tossed it towards a jungle of weeds. A flash of silver fell from the pocket.
‘The pysanka!’ Ephemia cried, as the mantis toppled Olivia. It held her fast, one foreleg on her chest, the other on her stomach.
Milo jumped on its back and pounded its steely thorax. The mantis ignored him and prepared to chew off Olivia’s head.
At that moment, something huge jumped under the boughs of the peony bush. A
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