The Silver Door by Emily Rodda Page B

Master. Perhaps you even have orders to destroy him.’
    Before Rye, Dirk or Sonia could speak, he held up his hands.
    â€˜Tell me nothing! The less I know of you the better. Whatever you’re planning, whatever powers you have, you’ve no hope of defeating the Master. His sorcery is too powerful. One way or another, your mission will end in your deaths. But I daresay there’s no hope of persuading you of that, so I won’t waste my breath trying.’
    He looked across the track as the panting noise suddenly stopped and a low hissing floated from the gloom.
    â€˜Go now!’ he ordered. ‘I’ve given you all the help I can.’
    â€˜You do not have to live like this any longer, Cap,’ Dirk burst out impulsively, gripping the other man’s shoulder. ‘You can get your people away. The other side of Dorne is safe now. We—’
    â€˜Stop!’ Cap snarled, tearing himself free. ‘Keep your idiot thoughts to yourself, I tell you! Do you think we’d be here if there were any hope of escape? We’re watched continually. Our borders are sealed. The Saltings is death. We’re prisoners as surely as if we were behind iron bars, and we remain alive only because we’re no threat to the Master, and too old orcrippled to be put to work in the Diggings.’
    He glared at the companions through the tangles of his matted hair. ‘If you truly mean us no harm you’ll go, and go quickly. In general we’re left alone, but if you’re seen here you’ll attract attention we can well do without. Do you understand?’
    Dirk nodded, clearly moved by the man’s plain speaking. Hoisting his skimmer hook more firmly onto his shoulder, he turned towards the dark horizon, trying to pull Rye and Sonia with him.
    But Rye stood his ground. Cap’s voice had been steady but his nerves were strung as tightly as a tripwire—Rye could feel it. The man certainly
did
want to be rid of his unwelcome guests before they were seen. But this was not the only reason he was hurrying them away.
    He was hiding something, and he wanted Dirk, Rye and Sonia to leave before they found it out. It was something to do with whatever was hissing in the darkness on the other side of the track. And it involved Sholto, too. Rye had never been so certain of anything in his life.
    A terrible fear gripped his heart. ‘One thing, before we go,’ he said abruptly. ‘We are searching for one of our own who is missing—a thin, dark-haired man of about your height. Have you seen him?’
    Cap ducked his shaggy head so they could not see his face. ‘I’ve seen no one of that description,’ he said. ‘Sorry.’
    A weird, yodelling cry floated from the gloom beyond the track. Cap’s head jerked up. ‘I must go,’ he said. ‘Travel safely.’
    Without another word he swung himself off the track and began hobbling rapidly towards the sound.
    â€˜He is lying,’ Rye muttered. ‘Or at least he is not telling the whole truth.’
    â€˜You are right,’ Sonia agreed. ‘He chose his words very carefully. Perhaps he did not see Sholto with his own eyes, but he knows something.’
    â€˜Rubbish!’ Dirk snapped. ‘You are imagining things, the two of you. The man has helped us as much as he can. We should do as he asks, and leave him alone. By the Wall, is his life not hard enough, with that motley, quarrelling crew to lead and protect? The best thing we can do for him is to get away before that lunatic Bones fastens upon us again.’
    He tugged Rye’s arm but Rye still resisted, shaking his head, and Sonia made no move to walk on either.
    â€˜This is madness!’ Dirk hissed. ‘Rye, do as I tell you! Who is the leader here?’
    â€˜No one!’ Sonia flashed back. ‘You may be older, Dirk of Southwall, and a great hero in Weld, but as you are so fond of telling us, we are not in Weld