look. “How come the circus left town?” she asked. “Emira must be very valuable. Doesn’t your father want to get her back?”
Sharat shook his head. “They were driven out by the Emperor’s soldiers,” he told her. “That’s why I had to run away.”
“How did you end up performing in Shergarh?”
Sharat scowled as he thought of Mohini. “It was my father’s new wife,” he said. “
She
arranged for us to perform for the Emperor, but when I tried to find her after Emira disappeared she’d gone.”
“Do you think she had something to do with it?” asked Aya.
Sharat nodded. “I’m sure of it. She gave me a new hoop and a new collar for Emira just before the show.” His heart tightened. “Emira disappeared when she jumped through the hoop.”
A look of determination crossed Aya’s face. “We’ve got to find her!” she said. “What if she’s the tiger from the prophecy?”
“I don’t care about any old prophecy,” said Sharat miserably. “I just want to get Emira back.”
“Don’t you know anyone else in the city?” Aya asked him. “Anyone who can help?”
Sharat hesitated. “Uma told me my mother came from the city,” he said. “But she’s dead.”
Aya looked thoughtful. “What was her name?” she said. “Perhaps you have family here that you could track down.”
Sharat felt a pang of regret. “I wish I knew,” he said, “but my father never wanted to talk about her.” Carefully he unfolded the golden bee from his waistband. The blue stone at the centre glittered in the sunlight. “All I have is this.”
Aya’s eyes lit up. “Oh!” she said. “It’s so pretty!”
Sharat nodded. “Uma gave it to me,” he said. “It belonged to my mother.”
Aya reached out to take the amulet and weighed it in her hand. She looked impressed. “This is old gold,” she said as she glanced up at him. “Your mother must have come from a very rich family.”
“That’s not much help,” said Sharat. “We can hardlygo knocking on the door of every grand house in the city to see if anyone recognises it.”
There was a thoughtful look on Aya’s face. “I’m not saying we should do that,” she said, “but there are other ways of finding out who it belonged to.”
“Like what?” asked Sharat.
“There’s a woman called Fonke who lives in the old town,” said Aya. “I used to hear the sewer-girls talking about her. She used to pay the girls for stuff they found in the dump. They always got extra for things made out of old gold.”
“I’m not selling this!” said Sharat.
Aya shook her head impatiently. “I’m not saying you should sell it,” she said, “but this amulet looks quite rare. Perhaps Fonke can help us in some way. She might be able to tell us where it comes from.” Her eyes lit up. “Maybe it even has magical powers!”
Chapter Fifteen
SWORD
T he sword lay on the wooden counter in a box lined with purple velvet. Fonke bent her turbanned head over the shining metal and her bracelets jangled as she reached down to pick up the weapon, taking care not to touch the blade. Slim, straight and perfectly balanced, it shimmered like magic in a shaft of sunlight from the windows above, silvery-white against the dark skin of her hand.
The woman next to her stood waiting quietly, with the patience of the poor. Her head was covered in a scarf and her face was pale and uninteresting.
“Is this the sort of thing you were looking for?” she asked.
For a moment Fonke didn’t reply. Only yesterday Rookh had been in her shop.
“I need you to find me a sword,” he’d told her. “A sword that kills jinnis. Use every contact you’ve got. Once you find it let me know. I’ll be back to pick it up personally.”
As soon as he’d left, Fonke had sent out her agents to spread the word. She was looking for objects, antiques, anything made of jinni metal. She knew which channels to approach, of course. Pawnshops, criminal networks, guttersnipes, and those that
Sharat shook his head. “They were driven out by the Emperor’s soldiers,” he told her. “That’s why I had to run away.”
“How did you end up performing in Shergarh?”
Sharat scowled as he thought of Mohini. “It was my father’s new wife,” he said. “
She
arranged for us to perform for the Emperor, but when I tried to find her after Emira disappeared she’d gone.”
“Do you think she had something to do with it?” asked Aya.
Sharat nodded. “I’m sure of it. She gave me a new hoop and a new collar for Emira just before the show.” His heart tightened. “Emira disappeared when she jumped through the hoop.”
A look of determination crossed Aya’s face. “We’ve got to find her!” she said. “What if she’s the tiger from the prophecy?”
“I don’t care about any old prophecy,” said Sharat miserably. “I just want to get Emira back.”
“Don’t you know anyone else in the city?” Aya asked him. “Anyone who can help?”
Sharat hesitated. “Uma told me my mother came from the city,” he said. “But she’s dead.”
Aya looked thoughtful. “What was her name?” she said. “Perhaps you have family here that you could track down.”
Sharat felt a pang of regret. “I wish I knew,” he said, “but my father never wanted to talk about her.” Carefully he unfolded the golden bee from his waistband. The blue stone at the centre glittered in the sunlight. “All I have is this.”
Aya’s eyes lit up. “Oh!” she said. “It’s so pretty!”
Sharat nodded. “Uma gave it to me,” he said. “It belonged to my mother.”
Aya reached out to take the amulet and weighed it in her hand. She looked impressed. “This is old gold,” she said as she glanced up at him. “Your mother must have come from a very rich family.”
“That’s not much help,” said Sharat. “We can hardlygo knocking on the door of every grand house in the city to see if anyone recognises it.”
There was a thoughtful look on Aya’s face. “I’m not saying we should do that,” she said, “but there are other ways of finding out who it belonged to.”
“Like what?” asked Sharat.
“There’s a woman called Fonke who lives in the old town,” said Aya. “I used to hear the sewer-girls talking about her. She used to pay the girls for stuff they found in the dump. They always got extra for things made out of old gold.”
“I’m not selling this!” said Sharat.
Aya shook her head impatiently. “I’m not saying you should sell it,” she said, “but this amulet looks quite rare. Perhaps Fonke can help us in some way. She might be able to tell us where it comes from.” Her eyes lit up. “Maybe it even has magical powers!”
Chapter Fifteen
SWORD
T he sword lay on the wooden counter in a box lined with purple velvet. Fonke bent her turbanned head over the shining metal and her bracelets jangled as she reached down to pick up the weapon, taking care not to touch the blade. Slim, straight and perfectly balanced, it shimmered like magic in a shaft of sunlight from the windows above, silvery-white against the dark skin of her hand.
The woman next to her stood waiting quietly, with the patience of the poor. Her head was covered in a scarf and her face was pale and uninteresting.
“Is this the sort of thing you were looking for?” she asked.
For a moment Fonke didn’t reply. Only yesterday Rookh had been in her shop.
“I need you to find me a sword,” he’d told her. “A sword that kills jinnis. Use every contact you’ve got. Once you find it let me know. I’ll be back to pick it up personally.”
As soon as he’d left, Fonke had sent out her agents to spread the word. She was looking for objects, antiques, anything made of jinni metal. She knew which channels to approach, of course. Pawnshops, criminal networks, guttersnipes, and those that
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