The Silver Door (21 page)

After that, the group ran a little more slowly, with Bones panting along behind. Despite their fears there had been no pursuit from the Harbour—not really surprising, thought Rye, with Kyte and her guards dead, and Brand dead too.

And in time they could run no further, for a cart drawn by six rangy black goats was coming straight for them, flanked by marching lines of stocky people. The battered sign on the cart's side read:

‘Bell!' screamed Bird, waving wildly.

‘Ho there!' a voice yelled from the cart. ‘So you
saved yourselves, did you? Bless my heart, if I'd known I'd have stayed home and got some sleep!'

As the small people around him cheered, and ran to meet the cart, memories of FitzFee again stabbed at Rye. What was FitzFee doing now? How were he and his family faring?

‘It is tempting to stay here,' Dirk muttered, glancing at Sholto and Rye. ‘These people would hide us at the farm, I am sure. And now we know that this place is the source of the skimmers. We know the Master is the Enemy of Weld. We could speak to Cap, make plans to raise a rebellion—'

‘No! We must go back to Weld first, and tell what we have seen,' Sholto broke in impatiently. ‘We destroyed most of the daylight skimmers, and that will delay the Master's plans. Only for a time, but it will give us a breathing space—time to talk to Tallus, to convince the Warden—'

‘You are mad if you think you will convince the Warden of anything that will make him uncomfortable,' Sonia said flatly.

Sholto stared at her, and then, to Rye's surprise, he slowly nodded.

‘Of course you are right,' he said quietly. ‘I—' He hesitated, rubbing his forehead. ‘I am not usually so stupid, I assure you. But I feel as if I have been in a dream since you and Rye appeared at the Harbour. I still cannot believe what has happened. So many times I thought we were finished. When Kyte fired at us,
and kept missing, though her aim was famous in the Harbour!'

He shook his head. ‘And when the supervisor released the skimmers … Suddenly, there was smoke everywhere! Just what we needed! It took minutes for me to realise that of course Rye's sorcerer's bag would have contained something that made smoke. Smoke is part of a magician's stock in trade!'

Rye turned and gaped at him. ‘But—but Sholto, I thought
you
had—'

‘And that key that opens any door!' Sholto went on. ‘The feather that defies gravity! By the Wall, I am not at all sure that I am awake, even now.'

‘Oh, you are awake,' Sonia said cheerfully. She glanced at Rye, willing him to speak. She seemed to have decided that the next move was up to him.

Rye looked into her eyes.

Have faith
.

The message came to him like a breath of cool, sweet air.

‘I think,' he said carefully, ‘that we should go back to Weld, consult with Tallus, and then—'

He waited till both his brothers were looking at him before going on.

‘And then—I think—we should go through the third Door,' he said.

‘The
wooden
Door?' exclaimed Dirk. ‘By the Wall, Rye, why? We already know—'

‘There are still too many mysteries,' Rye said.
‘Too many things we do not understand. And from the very beginning, the wooden Door has—has beckoned to me. I think … I am
sure
… it holds the answer.'

‘I too,' Sonia said, taking his arm.

Rye saw his brothers look at one another. His heart lifted as Dirk nodded, and Sholto shrugged.

‘Very well, little brother,' Sholto said softly. ‘We have had our turns. The last one—will be yours.'

ALSO BY EMILY RODDA

DELTORA QUEST 1

1. The Forests of Silence

2. The Lake of Tears

3. City of the Rats

4. The Shifting Sands

5. Dread Mountain

6. The Maze of the Beast

7. The Valley of the Lost

8. Return to Del

DELTORA QUEST 2

1. Cavern of the Fear

2. The Isle of Illusion

3. The Shadowlands

DELTORA QUEST 3

1. Dragon's Nest

2. Shadowgate

3. Isle of the Dead

4. The Sister of the South

ROWAN OF RIN

1. Rowan of Rin

2. Rowan and the Travellers

3. Rowan and the Keeper of the Crystal

4. Rowan and the Zebak

5. Rowan of the Bukshah

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Text and graphics copyright © Emily Rodda, 2012.
Cover artwork copyright © Marc McBride, 2012.
Design and graphics by Kate Rowe.

Print edition published by Omnibus in 2012, an imprint of Scholastic Australia.

This electronic edition published by Scholastic Australia Pty Limited in 2012.

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EPUB/MOBI eISBN 978 1 921 98962 9

Teachers' notes for
The Silver Door
are available from
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