Deltora Quest #1: The Forests of Silence by Emily Rodda Read Free Book Online

stall-holders in the markets, running up and down the grimy alleyways, dodging the Grey Guards, looking for silver coins in the choked and overflowing gutters. Then, in a deserted and overgrown patch of ground not far from the palace walls, they found something better than silver — a twisted old tree covered in small, round red fruits.
    “Apples!” Lief knew what the fruits were. He had even tasted an apple, once. It was when he was very young. In those days there were still some large orchards in the city. Apples and other fruits could be bought in the markets, though they were costly. But years ago it had been declared that all fruits of Del were theproperty of the Shadow Lord, wherever the trees that bore them grew.
    This tree had somehow been forgotten, and there were no Guards to be seen.
    Lief and his friends picked as many of the apples as they could carry and went down into the drain-tunnels under the city to eat them in secret. The fruits were small and spotted, but they were sweet. It was a feast, enjoyed all the better for knowing that it was stolen from the hated Shadow Lord.
    An hour before sunset, Lief’s friends left him and hurried home. Lief, however, was unwilling to waste his last hour of freedom. He stayed in the silence and dimness of the drains, exploring and thinking.
    He meant to stay only a little while, but then he discovered a small drain-tunnel branching off the main, leading, he was sure, towards the palace on the hill. He crept along this new tunnel as far as he dared, then turned back, promising himself that he would follow it further another day. But when, finally, he crawled up to the surface, he found that time had rushed by. Night had fallen.
    So now he was in danger.
    Lief skidded to a stop as two Grey Guards turned a corner in front of him and began pacing in his direction. They were talking and had not yet heard him, seen him, or caught his scent. But when they did …
    He held his breath, desperately looking this way and that, seeking a way of escape. High walls rose on either side of him, dripping with slimy water and slippery with moss. He could never climb them unaided. He could not turn and run, either. To do so would mean certain death.
    Lief had prowled Del’s streets all his life, and often met with danger. He prided himself on his many lucky escapes in the past. He was fast, agile, and daring. But he had sense, too — sense enough to know that he could not run the length of this street without being cut down.
    Each Guard carried a sling and a supply of what the people of Del called “blisters.” The blisters were silver eggs filled with burning poison. They burst on contact with a target and the Guards could hurl them with deadly strength and accuracy, even in darkness. Lief had seen enough blister victims fall, writhing in agony, to know that he did not want to risk the same fate.
    Yet if he stayed where he was the Guards would come upon him and he would die in any case. By blister or by dagger, he would die.
    Lief flattened himself against the wall, still as a shadow, not daring to move a muscle. The Guards paced on towards him. Closer, closer …
    If only they would turn around! he thought feverishly. If only something would distract them! Then I would have a chance.
    He was not praying for a miracle, because he did not believe in miracles. Few citizens of Del did these days. So he was astounded when a moment later there was a clatter from the corner behind the Guards. They spun around and began running towards the sound.
    Hardly able to believe his luck, Lief turned to run. Then, with a shock, he felt something hit his shoulder. To his amazement he saw that it was a rope — a rope dangling from the top of the wall. Who had thrown it?
    There was no time to think or wonder. In seconds, he was climbing for his life. He did not pause for breath until he had reached the top of the wall and swung himself into a great tree on the other side. Panting, he huddled in a fork