Deltora Quest #3: City of the Rats by Emily Rodda Read Free Book Online

pardon for my clumsiness,” cried Lief, over the horrified gasps of the crowd. “But you can easily tell which card I drew. Simply look at the one remaining in the Cup.”
    Reece stood perfectly still, seething with baffled rage, as one of the other Ra-Kacharz took the Cup from his hand and plucked out the card that still lay within it. She held it up.
    “The card that remains is ‘Death,’” she droned. “The prisoner drew the ‘Life’ card. The Cup has spoken.”
    Lief felt Barda’s hand grip his shoulder. Weak at the knees, he turned to face his friends. Their eyes were relieved, but full of questions. They suspected that he had burned the card on purpose, and wondered why.
    “Take them to the dungeons,” Reece thundered. “There they will live out their lives, repenting of the evil they have done.”
    The eight other Ra-Kacharz surrounded Lief, Barda, and Jasmine and began marching them from the hall. The whispering crowd parted to let them through. Lief twisted his head, looking for Tira among the black-clad figures, but could not see her.
    As they left the hall, they heard Reece’s voice raised once more as he spoke to the people. “Continue the search for the creature who has befouled our city,” he ordered. “It must be found and killed before nightfall.”
    Lief glanced at Jasmine. She did not open her lips, but her face was pale and set. He knew that she was thinking of Filli — hunted and afraid.
    The Ra-Kacharz pushed their prisoners through a maze of brightly lit hallways and down some winding stone steps. The smell of soap hung everywhere, and the stones under their feet were scrubbed smooth.
    At the bottom of the steps was a large space lined with metal doors, each with a narrow flap through which a tray of food could be passed. The leading Ra-Kachar threw one of the doors open, and her companions pulled Lief, Barda, and Jasmine towards it.
    Jasmine took one look at the grim, windowless cell beyond the door and began to struggle wildly. Lief and Barda, too, fought grimly for their freedom. But it was no use. They had no weapons, no protection against thewhips of the Ra-Kacharz, cracking around their faces, stinging their legs and arms. They were driven back into the cell. Then the door was slammed behind them and a heavy bolt was driven home.
    They threw themselves at the door, beating on it with their fists. But the footsteps of the Ra-Kacharz were already fading into the distance.
    Frantically, they searched the cell, looking for weaknesses. But the narrow wooden bunks fixed to one wall could not be moved. The empty water trough fixed to another wall was solid as rock.
    “They will come back,” Barda said grimly. “We were condemned to life, not death. They will have to give us food, and fill the water trough. They cannot leave us here to starve or die of thirst.”
    But miserable hours passed, and no one came.

    They had all drifted into an uneasy sleep when the scratching came at the door. Even when Lief woke, he thought he had dreamed the timid sound. But then it came again. He jumped from his bunk and ran to the door with Jasmine and Barda close behind him. The food flap had been pushed open. Through it, they could see the blue eyes of Tira.
    “The First Ra-Kachar gave orders that he and he alone would bring you food and water,” she whispered. “But — I feared that he may have … forgotten. Have you eaten? Has the water trough been filled?”
    “No!” Lief whispered back. “And you know that hedid not just forget, Tira. That is why you came. Reece intends us to die here.”
    “It cannot be!” Her voice was agonized. “The Cup gave you Life.”
    “Reece cares nothing for the Cup!” hissed Barda. “He cares only for his own will. Tira, unbolt the door! Let us out!”
    “I cannot! I dare not! You brought evil to our halls, and it has still not been found. All except the night cooks are sleeping now. That is why I could slip away and not be missed. But the people are