there was no way to know how long it would take them to follow the twisted path that led to the city in the clouds.
“I have decided to go to the Earth Dwellers myself.”
The prince gasped, and then he shook his head.“You can’t do that, Sarah. They will make a slave out of you!”
“Or else sacrifice you to Nimbo,” the king said sternly. “Whatever possessed you to think of such a crazy thing? Just like a woman!”
Sarah felt her face flush. She wanted to spit out something in anger but managed to control herself. “I’m going to talk to Chief Maroni. We don’t know that he won’t listen to reason.”
“Reason? That man knows nothing of reason!” Celevorn exclaimed. “The way I understand it, he is totally under the power of Nomus, the high priest.”
“He used to be a good man from all we hear,” Prince Jere admitted. “But that priest has put a spell on him.”
“In any case, it would be suicide for you to go,” the king snapped.
Sarah drew herself up to her full height. “I am the servant of Goél. He has sent us into dark and dangerous situations before, and he has never failed us.”
“Goél is not here!” the king exclaimed.
“But I am here, and I am his servant! I will leave at once. If you would make me a map so that I may find the village of the Earth Dwellers, I would appreciate it.”
King Celevorn eyed Sarah as if she had lost her mind. “You will not need a map,” he said bitterly.
“Why not?”
“Because you will be caught by their sentinels. Don’t you understand, girl? We rarely dare go down from the trees anymore for fear of being caught. They cannot climb the trees, and that is all that saves us. But once one of our people falls into their hands, they are dead to us.”
Sarah Collingwood’s courage sometimes faltered, but it did not now. She lifted her chin and said, “King Celevorn, I will show you that a female has courage. I will leave at once, and we will see what a girl can do.”
Jere grinned broadly. “I shall write a song about that.”
Sarah knew a sudden moment of panic, but she carefully concealed it. “I will leave at once,” she repeated. “As soon as I have checked my weapons.”
After the two girls were gone, the king muttered, “It will be the Six Sleepers from now on.”
“You think the other one will not go with her?”
“She didn’t say anything about that, so I doubt it. Well, we can do nothing but wait for the warriors to arrive. After all, she’s only a girl.”
7
The Trail
S arah—Abbey? Where are you?”
Josh entered the house eagerly, calling for the two girls as he came. The boys’ trip had taken longer than he had thought it would. Still, it had taken him almost four days just to get over his irritation with Sarah. He had not slept well, either, because his problem with her was troubling him.
On the way back, he’d even said to Wash, rather shamefacedly, “I haven’t been very wise about this trip, Wash. We should never have left the girls alone.”
Wash nodded. “I agree to that,” he said. “Besides, I hate to see you quarreling with Sarah. You two are the oldest friends of any of us.”
So as Josh burst into the house, he was firmly determined to apologize, something always hard for him. But only silence greeted his calls.
The others filed in, and Reb said, “They’re not here? I wonder where they can be.”
“Out hunting, probably,” Dave said. “Or maybe washing their hair down at the brook.”
Jake, however, saw a piece of paper tacked to the wall. “It looks like they left us a note,” he said. “See what it says, Josh.”
Josh crossed the room and plucked the paper from the wall. He did not read it at once, though, for he was looking at a second paper that was tacked under it. “Why, it’s a map,” he said.
“A map of what?” Dave asked.
“Don’t know,” Josh said. “Let me read the note.” He read it aloud:
After you all left, Goél and a young man called Teanor
“I have decided to go to the Earth Dwellers myself.”
The prince gasped, and then he shook his head.“You can’t do that, Sarah. They will make a slave out of you!”
“Or else sacrifice you to Nimbo,” the king said sternly. “Whatever possessed you to think of such a crazy thing? Just like a woman!”
Sarah felt her face flush. She wanted to spit out something in anger but managed to control herself. “I’m going to talk to Chief Maroni. We don’t know that he won’t listen to reason.”
“Reason? That man knows nothing of reason!” Celevorn exclaimed. “The way I understand it, he is totally under the power of Nomus, the high priest.”
“He used to be a good man from all we hear,” Prince Jere admitted. “But that priest has put a spell on him.”
“In any case, it would be suicide for you to go,” the king snapped.
Sarah drew herself up to her full height. “I am the servant of Goél. He has sent us into dark and dangerous situations before, and he has never failed us.”
“Goél is not here!” the king exclaimed.
“But I am here, and I am his servant! I will leave at once. If you would make me a map so that I may find the village of the Earth Dwellers, I would appreciate it.”
King Celevorn eyed Sarah as if she had lost her mind. “You will not need a map,” he said bitterly.
“Why not?”
“Because you will be caught by their sentinels. Don’t you understand, girl? We rarely dare go down from the trees anymore for fear of being caught. They cannot climb the trees, and that is all that saves us. But once one of our people falls into their hands, they are dead to us.”
Sarah Collingwood’s courage sometimes faltered, but it did not now. She lifted her chin and said, “King Celevorn, I will show you that a female has courage. I will leave at once, and we will see what a girl can do.”
Jere grinned broadly. “I shall write a song about that.”
Sarah knew a sudden moment of panic, but she carefully concealed it. “I will leave at once,” she repeated. “As soon as I have checked my weapons.”
After the two girls were gone, the king muttered, “It will be the Six Sleepers from now on.”
“You think the other one will not go with her?”
“She didn’t say anything about that, so I doubt it. Well, we can do nothing but wait for the warriors to arrive. After all, she’s only a girl.”
7
The Trail
S arah—Abbey? Where are you?”
Josh entered the house eagerly, calling for the two girls as he came. The boys’ trip had taken longer than he had thought it would. Still, it had taken him almost four days just to get over his irritation with Sarah. He had not slept well, either, because his problem with her was troubling him.
On the way back, he’d even said to Wash, rather shamefacedly, “I haven’t been very wise about this trip, Wash. We should never have left the girls alone.”
Wash nodded. “I agree to that,” he said. “Besides, I hate to see you quarreling with Sarah. You two are the oldest friends of any of us.”
So as Josh burst into the house, he was firmly determined to apologize, something always hard for him. But only silence greeted his calls.
The others filed in, and Reb said, “They’re not here? I wonder where they can be.”
“Out hunting, probably,” Dave said. “Or maybe washing their hair down at the brook.”
Jake, however, saw a piece of paper tacked to the wall. “It looks like they left us a note,” he said. “See what it says, Josh.”
Josh crossed the room and plucked the paper from the wall. He did not read it at once, though, for he was looking at a second paper that was tacked under it. “Why, it’s a map,” he said.
“A map of what?” Dave asked.
“Don’t know,” Josh said. “Let me read the note.” He read it aloud:
After you all left, Goél and a young man called Teanor
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