Luisa woke in Cataindar and checked her pockets. The Dairy Milks were in both pockets, slightly melted, but still there.
Result!
“Clearwater!” she called,
She saw Clearwater wake with a start.
“Princess,” she said and smiled before she lay down and fell straight back to sleep.
“Clearwater wake up,”
“Princess I am awake,” Clearwater spoke into her pillow. “I am awake and here to do your bidding, I just have my eyes closed at the moment is all.”
Luisa smiled.
“Oh OK, I guess you don’t want to try this chocolate bar then, pretty much everyone’s favourite food in my whole world.” Clearwater sat up, and saw the chocolate bar in Luisa’s hand.
With one pounce she was on Luisa’s bed. It always slightly unnerved Luisa how far and with what ease the catains could pounce, tempered with how amazingly cool it was to see that power in action.
Clearwater excitedly looked at the chocolate bar in Luisa’s hand,
“Princess it’s beautiful! I have never seen a thing so beautiful in my life. Look how it shines, it looks almost wet!”
“Oh that’s just the wrapping… you don’t eat that bit.” Luisa carefully tore off the wrapping and Clearwater’s face fell.
“Oh… princess, it looks like... like, Catain dung.” Clearwater started sniggering behind her paw.
Luisa looked at the melted chocolate bar. Clearwater did have a point.
Clearwater was holding the wrapper carefully examining it, marvelling at its beauty.
“Princess may I keep this?”
“Yeah, but, Clearwater, listen! This bit, the actual chocolate, that’s the good bit.”
Clearwater turned her attention from the wrapper and looked at Luisa doubtfully.
Luisa pulled off a piece of the warm chocolate bar and held it out to Clearwater.
Clearwater took a melting piece in her paw and sniffed it, she raised her eyebrows and carefully licked it. Her nose wrinkled up.
“Oh Princess… its umm, it’s so sweet…”
“Go on…”
Clearwater ate the rest of her piece and her body gave a shiver and her face puckered.
“Ooh, oh its really nice princess…” her expression spoke otherwise,
She hated it.
Everything Luisa had eaten in Cataindar had been bitter and heavily herbed, perhaps chocolate might be a bridge too far. But at least it had worked. She would think up other things to bring in the future.
There was something else on Luisa’s mind.
“Clearwater?”
“Yes Princess?”
“Who brought in all the stuff in the dressing room, like my red dress… this hippy duvet, that rug, all the costumes…”
Clearwater looked at the princess and seemed to be having a debate with herself.
“Tellllll meeee,” Luisa said in her attempt at a charming whine.
Clearwater hesitated, then spoke.
YOU ARE READING
Cataindar
Action#1 for a month on the Fantasy-Action Hotlist. Wattys2015 Winner. Fourteen-year-old Luisa is focused on staying under the radar at her rough London school, relieved that the summer holidays are soon to begin. Exploring the ruin of an abbey at ni...
