Free Chronicles of the Red King #3: Leopards' Gold by Jenny Nimmo Page A

Tolly. “Nor is he foolish.”
    “Who asked you?” snapped the beanpole woman, advancing into the room. She was supposed to care for the children, but in Petrello’s opinion, she couldn’t care less. “There was a noise coming from this bedchamber, loud enough to wake the dead.” The nurse lifted her lantern, sending its flickering light across the beds. “Who’s that hiding under the covers?” she demanded.
    “Vyborn,” said Petrello. “He doesn’t feel well.”
    Nurse Ogle marched over to Vyborn’s bed and prodded the body beneath the covers. “Was it you, boy, making all that noise?”
    The others waited to see what would happen. Gunfrid pressed his fist against his mouth, to stop himself from screaming again.
    Vyborn’s small body began to writhe. A head emerged, not Vyborn’s head of flat, black hair, but a head of bristles, pointed ears, and small black eyes.
    You have to hand it to Nurse Ogle , thought Petrello. For someone who was looking at a wild boar in a bed, she was remarkably calm. Taking only the slightest step back, she said, “So, we have another offshoot of King Timoken’s enchantments.”
    Vyborn grunted. For some reason, the awful tusks didn’t appear on his cheeks, and his nose still looked rather human. Perhaps he hadn’t meant to reveal his newly acquired talent to Nurse Ogle, but was finding it difficult to hold back.
    “Maybe he doesn’t know he’s only half turned?” Tolly whispered behind his hand.
    Petrello suppressed a giggle.
    Nurse Ogle sighed. “Well, boy, just keep the noise down and don’t show off. Not in my presence, anyway.”
    “It was Guanhamara.” Vyborn’s own hair was taking over from the bristles. His pointed ears shriveled and his eyes looked almost normal.
    “What do you mean, it was Guanhamara?” Nurse Ogle peered at Vyborn. “One girl can’t make a noise like that.”
    “She made us scream,” Vyborn protested. “She … she brought in a demon. It had two heads that touched the ceiling, and fangs and bloody fingers.”
    Nurse Ogle stared at Vyborn. “Is this true?” She turned to the others.
    Petrello shrugged. “We didn’t see.”
    “Liar!” cried Vyborn. “You screamed.”
    “There was certainly more than one scream,” said the nurse. “So, it seems that two more royal children have acquired their endowments, and both on the same day. It must have something to do with that uncomfortable Vanishing.” She made her way back to the door. “Any more noise and I’ll make you all take a potion, one that will give you a horrible stomachache for a week.”
    They thought she had finished with her dire warnings. No such luck. “As for you two” — she glared at Petrello and Tolly from the doorway — “Heaven help us if you acquire talents. They are bound to be nasty. So look out, little waif.” She directed her gaze at Gunfrid, who was trying to hide behind Tolly. “You’re in for a rough ride, sharing a chamber with these three.”
    The nurse walked away. Her rush slippers slapped the floorboards, and her lantern creaked on its rusty handle as she trundled back to her bedchamber at the end of the passage.
    *  *  *
    Next morning, Petrello opened his eyes just as Tolly was leaving the room.
    “Are you going to your secret meeting?” Petrello called after his brother.
    Tolly didn’t answer, and then, popping his head around the door, he said, “Vyborn’s taken Gunfrid to the dining hall. He said he was going to show him around.”
    “Tolly!” Petrello leaped out of bed and began to throw on his clothes. “You shouldn’t have let them go off together. Vyborn could do anything.”
    “He seemed better, if you know what I mean,” said Tolly. “Perhaps all that shape-shifting last night got it out of his system for a while. I must go. I’m late. Save me some breakfast.”
    Pulling on his boots, Petrello left the room. He was just in time to see Tolly turn the corner onto the stairway. By the time Petrello reached the