Free The Turning Tide by Rob Kidd

being mouthpieces but having no power? And—oh, I’m sorry. You go ahead.”
    Diego looked down, turning her hand over in both of his. “You know the warrior who’s been assigned to keep an eye on Jack?”
    Carolina nodded.
    “It’s a girl named Lakshmi. You should talk to each other; she has this unusual weapon I can’t even begin to describe. Well, unless she’s the murderer…then maybe you shouldn’t talk to each other.”
    “Why would you think she is the one we are looking for?” Carolina asked, surprised.
    “I overheard her talking to Jean earlier,” he said. “I heard her say that her cousin is the head cook, so she can get into the kitchens whenever she wants.”
    “Huh,” Carolina said. She tapped her chin with the fingers of her free hand, looking thoughtful. “But why?”
    Diego shrugged. “Maybe to get free of Sri Sumbhajee,” he said. “Otherwise she said she could be forced to work for him for the next seven years.”
    “Yeah, that would do it,” Carolina said wryly. “Can you imag—what was that?”
    They both sat up, listening.
    A twig snapped somewhere nearby. The nightingale fell silent.
    Was there someone—or something—watching them from the shadows?
    Diego pulled Carolina to her feet and they tiptoed over to the bushes. “We’d better get back to the palace,” he whispered.
    “All right,” Carolina whispered back. They waited for a moment until clouds drifted across the face of the moon and the gardens were plunged into darkness. Then they slipped out onto the open grass and started padding quickly back to the stairs.
    Suddenly, without warning, Carolina stood on tiptoe, took Diego’s face in her hands, and kissed him.
    The inside of Diego’s chest felt like sails filling with wind, wild and bright and full of happiness. For a minute he was too stunned to react; then he reached to put his arms around Carolina and pull her closer—
    BRRRRRREEEEEEEAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    A terrifying noise split the night. Diego and Carolina whirled around.
    Some kind of monster was thundering across the grass toward them. In the dark, it was impossible to tell what it was…but it was big. Really, really big. From their perspective it looked as tall as a house, with four massive feet that shook the ground as it ran straight at the two teenagers.
    “Run!” Carolina cried.

C HAPTER T EN
    D iego tore after Carolina, running faster than he’d ever run before. He could hear snorting and heavy breathing and branches cracking behind him. Sri Sumbhajee had monsters! No wonder everyone feared him so much!
    The palace was too far away to reach in time, not with the monster chasing them over open ground. Diego glanced around and noticed something to their right: a dark tower rising from behind a thicket of vines and branches. If nothing else, the shrubbery should slow the monster down.
    “Carolina—over here!” he called, swerving toward the tower. Carolina followed him without hesitating. They plunged into the thick bushes, feeling vines and thorns tug at their clothes as they shoved their way forward.
    Carolina spotted an opening at the base of the tower: the stone door was open, and a small, warm glow flickered from within. She grabbed Diego’s arm and they threw themselves inside.
    Diego tumbled across the stone floor and nearly skidded into a trio of low, guttering candles arranged at the base of an altar. He flung his hands out to stop himself, accidentally scattering the marigold wreaths piled around the candles.
    “Are you OK?” Carolina crouched beside him.
    “Yeah.” Diego panted. “Where are we?”
    They both looked up, and their mouths fell open in surprise. An enormous stone statue in the shape of a man loomed over them, nearly filling the tiny room and stretching up into the shadows at the top of the tower, where his head was hidden in darkness. Carolina and Diego could see a stone snake coiled around his neck and shoulders. He was seated,