The Canticle of Whispers Read Online Free PDF Page A

girl.
    â€œI’m … Septima.” The girl replied, carefully, with a slightly awkward tone, as though she herself had forgotten it until that moment.
    â€œAnd you?” Lily asked the young man. He brought the lantern closer to her face. She saw the flame reflect in his large, curious eyes.
    â€œIt’s not your turn,” he said, coldly. “You have to answer our questions first. An answer for an answer.” He turned to Septima. “Are all of the Orchestra so dense?”
    â€œMaybe,” Septima agreed with a laugh. “Well?” she added, turning to Lily. “Are they? I mean, you’d know.”
    â€œStart with an easier one,” interrupted the young man. “She looks pretty tuneless to me.”
    â€œAll right,” Septima continued, as if Lily were not standing just a few feet away. She turned back, and again Lily felt the full force of her attention. “Where—are—you—from?” She said, dragging out each word as though talking to a simpleton. Despite everything, Lily bridled a little.
    â€œAgora,” she said, truthfully. “Well, that is … I came here from Giseth, from the Cathedral of the Lost. But I actually came from up in the mountains, with Mark, and…”
    Lily trailed off. The two were looking at her very oddly indeed. They appeared confused, which was hardly surprising after her jumbled explanation, but there was something else in their eyes too. A fascination so strong it was almost hungry.
    â€œI’m Tertius,” the young man said, simply, his voice full of reverence. “And you have to tell us all about this!”
    â€œNot here,” Septima interrupted, she glanced around, and jerked her head over her shoulder. “We’ve been here too long, Tertius. The guardians won’t be far behind.”
    Tertius nodded, suddenly serious again.
    â€œShall we take her with us?” he asked. “Or leave her here until we come back?”
    Lily looked from one to the other, aghast.
    â€œYou’re not going to leave me here?” she asked, horrified. “You still haven’t told me anything! Where am I? And what are you doing here?”
    Septima turned to Lily. “You’re in the Outer Caverns of the land of Naru. We’re on the run.” She tilted her head, as if considering something. “And yes, you can come with us. You’re our wonder, after all.” She snapped her fingers. “Come on, we’ve a long way to go.”
    And without a second thought, both of them turned on their heels and began to walk away.
    Lily paused for a moment, uneasily. There was something strange about these two. Even their way of walking was odd—crouched but fluid, dancelike, swinging their lanterns around in arcing patterns that threw shifting shadows onto the stone walls and ceiling around them. She knew nothing about them. For all she knew, they might be leading her into a trap. They certainly didn’t seem friendly, exactly, and their intense fascination with her appeared to come and go at a moment’s notice.
    Then again, she didn’t want to meet whoever was chasing them through this endless, echoing darkness.
    â€œI’m right behind you,” she said.
    *   *   *
    They walked in silence, which suited Lily. It gave her time to think.
    Now that she was no longer terrified, Lily had to admit that she was not entirely clear on what she was doing here in the depths of the earth.
    Only yesterday, she had been certain of everything. She had finally reached the Cathedral of the Lost, after many days’ travel through forest and swamp. She had escaped an attack from her own guide, driven mad by the Nightmare, and finally stood in the Cathedral cloisters, demanding answers of its scarred gatekeeper. She had come there seeking her father, and she had found him—ill and dying, only able to talk to her through a letter he had written in his