The Fiuri Realms (Shioni of Sheba Book 5) Read Online Free PDF Page A

not clever, it’s just rote memory,” said the one she now recognised as Chardal. “What’s your name, Fiuri? Can you speak?
    Shioni unstuck her lips. “I … where am I? Why can’t I see anything?”
    “What’s your name? Declare your tribe and allegiance!” came the sharp retort, from Viridelle, Shioni realised.
    “Viri, please,” said Chardal. “Let her recover before bombarding her with questions like a bombardier beetle. A little nectar, Fiuri? Where are you hurt?”
    A pipe pressed against her lips. Shioni sucked up a mouthful of nectar with an appreciative sigh. “Delicious. Thanks. My right arm, uh … Chardal?”
    “Hold still.” A touch tickled the underside of her arm. He said, “Clean break. We’ll have to set it. Then you can use your magic to knit the bones. Iri–good. Slice the fruit open and start squeezing the juice onto this cloth. Viri, will you wipe her face? I’m going to start unsticking her wings.”
    “Ew, her eyes are gummed shut.”
    “Iri, that’s the whole point of a Glue-Slap plant.” Shioni sneezed as a pungent smell tickled her nostrils. Soft cloth wiped across her face. In a moment, her eyelids were able to move and Shioni focussed hazily on a face. She saw pretty antennae, a sharp chin and a pair of wide green eyes which crinkled into a friendly smile. “I’m Viridelle,” said the Fiuri. “Viri for short. Sorry if I sounded cross. Welcome to the land of the unstuck.”
    A broad, placid face peered over Viridelle’s shoulder. That must be Iridelle, Shioni thought. She said, “Even her eyes don’t have any colour. Sister, was her magic stolen?”
    “Anything’s possible with wild magic,” said the third Fiuri. Shioni could not move her head as yet, but she rolled her eyes toward the sound of Chardal’s voice. “I’m sure she’ll have a fascinating story to tell us. I’m going to write everything down.”
    Shioni’s glance made the brown-skinned Fiuri duck his head bashfully. Colour stole into his cheeks, in fact, right up into his antennae. He had green swirls on his limbs and a perfect shock of lime-green hair that bristled in all directions. His butterfly-wings rose behind his shoulders to an arm’s-length above his head, and their trailing wingtips reached almost to the ground behind him. Striking wings, she thought. Green and gold, shimmering like remarkable jewels wherever the light caught them.
    Her eyes smarted at the day’s radiance. The face peering over Viri’s shoulder was ever so gentle, the kind of face that inspired trust. Iridelle was nearly twice as wide as Viri and a head taller.
    When she saw Shioni gazing curiously at her, her mouth broke into a smile so broad it threatened to split her head in two. Shioni could see her long green proboscis rolled up inside her mouth. “I’m Iridelle,” she said, in her slow way. “Viri’s my sister. We’re twins.”
    Shioni blinked.
    “By the first pupa, it’s a laugh,” said Iridelle. “Little flower, you can call me Iri. I was the biggest caterpillar in my cocoon. My pupa-mother wondered where I came from. You see, twins always share, but we shared strangely. Viri got all the brains, while I got all the muscle.”
    “Actually, Chardal’s the brain-flower,” said Viri. “I’m a Hunter.”
    “She can track a scent five caves away,” said Iri.
    Viri chuckled, “And Char can name five thousand different nectars by taste alone. He’s a genius. Hey, genius, how’s about unsticking her legs?” There was a brief, embarrassed pause. “Oh. But she’s a child, Chardal.”
    “I’m not a child,” Shioni said, firmly. She was not sure of much, but she was sure of that. She racked her brain for memories. Oh no … the only thing she could remember was a tent, some Fiuri in a cage and a terrible chill. The rest was just a yawning gap. “I don’t know where I’m from. But I know my name’s … er … oh, no.”
    Tears tracked down her cheeks. There was a short, pained silence.
    Iridelle