Soon after waking in Cataindar, Clearwater informed Luisa that the abbot had called a meeting to which everyone in Cataindar had to attend.  Luisa strolled to the grand cavern in her jeans and red hoodie.  Clearwater followed behind. 

The whole of Cataindar had gathered, ten thousand Catains, sitting at tables on chairs and stools of varying sizes. The walls were lined with burning lanterns that lit the enormous faded tapestry behind.

The abbot was standing at the front of the cavern on a raised platform.  He clung on to a lectern framed in brass piping.  Behind him were a number of elegantly carved chairs set in a semi circle facing the crowd, in these chairs sat Finn, Chopland, Cooper, Boswood and Mr. Notes, the heads of their gildens; all looking grim.

There was one larger chair in the centre of these that sat empty. Luisa guessed it was for her. The cavern was alight with a loud hubbub of gossip about the contravention, the burning of the Journal of Chambers and double murders. Luisa heard snatches of conversations as she walked.  She saw Darcius with some of his scouger band, he smiled slightly and tipped his head to her. She strode through the crowd with her head held high, nodding and smiling to the catains that stared at her and sharing a few words with the catains that she knew.

I’ll do my best to be the princess they want me to be.

The abbot gestured her to join them and she sat down in the largest and most beautiful chair.  

The abbot cleared his throat, a sound which was amplified through the hall by the piping on the lectern.  He looked out at the catains for a long moment, looked down at some notes he had prepared and then begun.

“Catains.  These last days have been hard for all of us.  It is true, Thorne’s scougers were attacked by the Ratains.” The crowd reacted loudly, although they had all heard the news through the catain grapevine, hearing it from the abbot somehow made it real and more frightening.  “Three of our heroic scougers were killed in battle, Gundie, Freshroot, Herbtone all from Thorne’s band.  Thorne herself is terribly wounded.  May their memories be blessed and live on within the stones forever. Please now, let our thoughts go to Thorne’s recovery.” The abbot paused and bowed his head and Luisa saw many catains do the same.  After a few moments he continued.

“Because this battle took place so close to one of our sacred entrances we initiated a contravention.  Our scouger bands have surveyed the lands and are sure that there is no scent nor sign of Ratains.  We have had a lucky escape.”

Another hubbub rippled through the crowd, Luisa heard someone say, “Thank the dragons for that!”

“But this is not all, catains.  Yesterday the Chamber of Sacred Journals was broken into, our dear Scribe Ranson was murdered and many, many of our sacred journals were lost to fire. Centuries of Cataindar's history gone. The murderer, Garner, was found in his chamber, dead by his own hand.”

Luisa looked over at Finn, he would not meet her gaze and continued to look out stoically at the crowd as a hubbub broke out.

You have got to be kidding me.

 The abbot began in a rousing tone, “So I urge you, catains, to stay strong and be patient, because we will rebuild, we will survive, we shall…”

But the abbot was cut off by a loud,

‘Crack!’

It fired in the cavern like a gunshot.

What the heck was that? 

A great commotion ran through in the crowd.  Finn was immediately on his feet and Luisa did the same.

‘Crack!’

Catains in the crowd screamed. Like gun shots, a rapid succession of loud bangs filled the air. Luisa watched as the gigantic tapestry that hung on the wall began to fall, in slow motion.  As it fell it caught the lanterns that were beneath it.

Luisa jumped off the platform and made her way through the crowd.  She could see the shapes of catains caught underneath the great rolls of the tapestry, the bumps of their limbs under the heavy cloth fighting to get out.  Fire sprouted up and smoke billowed from underneath. Catains were panicking and running on all fours over the tapestry on top of those that were trapped. 

Luisa watched as Finn shoved his way through the crowd and bellowed orders. The flames sprung up higher each time the tapestry was lifted, funnelling air to fuel it.  Finn’s scougers arrived and began to take control, helping people out from underneath. Buckets of water arrived.  Luisa lifted up a part of the tapestry and began helping pull catains out too.

When the last catain was out and many buckets had been thrown, and the fire died down. Thank goodness, no one had been killed.  The cavern was filled with a gloomy smoke.  The moppers in the crowd quickly rolled the tapestry to the side of the wall and fresh lanterns were brought in.

As the first one was mounted, Luisa heard a scream. Then shouting and noise from the crowd of catains behind her, they were all looking above, as the lanterns were attached to the naked cavern wall that had been covered by the tapestry. 

Except it wasn’t naked. 

It was adorned in a gigantic carving that had been hidden under the tapestry.

Luisa gasped, the sight of it captivated her, there was something horrifying in its size and life-like detail, the carving seemed to jump out of the walls at the catains below. 

The carving depicted a huge cavern.  Much like the grand cavern they were in right now.  It showed hundreds of detailed Ratains flooding up to devour a catain that stood up a high ramp at an open door.  He stood bravely with a stick in the air.  Great beams of energy emitted from its end.  As she looked at the carving she realised that all was not quite as it first seemed.  Once her eyes had taken in the details she could see that the Ratains where not charging forwards… but bowing down.  She looked at their gross muscular forms and could see that their feet and wrists were bound in chains.  They were not attacking, but worshipping the catain that stood at the open door.  Luisa’s stomach twisted,

What the hell did this mean?

The details were so disturbing some of the younger kitains had begun to cry.  Luisa looked to see families huddled together and adults pointing up and whispering. Finn gave some discreet orders and the scougers began to usher catains out of the cavern firmly and quickly.  Luisa turned to look for the abbot but he was gone.  She squeezed her fists.  She left Finn and ran out the side door heading back to her quarters.  Finn called after her but she ignored his shout.  She paced quickly through the corridors.  Her mind bubbled with confusion and anger. 

Why were the ratains bowed to a reader like that?

She thought about the abbot’s speech. 

He is a liar.

She thundered down the corridor. Groups of catains were huddled in discussion.  They looked at Luisa with fear in their eyes.  One called out to her, “Princess! What does it mean?”  Luisa couldn’t even look at them but powered ahead. 

I don’t know!  I sat up there like a joke, a fake in a hoodie.

She felt her cheeks burn. 

How can I do anything here if I don’t even know what was going on?

The awful episode and the unease in the halls had bored a hole of misery in her. She banged open the doors to her quarters.

Before her sat the abbot. 

He had his paws clasped together and was sitting in contemplation in an armchair waiting for her. 

But the abbot was not the only new addition to the room. 

The huge black chest that had been in the dressing chamber had been dragged out and sat powerfully in the centre of the room. 

The abbot looked up at Luisa, and steepled his paws.

“Princess, I feel that it is time we had an honest chat.”

 --

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