The Drowned Tomb (The Changeling Series Book 2) Read Online Free Page B

Robin, nor Panthea, like most of the Netherworlde’s free inhabitants. It wasn’t entirely clear what she was, but as she had never broached the subject, Robin had thought it would be terribly rude to ask outright.
    “What is it she’s got you translating for her though?” Robin wanted to know.
    Karya wagged a finger at him. “Now that would be your guardian’s business, not yours,” she said mysteriously.
    The two boys stared at her blankly and expectantly for a few silent moments, until finally she rolled her eyes and relented. “Although to be honest, I’m not being peevish or secretive, I honestly don’t know what it is,” she admitted. “She just gave me a copy of the text which she had written out herself from the original source, and asked if I could shed any light on it. I have no idea where it’s from or what it’s in regard to.” She sighed. “It could be a letter she owns, an old prophecy maybe, a piece of poetry, a ransom note. It could be an ancient shopping list for all I know.” She scratched at her temple with the blunt end of the pencil, looking irritated with herself. “I figured, seeing as I’m staying here for the time being, I may as well try and make myself useful. I’m not making much progress anyway. Two weeks’ work and I’ve only got two words so far.” She held up her scribbling for their benefit. “This symbol here…” she pointed out “ … the wiggly line with the sharp diagonal across the top of it, I think is meant to be the letter H … or maybe S,” she added uncertainly. “Which, when coupled with the rest of these letters makes this word here either ‘Shade’ or ‘Hades’.” She pointed to another collection of symbols. “And this here is almost certainly the symbol for the word ‘Dark’, but not the dark of a closed cupboard or a grave or anything like that. More a big, roomy dark, like space or the night sky. You can tell that by the little lines radiating out, see?” She frowned deeper. “Although it could also be taken to mean ‘shadow’.”
    Robin and Henry didn’t see at all, but they nodded encouragingly nonetheless.
    “So … Dark Hades then,” Henry said thoughtfully. “Or Shady shadows? Sounds cheerful. Whatever it is she’s got you working on, I don’t think it’s an old love letter.”
    Karya sucked the end of her pencil. “I think, I think it’s a name … it has all the hallmarks of a protean pronoun, but it’s too early to say really. Still…” She looked up brightly. “It’s better than kicking a rubber ball around like some kind of dog doing tricks.”
    “Oi! There’s a lot of skill involved,” Henry muttered mutinously, rising to the challenge. “I can keepie-upie to two hundred and fifty on a good day.”
    “That must come in incredibly useful,” Karya replied dryly. “I can decline a noun.” She blinked at him. “I find my skills more practical .”
    “I can decline a noun too,” Robin said, trying to lighten the atmosphere. “Noun? No thanks, I’m fine for nouns.”
    Karya and Henry ignored him, neither breaking their defiant stare.
    “I can swim ten lengths without needing a break,” the dark haired boy said challengingly.
    “Very impressive. I can play seven different instruments,” Karya replied coolly. “But I don’t feel the urge to shout about it.”
    “I can eat my own body weight in ham and not feel sick.”
    “I can track a deer through a trackless bog.”
    “I can belch all the way to T in the alphabet.”
    “I can tear a hole between two worlds and jump between them.”
    Henry paused, mouth half open. Karya raised her eyebrows expectantly. Henry shut his mouth and shrugged amiably.
    “Fair enough,” he conceded. Karya smirked a little, shuffling her papers.
    “If you two have quite finished,” Robin sighed. “I wondered if you wanted to take a break, Karya, and come with us. Henry and I are going to the kitchen to annoy Hestia. She might feed us to make us go away.”
    “I am