The Enchanted Castle (Shioni of Sheba Book 1) Read Online Free

kitchen’s taking shape now.”
    “It’ll do, for a time. Bread? It’s fresh and hot! No training today?”
    “They’re all out on patrol.”
    Shioni gnawed on a hunk of dense oven-bread, thoughtfully. Mama, never one to be fooled, kept casting her glances even as she kneaded a mound of dough with her huge, expert hands. Finally, she felt compelled to explain what she had sensed outside the lion’s cave and how it had bothered her ever since.
    “Ah,” said Mama, scratching the bridge of her nose with a doughy finger. “You’s always been a fine hand with animals, girl. You’s sure you not just… well, empathising with them?”
    “Well… no, I’m not sure.”
    She turned to look out of the door, but the cat was nowhere to be seen. Mama was right. As usual!
    “Tell you what.” Mama handed her another hunk of bread. “While you’s filling that bottomless pit you calls a stomach, go see the elephant handler. He’s been a-jawing about one of his pets being off her work and all. You talk to them elephants and find what’s the matter, alright?”
    A grin began to tug at the corners of her mouth. “Mama, you’re just humouring me. I know you.”
    “You needs a change of scenery. No more swimming in rubbish heaps for you.”
    And what escaped Mama’s notice in the castle would hardly fit on the head of a pin. “Mama, it wasn’t–”
    “You’s still here? Shoo!”
    A dawn of blazing colours was firing up the eastern sky, but the sun had not yet risen over the hills. Shioni walked resolutely down to the elephant pen. The Shebans had been at the castle just over five days, but with a workforce the size of a small army, much had been accomplished already. Their five elephants had a cool enclosure around a stand of trees, which they had already begun to strip for food. Elephants were stomachs on legs.
    Maybe she could put her lunatic ideas to the test.
    Not bothering to unlock the gate, Shioni climbed up and over the fence. She knew the elephants and they knew her.
    “Good morning!”
    The elephants turned to look at her. Nothing.
    Shioni heaved a sigh of relief. There, that proved it. She was not going mad and she was no stranger than the next person. Apart from being a ferengi, of course. She liked it when people said she worked well with animals. But that was a far cry from hearing things!
    She became aware of an odd itchiness in her mind. But it was too fleeting, impossible to catch, as though she was standing in a swarm of mosquitos and a few had bumped into her. The group of elephants, particularly the huge bull elephant, who was all of twelve feet in height, seemed to be staring at her expectantly.
    “You all look hungry. Where are your keepers this morning?” Five trunks rose to sniff her outstretched hand. She chuckled. “I know you want salt, but we’re all out. Mama says there’s a shipment coming this week. Sorry.”
    The bull elephant’s trunk curled around her shoulders. Although he was gentle enough, his enormous strength forced Shioni to shuffle forward. He looked her right in the eye. His eye was a light hazel brown, deeply set in a field of grey wrinkles that made him look a hundred years old. She had a very strong impression he was trying to communicate with her. When she tried to focus all her attention on him, the mosquito feeling returned and Shioni felt a sense of encouragement–although, it was very hard work. The world seemed to tilt on its axis. She staggered and caught the elephant’s trunk just in time.
    “Wow.” She massaged her throbbing temples. “Much more of this and my head will split open like a melon. You couldn’t just tell me what you want?”
    The elephant was bending his front legs, until his long ivory tusks dug into the dirt. He gazed intently at her. It was a gentle look, not threatening, but rather like a well of deep secrets drawing her in to new insights and avenues of understanding. Although she was intrigued, part of her still resisted. She also had