The Opal Quest Read Online Free Page A

seeing a human. Hesitantly Katinka, who’d only heard the roar and wasn’t sure what it meant, opened the door. She led Tia through a central chamber into a bedroom where she curtsied to the bear slumped in front of a fire.
    Tia gave a gasp of astonishment and bowed extravagantly. ‘I didn’t expect to see you, O great Skrimsli Bear!’
    The bear ignored her and grunted at Katinka, who ran towards a table and hurriedly picked up a tray of brushes.
    â€˜The High Witch Yordis wishes me to teach you how to be a grooming maid.’ She rolled up her sleeves and Tia saw lots of bruises. Y
ordis must’ve done that – no wonder Katinka’s afraid of her
, Tia thought, and felt sorry for the girl. She felt even sorrier for her when the bear batted at her several times for snagging brushes in her fur.
    â€˜Now you try.’ Katinka handed a brush to Tia.
Good luck
, she mouthed silently.
    Tia was used to grooming the Traders’ shaggy little horses with their long manes and tails and had no difficulty with the bear’s fur. Yordis waved Katinka away and turned over with a snort. Tia wanted to laugh as she went on grooming. This bear with its dirty, tangled fur was her aunt! What would she think if she knew that her niece, a DragonChild from Drakelow, was picking burrs and fleas from her coat?
    The bear’s eyes closed and she began to snore. Tia grew bolder and brushed nearer and nearer to the collar; she wanted to have a close look at the magic opal.
    All of a sudden the bear rolled over and pinned Tia to the floor with her huge paw. ‘Do not touch my collar, Trader brat,’ she snarled.
    Tia could hardly breathe with the paw pressing into her chest. ‘I’ve done something wrong,’ she wheezed, trembling as growls rumbled deep inside the bear. ‘I’m sorry. Perhaps you don’t like to be groomed near to your collar?’
    The growling increased.
    â€˜I’ll be careful not to do it again, O great one,’ Tia said quickly.
    The bear lifted her paw. ‘This girl’s quick to work out what I mean. She keeps her wits about her and she grooms well. I’ll keep her.’ She flopped down again.
    Tia sat up and gulped in air. Yordis wasn’t very bright but she was dangerous and cruel. Tia was going to have to be very, very careful.

Chapter Six

Chimneys
    When Tia had finished grooming the bear, she was taken for a meal in the castle kitchen. After that, Katinka showed Tia to a small room next to Yordis’s chambers. It had two tiny, sealed windows. An unlit fire set was set into one wall and a little alcove next to it had a washing area. There was just enough space for a bed and a wooden chest where Tia stowed her bag.
    Katinka told her, ‘The High Witch says you have to stay here till tomorrow, then she wants you to tell her some story about a prince and a bear.’
    Tia had forgotten about that! She sat on the bed, hoping Katinka liked to gossip.
    â€˜Yordis can’t always be a bear. I mean, she must be a human being sometimes, otherwise she couldn’t tell you what she wants.’
    â€˜The
Lady
Yordis chooses when to be herself. At those times she usually stays in her room.’
    â€˜Why?’
    â€˜You ask too many questions,’ Katinka snapped, and Tia decided not to ask where the High Witch kept the collar when she wasn’t wearing it.
    â€˜I’ll bring you some food later,’ Katinka said, and left.
    Tia got out her book and pen and scribbled down a map of the parts of the castle she remembered. She’d add to it as she learned more. Then she thought about the story she was going to tell Yordis next day.
    Much later, the door opened and Katinka came in with a tray of cold left-over food and drink. Tia hoped she’d stay to chat but the girl only said, ‘I’ll come for you in the morning and take you to the High Witch,’ then went away.
    Tia poked her fork into some cold meat. She