The Topaz Quest Read Online Free Page A

she’d started her day even before Yonas – and was glad to go to bed. When she got to her room she told Loki about the work she’d have to do.
    â€˜That sounds dull,’ the jackdaw said.
    Tia agreed but they were both wrong; the next day turned out to be quite different from the one Yonas had described – and a lot more exciting.

    Overnight the plain had been transformed into a sea of purple crocuses and people were everywhere, going up and down the ridges, stooping to pick the flowers.
    Tia stared in astonishment. ‘But there were no flowers yesterday!’
    Yonas laughed. ‘I told you, they just suddenly appear.’
    â€˜And who are all these people? Where have they come from?’
    â€˜Some are from the farms or the town but mostly they’re Outsiders from the sorting sheds.’ Yonas tugged at Tia’s sleeve. ‘C’mon. No time for talking – the really hard work starts now.’
    He grabbed a couple of baskets from a huge pile by the wall and led Tia to the nearest ridge. He bent down, carefully pulled out one of the purple crocuses and laid it in the basket. ‘You do it like that. Don’t squash the petals or you’ll ruin the saffron threads inside.’
    Tia looked at her basket. It was very big and the flowers were very small – it was going to take a long time to fill. She bent down and started picking. As she pulled the first flower out of the ground a smell of honey and warm hay wafted up from the three red threads inside.
    This is easy
, she thought but by the end of an hour she was beginning to ache all over from the constant stooping. She glanced at the other pickers. They were working steadily. She bent to her taskagain and didn’t stop till her basket was full. Then she straightened up and stretched. Yonas was also standing up; he’d finished at the same time. He grinned. ‘Bet you’re glad you’ve done your first basket.’
    First! How many was she expected to fill in a day?
    â€˜We can have a walk now.’ Yonas pointed to a dense stand of apple trees. ‘The nearest sorting shed’s behind those trees.’

    â€˜What are sorting sheds?’ Tia asked as they set off.
    â€˜It’s where the threads are sorted from the flower and dried in ovens to make the spice.’
    â€˜But you said that’s where the Outsiders live.’
    â€˜They do. There’s living lofts over the sorting area and they stay there till the harvest’s done.’
    â€˜Then what happens?’
    â€˜The Lady Luona opens the pass and they leave.’
    â€˜Where do they go?’
    Yonas shrugged uncomfortably. ‘I don’t know. Stop asking so many questions.’
    He quickly climbed over the wall and hurried off. Tia wondered why her questions had annoyed him.
    When they reached the trees Yonas reached up into an apple tree and pulled down a branch so they could pick the fruit.
    Tia tugged off an apple and risked another question. ‘How long does the harvest last?’
    â€˜Only twenty days.’
    â€˜Twenty days! I won’t have any back left at the end of it!’
    Yonas laughed. ‘You’ll get used to it. Here we are.’
    The ugly, long, two-storey building was well hidden by trees. Tia thought they looked as if they’d been planted on purpose to hide the grubby painted walls and the roof full of holes patched with branches andleaves. The windows running all down one side of the ground floor were filled with precious glass but it was cracked and dirty.
    Yonas and Tia went inside. Three long tables stretched from end to end of the room with rows of people sitting at them on benches; each person had a pile of purple flowers in front of them and a small bowl. They were carefully opening the flowers, pulling out the three red threads and dropping them into the bowls. They did this in silence as a man and woman walked up and down inspecting the work. At each end of the room