Alright - so we left last time as the contrevention alarm had been rung, Thorne and her catains had been attacked at the hidden gates of cataindar... and now we will get back to Luisa and Clearwater :-) 

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Luisa sat on her bed in Cataindar cross-legged. Her arms and legs ached a little, she had kept up with all of Finn's exercises, and even the abbot's mind-clearing program. It had definitely started to make a difference. 

She thought back to what had happened; seeing the catains so hurt and wounded. Her stomach rolled as she thought of the pungent metallic smell that had filled the air of that room. Thorne lying there, goodness, she was desperate to see how she was.

But for now she was trapped in her quarters. During the contravention Cataindar ceased to operate, everything went quiet, there were no bustling corridors, no steam from the kitchens, no burning torches to light the corridors. Cataindar was plunged into darkness and completely handed over to the scougers, as they did everything to hide the existence of Cataindar from the world above.

Everyone was to stay quarantined inside their quarters. Including their royalty apparently as Luisa was to spend her time confined inside.

Luisa tried to imagine a ratain, a living, breathing, murderous creature the size of the huge dummy in the training room stalking the corridors.

Fear coiled like a snake in her stomach at the thought. She couldn’t believe the scougers had to take those things on.

Clearwater was confined to Luisa’s quarters too, so at least she wasn’t by herself. To take their minds off the contravention, Luisa and Clearwater explored Luisa’s dressing chamber. Luisa found a hefty box of what she guessed was costume jewellery, and they loaded up; wearing lovely gem encrusted tiaras, rings and diamond necklaces.

Lighting a few more candles than allowed, they tried on some of the ancient costumes inside. Clearwater walked about in some chainmail topped off with a flamboyant buccaneer hat. She helped Luisa put on the heavy blue dress that Luisa had seen on her first day in Cataindar.

Clearwater was enjoying finally utilising her handmaiden training, and after pulling the strings at the back of the bodice, they found out it fitted Luisa, actually, it fitted Luisa really well.

Clearwater clasped her paws together and bit her bottom lip.

“Princess, I’ve never seen you look so beautiful.”

Luisa was thankful for the candlelight so Clearwater wouldn’t see how much her cheeks were burning.

“Please Princess,” Clearwater gestured for Luisa to step in front of the mirror. Luisa did so and looked at her reflection,

Wow. It was very… complimentary.

Although she had been shopping a few times with Stacey, Luisa had never had someone dress her up like this. She was trying not to cringe having all of Clearwater’s attention so entirely devoted to her. It just felt, so wrong.  The tiara shimmered in the mirror, as if to say to Luisa it knew it was too good for her.

Clearwater however, was loving every second.

“Princess, please, do a twirl! You absolutely have to!”

Oh no.

Luisa took a deep breath, and, trying not to grimace, did her best twirl in front of the mirror. The inlaid stones of the dress combined with the tiara came alive and flashed in the candlelight, kicking little glints of light around the chamber. Clearwater let out a gasp,

“Oh Princess!”

For some reason Luisa felt sad,

Because you’re a fraud a voice in her head spoke clearly back to her.

Luisa smiled sadly at Clearwater,

“I feel a little silly in this, can you help me take it off?” 

Back in her red dress, luisa was on her knees examining the large black chest that dominated her dressing chamber. It bore deep scars, and along its length ran ancient catain runes so worn that she couldn’t make their shapes. They could find no lock, it was somehow closed from the inside.  Luisa ran her hand over its outer edge.  It felt very strange to her indeed, under her hand she felt a very soft vibration like a thousand whispers against her palm. She asked Clearwater if she could feel it too, but Clearwater placed her paw on it and shook her head; she could feel nothing.

Among a lot of thick bound books, Luisa was surprised to find a London A-Z from the 1970’s.  She spread its ancient, yellowed pages out on the bed and tried to explain to Clearwater how London worked and what it was like.  She marked her house, her school, the train station, Clearwater was fascinated. Luisa found it incredibly difficult to explain how buses and trains worked if they were not powered by some serious dewin.

Clearwater talked to Luisa about her favourite parts of Cataindar, the best rituals and festivals. Apart from the CCC (The Cataindar Carver’s Championship, which Clearwater thought was overrated) her favourite ritual was the Scouger Cadet Trial. This was the final test for the scouger cadets, they had to fight in front of all of Cataindar for their place with the scougers. After that they were chosen; by Finn, Thorne or Darcius. Clearwater explained how thrilling it was, the rush of seeing two cadets, fighting with such skill and passion. Especially when one of the cadets from the Drylliads made it through (this is where Clearwater was from) and especially because there were some seriously hot cadets. Clearwater explained that being a scouger brought amazing privileges in Cataindar, the best quarters, the best food, and being able to choose any non-scouger as a breeding partner.

This last point Luisa made Clearwater repeat. She wasn’t sure the whole breeding thing sounded like a very fair idea.

In the first few days of the contravention Luisa and Clearwater they had enjoyed, almost fanatically, a Catain game called Breeze. Along the far wall of Luisa’s chamber were several sets of holes the size of a tennis ball, in sets of two that were connected a few inches deep in the stone. After clearing aside some furniture in her chamber, Clearwater had produced a small wooden ball. The game was very similar to hand racket-ball, with the exception that points could be scored by banging the ball though the looped hole, which ejected it the other side. Luisa had quickly discovered that Clearwater was an absolute beast at this game, quite possibly unbeatable by human or catain alike.

This is such a typical Catain game, Luisa thought, blowing her hair up from her sticky forehead. Smashing a small object as hard as you can at a small target, non-stop and generally completely exhausting. 

After another thrashing at the devilishly accurate paws of Clearwater, Luisa inspected the holes themselves. They had been very carefully and professionally worked through the stone.

“Clearwater, what are these for, I mean… they look like they were meant to hold up something, like a hammock.”

Clearwater shrugged,

“I don’t know princess, but they are everywhere through Carchar and Labrody; everyone plays Breeze as a kitain. We have even made some Breeze holes in the Dryliads so we could play there too, I think maybe they are there just for the game.”

Luisa tapped the hole once again with her finger.

Hmm. Another Cataindar mystery.      

Each mealtime Luisa and Clearwater were brought food by a junior scouger cadet, who came armed to the teeth. Luisa quizzed him in whispers.  No sight of ratains yet. The scougers guarded every sacred gate. They had sent a scout party to check the ratains path. No sign yet.

Each time her chamber door opened out into the pitch-black corridor, it was like the dark possibility of a ratain attack became real. Each day the food the cadet brought was less and less, until, on the fourth day, it was nothing.  Cataindar’s food supply was gone. The last knarl root eaten up.

On the fifth day Clearwater was hungry and tired. They didn’t speak much. She lay in her basket with a cup of cold moss tea, looking up at the walls.

The silence was broken with a knock on the door. 

It was Finn, his face looked drawn.

“Princess please, come with me.”

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A much longer chapter from me than usual today! I was originally going to cut a few things out, but decided to see how it fared on wattpad.  I would love to know what you think! If you enjoyed please comment and vote!

I thought I would also let you all know that I have about 20 pages to edit, until *my* version of the edit of Cataindar is done and it goes to professional writer (and recent wattpad member) Edward WIllett for a professional edit and review! Whoop whoop! :-) Re-reading the later chapters after so long away from them has been amazing; especially as I know some of my readers now!!

I think you guys are going to enjoy; my three fave chapters are still to come - cant wait to share them with you!! :-)