The Secret of Zanzibar (2 page)

Alistair felt his heart drop to his feet. ‘But what can we do?' he said. ‘The Sourians have all those troops and weapons. They've got all the power and we've got nothing.'

‘That's not quite true, Alistair,' his mother said softly. ‘We have right on our side. And I truly believe that most mice are essentially good. If we can persuade them of the justness of our cause, persuade them to act, we will prevail.'

‘Gerandans have been held captive by fear and intimidation,' Zanzibar said. ‘We need to inspire them to overthrow the Sourian leadership, but we want to avoid violence at all costs. The new Gerander must be born out of peace, not bloodshed.'

‘But how is that possible?' Alex objected. ‘How can we win against troops and weapons without using violence ourselves?'

For a moment nobody spoke, and the only sound was of the crackling fire. Then Aunt Beezer cleared her throat. ‘There is a long tradition throughout history of peaceful revolutions,' she mused. ‘Of passive resistance and non-violent protests. Of ordinary mice standing up to their oppressors and defeating them through sheer force of numbers.'

‘A peaceful revolution is exactly the kind of thing I have in mind,' Zanzibar agreed. ‘What do you think, Slippers?'

Alistair felt a stirring of hope as Slippers nodded thoughtfully.

‘It could work, couldn't it?' she said. ‘But it won't be easy. We've only got ten days to convince all of Gerander to take to the streets and rally against their occupiers.'

‘Imagine it,' said Emmeline, her eyes shining. ‘Thousands of Gerandans filling the streets of Cornoliana, so that when Queen Eugenia reaches the city gates she'll be unable to enter.'

Alistair, though he had never been to Cornoliana, felt a shiver of excitement at the image.

‘Given the urgency,' said Feast Thompson, ‘let's talk practicalities. How do we do it?'

Rebus, who had been stroking his long whiskers quietly as he listened to the discussion, spoke up. ‘Communication,' he said. ‘That's the key. We need to spread the message as far and wide as possible.'

‘We've got an advantage there,' Feast responded. ‘Now that we've discovered the secret paths, we have a way
to travel through Gerander and spread the word about Zanzibar's return and the campaign to resist the Sourian occupiers. Of course, we'll also need FIG members in Cornoliana itself to organise the protest there.'

‘Perhaps we need to think beyond Gerander, too,' Slippers suggested. ‘It seems to me that one of FIG's strengths has always been that it unites mice from different nations. Queen Eugenia's plan affects Gerander, Souris and Shetlock. It will take mice from all three countries standing shoulder to shoulder to stop the Sourian troops – and Queen Eugenia's ability to rule.'

‘You mean we should get Sourians to protest too?' Alistair asked. Surely that was impossible!

But Zanzibar was nodding. ‘That's right,' he said. ‘And that's where our greatest difficulty lies. We need to convince the Sourian population that their occupation of Gerander is wrong – that they should stand up to Queen Eugenia in support of Gerandan independence. But that means overturning decades of propaganda.'

Silence fell across the group. Alistair was sure that the others were thinking the same as him: persuading the citizens of Souris to support the liberation of Gerander was a hopeless cause. He remembered his own journey through Souris, back when he had first met Tibby Rose. The fact of their ginger fur alone had provoked hatred. Spies, they had been called. And rebels. They had tried to explain that they weren't, but no one would listen.

‘Getting the Sourians to listen will be the problem,' he said aloud. ‘Won't it, Tibby?' The words reminded him of something he'd read. Where? That's right, in
The Trumpet of the Swan
, a book by one of his favourite authors, E.B. White. And he quoted: ‘
I assure you that you can pick up more information when you are listening than when you are talking
.' Then he added, ‘I read that in a book. If you ask me, it should say that you pick up more information when you are listening
or reading
. Maybe we should get the Sourians to read the Gerandans' side of the story?'

‘I think I have an idea,' Tibby said hesitantly.

‘What is it, Tibby Rose?' Zanzibar turned his warm gaze on her.

‘Granville, my mother's godfather in Souris, is a newspaper editor. What if I could convince him to help us write a pamphlet explaining the truth to Sourians? He'd know how to print it and distribute it, too.'

Zanzibar looked interested. ‘I wonder … It's a good thought, but what if he is loyal to the Queen? He could betray us.'

‘You think my mother's godfather would betray me?' Tibby looked shocked.

‘My own cousin betrayed me, Tibby,' Zanzibar reminded her gently.

Tibby hung her head. Then she looked up again. ‘He is a friend of my grandfather's. I could ask Grandpa Nelson to sound him out.'

Zanzibar turned to FIG's chief of operations. ‘Slippers?'

Slippers tilted her head to one side, weighing up the options. ‘I think it's worth a shot,' she decided. ‘Feast and I can take Tibby to Templeton.'

Alistair had hoped never to return to Souris. But he knew he had to support his friend. ‘I'd like to go too.'

Emmeline looked at Zanzibar. ‘Do you think it's safe?'

The golden mouse's expression was grave as he said, ‘No. But we are none of us safe. And if we don't succeed now, we never will be.'

‘What about us?' demanded Alex. ‘If Alistair and Tibby get to go to Souris, there's got to be something dangerous me and Alice can do.'

Alice glared at her brother. ‘Put a sock in it,' she said. ‘When will you grow up and learn that there's nothing cool about danger?'

‘I'm not saying that danger is cool,' Alex argued. ‘I just mean that we can't leave all the risks to others. I am the future king, after all.'

‘Sorry,' said Alice. ‘I mean, put a sock in it,
Your Highness
.'

‘Actually, there is something dangerous you two can do, if you're willing,' said Slippers. ‘In fact, it was something Solomon Honker said that's given me the idea.'

‘You spoke to Solomon?' Alice's face lit up at the mention of the FIG secret agent.

Slippers nodded once. ‘We were talking about how well you carried out your mission in Gerander. He seems
to think you made some good contacts while you were undercover at the palace in Cornoliana.'

Alice looked puzzled. ‘Good contacts?'

Alex snorted. ‘They found out we were spies. I don't think anyone at the palace would remember us in a friendly light.'

‘But didn't someone help you escape?'

Alice's expression cleared. ‘Of course,' she said. ‘The cook helped us, and so did the gardener, Fiercely Jones.'

‘And did you have the impression that they were FIG sympathisers?'

‘It was when we said we were from FIG and told them that Zanzibar was free that they decided to help us.' Understanding dawned in Alice's eyes. ‘You think we should go back, don't you?'

‘It occurred to me that you might be able to use those contacts to help organise the uprising in Cornoliana. There'll be others in place too, but it seems to me that you two might be in a good position to tap into the networks of ordinary mice – those who sympathise with FIG but have never voiced their feelings before. But, more particularly, you could speak to the children.'

‘To the children?' Alice said in surprise. ‘You want us to ask kids to join the protest too?'

Slippers smiled. ‘Don't you think kids have a right to be heard? To have a say in how their country is run, what their future will look like?'

Alistair, Tibby Rose, Alex and Alice all raised their voices at once: ‘Yes!'

‘When can we leave?' said Alex.

Slippers turned to look at Emmeline and then Rebus. ‘What do you say? Solomon would go with them, of course.'

Emmeline gave a wan smile, but she didn't object. ‘Well, now that the children are going off to risk their lives, what do you have for us old folk to do?'

‘The secret paths,' said Slippers. ‘As Feast said, they're our secret weapon for spreading the message. It has to be either you or Alistair – you're the only ones who can read the signs and find the paths.'

‘I'll do it,' Emmeline said. ‘Alistair and Tibby Rose should stay together.'

‘The fact that you're Zanzibar's sister will help,' Feast noted. ‘It'll inspire people to join us.'

‘But only if you're up to it, Em,' Zanzibar said, his voice concerned.

‘I'll have Rebus,' said Emmeline, squeezing her husband's arm. ‘We'll be fine.'

Alistair tried not to think of what had happened the last time his parents had set off to find the secret paths running through Gerander. They had been caught by the Sourians and thrown in prison. But as long as they reached the paths, they would be safe, he reminded himself. After all, no Sourians – and barely any Gerandans – even knew the paths existed. He clutched
the ends of his scarf. Even fewer knew that he wore a map of the paths around his neck.

Zanzibar turned to Ebenezer and Beezer. ‘I'd like for the two of you to accompany me to Shudders,' he said, ‘to speak to the president of Shetlock. You know Shetlock better than I do and know many of the FIG members here – and Beezer, you're Shetlocker born and bred.'

Ebenezer exchanged a glance with his wife then inclined his head. ‘Of course,' he said. ‘We'd be honoured to accompany you.'

‘Thank you.' Zanzibar looked around the group. ‘From Shetlock I'll travel to Cornoliana in time to join the protest there. Let's see, today's Saturday, that means Queen Eugenia is due to arrive in Cornoliana a week from next Friday. Let's rendezvous there. Agreed?'

They all nodded solemnly.

‘Good.' Zanzibar turned to the almond mouse beside him. ‘Slippers? Logistics?'

‘Oswald will be here at moonrise. We need him to take you to Shudders, but before that we'll have him take us to Souris.'

‘Poor Os has a busy night ahead of him,' Feast remarked, and Alistair felt a rush of gratitude to the owl who had done so much for FIG, risking his life on so many occasions.

‘True,' said Slippers. ‘And I suspect the constant travel is beginning to tire him, though he hasn't said anything. Maybe we'll just ask him to take us across the Sourian
Sea, and we can make own way from the coast up to Templeton. What do you reckon, Feast?'

‘That should be fine,' said Feast Thompson. ‘We know our way around Souris pretty well by now. Especially in the dark. And if we take that shortcut through the Eugenian Range …' He raised an eyebrow at Slippers.

Slippers stood up. ‘Okay, Alistair, Tibby, get your rucksacks in order. Em, Rebus, I'd like to talk to you about your rendezvous with Solomon.'

And suddenly everyone was up and moving.

‘Alex and I will take care of the dinner dishes,' said Ebenezer, while Alice and her aunt went to fetch water from the spring at the edge of the clearing.

It didn't take long for Alistair and Tibby to pack their rucksacks, and soon they rejoined Slippers and Feast in the centre of the clearing.

‘All set?' Slippers asked. ‘I think I hear Oswald now.'

There was barely time for a hasty goodbye to his brother and sister and parents. ‘See you in Cornoliana,' he said, but even as he uttered the words they seemed impossibly optimistic. He wished he'd thought of something more meaningful to say, something that would convey the gravity of this moment of departure, of the hopes and fears that each of them carried. But it was too late. The owl was announcing his approach with a low hoot, and Slippers was calling him.

It was familiar to Alistair by now: the tight grip of the owl's talons around his body, the slightly jerky
take-off as the giant hunter beat his wings until they were airborne, the swooping sensation in his stomach when they caught a current and were away.

As the group in the clearing grew smaller and smaller, Alistair felt an emptiness inside him grow larger and larger. He had no idea when he would see his family again. Or … He shut his eyes to the banish the thought but it refused to go away.
Or if …