Author(s): Jackie French

Fiction

Nikko lives in a small farming village in Greece near the stronghold of Mycenae in 1200 BC. When his sister Thetis is born, Nikko rescues her from the hillside where she has been abandoned, setting off an unforeseen chain of events. Thetis survives the trauma of her birth but is rendered mute until the age of five, when the gift of speech is given to her; but she can only tell the truth, which soon proves to be a double-edged sword. When the villagers try to double-cross the king′s tribute gatherers, Nikko and Thetis are sent to the Mycenean court to be trained as entertainers for the king. There they meet Euridice, a horse dancer from the North, and forge an enduring friendship. When Thetis′ prophecy of disaster comes true, and Mycenae is hit by an earthquake, she disappears. Nikko and Euridice flee in search of her. Nikko eventually finds Thetis in Delphi, where she is now installed as Oracle, set to fulfil her destiny. But danger still lurks in the shape of the new Mycaenean king, who wants her back at court to foretell his future ... Ages 10-14