CHAPTER 1

'FARO!' Conner yelled into the night standing up to his waist in the water, as a bitter wind whipped around him making him shiver. 'FARO!' still there was no reply, Conner shouted again 'FARO I KNOW YOU CAN HEAR ME SO LISTEN UP, YOU BRING MY SISTER BACK HERE RIGHT NOW OR ELSE! I KNOW SHE'S WITH YOU, AND I'M NOT MOVING FROM THIS SPOT UNTIL…'

'greetings brother' said a carefree voice. Conner looked down at the base of the rock he was standing on only to see Faro leaning casually against it as though he had been there all along only his torso visible above the surface of the waves. 'what is it you require of me?'

'WHERE IS SHE?' Conner said, voice still raised.

'who?' Faro asked.

'STOP MESSING ROUND FARO, WHERE'S SAPPHIRE?'

'I have no idea where Sapphire is. isn't she asleep in bed?'

'SHE SHOULD BE, BUT NO, I TURN MY BACK FOR TWO MINUTES AND SHE'S GONE OUT THE DOOR! DOESN'T EVEN LEAVE A NOTE WHICH IS WHY I KNOW SHE'S DOWN THERE WITH YOU' conner yelled pointing towards the inky blackness of the water.

'if she has entered Ingo tonight, I am not a aware of it. I have not seen her since she came two weeks ago.'

'you haven't?' this stopped his ranting because he knew faro was telling the truth and in the moonlight faro shook his head slowly.

'but if she's not with you who is she with. Elvira?'

'no she wouldn't be with my sister, they do not get on too well, and in any case Elvira is away at the moment, visiting the frozen lands she will not return for some months.'

'she is, oh…I didn't know she had already left…what am I saying that's irrelevant. If saffy's not with then where on earth could she be?'

'I do not know brother, but I can find out if she is in Ingo or not and if she is I will find her if not it may be sensible to ask that wise woman that sapphire is constantly talking about for she said that she is to the earth as saldowr is to Ingo.'

'Granny Carne. Yes, I will if we haven't found saphy by morning. Thank god mum and Roger are away this weekend. Can you imagine how much trouble this would cause if they were here?'

'I agree with you on that. From the few occasions I have seen her, I know that your mother worries for sapphire a great deal.

I will go now and find saldowr he is most likely to know something about our sisters disappearance.' faro started to sink below the surface when Conner thought of something else. 'Faro, wait, there's one more thing.' faro bobbed among the waves. 'you said she hasn't gone to Ingo in the last two weeks? If that is true then how come there were wet clothes of hers on the bathroom floor when I went in there yesterday morning, they were definitely wet with sea water and within the last few hours but she hadn't been to the beach the day before. I've found her wet things at least twice more in the last week.'

Faro looked at him for a moment then said 'I said that she had not been to Ingo with me That does not mean she has not been here alone or with someone else you know that just as well as I do.' And without another word he sank below the waves and disappeared from sight.