He could hear the sound of voices from the car park but no sound of pursuit. All the same, there was definitely someone up here on the hillside with him. There was a faint rustling and a sort of jingling as something or someone approached stealthily from above. Was it one of the bin men who had somehow got ahead of him? His heart thumped in his chest. He couldn’t be caught now! He wouldn’t let himself be caught now. But as he turned to run, he saw that it was not a bin man. In fact it was not a person at all.

It was a huge dog with shining fur the colour of honey and enormous golden eyes, advancing slowly towards him on cat-like paws. Joe could see that the dog was wearing a studded leather collar and a sort of harness made of small flat pieces of metal that covered his chest. What kind of dog wore a harness like that, Joe wondered. And what was he going to do now? If he ran away this dog might chase him, drag him down and bite him. He didn’t much like dogs, even little ones, but this one was nearly as tall as he was. He didn’t stand a chance! The dog seemed friendly enough, however.

When he got to within a few feet of Joe, he sat down quietly and offered one of his huge front paws to be shaken. Joe laughed out loud. He remembered that Spider’s auntie had had a funny little black and white dog that shook hands with you like that. Someone had taught this dog to do tricks too. He must be all right.

Emboldened, Joe shook the offered paw, then reached out and patted the big dog on top of his head. He had a medallion on his collar with some writing on it. Joe was good at reading. He spelled the letters out carefully. They said “ROMULUS” in funny writing.

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Background

• The Hinba Ghosts by Kate Green

• A1 Joe and the Roman Dog by Judith Low

• The Song of Sky and Evening by Charlie Scott

• Gemoc by Elizabeth Lawson

• The Beaten Road by Roberta Nichols

Background

• Reavers by Emily Diamand

• Jack Flynn and the Assassins by John M. O’Brien

• Tutankhamun: Diary of a Boy King by Laurence Rowley

• They Do Things Differently There by Ruth Furness

• The Secret Life of Jemma Jones by A. M. Conway

“Romulus,” he whispered experimentally. Yes, he had got it right! The big dog leapt up, tail wagging furiously, and frisked around Joe, almost knocking him over. The next second he froze, ears pricked. Joe listened. Yes, he could hear it too. Someone was coming up the hill towards them.

The dog wasted no time. With a backward glance at Joe that somehow clearly said, “follow me”, he headed off through the trees.

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