Chapter 0

TOTO THE NINJA CAT AND THE MYSTERY JEWEL THIEF DERMOT O'LEARY

PROLOGUE It was gone midnight when Mayor Dick Whittington, riding a giant horse and with his trusty cat companion, Tom, tucked inside his coat, finally arrived at his destination: the top of HAMPSTEAD HEATH, the highest point in the whole of MEDIEVAL LONDON.

Overlooking the capital, they could easily make out St Paul's Cathedral, standing proudly, the beacon for all Londoners, its tall spire jutting up into the cold clear night sky. For a while, they said nothing, content to take in the view of the city they had helped to build and keep safe.

With a quiet purr, Tom finally emerged from his master's coat, climbed out and stretched, arching his back. He then nuzzled at Dick's neck, before jumping down effortlessly from the horse on to the mossy grass below. Both Dick and Tom were exhausted, but this task had to be COMPLETED IN SECRET, under the cover of darkness. This was partly due to their fame (in late medieval London, everyone knew the Mayor and his cat) but also due to the importance and power of what Tom carried with him. 'Are you sure about this, Tom?' Dick whispered as loudly as he dared, afraid of being overheard. 'You won it fair and square by DEFEATING AN EVIL that would have plagued this city, maybe even the whole country. KING RODERICK THE ABSOLUTELY FILTHY DIRTY is beaten and his rat army have fled thanks to you. Now with this MYSTERIOUS, MAGICAL COLLAR

you're the most POWERFUL ANIMAL IN THE WORLD! Because of the strength it gives you, no one can best you in combat and, most incredibly, you can speak to me in my tongue. 'Don't you think I know that, my old friend?' the wise cat replied. 'That's all the more reason to do what I do tonight. I can't risk this collar falling into dangerous hands. The animal world is safe for now, but should this collar be found by the wrong cat, rat or dog... Now, come and join me- it's time. His master dismounted and dug out a small silver box from his horse's saddle bag. He carried it over to Tom, and they stood together at the side of a pond. The human smiled at his companion. 'I'll miss our chats, Tom.' 'Oh, don't worry, Dick, I'll still understand you, but now I won't have to answer back. I can act like a regular cat and ignore you!'

Dick laughed and ruffled Tom's fur. 'Well, if you are sure this is the right thing to do, rest assured, I'll honour our agreement: half will go to the Tower of London, and half will be lost for all time. The cat nodded and pawed at the collar. It unclasped and came apart into two perfect circles- one offlawless diamonds and one of deep blue sapphires- shining in the moonlight. No matter how many times they saw it, both human and cat found its beauty staggering. Taking one last look, TOM PLACED THE DIAMOND BAND into a velvet pouch and carefully popped it back into the SILVER BOX. Snapping it shut, he threw it into the deep inky pond,