Cybele's Secret

Cybele's Secret (pronounced SIB-ə-lee) is a young adult fantasy novel published in 2007 by Juliet Marillier. It serves as a companion to *Wildwood Dancing* and centers on Paula, a scholarly young woman who travels with her father to Istanbul in search of a rare statue from a forgotten pagan cult.

The book was first released in Australia in October 2007 by Pan Macmillan as a trade paperback. A hardback edition followed in the United Kingdom from Tor Books in December 2007, and Knopf Books published it in the United States in 2008. *Cybele's Secret* shared the 2008 Sir Julius Vogel Award for best young-adult novel with *The Sea-wreck Stranger* by Anna Mackenzie. It was also shortlisted for the 2007 Aurealis Award for best young-adult novel, losing to Anthony Eaton's *Skyfall*.

Paula, the fourth of five sisters, narrates the story. Her father hires a bodyguard to protect her in Istanbul's dangerous streets. Though a man named Stoyan admits to having left his previous employer alone—resulting in that employer's death—Paula hires him anyway. At a dinner, she meets a powerful woman who runs a women-only library and steam room. Paula eagerly accepts an invitation to visit, hoping to research Cybele and locate the statue. Time is short: one of her father's colleagues has already been murdered over the artifact, and rumors circulate about a secret cult of Cybele's followers in the city. While examining old records, Paula notices strange words visible only to her, realizing the faerie folk have given her a task, as they once did her sister Jena. She only has a cryptic clue from the witch Dragutsa: "You must help an old friend of mine." Paula enlists Stoyan's help and begins teaching him to read and write.

To find the statue, Paula must join forces with a dangerous pirate named Duarte, who has promised to return to the island where the statue is hidden. Paula feels drawn to both Duarte and Stoyan. She secretly sets sail with them, leaving her father unaware. On the island, they face many perils, including the library owner, who reveals herself as the cult's leader and is willing to kill for the statue. The group must pass tests in a cave, including helping Paula's sister Tati (who went to live in the Faerie realm at the end of *Wildwood Dancing*) without speaking or touching her—achieved through Stoyan's skill with dogs.