by Gin Hollan
Arabeth couldn't think of a way to stop him. Sam looked at her as though he was also reaching the same conclusion she had. The boy needed protection. He stepped in front of the door, blocking the guard's path it.
"It is law that once a place is occupied, it is private. This place is occupied," Sam said.
"We were at the king's mansion earlier and they had preparations for his arrival well underway." She turned and pointed off toward it. "I suggest you look for him there," Arabeth said, trying to use her best wispy yet confident voice. “I am going in to lay down. Please, just let me rest." She slipped behind Sam, into the building.
Inside, the boy was still sleeping. Looking around, she thought about how to disguise him. Arabeth looked at the fireplace. They could use the soot. The searchers were looking for a blond. He might hate her for it later, but at least it would wash out. She grabbed a handful and went over to him, and started pulling it through his hair, darkening it. Next she ran over to the bed and pulled a blanket off. As she covered him, she wondered if she shouldn't roll him off and tuck him under the couch. No, that would be more suspicious.
Pausing, she tried to think of something else that would make it look like he'd been there since they arrived last night. Teenagers did tend to sleep long. She grabbed a cup off the counter and half-filled it with water before setting it on the side table. She pulled his shoes off. They were a little fancier than they should be for the disguise she was building. She pulled her own shoes off and put them by the couch, instead.
His jacket! It looked like one of a kind. If they pulled the blanket back to look, that would be a dead giveaway. Luckily, he wore a plain white shirt underneath and those were common.
Sam was doing a good job stalling them, but she had to work fast. Taking the boy's shoes and jacket, she hurried over to the bed and jumped under the blanket, tucking the items under with her, shoes wrapped in the coat. A moment later, the door opened and three guards came in. One of them held Sam by the wrist, his arm twisted up behind his back. The other two stood in the doorway, scanning the room.
"There he is!" one of them barked.
Arabeth stood up quickly and went to block the man, wobbling in place intentionally as she stopped. "What do you think you're doing?” She acted indignant. “Let my brother sleep. He's not feeling well."
Sam hurried over and wrapped an arm around her. "Take it easy—you're pushing yourself again. Go back and lie down. Howard is clearly not blond, so don't worry." He steered her away from the couch, gently guiding her.
Behind them, the nearest guard grunted. Another guard walked over, unconvinced. He whipped the blanket back.
"Let's go. He could be halfway to Salumbine by now."
Without another word, the trio stormed out.
As the door started to shut behind the last man, Arabeth heard the suit say that Sebastian wasn't going to be happy. The door muffled anything that came after that.
Thankfully, she hadn't left anything that could identify them in the saddlebags, and what was there supported her story. They were travellers on their way home.
They had slammed the door behind them, but Sam went out as well. Arabeth stared across the room at their new travelling companion as he blissfully snored. What was going on?
Sebastian.... Was he going to haunt every step of their journey? Why did his name keep cropping up? Even this far away, he was moving people, influencing them.
// Chapter 27 //
"IS HE AWAKE yet? I want us gone before those guys figure out who we are, and that this kid isn't with us," Sam said. "Can we sling him across the saddle? If we don't get moving, we're going to get shot, or hung, or brought to some other unsavoury end."
Arabeth smiled. "He's coming around. I think he can sit, if we double up. Your horse is the only one big enough to handle two riders."
"Good, yes. Let's do that." Sam walked over and looked the kid over. "Can you stand? The men you evaded will be back, and we need to be gone."
He nodded and held onto the arm of the couch, pushing himself up. Arabeth and Sam each stood to one side steadying him.
Marble and the horses were waiting outside, and once Sam and the kid were up, Arabeth picked up the little fox. "All we need is a direction." Arabeth sighed, looking out over the landscape. "Hey, does that look like it could turn into a mountain range?" She pointed toward a set of distant peaks to the south.
"Only one way to find out." He nudged the horse into motion with his knees.
Arabeth hurried to catch up. "No need to hurry—they're days away, if they are mountains."
"I think we should go back underground, by shuttle," Sam said.
Arabeth blinked, wondering why she hadn't thought of it. Glancing behind them, she saw a cloud of dust that made her wonder if the guards were on their way back, and riding hard to catch up. She didn't want to know what the penalty for kidnapping a king was. Probably death.
"You know, maybe we should hurry. Look back toward the cabin," she called out, nudging Davin to pick up speed.
"If that's them, there’s no way we can hide in time." Sam stopped his horse. "We may as well dismount and wait."
"We'll have to hope they believe us that we didn’t know this kid is their king."
"Or get that pistol ready," he said.
"I don't know if there is a recharge time. It doesn't use bullets."
"Ah, right. Recharge," Sam said.
"You go. If you take him and get inside the tunnel, I'll follow when I can. I'll slow them down," Arabeth said. "Go! They can't charge me with anything if they haven't got proof."
"Evidence can be fabricated."
"I'll pretend you were holding me hostage, but my horse went lame," Arabeth said.
"But—"
"Just go! I'll think of something. Get him to safety!" Arabeth yelled, climbing back on Davin. "Wait, take Marble."
"I can't manage both of them." He turned and headed for the underground passage that led to the shuttles. Once there, he could lock the door behind them, blocking pursuit. Bleeding on the lock only worked if you had the silver in your veins, so they'd be safe.
Arabeth breathed a sigh of relief and sat, waiting for her soon-to-be captors, wondering if this was a good time to test the recharge time on the pistol, or if that would only make matters worse.
Minutes dragged as they neared, but somehow they weren't closing the gap the way she thought they should. Were they heading after Sam? No, they would nearly pass her in order to get to him.
She climbed off Davin and set out a small stack of cooked chicken for Marble, then pulled out a tiny dish and poured some water in. Who knew when the poor little thing would get her next meal. Arabeth stroked her fur as Marble ate, wondering if the fox was losing weight.
Looking up again, there was still no sign of pursuit. Her heart suddenly hammered in her chest. Where had they gone? She turned and looked the direction Sam rode. There was only his dust trail drifting across the plains. The pursuers were just ... gone.
Marble was not yet finished eating, but Arabeth felt herself starting to panic. Maybe they were at the cabin looking for evidence. There was none. The kid had his own coat and shoes back on. They'd left nothing behind.
She looked back toward Sam again, barely seeing him as a speck on the horizon. Maybe he'd make it.
She sat back down on her heels, wondering what to do.
'Don't move,' came a thought. 'Stay very still, and they will not see you.'
Odd thought, but worth a try, she guessed. There was dust on the horizon again, and it was headed her way. It was too much to hope for that they'd go the wrong way, she supposed.
She was about to stand when the thought repeated itself. 'Don't move. Stay very still.'
Marble whimpered and lay down in the shade under Arabeth's knees as she crouched.
"Melanie?" she whispered. That wasn't possible, was it? Only Melanie would know how to find her. How could she hear her but not see?
The riders neared, but as they did, the
ir path swerved to the left, away from her, and away from the direction Sam had gone.
The compulsion to stay still remained, so she stayed. More interesting was how Davin hung her head and stayed still as well. Arabeth almost laughed at the thought, knowing it had to be coincidence.
"Fools, where are you headed?" A man's voice rang out across the distance. Sam's voice, Arabeth realized.
The other riders stopped and turned back.
Why hadn't he gone to safety? Where had he put the kid?
'Stay down.'
"I can't. That's Sam," she muttered to the voice, glad she was surrounded by animals instead.
'The king needs you.'
"I don't care about the king."
'Sam will be fine.'
Before Arabeth realized, they had all ridden away.
'Go find the king. Get him to safety. Only he can save Sam now.'
She lifted Marble onto the saddle and led Davin the way Sam had originally gone. She found the boy, sitting and groggy, propped up in the shade of a large rock.
'Take the king to Ocean City. Go east in a straight line.'
"Fine, but you'd better protect Sam," she said, wondering if she'd lost her mind somewhere along the way.
Straight east. Past tumbleweeds and low shrubbery. To a place she'd never even heard of—Ocean City. Walking. Arabeth sighed. Small hills rose and fell, and there seemed to be no end in sight.
"You shot me. How am I alive?" the kid asked, apparently awake now.
"I stunned you. There's a difference," Arabeth said.
"Yes, and I get to be your hostage now, instead of theirs."
"I can take you back to them if you want. Your advisor seemed quite keen on finding you."
She heard him mutter something and decided it was better not knowing what it was.
"Here’s the deal—I know enough of the truth to want to help you, for a short while at least," she continued.
"Oh...." He clamped his lips together, thinking.
"They tell me you're the future king, but haven't mentioned your name. Who are you and where are you trying to go? Who was the guy in the suit?"
"What did they say?" He ran his fingers up under his hair and shook his hands, causing a thin cloud of ash to fall. "And did you hide me under a chimney flue or something?"
Suddenly Melanie was talking again.
“Wait.” Arabeth held a hand up to stop him. "You said go east. I've been going east," she said, looking into space.
There was a pause and Arabeth knew she must look insane.
"Fine, you sent us around something. I get it. Now where do we go?"
'There is a road ahead. Follow it to the right. That will take you down into Ocean City.'
Arabeth looked up. What had originally looked like miles of endless landscape had in fact started to look more like water in the distance.
"Fine. We follow the road to the right. What are we doing there?"
"This is perfect," the boy said.
Arabeth turned to see if he was being sarcastic. He did not seem to be. "I am not going mad," she said shortly.
"No, but you have a Seer helping us. You should have told me. I would have trusted you sooner." He looked smug.
"Do you know where Ocean City is?" she asked.
His eyebrows twitched together for a second, then relaxed again. "Why are we going there?"
"That's what the Seer told me to do."
"I was told never to go back there. My guardians assured me I would be risking my life if I did."
"We'll find a way to make it safe. Maybe a disguise."
"What do you have in mind?"
“Something no one will expect.” She looked the blond, slender kid over and knew it would be difficult, but they had to try.
// Chapter 28 //
THE ROAD TO Ocean City ran steep but straight, down along the cliff edge. It was a solid five-hundred-foot drop from the top, Arabeth guessed. Why had they made a road so steep that even Davin slipped now and then?
"You're going to love this city," the kid said, walking beside her. "Ask me anything."
"You lived here?" She stopped, suddenly mad at herself for not asking. She needed to think like someone avoiding capture now.
"My foster family lives here." He pointed to the high end of the city, his eyes perpetually drawn that way. "I'll be safe there."
"It's a known address. They'll be watching."
"It's a what?"
"They will know it's a place you felt safe. They'll have someone watching." She pulled out her notebook. "Where else have you lived, or have friends?"
"Only here," he answered.
"Were there other fostered children here? What are their names?"
"It's not like they ran a haven for the children of dead royals, you know."
Arabeth knew she'd touched a nerve. She'd assumed his parents had passed, but somehow the truth being spoken saddened her.
"Don't pity me," he said, chin held up. "They left great memories, and a legacy. Help me protect that legacy."
She sniffed. This must be what made them royal—the ability, by breeding or upbringing, to put themselves aside. To act nobly.
Arabeth simply nodded, and fought at her own homesickness. But why? She was twenty-eight years old. Why was she homesick, when she barely saw her family when she was home? His nobility may be youthful idealism, or a mask, like her stubborn need to do the right thing, to bring justice into a situation. There it was—his untenable situation. And it moved her. She had to help him now. She had to see this through.
Marble bumped Arabeth’s cheek with her nose as she sat on her usual shoulder perch. Arabeth pulled her hat off and set it firmly on his head, then pulled her jacket off.
"That will have to do. Let's get down there. I'll go to their estate and let them know you're coming to visit. If they're like the people I know of that social class, they need a bit of notice," she said.
"Oh ... I guess that's true. I hadn't thought of that," he said.
They found a well-kept hotel on the nearest side to the harbour and booked two adjoining rooms. It wasn't royal-ready, but they were nearly sold out, so it was lucky they could get adjoining rooms at all.
Prince Andun was oddly silent as they unpacked.
"Are you all right?" She didn't know if he was typically a quiet person, but he simply shrugged.
"You should wait here. Get cleaned up and I'll have some food brought up. You must be thirsty, too." She smiled.
He nodded and dropped his coat on a bed.
"Does that fox ride on your shoulder everywhere you go?" he asked.
She laughed at the abruptness of his question, but nodded. "Pretty much, yes."
"Can I pet her?"
"What? I'm sure she won't mind." Arabeth smiled and turned so Marble was facing Andun.
The boy walked over, and reached up slowly.
"It's okay. She'll jump down if she isn't comfortable," Arabeth said.
Marble sat quietly while he rubbed her under the chin and scratched the top of her head. His smile was wide enough to move his ears.
"I'll go first thing in the morning," she said. "There are a few other things we need to do first. One is get a proper disguise for you. Your clothing has to change. Your hair colour ... maybe even the style. Let's go."
"Maybe you should get my disguise first. I can wait here."
"And risk you running off to see them alone? I don't think so. I know how the fifteen-year-old brain works, and you are not immortal."
"You wound me." He feigned surprise.
Arabeth locked eyes with him and raised one eyebrow.
"All right, fine. We'll do it your way ... but maybe we can go there first, before I'm in disguise. I can change my jacket and wear a hat."
"That will probably work, since no one is actually expecting you. Or are they? This crystal communication is something I'm not familiar with. They probably did tell a Seer in this area."
"All Seers are in service to the crown. Th
ey should be loyal to me."
"I'm not taking anything for granted. You’ll have to wear my coat and hat until we get you something that fits." She wasn't going to risk a loose-lipped concierge.
"This hat is—" He started to take it off.
"This hat is keeping you alive. Think of it that way." She smacked it down, deeper onto his head.
He mumbled something under his breath and Arabeth had to laugh.
"You're a funny kid," she said.
"I’ve had a lot of practise. People underestimate you when they think you're young and foolish. I just don't want to look like an idiot when we get there. Women like men with a sense of adventure, right? A hint of danger is intriguing, right?”
Arabeth smiled. "What’s her name?"
Red rose up his face as he looked away. "I don't have anyone in mind specifically. I can't. My marriage is arranged."
"But it's fun to be thought of as the cat's meow, for a while at least." She shrugged. "OK. Let's go make you awesome."
His sudden laughter was contagious and Arabeth had to cover her mouth as she turned away.
"Pull the coat shut. Your shirt is a little too well pressed, a little too white."
She heard him rustling behind her as she went out the door.
* * *
It was only a matter of a few shops before Andun looked like a different person. She had him wait outside each one, then they went into a secluded area and he changed. She stuffed his old clothing in a bag, intending to burn it later.
The hard part was going to be his hair. She needed red dye, but he was already so blond that it wouldn't be enough of a change. Adnan was a good-looking teen, and she had a feeling he wouldn’t like disguising that fact. She stared at him.
"You might not like this part. We're going to dye your hair red, but you need hair extensions. It's like a wig, in lots of little pieces. I'll weave it into your hair so it looks natural."
He frowned a moment, then grinned. "That's fine by me. I can go for a Nordic look. They travel here now and then. But what are you going to use as a disguise?"
"A disguise? For me?" she asked.
"You're being seen by more and more people and when the dots are connected, they will follow me by following you."