The Song Of The Lioness Quartet - In The Hand Of The Goddess Part 14

"Give me a hand up," Micah ordered Keel suddenly. "I want to see something."

Alanna watched as the younger man boosted Micah up to the window. Finally Micah jumped down. "If we could get loose, we're to the rear of the camp," he said gruffly. "There's nothing between us and the trees. We're hid away from their main army, Squire Alan." He shook the chains on his arms. "If we weren't burdened with these..."

"Oh!" Alanna hit herself on the forehead. "I'm stupid as well as insane. Here." She pulled a long strip of metal from its hiding place inside her belt and went to work on the locks. "The second you have a chance, break for the trees and make your way back. That's an order, understand?"

"But ..." Micah protested as his chains fell to the ground.

"Don't say 'but.' It's me they want. If you get free, they may not chase you very hard. Prince Jonathan has to know what happened." She began on Keel's chains as Micah rubbed his ankles, frowning.

"Where did you learn this?" Keel asked.

Alanna laughed shortly. "You'd be surprised." Once Keel's chains were undone, she tried the lock-pick on her own. She half-expected the result: the pick turned white-hot. Alanna dropped it on the ground where it lay, melted out of any useful shape.

"As I thought. Somebody made triply sure I couldn't leave." Was it just an accident that her chains alone were sorcerer- and pick-proof? Somehow she had trouble believing it was coincidence.

More visitors came as sunset was dying from the sky. At the sound of approaching footsteps, Micah and Keel hid themselves on either side of the door, their chains ready for use as weapons. The footsteps stopped.

"Captain," a male voice hissed, "if you continue your objections, I will see to it that you're given a less unpleasant command-under the noses of the fort archers, for example."

"I don't like fighting a war this way." It was the voice of the captain who had first visited them. "It isn't honorable."

"I believe in results, not honor." The stranger uttered three arcane words. Red fire burst through the hut, blinding Alanna. Micah and Keel slumped to the floor, unconscious, and the door swung open. Alanna blinked the spots from her eyes as a richly dressed n.o.bleman, accompanied by the captain and two large soldiers, walked in. The n.o.bleman was not much taller than Alanna, with large hazel eyes and a sharply handsome face. His looks were spoiled by the ugly set of his mouth as he prodded Keel with an elegantly shod toe.

"I thought something like this might occur. Who picked the locks?" His beautiful eyes flicked to Alanna. "You?"

Alanna stood braced, her arms folded across her chest. "Who wants to know?"

The n.o.bleman smiled cruelly. "I've heard about your bad manners, Alan of Trebond."

"Funny. I always heard the men of Tusaine possessed some trace of honor." She glanced at the captain, who was turning beet red. "Isn't it odd how rumor lies?"

Someone else stepped through the open door. "Don't let him get the upper hand, brother," Jem Tanner warned. "He's tricky."

Alanna leaped for Big Thor's murderer. The guards caught her and slung her to the ground, where one of them pressed his spear to her throat. "Don't do it again," he advised gruffly. After a moment he raised the spear, letting Alanna sit up. Jem retreated to the door, white under his tan.

"Kill the little viper, Hilam!" he urged. Micah and Keel were coming to. "Before he finds a way to trick you!"

Alanna looked at the well-dressed man. So he was Duke Hilam, the one responsible for this long, hateful summer. It was hard to believe so much trouble could come from such a small man.

Duke Hilam covered a yawn. "I'll kill him when I'm ready, brother," he announced. "Not a moment sooner."

Alanna stared. "You're brothers?"

"There isn't much of a family resemblance." Hilam grinned cruelly. "That's what made Jemis an ideal spy."

Then Alanna remembered that the three royal brothers of Tusaine were King Ain, Duke Hilam, and Count Jemis. Jemis-or Jem-was rarely seen in public because he rode around the land, sending reports to Prime Minister Hilam. A spy indeed!

Boiling mad, Alanna struggled to her knees. "Forgive me for not recognizing you sooner, Duke Hilam," she spat. "Your sweet nature should have-"

Hilam kicked her down. "I'm not amused by you, prisoner. Don't try my patience."

Alanna curled up around the side he had kicked, sweating with pain. No one was watching her two companions; all attention was on her and the Duke. She looked up at him, boiling mad.

"You are brave, kicking a chained prisoner. They must sing heroic ballads about you on winter nights!"

Hilam grabbed her chains, yanking her to her feet. "I've heard about your tongue, Squire." He was smiling calmly; that frightened her. No one as angry as Hilam smiled, unless he was insane. "Perhaps I'll cut it out." He threw her against the rear wall and advanced on her.

Alanna struggled to her feet, never taking her eyes off him. "Behavior I'd expect from the goatherd's b.a.s.t.a.r.d, not a n.o.bleman," she taunted as Micah and Keel inched toward the open door. "Perhaps your mother tricked your father?"

Hilam hit her again, knocking her to her knees. Micah and Keel bolted out the door, running for all they were worth. When Hilam turned to follow, Alanna grabbed him, wrapping her arms around his torso. The Tusaine was stopped from throwing a spell after the escaping men by the magic that kept Alanna helpless.

"Don't follow!" Hilam ordered, yanking out of Alanna's hold and slapping her. "This is the one we have to worry about!"

"Let me have him," Jemis urged. "He's been an annoyance to me for a long time. I could have killed Prince Jonathan that night if he hadn't been there."

Alanna could hear shouting in the distance. She crossed her fingers and prayed her friends would escape.

"He's been an annoyance to many for a long time," Hilam snapped, his clean-shaven face grim. "Before I let you play with him, he's going to tell me something about Tortall. He's going to tell me all Prince Jonathan's plans and all King Roald's plans. Then he will tell me things that don't interest me at all, but he'll tell them because he'll say anything to stop the pain."

"Pigs might fly," Alanna snapped. She spat in the man's face.

Hilam wiped the spit away, his lovely eyes thoughtful. "You'll take a while to break." He smiled suddenly, and her stomach sank. "That will be quite enjoyable. Only think, you'll have the doubtful fame of being the one responsible for my taking this entire valley. How does that sit with your much-loved honor, Squire Alan?"

"Perhaps your mother betrayed your father with a warthog," Alanna said thoughtfully. She would just get sick if she listened to what he was saying. "You both certainly have a warthog's manners. Jem there even has a warthog's looks."

Jem lunged for her, only to be stopped by one of the guardsmen.

"Jemis is very rash," Hilam told Alanna. "I'm not. It's going to take far more than these little barbs to pierce my armor-"

"Perhaps my sword will pierce it, then?" Jonathan asked coolly from the doorway. "Thank you, Faithful. You seem to have led us to the right place."

Micah, Keel, Gary, Sacherell, Raoul and Dougla.s.s were behind the Prince. Faithful ran between their feet to place himself between Alanna and her tormentor, hissing angrily. Hilam, unnerved by the cat's purple stare-so like Alanna's own-stepped back into Sacherell's grip.

Jonathan laid the point of his sword beside Hilam's nose. "Don't move, please, and don't try any sorcery. I'll make you swallow it." He turned to the three soldiers, who were watching Gary's and Raoul's drawn bows with keen attention. "The keys to my friend's chains. Now."

The captain tossed them to Alanna, who grinned at him before setting to work on the locks. "Jonathan, the soldiers are all right. But these two"-she pointed to Hilam and Jemis-"are King Ain's brothers."

"Jem Tanner, a king's brother?" Micah gasped.

A slow grin spread across Jon's face. "I think I know how we are going to leave this camp safely. We're taking two guests with us, two very important guests. And I'm sure we can think of a fair ransom. Don't you, Duke Hilam? I know King Ain will not think peace is not too small a price to pay, not for his brothers' lives."

KING ROALD was not pleased, but-as Myles and Jonathan had known-he could scarcely behead his own son. Instead Roald negotiated the Drell Peace, in which Tusaine vowed to relinquish all claims to the valley forever. King Ain was willing to agree to much more: he wanted his brothers back to rule his lands for him. By the end of August the peace was signed, and Alanna and her friends were able to go home.

7: Winter Lessons

ALANNA pulled her cloak tight against the wind and knocked hard on the door marked with the healer's sign. She waited, watching the last fall leaves dance in the street, until Mistress Cooper appeared.