Her mouth felt as if it was filled with a dirty cotton ball. She took a quick drink from the trickle of water, and only then realized that, aside from her thin undershirt, she was naked from the waist up. She flushed, and crossed her arms over her chest, turning away from Ee'Rick. He handed her the tunic to put on. It was still damp. She was careful not to meet Ee'Rick's eyes.
He shook his head slightly. "Ja'Nil," he said. "You're very pretty." She kept her eyes glued to the floor, shaking her head no.
"Jadẵ."
He was walking very carefully, as if he was in pain.
"Where are you hurt?" she asked.
"There is no part of me that doesn't ache," he said. "Did they put their boots to me?"
Ja'Nil pointed up at the trap door. "Dropped you from there."
Ee'Rick studied the door. "I will not then complain of a few aches." He bowed stiffly to Ja'Nil. "Thank you for taking care of me. I am in your debt."
Ja'Nil, remembering how she had tried to run away, flushed with embarrassment.
"We need to get out of here," she said.
He nodded. "Yes. I need to report the situation to my father." He gestured up at the barred trap door. "Did they lock it?"
"You're worried about it being locked? It's eighteen lengths away, up in the air."
"Not quite," he said. "I can reach at least nine lengths. So it's only eight or nine lengths farther."
He was examining the walls.
"Even if you managed to climb up there without pulling the walls down on us, the door is still in the center of the ceiling," she pointed out. "Unless you can fly," she added almost hopefully.
"Sorry, not one of my talents." After studying all the walls, he came back to the center of the room. "How tall are you?" he asked.
Since Earthers tend to be on the short side, Ja'Nil was self-conscious about her tallness. Of course, next to Ee'Rick she was practically petite. Still, she'd rather not just blurt out her measurements. "Five and eight," she muttered.
"That means you can probably reach seven, seven and a half lengths," he said.
She did the math in her head. "Unless I stood on your outstretched hands we'd still be short several lengths."
"You're not heavy. I could hold you."
"I'd fall."
"I'd catch you."
There was silence while Ja'Nil pictured Ee'Rick standing, arms stretched above his head, with her perched on his hands, one foot in each hand? Invariably, the next picture was of her falling headfirst…
"Is it locked, Ja'Nil?" Ee'Rick asked gently.
"I didn't hear any lock or chain being laid across it," she said. "They just slammed it closed and walked away."
"Any sounds of them since?"
"I was asleep, remember?"
He nodded. "Well, we'll have to chance it. The sooner we're out of here the better. For now, I'd like to avoid any more meets with Lord Raptor."
* * *
The plan was simple. Ja'Nil took Ee'Rick's belt so that when she managed to open the trap door, she could tie it to one of the bars and Ee'Rick would climb it to freedom. All she had to do was climb onto the hands of the kneeling Ee'Rick. He would then stand and raise his hands above his head with her perfectly balanced. Then he would hold her, while she pushed open the trap door and…
The first time she fell before he even had a chance to stand.
The second time he was almost fully erect when she fell, knocking into him, and sending them both sprawling on the floor. The floor, however, was dirt, and not too hard.
The third time, he actually was standing, but she clutched his hair in a mad attempt to stay upright. They did a chaotic dance around the cell because he could not see where he was going; she bent almost double over his head, blocking his eyes, trying to find her balance.
The fourth time, she refused to try again.
"Jadẵ," he agreed. "Let's rest."
She threw herself down on the ground. "How long do you think we've been here?
"Seven hours, thirty-three minutes and… well, a bunch of seconds."
She had been lying flat on the ground. Now she sat up and stared at Ee'Rick. "I beg your pardon?"
"I have a very reliable internal time sense."
"Does that include the time you were unconscious?"
"Yes."
"So they haven't checked on us in over seven hours." She thought about that for a while. "I'm hungry. They're going to just leave us here to starve to death, aren't they?" Her voiced got a little high pitched toward the end of the sentence.
"We are far from starving, and will be out of this pit soon." He said with great calmness and confidence.
Silence stretched for a little while, and then Ja'Nil said, "I'm sorry to be acting like a little baby, but when he took that ring away from me… Lady Fayre said it would give me courage. I know it's silly. How can an object change a person and make them brave? But ever since he took it, I've been terrified."
"Your fear wouldn't have anything to do with being hit by that bastard, arrested by a bunch of soldiers, and then thrown down a dark hole with no easy way to escape?"
In spite of herself, she smiled.
"Pretend for a minute that you are brave," he said. "What would you do?"
She gave a small laugh. "That's me, Queen Brava of the Fisherfolk."
Ee'Rick sat down next to her. He put his arm around her and gave her a hug. It was wonderfully comforting.
"This is the thirteenth day since I left my village," she said. "Thirteen is not a lucky number for Fisherfolk."
Ee'Rick sighed, "Doesn't do much for my people, either," he admitted.
CHAPTER 26
Princess Lil'Li wasn't having a good day either. She was a prisoner in her own rooms, a prison that came complete with its own in-house snitch.
She glared at the self-satisfied Lady Bel'Dor. Be smart, Lil'Li told herself. Think this through. That's what her mother had told her over and over again, "Lil'Li, think things through. The first thing that pops into your mind is not usually the best course of action. As Head of State, you must take everything into account and think things through."
Of course, Lil'Li had nodded agreement, and then rushed off to the try some half-formulated scheme that invariably blew up in her face. But, this was not a game of Jump-Polo. Cancordia itself was at risk. As Queen Presumptive, her job, her duty, was to protect the country and its citizens.
Lord Raptor was ruthless. What was he planning? A coup?
Not possible, Lil'Li assured herself. He did not possess the "Queen's Gift," or as it was less commonly known, the Queen's Gene. No man did, nor any woman not of the royal line. Without that particular genetic factor, any attempt to claim Cancordia's throne would bring ruin to the country. The very pillars in the Hall of Rulers would crumble. It was the pillars that gave the Kings and Queens of Cancordia their legitimacy.
Too bad they didn't convey wisdom as well.
Did Lord Raptor even know of the Queen's Gift? He probably thought it was just superstition. Any historical scholar would know the truth of it, but Lord Raptor was no scholar. No matter what his plans were to control Cancordia, he could not win. On the other hand, every single person in Cancordia could lose.
"You are wrong to be so dismissive of His Lordship," said Lady Bel'Dor breaking into Lil'Li's thoughts. Her high, whiny voice, like the squeal of a trapped red-sawter, made Lil'Li cringe.
"I am not an admirer of that particular lord," said Princess Lil'Li in her frostiest, most Queen Presumptive voice.
"The army and the council are," said the Lady, in a sly voice.
Lil'Li stopped her pacing. "What do you mean?"
"It only stands to reason." Bel'Dor's tone was malicious.
Lil'Li wanted to shake the idiotic woman. "What are you saying?"
"Naturally, the army and the council would rather deal with a grown man of wide experience like Lord Raptor than with an inexperienced girl."
"I am the Queen Presumptive," Lil'Li protested.
/> Lady Bel'Dor was positively gloating now. She leaned close to Lil'Li, her thick skin an unattractive blotchy green with excitement. "You may be Queen Presumptive, but Lord Raptor is in charge."
A dozen blistering remarks flashed through Lil'Li's mind, but she kept her mouth shut. Lady Bel'Dor was a stupid woman and ultimately of no importance. She must give her nothing to report to Lord Raptor.
Just then, the doors flew open and servants hurried in to set up a small table with flowers, fine linen, the royal china, and golden utensils. "What's all this?" asked Lil'Li.
Yes, she was a Princess. Yes, she was used to being waited on and yes, she expected quality to be high. But this was the stuff of a State Dinner.
"You're not a little ragamuffin anymore," said Lady Bel'Dor. "You are Cancordia, and style is everything."
Style is everything. Typical Bel'Dor thinking.
One of the servants looked up at this, caught Lil'Li's eye, and winked. Jay'Ce, the servant, was a friend of Lil'Li's, also one of her jump-polo teammates. Her actual job was tutoring Lil'Li on chaos theory, and advising her on how to recognize and measure the strength of someone's gift, not serving at table.
Lil'Li silently indicated the door to her bedroom. Jay'Ce slipped quietly into the other room, unseen by Lil'Li's watchdog.
Lady Bel'Dor ate like a field hand, but Lil'Li just pushed her food around.
"You should eat," said the Lady, all the while stuffing her own mouth. "It's not as if you can afford to lose weight, as skinny as you are."
"I'm in mourning," said Lil'Li.
"How long are you going to carry on like this?"
Lil'Li pushed her plate away. "I'm going to lie down."
"Don't start crying again," warned Lady Bel'Dor. "It makes your eyes all red and puffy. You want to look your best."
"I do?"
Lady Bel'Dor rolled her eyes. "You want to look your best for Lord Raptor. He's single again."
Lil'Li left the room quickly before she gave in to the inclination to kick Lady Bel'Dor in her skinny ass.
* * *
As soon as Lil'Li closed her bedroom door, Jay'Ce stepped out of the elaborate armoire situated in the opposite corner of the room.
Five years older than the Princess, Jay'Ce was considered a genius in her field. She smiled gently at her royal pupil, crossed her hands over her breasts, with her fingertips just touching her shoulders, inclined her head slightly, and said very softly, "Allow me to express my great sorrow at the loss of your mother and Queen."
"Thank you."
"How are you managing?" she asked.
"When I think that Lady Bel'Dor and her ilk will be my subjects, I find myself wondering if I really want to be Queen."
"I'm not sure Lady Bel'Dor has any ilk," Jay'Ce said with a smile. "Cancordia must have a Queen, and literally no one but you can ascend in the Hall of Rulers."
"You don't know how good it is to talk to someone whose IQ is greater than the size of her rear-end," said Lil'Li.
Jay'Ce was a Sky Person of moderate attractiveness, but she had the most beautiful hair Lil'Li had ever seen on a real person, as opposed to paintings of people. As with all Sky people, Jay'Ce's hair was dark red. She wore it long, and straight back off her face. It had an almost magical quality to it. For one thing, Lil'Li had never seen a strand out of place. Even more magical, it seemed to sparkle in the daytime and give off a reddish glow at night.
A child prodigy, Jay'Ce had been Lil'Li's chaos tutor for six years. The Princess trusted her completely.
"I'm a prisoner here," Lil'Li told her. "Did you see Lord Raptor's guards at the door?"
"They're not very good at their job. Because I was carrying food and wearing servant's clothing, they didn't even glance at me. Also, there was no uproar when the others left, which means they didn't do a head count."
Lil'Li thought about that for a minute, and then shook it off. Getting out of her rooms had never really presented a problem.
"Tell me what's going on," she ordered.
"Lord Raptor is looking for the possible 'killer' of your mother."
Lil'Li's knees felt weak, the few bites of food she had managed to get down were threatening to come right back up. She sat down heavily on the side of her bed.
"Then she was murdered?"
"It's not really known, at least not yet. The Necro-Healer has been summoned to make a decision."
"Why is it taking so long?"
"Lord Raptor and his friends are holding an inquisition. They're using the threat of Regicide to terrify any opposition. If a noble declares for Lord Raptor, then he is obviously innocent and is cleared. So far he's scoring a hundred percent."
"The council?" asked Lil'Li.
"The smart ones are being difficult to find; crisis at home, called away on business, on vacation in a remote area, or just not around."
"Does he really think he can rule Cancordia?"
"He can."
"No."
"Yes, through you he can."
Lil'Li shook her head.
"It's been done before. As your Regent or… well, as your husband - "
"Husband!" The two young women stared at each other. "What about the militia?" Lil'Li finally asked.
"I don't know how much Captain Y'Nota knows about what is going on," said Jay'Ce. "He and his forces are being kept out of the city, guarding against a possible attack now that the Queen is dead. Lord Raptor's men are inside the walls. Since this afternoon the comings and goings in and out of Cordia are being carefully monitored."
Lil'Li pulled absently on one of her braids. "I have to talk to Captain Y'Nota," she said. "Any other news?"
"Two strangers were arrested by Lord Raptor and thrown in the dungeon."
"Why?"
"There's a rumor they came from Lady Fayre."
"Really?"
"It's just a rumor," warned Jay'Ce. "Also, there's something odd about one of them."
Lil'Li waited.
"I don't know how true it is. Remember I haven't seen them. It's just a rumor."
"And what is the rumor?"
"They say one of them, a male, is of a race never before seen in all of Cancordia."
Lil'Li, smiled. She had been taught from early childhood about all the sentient races in Cancordia and on the whole planet of D'za.
"If they came from Lady Fayre, I must talk to them," she said.
"I don't see how I can get them out of the dungeon and into your rooms."
Lil'Li waved the difficulty away. "I'll take care of that. Can you get outside the walls safely?"
"Probably."
"I want you to go to Captain Y'Nota and tell him what's going on."
Jay'Ce nodded. "The difficulty," she pointed out, "will be in finding him. Remember he has two units on either side of Cordia. He's probably constantly traveling between the two. I'll have to ask his messengers to track him down."
"No! You must speak to him yourself. We don't know how far Lord Raptor's influence extends."
"It will take longer," warned Jay'Ce.
"That can't be helped. The information must be delivered correctly."
"What are your orders for him?"
Lil'Li hesitated. She had never issued orders to a military officer. In fact, she had never issued orders to anyone except the servants. What she really wanted Y'Nota to do was bash his way into the city and take Lord Raptor prisoner, to kill him if necessary. She could almost see her mother sadly shaking her head at such an order.
"Tell him he is to make his way into the city with as little bloodshed as possible. He has my authority to arrest Lord Raptor and hold him incommunicado until he hears further from me."
"Arrest Lord Raptor!"
"Tell Y'Nota that is my desire. But, in order to minimize bloodshed and maintain civil order, I trust him to use his own discretion. Basically, I want Lord Raptor neutralized. At the very least, I want him slowed down. Everything must not go his way. He cannot be allowed to take over Cancordia. The Pillars would wit
hhold their gifts. Chaos would reign."
"Are you sure you want me to tell Y'Nota about the Pillars?"
Lil'Li thought for a moment. "No, you're right. But ask him to imagine Cancordia with Lord Raptor on the throne."
Jay'Ce smiled. "That should do it. What are you going to do?"
"I believe I will examine the two prisoners in the dungeon."
"Be careful. Right now Lord Raptor is treating you like precious Seleen Silk; you don't want him to change his tactics."
Jay'Ce went to the door and opened it a sliver. Sounds of Lady Bel'Dor's snores reached them. The girls grinned at each other. Jay'Ce grabbed up some towels and let herself out of the bedroom. She tiptoed past the lounge where Bel'Dor was sprawled with her mouth open, mighty snores and periodic snorts issuing from her.
Lil'Li watched Jay'Ce open the outer door and slip out, putting her fingers to her lips, warning the guards not to wake Bel'Dor. The two guards closed the door behind her.
Now, how by the Pillars and the Circle, was she to question the two prisoners?
CHAPTER 27
Ja'Nil, who had fallen asleep, awoke to find Ee'Rick studying the barred door in the ceiling. Miraculously, the lanterns above were still lit, their light filtering down into the cell.
"How long have we been here?" she asked.
"Ten hours and fourteen minutes."
She stood up and walked to the trickle of water. "They're not going to feed us, are they?"
"Probably not," Ee'Rick agreed. "Ready to try again?"
"Again?" He pointed up at the ceiling. She shrugged. "Jadẵ." What else could they do, lie down, and die?
"What we are going to do is practice," he told her.
"Practice?"
"Exactly. We'll practice you standing on my hands but close to the floor."
"You won't have any leverage. Are you strong enough to lift me from low down?"
"Yes."
Ja'Nil thought about it. At least when she fell there was less chance of getting hurt.
Ee'Rick squatted down, rested his elbows on his knees, and held his hands open, with his palms up. "Stand in front of me," he instructed. "Hold on to my shoulders and step into my hands."
She did as he instructed. Grasping his rather bony, but very wide shoulders, she first put her right foot in his left hand then her left foot in his right hand, all the time clutching his shoulders.
"Jadẵ," he said. "Now still holding on to me, straighten up as much as possible."