“Good greeting, my Princess!”
“Good indeed, kinsman.” It seemed to Roane that the Princess stressed that last word deliberately. It might have been a private code, or a warning. “I hear you have been searching for me.”
“Did you believe we would not?” He spoke with a drawl, and he smiled as if inviting her to share some small joke. “But as always, my Princess, you have managed to prove yourself a worthy daughter of kings and have not needed our efforts after all. Captain,” he said to his subordinate, “we might well all enjoy a glass of lasquer, and—have you yet lunched, my Princess?”
“Lunched?” She laughed. “Kinsman, we have not yet breakfasted. Though we did sup—by my Lady Roane’s good will.” She nodded to Roane. “Roane, this is my good kinsman and dear friend, Colonel Nelis Imfry, of whom I have already told you.”
The Colonel bowed, perhaps not quite as low as he had to Ludorica, but with that same amazing grace. Somehow Roane found her tongue—though as she was not quite sure of the formal terms of address in Reveny she fell back on those of her own civilization.
“I am honored, Colonel—”
“The delight is mine, my lady.”
“It is by her hands alone I am found again, kinsman. And now—Captain Mykop says there is no ill news.”
The Captain himself had disappeared.
“You expected some?” the Colonel asked.
“Because of my adventure, yes. Nelis, he would not have dared such a move had he not had some private news which led him to believe the King was near his end.”
“But I will wager nothing can be proved against your charming cousin,” the Colonel returned, the adjective in that speech made an epithet by his tone.
“Naturally not. But, Nelis, there is something else—a secret. You must hear it, and perhaps also others, those you can well trust. May we speak openly here?”
“Yes. Let them bring refreshment. Then you can talk. It cannot be so immediate that you must go fasting to tell me, can it?”
But the Princess did not echo his smile. “It may be, Nelis, it may just be.”
He frowned. But just then the Captain entered, behind him a soldier with a laden tray, the burden of which he set out on the table while the Colonel poured yellow liquid from the bottle the Captain had produced.
“You also, Nelis, and Captain Mykop.” Ludorica motioned to the waiting goblets.
“I give you a toast,” said the Princess when they each held one of those, “and that is the King’s good health!”
Roane let the slightly tart, refreshing liquid fill her mouth. She read meaning into what might be a conventional toast. Ludorica indeed had need for the continued health of her grandfather, unless she could gain her long-lost crown.
CHAPTER 7
ROANE GLANCED from the Princess to the Colonel and back again, wondering what lay between the two, who seemed to have forgotten her existence. Though the Princess made an obvious point of addressing him with warmth, yet he in return appeared to set some barrier of formality between them. They faced each other now across the table where the remains of the best meal Roane had yet had on Clio still lay.
Ludorica had told her story in terse language—of the loss of the Crown, of where she now believed that it lay. And when she finished, the Colonel made no comment, but instead looked to Roane.
“And how does the Lady Roane come into the matter, beyond the fact that she has been of great service to Reveny in her actions toward Your Highness?”
Since the Princess made no answer, Roane spoke for herself. Again she must say more than she wished to. Always she plunged deeper and deeper into disaster for an off-worlder.
She told the edited story she had given Ludorica—of the hunt for ancient remains which had brought her people here. But when she had done the Colonel looked far from satisfied.
“You do not, Lady, say from whence you come, you and these other treasure seekers—”
Roane hesitated a long moment. “Colonel, have you never served under orders given to you in confidence, which you cannot disclose to others? Or, if you have not done this, are not such cases known to you?”
“That is true. Though I have not, until this hour, dealt with aught which is not common knowledge.”
“Then accept that I must be silent. But I swear to you that those I serve mean nothing ill to Reveny. In fact before we came here, we were pledged to do nothing to bring us to the knowledge of your countrymen, nor to influence affairs here. In this I have erred, and I shall have to pay for that.”
“They can make her lose her memory—or put her in prison—” broke in the Princess.
“She told you that?” The Colonel’s eyes were cold now.
“Yes,” Roane returned baldly. It was plain he doubted her. “They can do this—whether you believe it or not!” Her chin went up a fraction of an inch as she met disbelief with defiance. “And now,” she said to the Princess, “I promised to bring you to your friends. This I have done. So I shall go—”
“Not so!” The Colonel’s words came sharp and swift. And Ludorica put out her hand, caught Roane’s wrist where it rested on the table, as if to hold her prisoner.
“Whether you wish it or not,” the Colonel continued, “you have chosen your path, my lady, and you must continue to follow it until the Princess is out of danger. Your Highness, let this lady remain with you. It is fitting that you have a companion when you cross the border. And it would seem fortune favors you with one who dares not betray secrets lest she betray herself even more.”
Roane flushed. Did he jeer at her now, or issue a challenge to prove she was as she said? She was a little afraid, for she did not doubt he meant what he said—evidence that he was prudent, for the wise thing for him was to keep her close. That she had not foreseen this simple end to the action puzzled her. It was all a part of that muzzy thinking which she had done ever since she met Ludorica. Almost as if she were conditioned—
Conditioned! What if the Service techs had been wrong and their off-world guards did not hold? Or at least not entirely, so that subtly she had been taken over by the force which existed to make Clio a closed world? A new spark of fear was born in her. She was she, Roane Hume, who could perfectly remember a life beyond the stars. She was not a subject of a ruler on this forgotten, living museum of a world! And that thought she must hold to.
“You are set on this plan then, Your Highness—to go to Leichstan for aid?” The Colonel, having delivered his order, seemed to have forgotten Roane again.
“There is the Crown. I do not think that, even if Reddick knows where it lies, he quite dares to reach for it while I live. But with my death, he believes—or I would in his place—that the Crown will acknowledge him. For unrecorded though his descent may be, there is a trace of the Blood in him. He may have taken me only to make sure I was under his control when the word he expects comes. But that he ever meant I live on past that hour—” She pointed to the chain and collar. “That is good evidence he did not. And Leichstan can prove a refuge until we are sure of what we do face now.”
She seemed to accept very calmly the fact that she was the target of her cousin’s intrigues. But perhaps such intrigues were so common on Clio that they were a part of daily experience. Maybe one held one’s position here through a series of struggles in a deadly game.
“Reddick must still be at Hitherhow. We can take him there!” The Colonel’s brown hand twitched as if the fingers wished to hold some weapon.
“Not knowing how far his plans extend or what support he can summon? That would be folly. But if I go to Leichstan I can claim aid, and I have put myself beyond Reddick’s reach, given us time to find the Crown and learn the true state of the King.”
“Leichstan is ambitious,” the Colonel returned slowly.
“So is Vordain to the north. If we must ally ourselves—which? I wish this no more than you do, kinsman. But if one must choose between alliance and alliance, Leichstan through friendship is better than Vordain by force.?
??
The Colonel looked down at the cup he held as he turned it around and around. He might be reading some message in its depths.
“There is a price for such alliances,” he observed in a very level voice.
“That I know also,” the Princess returned. “But to everything on this earth there is a price, kinsman. And to me Reveny comes first, its safety and future. I am what I am by reason of birth, of much training. Were there another of my House to carry sword in battle, perhaps I could turn my thoughts from what must be done. But there is not. And I believe that this lack is also of Reddick’s doing. Before the Crown falls into his grasping hands I will do much. And the way lies through Leichstan—though I must go there without any of the trumpeting of a royal progress. You have wandered the border long enough to know its secrets. Nelis, there must be some hidden way across, and not far from here—”
“Smugglers’ ways are rough going.”
The Princess laughed. “None can be worse than that I have lately used. Though this”—she looked down at the coverall—“is very durable clothing for such work, I think it would be better if I entered Leichstan wearing something less noticeable. I know that I cannot expect an army post to produce clothing for a lady, but can such be obtained for us both?”
Nelis Imfry smiled, as if the Princess’s request had a somewhat lighter note.
“We do not have much provision for ladies, that is certain. If you are willing I can send to Fittsdale for peasant clothing.”
“Well enough. That they be fit for riding is all that is necessary. And you have an escort for us who knows these smugglers’ ways?”
Now the Colonel laughed. “Indeed I do, Your Highness. We have held these hills so long that we know the four sides of every rock. And since the smugglers in question are bound for Leichstan and not for our side of the border, we have no ill will to fear.”
But when he had left, Roane made one last attempt to break free from this current carrying her farther and farther into danger.
“I must go back!”
Ludorica shook her head, a smile on her lips. “But, my dear Roane, indeed you must not! If what you said is true, that they will treat you ill for what you have done on my behalf, then all the greater reason not to. Also, suppose you are taken by Reddick’s men—do not think that he will not use harsh means to learn all you can tell him. The mere fact that you are found in a Royal forest after my escape will make you suspect. You wear such clothing as is strange, carry mysterious tools and weapons—Yes, you would make a puzzle Reddick would work hard to solve, and the solving would not be to your comfort. We ride for Leichstan. And when the Crown is in my hands, then shall we in turn treat with your people. Never go to a bargaining, Roane, unless you have that on your side which is a mighty aid.”
The Captain came to show them to his quarters in the third story of the tower, and there Ludorica announced they had better get what rest they could, since no one could guess how long the journey across the border might last. That she was as close a prisoner as if she now wore the collar and chain, Roane knew. There would be no slipping away from this place, unless she used her stunner freely. And then the chaos she would leave behind—She shook her head. She could do nothing but hope for the future.
She slept, and it was twilight when the Princess aroused her with a gentle shaking. On the floor sat a very large tub, into which Ludorica now poured steaming water.
“As a bath,” the Princess remarked, “this is a primitive affair. But we are undoubtedly lucky in this time and place to have one at all.”
She shed her clothing and stepped carefully into the tub, kneeling to splash its meager contents over her, rubbing with a bunch of rough fibers which left foaming streaks on her smooth skin.
“If you will pour the rest now—” Ludorica indicated another jug and Roane obeyed. The Princess arose and made good use of the towel her companion handed her.
“Now—if we empty this into that other—”
The Princess anchored the towel more firmly about her as they dumped the water into an outsize bucket and refilled the basin for Roane. Though this was far different from the more efficient freshers she had always known, she found it good. The soapy substance oozing from the matted fibers of the scrubber had a fresh, herbal odor she liked.
Ludorica sorted a pile of clothing, holding up one garment and then another to measure against her body. She laughed.
“Nelis has the name of being one who does not notice women too closely. But this is proof his cold reputation is not deserved. These are a good fit. We shall go reasonably well clad. Now—the brown for you, and I will take the blue.”
Roane dressed in the unfamiliar clothes. They were clean, if creased, and to them, too, a good herb scent clung. There were no mirrors, but she thought the Princess right. These fitted well. The skirt was full, ankle length, and its folds felt odd against her legs so long used to coveralls. In contrast the bodice was tight, laced from belt to just under her throat with silken red strings. Embroidery of the same shade of red bordered those lacings. The dress itself was a pleasant yellow-brown. There was also a hooded cloak lined with red, and a close-fitting cap with a turned-back border, embroidered all over with small, very skillfully fashioned red feathers.
The Princess wore dark blue, her trimming a vivid green but otherwise differing none from Roane’s. There was no cap for her. Instead she combed and braided her long hair, allowing the braids to lie free on her shoulders.
“Very good.” She looked from Roane down along her own person, then back to Roane. “We eat now and then we ride. At least it is a clear night. Nelis thinks it will remain so, and he knows this country well enough to speak with authority.”
They descended to the lower room, where the table was once more set with food, rounds of cold meat, bread, and fruit. The man who rose to greet them was not in uniform but wore a dusty gray suit, with a close-fitting cap which allowed only his face free, for it had a lower frill lapped about his neck, fastening under the chin.
“Nelis!” Ludorica seated herself in the chair he drew out for her. “You?”
He laughed. “Did I not tell you that I knew these hills well? Do you think I would let you ride them alone, Your Highness?” Then he became serious. “You will have your escort of picked men, men from my own stead. They own me overlord as well as field commander.”
“But if Reddick learns you are gone, he may suspect—”
“We have worked out a scheme for that. Remember, you are lost out of Hitherhow. I am searching for you with a flying column and am thus hard to reach, very hard. As far as this company is concerned—though we can answer for their loyalty—they will march within the hour to patrol west of Granpabar, which is territory I do not think the Duke dares invade as yet—seeing as how the lord there has good reason to dislike him.”
“Trust you, Nelis—” The Princess laughed, too.
“I hope you can, Your Highness,” he cut in, still sober. “I hope you can! I understand your reasoning, and it was ever the way of your House to play boldly at need. But there are many ways this play can go wrong. Do not be too confident—”
“Which urging I have had from you many times in the past! No, there is something now which gives me confidence, Nelis. Reddick could not have foreseen the arrival of Roane to spoil his plan. So far every throw of the wish sticks has turned up in my favor. Oh”—she held up her hand when he would have spoken—“I cannot count on such fair fortune’s continuing. But while it is with me, let us make the most of it, just as we shall now make the most of this most excellent food.”
They were not, Roane discovered to her silent relief, expected to ride duocorns alone. She had never guided such a mount in her life, and to begin riding lessons now—there was no time.
To keep their cover of peasant women, who did not usually ride alone, she and the Princess must ride pillion, the Princess with the Colonel, Roane behind one of the other men. All wore the drab civilian dress. And under the cloak she still
had her belt, which she determined to cling to. Possession of that gave her the feeling that she was still Roane Hume, not a stranger to herself also.
By dawn, after threading a maze of dusky valleys and scrambling up hillsides where they must dismount to walk their animals, they reached a pass through which the wind blew cruelly cold. Roane was glad of the cloak. Twice they had halted to let the third man of the party scout ahead. But there had been no alarms. And now the Colonel pointed down the slope before them.
“Leichstan, but Gastonhow lies a good eight leagues on. We shall have to rest and change mounts before we reach there.”
“We cannot go to any inn,” the Princess protested.
“Neither can we go far on worn-out duocorns,” Imfry returned. “With those clothes you are of Reveny right enough, but many border families have kin on either side. There may well be a wedding to which we have been bid—”
“Not so! A wedding would have been far-cried. These people will know what chances even from hamlet to hamlet. It had better be a birthing, perhaps in a head homestead. We can pick straw for a babe garland as we go.”
“It never ceases to amaze me, Your Highness, how you know all customs—”
“But it should not, kinsman. Of what use is any ruler to her people unless she understands their ways? Oh, I know that there is in some countries the odd belief that there is no common meeting point between king and subject. But that is not so with my House and never has been.”
“A point which has kept your line safely enthroned.”
“Until now! And then that dark shadow comes not from my own people but from kin. And kin quarrels are always the most bitter.”
But it seemed that the Princess’s plan was not to be put into practice, for their scout returned with the news that a party was traveling the main road to the nearest inn and that he had recognized one face among the travelers.