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Authors: Belinda Murrell
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his flock. Captain Malish turned to Lily uncertainly, examining her long tangled blonde hair, her defiant blood-streaked face, her filthy skirts. The third man was Lord Mortimer. He was wearing a smirk of unbridled joy. He waited impatiently, looking past Ethan to the room behind.
‘Well, where is my sweet little bride?’ Lord Mortimer asked eagerly. ‘Perhaps we should skip the huge court wedding and just have a brief private ceremony back in Tira today. I think we have wasted enough time already.’
Captain Malish smirked to himself. He doubted that Governor Lazlac would be allowing the traitorous Lord Mortma to become king, but there was no harm in encouraging the delusion for a little while longer.
‘Your bride?’ asked Sniffer uncertainly, gesturing towards Lily. ‘Princess Roana is right here. I found her travelling with the three boys and the big vicious dog, just as our intelligence said.’
‘That village brat is certainly not Princess Roana,’ spat Lord Mortimer, his face twisted with venom. ‘I couldn’t care less about these useless children. You should have left them in the forest to starve. Your intelligence was wrong. The last time I saw Princess Roana, she was dressed as a beggar boy. You have let her escape and I want her found – now!’
Lily stood defiant, as all eyes stared at her in shock. She was furious with anger, at Lord Mortimer’s words and the immensity of his betrayal.
The rest of the room broke into confusion at this announcement. Sniffer went pale and bit his lip, allpuff evaporated. Captain Malish fussed about, soothing Lord Mortimer’s vitriol, ordering soldiers to saddle horses, barking at the guard to lock Ethan and Lily back in the storeroom. Lord Mortimer stormed around the room swearing and kicking furniture, seething with frustration. Soldiers sprang to ready the horses.
The cutlass-wielding Sedah guard hustled Lily and Ethan back into the storeroom. He scooped up the ropes and hurriedly wound a length of rope around Lily’s body, knotting it at the back. He did not bother with their feet. The door was locked and soon there were noises of horses whickering and sidestepping, men mounting and shouting and a rumble of hooves as the cavalcade cantered out of the glade.
The cabin was silent and still. Lily and Ethan waited anxiously. Were they alone? Did Saxon and Roana have enough of a head start to escape? Would the odious Sniffer and Lord Mortimer find them despite all their endeavours?
In the forest clearing, Roana and Saxon were pushed forward into the flickering glow of the fire.Fifteen men sat around the blaze. Four held bloody daggers, which they were using to skin a few rabbits.
‘Who are you?’ demanded the leader of the group, untying the gags and examining Roana and Saxon’s faces carefully.
‘Two brothers lost in the forest while hunting,’ Saxon answered quickly, offering up his bound hands. ‘So if you just let us go, we will be getting off home – our parents will be frantic.’
‘You don’t look like brothers,’ replied the leader tersely. ‘And I know you weren’t hunting. We’ve been following you all day.’
Saxon bit his lip.
‘Can you tell me why nearly twenty Sedah soldiers have been chasing four children and a dog, at breakneck speed, all over the countryside?’
Saxon said nothing, scuffing his boots in the dirt, as he tried to think.
‘I presume you have something, or someone, that the Sedahs want quite badly,’ the leader continued, glancing at Roana.
Roana’s heart hammered frantically in her chest. Her eyes darted around the clearing, searching for escape, searching for anything that might help them out of this predicament.
‘Well …’ Saxon mused. ‘I suppose we should tell them what’s true, don’t you think, Rowan, and just whoa ? Just give in and tell them what they want to know …’
Roana glanced at Saxon in confusion. Then she remembered two things. She remembered the sign Saira the Wise had shown
‘Well, where is my sweet little bride?’ Lord Mortimer asked eagerly. ‘Perhaps we should skip the huge court wedding and just have a brief private ceremony back in Tira today. I think we have wasted enough time already.’
Captain Malish smirked to himself. He doubted that Governor Lazlac would be allowing the traitorous Lord Mortma to become king, but there was no harm in encouraging the delusion for a little while longer.
‘Your bride?’ asked Sniffer uncertainly, gesturing towards Lily. ‘Princess Roana is right here. I found her travelling with the three boys and the big vicious dog, just as our intelligence said.’
‘That village brat is certainly not Princess Roana,’ spat Lord Mortimer, his face twisted with venom. ‘I couldn’t care less about these useless children. You should have left them in the forest to starve. Your intelligence was wrong. The last time I saw Princess Roana, she was dressed as a beggar boy. You have let her escape and I want her found – now!’
Lily stood defiant, as all eyes stared at her in shock. She was furious with anger, at Lord Mortimer’s words and the immensity of his betrayal.
The rest of the room broke into confusion at this announcement. Sniffer went pale and bit his lip, allpuff evaporated. Captain Malish fussed about, soothing Lord Mortimer’s vitriol, ordering soldiers to saddle horses, barking at the guard to lock Ethan and Lily back in the storeroom. Lord Mortimer stormed around the room swearing and kicking furniture, seething with frustration. Soldiers sprang to ready the horses.
The cutlass-wielding Sedah guard hustled Lily and Ethan back into the storeroom. He scooped up the ropes and hurriedly wound a length of rope around Lily’s body, knotting it at the back. He did not bother with their feet. The door was locked and soon there were noises of horses whickering and sidestepping, men mounting and shouting and a rumble of hooves as the cavalcade cantered out of the glade.
The cabin was silent and still. Lily and Ethan waited anxiously. Were they alone? Did Saxon and Roana have enough of a head start to escape? Would the odious Sniffer and Lord Mortimer find them despite all their endeavours?
In the forest clearing, Roana and Saxon were pushed forward into the flickering glow of the fire.Fifteen men sat around the blaze. Four held bloody daggers, which they were using to skin a few rabbits.
‘Who are you?’ demanded the leader of the group, untying the gags and examining Roana and Saxon’s faces carefully.
‘Two brothers lost in the forest while hunting,’ Saxon answered quickly, offering up his bound hands. ‘So if you just let us go, we will be getting off home – our parents will be frantic.’
‘You don’t look like brothers,’ replied the leader tersely. ‘And I know you weren’t hunting. We’ve been following you all day.’
Saxon bit his lip.
‘Can you tell me why nearly twenty Sedah soldiers have been chasing four children and a dog, at breakneck speed, all over the countryside?’
Saxon said nothing, scuffing his boots in the dirt, as he tried to think.
‘I presume you have something, or someone, that the Sedahs want quite badly,’ the leader continued, glancing at Roana.
Roana’s heart hammered frantically in her chest. Her eyes darted around the clearing, searching for escape, searching for anything that might help them out of this predicament.
‘Well …’ Saxon mused. ‘I suppose we should tell them what’s true, don’t you think, Rowan, and just whoa ? Just give in and tell them what they want to know …’
Roana glanced at Saxon in confusion. Then she remembered two things. She remembered the sign Saira the Wise had shown
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