Gemini was quickly at the wall that surrounded the palace. A sleepy guard let her out of one of the minor gates, and shut it again, nearly falling asleep as Gemini padded to Corus. The pale, predawn warmth curled around her like a sleepy cat, and cool breezes ruffled her wavy hair. Gemini looked for the sun; it was still just below the horizon, and seemed to be taking its time about coming up. She breathed a sigh of relief; she still had time. As long as the sun remained below the horizon, she could make it back before anyone noticed. If it took longer than that, then... She shrugged to herself. So mote it be.
She reached the city's edge, and stopped. She had absolutely no idea where the Dancing Dove was. She knew directions were in one of the Lioness books, but she hadn't thought to bring them along. She scowled, and hurried to a nearby store that was just opening.
"Excuse me, sir? Where might I find the Dancing Dove Inn?" she asked timidly. The man looked at her, startled, and shooed her out.
"Out wi' ye! We've no' th' time 'r th 'in'trest t'be entertainin' yer kind! Get, and be gone wi' ye!" Gemini, astonished, backed up out of the shop. The man slammed the door in her face.
"Well, then," she muttered to herself. "I guess I can't be asking the friendly neighbors." She scowled and walked off into the growing crowds.
"A moment," she heard in a quiet, burly voice behind her. She turned to find a grizzled man, perhaps in his late thirties, early forties looking down at her, his pale green eyes twinkling merrily. "Was I correct in hearin' ye wanted t' find th' Dancin' Dove?" he asked genially. He spoke quietly in the Commoner's burr, but as if each word were thought carefully through before he allowed it to escape his mouth. Gemini nodded warily.
"Yes, the Dancing Dove Inn," she said. The man chuckled.
"Och, it ain't no Inn, youngin'. I s'ppose ye could call it that iffin ye really wanted to, but that's no' its true callin'. I'm Mac." He stuck out a calloused hand to meet hers. Gemini took his hand, shaking gently.
"Call me Gemini," she said, then mentally kicked herself. She shouldn't have told him her real name; she had no proof she could trust him. Mac grinned.
"Well, then, lassie, this'a'way." He passed her and strode with long steps. Gemini followed, appraising the man as he walked in front of her, hopefully taking her to the Dancing Dove. He was well over six feet in height, with long, unkempt hair that brushed his shoulders in brilliant red tendrils that were just starting to soften into silver. He was clean; he had taken a bath recently. Gemini appreciated this; if he had been dirty, there was even less of a chance she would trust him.
She followed him past several streets, and then took a left past a leather-worker's shop into a small alley. Gemini took careful note of this, should she need to return to the Dancing Dove. Something told her she would. She followed Mac to a small wooden door, and Mac strode in as if this were home. She looked up as she went in to see the sign of the Dancing Dove swinging gently above her, and her breath caught. She was in the famous Dancing Dove, the home to the Rogue himself. George had once been the King of the Rogue, but had given it up to marry Alanna. Gemini looked around. Chairs were set up around circular tables, some filled by men drinking. In one corner, sitting in a more ornate chair, was a man dressed in black, his chocolate-colored hair brushing his ears and covering his eyes. Occasionally he would brush his hair back, trying in vain to prevent it from covering his wary, walnut-colored eyes. It wasn't just the way men talked to him that made him seem important, or the fact that his chair was more fancy. It wasn't even the fact that when he asked for ale, the man bowed and said, 'Your Majesty' respectfully. The man simply exuded power and self-assurance that only the Rogue himself could afford.
As Mac stomped over to the bartender, Gemini realized she was staring, and quickly looked away, still stunned. The bartender grinned at Mac to show a missing tooth, and another in gold.
"Well, Mac, have ya brought me a new servin' girl?" he asked. Mac shook his head, and paused. He turned to Gemini.
"What are ye here f'r, lassie?" he asked quietly so only her ears would hear him.
"I'm here to see if I can find a man named Cowan," she replied softly, snapping out of her reverie. Mac hesitated again.
"I don' know of no Cowan, lassie. Are ye sure that's 'is name?" Gemini nodded, positive. Mac shook his head and turned to the bartender.
"'Ey, Sammie, do ye know a man named Cowan? This wee lassie here says she wants t' find 'im What?" Sammie was making jerky shakes of his head. He paused, looking around, and motioned for them to go into a back room. Once they were there, Sammie closed the door, and turned to them.
"Are ya sure ya want Cowan?" he asked disbelievingly, hoping she was mistaken. "Girl, that ain't no ordinary man."
"You know him, then?" asked Mac, interested. Sammie nodded quickly.
"Man, ain't you ever heard of the Silent Hand?" he demanded. "That's Cowan's trademark name. And 'e deserves it, too. I dunno 'ow many people 'e's murdered, a 'undred of 'em, maybe. An' m'lord Provost c'n never catch 'im, neither." Sammie's accent grew worse as he grew more nervous; Gemini had to strain to catch his words. "'E's as good as they come, and 'e ain't got no emotion. I saw 'im in an alley one time. A couple'a thugs'd ganged up on 'im, and were tryin' t' get 'is purse. He fought 'em, an' slew 'em quicker'n ye c'n say 'Ale 'n' beans.' An' 'e never showed no emotion, neither. Just stood there, an' killed 'em as they came. Fearless," he finished with a mixture of awe and terror. "I ain't a man t' tangle wiv 'im." Mac rubbed his short beard thoughtfully.
"Lassie, are ye sure this Cowan's th' man ye want?" he asked quietly. Gemini nodded adamantly. Mac sighed. "Well, then, we'll see iffin we c'n find yer man, Cowan." He shook his head. "I'm getting' too old f'r this"
"I'm sorry to cause any trouble. You don't have to do this" protested Gemini.
"Och, lassie, it ain't nothin'. Friends'll help friends in need," assured Mac. Gemini smiled.
"And am I a friend?"
"I'd like so, lassie. Somethin' tells me ye'll be comin' back, time 'n' time again," said the burly man.
Gemini smiled. "Thank you."
"An' we'll find this Cowan f'r ye," he said, smiling.
"Did I hear my name called?" came a new voice. As a whole, the three in the room whirled to the window where the assassin sat comfortably. He raised an eyebrow at Gemini. "I had not expected to meet again so soon, m'lady." He eased off the sill and walked silently to her, and knelt on one knee, laying a chaste kiss on her hand. Gemini blushed a fiery red, yanking her hand back, and glanced at Mac and Sammie out of the corner of her eyes. Mac raised an eyebrow, Sammie guffawed into his arm, trying to make it sound like a cough. Gemini turned all the redder.
"Do you enjoy making me blush?" she grumbled to Cowan, who grinned.
"Of course. It's so easy." He chuckled as Gemini turned away, muttering to herself. Finally, she composed herself, and turned back to Cowan, her back straight.
"I need your help, sir," she said stiffly. Cowan nodded, and turned to Sammie.
"Might I ask for a room in privacy?" he asked pleasantly. Sammie nodded, sweating, and backed away to the door. Cowan gave a predatory smile. "And 'murder' is such a harsh word, my friend. I much prefer 'assassinate', or 'kill', if necessary, but never 'murder'. 'Murder' is for the unprofessional, 'assassinate' is for the experts," he said, his voice smooth as syrup. He gave a half-grin at Sammie, who nodded, his hair damp from sweat, and Sammie nearly bolted from the room. Mac looked questioningly at Gemini.
"It's okay, Mac. Thanks so much for what you've done. Try to keep in touch, okay?" Mac nodded, and walked out, shutting the door behind him. Cowan turned to Gemini.
"How did you know I was here?" she demanded before he could speak. Cowan shrugged.
"I have the Sight. It comes in handy, especially for a man in my trade. Speaking of which, what can I do for you, Lady Gemini?" he asked with a gallant, if slightly mocking, bow. Gemini blushed again, but this time ignored it.
"You said Lord Hakan sent you, correct?" Cowan nodded. "Well, I need some sort of proof. If you have some sort of map or note" Cowan nodded again, and pulled a map out of his tunic.
"Here's a map, though you'll need more than that by way of proof. Hakan'll deny it up and down, and seeing as he's a noble, everyone will believe him." Gemini nodded grimly.
"So, what can we do? This is more your field than mine, I think. No offence meant," she added hastily. "I just don't know the least thing about gathering proof and accusing nobles. I mean, Alanna could do it, but not I." Cowan looked oddly at her, and sighed.
"We'll have to break into his chambers. They almost always have some sort of proof hidden in their rooms." Gemini nodded.
"Oh, like Duke Roger did!" she exclaimed.
"Ummm... sure."
"Never mind. So, when do we go?" she asked.
"Well, it entirely depends. I don't suppose you know his schedule?" he asked briskly.
"Well, sort of. I know he's leaving around noon to get to Legann, as Jonathan believes that's where the Free Corsairs will hit next." Cowan shook his head.
"It's not Legann, it's going to be..." his brow furrowed in thought. "Pirate's Swoop," he said positively. "Sometime soon." Gemini burrowed her face in her hands.
"Great," she muttered. "Another thing for me to worry about having to convince nobles of."
"It'll all work out. You'll see," he assured her. "So, shall we go to my Lord Hakan's rooms to see what we can find? My lord will be in a meeting with His Majesty, sure as not. We'll have plenty of time to search his rooms."
"What, now?" Gemini was startled.
"Yes, now. Can you think of a better time to do it?"
"No..."
"Well, then."
"So, we're both going?"
"You know what you're looking for. Plus, you might need to do this again." He grinned wickedly. Gemini stuck her tongue out at him.
"I don't plan to make a habit of breaking into nobles' bedrooms, Cowan. You lead the way," she said mockingly, curtseying as well as she could in breeches.
Cowan chuckled and bowed, jumping out the window. "There's an easier way of getting down," Gemini grumbled as she tried to struggle down to the ground. "Like the door." Cowan grinned, but didn't comment, and hurried away, leaving Gemini to jump the remaining few feet. She found him waiting at the end of the alley, and then he walked swiftly to the palace. Gemini followed him at a trot to match his much longer stride. There are times when being another few inches taller wouldn't hurt, she grumbled to herself.
* * *
"Spit!" yelped Elspeth as they both grabbed for the smaller pile of cards. Charri was just a touch slower; Elspeth slapped her hand down on the much smaller pile as Charri mumbled something under her breath. "Again?" asked Elspeth wickedly. Charri nodded, and they were setting up for another game when a knock came at the door.
"Come in!" they replied, and Numair walked in.
"Ladies, have you seen Gemini? We were supposed to meet to go over lessons..." He stopped, staring at the cards. "What are those?" he asked, curiosity lacing his tone. Charri and Elspeth looked down, confused, then back up again.
"They're just cards," supplied Charri helpfully. "Playing cards, you know, to help pass the time." Numair blinked.
"No, I did not know. Could you show me how it's done?" he asked, going into his mode of man-who-wants-to-figure-out-how-the-universe-works. Charri shrugged.
"I suppose. There's really many ways of using them. There's Spit..."
"Spit?" interrupted Numair, startled.
"Yeah, Spit. It's a game; you don't actually spit." Numair looked relieved at this. "And War, and Solitaire, and Hearts, and lots of things. Oh, and Bullshit. That one's fun. We'd need at least four people; otherwise, it's not fun and doesn't make sense to even play." Charri lay out the works for a game of singular Solitaire, explaining the rules to the fascinated Numair.
* * *
Gemini padded warily down a hall, the skirts she had bought from a maid wrapping around her ankles, nearly tripping her. I hate skirts, she thought. Especially medieval ones. Cowan, who trailed her in a servant's clothes acting as a messenger, walked several paces behind her, a scrap of paper covered with random words in his hand. His eyes were a glittering blue as they swept the hallways as a broom never could, watching for any kind of enemy. The late morning sun streamed through windows that lined one side of the halls, expensive glass in each. Iron bars crossed them; Tortall had been in too many wars to be careless. The walls and floors were composed of cool, large, gray stones, held together by mortar. The floors were worn down from countless servants who had paced up and down the halls. Across from the windows were thick wooden doors, each with a name inked into its front. "Robert of Fief Alavia", "Colin of Fultoon", and "Christophore of Caltague" among others.
Pages and other servants passed frequently, the former usually running to a class they were late to, the latter with armfuls of laundry and other things for their employers. Gemini avoided them, keeping her face down as to not be recognized. She carried her clothes and Cowan's, hoping people would assume that it was laundry. If anyone noticed that the laundry rooms were the other way, they didn't comment.
Gemini finally rounded the corner in a remote place of the palace to Hakan's rooms. She walked to the door and kept watch as Cowan caught up and pocketed the scrap of paper. He took a length of wire from his pocket and slipped it into the lock, whispering words under his breath to counter the spell on Hakan's door to prevent a break-in. The lock flared red, then a dull scarlet. Cowan repeated the spell, and the lock clicked. Cowan let the melted wire drop to the floor, and slipped into the room.
Gemini raised her eyebrows at Cowan. "I hate lock picking," he whispered under his breath. He held up his right hand. Pale scars decorated his fingers. "I made the mistake of picking the wrong lock when I was a kid; got burned pretty badly." He let Gemini sneak in, and closed the door behind her.
They were in a comfortably furnished room; an expensive-looking rug covered the floor and spindly-looking chairs and tables were in one corner. Pillows sprawled across the loveseat and a number of innocent spellbooks were placed on the table. Straight ahead was a closed door; to the right and left were two more open doors. One looked into Hakan's bedroom, the other was unlit. Gemini dumped the clothes she had been carrying by the door.
"Okay, so we're looking for documents, mostly. Stuff that Hakan might have written when he ordered us kill-, er, assassinated. That kind of thing." Cowan nodded, and walked into the bedroom. Gemini looked past the assassin to a velvet-clad bed, a night table and crystal globes that gave off light, but no heat. Gemini shrugged, and walked through the other open door.
The light-globes flicked on as she walked in, startling her. She looked around for the cause of the spell, but nothing advanced on her. Assuming it was an automatic spell that went on when someone walked in, she looked around the stone walls, devoid of any decoration. There was a mirror, a large copper tub with clawed feet, and a chamber pot. Gemini giggled silently at the thought that Hakan might keep such documents in his bathroom, and left as the globes flickered out.
The last door was closed, and she turned the handle. A jolt of electricity flashed through her hand, leaving it tingling long after she had let go of the handle. She bit back a yelp, shaking out her hand.
"Cowan!" she called quietly. Cowan walked out of the bedroom and crept over to her. She nodded to the door; Cowan pulled another wire from his pocket, and soon had it open. "I have to learn how to do that," she whispered, grinning. Cowan gave a quick nod, motioning her inside.
"We don't have much time," he said lowly. "He's leaving at noon, right? We'd better catch him before he leaves." Gemini nodded, and slinked into the room, looking about. There were no windows, but globes like the ones in the bedroom lined the walls, giving off a brilliant, white light. An enormous oak desk covered almost the entire length of a wall of the small room; shelves were filled with enormous crystals, books, and small relics of the Great Mother Goddess, Mithros, and the Black God. There were drawers, and Gemini examined each one. They were filled with powders and vials, but with nary a scrap of paper to be seen. Gemini was careful not to touch anything; who knows what they were and what they could do to her?
She left the shelves and carefully sat down at the desk. There was a pile of documents and letters shuffled over the top. She suspiciously looked through them, but they were mundane papers merely concerning his job as a war mage and his financial position. Gemini brushed some papers aside, and a piece fell into her lap. She briskly read it, assuming it was nothing more damning than what she had read before.
"Gethra -
We have a problem. Three children from a world called Terra have just been brought here by the Goddess. Like you said, we cannot have a single pebble in the way to victory. I have rid us of the little pests, but the Gods may be up to something. Be twice as careful, twice as fast, and twice as cynical of a situation. We cannot lose this war.
Gemini blinked as she read the rest, all of which described nobles and their schedules, where the king was at nearly every moment. Gemini trembled with rage. She had thought Hakan had merely hated change, that he had been afraid of them. But this? Being aligned with Gethra Eddacesra? Her hands shook as she searched the desk. Even more damning objects showed up. Vials labeled 'arsenic' and 'fireflower' were in the back of one drawer. Why does he have these? Gemini thought worriedly. Would he?
'No,' thought Gemini. 'Hakan isn't that stupid that he would have left this around! Is he?' She shook her head. It didn't matter whether Hakan was that stupid or not; what mattered was that she had to tell the King. She grabbed the letter, the note, and the vials, and fled from the room. Tucking them carefully into a pocket, she bolted to the bedroom, and pulled Cowan away from his search of another desk. Nary a paper looked out of place.
"I've got what we need. We need to get this to the king. Thank you so much for what you've done." Cowan nodded, and tucked a small notebook into her hand. Gemini glimpsed into it; it was a notebook that lined out which servants were bribed and with how much, and the doings of just about every man or woman noble loyal to Jonathan, herself and her friends included. Gemini swallowed, and put it into another pocket. Why does he hate Jonathan so much? she wondered. What did Jonathan ever do to him, besides helping him escape Carthak?
"Don't take it directly to the King." Cowan's words broke through her moody thoughts. "Take it to someone you trust, a noble. They won't believe you, but they'll believe another noble." Gemini nodded fiercely, clapped a hand on his shoulder briefly in thanks, and slipped from the room to sprint to Myles' room.
Cowan looked around the room. Gemini had left the bundle of clothes. He grinned slightly, and picked them up. He left the room looking exactly how he had entered it, and trotted down the halls to Gemini's room, where he would get back into his own, more comfortable clothes, and wait.
* * *
Gemini tore through the hallways, earning several odd glances from passing servants, but she ignored them. She had stopped briefly to ask a servant where to find Sir Myles of Olau's rooms, and, after thanking the servant briefly, flew down the proper corridors to the Lioness' father's rooms.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, she rounded a corner after a particularly steep set of stairs, and nearly crashed into a door that said 'Sir Myles of Olau', and, in smaller, more ornate letters beneath it, 'Eleni of Olau'. Gemini smiled briefly and knocked insistently on the door.
"Coming," came a distant voice. She heard a bump, then a click of a door being unlocked. The door opened to reveal an elderly man in his late sixties with a long gray beard and twinkling eyes. "How may I help you, miss?" he asked politely.
Gemini slipped past him, ignoring the startled look of confusion and a hint of anger in the famous scholar's face. She closed the door behind her, and turned to Myles, breathing rather heavily. "Look, my name is Gemini Stargazer, I'm one of the girls from Terra. I know I've been rude coming into your rooms like this, but what I have is a matter of utmost importance and Jonathan might be in danger and"
"Hold it, hold it." Myles cut her off as she sped through the story. "Start from the beginning, and don't talk so fast; I cannot understand a word you're saying." Gemini took a deep breath.
"Okay, so I'm Gemini Stargazer, and I'm one of the three girls from Terra," Gemini said, her voice deliberately slow, but her eyes snapping with impatience. "I, er, happened to find something that Lord Hakan wrote, and it could be really dangerous to King Jonathan." Myles nodded, cutting her off.
"Would you please show me these things that Hakan wrote?" he asked in the voice of an adult merely humoring a willful child. Gemini dug the papers from her skirt and produced them for Myles. He had barely read the first paragraph when his face became pale with rage.
"I must show these to Jonathan," he said angrily. "And I trusted Hakan. He's very valuable to us." He brushed through the notebook, and then turned to Gemini. "Did you see anything else? Any kind of spell, or a component? Oh, damn, you're from Terra"
"I would have recognized something had I seen it, I think," she assured him, adrenaline rushing through her veins. Had she been more herself, she would likely have been surprised at hearing the old, grandfatherly man swear. "I saw some components, but no spell in the making. Oh, and I found these." She handed Myles the note and the vials of poison. Myles took them gingerly.
"I have to give these to Jonathan right away. Thank you so much for what you've done." He turned to rush out the door.
"Goddess bless!" Gemini called after him. Myles hesitated for a fraction of an instant, and then rushed off to find Jonathan.
Gemini heaved a sigh and followed Myles out the door, closing it behind her. Her nerves were jittery from pent-up energy, but she was tired from the hectic run to the scholar's rooms. She walked to her rooms at a more sedate pace, fumbling in her skirts for her key. She swore when she realized that she was wearing the servant's clothes, and turned to get a servant to unlock it for her when the door opened; a hand grabbed her arm, yanking her in.
She fell against a man's chest; he grabbed her with one arm while closing the door with the other. Gemini pulled back, her mouth opened to shriek and her nails searching for something to claw.
"Come on, we've been through this all ready," came a no-nonsense voice. Gemini hesitated, and looked up into her assailant's face. It was Cowan.
She scowled. "You don't have to scare me to death," she said reproachfully. Cowan looked confusedly down at her.
"You look alive enough to me," he said helpfully. Gemini chose to not bother to explain that particular Terran phrase. "Sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you." He made sure that she was balanced enough to stand on her own, and backed up a pace.
Gemini collapsed on her bed, rubbing her temples. "Okay, so I gave the papers and vials to Myles. He'll see that they get to the king." Cowan smiled.
"Well, I'm glad we have that particular obstacle behind us," he said. "I know Myles. I met him once when he came to my school. He was talking about ancient battles. I've always been fascinated with fighting." He gave a wry grin. "But he really made it come alive."
The bell rang twelve times as Cowan explained several battles that Tortall had fought through in the times past. She gave a sigh, and Cowan looked at her, concerned.
"Are you alright?" he asked, unease in his voice. "Maybe I should go..."
"No, no, it's nothing. I'm fine." Cowan looked at her awkwardly. "Seriously. Umm..." She searched her mind, looking for a topic of conversation. Cowan had a very passionate way of describing battles, but that wasn't exactly what she wanted to hear right now. "Er, how did you become an assassin?" The question that she had been longing to know the answer for just flew unheeded from her careless lips. She cursed mentally, but while Cowan seemed a little uncomfortable at the question, he didn't seem too reserved about his profession.
"Well, I was brought up well enough, I suppose. Until I was seven, I guess. My Mum and Da were killed in the Great Market Riot just before Jonathan was crowned king. I ran away as fast as I could. I could have done something to help them. I was just too afraid I ran to the assassin's part of the city. Must have been a mile or so away, and I could still hear the dull roar of the crowd. People dying, screaming, running, weeping... I huddled under a bit of cloth until nightfall.
"I got out when the moon had risen. I made my way to a light nearby, hoping to get back home, or at least get something to eat. This old, grizzled man called Colin answered my calls, and while I was afraid of him, he offered me food, and I was too hungry to care about anything else. He brought me up, and I stayed with him until I was thirteen, and a man full grown. He was an assassin himself, though not a very good one. He was linked to the Rogue, all those who live by their wits are by some way or another, but he had friends They taught me everything I know. Daggers, swords, crossbows, blowguns, even a bit of Shang. I went back, a few years later, to find my parents, but someone new was living in our old house." His eyes were sad, but his voice held no emotion. "I got by, and here I am today." He gave a grin. "One of the most sought-after assassins in Corus, the man whose very name strikes fear into the most bold merchant, for fear that their enemies will send me." Gemini pursed her lips though
fully.
"You seem very proud of that fact," she pointed out.
Cowan laughed; pleasant enough save for the hint of maniacal evil in it. Gemini grinned back as a sharp rap came on the door.
"You have to go," hissed Gemini. "You know what they'll do if they find you here." Not to mention what they'll do to me! She hurried him to the window, her hands placed on his back to add action to her words. Cowan turned towards her.
"I will be fine," he said, his voice low and reassuring. He gave her one last grin, then leapt out of the window with a dramatic jump. Gemini rushed to the edge, terrified to see his broken body on the harsh ground below, only to see him climbing swiftly, if carefully, down the trellis. She breathed a sigh of relief, scolding herself for doubting him, and opened the door.
Numair stood in the doorway. "Umm... I'm sorry about being late, I umm... was doing something, umm, important" she stuttered to her teacher. She wasn't sure if she should tell him; she wanted to keep this as quiet as possible until Myles or Jonathan deemed otherwise. She invited him in, and Numair sat on her bed, leaving the door open. Gemini sat beside him.
"It's alright, Little Mage. Sir Myles was telling me of the disturbing things you showed him earlier. But you were too late."
"What?"
"The traitor fled, maybe an hour ago. We think he's going to Pirates Swoop, but why would he go there?" Numair asked rhetorically, not expecting an answer.
"Because that's where the battle's going to be. I don't know when, but I know it's going to be soon."
"How do you know this?" asked Numair harshly. "All our sources have told us that it will be Legann"
"I've got a good source."
"And you trust this source?"
"I trust him with my life." Gemini blinked as she uttered these words, not realizing that she did trust him until just now. Numair nodded.
"I hope that you are not right," he said. "Nearly all of our forces are heading to Legann, and Pirate's Swoop is too far away for them to reach. We would have to send the King's Men from Corus."
A man burst in from the door, panting heavily and sweat pouring down from his face.
"Lord Numair! Eddacesra is going to attack Pirate's Swoop! The mages have scyed for information, and Eddacesra is going to hit Pirate's Swoop in five hours! We need you in the front as soon as you can get there."
"Mithros, Mynoss and Shakith!" snarled Numair. "I'm coming." He turned to Gemini. "Little Mage, I need to go to Pirate's Swoop. I hope your lessons will continue soon." With that dire comment, Numair ran after the man, his long black hair tied into a ponytail and bouncing on his shoulders.
Charri and Elspeth ran in, Charri looking over her shoulder at the sprinting Numair. "Where are they going?" Charri asked.
"Pirate's Swoop. A battle's beginning; it's Eddacesra." She turned to Elspeth. "We have to get there. You know how the Mother said we're the difference between life and death for Tortall! This must be it. Guys, follow me." She threw her breeches and tunic at Elspeth. "Hold those for me." She galloped down the hallways, Elspeth and Charri on her heels.
Finally, she burst out a door to the outside. She turned left, following the castle walls to the stable. Many of the King's Men were already on horses and on foot, leaving for Pirate's Swoop. Gemini ran into the stable, and was brought up short by a stocky, heavily tanned man with pale, corn-silk hair and rounded shoulders.
"You girls've gotta get out. War's startin', an' we can't get into the stables. It's too dangerous t' be out ridin'. Go back up t' yer rooms an' wait fer the battle t' end," he ordered. Elspeth frowned, opening her mouth to argue.
While Elspeth was yelling at the man, Gemini was steadily thinking of a plan. She backed up slowly, and then crept away while the man hotly rephrased what he had said just in case Elspeth hadn't understood. Gemini slipped a saddle from a rack, and grabbing a girth, she placed them gently just outside the stable door.
"Elspeth! Charri! We'll just have to get horses somewhere else! Come on!" Elspeth was about to argue with her as well, but Charri threw her a look, and walked out to Gemini. Elspeth had no choice but to follow.
"Okay, guys, I've got a plan," said Gemini once she was outside with the two other girls. "Charri, go with the King's Men. They'll need another Healer. Go now." Charri bit her lip, and gave Gemini a quick hug.
"You sure as hell better you know what you're doing," she whispered. "Toodles!" She ran down the hill to catch up with Duke Baird. Gemini turned to Elspeth.
Elspeth looked at her curiously, then gave a yell as Gemini's face slowly at first, then more quickly, began to lengthen and grow hair. Her eyes grew and became a more muddy, deep brown, and soon she was covered in short, wiry brown fur with a brown mane and tail. Her fingers merged to form hard, single nails that grew a dark gray. Elspeth scooted backwards, and finally realized she was staring at a large, brown Arabian mare.
The mare glared at her, and nudged the saddle closer to Elspeth. Since when can mares glare? wondered Elspeth vaguely, but she got the distinct feeling that was what this one was doing.
She blinked, and then cursed herself for her stupidity. She grabbed the small, medieval saddle and placed it gently onto the mare's back, and cinched up the girth.
Gemini nearly choked. She had never realized how uncomfortable girths were. She briefly felt bad for all the horses she had ever ridden, having to have had to put up with such a nuisance, but then Elspeth had leapt gently up into the saddle, Gemini's clothes in her hands. Gemini took a halting step forward; having to walk on four legs was awkward, but she soon got the hang of it. She eased up to a trot, from there to a canter. Elspeth clung to the saddle, clamping both knees to the horse's sides. Gemini stayed at a canter, not wanting to tire out too quickly, and quickly caught up to and passed the King's Men who were forced to walk because of the foot soldiers. Apparently the Riders had already moved out, and were traveling to Pirate's Swoop as quickly as they could. Elspeth gave a quick wave to Charri as they passed, but then concentrated on riding her horse.
She gave the horse a slight, unconscious nudge with her heels; she was a born rider. The horse bucked slightly, and looked back accusingly to her rider. Elspeth bit her lip, and, patting Gemini's shoulder in apology, concentrated on forgetting everything she had ever learned about having to control a horse and on staying on.
Gemini's muscles pumped, enjoying this strange/familiar body. She didn't notice the bushes and birds that flew by. All that mattered was getting to Pirate's Swoop, and soon. |
