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| Chapter 2 ‘getting out' "Hello, Li." Surprised, the innkeeper smiled and cheerfully greeted the young man who had just come through the doors. Li gulped and sent a sideways look at one of the tables; there were four soldiers seated there and eating breakfast. Hastily he made a slight motion signaling quiet. Rufus nodded and waited for Li to approach him at the bar. "I didn't expect to see you for at least a few weeks. How is life amongst the savages?" Li glanced at the soldiers again. They didn't seem unduly worried about anything. They must have not have heard yet. "I haven't been in town long enough to know. I'm in trouble, Rufus. I need your help and I need it quietly." The portly businessman raised his eyebrows. He'd known this boy since he was a baby, and not once had he ever heard him ask for help. "You always said you owed me for the friendship you shared with my father. I've never asked you for anything because I never needed it, but I'm in trouble." "What kind of trouble?" "The kind that you definitely do not want to know about. All I ask is for supplies. Anything you got: waterbags, tents, flintstone, anything. I have no way to pay you, but I will, someday." "Of course, of course." Then Rufus frowned. "Tents? As in plural? How many?" "Three, if you can. Please don't ask, it's a long story. And if you can spare them, three loaves of bread would be great." "Soldiers!" A fifth uniformed man had just burst through the doorway, and the four at the table jumped to their feet. "Sir, yes sir!" "Move out, officer present!" They scrambled out of the rough doorway, never noticing the peasant by the bar that had turned to hide his face. "And there they go again, without paying," Rufus sighed. "They never do that anymore. There's nothing to make them." "Can you help me?" "Yes, I think I can manage some of what you're asking, at least." "Leave it behind the building, under a blanket or something. I'll have to collect it and move fast, I think my timeline just shortened a bit." "Is there anything else you need?" "Yes. Whatever you do, if people come around asking about me, don't tell them anything. And please don't mention that I was here." He leaned forward, his eyes serious. "It's important. Do you understand?" The older man nodded, worry obvious in his eyes. "Don't worry about me, I'll be all right. I just have to stay away from here for a little while. When I can unload a certain nuisance, I'll be back." He shook the man's hand and turned to go out of the building. He checked himself at the doorway. Outside in the village square, an entire troop had been assembled. Someone was pacing back and forth in front of them, barking orders to surround the village and fan out, searching in all likely hiding places. Li had left the girls under the cover of a nearby willow tree with only the crossbow to defend themselves with. He would have to hurry, but he didn't want to step outside the inn with all of those soldiers. Then he saw that one of them was looking right at him, curiously. He couldn't afford to look suspicious, and so he took a deep breath and shut the door behind him, then casually walked to the edge of the square. The man who had escaped him the night before was nowhere to be seen, a godsend. Without him, there was nothing to distinguish him from anybody else in the village. He was safe, momentarily. Bored already with the overly detailed instructions, the captain followed the peasant with his eyes as he walked around the edge of the square and disappeared down a dusty alleyway. That's not right, he was thinking to himself. He walks…different than the others. He walks like a fighter. "Captain Moon?" "Sir!" He dragged his attention away from the peasant and focused on his commanding officer. "I'd like you to come with me, up the hillside. Then we'll see if we can sort out who exactly killed our men last night." "Sir, yes sir." The colonel dismissed the rest of the troop, and they mounted their horses. The willow stalks rustled and Sakura raised the bow, panicked. Li had been gone much longer than he said he would, maybe – But it was him, and he just glared at her before pushing the bow to the side. "Watch where you point that thing. You could have shot me." "You said you would call out and warn us." "Not an option anymore." He was speaking very quietly, so low that she had to lean in to hear him. "They're all around us, combing the countryside. We have to tread carefully here." "Did you talk to your friend?" "Yes. I'll give him a few minutes, then we'll have to head in to get it. I don't want to ask him to bring it out here; it's too dangerous for him. And I can't go in alone, I don't know if I'll be able to carry it all. We're just going to have to be very sneaky about it, got it?" She nodded. "Did you get directions to the main road?" "Excuse me, but who the hell do you think are? Quit double checking everything that I say I'm going to do. It's annoying." He glared at her again before turning to peek outside their cover. Sakura gritted her teeth. She felt terrible about what had happened, and he knew it. Did he have to be so short-tempered and grouchy, though? "The way's clear for now. Come on. And move quietly for once." He slipped through the green curtain, and Madison and Kero both gave her resigned looks. She shrugged and followed. His attitude was annoying, but there wasn't anything she could do about it. He knew what he was doing, and she did not. Their lives were in his hands, at least for the moment. I hate this helplessness. "They surrounded us, sir. It was horrible. I barely managed to escape with my life. I knew the news must be brought to my commanding officer as soon as possible." The soldier concluded his tale with sweeping gestures and wide eyes. Colonel Blackstock nodded as he took it in, glancing around at the bodies of his dead soldiers. "Jaberwocky," Eriol muttered as he examined the scene. "What was that, Captain?" "Er, I must respectfully disagree with the lieutenant, sir." He straightened from his crouching position near one of the dead men. "Because of everybody wandering all over, most of the tracks are lost. However, just here it's clear enough. It's where the majority of the battle took place. There's a mark here, where somebody laid a crossbow on the ground. One pair of feet back away from it. And then, here, are the footsteps of someone wearing Royal Army footwear, striding up to him. This is where most of the struggle took place; you can see how tight and confined the area is, with all the confusion in the dirt. A small area, as opposed to the grand battle the lieutenant is describing." The soldier bristled and glared at the younger man, but the officer was not to be put off. "As I said, most of the scene has been tampered with. However, I think you'll agree that there are no tracks that can be found besides those of our soldiers, and this one particular pair. And the two women. You can see how they run off together, over here, but unfortunately, their trail has been disturbed. There's no way to follow it." Colonel Blackstock raised his eyebrows. "An interesting story, Captain. I see what your betters were talking about when they promoted you to such an exalted rank for your young age. But I don't think you have a complete picture of the story, staring in the dirt like this." "Sir?" "Our soldiers are not sloppy fighters, and they are well-trained in nighttime combat. I find it extremely hard to believe that only one man could defeat five, no matter what you think you see on the ground." The soldier beside him relaxed and shot Eriol a smug look. Eriol scowled. The colonel could say what he liked; he didn't want to believe that one man took four soldiers down anymore than Eriol did. But the proof was there on the ground. If only he'd been able to get a better look before all these men tramped over it. "We think one of them was a peasant who lived down in the valley. We found him there yesterday and questioned him; he denied all knowledge of the princess. But he was definitely there last night, and there was only one residence in the valley." Eriol perked up. "Permission to go and examine the dwelling, sir?" "Permission denied, Captain, the cabin was torched this morning. There's nothing left to examine, or live in. The subjects of the kingdom must understand the penalty for disobedience to our leader." Damn. A close look at his house might have given me a few clues. Eriol was disappointed, but he knew better than to show it. "Yes sir." "I don't think we're going to learn anything more standing around up here. Mount up, soldiers, it's time to rejoin the hunt. The princess is here in this area somewhere, it's just a matter of clamping down hard and searching thoroughly. I don't care how many people she's got helping her, I want her found and retrieved. Am I understood?" "Sir, yes sir!" they all shouted in perfect unison, and jumped on their horses to ride down the hill. Eriol paused a moment to stroke Ruby on the nose, and she stamped a hoof, impatient to get going. For the security of the kingdom. For order and discipline's sake. She's got to be found. He leapt lightly on his mare's back and followed the other soldiers. Sakura could feel her heart thumping fast and furious as she tiptoed behind Li down the narrow alleyway. There were soldiers everywhere in this village, roaming and searching for the green-eyed princess. She did her best to keep her face down and still appear casual, but her heart was beating so hard that she was surprised her enemies couldn't hear it all over town. Li inhaled deeply, stretching out with his senses and allowing instinct to take over. This was not so different from hunting in the forest, but now he was the prey. And the soldiers, fortunately, were noisy and clumsy compared to the wild animals. It was easy to avoid them. He jerked to a stop near a corner and held Sakura back with an arm across her chest. Two of them shuffled down the street, their swords clinking loudly against their belts. They were looking around, but so involved with their conversation that they only glanced over the shadowy alleyway. Li waited until they were out of earshot, then whispered to the girls. "We have to cross the main street now. Walk casual." They nodded, their eyes wide with fear. Peeking cautiously around the stone wall, Li made sure there was no one coming their way, then stepped out into the open. Nothing happened, of course, and he took Sakura's hand in his to lead her up the street. The inn was right up next to the town square, but they wouldn't have to go that far. Instead he pulled her through a narrow opening between the inn and the neighboring building. Madison followed, her long black hair disappearing with a swish just as a footsoldier rounded the bend in the street. He frowned thoughtfully. Had he just seen someone slip between the buildings? This space was obviously not meant to be any thoroughfare, but it was wide enough for the three of them to walk comfortably, and eventually it widened out to an opening in between the other buildings and the inn. A well sat in the middle, near a mysterious bundle that had been left by the kitchen entrance of the inn. Bless you, Rufus. Li grinned and shoved his bow into Sakura's hands to pull off the blanket. One tent, three waterbags, a flintstone, a quiver of arrows, and a cloth bag that contained three loaves of bread and some dried meat. "You, fill these." He tossed the waterbags to Madison and began to fold the hide tent up into a small bundle. "What are you three doing back here?" Li's head jerked up; there was a soldier standing just a few paces away, holding his sword out threateningly. "Shoot," he directed Sakura. "What? Oh, right." Sakura had never shot one of these in her life, nor had she ever killed anyone. Hesitantly she raised the bow and released the trigger, but the recoil was stronger than she'd thought it be. Her aim was miserable, and the arrow plunked harmlessly on the stone wall. "Sorry!" she wailed. Li rolled his eyes. "Reload." The soldier was striding toward them now. She picked an arrow up from the ground and looked at it helplessly. "I don't know how!" Figures, Li thought. This is pathetic. I'll have to handle it. The broom used to sweep the kitchen was lying against the wall, and it was the work of a second to jam his foot against the handle and snap it off near the brushy end. He raised it just in time to block the swing, then another, then darted to the side and in when his opponent tried to stab inward. Trapping the sword with the staff, he sidled right up against the man and struck with his elbow. There was a grunt, and then a deep intake of breath. Horrified, Li realized he was going to yell out for reinforcements, and he dropped his staff to cover the man's mouth. Then he completed the rotation and stepped around behind him, giving a quick jerk with his hands. The man never had a chance to scream before falling to the cobbled ground, his neck broken. Both Madison and Sakura, and Kero peeking out of Madison's tiny satchel, gaped. "Come on, what are you looking at? Fill those waterbags already. And you." He motioned for Sakura to turn around and face away from him. "Stand still. You get to carry the tent on your back." "You're amazing," she said over her shoulder, clearly awed. "How did you learn to do that? The fighting?" He was strapping a bundle onto her back, fastening it securely over her shoulders. "This is not the time or place to be chatting over tea, your highness. Are those waterbags filled yet?" "Almost." "Well, hurry up. If he had a partner, we're in trouble." He picked up the bag of food. "Is there bread in there?" Kero asked hopefully. "Eat later. Survive now." He shoved the bag in Madison's hands and took two of the waterbags, looping them over Sakura's head and shoulder. Then he took the bow and the quiver. "Now watch." Quickly he slapped an arrow into the groove, and pulled back the sinew until there was a tiny click. "Got it?" She nodded a little uncertainly. "I think so." "Now you know. Come on." He paused to throw the blanket over the soldier's body and slipped out the way they had come. Miraculously, the streets were much emptier on the way out than the way in. After having combed the village thoroughly, the soldiers were assuming that they were already out in the countryside and pushing outward. It should be simple enough, Li thought, to stay behind them and wend their way to the main road. He knew the territory, and these men did not. If they could just make it out of the village, they'd be all right. "It's a punishment, isn't it?" Eriol whispered in his mare's ear. Ruby flicked her ear back, then shook her head viciously to rid herself of the flies. "Don't disagree with me. I know it is." Blackstock can't stand the thought of anyone insulting his soldier's fighting abilities. I should have known better than to open my mouth. He heaved a sigh and glared at the empty village square before him. The colonel had assigned him, maliciously or no, to the hub of the village, where the princess was obviously not going to be. Eriol thought it highly unlikely that she was in the village at all, and was probably somewhere between the town and the main road. Clearly Blackstock felt the same way; that was where he'd assigned most of his men. But Eriol was here. Frustrated, he paced a little. He really wished he'd had the chance to study the cabin of that peasant. Eriol liked to study things, he liked to piece together the clues and solve mysteries. No doubt why Blackstock was so threatened by him. In his opinion, the colonel was far too focused on physical combat, and didn't respect intelligence like he ought to. But Eriol was a soldier, and he would follow orders, whether he liked his commanding officer or not. Unless… There was no rule that said he couldn't scout around the village square. He had merely been told to station himself there to act as a conduit of communication. Nobody would mind if he just looked around a little. "Stay there," he ordered Ruby, who snorted at him. "I'll just be a minute." The captain wandered over to the edge of the square and turned the corner. This lane led down the side of the village inn, then twisted and turned amongst the many thatched huts of the village. Eriol hesitated. He didn't want to go that far, he couldn't let the square out of his sight. But there beside him there was a tiny space between the inn and the next building, one that obviously led to somewhere by all the sunlight that he could see at the other end. He would just see where it led, and then return to his post. It would only take a minute. Holding his bow at the ready, he slipped down the alleyway to the courtyard. A blanket had been pulled over something on the ground, something that looked awfully like – Another body. He's killed another one. Eriol pulled the blanket right off to investigate. The lieutenant had never even been disarmed; he gripped his sword still in death. The eyes were wide and staring, and the neck was twisted at an unnatural angle. This is interesting. There isn't a scratch on this man, it doesn't look as if any weapon was used at all. How did he get close enough to a man wielding a sword to break the neck? The broom handle was lying on the cobbled ground just a few paces away; its clean white wood on the inside showed how recently it had been broken. A broom handle. He used a broom as his staff to deflect a well-trained swordsman and then broke his neck. We're not dealing with a random tough peasant here. He knows what he's doing. He straightened and glanced around. What were they doing back here in the first place? Seems like an awful risk to be taking. His blue eyes fell upon the well, the bucket still balanced on the edge. They must have been there to fill their waterbags. A little had been spilled onto the ground, though it was rapidly drying in the early morning sunshine. He frowned at it. Fifteen – no, twenty minutes. They were here just twenty minutes ago. He had to find the colonel, and quick. Sakura didn't dare to move, didn't dare to breathe. She was pressed down under the cover of a thick hedge, Li and Madison wedged up on either side of her. Almost within reaching distance, two pairs of boots had stopped their pacing on the country lane. Why had they stopped? Could they see them? Were they biding their time, waiting to see if they would panic and break out of their cover? Beside her, she could feel Li breathing calmly and evenly. He wasn't scared at all, simply alert and ready for action if it happened. She wished she could be like that. Lying on the ground like she was, she could feel the vibrations of the galloping horse before she could see the hooves slow down and approach the footsoldiers. This was why they had stopped. She relaxed slightly. "Sir!" "At ease. Any signs of the princess and her friends?" "No sir," one of them answered. "We've been traversing this lane non-stop for hours, but there's no indication that they were ever near here. It's entirely possible that they took another route to the main road." "Acknowledged. But be aware that she'll be going to great pains to hide herself. Keep your eyes open and extra sharp, men." The pale horse stamped its hoof on the dusty lane, and Sakura felt her eyes water. A cough right now would be fatal, and she struggled to hold it in. "It's time to relocate, soldiers, by now they're bound to be further up the road. March up one click, then resume searching." "Yes sir, Colonel Blackstock." Colonel Blackstock? Sakura almost whimpered aloud and stopped herself just in time. She knew this man, she had seen how ruthless and cunning he could be in the sword-fighting courtyards. He was also one of Gorrell's closest compatriots. Another horse approaching interrupted her thoughts, this one of a dark chestnut color. "Colonel Blackstock, sir!" "Captain? What are you doing away from your post?" "Urgent new information, sir. I've discovered another body, one of our own, behind the village inn." Sakura gulped. When the colonel spoke again, his voice was strained and terse. "How did it happen?" "His neck was broken, sir. I think they surprised each other. All the signs indicated that it happened just less than an hour ago. Sir, I think they must be right around here." Oh god. It's over now. Li must have sensed her panic, because he nudged her shoulder gently and shook his head. Be calm, his eyes were saying. Don't give in to hysterics. "Farfetched, captain. It's been too long, they're sure to have passed this point by now. Our soldier must have been dead since early this morning." "But sir, I - " "Enough, Captain. You are already treading on dangerous ground, having left your assignment. I don't have time to deal with you properly just now, the princess claims top priority. Now accompany these men up the road, and keep your eyes open." The dark horse's legs pranced a little, and Li knew that the soldier on her back must be communicating his frustration to her. This one is smart. He's a tracker, a wolf. He's the one to watch out for. "Yes sir," the captain finally said, glumly. "That's more like it. Keep your mind on the task at hand, and out of the clouds. I want her found today." The palomino reared up a little, and turned to gallop further down the road. The two soldiers and the captain followed at a walking pace, and then finally it was quiet. "Can we go now?" Madison whispered. "Weren't you listening? They're already further up the road, and we know at least one of them will be watching over his shoulder for us. It's too dangerous to keep moving in the broad daylight like this." "What's the alternative?" Li wriggled backward out from under the hedge and rolled back onto his feet. Sakura and Madison awkwardly followed his example. "I think I know a place where we can rest. It'll be a tight fit, but good cover. Stay down." He began to cross the field on his hands and knees. Sakura wished she knew how he did that so quickly, even with the bow and quiver strung across his back. She and Madison were having a terrible time of it. Fortunately, he didn't lead them very far. They crossed a field, crawling down in between the rows of early green stalks, then crawled under another hedge into a field of wildflowers. They were beautiful, covering the land with their thick and colorful blossoms. Waving gently in the breeze, they looked like a carpet of rainbows. "Wow," she said, unable to stop herself. She'd never seen anything like this growing up in Tomoeda. It was gorgeous, but she felt another lump in her throat rising as she took in the sight. Her mother loved rainbows. She would have loved this. "Over here," Li called out in a low voice. He was kicking at a clod of dirt, knocking away a tangled barrier of roots and soil and tiny rocks. He was enlarging an opening in the ground, and she could see a dark hole underneath a massive tree. "What is it?" "An old wolverine den that I found when I was a kid. If I got caught in the rain coming back from the main road, I'd come here." She eyed it nervously. "Is it safe?" "Safer than being out in the open," he said impatiently, and crawled down into it. He was right. Sakura braced herself and followed suit, and then Madison came. It was a rather tight fit, but Li had scraped at the walls over the years, widening the space enough that a person could stretch out comfortably. She and Madison leaned against the wall together, exhausted. They hadn't slept for two days now, and already Madison's eyes were closing. "Open that sack. I'm hungry." "Same here," Kero piped up. "Which one's mine?" There were only three in the sack, and Sakura broke her loaf in half. "Here, Kero. We can share." "No," Madison interposed, shaking her head. "You need it more. I'll share with Kero." Sakura grinned. "We'll each give him a little. It'll be fine. There's meat too, after all." "Later," Li said firmly. "When you don't know where your next meal is coming from, you save the dried meat. First rule of traveling." "Oh. Right." She blushed as she handed Li his bread. "Have you traveled quite a bit?" "Maybe." His tone was a warning one, and she decided not to ask any more questions. Instead she finished her bread and tried to keep herself from yawning. "How long are we going to be here?" "Till dusk. It's a better time for hiding." "Oh." Madison was leaning on her shoulder, her breathing already becoming more deep and even. They were both slipping into sleep. "Do you think we can sleep a little? We're both so tired." "You can do whatever you want. I don't care." Kero was already flat on his back and snoring lightly. Sakura realized that Li hadn't slept any the night before either, but he was sitting up against the wall and pointing his bow casually at the entrance to their hideout. "Wait. Are you going to stay up to be a lookout?" "Someone's got to." She glanced at her friend. Madison was already asleep, her features calm and relaxed. "No. I should help. I'll stay up, and you can sleep." Li snorted contemptuously. "And if someone comes, what will you do? Throw the arrows at them?" "I could wake you if I heard someone coming. You can't not sleep, you'll never be able to travel if you don't get some rest." Don't you tell me what I can and can not do, he thought, annoyed. Then he saw the concern in her eyes, and the worry. She wasn't thinking at all about how tired she was. He had to admit it, he was rather impressed. For a princess raised with a silver spoon in her mouth, she'd been doing all right. Maybe she was hopeless and pathetic, but she hadn't complained once. "I'll wake you in a few hours. Get some rest, already. You're not used to this." "Okay," she agreed. "Thank you. You've done so much for us. I wish I knew how to repay you." "I don't want to be repaid. I didn't want any of this." "I know, and I'm sorry. I'm just grateful, that's all. Grateful that you're on our side, and not theirs." "Hmph. I'm not on anyone's side. Circumstances have stuck me with you for the moment, but don't kid yourself. I hate royalty." She'd been sliding into a doze, but sat upright at that last part. "What? Why?" Those brown eyes were so unreadable. She could see her reflection in them in the weak sunlight filtering through the opening. "I hate all class distinctions." "But why?" "I just do. Don't worry about it, your highness. Go to sleep." "But - " "I said, go to sleep. I'm not in the mood to talk." She subsided and lay down on the dark, cool earth. There was a funny smell to it and she wrinkled her nose, but then she decided she liked it. It was a sturdy, kind of soothing aroma. Why would a peasant who lived his whole life in the country, and got along very well by the looks of it, hate royalty so much? Does he hate me? I never asked to be born into this role, and I never asked for what's happening to me now. If only… She could feel a great weariness engulfing her, and her mind beginning to shut down. I almost wish I'd been born a peasant too. It would be nice, to live in a place like where Li lived. So calm and peaceful. If only things had been different… She lost her thoughts to the oblivion of sleep. Sakura felt a hundred times better when she awoke that evening. It was much darker, and she could barely see the young man beside her, still watching the entrance to their hideout. "What happened?" she murmured sleepily. "You said you would wake me." "I had things to think about. But now it's time to move. Wake her up." He gestured with the bow to Madison. There was a little smile on her friend's face, and Sakura hated to pull her out of her dream, but it had to be done. Gently she shook her. "Madison. Madison, wake up." "Hmmm?" "Come on, we have to get going." Those violet eyes opened, then saddened as Madison remembered their new situation. "Good dream, huh?" "The best," she sighed. "The way things used to be." "I know. But we'll be all right." Madison sat up and they shared a hug while Li cleared his throat impatiently. "Come on, the sun's almost down. Time to move." Crawling on his elbows and knees, he wriggled out of the den and cautiously swept his gaze around the area, bow at the ready. There was no one around, the scene utterly peaceful. "Come on up." Clumsily the girls clambered up through the hole, Kero floating just over them. "You, fluffy. You're on recon duty. Fly up and scout around to see if there's any soldiers between us and the lane." "It's Keroberos to you," the little bear sniffed, before flapping his wings and rising in the air. Li shot the girls a puzzled look. "What is he anyway?" "It's complicated. He's the Sun Guardian, one of – the guardian beast of the Cards. It's his life duty to protect them, and me." "What are the cards?" "The focus of my power. I can wield magic, but it's limited. With the Cards, I can call on great forces if I need to. I've spent my whole life mastering them." Her face fell. "And now Nikolai has them. He can't use them, fortunately, no one can except me. I don't like to think of what he would do with them." Li's experience with magic was fairly limited, but he'd heard of what kind of powers the royal family possessed. He'd never imagined it had anything to do with any cards, though. Sakura had a fearful look in her eyes as she stared at the sunset. "You think he'll try to force you to use them for his ends?" She nodded. "I'm almost sure of it. It's too much potential power for him to throw away. It's also why he's keeping my brother alive, I think. He'd need a hostage to ever force me to use them for his purposes." She pressed her lips together and swallowed. Please, please, please don't let it ever come to that. I could never choose between saving Tory and raining mass destruction on my kingdom. Madison, as always, knew exactly what was going on in her mind and gave her an encouraging squeeze around the shoulders. "Don't worry, Sakura, it won't happen. We'll get the Cards back. Once we have them, it will be easy to take care of Nikolai." Which is probably why they're the most heavily guarded objects in that palace, thought Li, but didn't say anything aloud. Kero was floating back down to earth. "We're all clear, kids." "Great. Let's go." Li stood and stretched carefully before crossing over the hedge and crawling underneath it. This was the second evening in several years that he had not run through his drills, but it couldn't be helped. Training time was over. "I don't think we'll have to crawl," he said thoughtfully to the girls when they reached the next field. "I'm ready to cover some distance, and it's dusky enough. Just keep low, all right?" They nodded, and bent their knees slightly to mimic him as he rapidly crossed the field. The stars were beginning to come out, in between scattered clouds, and a light breeze ruffled Sakura's hair. She noticed that it was ruffling Li's hair too, lifting those scruffy bangs off his face and out of his eyes. He had beautiful eyes, but they were so guarded and mysterious. I wonder if he really does hate me. Just because I was born a princess. No. Surely not; he wouldn't be helping us like this if he hated me that badly. He said himself that he doesn't pay a lot of attention to authority out here. Perhaps he just resents a ruler that he never sees in person. I would. Silently they slipped down the side of the lane. Breaking out of her musings, Sakura couldn't help but notice how much better she and Madison were getting with the noiseless tread. These past couple weeks had been absolute hell, but the two of them had learned to adapt themselves rather quickly. Li hadn't corrected them once since they started. He startled her with a groan of frustration. "What, what? We're being as quiet as you are!" "It's not that." He straightened and held his hand out, palm up. "It's starting to rain." "It is?" Sure enough, a fat cold drop plunked on her hair. She'd been so involved in moving silently through the grass that she'd never noticed the clouds growing thicker and darker above their heads, hiding the moon and stars completely from view. Another drop of rain landed squarely on her nose, and she winced. Li was pushing his bangs out of his eyes and scowling in concentration. "This is not good. Mud will only make tracks easier to follow. We're going to have stop moving for the night." "Out here in the middle of nowhere? In the rain?" "You're not made of sugar. You won't melt. And the water will just run off the tent. You'll be fine." Sakura caught his drift and shook her head firmly. "No. There is no way on earth that I am going to let you sleep outside in the rain, and I don't care how tough you think you are." "What did I say about questioning me out here? This is not your palace, princess, you are not in charge out here." "Don't you think I know that? I'm trying to keep you from coming down with pneumonia, that's all. Excuse me for worrying about you." "You don't need to worry about me, I can take care of myself just fine." They both crossed their arms and glared at each other in the darkness, as the rainfall began to grow heavier. Madison and Kero looked back and forth from one stubborn face to the other, uncertain what to say. "You don't know what you're saying, your highness. We can't keep on with the earth getting muddier underneath our feet. We have no choice, we have to stop." "I will refuse to sleep under the tent if you set it up out here." "You think so?" "I know so." "You can not sleep out in the rain, you'd never recover from it." "Well, I guess we'll see, won't we?" Li threw up his arms and made an exasperated noise in the back of his throat. "Why are you being so damn stubborn about this? Can't you see that we have nowhere else to go?" "What about those lights in the distance?" She raised her hand and pointed to a small glow far ahead in the fields. "Oh no. No, no, don't you even think about that. That's a roadside inn, and it is way too dangerous to consider going there. Very high profile, the only place to sleep for miles." "But you said yourself that the soldiers will be far ahead of us. Surely they've already passed through this area." "Still too dangerous." "We could sleep in the stables. Nobody would see us." Li kicked at a clod of wet earth beneath his boots and growled. He was exhausted, he'd been pushing himself too hard, too much this past day and night. And so many unpleasant memories were coming back, nagging at his mind, distracting him. He was irritable, and needed some rest. "Fine. We're going. But you've got to be absolutely silent, do you understand me? If anyone sees us going into the stables, it's over." "We understand." Sakura stomped past him. "Let's go already." Madison saw him grind his teeth a little, then turn to follow. "She's very stubborn when she wants to be," she said softly to Li. "Spoiled brat." "Say what you like, but she's thinking of your welfare right now." He made no reply to that, and they continued down the side of the road in utter silence. The glow from the inn's fires grew brighter and bigger, a beacon of hope to Sakura as the rain soaked through her clothes and squelched in her boots. A new blister was starting to form on her right heel, making her limp a little, and her hair was hanging in wet strands over her face. She was miserable, but she pressed her lips together every time she wanted to complain. She would not give him the satisfaction of hearing her whine. At last they reached the buildings. The inn itself was a large, solid structure that looked heartrendingly comfortable. But they turned away from that to cross the courtyard and enter the stables. Inside it was pitch dark, and Li had to leave the door open to find a stall that was empty. Sakura sneezed, and he whipped around to glare at her. "Quiet!" "I didn't mean to," she snapped, and wrung her shirt out to rid herself of excess moisture. Both she and Madison were shivering, but the stables were warm from the body heat of the animals. They'd be all right, hopefully. Li smiled with satisfaction when he came to the end of the rows. There was a ramshackle stall in the far back corner, broken down and unused for evidently some time. The wooden railing was rotting and falling down, and he pulled it up to construct a screen between the stall and the rest of the stable. "Here. This should be safe enough. Close that door." Madison complied, and the girls tiptoed down the row to join him. He was spreading out a clump of fresh hay on the dirt floor. "Hand me that tent." He took it from Sakura's hands and spread it out over the hay, then removed his wet boots. "This is as good as it gets, your highness. Will you be able to make it through the night?" There was no mistaking the sarcastic edge to his voice, and Sakura glared, though she knew he probably couldn't even see it in the dark. "I'll be all right, thank you. Madison? Kero?" "We'll be fine," they both said hastily. The girls removed their boots as Li opened up Madison's bag and removed four strips of jerky. "Here. The rest can be breakfast, and then after that we're on our own. So make it last." They nodded and each took a slice of meat. "I'm exhausted, and I'm going to bed. Who's up for first watch?" "I am," Madison said immediately. "I feel ready to stay awake." "Okay," Sakura agreed. "But when you get tired, you wake me up, got it? I can watch until sunrise. We'll want to get out of here before people start waking and coming in here for their horses, I assume." "Very good," Li praised. "Wake me the second there's trouble, don't try to take care of anything yourself." He yawned and pulled off his thick cotton shirt. He was better off without it than sleeping in it wet, and he hung it on a scrap of wood to dry. Sakura could barely see in the darkness, but she heard what he was doing and was surprised to find herself blushing a little. Other than her brother and Julian when they were swimming, she'd never seen a man without his shirt; the royal court etiquette didn't allow for such things. Obviously the rules were different out here in the countryside. Maybe he was hoping she might strip down too. Well, he could just keep on hoping. She'd rather sleep in her wet clothes, thank you very much. She lay down on the tent's rough surface and tried to get comfortable. Maybe it wasn't her feather bed, but it was better than some of the places she'd slept in over the past couple of weeks. "Good night, Madison." "Good night, Sakura." Madison leaned against the wooden wall against the back of the stall and laid the crossbow next to her. Soon she could hear the princess' deep and even breathing as she fell into slumber. Li, despite his obvious fatigue, was still fidgeting slightly. "Something the matter, Li?" "No." "I know it isn't easy to relinquish control for someone like you. But you really should try to get some sleep. I'll be fine." Li raised his eyebrows in the dark. "You're pretty good at reading people, aren't you?" "It's one of my better skills. A very handy ability in a place like the palace." She swallowed. "I guess I wasn't as good as I thought. None of us knew what the General was planning. He took everyone by surprise." "I wouldn't beat yourself up about it," he advised. "The past is past. Can't do anything about it now." "I know." She paused and examined his faint outline lying on the tent. "You're going to a lot of trouble to help us, considering what we've brought upon you. Why are you doing this for us?" "I'm not doing anything for you. All I want is to get you out of my homeland, as far as possible. Then the soldiers will leave my valley alone and I can start to rebuild." She nodded. "Whatever you say. We're grateful for any assistance." He muttered something too low for her to hear and rolled over, signaling the end of the conversation. After a while, she could hear his deep breathing as well. He had succumbed to sleep at last. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Disclaimer: I do not own these characters |