Princess in Disguise (14 page)

They were discussing the different things you could do to gruel to make it tastier when Liam and
the guards returned, bringing all six of the wizard's men with them. “We fought one guard and the rest gave in,” said Liam as King Montague's guards walked their new prisoners to the cells. “We would have been back sooner, but we had to lock Mother and Clarence in the tower. It was odd; she was waiting in her chamber almost as if she expected us to come for her.”

“She did say she was better off before Clarence came back. Maybe she just wanted it to be over,” said Annie.

“Is it all right if we go upstairs and get to work?” asked a middle-aged woman.

“Please!” someone shouted. “Let her go!”

“Yes, she should go first!” someone else called out.

“Of course,” said Liam. “It should be safe now.”

“Who was that?” Annie asked as the woman bustled up the steps.

“The head cook,” said the old guard named Godfrey. “We can't wait for something decent to eat for a change.”

“Did you get married yet, my dear?” the old king asked Annie as they started toward the stairs. “I'm so sorry I missed it if you did.”

“No, we had a bit of trouble and had to postpone it, but we do intend to have the wedding soon,” said Annie. “We'll send word when we've rescheduled. Liam, perhaps we should spend the night here. It's already getting late and we'd have to stop soon anyway.”

“Good idea,” said Liam. “But before I turn in for the night, there are a few things I have to do. The castle kitchen is probably short of supplies, so I won't bother the cook for eggs, but can someone suggest where I can purchase a dozen or so? I have a debt to repay and a horse to claim so we can get an early start in the morning.”

Annie and Liam were waiting when the drawbridge was lowered at dawn the next morning. Liam had taken a stallion named Hunter from his father's stable, but Annie had refused when he'd offered her a fresh horse as well. She liked Otis and intended to ride him the rest of the way home, although she had accepted a new bridle and saddle. Well fed and rested from his visit with Meckle and a night in a royal stall, Otis was in a good mood. His ears pricked forward with interest when the creaking of the chains finally stopped and the drawbridge hit the ground with a thump.

A line of wagons on the other side of the drawbridge were waiting to come in. Annie glanced at the wagons as Otis trotted past them. From what she could see, word of what had happened had already spread and the citizens of the kingdom had responded with fresh
produce, jugs of cream-rich milk, wheels of cheese, and a variety of meats and fish. Seeing all the people arriving on horseback, she was sure that the curious had also come to visit.

Once on their way, Annie and Liam rode side by side in companionable silence. They were just about to enter the Dark Forest when something occurred to Annie.

“Your mother's name is Lenore, right?” she said to Liam.

“Hmm?” he murmured. “Oh, yes, that's right.”

“Well, so is Eleanor's stepmother. Named Lenore, I mean.”

“You're right,” Liam replied. “It's appropriate, don't you think? They're both awful mothers who favor certain children and hold others in contempt. I'm sure my mother would have turned me into a servant if it had occurred to her.”

“Your father would never have allowed it!” said Annie.

Liam chuckled. “Well, there is that. Thank goodness for good fathers!”

Suddenly, Otis tossed his head and snorted. A tiny finch had landed on his forelock and was clinging to the hair with its talons even as the horse tried to shake it off. Chirping madly, the finch stared up at Annie, getting louder when she didn't respond. Finally, it gave an extra-loud chirp and flew from Otis to Hunter.

“Hello! Hello! Can you hear me now?” chirped the finch. “I've been calling to you for ever so long.”

“Look, Liam!” said Annie. “I think it's the finch that we freed from the ogre's cage.”

“No time to talk!” chirped the finch. “You're in big trouble—”

“Is that really the same bird?” Liam asked.

“Yes, it's me!” the bird chirped, managing to sound annoyed. “Will you be quiet and listen? The girl set me free, so I followed her. Somebody is good to you, you should be good back. I've been watching over her.”

“A talking bird. We probably shouldn't trust it. Remember that talking fish?” asked Liam.

“Just because the fish was a liar doesn't mean the bird will be, too. You said there was trouble?” Annie prompted the finch.

“Yes! Some bad men are following you. They have been ever since your horse almost tripped over that wagon.”

“We knew they followed us to Yardley's cottage,” Annie said to Liam.

“The not-real trolls scared them away,” said the finch. “Then the men went to that bunch of houses and asked about you. Someone told them which way you went. The road split and so did they. The ones that went to the big house wouldn't have caught up if you hadn't stayed there last night.”

“You mean the castle,” said Liam.

“I don't know what
you
call it,” replied the finch.

“Where are these men now?” Annie asked the finch.

“Behind you. They're riding with some families who are going this way. I heard them talking. They plan to attack you in the woods after the families ride on. You might want to ask your horses to go a little faster.”

Annie and Liam glanced back the way they had come. A large group was riding up behind them, but they were too far away to see their faces.

“Good idea, bird,” said Liam. “We can lose them in the forest.”

“Thank you for telling us,” Annie told the finch.

“I haven't finished helping you,” said the finch. “You saved my life. All I did was tell you something. See you later!”

Annie watched the finch fly off into the Dark Forest. She was about to ask Otis to go faster when Liam reached out and put his hand on top of hers. “Not yet. We'll wait until those men can't see us. No need to get them to hurry now. And don't look back,” he added when she started to turn around. “We don't want them to know that we know they're there.”

Annie nodded, but she was impatient to get away from the men, so as soon as she and Liam were out of sight among the trees, she urged Otis to break into a gallop. With Hunter galloping beside Otis, they kept going until they had put a good distance between
themselves and their pursuers, then slowed to look for a side road that Liam remembered having traveled years before. That road took them only partway before they were looking for another.

They had angled back and forth heading northwest for some time when Liam stopped to look around. “Are we lost?” Annie asked, although she wasn't really worried. One of the few fairy-given christening gifts Liam had received had been an impeccable sense of direction. Unfortunately, it worked only when he wasn't near Annie.

“Just a minute.” Liam rode off a short distance and sat looking in every direction. “It's that way,” he said a moment later, turning his horse.

It took them only a few hours to reach the bank of the Crystal River across from the town of Farley's Crossing, where the only ferry on the river was located. Unfortunately, the ferry wasn't there, but they could see it docked on the opposite bank.

“Look, people are lining up to get on,” said Annie. “They should be here soon.”

Liam's expression was grim. “I hope so. If those men take the roads, they'll be here in a few hours. I don't want to be stuck on this side when they arrive.”

“I'll go see where they are,” said the finch.

“I didn't know she was still with us,” Annie said as the little bird flew off.

“I didn't, either,” said Liam. “How do you know it's a she?”

“Her drab brown feathers,” Annie replied. “A male would have brighter colors. One of the stable boys taught me about birds years ago. I guess it's good that we didn't notice her. That means those men probably won't either.”

“She is proving to be more useful than I thought,” said Liam. “It will help to know where those men are.”

While they waited for the ferry, Annie and Liam dismounted and let their horses nibble the grass along the riverbank. They watched as people boarded the ferry, waiting with growing impatience while the ferrymen took their time getting started. An elderly man and his three adult daughters joined Annie and Liam on their side of the river, forming their own line behind them. When the ferry finally arrived, Annie and Liam had to wait for the passengers to disembark.

Annie and Liam were leading their horses toward the ferry, planning to get on, when the old ferryman in charge held up his hand and shook his head. “Not yet, folks. If we sit a spell, more passengers are bound to show up. Even if they don't, my men need a break before we go back.”

“And how long do you expect this break to last?” asked Liam.

The ferryman gave him a sour look. “As long as it needs to. If you don't like it, you can go the long way around.”

“Or your men could take their break after they give us a ride across and earn some extra money
doing it,” Liam said, flipping a gold coin in the air and catching it.

“Or they could do that,” the ferryman said, his fingers twitching as if he'd wanted to catch the coin.

Everything happened quickly then. Annie and Liam walked their horses on with the elderly man and his daughters trailing behind. As soon as they were on board, the ferrymen began hauling them across the river. They were part of the way across when Annie glanced back, wondering what had become of the little finch.

Although Otis didn't seem to mind the ride, the bouncing and shaking of the ferry and the slapping of the waves against its side made Hunter restless. One of the women's horses on the back of the ferry was so agitated that Annie was afraid it was going to hurt someone; she was glad when they reached the other side without incident.

The moment they stopped, the old ferryman held out his hand. Liam tossed him the gold coin as he walked Hunter onto the dock, mounting up once they were on dry land. Annie and Otis followed them to shore, and they rode through Farley's Crossing side by side. They were passing the Gasping Guppy when the finch landed on Liam's arm.

“Did you see the men?” asked Liam.

“I did,” said the finch. “They won't be following you anytime soon. I flew into the face of one of the horses.
It got scared and stood on its back legs and dumped its rider off. The other horse got scared, too, and tripped over a log. It's lame now and the man who fell off his horse is very sore. But they aren't the ones you should worry about. The two men who went the other way are here now. They saw you get off the ferry. They're waiting just down the street.”

“Good to know,” said Liam. “Thank you!”

“This is fun!” said the finch. “I've never done anything like this before.”

“What do you want to do?” Annie asked Liam. “Ride fast through town or try to evade them?”

“Evade, then ride fast,” said Liam. “We'll go this way first.”

Turning left, they rode between the Gasping Guppy and the stable next door. After rounding the back of the stable, they rode through the trees and underbrush that defined the edge of town, returning to the road only after they were well past Farley's Crossing.

Annie had no idea how to reach the Garden of Happiness from this direction, but Liam knew precisely where to go. They had been there before, and Liam could find his way anywhere he had visited at least once.

The sky was growing dark earlier than Annie had expected when she looked up to see clouds gathering overhead. “It's going to rain,” she told Liam. “Do you think we'll reach the garden soon?”

“If we had a road to take us straight there, probably. As it is, we'll have to spend the night in the forest. We should try to find shelter before the rain begins,” Liam said, giving the sky an appraising look. “The wind is picking up. It looks as if we're heading into a storm.”

Annie was startled when the finch landed on her arm. She chirped at Annie, but when she gave her a blank look, the little bird left and flew to Liam. “Why can't I talk like a human when I land on the girl?” the bird asked him.

“Because magic doesn't work near me,” Annie answered for Liam.

“Oh,” said the finch. “I'll try to remember that. I came to tell you that those men are behind you. They've been
on your trail for a while now. I didn't see him before, but there must have been another one waiting outside of that bunch of houses. He's with them now. I think he told them that you'd gone past.”

“They probably don't want to show themselves until dark,” said Liam. “Let's see if we can lose them.”

They rode faster then, staying on the road for as long as they could. Annie was hoping that they had already lost the men when one of the horses following them whinnied. Although Otis didn't respond, Hunter screamed back.

“One of those men must be riding a mare in heat,” said Liam. “I should never have chosen a stallion.” When it happened again a few miles down the road, Liam jerked on the reins and muttered under his breath.

It started to rain and Annie expected Liam to want to find shelter, but he seemed more intent on distancing them from their pursuers than on getting out of the rain. She looked up when the finch returned, hoping the little bird was bringing good news. Landing on Liam's arm, the finch shook rain from her feathers and said, “Those men are coming up the last hill. They're going to catch up to you soon.”

“That's all right,” said Liam. “We're leaving the road now anyway.”

Annie looked past him into the forest. “These woods look familiar.”

“They should,” Liam told her. “This is where we met Prince Cozwald.”