by Gin Hollan
Did he mean this? This … situation … was an act? His anger was a show ... but why? Or did he mean Andun? She glanced at the kid. He seemed sincere. She was going to over-think it to the point of paranoia if Sam didn't elaborate soon. She'd let it slide, for now. If he wanted to talk in code, he should have worked it out with her in advance. Then it hit her: they had. It was ten years ago, but they were simply trying to get her out of a mess at the time.
Arabeth smiled, then covered it. He was being serious right now.
"Can we stop a moment? I drank too much coffee," Andun asked. "That town." He pointed.
He'd been trying to get there ever since they left Ocean City. It must be the next location.
"I agree. We're wearing the horses down." She stared at Sam a moment. "You can go on ahead, if you want, Andun, but we need a break."
She turned and nodded at the prince. "Go ahead. We'll follow."
Andun hesitated then walked away, down the road.
// Chapter 30 //
SAM REACHED OUT and grabbed her arm. "What are you doing?"
Arabeth glared. "Trust me."
"You mean trust him."
She pursed her lips, considering how to make him understand. "As you have realized, there is more going on here than meets the eye. He has a bigger role in future events, and he needs my help. And eventually, my parents’ help."
"What do you mean?"
"I can explain as we go," Arabeth said.
Sam hesitated, twitching his head to one side as he seemed to wince. "We have a lot to talk about." He pulled her to a stop, then reached into her jacket pocket. Pulling out the red crystal, he walked to Davin's saddlebags and dropped it in with the mute ones.
"What was that about?" she asked.
“Putting on a bit of a show. Don’t worry.” He took one of her hands as they started walking again. "Let's catch up before he gets us lost."
"A show? For who?"
"The crystal watchers," Sam said.
"Who?"
"I meant it when I said everything we’ve been told was a lie. I learnt a lot when I helped you two escape. One thing—one critical thing—is that we weren't only locked behind the mountain. We have been controlled, in a sense. You and I, for example, were manipulated into choosing our occupations, friends, and more."
Arabeth stared, not quite sure what he meant by that. She was sure of one thing, though. "Andun hasn't been lying to me."
Sam stopped and faced her. He held a hand fingers upward, palm toward Arabeth. "Mirror me but don't make contact."
Curious, Arabeth raised her hand.
"See? You can easily anticipate what I'm about to do. You 'read' me. Our temperaments match, our work choices are complementary, and when you got married to the wrong man, I shut down."
Arabeth lowered her hand. "That's all because we've been friends forever."
"How could we have been friends otherwise? When we first met, we had virtually nothing in common." He took her hand again and resumed walking.
"We met at the public swimming pool," Arabeth said.
"And you hate swimming," Sam replied.
Arabeth shrugged. "What does it mean, though? You talk as though we're predestined."
"I'll admit, free will is still a factor and I believe in fate's hand, but there's another designer at work. We've been 'tuned' to each other."
"What?" He was making her nervous with his insistence that they were programmed, somehow.
"I haven't got all the facts yet," Sam admitted.
"And how did you find this out?" Arabeth asked.
He looked up at the sky, making an odd face. "Melanie."
"Okay, how did she find out?"
"These odd crystals.... They are used for communication."
"Right, I know that part," Arabeth said.
"They can also be used to share memories."
That sounded delusional. Her eyes narrowed as he waited for her to accept what he’d said. "You need sleep," she said.
"I'll show you how, once we have a bit of privacy. She knew you'd be a sceptic, so she showed me instead."
"Still, it would have been good for her to tell me."
"Training happens in layers. She didn't find out until later, when they made her appointment official."
Arabeth sighed. This needed to be a dream. A weird one, but still a dream.
"Andun is going to start coming apart at the edges," Sam said softly.
"What do you mean?"
"His memories are not his own. They call it memory cloning. It’s a kind of brainwashing."
Arabeth squinted at him.
"He's not the real prince, but he's been given all the prince's memories. They'll fade and start to clash with his own," Sam said.
"You're going to say that's another trick done with these crystals."
He nodded.
"Why did they do it?" Arabeth asked.
"Until we rescued him, they were using him to find the places the prince hid things. I'm not sure what was hidden, but apparently they need them to make changes to the law."
"So, things like a royal seal and so forth?"
He nodded. "That sounds right."
"Interesting theory." Arabeth sighed again. "I'm afraid you've been misinformed."
"It’s true," he insisted. "The real prince is being held prisoner until this fake one can get all the items. Then they will both mysteriously vanish, or worse."
"No, this is the real guy. Someone mixed fact and falsehood, to slow us down, to make us doubt," Arabeth insisted. "I don't care how perfect this ... memory manipulation is—he would show symptoms. Moments of confusion and the like. And he hasn't been gathering proof of his identity or royal seals and so on."
Sam grimaced and shook his head. "We'll do it the hard way, then. When he starts to fall apart, don't say I didn't warn you."
Arabeth didn't have a response for that. She was sure he was wrong about the prince, and he was certain he was right. Arabeth picked up her pace until she caught up with Andun.
"There's a part here?" she asked him.
"Yes, the last one." He was fidgeting and looking around as though he expected an ambush. "You're sure we can trust your friend?"
"Mostly. He won't do anything to harm us, if that's what you mean."
"And he trusts you, but not me. That's clear," Andun said.
"It'll take time," Arabeth admitted.
"We trust in layers," he said, showing odd maturity for his age. "The last piece is in the livery here, in the tack room."
"Easy enough. I'll keep the stable master busy," Sam said, having caught up. "Walking in like this, it'll be easy to convince them we need a horse doctor." He patted Davin on the neck. "She's been through a lot lately."
They found the livery on the near side of the town, and with it coming to dusk, the stable master was doing his preparations for the night. Sam walked slower than Andun and Arabeth, looking at Davin with concern as he did. While he kept the stable master busy outside, Andun went to the only fully enclosed space inside.
"It should be inside one of the storage lockers, at the back." He walked to a wall of lockers, to the one farthest from the door. Moving a few items out for Arabeth to hold, he slid a four-inch panel open. From inside, he pulled out a long, jagged shape and stuck it quickly in his pocket before sliding the panel back into place, making it nearly invisible again.
"How did you know that was there?" Arabeth asked. She wanted to poke at the potential memory gaps, hoping that made the fading of the implanted memories less jarring.
He simply grinned. "Same pattern. I know the general spot and the rest is logic."
That had been his answer in every location.
"How many more towns are there?" Sam asked.
"That's it. I just have to combine them now and take them to the council. I think I should get a new disguise."
"Not here," Arabeth cautioned.
"As soon as possible," Andun said. "The key will take me directly there."
&
nbsp; "Take you?" Sam asked.
"I'm not sure what that means, but without the key, there's no way to tell where to go."
Arabeth put both hands in her pockets but snatched them out immediately, surprised by a sudden contact from Melanie. Her friend was nearly screaming as though the volume would get Arabeth's attention even when not touching the crystal. She eased her hand back into the pocket, this time prepared.
'Arabeth, Graham came back. He's building explosives and talking like a madman. He says Blastborn has been destroyed. You have to go back to Owen and figure out what's going on.'
"I know that look," Sam said. "That usually means there's trouble."
"Graham is in Owen, building explosives and babbling."
A flash of anger crossed Sam's eyes. "Why?" He stood up and crossed over to the coat rack, pulling it roughly off. "Clearly we need to intervene."
"Agreed."
Andun raised his hand to ask a question. "Aside from being your friend, who is Graham?"
"That's all you need to know. And that we are going to help him. I suggest we find you a safe place to hole up." Sam had his boots on now.
"We'll come up with a plan on the way, I'm guessing?" Arabeth asked.
"You need me. I know that city like the back of my hand," Andun said. "Where is he being held?"
"Some place called the Manor." Arabeth reached into her pocket, hoping for an update from Melanie.
"You're saying this has nothing to do with me." Andun's voice lowered as he looked from Arabeth to Sam. "And you want me to hide away until you get back?"
There was silence amongst the group for a moment.
"Where is the honour in that? You've been helping me. It's easy. If we get captured, I don't know you guys," Andun said with a mischievous look in his eyes.
"No. Since Andun is being hunted, we will leave without him." Arabeth held up one hand to forestall any argument, though they seemed perplexed by her phrasing. "It will just be myself, Sam, and a rookie reporter looking to make a name for himself as we head to Owen. After all, we would be idiots to risk the future king. That alone would be treason."
"Do I have to wear that horrible itchy tunic again? You know that's the same as torture, right?"
"As a reporter, you prefer clothing that lets you go unnoticed. There is a certain logic to it."
Andun gave a mock shudder. "As you command, Lady Arabeth."
Arabeth lightly smacked her forehead. "What was your name again, boy?"
"I am known only as That Knave, my lady."
"Ah, right. Leonard, the amateur jester."
"Are you two finished?" Sam frowned. "It sounds like you're rehearsing to get caught."
"We'll need to get him shaved and dye his hair black this time." Arabeth winked at Sam, catching him off-guard, which made her smile more broadly.
The joking helped with her nerves and she hoped it helped the others as well. It wasn't technically far to Owen from here, if they went straight. They'd need a third horse or a buggy.
"What if we don't go the usual way down?" Andun suggested.
"Is there another way?" Sam asked.
"I've seen maps where a tunnel is drawn in. It's not on the official map. All we have to do is find it."
"I like stealth." Arabeth waved for him to continue talking. "But are you sure that's not the shuttle track?"
"Do you have your map?" Sam asked.
Arabeth pulled it out and set it on the table between them, now that Sam's curiosity had been drawn out.
"If you follow this edge," his finger traced a spot marked as a cliff, "where it passes this group of trees, there is a steep line almost straight down. There should be ropes to help with descending. If there's a shuttle, there will be tracks."
"What can you tell us about Owen?" Arabeth asked. "I only got the most cursory information while we were there."
"As with all the kingdom, rule of law is handled by the regional Men-At-Arms. This region is part of the Grimshaw clan, when they get along well enough. About ten years ago Bandor Grimshaw was forced out. They haven't sent a report to the capital since."
"When your parents passed away. That right?" asked Sam.
Andun nodded. "I would like to find out if it's resistance to the advisor, or to me."
"Why are there no regional squabbles?" Arabeth wondered. "I would have thought a siloed system would create more trouble than it’s worth." She asked this question more for Sam's sake than for her own.
"I believe it has to do with the Seers. Because of how they can check in remotely, there is a layer of accountability," Andun said.
"But if you haven't got an army, why do they care?" Arabeth wondered. "I'm sorry. I just don't understand.”
"Once we get inside, where do we go?" Sam asked.
"They'll hold him in the arboretum." Andun put his finger on a large circle in the middle. "The criminals water the plants and do other simple horticultural tasks. Idle hands are the devil's playthings, and all that."
"No one saw your squire arrive late yesterday. We should wait until it's dark again to leave, so they can't verify the facts," Andun said.
"They have him gardening?" Sam sounded confused.
A short laugh burst out of Arabeth and she covered her mouth. "It may be good for him, except for the eventual trial and his being an exile and all."
"It may also be their aim to reduce the number of people loyal to you," Andun said. "I understand alliances and loyalty. Even in a rebellion, there are people loyal to the crown. If they can get Graham to turn on you, what would they gain?"
Arabeth's brows furrowed. "Gain? Nothing, really. It's not like we have prestige or power."
"What about back home?"
Yes, that was different. Her parents were some of the wealthiest citizens there. Even if she didn't pay attention to it, their status impacted her life. "That should have no bearing."
"You're here, proving your kind aren't a power-hungry mob of murderers. I think people are noticing. They may think it's time to invite you all back out."
"Most people don't know where we're really from, and when they do, they're not scared," Arabeth noted. "They're curious."
"Well, you don't look like the monsters of yore."
Arabeth chuckled. "Back on topic. We need a plan."
She didn't want to scare the boy by telling him about Sebastian, but they needed to get it all out in the open. He had to be behind this, at least partially. His belonging to a large, powerful group was alluded to while they visited.
And then there was Clare. She was an authority in Owen. She was the one who had sent Graham off in the shuttle, but then apparently didn't? And could they trust Kennen? Probably. He was with Melanie, but from the Owen area.
She needed someone they could trust. Was it only Andun? Hopefully none of the gypsies were involved. Their kindness with giving her Davin and the pistol may have been good business sense, not a personal choice. The pistol they had given her had worked flawlessly thus far. She suddenly patted her coat, checking to make sure she still had it. She had completely forgotten about that. She pulled it out slowly and aimed it nowhere in particular. That didn't stop Andun giving a light yelp at the sight of it.
"Careful where you point that thing." He smiled nervously. "At least we do have one advantage. Those are rare."
Arabeth laughed. "I'm just wondering about recharge times, and hoping I won't need it."
"Let's all hope that." Sam guided the pistol back inside her coat.
As they cleared the room, Arabeth set a row of pillows under a blanket, just in case someone peeked in looking for an occupant. They put the ‘no housekeeping’ sign up. That would delay a room inspection, but only for a couple days.
// Chapter 31 //
ANDUN'S NEW DISGUISE seemed to work. The innkeeper asked if the other guest would be staying. Arabeth nodded and paid for two more nights’ room and board.
Next, a shopkeeper bundled up a blue shirt, black vest, and black trousers. Andun was truly a young j
ournalist this time, latching on to what he hoped would be a compelling story or series of articles. He needed to make a name for himself, writing about their travels, before he could return home victorious.
Andun hammed it up, talking about how this story would make him famous and winking at the shopkeeper's daughter, who simply rolled her eyes and turned away, but not without a blush.
It was closing in on dusk as they headed out. Arabeth held the red crystal in a tight grip, hoping Melanie would say something. Anything. What was their actual deadline? Had Melanie come up with a plan, or would they be winging it? What was Clara's take on all this, and why had Graham's shuttle come back to Owen?
There were too many questions, and they seemed to multiply in the dark of her mind.
"Oh right.... We need press credentials for you, don't we?" Arabeth suddenly stopped walking.
"He's young enough. He can say he's working on the cuff," Sam suggested.
"Exactly." Arabeth smiled as she reached up and messed up Andun's hair. The kid was growing on her, it seemed.
He stood stunned a moment, then laughed. "It's a good thing you're a foreigner. I'll overlook that."
"I know it's another mouth to feed, but we will need a third horse. Davin isn't going to pull a wagon big enough for both of us. Not over a long distance."
At the stable they found a man in his late fifties tending their two horses. He looked the group over with a nod.
"I do not lease horses, and I do not sell them cheap. I do have a buggy, but it is not a gypsy contraption."
Arabeth was wishing they hadn’t been forced to abandon theirs in Owen. As the silence stretched, Arabeth knew she didn't have the money for another horse. "Is there a way we could earn one? The horse, I mean."
"If the future king were here, he could commandeer it," the man said with a knowing eye.
A sudden dread shivered through Arabeth. Had they been that transparent?
The man started to laugh, loud and hearty. "You don't recognize me, boy?" he said, looking at Andun.
Andun looked embarrassed. "I wanted to test this disguise."
"Not a bad idea. If you hadn't spent so many hours here covered in soot and smithy ash, I'm sure it would work."
