The Snowy Tower

by Belinda Murrell

‘Shut your mouths right now, or that young laddie will be feeling the curve of my cutlass,’ he hissed, before slamming the door shut again. Lily and Ethan stopped shouting at once.

  From outside they could hear the sound of voices, then the sound of boots approaching the front door. Perhaps the passers-by had heard them and were coming to investigate?

  More voices, this time from inside the cabin. The door opened once more and the guard returned, dragging Lily roughly to her feet. He untied the knots that bound her hands and feet, then untied Ethan’s feet.

  Through the open door, they could now hear two familiar voices talking. The hope unfurling in Lily and Ethan’s hearts immediately withered. The visitors were not here to rescue them.

  ‘Well, you certainly covered some ground yesterday, Sniffer,’ congratulated Captain Malish. ‘We had trouble catching up with you.’

  ‘Yes, sir,’ Sniffer replied. ‘I wanted to follow any tiny lead that might help me track down the princess, and as you will see it paid off. We captured one of the lads as well.’

  The guard prodded Lily forward. Lily took a deep breath, then pulled herself up as tall as she could, unconsciously mimicking Roana’s regal deportment, before she walked into the next room, Ethan following behind. Her attempt at dignity was a little spoiled by the blood circulation that had been cut off from her feet for so many hours. Instead of striding bravely through the door, she had to hobble and stumble.

  Standing in front of the cabin fire stood three men. Sniffer smiled proudly, his chest puffed out, like a bantam rooster in the farmyard, surveying his flock. Captain Malish turned to Lily uncertainly, examining her long tangled blonde hair, her defiant blood-streaked face, her filthy skirts. The third man was Lord Mortimer. He was wearing a smirk of unbridled joy. He waited impatiently, looking past Ethan to the room behind.

  ‘Well, where is my sweet little bride?’ Lord Mortimer asked eagerly. ‘Perhaps we should skip the huge court wedding and just have a brief private ceremony back in Tira today. I think we have wasted enough time already.’

  Captain Malish smirked to himself. He doubted that Governor Lazlac would be allowing the traitorous Lord Mortma to become king, but there was no harm in encouraging the delusion for a little while longer.

  ‘Your bride?’ asked Sniffer uncertainly, gesturing towards Lily. ‘Princess Roana is right here. I found her travelling with the three boys and the big vicious dog, just as our intelligence said.’

  ‘That village brat is certainly not Princess Roana,’ spat Lord Mortimer, his face twisted with venom. ‘I couldn’t care less about these useless children. You should have left them in the forest to starve. Your intelligence was wrong. The last time I saw Princess Roana, she was dressed as a beggar boy. You have let her escape and I want her found – now!’

  Lily stood defiant, as all eyes stared at her in shock. She was furious with anger, at Lord Mortimer’s words and the immensity of his betrayal.

  The rest of the room broke into confusion at this announcement. Sniffer went pale and bit his lip, all puff evaporated. Captain Malish fussed about, soothing Lord Mortimer’s vitriol, ordering soldiers to saddle horses, barking at the guard to lock Ethan and Lily back in the storeroom. Lord Mortimer stormed around the room swearing and kicking furniture, seething with frustration. Soldiers sprang to ready the horses.

  The cutlass-wielding Sedah guard hustled Lily and Ethan back into the storeroom. He scooped up the ropes and hurriedly wound a length of rope around Lily’s body, knotting it at the back. He did not bother with their feet. The door was locked and soon there were noises of horses whickering and sidestepping, men mounting and shouting and a rumble of hooves as the cavalcade cantered out of the glade.

  The cabin was silent and still. Lily and Ethan waited anxiously. Were they alone? Did Saxon and Roana have enough of a head start to escape? Would the odious Sniffer and Lord Mortimer find them despite all their endeavours?

  In the forest clearing, Roana and Saxon were pushed forward into the flickering glow of the fire. Fifteen men sat around the blaze. Four held bloody daggers, which they were using to skin a few rabbits.

  ‘Who are you?’ demanded the leader of the group, untying the gags and examining Roana and Saxon’s faces carefully.

  ‘Two brothers lost in the forest while hunting,’ Saxon answered quickly, offering up his bound hands. ‘So if you just let us go, we will be getting off home – our parents will be frantic.’

  ‘You don’t look like brothers,’ replied the leader tersely. ‘And I know you weren’t hunting. We’ve been following you all day.’

  Saxon bit his lip.

  ‘Can you tell me why nearly twenty Sedah soldiers have been chasing four children and a dog, at breakneck speed, all over the countryside?’

  Saxon said nothing, scuffing his boots in the dirt, as he tried to think.

  ‘I presume you have something, or someone, that the Sedahs want quite badly,’ the leader continued, glancing at Roana.

  Roana’s heart hammered frantically in her chest. Her eyes darted around the clearing, searching for escape, searching for anything that might help them out of this predicament.

  ‘Well …’ Saxon mused. ‘I suppose we should tell them what’s true, don’t you think, Rowan, and just whoa? Just give in and tell them what they want to know …’

  Roana glanced at Saxon in confusion. Then she remembered two things. She remembered the sign Saira the Wise had shown them, which when you looked at it one way, said True, but when you looked at it upside down said False. She also remembered Sniffer’s ambush a few days ago, when Fox had commanded the smugglers’ ponies to ‘whoa’. The ponies had immediately sprung into a full gallop, surprising the Sedahs and allowing them to escape.

  ‘Yes,’ replied Roana cautiously. ‘We should not be false.’

  ‘Good idea,’ agreed the leader approvingly. ‘So why –’

  He never finished his sentence. Saxon dropped his head and rammed it straight into the leader’s stomach with all his strength, yelling ‘WHOA’ at the top of his voice.

  Roana obediently turned and ran as fast as she could for the shelter of the forest. For a moment, all was confusion as men ran to help their leader and struggled to drag Saxon away. For a moment, no-one thought about the smaller boy, dashing for the forest. Roana ran as fast as she could, the safety of the forest drawing closer and closer.

  Then she heard footsteps pounding behind her, slowly gaining on her. Adrenalin gave her an extra burst of speed, but still the footsteps thudded closer. One of her pursuers dived for her legs, knocking them out from under her. Roana fell heavily to the ground, all the breath knocked from her body. She was dragged back to the fire, gasping for breath, and trying desperately not to cry.

  ‘Tie them up,’ barked the leader. ‘Tightly.’

  Willing hands trussed them up so that they were sitting on the ground back to back, their legs stretched out in front. Blood poured from Saxon’s lip. Roana ached all over.

  ‘Now, I don’t think I made myself quite clear,’ the leader said grimly. ‘I think you and I are probably on the same side. We are Tiregians, and it is our sworn duty to force the Sedahs to leave our lands. You, I take it, are fleeing from the Sedahs? So I guess the Sedahs are your enemies too?’

  ‘Bitter enemies,’ spat Roana impetuously. ‘I hate them with all my heart.’

  Saxon nudged Roana sharply.

  The leader smiled. ‘Good, then perhaps we can work together.’

  At that moment, a large man with a black beard ran into the clearing. He looked thrillingly, heartwarmingly familiar.

  ‘George?’ Saxon cried. ‘George, the blacksmith, from Kenley?’

  The large man turned immediately, ‘Saxon? By the blessed Sun Lord, what are you doing here?’

  ‘What are you doing here?’ retorted Saxon, his face twisting with conflicting emotions.

  ‘Training with the Tiregian rebels, of course,’ roared George. ‘There are two hundred of us here, men, women and children, hiding
in small groups in the forest, waiting for our chance to strike against the Sedah. Working for the day we can rid our country of this evil vermin.’

  The leader of the rebels looked from George to Saxon to Roana. ‘You know this lad, George?’ he asked.

  ‘Known him since he were a swaddled babe,’ replied George. ‘Saxon’s father left him in my care two months ago, but he disappeared during the Sedah invasion. I thought he was on his way to Sedah as a slave by now.’

  ‘And you can vouch for him?’ the leader pressed.

  ‘With my life, Sam,’ George grinned. ‘Though he’s probably more mischief than he’s worth.’

  ‘Good.’ Sam sighed. ‘I think we are finally getting somewhere. Why don’t we eat and talk over everything? Did you have a message for me, George?’

  ‘Oh, I completely forgot,’ George said. ‘The woodcutter’s family arrived in the eastern rebel camp, saying the Sedah had commandeered their cottage and had thrown them out into the forest. They had two prisoners with them – two children.’

  ‘Ethan and Lily!’ exclaimed Roana.

  ‘Ethan and Lily?’ repeated George, pale with shock.

  ‘You know the others as well?’ asked Sam, grinning. ‘It’s quite a Kenley gathering, isn’t it? And this young lad’s from Kenley too?’

  ‘No,’ frowned George. ‘Though he does look a bit familiar …’

  Roana smiled and shrugged her shoulders noncommittally.

  Saxon and Roana were untied and given roast rabbit to chew. A few moments later a bedraggled, wounded Aisha limped into the camp site, her ears and tail drooping. Roana and Saxon cleaned her cut with water, stroking her head and soothing her with loving words.

  ‘Do not fret, Aisha. We will find Lily and Ethan and rescue them, as soon as we can,’ Roana promised. Aisha whimpered in answer, too despondent to eat.

  Roana looked worried. ‘I wish I had some of Lily’s ointments to dress Aisha’s wound. It looks nasty, and quite deep. I hope she will be all right.’

  Aisha lifted her ears slightly at the sound of her name, but slumped back uneasily. She shivered. At last Aisha slept, but Roana could hear her whimpering and twitching in her sleep.

  ‘So, now we know we are on the same side, but what about the Sedah?’ asked Sam, resuming his questioning. ‘Why are they chasing you, and do you think they will come after you two as well, now that they have caught your friends?’

  Saxon thought carefully. He was certain that Sniffer would come after them as soon as he realised Ethan and Lily did not have the gems, and he knew from bitter experience how skilled Sniffer was at tracking. But how much to reveal to the rebels? He needed to ensure their help, but their true quest must remain secret.

  ‘I am sure the Sedahs will come after us, and soon,’ Saxon replied. ‘Their leader is Sniffer, an expert tracker. They are after us because we offended Lord Lazlac trying to help Tiregian.’

  Sam looked skeptical, glancing at the two dishevelled children.

  ‘Ethan and Lily helped dozens of prisoners escape the Sedahs at Kenley,’ confirmed George, beaming proudly at the memory.

  ‘That was the other children,’ Sam said. ‘What about you two? Why do the Sedahs want you as well?’

  Everyone stared at Saxon and Roana expectantly. Roana took a deep breath.

  ‘May we speak with you privately, in the greatest confidence?’ requested Roana.

  Sam, George, Roana and Saxon withdrew into the shadows outside the circle of the fire. Roana drew herself up tall.

  ‘I am the Princess Roana,’ she announced. ‘The Sedahs wish to capture me, like my mother, the queen, and my brother, Prince Caspar.’

  Sam and George gasped with amazement. George glanced at Saxon for confirmation, who nodded gravely.

  ‘I thought you looked familiar,’ cried George. ‘I mean, sorry, your highness.’ He ducked into a clumsy bow, followed by Sam.

  ‘Your highness, of course we’ll do all we can to help you,’ Sam promised. ‘I’d love to teach those Sedahs a good lesson.’

  Together, Roana, Saxon, Sam and George sat up around the fire planning strategies until late in the night. At last, Roana curled up gratefully in her cloak, surreptitiously feeling the precious lumps in the hem. She finally fell asleep, listening to the soft sounds of the forest in the dark.

  The Sedah troops cantered easily through the early morning forest, fingers of sunlight poking through the tree canopy. It was a fifteen-minute ride back to the clearing where they had found the children.

  Sniffer led the way, Captain Malish and Lord Mortimer at his side. In the clearing they found everything as they had left it. Under the trees were abandoned saddles, blankets and weapons all covered in dew. Ethan’s bow lay in the middle of the clearing, and a dagger lay down near the stream.

  Sniffer did not pause but continued to the west, following the clearly marked trail where the five horses had galloped away into the forest. Sniffer’s quick eyes noted smears of dried blood on some ferns, and some large uneven paw prints. Good, that blasted dog was seriously wounded. Hopefully it is dead already, Sniffer thought.

  The trail was easy to follow, with cracked branches, crushed ferns and scuffled leaf litter indicating the way. It twisted and turned for a couple of kilometres as the horses had tried to forge a path through the forest. At last Sniffer saw a slight movement in the forest ahead. He stopped his horse and held up his hand for silence.

  There was another sudden movement, and a muffled noise. Sniffer gestured to the rest of the party to stay behind, while he dismounted and crept on ahead for twenty metres. He peered through the undergrowth into a small glade.

  Here he could see five horses tethered – three well-bred hunters, a pure white pony and a black pony. The sturdy black pony whickered in warning, pawing the ground and shaking its head. A smile lit up Sniffer’s face. Huddled together under an overhanging fallen log, he could see two sleeping bodies – two children, covered with dark green cloaks.

  Sniffer crept back to his men, who dismounted and crowded around to listen to his report.

  ‘They are just up ahead,’ he whispered. ‘Sleeping. Now I want you four to creep around to the west, you four over to the south. I’ll take four men to the north, so we will have them surrounded. Leave the horses tethered here and go on foot as quietly as you can. When you hear my call, then we will strike.’

  Lord Mortimer gazed eagerly at the figures sleeping in the distance. ‘Remember, don’t injure the girl dressed as a boy!’ he said, already planning his wedding later that day.

  The soldiers nodded their understanding and crept off in the directions that Sniffer had specified. Lord Mortimer and Captain Malish stayed at the rear with the horses and four soldiers.

  Sniffer and his band of men crept to the north, moving slowly to avoid cracking branches. The children’s horses started nervously, snuffling the air for danger. One of the children stirred, but settled back to sleep again. Sniffer chose a spot with clear access to the glade. He paused for a few minutes, watching. There was no sign of the dog.

  Sniffer whistled softly into the morning air, ‘Too-wit-too-woo.’

  ‘Too-wit-too-woo,’ answered back from the east.

  Things happened quickly. Sniffer and his soldiers ran forward, spreading out over a few metres, eyes forward and daggers drawn. From the trees above, a man dressed in green dropped suddenly, landing on the last soldier, knocking him to the ground. Sniffer heard the thump of a body hitting the forest floor and turned around in surprise, ready to berate the soldier who had tripped. Another green flash jumped from behind a log, knocking his black-armoured target flying. Two more emerged from behind tree trunks, daggers in their hands.

  Before Sniffer could react, he realised that all four of his men were fighting, struggling, rolling on the ground with men dressed in green, who had sprung as if from the very soil. In a few moments, the four Sedah soldiers were deprived of weapons and tied up.

  Sniffer ran. He ran as fast as his short, stooped frame coul
d take him. He ran straight for the bodies of the two children sleeping in the clearing. One of them was the Princess Roana, and this time he was going to catch her.

  At that moment, Lily was struggling with the rope that bound her. She wriggled and twisted until at last the rope dropped free.

  Lily sighed with satisfaction. Ethan whistled in excitement.

  ‘Thank the Moon Goddess, you’re free,’ Ethan whispered. ‘The guard must’ve been in such a hurry that he tied the knots carelessly. Come and untie mine.’

  ‘Yes, he was in a hurry,’ Lily whispered, as her fingers worked at the knots that tied Ethan’s hands. ‘But I also thought of Caramel and how she always blows herself up like a barrel, so that when she releases her breath, the girth comes loose and slides off. So when he was tying me up the second time, I filled my lungs with air and puffed myself up as hard and strong as I could. The rope didn’t quite slide off, but it made it a lot easier to undo.’

  ‘That was clever,’ congratulated Ethan, grinning broadly as he rubbed blood back into his tingling fingers. ‘Thanks, that feels better. Now let’s see if we can get out of this cottage and find the others.’

  There was a small window at the back of the room. It was closed with barred wooden shutters. Ethan wriggled the bar free from the supports, cautiously pushing open the shutters and peeping out. There was no-one to be seen at the back of the cottage. Ethan climbed out and dropped quietly to the ground, followed by Lily. They crept around the back of the cottage, then slipped away into the forest.

  When they were far enough away from the cottage they risked whispering to each other.

  ‘Our packs are still somewhere in the cottage,’ Lily sighed, thinking of the thick jumpers that Fox had given them and the gloves lovingly knitted by her mother.

  ‘I know, it can’t be helped,’ Ethan agreed. ‘But Sniffer might be back at any time, and we should find Roana and Saxon. I think we should head back to the clearing where Sniffer caught us and try to follow their trail.’

  Together they set off, slipping through the forest in the shadows beside the track.