The Unwilling Accomplice (Book 5)

by Heidi Willard

  "Do not be ill at ease. I mean only to watch the practice. You have a pair of fine fighters here," he commented, gesturing to Pat and Canto.

  "They have seen a great deal of practice," Ned replied as they seated themselves again on the benches.

  The king took a seat on Ned's bench and lowered his voice so they would not easily be overheard. "I have heard some of where you have traveled. You have been on a long, difficult road," the king mused.

  "It has not been easy, but there have been entertainments along the way," Ned told him.

  "And where does your road lead you from here?" Theowin wondered.

  "We will travel through the Temple of Phaeton that lies southwest of here and glean what information we can about Palavar," Ned replied.

  "I had heard the Temple had sent out several priests to follow your trail," the king revealed.

  Ned turned to him with a raised eyebrow. "Do you know their purpose?" he wondered.

  The king shook his head. "Not at all, only that dispatches of crows have been sent from the cities you have visited to the Temple."

  Ned frowned and stroked his beard. "Most interesting that we have not been contacted before this time."

  "Is not the High Priest, Josiah Hathorne, an old acquaintance of yours?" Theowin asked him.

  Ned chuckled. "Yes, though acquaintanceship is a kind word for the relationship between us. We have often been at odds over even the slightest of matters. Once he wished to argue with me over the proper way to consume a fish. The fish proved my way was the better when he choked on a bone."

  "Most curious. If your relationship is as bitter as you say then how did Pat come to be your ward?" the king wondered.

  "A cruel fate, or so Hathorne would argue. I knew of the prophecy and offered to lend my services. Hathorne argued against my suggestion to lead her without an escort, but the other priests were adamant in their enlisting me and I would not have an entourage," Ned explained.

  "I see. Then he bears you another grudge in leading the young lady to her destiny. That may explain why he has not directly contacted you using his scouts. He wishes to shadow you, as it were," the king suggested.

  "Truth be told he was not informed of our plans to travel the world," Ned admitted. "The idea was forced upon us at Tramadore, and I did not think to converse with him on the matter. There is also a matter of a book I have borrowed without seeking his permission as High Priest."

  The king smiled. "A minor lapse in memory, I'm sure," he mused.

  Ned returned the smile. "Yes, a minor lapse on my part, and Hathorne will trail us to the ends of the world until he sees fit to call us back," Ned added.

  "Then perhaps you should avoid the Temple. It seems you are not as welcomed as I supposed," Theowin commented.

  "Perhaps, but we shall see where the winds blow us and it does lie in our path," Ned replied.

  Theowin chuckled and raised his voice. "I hope the winds blow you to the feast tonight. I have arranged for a ball in the Great Room and would be pleased if you would attend," he requested.

  Ned smiled and bowed his head. "Then I accept for us all," he agreed.

  "Good." Theowin stood and the others followed suit. "Then I shall see you all tonight."

  CHAPTER 15

  Fred's dreams were the hazy mix of half-memories and imagination poured into a cauldron of nightmares and fantasies. He vaguely remembered tossing and turning atop the sheets as his dreams swept him between fear and joy. The day slipped by and when he awoke he found the light outside was fading and Ruth sat beside him in a chair.

  Ruth smiled at him. "How do you feel?" she wondered.

  Fred sat up and rubbed the pillow marks from his face. "Like I slept too long. What hour is it?" asked her.

  "Nearly six," she replied.

  There was a gentle knock on the door. Fred looked up and Ruth tensed as the door swung open, but it revealed only Ned. He swept into the room with a bright smile on his face. "Good evening, my apprentice. How do you feel?"

  "Like I slept too long," Fred repeated.

  "You did sleep away most of the day, but rest is good for the-er, for the body," Ned commented. "But enough of that, we must prepare hurry down or we will be late for the ball."

  "A ball?" Ruth repeated. "Is there to be a ball?"

  "Yes, and there shall be fine music, dancing, and even enough food to satisfy the appetite of our dwarf friend," Ned replied. "I will relieve you of your guarding duties to assist Pat in dressing." There came a strangled cry of frustration from down the hall. "She is having a difficult time with her dress," Ned added with a chuckle.

  "Then if you will excuse me," Ruth replied. She hurried from the room.

  Ned turned back to find Fred rubbing his forehead. "Bad dreams?" Ned guessed.

  "Bad life," Fred answered.

  "Then let us to the dance for a small sampling of the better things, at least for a while," Ned suggested.

  Fred stood erect and gave a grim nod. "Very well. Lead on," he replied, resigned to his fate.

  The pair of castors journeyed downstairs to the ballroom that stood at the rear of the castle. The room was accessed via either of the hallways on the side of the stairs. They were not the last of the companions to join the festivities. Twenty minutes later and in the hallway where their rooms were located came a horrible cry of frustration. Ruth and Pat were in Pat's room dressing for the occasion. Pat stood on a short stool while Ruth tried to adjust the puffy blouse of her friend's dress. It refused to flatten against the chest enough to allow Pat to see where she was going.

  "Perhaps we should have allowed the maidens to help us again," Ruth suggested.

  Pat roughly patted down her poofy dress and growled. "It is terrible enough that we need dress in these ridiculous clothes. I will not be humiliated further by being helped into them by overly thin female elves," she snapped.

  "You needn't have been so impatient with them. They only wished to help," Ruth scolded her.

  Pat sighed and her folded clothes slumped with her. "Why do Ned and Fred have the fortune to wear their clothes while we are cursed with these dresses?" she grumbled.

  Ruth smiled and said nothing. Her friend was best left to complain about their predicaments rather than keep such rage hidden inside of herself. "There, I've finished," Ruth announced. She stepped back and tilted her head to one side. "Does it please you?" she wondered.

  Pat glanced down at herself and sighed. "It would please me to be able to see my feet, but this will do." She stepped off the stool and they heard faint wisps of music waft into their room. Pat frowned and turned to her friend. "What is the time?"

  "I do not know, but the music started half an hour ago," Ruth replied.

  Pat's mouth dropped open in horror. "Then we are late!" She grabbed Ruth's hand and rushed them from the room. They swept down the passage and past the top of the stairs.

  "Do you not wish to attend the ball?" Ruth asked her friend.

  "I would rather our tardy entrance be observed by as few people as possible, and there may be servants' stairs to the lower floor that may hide us from some of the prying eyes," Pat suggested.

  They traveled to the end of the hall and turned left at the corner. On either side of them were walls and the few torches hanging from them poorly lit the area. To their left Pat noticed an archway and inside that was a narrow stairwell. Pat hurried them to the stairwell, but stopped when she heard the faint sound of hushed voices speaking.

  "My own men would help, but we must be prepared to leave when the cargo comes aboard," the first voice commented. Pat was surprised to recognize the voice of Captain Lee. She turned to Ruth and saw her friend had the same expression of recognition and surprise.

  "I never forget that part of the plan. You scamper away while I remain behind," another voice grumbled. It was Ransan, cousin to Telana and Theowin.

  The captain chuckled. "You will be well-rewarded for your help, I assure you. If you play your part then all the blame will fall on my men and mys
elf."

  "But-"

  "Enough worrying, my dear lord. This will go splendidly. Now return to your party through the lower hall and I shall make my way around to the front. We wouldn't want anyone to suspect us before the surprise is sprung." Footsteps climbed the stairs, and before the girls could race back down the hall the captain rounded the corner on the circular stairs. His eyes fell on them and the smile on his face never faltered. He bowed to the ladies. "Good evening, ladies."

  Another pair of footsteps hurried up behind Captain Lee and Ransan's pale face was revealed to the women. His eyes flickered up to Lee. "What-"

  Captain Lee held up his hand and silenced his companion. "It seems you caught us in the act of planning a most delightful surprise," he told the ladies.

  Pat frowned. "What would that be?" she questioned him. She thought she could trust the captain, but seeing him with Ransan and with what she overheard her faith was shaken.

  The captain chuckled. "If I told you then it wouldn't be a surprise," he pointed out.

  "I dislike surprises," Pat returned.

  The captain bowed his head. "Then we are at an impasse, and I ask for the first dance as a reconciliation," he pleaded.

  "I am engaged for that dance," she lied.

  Captain Lee raised an eyebrow. "Truly? Ah! Do not tell me! It is with that fine young man, isn't it? Fred, his name was?" the captain wondered. Pat blushed, and the man smirked. "It seems we both keep our secrets even to ourselves, but at least let me offer to take you into the ballroom. A man can find no greater pleasure than to escort two beautiful young women into the dance hall."

  "I will gladly exchange your offer for the secret of the surprise," Pat persisted.

  The captain turned to his companion. "Should we tell them?" The cousin's face changed from pale to death-ashed. The captain chuckled and looked again to the ladies. "I'm afraid my friend wishes to celebrate his cousin's kingship with a fine gift of fireworks which he was helping me smuggle through the port. There. I have revealed my surprise." He leaned close to them and winked. "I wish you would not ruin this small surprise by telling anyone else about the show," he pleaded.

  "That is all it is?" Pat wondered.

  "That is all there is," the captain repeated.

  "Then we shall keep your secret. If you will excuse us." Pat hurried down the stairs past the pair with Ruth close behind.

  Ransan watched them leave with a trickle of sweat sliding down his temple. "Do you believe they suspect the truth?" he asked his fellow conspirator.

  The captain shrugged and smiled. "I cannot see how they can, and come tomorrow they will be too late to stop our surprise."

  CHAPTER 16

  Pat hurried Ruth down the stairs and across the wide hall to the back wall of the castle. In the wall was a pair of large doors opened wide and revealing the ballroom. It was a large room punctuated by columns to supported the high roof that stretched the full two floors of the castle. The left, right, and far back walls were covered in windows that looked out on the sea and a wide balcony beyond the back wall. On the far left and right back walls were the open doors that allowed entrance onto the balcony.

  The girls strode into the room forty minutes later than their other companions. The atmosphere in the ballroom was thick with fun and sweat. The dance floor was covered in couples dancing to the tune of a fine orchestra situated at the rear-center of the room. The refreshments were along the left wall, and there they saw their male counterparts. Ruth pulled on Pat's arm and guided her over to the wall a few feet away from the entrance doors. The noise of the room ensured they would not be overheard by anyone else.

  "Should we speak of what we overheard?" Ruth asked her friend.

  "What could we tell them? That they were planning a surprise of fireworks?" Pat pointed out.

  "But I do not trust the captain's words," Ruth argued.

  Pat furrowed her brow. "You believe he was lying?" she guessed.

  "Yes," Ruth replied.

  Pat pursed her lips and glanced behind them at the entrance doors. "To tell you the truth I, too, no longer trust this Captain Lee," she admitted. As she watched Ransan had entered shortly after them, and now the captain strode in with his wide smile on his face. He noticed her perusing him and bowed his head toward her. She bowed back, but couldn't manage a smile. "We shall see if anything comes of this, but for now we shall merely watch them," Pat advised her friend.

  The women continued over to the refreshment table where Canto stood by with a large, filled plate in his hand. He was eating as though half-starved. By him were Percy and Sins, and Fred and Ned stood closer to the center of the ballroom. Ned was greeted occasionally by the older elves, one of them being Tolen.

  The Head Librarian, attired in his usual garb, walked up to Ned and bowed to the castor. "It has been many years, Edwin Tisule," he commented.

  "Ned, if you will, my dear Tolen," Ned pleaded.

  "Do you change your name to change with the times, or do you find yourself to be a new man?" Tolen asked him.

  "Neither. I wish only for a shorter, simpler name, and one that shall not curse me with the nickname of 'Eddy,'" Ned replied.

  While the two old friends discussed names the rest of the party watched the dance with a mixture of interest and apprehension. Ruth leaned toward the elegant dancers and her eyes were filled with longing. Percy stepped up beside her and his eyes flickered from the innocent youth to the dark, brooding assassin. He glanced over his shoulder at Sins. "Sins, I wish for you to perform for me a very great, and pleasurable, favor," he told the assassin. Sins raised an eyebrow and Percy nodded to Ruth. "I would be obliged if you would have the pleasure of escorting Ruth through a dance or two."

  "I will not," Sins refused.

  Ruth's cheeks reddened with embarrassment and she shrank into herself. Percy set his hands on her shoulders and glared daggers at his assassin. "Come come, Sins, surely you can dance," he teased him.

  "Why are you not dancing?" a voice spoke up. They turned to see King Theowin with Telana. He was bedecked with his crown, and she with jewels that glittered in the light of the half-dozen chandeliers that hung above them. Telana also wore a feathered hat that accentuated her lithe body. The companions bowed to their royal highnesses, and he smiled at the young folk. "What travesty is this? So many young legs, and none of them to dance? Did I not hear someone invited to dance?"

  "I have offered the hand of this fair maiden to my retainer, but he seems unwilling," Percy spoke up as he nodded to Sins.

  The king turned to Sins and scrutinized the assassin. "I have heard and seen a great deal of assassins, but never have I had the pleasure of seeing one of them dance. Would you do me the honor of being the first?" he requested.

  Sins' eyes narrowed, but he moved to stand before Ruth and bowed to her. He held out his hand and turned his head up so their eyes met. "If you would do me the honor," he asked her.

  Ruth smiled and took his arm. "The honor is mine," she argued.

  The pair sauntered onto the dance floor and joined hands while his hand settled on her hip and her own on his shoulder. Sins led them into the rhythm of the waltz and they sailed across the floor. Theowin smiled and clapped his hands. "Marvelous! I have never seen better partners," he complimented them.

  Percy stepped up to Telana and offered her his arm. "If you would give me the pleasure of this dance?" he requested.

  She giggled and took his arm. "Gladly," she replied.

  They moved into the mix of dancers and were soon lost in the crowds. Theowin turned to the three remaining companions, one of which was still eating like his life, or future diet, depended on it. The king settled his gaze on Pat and Fred. "You two appear to be the same age. Why not try a dance?" he suggested.

  "I don't know how," Fred told him.

  "I am sure this young lady will remedy that situation. You can dance, can you not, Lady Pat?" Theowin asked her.

  "I can, Your Majesty, but I am tired," she argued.

  "Then t
he dance will awaken you," he countered. He took one of each of their hands and joined them. The pair both blushed and Pat looked at the floor. "Now be off with you or I will be sorely disappointed." It was a light threat, but Pat didn't wish to refuse the kind king's request.

  "Very well," she agreed. She turned without looking at Fred and led him to the dance floor. When they came to the floor Pat had no choice but to look at him, and she noticed his eyes were studying her face. "Is something the matter?" she asked him.

  "I really don't know how to dance," he repeated.

  Pat snorted and grasped his hand while her other settled on his shoulder. "Then we'll take this slow, and try not to step on my toes," she teased.

  Fred hesitantly set his hand on her hip and Pat drifted them into the music. They rocked to and fro in time with the soft beat and sailed between the other couples. There was silence between them for a few minutes until Pat coughed.

  "What was that?" Fred asked her.

  "I didn't say anything," she told him.

  "Oh." The silence returned until Pat dared to scrutinize Fred's pale appearance. He noticed her gazing intently at him. "What?"

  "How are you feeling?" she wondered.

  He shrugged, and they were nearly thrown from their swing. "Tired, but fine," he replied.

  "You didn't join us for lunch. Ned told us you were asleep. Did you sleep away the day?" she asked him.

  "Somehow I did, but I'm fine," he repeated.

  Pat pursed her lips and gazed into his eyes. "Are you still bothered by what we spoke of earlier?" she asked him.

  "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't," Fred replied.

  Pat smiled. "I'm sure the world will look better tomorrow," she comforted him.

  "Would it? Knowing I was the son of-well, of him?" Fred returned.

  "Regardless of the parentage of your soul, you are still yourself. No one can change that," she insisted.