Chapter Twenty-five Rescue With a gasp of shock, Sarrin turned to face the voice that had addressed her.

Her mouth gaped open as she behe d the most un ike y sight. ! young man, perhaps no o der than twenty, stood before her. "verything about him was go den, from his hair, to his eyes, even to the tanned shade of his skin. He a most seemed to g ow with a radiant ight, and Sarrin did not think she had ever seen anyone so incredib y beautifu . #Who are you$% she demanded, stepping back cautious y and p acing her hand instinctive y on the hi t of the Sword of Carrath-&oir. #'(m sure you do not recogni)e me,% the youth rep ied smooth y with a comforting smi e. #This is my true appearance, but in your wor d, ' am forced to take on other, repu sive forms as part of the unfair punishment imposed upon me so many ages ago.% #*ara+$% Sarrin asked with a gasp. #That is how you know me, yes. ' have another, more p easant name, if you wou d hear it.% Sarrin narrowed her eyes in suspicion and demanded, #We , *ara+, now that you have me here, what are do you going intend to do with me$% #,y dear, there is no need to be so defensive. Why shou d you think that ' wish to harm you$% With a disdainfu snort, Sarrin rep ied, #-erhaps it was the fact that you(ve besieged my and, ki ed my peop e, tormented those ' ove, and tried repeated y to kidnap me through more and more vio ent methods convinced me of that.% The beautifu youth aughed gai y and said, #.our b untness and honesty is are very refreshing, my dear. /ut you must understand that you(ve seen on y what others want you to see of me. '(m not who y evi , 0ust as those that you be ieve 1 ove( you are not who y good. We are a a mi+ture of the two. '(ve been forced to use more vio ent means to try and escape from this horrib e prison, but can you rea y b ame me$ 2ook around you. Wou d you want to spend eternity here$ ' simp y want to return to my beautifu home and, but there are those such as your father who wou d refuse me even that much. ' am forced to fight for my freedom. Sure y you, who have been imprisoned for so ong, must appreciate that.% Sarrin fe t a strange ure in his words, but she ignored his speech as the pack of ies she knew it to be. #'f you(re so innocent and my father is so terrib e for refusing your freedom, then why did you murder my grandfather and unc e before they even knew you(d escaped$ Why did you never appea to my father to et you ive peacefu y in some corner of the 3a con(s Hi s$ Why have you abored so ong to kidnap me$ .our words are very fine, *ara+, but they are ies, nonethe ess.% ! charming smi e en ightened the youth(s face. #,y dear princess4 ' admit to using somewhat ruth ess means to obtain my freedom, but have you not a so deceived and tricked to obtain your own ends$ !nd as to trying to kidnap you, '(m afraid that '(ve become aware of other needs that must be met, and on y you can fu fi them. That is why '(ve abored so ong to make you my guest here.% #.our guest$ .ou hard y issued an invitation.% #!gain, ' knew your parents wou d refuse any re5uest ' might make for your company,% *ara+ rep ied with a sarcastic augh. #Sti , my guest you now are, and if you wou d be so kind, ' wou d great y appreciate your company in my cast e.% #'( not go anywhere with you, *ara+,% Sarrin said nervous y, resting her hand on the hi t of her sword. #'( stay right here, thank you.% #-erhaps you might find that ob0ect you(re ooking for in my cast e$% *ara+ suggested. #How do you know what '(m ooking for$% #,y dear gir , why e se wou d you be here$ ' must assure you that your suspicions were correct6 you have indeed come to the right p ace. Come be my guest at my cast e 7 it(s 0ust four fur ongs or so away from here 7 and you wi find the ob0ect you are seeking.% Sarrin ooked around at the hori)on nervous y. She saw no sign of *ara+(s cast e. /ehind her, the dusty p ain stretched as far as she cou d see. /ehind *ara+, a we -beaten trai threaded through some hi s and disappeared around a bend in either direction. The hi s were a itt e greener than the desert behind Sarrin, and in the distance she saw some 8ueran horses cropping the itt e grass they cou d find. Sarrin fe t with her magic, but she cou d not detect the porta or its direction from her position.

#' think '( stay here, thanks,% Sarrin said. #'f you want to be he pfu , you cou d bring the ob0ect to me.% ! touch of anger darkened the go den eyes in *ara+(s face. #.ou are beginning to try my patience, my dear. .ou wi come to my cast e, whether you ike it or not.% #,ake me,% Sarrin demanded. #.ou itt e foo 4 9o you think you can resist my magic$% *ara+ stepped forward, his features growing ug y with anger and impatience. He attempted to grab Sarrin and cast a spe on her simu taneous y, but his attempt was met with a strong resistance, and he how ed in frustrated rage. Sarrin aughed. #9o you think '(m that stupid, *ara+$ '(m wearing the Shard. .ou cannot harm me.% *ara+ stepped back and stared at her through narrowed eyes. #We( see how ong you can stay out here in this barren waste and, Highness. &ow that you are here in :arganoth, ' can wait 5uite some time. .ou wi come to me, sooner or ater.% With that, he turned and disappeared in a f urry of magic. Sarrin sighed, aware that her hands were tremb ing from fear. She had e+pected *ara+ to be more aggressive, and the ease with which he gave up made her suspicious and nervous. She c osed her eyes to concentrate, but when she b ocked out the andscape with her c osed eyes, her mind fi ed with terrib e visions of tortured peop e and rotting corpses. She 5uick y opened her eyes once more to escape from the visions. She did not know how to make the magic she wanted to use work with her eyes open, though, so she forced them c osed once more. 'gnoring the dreadfu visions, she fe t with her magic. 'n one direction, she definite y detected a great number of bodies6 enough to make up an army. They surrounded a arge edifice that, to her magica y enhanced vision, throbbed with energy. That would be Xaraxs castle, she thought. Sarrin stretched out her energy to fee in other directions, but she found her magic impeded by a very strong spe . 'ts web wou d not break for her magic, and she knew she cou d not waste her energy in something that was probab y a use ess endeavor. Sarrin sighed and opened her eyes. She had earned enough from her attempt to te her that *ara+ did not want her to know where the porta was. Sti , there was nothing to prevent her from wa king around to search for it. She stepped onto the road and began to wa k in the direction opposite of *ara+(s cast e, c ose y e+amining the surrounding andscape as she went a ong. The hi s to her eft were fenced off to enc ose a herd of 8ueran horses. !t odd interva s, ;rgs stood watch a ong the fence ine. Sarrin wondered what they were guarding, for she cou d see nothing other than the giant horses within the fie ds. /etween the road and the pasture and, thick, b ack pudd es often stretched for severa ecrus and 5uivered as if possessing a ife of their own. Sarrin was disgusted by the odor that emanated from the pudd es. When passing particu ar y arge ones, it sme ed as if she were passing through the sump room in the ce ar of "ag e<s Rest where a the human waste was gathered before being f ushed out of the cast e. ;n her right, there was nothing but barren desert as far as her eyes cou d see. The scorched earth was ye owish and puffs of ye ow steam occasiona y emanated from cracks in the earth. When this happened, the air became so fou that it was a most impossib e to breathe, even with her magic. !fter wa king for ten minutes, the andscape had not changed significant y. Sarrin stopped and reached out with her magic once more, hoping that she(d passed the boundaries of the spe that *ara+ had cast to prevent her from seeing the porta . 'nstead she found that she(d somehow drawn c oser to his cast e. ;pening her eyes in shock, she ooked around to make sure that she had indeed been wa king the opposite direction of *ara+(s cast e. Her eyes confirmed that she had not been turned around somehow. Then how had she gotten c oser to *ara+(s cast e$ Sarrin c osed her eyes once again, despite her re uctance to endure the images that fi ed her mind when she did. She carefu y traced the spe that prevented her from finding the porta with her magic and found a second, more devious spe imbedded in the threads of the first. The second spe charmed the road so that no matter which direction she wa ked, it wou d a ways bring her c oser to *ara+(s cast e. With a defeated sigh, Sarrin dropped to the road where she stood and buried her head in her hands. She cou d not see a way around *ara+(s spe . She knew that if it was so important to *ara+ that she be there, she must avoid his cast e at a costs. She wondered brief y why he had not simp y con0ured her there with his magic, as he had obvious y con0ured her away from the porta between =a aria and :arganoth. She assumed that he must have tried, but that the Shard had protected her somehow. She cou d think of no other e+p anation.

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! sudden neighing from one of the horses in the fie d caught Sarrin(s attention, and she ooked up in time to see an ;rg approaching her. She 0umped to her feet, pu ed out her sword, and aimed it at the monster(s chest, backing up severa paces as she did. The ;rg stopped in front of her, and Sarrin watched it wari y. #=ir come,% the ;rg ordered in a snorting voice. #Sorry, but gir not come,% Sarrin rep ied. #=ir come4% the ;rg said more insistent y, and it 0umped forward to try and grab the princess. Sarrin unged with a her strength and pierced the monster deep y in the chest. The beast cried out in pain and ran back in the direction from which it had come. Sarrin ooked around cautious y, wondering if the ;rg that stood ne+t to the fence ine wou d come after her as we . 't watched her stupid y, though, and Sarrin supposed it was too dumb to know that if it had attacked her with the other ;rg, they might have caught her. She did not know if the Shard wou d protect her against a the monsters of :arganoth, or 0ust *ara+, but she didn(t want to put it to the test if she didn(t have to. /ehind the ;rg, on the other side of the fence, the 8ueran horse whose whinny had a erted Sarrin to the approaching ;rg watched her intent y. Sarrin cou d have sworn she saw inte igence in its eyes. -u)) ed, she studied it in return. Her father had made a sma fortune from se ing the 8ueran horses that *ara+ eft in =a aria when he was banished to :arganoth. The creatures were very arge but gent e and easi y trained. They made e+ce ent workhorses, and they were in high demand, not on y in other parts of =a aria, but in nearby countries as we . Sarrin had never seen one before, for they were kept in a stab e other than the stab e where -ashskaya had been kept, but she(d heard a great dea about them. She(d never heard anyone mention that they were inte igent, though, and this particu ar horse(s knowing eyes start ed her. ! dust c oud from further down the road a erted Sarrin to an approaching host of -ragans. She ooked around to find cover or a more defensib e position, but saw nothing but empty, barren and on one side, and the ;rg guard between her and the horse fie d on the other. She gripped her sword tight y and grim y watched the -ragans approach. #.ou are to come with us,% the ead -ragan said when it drew within a few ecrus. #Thanks, but '( dec ine the invitation,% Sarrin rep ied. The -ragans a ran at Sarrin, but none of them he d weapons. Sarrin knew then that they were not permitted to harm her. She, on the other hand, had no such restrictions p aced on her. ! though she hated to attack unarmed creatures, they eft her itt e choice. She s ashed about her with the Sword of Carrath&oir, and the itt e monsters fe , one after the other. Sarrin was a bit shocked to see that when she dea t one a fata b ow, it disappeared comp ete y. The others, a wounded in one way or another, decided to retreat after on y a few minutes. Sarrin was hot and thirsty after the fight, but she on y had a imited supp y of water with her, and knew it might have to ast for much onger than she(d p anned. She rea i)ed that wa king around wou d on y get her c oser to the center of *ara+(s arge web, so she sat down once more and tried to p an an escape of some sort. !fter severa weary hours of frustrated p anning, Sarrin ooked up and saw the 8ueran horse sti watching her from the fie d. Curious about the beast, she got up and crossed the road. She skirted one of the fi thy b ack pudd es situated at the base of the hi and began to c imb toward the pasture. !s she neared the fie d, the horse a so approached the fence, as if waiting for her. /efore she cou d get c ose, however, the ;rg that had been standing guard severa ecrus away intervened. #=ir go,% the ;rg ordered. #' 0ust want to see the horse,% Sarrin said, wondering if she cou d persuade the ;rg to et her near the fence. #&o. =ir no horse,% the ;rg said stubborn y. He thrust a ance between her and her destination, preventing her from going further. Sarrin tried to duck under the ance, but a though the ;rg was e+treme y stupid, it was a so e+treme y strong. 't pushed on her with the ance, and she went f ying down the hi . She anded at the base of the hi and was disgusted to see that one of her hands had anded in the revo ting b ack poo . She pu ed it out 5uick y and shook it to try and get the s ime off of her hand. 't c ung to her skin, though, and she was offended by the odor that came from the b ack s ime. She tried to wipe it off on a corner of her c oak, but it on y smeared the s ime further up her arm whi e dirtying her c oak. #'f you(re trying to get c ean, my dear, you won(t have much uck that way.%

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Sarrin ooked up in shock and saw *ara+ standing in the midd e of the road, watching her with a smirk. He stepped a bit c oser and said, #'(m afraid that the b ack s udge on y comes off with water and a specia soap. ' have a supp y at my cast e. 'f you were to go there, you cou d very 5uick y wash the s udge off.% #'t(s 0ust dirt,% Sarrin rep ied, a though she was thorough y revo ted by the fi th that wou dn(t eave her hand. #'( ive.% #'t wi be night soon, my dear. '(m sure you do not want to stay out here in the dark. 't gets 5uite co d at night.% Sarrin sat down where she was, a though the pro+imity of the b ack cesspoo nauseated her. #'( ive,% Sarrin repeated grim y. #.ou may say that now, my dear,% *ara+ said with a knowing smi e, #but you may 5uick y change your mind after a night out here. Shou d you decide that the co d and fi th are too much for you, p ease fee free to come and find me. ' promise you that you wi receive much warmer hospita ity from me than you wi get in this waste and.% *ara+ eft in a disp ay of magic meant to impress her. Sarrin sighed and inched her way a bit up the hi and away from the s udge pit, a ways keeping a cautious eye on the ;rg that stood reso ute guard against the pasture fence. She cou d not escape its the odor of the nearby s udge pit, though, as it now emanated from her hand and c oak as we as the poo . Thirst and hunger began to get the best of her, and she dug into her bag with her c ean hand. She pu ed out a canteen and drank sparing y from it. Then she pu ed out a sma oaf of bread and ate that, taking one more drink from the canteen. Her hunger was now assuaged, but she was sti thirsty, as the air seemed to suck moisture from her ungs when she breathed. She ignored her dry throat and concentrated on finding an escape from the mess she(d created. The ight began to fade, and Sarrin rea i)ed that she wou d not be escaping this day. She tight y wrapped her c oak about her and fought back the fear that fi ed her as co d and darkness sett ed over the su furous wi derness. When fu dark came, it sett ed over her ike a b indfo d for no ight cou d be seen anywhere. Sarrin c osed her eyes and 5uick y opened them again as the images of pain and death fi ed her mind. She resigned herse f to a s eep ess and very uncomfortab e night. 't was a good thing that she did not s eep, for some hours after darkness encased the and, the Shard began to g ow dim y. To Sarrin(s surprise, the dim i umination rapid y grew brighter and brighter. She heard a sound in front of her, and from the sma ight that shone from the Shard, Sarrin saw two ;rgs in front of her. Rising to her feet, Sarrin pu ed her sword and confronted the ;rgs that had tried to sneak up on her. ;ne of them circ ed around her, and Sarrin unged at it with her sword, s ashing vicious y at its outstretched arms whi e dodging the grip of the other ;rg. The two monsters outweighed her and were far stronger than her, but they cou d were not permitted to hurt her, and Sarrin used that to her advantage. She cut them repeated y. She had e+pected them to retreat when they discovered that she wou d resist, but they continued trying to catch her. She rea i)ed that their fear of *ara+ must be greater than their fear of her sword. The fight was difficu t in the g oom that was broken on y by the ight from the Shard. Sarrin was very ski ed, though, and in severa minutes she managed a thrust that removed the pig- ike head from one of the ;rgs. The monster disappeared in a b inding f ash, and Sarrin was a most caught by the other ;rg as she b inked rapid y to regain her sight. She nimb y stepped out of its grip 0ust in time and s ashed with her sword. The other ;rg, finding itse f a one and b eeding profuse y from count ess gaping wounds, decided that retreat might be a good idea after a . 't backed away and ran down the road. !s it drew farther away, the ight from the Shard dimmed and fina y faded into nothingness. ! one once again in the b ackness, Sarrin sat down where she stood, afraid to move around in the inky dark. She was now spattered with fou -sme ing ;rg b ood as we as the b ack s udge, and wiping her sword on her c oak may have c eaned the b ade, but it eft her fee ing nauseated and chi ed to the bone. She spent the rest of the ong night hudd ed into her c oak against the bitter co d despite her disgust at the odors that emanated from it. BBBBB =regory had spent the night pacing the top of the western tower. His eyes were drawn again and again to the spot where his daughter had disappeared. When night sett ed over the p ain, he cou d no onger

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see the andscape, but that did nothing to ease his troub ed mind. He continued to pace and watch, hoping that somehow Sarrin wou d manage to escape and return. ,orning found him sitting weari y ne+t to the parapet, his head buried in his hands in despair. ,agus came to him there, and =regory cou d te from the wi)ard(s b ank e+pression that he had not found a way to retrieve the princess. #What news, ,agus$% the king asked. ,agus c eared his throat hesitant y before beginning his story. #'(ve been digging through the histories, ooking for some c ue that wi he p us discover a way to bring the princess back, your ,a0esty. Whi e ' haven(t found that c ue, yet, ' did discover something that pertains to our present situation.% #What wou d that be$% =regory prompted when ,agus paused and appeared re uctant to continue. With a sigh, ,agus said, #;ver a si+ hundred years ago, *ara+ managed once again to break out of :arganoth into =a aria. 't went much ike the current intrusion by *ara+. 9uring the incursion, there was a very powerfu wi)ard who had a young daughter. !s soon as his daughter turned si+teen, *ara+ managed to capture her and bring her to :arganoth. The wi)ard went to :arganoth after them, so ' must assume this happened before *ara+ p aced the spe over :arganoth preventing the intrusion of those from our wor d into his. This very wi)ard is the one who discovered how to ock the porta behind *ara+ and discovered the way to keep *ara+ out of our wor d for centuries at a time. He discovered the way to destroy the porta as we , but unfortunate y he was not powerfu enough to destroy the porta whi e he was in :arganoth.% #Was he successfu in bringing back his daughter$% =regory asked impatient y. ,agus seemed def ated. #&o, your ,a0esty. .ou see, it seems that *ara+ is not immorta after a . He ages whi e in his e+i e, a beit much more s ow y than you or '. !t the time '(ve mentioned, it seems that *ara+ was growing o d and osing power. To regain his ost youth and powers, he kidnapped this untrained young maiden who had tremendous magica potentia . ;nce in :arganoth, he sto e her youth and power. Her father was too ate to save her6 the process ki ed the gir . &ow, si+ hundred years ater, it wou d seem that *ara+ seeks once again to restore his youth.% #With my daughter,% =regory commented weari y. #.es, your ,a0esty.% =regory sighed and sought vain y to find something hopefu in the situation. #/ut with the Shard on, Sarrin shou d be ab e to resist *ara+, right$% ,agus appeared uncertain. #.our ,a0esty, you must understand that even the powers of the Shard are imited. .our daughter is e+treme y resourcefu and cunning, and she may discover a way to ho d out against *ara+ for a time. /ut *ara+ is very powerfu , and he must be getting 5uite desperate. '(d say the situation is 5uite b eak.% #Then go find a way to save my daughter, ,agus,% =regory ordered angri y. ,agus bowed and turned to eave the tower. /efore he cou d reach the door, the king stopped him and asked, #,agus, *ara+ must have known he was aging when this incursion began. Why didn(t he try to kidnap my wife in a that time$% ,agus ooked pu)) ed as if the idea had not occurred to him. #' cannot say, your ,a0esty.% =regory nodded and turned away, to tired to 5uestion the magician further. With a sing e gesture, he dismissed ,agus and began brooding over his missing daughter once more. from the magician, dismissing him with a gesture. BBBBB 9awn was unknown in :arganoth, as the sun never broke through the c ouds. 'nstead, the b ackness s ow y faded and turned into grayness and then into du ye owness. Sarrin stretched weari y after the s eep ess night and took another drink from her water and ate another sma oaf of bread. She(d fought off two more attempts to attack her during the night, and she was appa ed at the dirt and b ood that covered her entire body when the ight once again revea ed her surroundings. *ara+ returned in the morning once more to invite her to his cast e. She refused again, but despair had begun to pervade her heart, and the thought of warmth and c ean iness 7 something that *ara+ offered to her again 7 began to tempt her. The argument that the Shard wou d protect her from any trap *ara+ might have set in his cast e was a powerfu one, but she refused to give in to the temptation and sat down on her hi , refusing unwi ing to move.

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Sarrin spent the morning and afternoon considering p an after p an, but *ara+(s minions appeared over and over to try and force her to come with them. When they were not present, her weariness and thirst distracted her. 't was very difficu t for her to focus on the prob em of finding the porta to escape. She finished the ast of her food in the ear y evening and wished she had not been so confident of her immediate return that she hadn(t thought to bring more food. Some water sti remained, but on y because she carefu y rationed the precious i5uid. The s eep ess night a so took its to on her, and Sarrin found it increasing y difficu t to stay awake as the hours passed. !t one point, when *ara+(s minions had eft her a one for severa hours, her eye ids f uttered and c osed. "ven the ever-present images of torment and death cou d not keep her awake. The oud whinnying of the 8ueran horse woke her sudden y, and when Sarrin opened her eyes, she found herse f staring at the sp it hooves of an ;rg. 'nstinctive y, she ro ed away and narrow y missed being grabbed by the creature. "ven as she 0umped to her feet, she was pu ing her sword and ashing out as the porcine creature reached for her with its three-fingered hands. ;ne hand went f ying, and the monster cried out in pain. Then it turned and f ed. Sarrin sat down in a heap, breathing hard more from the near catastrophe than from the brief conf ict. She ooked up the hi and saw the 8ueran horse ooking at her in disdain, as if to te her, #Stay awake you foo ish gir .% Sarrin considered approaching it once again, despite the ;rg that sti stood guard 0ust down the fence ine from her. Then an thought idea f ashed through her mind. She stared at the horse for some minutes as the she turned the thought over and around, considering it from every ang e. Satisfied at ast, she sat back and began to p an. She knew that every aspect of the p an must be f aw ess, for there wou d on y be one chance to escape. 'f she fai ed, she knew she wou d not have the strength to ho d out against *ara+ any onger. The dim ight of :arganoth was 0ust beginning to turn gray when Sarrin drank the ast of her water. She tossed the use ess canteen ight y aside and saw *ara+ beaming up at her from the road. #,y dear, you ook terrib e4% he e+c aimed. #.ou sound happy about it,% Sarrin retorted. #8uite the contrary. ' wish ' cou d see you comfortab y ensconced in my cast e. /ut a though you continue to thwart my wishes, ' cannot he p admiring your courage and your determination.% #,y stubbornness and stupidity, you mean,% Sarrin said with a sniff. *ara+ aughed and rep ied, #' cannot stand to see you in such a state. - ease come to my cast e before you die of e+posure.% #'(d rather die than be your guest, *ara+.% !nger c ouded his features as he retorted, #/e ieve me, my dear princess, you wi not die first. Sometime before death, you wi be weakened to such a point that you wi no onger be ab e to resist. Wou dn(t it be much more p easant to come a ong wi ing y than to suffer any more$% #' deserve to suffer,% Sarrin answered sad y. #!fter the grief '(ve put my parents through, ' deserve much worse than this.% 9arkness had advanced across the and, and *ara+ eft in an angry puff of magic 0ust as the grayness turned to inky b ackness. The Shard was dark, and Sarrin hoped that she wou d not fa as eep. "verything depended on her making it through the night and into the morning. BBBBB The top of the centra tower was ong known to be a favorite haunt of " dreth(s as he often went there to watch the batt es in which he cou d not direct y participate. =regory found him there as the sun set, standing si ent y at the parapet and watching the hori)on. !s he approached, " dreth heard him and turned, surprise crossing his features when he recogni)ed the king. =regory cou d see from his shadowed eyes that the Roya =uard had probab y not s ept the ast night. " dreth watched with emotion ess eyes as =regory 0oined him at the parapet and ooked out over the p ain to the 3a con(s Hi s. 't was difficu t for the king to say what was on his mind, for pride to d him that he was king and did not need to worry about the emotions of his sub0ects. He ooked at the young man who had so often seemed ike a son to him, and ove defeated pride. #'(m sorry for the things ' said to you yesterday, " dreth,% =regory said. #' had no right to say them.%

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=ui t and sorrow appeared in " dreth(s features and disappeared 0ust as 5uick y as " dreth batt ed to keep contro of his emotions. #.ou had every right, your ,a0esty,% he rep ied soft y. #.ou were 5uite right. ' fai ed in my duty. 'f ' had not done so, than she wou d sti be here.% #&o, " dreth, you did not fai . ' shou d have rea i)ed ong ago that Sarrin wou d not a ow herse f to be guarded ike some precious 0ewe . Her ta ents have made it a most impossib e to keep her under guard, anyway. How do you contro someone who can use magic to escape so neat y$% #-erhaps, your ,a0esty, the true prob em came from trying to contro her. ' keep asking myse f what ' cou d have said to her that wou d have made her confide in me instead of hiding everything$% #What did she say to you, " dreth$% #She asked me how you make a decision that cou d change your entire ife as we as affect everyone around you. ' guess ' shou d have known from the 5uestion that she was considering something drastic. .ou were 5uite right, your ,a0esty. ' shou d have come to you as soon as ' suspected anything.% #'(m curious, " dreth. How did you answer her$% " dreth sighed. #' to d her to make her decision based on ove, your ,a0esty. She(s a ways oved everyone so muchbeen so fu of ove6 ' assumed that she wou dn(t even consider doing anything that wou d hurt anyone e se.% =regory considered this new information 5uiet y for severa minutes. Something seemed odd about the who e situation, but he cou dn(t 5uite put his finger on it. 3ina y, he said, #'(ve a ways been p eased with everything you(ve done for me, " dreth. ' want you to know that even now, ' don(t see that you cou d have done anything different. .ou(ve done your 0ob we .% #Thank you, your ,a0esty.% 2ooking out at the stars as they s ow y appeared one by one in the twi ight sky, =regory sighed, #2et(s 0ust pray that she comes back to us.% BBBBB The night passed with agoni)ing s owness, but Sarrin was so terrified about what might happen to her if she s ept that she stayed awake with no prob em. There was on y one ma0or attack on her that night, and she fought off the patro of -ragans with itt e difficu ty, as they seemed more unnerved by the inky b ackness around them than they were of her. They ran off as soon as they rea i)ed that they had not caught her s eeping. ,orning found her abso ute y parched, and she wondered if she wou d make it through the day. She put pessimistic morbid thoughts aside, however, and pu ed out the etter she(d written before eaving. She turned it over and over thoughtfu y, wondering how her parents wou d take the information contained within it. Then she c osed her eyes and began weaving the spe . She(d p anned it a night, as ,agus had said that the best spe s were those that were thought-out and p anned we in advance of the actua weaving. When she(d finished, she did it a over again, hoping that the second time, the weaving was even finer, making it undetectab e. *ara+ put in his morning appearance short y after she(d finished with the second spe . Her throat was so parched that she didn(t even try to respond to his cheerfu greeting. #,y dear, it pains my heart to see you suffering so. !t east come to my cast e for some food and drink. Then ' wi te you why it is so important for me to have you as my guest. .ou may isten with an ob0ective ear, and if you think my re5uest is unreasonab e, you may eave once again. Can that be a so bad$% #How do ' know you( et me go if ' turn you down, *ara+$% Sarrin asked, trying to sound tempted by the idea. #How do ' know you won(t 0ust drug the food or water and contro me that way$% #.ou wear the Shard, my dear. How cou d ' possib y harm you$% #'f you drugged the food or drink, you cou d force me to remove it.% #' assure you that ' on y want to re ieve your discomfort, my dear princess.% Sarrin 5uiet y stared at the ground as if considering *ara+(s proposa . #' need a sign of good wi from you, *ara+,% she said sudden y. #-rove to me that you on y want to he p me.% #!nd how can ' do that, my dear, when you refuse to budge from that hi $% #' have a etter in my bag. ' meant to eave it for my parents, but ' didn(t because ' thought '(d be ab e to return right away. ;bvious y, ' was wrong. Wi you de iver it to them for me$% *ara+ ooked at her through narrowed eyes, obvious y trying to discern her true motive. Sarrin returned his ook with wide, gui e ess eyes, hoping deep inside that he(d agree.

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#' am not a messenger boy, my dear,% *ara+ fina y rep ied, his tone dripping with arrogance. #&o one sends me on errands.% #! ' rea y ask is that you prove your good wi to me,% Sarrin said. #/esides, if ' am to be trapped here forever, ' wou d great y appreciate it if ' cou d de iver this message to my parents. ! it says is that ' ove them and that ' never intended to hurt them.% *ara+ considered the suggestion once again, and Sarrin cou d see the co d ca cu ation in his eyes as he wondered how he cou d turn the situation to his advantage. Sudden y he said, #'f ' do this for you, you wi have to do something in return for me. To prove your good wi , as it were.% #' can(t promise to go to your cast e,% Sarrin said hasti y. #That wi have to wait unti you return with proof that you de ivered my etter.% #&o, ' was thinking of something a ong a different ine,% *ara+ rep ied thoughtfu y. Then, decisive y, he said, #' wi de iver the etter. /ut you must te me the schedu e for the posting of the Roya =uard around the "yrie.% 'n the horse fie d behind her, the 8ueran horse whinnied defiant y. *ara+ ooked at it in annoyance, but Sarrin ignored the horse. #' can(t te you that, *ara+. ' don(t know the schedu e. &ot even my father knows it. ;n y the commander of the Roya =uard knows that.% *ara+ ooked at her suspicious y as if trying to discern if she was speaking the truth. Then he said, #3ine, then te me the name of the commander of the Roya =uard. .ou must at east know that.% #That, too, is a c ose y guarded secret,% Sarrin rep ied evasive y. *ara+ asked, #Can you honest y say you don(t know it$% Sarrin sighed. #' do know it. ' shou dn(t. ' can(t te you.% #Then '(m afraid ' can(t de iver your etter, my dear.% *ara+ stood in the road, watching her e+pectant y. Sarrin weighed her options. 'f she to d *ara+ who the commander of the Roya =uard was, she was giving him the key to getting into the "yrie to destroy the crysta that protected =a aria. 'f she didn(t have her etter de ivered, though, then she wou d never escape from :arganoth. /ehind her, the horse whinnied warning y again, and again Sarrin ignored it. ,aking her decision, she said, #Captain " dreth is the commander. He schedu es the Roya =uard. He is responsib e for keeping the "yrie safe.% #That de ightfu young man who guards you, your Highness$ 'sn(t he a itt e young for such responsibi ity$% Sarrin sighed in e+haustion, wishing the conversation were over. #.es, he(s the one. He(s been in charge for many years now.% *ara+ burst out aughing. #!nd to think that ' had him in my power ess than four months ago4 ' cou d have destroyed the "gg then4 What irony4 .es, now that ' consider his strength of mind and how hard he fought me, ' rea i)e you must be te ing the truth. Thank you for your candor, my dear. 'f you wi give me the etter, ' wi make sure your parents receive it. ' wi even make sure you receive a rep y.% Sarrin handed him the etter, and he inspected it suspicious y. Then, with a smi e of triumph, he disappeared once again. The 8ueran horse neighed again, and Sarrin turned to face it. #' had to do it,% she said. ! few ecrus away, the ;rg that stood guard ooked at her in confusion, but she was not speaking to it. The horse shook its head as if in disagreement, and Sarrin insisted, #Trust me. ' know it(s a risk, but " dreth can take care of himse f, and ' needed to have that etter de ivered.% The horse whinnied and stamped a foot as if in frustration. Sarrin sighed in frustration as we . #This wi never do,% she commented. #!re you wi ing to trade up$% 'n the fie d, the horse appeared confused but seemed to give a positive nicker in response to her 5uestion. Sarrin turned and studied the ;rg that was staring in confusion. Then, moving as 5uick y and sudden y as she cou d, Sarrin dived for the fence. The horse was standing right at the fence, and Sarrin was 0ust ab e to reach the horse(s chest with an outstretched hand when the ;rg moved to stop her. She waited unti the beast was within reach, and then she reached out and grabbed it with her other hand. Then she c osed her eyes and concentrated on the spe that she had studied repeated y in the ast weeks before she was taken to :arganoth. Sudden y the horse behind the fence neighed in terror and reared up on its massive hind egs. Sti acting horrified, it spun around and ga oped away. &e+t to her, the ;rg said ca m y, #' hard y ca this trading up4% Reaching up with one three-fingered hand to wipe spitt e from its chin, it continued, #This is definite y too disgusting for words.% #'(m sorry,% Sarrin said with a sigh. #!t east now you can ta k to me.%

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#' think '(d rather be mute than be an ;rg4% the beast rep ied. #.ou can(t imagine the fi th that is caked on this creature(s skin.% #Wi you stop comp aining$% Sarrin cried. #.ou cou d at east thank me for coming to rescue you4% The creature turned to Sarrin, its eyes b a)ing in wrath. #Thank you$ What were you thinking, you itt e foo $ How dare you put yourse f at risk by coming here$ 9o you know what the odds of us getting out of here are$ ,y ife is not worth the ife of =a aria(s on y heir4% #' am not the on y heir4% Sarrin cried, unab e to think of anything e se to say. #What$% #! ot has happened in the past weeks,% she rep ied. #'t turns out that Fo nius was responsib e for maintaining the curse of barrenness on "ag e<s Rest. When his body died, the curse was broken. ,y mother is now pregnant.% The ;rg stood and considered this new information in shock. !fter severa minutes it asked, #Fo nius(s body died, you said. Why did you put it that way$ What happened to my body$ Why was ' sucked into :arganoth$% =ui t stabbed inside of her, and Sarrin fe t the tears that she(d repressed for so many weeks start to we up in her eyes. !s parched as she was, she knew she did not have the u+ury of crying. She fought them and answered, #Gust before Fo nius cou d ki you with his magic, ' stabbed him with a dagger. Fo nius was sti ho ding onto you when ' did. ' think he rea i)ed he was dying and used a spe to trade sou s. He put his sou in your body, and your sou in his. Then a vorte+ appeared, and that must have sucked your sou here. &o one e se is even aware that you are not rea y you, =eoffrey. "verybody 0ust thinks that he died.% !gain the ;rg considered this information in shocked si ence. #What made you suspect the truth, then, Highness$% he fina y asked. #!nd why did you think to ook for me here$% Sarrin hesitated, uncertain how best to te the story. 3ina y she 0ust said, #Fo nius acted in a way that you never wou d have. 't made me suspicious. ' checked into the events of that night, and ,agus to d me that Fo nius most ike y wou d have owed his sou to *ara+. When he died, the vorte+ was supposed to give his sou back to *ara+. 'nstead, your sou must have been trapped. 9on(t you remember anything of what happened, though, =eoffrey$% The ;rg that wasn(t 5uite an ;rg rep ied, #'t(s very confusing. ' remember the dining ha fading into a gray ight, and the ne+t thing ' knew, ' was seeing *ara+ in his pa ace as if from a distance. He was enraged to find out it was ' and not Fo nius. He seemed to find it very amusing to trap me in the body of that horse. '(ve been wandering around the fie ds ever since.% Then he turned to Sarrin angri y again and said, #' sti can(t comprehend what you were thinking. What kind of a foo are you, anyway$ ' cou dn(t be ieve my eyes when ' saw you wa king down that road4 !nd now you(ve gone and made matters even worse by te ing *ara+ who the commander of the Roya =uard is. ' don(t suppose you had enough wit to ie, did you$% #' don(t ie,% Sarrin snapped. #;h, that(s great. Some reassurance that is. *ara+ is going to find a way to get past the Roya =uard and destroy the "gg, but at east you didn(t ie.% #' had to te him, you big oaf4% Sarrin retorted. #' needed that etter de ivered. 9on(t you think *ara+ wou d have known if ' was ying$% #What(s the big dea with the etter$% Sarrin sat down in e+haustion. #' put a spe on the etter so ' cou d retrace its route. ;nce *ara+ takes it through the porta , '( be ab e to fo ow it and hopefu y find the porta .% =eoffrey istened 5uiet y, and when she was finished, he asked, #! right, even if you do find out where the porta is, what wi you do then$% #'( need your he p after that,% Sarrin rep ied. #*ara+ has put a spe on the road so that it wi on y take me in the direction of his cast e. /ut '(ve noticed the ;rg guards coming and going on their watch the past two days, so obvious y the spe on y app ies to me. .ou, at east in that body, wi be ab e to get to the porta with no prob em, and you can et me ride on your back.% =eoffrey backed up a step as he protested, #/e ieve me, Highness, you do not want to ride on my back. ' wou dn(t want to touch me6 the ast thing ' want is for you to touch me.% Sarrin he d out her hands in disgust and rep ied, #2ook at me4 9o ' ook c ean and pure to you$ '(m fi thier that that ;rg body. ' don(t care what ' touch anymore, as ong as we get out of here.% #! right. Say we make it to the porta . What then$%

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#We , '(m going to need you for that, too. .ou see, ' think ' know how to destroy the porta , but ' don(t have the energy to do it. "ven if ' wasn(t tired, hungry, and parched, ' sti wou dn(t be ab e to do it. '(ve been p anning to drain the energy from the Shard, but ' don(t think that wi be enough, either. ;n the other hand, that ;rg body is a mass of raw energy. 'f you he p me, ' think ' can tap into that strength and use it to destroy the porta . Then *ara+ wi be trapped forever.% =eoffrey considered this p an for a minute. #'t sounds too good to be true, Sarrin. What(s the downside to a this$% #The downside is that ' cou d be too weak to destroy the porta and the effort cou d ki us both.% #Some downside. 's it worth the risk$% #What do you think$% =eoffrey sighed. 'n the ;rg body, the sound came out as a terrific snort. #.es, ' guess it is. When wi you be ab e to te if your trick with the etter worked$% Sarrin stretched out with her magic and fe t for the marker that had been eft by her etter. The who e wor d of :arganoth seemed to open up before her, and she rea i)ed that she was indeed ab e to pinpoint the ocation of the porta . *ara+ must have a ready taken the etter through the porta . She ooked up in triumph and said, #' can a ready te it worked. &ow we 0ust have to wait for *ara+ to come back so we can make sure he(s trapped on the right side of the porta 4% #=ood 0ob, kid,% =eoffrey rep ied. #Things might be ooking up after a .% Sarrin fe t a wave of e+haustion ro over her, but she fought it off. She rea i)ed that she wou d have to te =eoffrey at east some of what had happened in "ag e<s Rest since his sou had been trapped in :arganoth. She didn(t know 5uite how to begin, so she hesitant y said, #Im, =eoffrey$ ' think ' shou d probab y te you some of the things Fo nius has been doing since that night in the dining ha .% =eoffrey stopped her before she cou d go further. #' don(t want to know4 Whatever it is, he(s going to pay for it if ' ever get back in my own body4% #We , you shou d probab y know at east one thing,% Sarrin insisted. #&o4 ' don(t want to hear it now,% =eoffrey rep ied. #Gust eave it4% Sarrin sighed. How did one te another person that they(d become betrothed to you whi e histheir sou s were was trapped in the body of a horse in a different wor d$ The who e idea 0ust seemed comp ete y udicrous. /efore she cou d think of a way to te =eoffrey, he said, #'(ve noticed that you haven(t e+act y been s eeping, Highness. &ow wou d be a good time to try and get some s eep.% #' can(t s eep,% Sarrin protested. #*ara+(s forces wi get to me if ' s eep.% #They won(t if ' watch over you,% =eoffrey rep ied. Sarrin considered this. She had to admit that itt e was ike y to get past =eoffrey whi e he was in the body of an ;rg. Without protesting further, she cur ed up in her c oak, as revo ting as it was, and fe as eep a most immediate y. BBBBB "ag e(s Rest was uncommon y 5uiet. =regory thought that it seemed as if the edifice itse f mourned the oss of the princess. He stood atop the centra tower and ooked down upon the and he(d fought so hard to protect for twenty years. He wondered why he had bothered6 *ara+ was sti oose, and after twenty years, =regory sti had no idea how to trap him in :arganoth for good. With the oss of his daughter, hope seemed comp ete y ost as we , and =regory wondered if it wou d ever return. #Standing out here in the co d won(t bring her back, =regory.% The king spun and saw his wife staring at him from the she tered doorway. He was so tired that he had no rep y, but 0ust shook his head weari y. #9id you even s eep ast night$% Christa asked as she wa ked over to 0oin him by the parapet. #Some,% =regory sighed. There was a ong si ence before Christa said, #'t(s been three days, =regory. We might have to assume the worst.% #'(m not ready to give up hope, yet4% =regory snapped. #.ou know how strong she is. 'f anyone cou d ho d out this ong, she wou d.% ! tear streaked down Christa(s face, and she seemed unab e to think of a rep y. =regory was 0ust about to apo ogi)e for snapping at her when a muff ed rumb e met his ears. The sky was c ear b ue, and thunderstorms were se dom e+perienced in 2irpa, anyway. The rumb e cou d on y be one thing. =regory

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turned and searched the hori)on as the 5uiet thundering continued and grew ouder. Gust as he saw the dark figure tramping through the Hi s, Christa gasped. #*ara+4% she whispered. =regory fe t his heart eap into his throat, and he watched in 5uiet fascination as the evi giant drew steadi y c oser. He fe t others 0oin them on the tower top, and when he was ab e to tear his ga)e away from *ara+, he saw that ,agus, " dreth, 2ord =eoffrey, 2ord Gared, and =enera ,arnoth had a 0oined them. &o one said anything, but a watched *ara+ unti he stopped 0ust before the cast e wa s. !t his feet, two Reptics sat upon 8ueran Horses and appeared ready to attack anything that moved. Turning his ga)e up to address the king, *ara+ boomed, #.our ,a0esty4 So good to see you again4 ' suppose you(re wondering how your daughter is faring.% ! few ecrus away from =regory, 2ord =eoffrey ye ed, #What have you done with her$% *ara+(s sing e red eye shifted s ight y to focus on 2ord =eoffrey, and it narrowed as if in anger. Then he turned back to the king and said, #.ou wi be happy to know that your daughter is sti a ive, King =regory. She(s 5uite the trooper to survive for so ong on so itt e food and drink. She(d do better to accept my hospita ity in such a hosti e and, but it appears that she does not trust me.% #' wonder why that is$% =regory ye ed back sarcastica y. #9esperation seems to be getting the better of her, though,% *ara+ continued as if =regory had not spoken. #She has given me a etter to give to you, King =regory. '(m afraid ' can(t de iver it persona y, though, as ' am unab e to near the wa s. -erhaps you wou d be good enough to send someone out for it$% #'( get it,% ,arnoth vo unteered. #&o4% *ara+ e+c aimed. #'(m afraid ' wi re ease the etter on y to Captain " dreth. He wi have to come and get it.% Suspicion narrowed =regory(s eyes as he wondered why *ara+ was so insistent that " dreth shou d get the etter. #!nd if someone e se shou d go instead$% =regory asked. With a shrug of his massive shou ders, *ara+ said, #'f you want the etter, you( have to do as ' say, your ,a0esty. ' wi not bargain.% =regory turned to " dreth and asked 5uiet y, #What do you think he(s up to$% #' have no idea, your ,a0esty, but ' am wi ing to get the etter.% !t his side, ,agus remarked, #'(m e+treme y suspicious of this, your ,a0esty. 2et me go a ong with him to make sure *ara+ doesn(t try a spe of some sort.% =regory considered the idea for a moment. #We , he didn(t say " dreth had to go a one. =o then, and meet me in my office once you get the etter, both of you. 't ooks ike this situation is going to re5uire some discussion.% The wi)ard and the captain eft the tower, and =regory turned back to watching *ara+. Some minutes passed by, and whi e he waited, *ara+ said, #.ou cou d thank me for de ivering the etter, you know. ' didn(t have to do this.% #Shou d ' a so thank you for stea ing my daughter$% =regory ye ed back. ! deep rumb ing in his throat passed for *ara+(s aughter. #' cou d hard y resist after she presented herse f to me so nice y4 !nd to prove my good wi to your daughter, ' have even vo unteered to bring a etter from you to her.% *ara+ was interrupted as the main gate opened, and a patro of the Roya =uard cautious y e+ited, protecting those who came behind them. " dreth eft the safety of the outer wa s with ,agus a few paces behind. The Reptics around *ara+ ooked as if they might try to attack, but the =uard outnumbered them, and ,agus(s magic provided e+tra protection. #So4 .ou come we -protected, Captain4% *ara+ chuck ed. #' see there wi be no ensorce ments this day4 Here is the etter6 take it to your king and then come back with his rep y. ' wi be waiting not far from here.% " dreth si ent y took the etter from *ara+(s massive hand and returned to "ag e<s Rest. !top the centra tower, =regory turned and headed for his office, fo owed by the others. When they arrived, " dreth and ,agus were a ready there waiting for them. ,agus was ho ding the etter and carefu y inspecting it. !s he handed it over to the king, he remarked, #' wou d ike to take a c oser ook at the etter when you(ve finished reading it, your ,a0esty. There is something high y unusua about it.% =regory nodded in agreement, but he was too eager to read it to pay much attention to the wi)ard. "veryone stood around, 5uiet y waiting for him to finish. !fter he(d read it once, he read it again, hoping to find some c ue in it6 something he might have missed the first time. The second reading was no different

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from the first, however, and he si ent y handed the etter to his wife, turning to stare out the inner window in an attempt to keep his emotions hidden in contro . /ehind him, Christa read a oud, #9ear 3ather and ,other, #'(m sure you are fi ed with many 5uestions right now. 8uestions such as, Why did she go$ Why didn(t she say anything to us about her p ans$ Why wou d she risk herse f so foo ish y$ Wi she ever get back$ #'(m sorry to say that ' cannot answer any of those 5uestions. That was not the intention of this etter. ' cannot te you why ' eft or if ' wi ever return, a though ' do hope to return, and within the day. ' wrote this etter instead to te you that ' ove you. '(m sorry to put you through the pain of worrying over me, and if ' cou d have done this any other way, be ieve me, ' wou d have. ' cou d think of no a ternative, though. " dreth once said to me that ' shou d base my decisions upon my ove for those around me, and ' knew even as he said it that he was right. ' knew that the ove you have poured out upon me and the ove given to me so free y by our peop e demanded that ' stay in "ag e<s Rest and not put myse f at risk. ' chose to ignore " dreth(s advice, however. &ot for entire y se fish reasons, but '(m sure that wi be of sma comfort to you now, as wi be my apo ogy. /e assured that ' wi miss you more than you can know. #'(m afraid that sorrow has made me ose track of what ' meant to say. ' am sorry that ' am so se fish. - ease be ieve me when ' say that ' do ove you, very much. 'f ' do not return before nightfa , it is not ike y that ' wi return at a . - ease do not try to come after me6 everyone is needed there to defeat *ara+. 'f ' do not return, te my brother or sister that ' wou d have oved him or her as we . #.our daughter, #Sarrin.% Christa finished reading and a sob shook her frame. #She p anned to be back within the day. She doesn(t sound very hopefu about returning after that, does she$% she asked through her tears. #'s there no more to it than that$% 2ord =eoffrey asked. #!re you sure she doesn(t say anything about why she eft$% Christa shook her head and handed the etter to ,agus once more. The magician studied it carefu y. #'t wou d seem she wrote this before she eft,% ,agus commented. #There is a great dea of dirt and some other foreign substance ' cannot recogni)e caked on the paper, but it is over the ink, not under it.% #9oes it matter when she wrote it$% =regory snapped, wishing he cou d comfort his wife, but afraid that in doing so, he wou d ose contro of his own emotions. ,agus ignored the king(s angry tone and continued to study the etter. #'(d ike to take this to my study, if you don(t mind, your ,a0esty,% he remarked. =regory indicated that the wi)ard shou d go, and then he crossed over to his wife and pu ed her into a tight hug. 2ooking at the others who sti waited si ent y by the door, he commented, #'(m going to spend the afternoon writing a etter for *ara+ to take back. 'f any of you wou d ike to send the princess a etter as we , ' suggest you do the same. " dreth, '( et you know when '(m finished so you can bring the rep y back to *ara+. '(d ike to be a one unti then.% ;ne by one, the others a departed and eft =regory as si ent tears streamed down his cheeks and into his wife(s hair. BBBBB Sarrin 0o ted awake as the images that p ayed persistent y in her mind whenever her eyes were c osed became more and more insistent, fina y p aying out in a gruesome scenario that she cou d no onger disregard, even unconscious. She sat up sudden y, ignoring the revo ting odors that assai ed her, and ooked around. The ;rg that was now =eoffrey stood some ecrus away, keeping an a ert watch over the road. When he noticed that she was awake, he came a bit c oser. #Why are you awake a ready$% he asked. When she tried to answer, the on y sound Sarrin cou d produce was a dry croak. She swa owed severa times, trying to generate some moisture in her throat, before she cou d answer, #'(m afraid the nightmares got the better of me. ' do fee a itt e refreshed, though.% The ;rg(s grotes5ue e+pression changed very itt e, but Sarrin thought she detected a hint of skepticism in it. /efore =eoffrey cou d order her to go back to s eep, she hasti y asked, #How ong did ' s eep$% #'t(s hard to te time here. '(d say four or five hours.%

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#Hasn(t anyone tried to approach me during that time$% Sarrin asked in surprise. #! coup e of -ragans came to check on you once. ' scared them off before they cou d get c oser.% With a sigh, Sarrin said, #.ou(re supposed to be acting ike a norma ;rg. 'f *ara+ finds out that you(re not, he may figure out our p an. That wou d not be good.% #;h, for crying out oud, Sarrin, a ' did was roar at a coup e of -ragans. 3or a we know, that may be perfect y acceptab e behavior for an ;rg.% Sarrin rea i)ed that they did indeed know very itt e about ;rg behavior, and she supposed it wasn(t worth arguing about. #We , a right. Gust try not to draw any attention to yourse f in the future, a right$% She rested her head on knees pu ed up toward her chin and ooked out across the dreary andscape. She didn(t bother with further conversation, for there wasn(t enough moisture in her mouth to make ta king easy. The ight eventua y began to grow dimmer, and Sarrin rea i)ed that *ara+ was not going to be returning to :arganoth before night fe . She(d hoped to escape that day, but she supposed that she cou d hang on for one more day. She 0ust hoped that she cou d get through one more night of so id darkness. !s if reading her thoughts, =eoffrey commented, #' guess we( have to wait unti tomorrow to escape. 9o you think you can make it$% Sarrin hesitated, knowing that her answer wou d most ike y betray her fear. She 0ust nodded si ent y, staring reso ute y ahead of her. #' don(t think this body needs to s eep much,% =eoffrey commented. #'( keep watch if you want to s eep.% The thought of s eeping through the dreadfu :arganoth night horrified Sarrin. #Gust ta k to me once in a whi e to et me know you(re sti there, a right$% she asked. #'t(s the fee ing of being entire y abandoned that(s the worst part of the darkness.% They passed the ong night with short snippets of conversation. "ach time Sarrin began to fee comp ete y iso ated, =eoffrey seemed to sense it and wou d say something humorous, ike commenting that f eas made good company when you wanted to keep awake. The aughter renewed Sarrin(s energy and kept her hope a ive through the perfect darkness. Twice the Shard began to ight up, but *ara+(s minions must have fe t ess need to capture her in *ara+(s absence. "ach time they eft when they found her awake, rather than risk an encounter with her sword. Sarrin was 0ust as g ad, for she doubted that she had much energy eft in her for a fight. The abso ute b ackness eventua y began to ighten, and by the time the dim, ye ow ight had returned comp ete y, Sarrin found *ara+ standing in front of her with a sinister grin. #We , my dear, ' de ivered your etter as ' promised. Have you decided to seek refreshment in my cast e yet$ ;r do you rea y ove the dust and s udge so much that you cannot part company with them$% Sarrin ignored his sarcasm and asked, #9id my father send me a etter$ 's that what took you so ong to return$% #,y dear princess, ' had business to attend to4 /ut, yes, your father did send a note, as we as severa other peop e from "ag e<s Rest.% #2et me have them, then.% #What atrocious manners for a princess4 Here, my dear, you may have the entire packet.% Sarrin took a hefty stack of etters from *ara+ and was surprised by how many there were, as we as by how thick some of them were. She was a bit saddened that she wou d not have time to read them a , for she and =eoffrey must make their escape as soon as *ara+ returned to his cast e. #.ou wou d be more comfortab e reading them in my cast e, my dear. -erhaps a nice, hot cup of ro na wou d he p you concentrate better on the content of the etters$% The suggestion made Sarrin(s mouth fee e+treme y desiccated, but she shook her head in refusa of the invitation and said, #' prefer to read these in private, thanks.% !nger f ashed in *ara+(s eyes, and with a particu ar y vicious twist of his mouth, he said, #There is a etter in the pi e from Captain " dreth. ' suggest you read his first, for he wi soon be dead.% Sarrin refused to show any reaction and turned away from *ara+, ignoring his presence. She sat down on the ground and found the etter from her father. 'n a disp ay intended to show her disdain for *ara+(s threat, she opened the sea ed enve ope and pu ed out the paper that was within. !fter *ara+ eft in a pi5ue of anger, she 5uick y scanned the content of the etter. She fe t tears we up within her eyes, and she fought them back va iant y. She cou d not afford to waste the precious moisture. When she(d finished reading the etter, she put the entire stack of etters into the bag she(d brought with her and stood up, eaving the bag deserted on the ground.

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#!re you ready to go, 2ord =eoffrey$% she asked. #!ren(t you going to read any more of the etters$% he asked. Sarrin g anced at the bag and sighed. #We don(t have time for that, and ' don(t need to fee any more gui t over my actions than ' a ready do. 2et(s go.% With some he p from =eoffrey, she managed to c imb up on the pig- ike back of the ;rg. 'f she was not a ready coated in ye ow dust, b ack s udge, and -ragan and ;rg b ood, she might have been revo ted by the fi thy, wiry b ack hair that covered the beast and emanated a horrib e odor. 'nstead, she was 0ust gratefu for the opportunity to escape. =eoffrey began wa king down the road, and Sarrin fe t with her magic to find the porta . She guided him every so often, and within fifteen minutes, they cou d see their destination. ! whir ing, gray circ e of energy stood fifty ecrus wide and thirty ecrus ta , and Sarrin gasped at the enormity of the porta . She wondered if she wou d ever be ab e to destroy such a monstrous gate, even with the energy from the ;rg combined with the magic from the Shard. !s they drew c oser, they saw a sma company of -ragans encamped before the porta . /ehind the -ragans stood three Reptics on fu a ert. =eoffrey stopped short and asked, #What now$% Sarrin sighed. #' don(t have any bright ideas. Gust charge them. ,aybe they( be so surprised they( et us through.% #Here goes nothing, then. Ho d on tight, your Highness4% With that, =eoffrey took off at a fu run, and Sarrin hung on with a her might. 'n no time, they had reached the fore-most -ragans who scattered when the massive ;rg ran straight into their midst. They cried out in a arm when they recogni)ed the princess sitting on the ;rg(s back, and by the time =eoffrey and Sarrin had made it through their company, the three a armed Reptics stood a ert before the porta , b ocking the entrance with raised swords. =eoffrey sti carried the ance that the ;rg had with him before the switch, and with it he knocked one of the Reptics to the ground, using his momentum to pierce it through the chest. The other two Reptics he d their ground, and Sarrin pu ed out the Sword of Carrath-&oir, ready to use it if she had the chance. =eoffrey charged at the two Reptics with his ance, and they parted enough to et him into their midst before returning the attack. Sarrin found herse f warding off b ows from one Reptic(s c aws and tai whi e =eoffrey strugg ed with the other one. The Reptic that attacked Sarrin ashed out with a mighty sweep of its sword, and as she countered, she ost her ba ance and s ipped from the ;rg(s back. /efore she cou d be tramp ed on, she nimb y ro ed up and backed away from =eoffrey, drawing the Reptic(s attention with her. !s she fought, she rea i)ed that she did not have much energy eft in her, and she wondered how in the wor d they were going to get past the Reptics and into the porta . BBBBB " dreth went out onto the top of the western tower, ooking for the king. He soon saw that the tower was empty, and he turned to retrace his steps to ook for the king e sewhere. !s he neared the door, however, he stopped short. Crouched within the doorway was a Reptic. 't stepped out from the shadows and rose to its fu height of four and a ha f ecrus. !nother Reptic stepped out behind it, and the two approached " dreth with drawn swords. The Captain of the Roya =uard drew his sword and backed up, carefu not to back against the ow wa of the tower top. 3ear gripped his heart, for he knew that he wou d not be ab e to survive an encounter with the two repti ian monsters. His on y hope wou d be to somehow edge around them and get to the doorway. -erhaps then he wou d be ab e to b ock the door and make good his escape. /efore he cou d p an further, the Reptics attacked in a f urry of s ashing swords and tai s. " dreth fe t them pushing him back in an attempt to corner him against the wa , but he continued to edge to the side, trying to somehow e ude their carefu watch and circ e around them. The entire time he concentrated desperate y on parrying every thrust and s ash of their weapons, knowing that on y one sma mistake wou d mean his death. The batt e waged on for near y fifteen minutes, and a though " dreth was not ab e to circ e around the two monsters and get to the door, he at east was ab e to prevent them from scratching him with their venomous c aws and tai s. Then he rea i)ed the enormity of his predicament. Whi e he had fought defensive y to protect himse f from the Reptics( poison, he had been using a his energy. &ow, as the batt e continued to rage furious y, he rea i)ed that he wou d soon tire, and he had not even wounded one of the monstrous repti es. ;nce he tired, he wou d be as good as dead.

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His situation on y grew b eaker as he found himse f pressed back against the wa despite a his efforts to prevent that from happening. He ooked desperate y for an opening where he might s ide between the two monsters and run for the door, but with swords, c aws, and tai s s ashing at him, there was no opening to be found. Gust when " dreth had given up hope, a tremendous b a)e of fire burst from each of the creature(s chests. " dreth watched in shocked awe as within seconds each creature had turned into a sma pi e of dust and ashes. Then he ooked up and saw the tiny form of ,agus standing in the doorway. #;h, it(s 0ust you, Captain " dreth,% ,agus commented, crossing the stone surface of the tower top to inspect the ash pi es with detached curiosity. #' was ooking for the king. ' don(t suppose you(ve seen him, have you$% Speech ess, " dreth simp y shook his head. #;h, we . Wou d you be so kind as to find him for me$ 't is most imperative that ' speak to him in my study as soon as possib e. Thank you so much for your he p, my dear boy.% With that, the wi)ard turned and eft the ba cony. With a tremendous 0o t, " dreth rea i)ed how c ose he had come to certain death, and his egs weakened. He fe to his knees on the stone surface in a shocked stupor and, he wondered how the wi)ard cou d have been so ca m after ki ing the two monsters and saving " dreth(s ife. BBBBB The fight with the two Reptics continued, and Sarrin and =eoffrey were gradua y ab e to turn the batt e so that they cou d back s ow y toward the porta whi e sti fending off the Reptics. #'( ho d them off whi e you run for the porta ,% =eoffrey ye ed to Sarrin, thrusting powerfu y with the four-ecru ong ance. #!re you cra)y$% she ye ed back. #'(m not going in there a one.% #=o, you itt e ass, or '( throw you in4% #' can(t destroy the porta a one,% she countered, 0umping aside as the Reptic that fought her came within a tenth of an ecru of s icing her face. #' need you in there with me4% =eoffrey stopped insisting that she go, and with an enormous unge, he speared one Reptic straight through the heart. !s he turned to he p Sarrin, she saw an opening. She unged forward to thrust with her sword. 't p unged deep y into the Reptic(s stomach, spi ing ye ow b ood everywhere. /efore she cou d pu the sword out, the Reptic had co apsed face-first on the ground, burying the sword beneath its massive body. Sarrin moved to retrieve the sword, but =eoffrey grabbed her arm and began pu ing her toward the porta . #,y sword4% she ca ed out in protest. #2eave it,% =eoffrey ordered. #Those -ragans are coming after us now, and ' doubt we can ho d off an entire company by ourse ves.% Sarrin rea i)ed that he was right and hurried after him into the porta . ;nce inside, she ordered him to stop and stand sti . The gray energies of the porta swir ed around them and b ocked out a but a sma window at either end of the porta . ;ne window revea ed the grim, ye ow features of :arganoth. The other showed the verdant forest of the 3a con(s Hi s. #' have to concentrate comp ete y on the work,% Sarrin said as she began to reach out with the spe she(d memori)ed over and over before coming to :arganoth. #.ou(re going to have to he p me, =eoffrey. When you fee me trying to use your energy, 0ust et go and et me do it. .ou might fee tempted to fight me, but don(t do that4 ! right$% Without waiting for a rep y, Sarrin grabbed the Shard and began to pu its magic out of the crysta , using it to boost her own imited powers. She fe t the spe progressing nice y when she heard =eoffrey say, #' hate to distract you, Sarrin, but the -ragans ook ike they might be coming in here, and they(ve got a patro of ;rgs coming up to 0oin them. .ou(d better hurry.% She hushed him and continued to weave her spe . When she had used a the energy from the Shard, she fe t out with her magica senses and began to tap into the ;rg(s raw energy. 'nstant y, she fe t =eoffrey(s thoughts and fee ings come rushing at her a ong with the ;rg(s energy, but she knew they wou d on y distract her and she brushed them aside as if they were pesky f ies. She fe t =eoffrey strugg e brief y, but again she ignored the distraction and continued to weave the spe . With a fina effort, Sarrin used the ast of her energy to put the ast thread into p ace. ;pening her eyes to face =eoffrey, she cried, #'t(s done4%

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She fe t the porta begin to c ose around her, and she cried, #We need to get out of here, now4% Without waiting to see if =eoffrey fo owed, she turned and ran for the window that showed =a aria. The porta (s co apse esca ated in a rush of energy, and 0ust as she reached the end, she fe t herse f thrown out with a tremendous burst of power. The wind was knocked out of her when she anded, and for an instant, Sarrin wondered if she had even escaped, for she cou dn(t see anything. Then she rea i)ed that she was face-first in a pi e of eaves and dead pine need es. She ifted her head and fe t pain surge through her body ike a b acksmith(s hammer hitting an anvi . Something had crushed her eg, and she cou d fee from the awkward way that she was aying that her eg was bad y broken. 3rom somewhere behind her, she heard the deep bass voice of the ;rg crying, #Sarrin4 Where are you$% #'(m underneath you, you big brute4% she gasped. #Stop writhing4 .ou(re crushing me4% She fe t the tremendous weight ifted from her body, and another surge of pain trave ed up her spine. She cried out despite herse f and tried to turn over. Then she fe t the c umsy hands of the ;rg he ping her up into a sitting position, and she cried out once more as her broken eg protested the movement. #'(m so sorry4% =eoffrey muttered. #!re you a right$% #,y eg is broken4% she retorted. #How do you think ' am$% She aid back and took in her surroundings. They were in a verdant meadow enc osed by ha den trees on one side and pine trees on the other. The meadow was some distance up a hi , for Sarrin was ab e to ook down into a va ey and see another, arge hi on the other side. 'n every direction, she saw on y trees and hi s. #Where are we$% she gasped. =eoffrey had begun gathering severa straight tree imbs from the forest itter, but he stopped and ooked around when she 5uestioned him. Then he approached her and awkward y kne t on the ground beside her. He began ining the imbs up against her eg as he answered, #' think ' recogni)e this p ace from when ' used to ride patro severa years ago. ' think this is the meadow we used to ca *ara+(s meadow.% Sarrin gasped in pain as =eoffrey straightened her broken eg. #What are you doing$% she gasped. #'(m setting your eg as best ' can,% he rep ied. #'t(s about three hours from the 3a con(s Hi s to "ag e<s Rest, and we( need to keep your eg as immobi e as possib e.% !fter a her years he ping in the infirmary, Sarrin rea i)ed that she shou d have known that. She watched, trying to ho d back the tears, as =regory used strips that had been torn from her c oak to bind the imbs tight y against her eg. When he(d finished, she eaned back and waited unti the pain had subsided somewhat. When she ooked back at him, she saw him watching her in concern. !s if to prove that she was fine, she asked, #Why did you ca this *ara+(s meadow$% #This is the meadow where the scouts a ways saw *ara+ when he first returned from :arganoth,% =eoffrey rep ied. #9o you know your way home from here$% Sarrin asked, fighting back another wave of pain. #.es, ' think ' can find the way,% =eoffrey rep ied. #=ood, then et(s get going,% Sarrin rep ied. #' don(t know how much onger ' can ho d on.% =eoffrey c ambered c umsi y back to stand on a four ;rg feet and then eaned over to pick Sarrin up. She hung on to his neck, desperate y trying to fight back the pain as it turned her stomach. =eoffrey began to make his way out of the meadow, and Sarrin gasped as he 0o ted her broken eg. #'(m sorry,% he said, ooking into her face in concern. #'( try to wa k more smooth y.% Sarrin cringed as a c ear, viscous ichor dripped from the ;rg(s face onto her cheek. Then she found the situation too ridicu ous, and she burst out aughing despite the pain. #What are you aughing at$% =eoffrey asked. Sarrin shook her head, and continued aughing. Then she ooked up into his face and gigg ed, #.ou are so ug y and disgusting4 ' don(t think '(ve ever seen a more revo ting creature.% #Thank you so much,% he rep ied stiff y. #' can(t rea y he p it, you know.% With another gigg e, Sarrin said, #&o, no. 't(s perfect. Rea y, it is. 3rom now on, whenever you get a smug and superior with me, ' can think back to this moment and say to myse f, 1He(s 0ust being pigheaded,( and know that, for a time, it was itera y true4% Her observation made her rock with aughter, and she repeated, #-ig-headed4% twice before ca ming even s ight y. #!re you hysterica $% he asked eventua y.

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#;h, yes, definite y hysterica ,% she rep ied as she rea i)ed she(d ost a se f-contro . Sti , after the horrors of :arganoth, she fe t giddy and ight-headed to be out in the fresh air, and it fe t good to augh. #'(d s ap you, but my arms are fu ,% =eoffrey commented. With another gigg e, Sarrin rep ied, #Trust me, '( be okay. /ut you have to admit, it is funny. -ig-headed4% #.ou seem to be en0oying my physica appearance far more than ' am, Sarrin,% he rep ied grim y. #Have you given any thought to how you(re going to get me back into my own body$% #/ut aren(t you en0oying being pig-headed$% Sarrin asked, bursting out into another fit of aughter. When he didn(t deign to rep y, she took a deep breath and said, #!ctua y, our current situation is perfect. 'f you can 0ust carry me unti we meet Fo nius mas5uerading about in your body, ' can get him to touch me, and then ' can switch you back.% #That sounds a bit easier said than done.% #We , we( 0ust have to catch him unawares. Which means you( have to go on acting ike an ;rg unti we can get to him.% #=reat,% =eoffrey snorted indignant y. Then he stopped. #9id you hear that$% he asked. #Hear what$% Sarrin asked. #There(s something moving in the brush up ahead.% Sarrin 5uick y 0umped to an assumption. #'t(s got to be a =a arian patro . =o see if you can catch up to them. ,aybe they can get my father to bring Fo nius out here so we can make the switch right away.% #What makes you think it(s your father(s men$ What if it(s wi d anima s$ ,aybe even a pack of dansai waiting to attack$% #;h, do be serious, =eoffrey,% she rep ied. #!ny wi d anima around here wou d have sme ed you from ten fur ongs. /e ieve me, no dansai is waiting to attack you4 Gust remember that when you meet my father(s men, you have to act ike an ;rg. &o one can suspect that you(re rea y =eoffrey and not 0ust an ;rg.% They crossed through a dense thicket of vines and found themse ves surrounded by a patro of =a arians when they reached the other side. When the patro recogni)ed the princess, they ha ted their horses in shock. Then the ieutenant ca ed out, #Stop right there, ;rg4 -ut the princess down4% ;ne of the men drew a bow and aimed an arrow at =eoffrey. !nnoyed, Sarrin cried out, #-ut your bow away, so dier4 !re you p anning on sending it through me in order to hit the ;rg$% The ieutenant turned and said, #-ut the bow away, " anus.% Then he turned back to the princess and asked, #!re you a right, your Highness$% #9o ' ook a right$% Sarrin snapped. /efore the other man cou d rep y, =eoffrey be owed, #Water4% in his guttura voice, start ing the so dier(s mounts into 0umping. When the so diers a ooked at him in shock, he repeated more insistent y, #Water4% #.ou(d better give it to him,% Sarrin remarked ca m y, keen y aware of her parched throat now that =eoffrey had mentioned water. ;ne of the so diers forced his mount c oser, ho ding out his canteen. =eoffrey snatched the canteen with his three-fingered hand and gave it to Sarrin. She pu ed off the top and drank deep y of the wonderfu y refreshing i5uid. !fter a few seconds, =eoffrey snatched the canteen out of her hands and snapped, #"nough4% #'(m sorry, but ' haven(t had a drink in more than two days. '(m 0ust a itt e thirsty4% #.ou( make yourse f sick4% =eoffrey snapped. Sarrin was sudden y aware that the patro was watching their e+change in an ama)ed si ence. #We , 0ust don(t stand there staring4% she snapped at them. #=o te my father that '(m coming home4 Gust imagine how he( reward the man who te s him that his daughter managed to escape from :arganoth4% !s one, the men a turned and ga oped away from =eoffrey and Sarrin. With a sigh, she re a+ed and fe t e+haustion s ow y taking over. #Thank you for the water,% she remarked. #! though '(m sti incredib y thirsty.% #.ou can have some more in a itt e whi e,% =eoffrey rep ied, marching steadfast y out of the woods. #'f you drink too much at once, you( on y make yourse f sick.% #' know,% she sighed. #Sti , it(s hard to te myse f that when every ce in my body is crying out for water.%

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They wa ked 5uiet y for severa minutes before Sarrin rea i)ed that soon she wou d see her parents again. 'nstead of making her happy, the rea i)ation on y made her nervous. She knew that =eoffrey wou d find out that she was supposed to marry him, and she knew that she shou d be the one to te him. !s s eep threatened to overwhe m her, she muttered, #' have to te you something about what Fo nius did, =eoffrey.% #' don(t want to hear it,% =eoffrey rep ied adamant y. #'(m sure '( find out soon enough.% Sarrin fe t her head 0erk as she near y fe as eep, and she forced herse f to say, #' have to te you.% 3or severa minutes Sarrin said nothing because she had fa en as eep. Then she 0erked awake ong enough to say, #=eoffrey. .ou have to know. Whi e you were gone, we became engaged. We(re supposed to get married in mid-"mber.% With that, she gave in to the e+haustion and fe deep y as eep in the ;rg(s arms. She comp ete y missed the shock that crossed his face as we as the thoughtfu ness that rep aced the astonishment. BBBBB The king entered ,agus(s study and found the wi)ard bent over the etter *ara+ had brought from Sarrin. #.ou wanted to see me, ,agus$% #;h, yes, your ,a0esty. 9o come in. '(m so g ad you came so prompt y. 't(s most important ' show you this. 't(s about the etter from your daughter.% #What did you find$% #We , for one thing, ' found that your daughter taught herse f a good dea more magic than she(d ed me to be ieve. There are three eve s of spe s woven into the etter, and a of them are very comp icated and intricate. &o beginner cou d have created these spe s. 'ndeed, even someone adept at magic wou d have taken a ong time to think up these spe s and then weave them into the etter. .our daughter must have spent hours on them.% #What sort of spe s are they$% =regory asked impatient y. ,agus waved the etter around enthusiastica y as he e+p ained. #The first spe was a decoy. 't was meant to be discovered. The intention was that the spe wou d eave a trai as the etter moved, no doubt so that Sarrin cou d fo ow it. 't wou d seem that wherever she is in :arganoth, the princess is unab e to find the porta , and this spe was meant to ead her to it. /ut this spe was c umsi y woven, and *ara+ discovered it, as your daughter no doubt intended that he shou d. *ara+ easi y removed the spe , rendering it use ess. However, he missed the second and third ayers of magic underneath. #&ow, when ' unrave ed the second spe , ' determined that it was a much c everer web. 't didn(t eave a trai . 'nstead, it simp y eft a magica marker when it encountered strong magic such as wou d be found in the porta between =a aria and :arganoth. This second spe obvious y worked, so we can safe y assume that the porta (s ocation is now c ear y marked in :arganoth.% #9oes this mean that Sarrin can escape$% =regory asked, hope ighting his eyes. #.es4 .es4 ;f course, she must first get past any other obstac es that cou d keep her from the porta , but now we know that one reason why she cou d not escape was because she cou d not find the e+it. That is no onger one of her prob ems.% #What is this third spe you mentioned, ,agus$% #!hh, that ast one is the pinnac e of perfection4 She wove it before she eft, no doubt intending to eave the etter behind here in =a aria, and then changing her mind for some reason. This spe is so difficu t, so comp e+, that she must have taken hours to create it in her mind, and severa more hours to weave it. 't(s a message spe .% #What do you mean$% =regory asked. #The spe eaves a message for anyone who cou d activate it,% ,agus rep ied. #/ut rather than te you about it, et me show you.% He he d the etter out and muttered a few obscure phrases. Then, to =regory(s shock, an image of Sarrin appeared in the center of ,agus(s cramped study. #Sarrin4% he cried. He went to touch her, but ,agus stopped him. #'t is on y a picture, your ,a0esty,% ,agus warned. #Watch and see what happens.% !s if on cue, the image(s downcast face ooked up and straight at the two men, as if tru y seeing them. Then the picture of Sarrin spoke. #,agus. 'f you have detected this spe , then ' have no doubt been detained in :arganoth, perhaps forever. 't is imperative that you know why ' have come here, a though '

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beg you not to re ease this information to anyone e se, in case ' shou d succeed in my mission after you discover this spe . #Some time ago, ' discovered that 2ord =eoffrey and Fo nius somehow switched p aces during those ast few minutes of their batt e in the dining ha . Fo nius now resides in 2ord =eoffrey(s body, and ' am very sure that 2ord =eoffrey(s sou was banished to :arganoth. ' cannot ive with the gui t of knowing that ' am responsib e for his banishment, so ' have decided to go there to try and free him. #.ou must be very carefu of Fo nius. 9enied the power of his magic, he has evident y turned his attention to seeking what itt e power he can find in =a aria without magic. .ou wi have noticed that one of his first moves was to secure the kingdom by proposing to me. &ow that ' am gone, he wi undoubted y find his dreams of becoming king thwarted and wi seek to regain that power any way he can. !s 2ord =eoffrey had a strong c aim to the throne shou d my father have no heir, Fo nius(s first move wi be to e iminate the newborn baby when it arrives. .ou must prevent this from happening, ,agus4 #Keep a c ose eye on Fo nius, and keep hoping that ' may return. 'f ' shou d return from :arganoth with a companion, even an un ike y one, you must assume that ' have managed to find the rea 2ord =eoffrey and bring him back. ' wi need to bring him together with his rea body if he is to be restored to himse f. ' may need your he p with this, ,agus. 't is a so of the utmost importance that you te no one this information. 'f Fo nius shou d suspect that you know of his true identity, he may f ee, making it impossib e to restore 2ord =eoffrey(s body to its rightfu owner. #'(m counting on your he p, ,agus. - ease don(t et me down.% The image faded from view, and =regory was eft staring at a c uttered desk in its p ace. ,agus c eared his throat hesitant y and said, #' fe t you shou d know this information, your ,a0esty, despite your daughter(s protestations.% #' thank you for that,% =regory rep ied, sti shocked by the reve ation. #,agus, can you te if Sarrin was right about 2ord =eoffrey$% #Without a carefu e+amination, your ,a0esty, ' cou dn(t say for sure,% ,agus rep ied. #Sti , your daughter is very canny and wou d be one of the first ones to know if something was amiss with 2ord =eoffrey. 'n this situation, ' wou d be inc ined to trust her 0udgment.% #What do we do, then$% /efore ,agus cou d rep y, /rannen burst through the door. #-ardon the interruption, your ,a0esty,% he said breath ess y, #but a patro has 0ust come in from the 3a con(s Hi s. They say your daughter has returned4% Without waiting for any more information, =regory turned and dashed from ,agus(s study. He wondered if his feet ever rea y touched the stairs as he descended head ong down them, and before he knew it, he found himse f in the main courtyard. His horse was a ready sadd ed, and " dreth stood ne+t to a second horse as a fresh patro of so diers readied themse ves to eave. =regory remembered the message(s warning about 2ord =eoffrey, and without thinking, he ordered, #" dreth, ' want you to stay here and watch the 5ueen in case this is a hoa+ of some sort.% 3or the first time in near y twenty years, =regory saw a ook of rebe ion cross " dreth(s face, but the captain stepped back from his horse and said, #'f you think that(s best, your ,a0esty.% =regory rea i)ed that he cou dn(t force " dreth to stay behind. He saw the man pretending to be 2ord =eoffrey enter the courtyard, and he decided to bring the danger with him. ,ounting with one, smooth move, the king said, #2ord =eoffrey, ead the patro behind us into the 3a con(s Hi s as soon as they are ready. /ring ,agus with you if possib e. " dreth, you wi ride with me.% " dreth mounted his horse 5uick y, and together he and the king ga oped out of the main gates, not bothering to wait for the patro that wou d fo ow them. BBBBB ! though the ;rg(s eyes were weaker than a human(s eyes, its ears were far keener, and =eoffrey heard the riders before he saw them. He shook Sarrin gent y unti she opened her eyes weari y, and he said, #Riders are approaching, Sarrin.% She ooked around and cou d 0ust bare y make out the form of two riders coming up the hi far be ow them. #Cou d ' have some more water now$% she p eaded as she watched the horsemen approach. =eoffrey gave her the canteen, and Sarrin took two cautious sips before returning the bott e to him. Then the riders were upon them, and Sarrin near y started crying when she recogni)ed them. " dreth sat upon one horse, and his intense grey eyes were ringed with dark circ es as if he hadn(t s ept in days. ;n

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the other horse, he father sat, and Sarrin was shocked at how much o der he ooked. 9ays of grief had taken their to , and s ight streaks of gray high ighted his thick, dark hair whi e worry ines stood out on a face that had been smooth of wrink es before she eft. Sarrin didn(t know what to say, and =eoffrey was supposed to be p aying the part of an ;rg. He stopped and faced the king and " dreth as if uncertain how to continue. #-ut her down, ;rg,% " dreth ordered. #&o put gir down4% =eoffrey he d onto Sarrin as if his safety depended upon it, and " dreth ordered again, #-ut her down4 We wi guarantee your safety if you wi 0ust put her down and back away.% Sarrin sighed and said, #He can(t put me down, " dreth. '(ve broken my eg. ' can(t stand on it.% " dreth ooked at her in confusion and said, #2et him give you to me, then. He can easi y transfer you onto my horse.% - aying the part of the dumb ;rg once again, =eoffrey said, #,e keep gir .% Sarrin found the who e situation udicrous, and she had to fight back a gigg e. =eoffrey fe t her start to augh and s5uee)ed her tight y in warning. Then Sarrin wondered why her father said nothing, and she was surprised to see him intent y watching the ;rg as if it weren(t 5uite what it seemed. ,uted sounds in the distance announced the arriva of another group of riders. #Who(s coming behind you, 3ather$% Sarrin asked, hoping against hope that Fo nius was one of the party. #!nother patro ,% " dreth rep ied 5uick y. #.ou( soon find yourse f outnumbered, ;rg. .ou shou d give the princess up now.% #Who(s in the patro $% Sarrin asked insistent y. 3or the first time, her father spoke. She was surprised by the intensity of the emotion in his words as he said, #,agus comes with the patro . ! so 2ord =eoffrey.% Then he ooked curious y at Sarrin and asked, #;r is 2ord =eoffrey a ready here$% Sarrin knew then that her father was aware of the switch in identities. 8uick y, she warned, #.ou mustn(t et on that you know, 3ather4% " dreth ooked between the king and the princess with a start ed ook, but before he cou d comment on their e+change, the patro rode up with ,agus and Fo nius in 2ord =eoffrey(s body. !s they came to a ha t, the king said smooth y, #.ou(ve come 0ust in time. 't seems that this ;rg has somehow decided that the princess is his ticket to freedom and won(t put her down. !ny suggestions as to how we can free Sarrin without hurting her$% There was a muttered e+change among the newcomers, but Sarrin took her cue and said, #- ease et me go. '(m sure my father wi ensure your safety if you do4% #=ir hurt4% the ;rg protested. #;ne of the others can he p me down,% Sarrin rep ied. She ignored the hurt and confused ook in " dreth(s eyes and said, #2ord =eoffrey, wou d you p ease take me from the ;rg$% She watched carefu y to see if Fo nius wou d show any suspicion. He was a bit hesitant about coming forward, but he dismounted and s ow y approached them. When he reached out to take Sarrin from the ;rg(s arms, Sarrin fe t the ;rg stiffen as she grabbed Fo nius(s hands and concentrated on weaving the spe 5uick y but carefu y. The e+ertion of performing the magic when she was a ready so tired near y made her faint, but when Sarrin regained awareness, she fe t herse f crad ed in 2ord =eoffrey(s arms as the ;rg began thrashing vio ent y about with its egs. #.ou can(t do this to me4% the ;rg cried over and over. Then, seeing 2ord =eoffrey and the princess so vu nerab e, it moved forward as if to attack. /efore it cou d get c ose, though, the king was there with his sword pressed against its throat. #,ake one move, and '( have your head,% her father said in a threatening voice that shocked Sarrin. The ;rg stopped as sudden y as it had started thrashing, and the king 5uick y ordered the patro to hobb e the creature(s egs so that it cou d not escape. !s two so diers bent to fo ow the king(s orders, Fo nius, now in the ;rg(s body, ashed out vio ent y, crushing one man(s head whi e knocking the other man unconscious. 'nstant y a vo ey of arrows from the patro stationed behind the king thudded as dead y rain into the ;rg(s chest. ! though such an assau t wou d have instant y ki ed any esser beast, Fo nius roared and pain and, with one, massive eap, turned around and f ed into the thick forest. With a start ed shout from the king, ha f of the patro fo owed behind the retreating ;rg, urging their horses to ga op after the revo ting beast.

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With the ordea fina y over, Sarrin fe t her repressed emotions take their to . Re ief swept through her body, and with it came a vio ent bout of nausea. #-ut me down,% she muttered to =eoffrey, and 0ust as he had p aced her on the ground, she eaned over and vomited up a the water she had drunk that day. She fe t =eoffrey at her side, and when she finished, he was there with another canteen, not giving her water to drink, but using the water to carefu y wash her hands and face. When he(d finished, he gave her a sma sip, and Sarrin sighed weari y. #Thank you4% she gasped. #' can(t te you how good it fee s to have a re ative y c ean face again.% Then she fe t her father knee ing ne+t to her, and she threw herse f into his arms and sobbed, the bui t-up gui t over her actions vio ent y bursting free. #'(m so sorry, daddy,% she kept saying. The king ooked up over his daughter(s head and asked =eoffrey, #'s she a right$% =eoffrey rep ied, #She hasn(t eaten or had anything to drink in over two days, and she(s on y s ept for about si+ hours during the entire time. ;n top of that, her eg is bad y broken. &o, your ,a0esty, she(s not a right.% ,agus had 0oined the three on the ground, and now he said, #Hea ing magic is not my forte, your ,a0esty, but ' can put a spe on her so that she( s eep unti we can bring her back to "ag e<s Rest. There '(m sure the 5ueen can comp ete the hea ing.% =regory nodded his approva of the idea, and soon Sarrin was s eeping peacefu y in his arms. He re in5uished her to 2ord =eoffrey on y ong enough to mount his horse, and then Sarrin was p aced back into his arms for the ride back. The others a mounted, and as they returned to "ag e<s Rest, =eoffrey to d the story as best as he knew it. He finished by describing the destruction of the porta . #!re you sure the porta is destroyed$% the king asked in shock. #!s sure as ' can be,% =eoffrey rep ied. #' cou dn(t say for certain, though, as ' don(t know the first thing about magic.% #' thought you said Sarrin wou dn(t have the strength re5uired to ock the porta , et a one destroy it$% =regory 5uestioned ,agus. #' did indeed say that, your ,a0esty,% ,agus rep ied. #' sti be ieve it.% #The princess said something about using the strength from the Shard, as we as from the ;rg(s body, to he p her with the magic,% =eoffrey vo unteered. #Cou d she have done that$% the king asked in surprise. #'t was a tru y inspired notion, your ,a0esty. With more strength, the princess may very we have been ab e to destroy the porta . The weaving wou d not have been very difficu t. 't simp y re5uired an e+treme y strong magician to contro it. !s to whether or not the porta is tru y destroyed, ' be ieve ' wi go and investigate,% ,agus vo unteered. #/ut first ' wou d ike to c ear up one detai . ' noticed that the princess no onger carries the Sword of Carrath-&oir, but yet you say she used it in :arganoth, 2ord =eoffrey. What happened to the b ade$% #'t was stuck in a Reptic as we ran for the porta ,% =eoffrey e+p ained. #' to d Sarrin to eave it.% #So it was abandoned in :arganoth$% When =eoffrey nodded an affirmative, the king asked, #'s that a prob em, ,agus$% Hesitant y, ,agus answered, #That remains to be seen, your ,a0esty. ' wi give it some thought. 3or now, '(d better go see if the porta has indeed been destroyed, if you wou d be so good as to end me ha f of the patro a guard or two for an escort.% ,agus eft, and an hour ater, the gates of "ag e<s Rest rose up to encompass them. Crowds ined up on either side of the enormous gates to we come their princess back. =regory thought that it had never fe t so good to be home.

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