Antoinette steered Honk north and crossed the great river far from populated areas. The city of Edge appeared on the horizon, tall towers and grand castles. It was a stark contrast to the weather-beaten village to the south of the river. Antoinette brought the dragon down just outside of town. She found an old abandoned farmhouse in the hills that she thought would hide a white dragon with ease.
“Now, stay here!” Antoinette said. “Unless I need you!” She nuzzled her forehead against the cheek of her steed. “I’m not sure how you knew to come fish me out of the river, but I’m grateful. Just stay here. Stay hidden, okay?”
The dragon emitted a rumbling growl and honked twice. Antoinette left the farmhouse and clambered down a grass hill. Her side was still tender. She looked at the wound. It had healed amazingly fast, but it would leave another scar. Again with the side! I need to work on my defense, she thought. Antoinette quickly brushed off Lady Merewen’s cloak, which she had been wearing when she fell into the river. Now it looked rather dull and dirty.
From the farmhouse, it looked about a mile to the road leading into Edge, so Antoinette began to jog. As she ran, Antoinette wondered what she would do if she met Kearn there in the city. And what if the massive armies from Paragory were there with him? She remembered as well that Sir Gabriel thought Paragor himself was with his troops. What could she do against such forces? Antoinette hadn’t the first clue. She only knew she had to try.
She wondered also what Aidan was doing back in the world she had left behind. He better be trying to get Robby to believe! Antoinette thought. Wait until I tell Aidan what trouble he got me into. She laughed, but then she thought, No, I can’t blame anyone but myself for the choices I’ve made. And I certainly deserve the consequences. She felt the dull throb in her side. She had a strange feeling that her bruised jaw and a scar would not be the only consequences for abandoning the mission King Eliam had given her.
Antoinette pulled her hood and cinched it tightly to hide her flaming red hair. Since entering The Realm she had seen very few Glimpses with red hair, and she did not wish to risk drawing attention to herself. When she entered the town of Edge, she found it to be a bustling city of commerce. Everywhere she looked there were shops and stands where Glimpses were hawking everything from spiced muffins to magnificent coats of armor! She passed a small shop where gold rings of intricate design were displayed on burgundy velvet. A Glimpse craftsman withdrew a long pair of tongs from a nearby hearth and poured molten metal into an ivory mold. He set the mold down and stared up at Antoinette.
“Rarely have I seen such a dark-skinned beauty,” he said. “You are not Glimpse-kind—that I can see.” Antoinette felt very conspicuous, and she pulled her hood even tighter.
“No need to worry, m’lady,” said the craftsman. “We get all kinds here. But there is a problem.” Antoinette tensed. “Your lovely pink hand has no ring upon any of those remarkable slender fingers. I have just the thing.”
Before she could say a word, he was already sliding an exquisite ring onto her finger. It was gold and silver interlaced in a serpentine fashion. A single blue onyx was set upon it and glistened in the sunlight. “There, now!” he said. “A riddle ring, more to it than meets the eye, there is—like you, I’ll wager.”
“A riddle ring? Why, it’s beautiful,” Antoinette said, turning her hand, but remembering she had no gold. “But I . . . I’ll have to think about it. Did you make all of these?” She quickly changed the subject, slipping off the ring and handing it to him. “They are the finest I have ever seen.”
The Glimpse turned pink in the cheeks, and his eyes glinted green. “Why, thank you, m’lady. But I think, then, that you have not seen much of what Edge has to offer. I am considered one of lesser skill. That is why I’m so far from the center of town. The town masters only allow the truly gifted ones to work the town proper.”
“Well, I don’t care what they say,” Antoinette said. “Your work is marvelous.”
The craftsman smiled broadly and bowed. Antoinette thought for a minute and asked, “I was told that a great army of soldiers from Paragory had come here for provisions. Do you know if they are still in town?”
“They were here as recently as yesterday,” he replied. “But they do not spend much time on the Outskirts as they call us. Try the town proper.” He pointed far up the avenue. “See those flags? That is where the finest weapons in The Realm can be bought. There are other things there too for those who can afford them.”
“Thank you,” Antoinette replied with a brief curtsy. “Good luck with the rest of your business. With your talent, I’m sure you’ll make out well.”
The craftsman grinned, hurriedly stepped around his stand, and pressed something into Antoinette’s hand. She looked down and saw the gold-and-silver ring. “I couldn’t,” she protested.
“No, I insist,” the craftsman replied. “You had no need to say such kind words to me. Few ever have. I do not care if I sell another thing this day, for I have met a pretty lady!” And just like that, he hopped happily behind his stand and went back to work, whistling while he did.
Antoinette slipped the ring onto her finger and smiled at the craftsman. He did not look up again. Antoinette hurried up the road, ignoring calls from other shopkeeps to come and look at their wares. She had the information she needed and forged ahead toward the flags. As she neared the town proper, there were fewer shops. But those that were there were much larger and offered many precious things. Antoinette saw brilliant tapestries for sale and throne-sized chairs carved from rich dark wood. The streets became more and more crowded as well. And those who milled about shopping looked like royalty. Glimpse men with embroidered surcoats and leggings strolled along with tall Glimpse ladies in elegant long gowns.
But still, there was no sign of Kearn. No sign of the Paragor Knights. Finally, she came to the place where the flags were. It was a wide square, lined with more magnificent shops and jam-packed with Glimpses. She could hear cheering and loud conversation from the center of the square, but she could not see what was going on. As she pushed her way through the crowd, Glimpses stared at her. Antoinette thought she heard a bit of conversation as a princely looking fellow and his wife wandered by.
“Did you see?” he said.
“How deplorable,” she replied. “That cloak, so besmirched, really.”
“She ought to stay in the Outskirts.”
Antoinette shrugged. She was not there to win a popularity contest. She made her way over to a large shop that backed up to a castle wall. Again she heard cheers from the center of the square, and a loud voice called out, “Sold!”
Antoinette saw a Glimpse in ornate gold armor standing in front of a gated stairway. He looked like a guard or an official of some kind. Antoinette figured perhaps he would be able to help. “Sir,” she said. He did not respond. “Excuse me, sir.”
Still there was no reply. He seemed to be staring out over the heads of the crowd into the center of the square. “Hello, sir!”
“Yes, what is it?” he finally said. He glared angrily down his long nose at Antoinette. “Make it fast! I hear they have a live one today!”
“I was wondering if you have seen the Knights of Paragory. I was told they would be here.”
“They were here,” the guard replied gruffly, craning his neck to see over the crowd. He said nothing more.
“They were here?” Antoinette pressed on.
He looked down at her, annoyed that she was still there. “Yes, they were. A whole army. They left, what . . . four days ago? A smaller group came after them, left last night. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”
“Well, where did the smaller group go?” Antoinette asked.
“North,” the guard replied.
Antoinette expelled an angry sigh. “Well, where did they go up north?”
“Look, m’lady,” he said. “The Knights of Paragory are good customers. They buy a lot. They sell a lot. They do not meddle in my affairs. I do not meddle in theirs. I will tell you this, and then please go away. The whole lot of them, even their icy commander, went north. I daresay it wouldn’t be to Clarion. Those folk will not parley with the red eyes, no, not on your life. Where else they might be going, I don’t know. Now, move along, m’lady, or buy something.” And with that, he turned, unlocked the nearby gate, and disappeared up the stairs.
Antoinette looked up at the sky. “Now what?!” she said aloud. Kearn and his troops were at least twelve hours ahead now. How was she supposed to find them? She figured she could take Honk and crisscross the wilderness until she caught sight of them, but who knew how long that would take. She had given away most of her food. What little provision she had left would not be enough for a long search. It seemed more and more likely that she would have to turn back.
From the center of the square, a sharp crack followed by an anguished scream pierced the air. Antoinette could not see what was happening over the thickening crowd. She heard a loud voice but couldn’t quite make out the words. Cheers erupted from the crowd. She heard another crack and another scream. Then with a glance back the way she had come, Antoinette plunged into the crowd.
With numerous “Excuse me’s” and “Pardon me’s,” Antoinette pushed through the masses of Glimpses. Some ignored Antoinette altogether, so focused were they on whatever was going on in the center of the square. Others looked at her darkly. Some shoved back. Still, Antoinette finally pushed through. She emerged between two extremely wide Glimpses wearing long fur robes. They looked down at her with disdain, but not for long.
“Who will open the bidding?” came a thunderous voice. And Antoinette looked into the center. There stood a huge Glimpse wearing a full coat of chain mail draped in a long fur. At his side was a broadsword. In one hand he held a whip. In the other, he gripped the end of a long chain. At the other end of the chain, shackled hand, foot, and neck was a young female Glimpse. She sat, splayed on the dusty ground, and clutched at her chains. Her extremely long dark hair covered her face and hung all about her.
“Come now, do not be shy!” called the warrior. “You will not find a better breed than this!”
“She doesn’t look very tame to me, Ebenezer!” called someone from the crowd.
“Yeah,” someone agreed. “She looks likely to bite the hand that feeds her!”
The crowd cheered and laughed.
“Nay, she is tame!” said the one called Ebenezer. “Watch and see for yourselves. Stand up!” he commanded her. “Let them have a look at you!” He cracked the whip near her ear.
Slowly, she stood. She wore a patched leather jerkin that stretched just below her knees. She shook her hair out of her face, and it fell down her shoulders to her waist. She had gleaming dark eyes that smoldered defiantly at the crowd. The master cracked the whip again, and she stared at the ground.
Antoinette was horrified. This girl looked to be about her age, and they were going to sell her!
“She’s strong, and can be put to good use in your fields,” Ebenezer roared. “Come now, I’ll open the bidding at a modest price of two gold!”
“I’ll give you one!” someone cried out.
“Nay, two is the starting bid, and it is a marvelous bargain. This lass is from Yewland. She is of the hunter breed.”
She struggled against her chains. Ebenezer’s whip clipped her shoulder, and she screamed. “Two gold! Who will make the offer?”
“Two! I’ll give you two!” This from a balding Glimpse wearing a dark green gown. Ebenezer grinned. It had begun.
“Four, then!” said another.
“Excellent,” Ebenezer bellowed. “You will not regret it. Just look at her. She is a rare mix of beauty and strength—a fine addition to your slave holdings!”
The girl looked up with pleading eyes, as if anwering Antoinette’s stare. Antoinette had to help her. But how? Antoinette had no gold. And she couldn’t rush out there and take on Ebenezer. If she did, she’d never escape. The other guards would pen her in.
“Ten gold!” called out a portly Glimpse wearing a red satiny tunic. He gestured with a hamlike fist with rings on every finger.
“That is more like it!” Ebenezer yelled. “Ten gold. Do I hear fifteen?”
“Fifteen!” said a thin older man with a mossy white beard and small shining eyes.
“Twenty-five!” thundered Hamfist. He looked at the thin old man and sneered.
“Twenty-five!” yelled Ebenezer. “That is a fair wage for property so worthy. But it is not unreasonable to think one might offer more. Do I hear a higher offer?”
The crowd muttered. The Glimpses turned this way and that, wondering if any would bid. Antoinette felt sick to her stomach. She couldn’t let this happen!
“Going once!” Ebenezer bellowed.
Antoinette stared into the slave girl’s pleading eyes.
“Going twice!”
Antoinette drew her sword.
“Going—”
“Fifty!” the thin man interrupted.
The crowd uttered a collective gasp. The hamfisted Glimpse scowled, looked into a leather pouch at his waist, and scowled some more. The thin, bearded man shuffled forward to claim his prize.
“A moment, m’lord. I must still make the offer,” said Ebenezer. “We have a daring bid of fifty gold! This from one who knows the value of a diamond in the rough. Is there not one among you all who would see it raised?” He pointed out into the crowd and turned to look eye to eye.
“Fifty gold, going once . . . twice . . . so—”
“Wait!” Antoinette cried. She rushed out into the center. “I would like to make a bid!” Ebenezer looked at her with great mirth.
“You are not one of the usual patrons,” he said. “And by the look of you, I doubt very much that you can afford to bid.”
“I do not have any gold,” Antoinette said. Ebenezer laughed. The slave girl hung her head. “But I do have this!” Antoinette held out the Daughter of Light so that all could see the intricacy of its bird-wing crossguard, the detail in the engravings, and shining silver of blade and pommel.
Ebenezer reached for the sword, held it aloft, and stared. “Now, this . . . this is a worthy offer,” he muttered. “Never in all my years have I seen—wait! Yes, I have seen craftsmanship like this before. Naysmithe was the name. Naysmithe, once Sentinel of Alleble. It was he and none other who forged this blade!”
The thin beady-eyed Glimpse frowned, hands on his hips.
Ebenezer swallowed and stared at Antoinette. “You would part with this priceless blade?”
Antoinette felt suddenly guilty, for it was not really her sword at all. It belonged to Gwenne. But then again, she thought, Gwenne is noble. If she were here in my place, she would do it. The girl’s life is worth far more than a piece of metal! The crowd muttered.
“Done, then!” Ebenezer said, and he handed Antoinette the end of the chain.
“Seventy-five!” yelled the old Glimpse. Ebenezer shook his head.
“One hundred gold!” He tried again.
“Did you not hear me?” Ebenezer yelled. “This blade is priceless! Take your gold and go home. This market is closed!” And with that, Ebenezer started to leave.
“Wait,” Antoinette said, tugging on his robe. “You gave me her chains, but you did not give me a key to unlock them.” The slave girl looked up suddenly.
“Here it is,” he replied, handing her a long gray key. “But I would not release her until you have trained her well.”
Ebenezer walked away, still marveling at the sword. The crowd began to disperse, except the old Glimpse. He stood there glaring at Antoinette as if he could cause her great bodily injury with his eyes. At last, he shook a cane at her and shuffled away.
Antoinette turned to the slave girl. “Follow me,” she said. “As soon as we get out of town, I’ll get these ridiculous chains off you.” The slave girl nodded. Her eyes were so dark, like polished coal. But they glinted green.
Antoinette carried as much of the chain as she could manage. The two of them moved quickly through Edge-town-proper and finally into the Outskirts. Once beyond the city, Antoinette and the girl ducked behind a grassy hillock. Immediately, Antoinette took the key and began to unlock the shackles. “What is your name?” Antoinette asked.
“I am Trenna,” she replied. “Trenna Swiftfoot.”
“I’m Antoinette,” she announced as she turned the key in the last lock. The heavy chains fell away to the grass. “Well, Trenna, you are free!”
Trenna fell at Antoinette’s feet and wept openly. She began to kiss the tops of Antoinette’s boots. “Hey,” Antoinette said, kneeling and lifting her chin. “Don’t do that! You don’t know where my boots have been.”
“You do not understand,” Trenna replied, tears streaking her face. “Three years of my life I bore those chains! I had given up hope of ever being free. Then I saw you in the crowd. There was hope in your eyes, and behold! You paid a great price to redeem me! Why did you do this?”
“I was angry,” Antoinette replied. “No one should be enslaved! We were all made to be free. In a way, that’s what I’ve been fighting for since I’ve been in The Realm.”
“You are a warrior then?”
“Yeah.” Antoinette laughed. “I guess I am. I serve as a knight under King Eliam the noble ruler of Alleble.”
“I know of Alleble,” Trenna said. “The famous twin archers from my homeland went there and won great glory!”
“Nock and Bolt,” Antoinette confirmed. “That’s right, you’re from Yewland. Did you know them?”
“How could I not? I made it my business to know every brave or huntress who possessed such skill. I learned from the masters whenever I could.”
Antoinette nodded and asked, “Trenna, Yewland is a free land. How did you end up in those chains?”
“I was distracted while hunting a clever wolvin in the forest on Yewland’s southern border,” Trenna replied, rubbing her wrists. “A dozen spearmen lay in wait for me. The hunter became the prey. But, Lady Antoinette, may I ask you something? You said that all must be free, so why do you then serve King Eliam?”
“All who follow King Eliam do so willingly,” Antoinette said. “There was a time when King Eliam gave up something precious to save his people, and they have not forgotten it. I serve King Eliam because he loves me and wishes only to bring peace to The Realm.”
“Then I will serve him too,” Trenna said.
“What?” Antoinette stared.
Trenna’s eyebrows arched high, reminding Antoinette of Nock. She looked at Antoinette quizzically. “You have set me free, Lady Antoinette!” Trenna said. “I deem that you did this in keeping with the precepts of your homeland. You follow the example of King Eliam, so I will follow him too. Just tell me how.”
Trenna stood there, waiting. Antoinette wasn’t sure what to say. She tried to remember how she first believed in Alleble. It wasn’t really a specific memory though. Her parents had taught her, and she just accepted it. Then she thought about the ceremony where Kaliam invited her to make the good confession. Yes, that’s what we’ll do! she thought.
“Trenna,” she said, “I think following King Eliam is the work of a lifetime—at least that’s what my parents told me. But, it has to begin somewhere. So, let it begin here, now.
“Trenna Swiftfoot, do you give your service to King Eliam? Even if you are threatened by enemies who want to kill you, even then will you trust King Eliam? Answer aye only if it really shows what’s in your heart.”
Without a moment’s hesitation, Trenna answered, “Aye!”
Antoinette grinned. “Then, Trenna, kneel before me.” Trenna knelt on the grass and looked up expectantly. Antoinette reached down to her side, but then she remembered her sword was not there. She loosened her belt, removed the sheath, and laid it on Trenna’s shoulder. “Trenna Swiftfoot, by your making the good confession, I now dub thee a willing servant of King Eliam the Everlasting!”
Then Antoinette watched as something wonderful happened—something she would never forget as long as she lived. Trenna’s dark eyes gleamed green, but the color began to change. And suddenly the purest blue shone forth.
Antoinette embraced Trenna. “Welcome to the Kingdom of Alleble!” Antoinette said, and it was her turn to cry.
Back in the farmhouse, the white dragon sniffed Trenna from head to toe and honked twice.
“I think that means it likes you!” Antoinette said.
“You mean she likes me,” Trenna replied. “Do not forget. I was raised in Yewland where beautiful steeds like this one abound.”
“She, huh?” Antoinette laughed. “Will she bear the two of us?”
“With little trouble. We are both light, and she is a powerful creature, grander than many I have known.”
“Good,” Antoinette said. “Then we can go to Yewland together, and I can drop you off.”
“What do you mean by ‘drop me off’?” Trenna asked, her eyebrows arching again. “You will not drop me from the sky?”
“No! Of course not.” Antoinette felt very awkward. How could she explain that she had left Yewland in secret to pursue a mission of her own—outside King Eliam’s plan for her? How could she explain that to Trenna, who had just chosen to serve King Eliam? And Antoinette simply would not lie to her.
“Trenna, I can’t stay with you in Yewland,” Antoinette said. “I am chasing a soldier of Paragory, and his trail is already growing cold.”
“One of the many who came through Edge?” Trenna asked.
“Yes,” Antoinette replied. “He is one of their commanders. His name is Kearn.”
“Has this Kearn harmed you?” Trenna asked. “Are you seeking revenge?”
Antoinette felt the dull throb in her side. “He has harmed me,” she said. “But I don’t want revenge. Oh, it’s really hard to explain.”
“Then you shall have to explain it to me as we seek Kearn together!”
“What?”
“I will not be dropped off at Yewland and allow you to fly into peril alone!” Trenna said.
“But don’t you have family in Yewland?”
Trenna nodded gravely. “Yes, they are dear to me, and I will return to them as soon as may be, but . . . Lady Antoinette, you are family now as well. You bought me and gave me back my freedom. I am coming with you.”
Antoinette was speechless.
“Besides,” Trenna said, smiling mischievously, “you said yourself that the trail of the Paragor Knights has grown cold. My tracking skills will be of good use, will they not? Let us depart, for the sun is waning. And though I will easily follow the trail in the dark, I prefer not to.”
Antoinette couldn’t argue with that. She had no idea how she would find Kearn and the Paragor Army in the wilderness.
Trenna led Honk and the still-speechless Antoinette out of the farmhouse and into the golden light of the evening sun. Antoinette climbed into the saddle, and Trenna sat in front of her. “Now, while we search for the trail, tell me two things,” Trenna said. “First, tell me why this Kearn is worth our pursuit. Then, explain to me how you came to Alleble, for you are not Glimpse-kind.”
As Antoinette began to explain her adventure to Trenna, Honk took flight—effortlessly bearing her two passengers into the sky.
