Part 1; Chapter 5

At a half hour to midnight, Ataras slipped down the hallway to Ervyn’s room.

He knocked softly at the door. There was a pause before he heard a loud yawn and in sleepy Human, “Who is there?”

Ataras whispered loudly in Elvish, “It’s me, Ataras. Let me in, we need to talk.”

A bolt thudded open, and the door swung open, revealing a fully dressed and fully conscious Ervyn. Ataras yawned obnoxiously loud and grinned.

Ervyn looked sheepish. “Yes, yes, I know it was stupid, but it was better than right off yelling, “Who is it? What would people think? I don’t sleep?”

Ataras strolled into the room and closed the door behind him. “I see you’re still planning to go through with it?”

Ervyn walked over to his bag. He spoke in a strained voice. “Yes. You’ve seen how the king has treated her. He tries to hide everything, but you must have noticed the welt on her face?”

“Yes, Ervyn. And don’t worry about me. I suppose you could say I’ve been taken in by the princess as well. You’re not alone.” Ervyn reached over and squeezed Ataras’ shoulder once, smiling his gratitude.

“Is there anything I can do to help you? Sidetrack a soldier? Disarm a duke? Now that I’m officially against the king, I want to assist in any way possible.”

Ervyn thought for a moment, his eye drifting over the intricately carved wood on the mantle of the monstrous fireplace. “I am not sure. I plan on hiding her in a rented room or house, but to do that I may need to stay away from the meeting for a few days.’

“Do you think you could provide an alibi for me? If you tried to throw the pursuit off her, you will only be connected with her disappearance. There’s no point to that. But if we can stay disconnected, she may have a chance of staying hidden without the rest of us becoming compromised.”

“Yes, I can see the sense in all that. You do have a way with words. I’d simply say, ‘Tell them I’m sick so they won’t think I did it.’”

Ervyn laughed and shook his head a little ruefully. “All that comes from a lifetime in a library. You don’t learn much of life, but much of words. I just hope for Lynna’s sake I can manage with my limited experience.”

At five minutes after midnight, Ervyn reached the river and stood behind tree and looked for Lynna. He hoped she did not get scared and retreat back to the castle. It had taken longer than he expected to sneak past the sentries patrolling outside the gates and to slip from tree to tree, avoiding the moonlight.

Ervyn shut his eyes tightly for a moment. Staring into the shadows under the trees, pure black against the glowing brush and white glinting water, strained his eyes. He had waited more than ten minutes. Lynna was no where to be seen.

“Lynna, where are you?” He whispered under his breath. Giving one more glance before retracing his steps to the castle, Ervyn noticed a slight rustling in a bush no farther than five or six feet from where he stood.

He stiffened. The peace of night returned, but Ervyn had no comfort in its smooth sounds of burbling water rushing past stones on its way to the sea.

Someone hid in the bushes. Too close.

Ervyn cupped his mouth and tried to make a sound like an owl, though he sounded more like a dying crow. “What am I doing?” he asked himself, shaking his head as he listened to the echoes of his strange bird-call reverberate in the air above the water.

The echoes died away soon, and Ervyn wondered at his stalker. Would he show himself? The noise he made would have put a sleeping cow on guard let alone one of the king’s seasoned soldiers.

He strained his ears and peered into the night. Something touched his elbow. He froze. “Lynna?”

“Yes, I’m sorry I scared you. Have you waited very long?”

Ervyn let out his breath in a long hiss.