Annie tucked her hair further under her cap as she got to her feet. She shouldered the knapsack holding the things she was taking with her, and stepped back as her father and the captain went to the door. Catching up with Liam, she looked him up and down and said, “Do those clothes fit all right?”
“They’re fine,” Liam said, rubbing at his neck. “Soft living has spoiled me. This shirt feels like it’s covered in grit. I don’t know if it’s ever been washed.”
“It’s hard to wash your clothes if you own only one outfit,” said Annie. “I’m sure the stable boy is enjoying the clothes you traded for that.”
“I’m sure he is,” Liam said.
Annie had no idea where the entrance to the passageway might be located, but she wasn’t expecting to go to a little-used bedchamber that was filled with a wedding guest’s belongings.
“Your friend Snow White has been using this room,” said King Halbert. “Your mother had to invite her to visit in her chamber to get her to leave. There’s no need to reveal a secret passage to a guest.”
They all watched as Captain Sterling lifted a flickering candle from a sconce on the wall, then turned the sconce once all the way around. There was a grating sound and a puff of dust as a crack as tall as Annie opened in the wall. The captain continued to turn the sconce, opening the crack until it was wide enough to admit a short man. “That’s as big as it gets,” said the captain. “Here, take this.” Lighting a torch with the candle he’d taken from the sconce, he handed the torch to Liam and moved out of the way.
“Be careful, my dear,” the king told Annie. “You know I wouldn’t want you to go if there was any other way.”
“I know, Father,” Annie said. She did something then that she’d never done before, and surprised herself by doing it now. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed her father’s cheek. The king looked startled, and more than a little pleased.
Liam was stepping through the crack in the wall when Annie turned to look for him. “The stairs look dry from here,” he said, thrusting the torch deeper into the opening.
Annie followed him, trying to stay in the light of the torch. The stairs were steep, each step barely as long as her foot, with the walls of the stairwell only inches from her shoulders. She climbed down slowly, her hands brushing the wall to keep her balance. Small spaces didn’t usually bother her, but once she heard the crack in the wall close behind her, she had to fight a moment of panic. The only things that prevented her from freezing where she stood were Liam’s presence and the thought that she’d be left in the dark if she didn’t keep going.
“The torchlight is reflecting off water ahead,” said Liam. “I can’t tell how deep it is, but it definitely covers the floor. Careful, this step is underwater. And … oh, good. We’ve reached the bottom.”
Annie took the last few steps even slower than before. Her boots were well worn and the leather cracked; water filtered through as soon as she touched the bottom step. When the floor leveled out before her, she was relieved that the water came up only as high as her ankles. Although the boots soon filled with water and felt heavy and clumsy, they cushioned her feet better than the dainty slippers she normally wore.
“Watch out,” Liam told her. “The floor is uneven here.”
Annie paused, and in that moment heard the faint hum of magic. It was a steady pulse, as if the earth surrounding them had a heartbeat. She thought that it was probably the sound of some magic used long before to reinforce the sides of the tunnel. “We need to go faster,” Annie called to Liam. “I think this tunnel is in such good shape only because someone used magic to make it stronger. The longer I’m in here—”
“The weaker the magic,” Liam finished. “I understand. Just be careful, there are some sticks floating up ahead and … Blast! They aren’t sticks, they’re water snakes. Whatever you do, don’t trip and fall. And don’t stop.”
“In other words, step carefully, but be quick about it!” grumbled Annie. “Great! As if we don’t have enough to worry about already.” Annie was frightened, and talking seemed to help. It blocked out the sound of the changing magic, the beat growing fainter around her. It also took her mind off the snakes. She had never liked snakes, but facing them in the dark when she couldn’t really see them was truly terrifying.
There was a splash in front of her and Liam yelped. The light of the torch dipped and swayed, then grew steady again a moment later. “Are you all right?” Annie called to him.
“The ground is really uneven here,” Liam said. “I tripped, but I caught myself against the wall. Get away from me, snake!” The light wavered again as Liam kicked out and something hit the side of the tunnel. “Hurry, Annie, the water is rising and bringing more snakes with it!”
“How long is this tunnel?” Annie cried as she hurried to catch up with Liam. She still had her hands on the walls on either side, which were dripping water now.
“I think we must be under the moat. We should be past it soon, then under dry land for at least a few hundred feet more.”
Something snagged Annie’s boot, tugging so that she almost lost her balance. She braced her hands against the wall and shook her foot, but whatever was there seemed to be stuck. Lifting her boot, she shook it as hard as she could. The thing slapped the wall with a sickening, wet sound, but its weight was still there when she set her foot down again. Not wanting to know what it was, she kept going, dragging the weight with her. A stream of water broke through the wall seconds after she had passed by, spraying her back. Although she’d thought she was moving as quickly as she could, she went even faster now.
“The floor is slanting up,” Liam called to her. “I think the water level is dropping. Yes, it’s definitely lower. How are you doing?”
“Fine,” Annie said through gritted teeth. The thing was still stuck to her boot, and she was dragging it forward with every step. If it was a snake, as she feared, she wasn’t going to do anything about it until she could see what she was doing. She was sure that Liam would help her if she told him, but it would mean they would have to stop. Although the tunnel was dryer now, it could still collapse around their ears. The thing on her boot would just have to wait.
As they trudged through the tunnel, Annie could tell that it was definitely angling upward. Her boots felt like lead weights and she could hear the thing dragging behind her each time she moved her right foot.
When Liam stopped suddenly and called, “We’ve reached the end of the tunnel,” Annie wasn’t sure what he meant at first. If they’d reached the end, why had he stopped?
“There’s something blocking the way,” Liam called to her. “I just … Ah, I see. We turn here and … Come on, Annie. You have to walk around the boulder and you’ll be outside.”
The light from the torch vanished along with Liam, but an instant later it was back as he shoved the torch into the tunnel. Annie hurried then, shuffle, drag, shuffle, drag, to the end of the tunnel, which was indeed blocked, spying the opening to her left only when she was feet from the boulder.
Annie sighed with relief as she stepped out into the cool night air. They were in a field with a mound of boulders behind them. Hay grew thigh high on every side, but they couldn’t see more than a few feet because of the thick green fog that surrounded them.
“I think I should put out the torch,” Liam told her, his voice slowing with each word. “The light might make the fog around us brighter and give us away.”
“Not yet,” Annie said, pointing at her foot. “There’s something on my boot and I’ll run a lot faster without it. I need your light to see what it is.”
“Annie,” Liam said as he lowered the torch. “You’ve been walking with that on your foot?”
A snake as long as her arm lay stretched out on the ground behind her. Its body was limp and battered, and its fangs were stuck in her boot.
“I tried to shake it free,” Annie told Liam. “But its fangs are really in there.”
“First of all, let’s make sure it’s truly de
ad,” Liam drawled. Even though the fog clinging to his skin and clothes slowed his movements, it took him only a moment to find a fist-size rock. When he was sure the snake couldn’t possibly be alive, he grabbed its head and unhooked its fangs from her boot. “I’m glad you suggested we wear these heavy boots. If you’d worn anything else, the snake would have bitten you.”
“I know,” Annie said, not wanting to think about it. “Which way should we go?”
“Your father said the tunnel led east. In that case, the forest should be straight ahead.”
“Don’t put the torch out yet,” Annie said as she peered into the fog. “It’s so thick, I don’t think anyone could see the light.” She took a step forward and the fog retreated so that she stayed in a clear circle about eight feet wide wherever she went. “Look, the fog is moving away from me. I think I … Liam?” He had been there a moment before, but the fog had already swallowed him.
“I’m right here, Annie,” he said, his voice faint although she knew he couldn’t be far.
“Don’t move. I’m coming to find you,” she said, retracing her steps. He was there, right where she had left him. “And my name is Seth, remember?”
“Uh, right. Sorry, Seth,” Liam said with a grin.
Annie noticed that while he was covered with the sticky fog, none of it had touched her. “Hold my hand and don’t let go,” she told him. “We need to get to the forest.”
“The fog will probably be there, too,” said Liam, his words normal now that he was in contact with Annie.
“I know, but at least we’ll be able to hide there when the fog disappears.”
Walking hand in hand, they began moving toward the forest. Although Annie doubted anyone could see the light, she still felt better when they finally reached the trees. She was familiar with the woods around the castle, having explored them as a child and again with Liam when they needed to get away from everyone. Shortly after entering the forest, she figured out where they were and led the way to the road. The fog was so thick that they could walk beside the road without being seen by riders.
When they finally stopped to rest beside a stream, Liam handed Annie the torch and stepped into the water, staying within the fog-free circle that surrounded her. “I’m going to rinse this gunk off,” he said. “I can’t stand the smell much longer. And I hate that you have to hold my hand so I can walk and talk normally. I’d rather hold your hand because I want to, not because I have to. Would you mind sitting right there so I can see what’s around me?” He pointed at a rock by the edge of the water.
Annie sat down and leaned over to inspect her boot. One of the fangs had broken off in the leather when Liam had pulled the snake free. Shuddering, she looked away, and her eye caught movement in the fog. Holding the torch higher, she tried to see it again, but it was no longer there. All she was left with was the impression of two bright green circles looking out at her from the swirling, drifting fog.
“Uh, Ruben, are you almost ready to go?” she asked.
“Just a minute,” Liam said, dunking his head in the water to scrub the foggy goo out of his hair. When he stood again, he shook his head, sending droplets flying everywhere. Some reached Annie, but the two green circles were back and she was watching them draw closer. She thought they were eyes, but had no idea what kind of creature had eyes like those.
Liam climbed out of the stream and took Annie’s hand again. “I think we have company,” she whispered.
Turning to see what she was looking at, he frowned and bent down. “I can take care of that,” he said, picking up a rock.
The eyes seemed to be watching him as he pulled back his arm and threw the rock between them. Suddenly, the eyes separated, moving farther apart. Annie gasped. Maybe they weren’t eyes after all. When the green circles didn’t leave, Liam picked up another rock and chucked it directly at the circle on the right. It disappeared as if a light had gone out. As Liam took aim again, the second circle darted out of sight.
“What do you think they were?” asked Annie.
“Heck if I know,” said Liam. “But I didn’t like the way they were watching us.”
They started walking again then, although Annie kept looking back to see if the green circles had returned. “You mentioned getting horses,” she said after a while. “How are we going to do that? We’re past Shelterhome and we don’t dare go there anyway. There are bound to be enemy soldiers in the town. But I don’t know of any stables in this direction.”
“I wasn’t planning to visit a stable,” Liam said, scratching his neck. “There are plenty of farms around and I’m sure some of them have horses.”
“I do recall seeing horses in a field a few miles from here,” said Annie.
“Then lead the way,” Liam replied.
They were more than halfway through the forest when the fog began to dissipate. The torch gave out an hour or so later, leaving them to stumble through the pre-dawn gloom. By the time they reached the edge of the forest, the sky was growing lighter in the east and they could see a farmer’s fields. Only a few thin green tendrils of fog floated between the trees.
“The sun is coming up,” Annie pointed out. “There will be people on the roads soon.”
“I’m trying to decide which horses to go after. I think the bay for me and the chestnut for you.”
Annie gave the horses an appraising look. “I think they’re probably cart horses. I don’t know if we can ride either of them. Besides, isn’t it up to the farmer which horses he’ll sell to us? Not all horses are for sale.”
“They are at the right price,” Liam said, eyeing the fence that separated them from the field. “If I was planning to pay for them.”
Annie was shocked. “You’re going to steal these horses!”
“Well, I’m not going to go to the farmer’s cottage to introduce myself. It’s better if the farmer doesn’t see us at all. Then he won’t have anything to tell Dormander’s spies if they ask. Don’t worry, I’ll bring the horses back and pay the farmer for their use after Treecrest returns to normal.”
“In the meantime, he won’t have a horse to pull his wagon!”
“In the meantime, we’ll be risking our lives to make sure he has a good king on the throne to keep him safe! And if it means we steal a horse, then so be it!”
“You have a point,” Annie said. “I just don’t think it’s right to steal.”
“I don’t think any of this is right,” said Liam as he took two lengths of rope from his knapsack. “But we don’t have a choice. Now, do you want to help me catch these horses, or do I have to do it myself, Seth?”
“I’m coming, Ruben. Why don’t we see who can catch their horse first?”
“That doesn’t seem like a fair challenge,” said Liam. “I’m very good with horses.”
“It isn’t a fair challenge,” Annie admitted. “Maybe I should give you a head start.”
“Ha!” said Liam. Dropping one of the ropes at Annie’s feet, he ran to the fence and vaulted over with the other rope clutched in his fist.
Before Annie followed Liam over the fence, she took the time to knot the rope into a makeshift halter, then stopped to pull up some long, sweet grass. Liam was hurrying toward the grazing bay as Annie climbed the fence and walked into the field. Making soft, encouraging sounds, she moved toward the chestnut horse, holding the grass in front of her. When she glanced at Liam, he was following the bay around the field. Each time he was within a few feet of the horse, it walked off.
Annie grinned. So much for his head start. She had learned how to ride from the stable boys when she was a little girl and had often gone into the field with them to bring in horses. She’d learned long ago that chasing a horse down was not the best way to catch one. Annie glanced at the chestnut again. It was a big, sturdy gelding, with a homely head and a kind eye. She already knew that she liked him.
When the chestnut finally came close enough, Annie gave him the grass, then began stroking his neck, finding an itchy spot up under h
is mane. The horse’s eyes were half-closed with contentment when Annie slipped the halter on.
Hoping that the farmer had ridden the horse as well as made him pull a cart, Annie led the gelding to a large rock, using it as a mounting block to climb on. The horse turned his head to glance at Annie, but didn’t seem to mind. When Annie looked for Liam, she saw that he was still following the bay around the field. He seemed irritated when she walked the chestnut to his side.
“Have you come to gloat?” he asked.
“I came to offer you a ride. It’s daylight now and I’m surprised the farmer hasn’t seen us yet.”
“I suppose we could ride together,” Liam said, eyeing the gelding.
“I think he could handle that just fine,” Annie said, reaching out to give Liam a hand up. “I have no idea what his name is, but I’m going to call him Otis.”
“You and your names,” muttered Liam as he made himself comfortable behind Annie.
Chapter 6
Liam started grumbling about the horse when they’d ridden less than a mile. “He doesn’t have a very comfortable gait,” he said. “The other horse would have been better.”
“Would you rather sit in front of me?” asked Annie.
“Maybe we’ll switch places when we take a break. I remember this place. We rode past that cottage when we were taking Granny Bentbone to the tower.”
Annie nodded. “This ride may be uncomfortable, but it’s better than traveling in the carriage with that nasty witch.”
“It’s better because I can hold you close,” Liam said, tightening his hold around her as he kissed the top of her head.
“Which is very nice for Annie, but weird if I’m supposed to be your brother, remember?”
“Oops, right,” Liam muttered. She could feel his arms relax as he leaned back on the horse, and she couldn’t help but smile.