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Prince
Kellemar came out with a leather bag over his shoulder, not
very big.
"Are you
bringing any food?" I asked.
"What for?" he
frowned. "It's not that far, from what I understand."
"I don't know
exactly how far Morgard's castle is, and the valley is
large. I wouldn't count on reaching it in just a half hour.
And I'm not feeding you."
"If you think I
would have accepted anything from you, you're under some
strange delusion. Pack some food for me," he ordered his
men.
They rushed to
the tents and returned with a bag twice bigger than
Kellemar's.
"Not that
much," he grumbled.
They brought a
smaller bag and moved several items into it, some wrapped in
paper, others in cloth. Still, the prince appeared reluctant
to shoulder it. He glanced at Cassandra. His gaze lingered a
moment, focusing into attention. I knew it had to make her
uneasy, but she handled it well, standing there with a
blank, I'm-on-duty expression like a servant would.
"Will you carry
this for me if I pay you?" the prince asked her.
"If my master
orders me to," she answered.
"I will not. My
man won't be serving you."
Kellemar made a
face but said nothing. Flinging the bag over his shoulder,
he headed to the valley. Cassandra had our supplies ready as
well; we picked them up and followed the prince.
The Tenebrous
Valley greeted us with a chilly breeze. The place deserved
it dreary name. It was misty and damp, fog rose from the
wide river in the middle and spilled out onto the bank. The
hills on both sides quickly grew into mountains, blocking
the sun more and more as we went deeper in.
The prince was
clearly nervous, constantly glancing over his shoulder. I
knew exactly how he felt.
Some time later
I noticed him look at Cassandra again. And again.
"Your face seems
familiar," he said. "Have you been to Dalvanna?"
"No, I haven't."
"What's your
name? Archibald?"
"Yes."
"Yes, Your
Highness! I will not have a villain's servant disregard
my title!"
"He will skip
Your Highness if he so desires," I interfered, "and I
wouldn't recommend retaliation. He is excellent with the
sword."
Kellemar sneered
at that. "He won't dare raise it against me."
"He will if he
had my permission. And as of this moment, he does."
"Don't be
ridiculous. For whatever reason, you need me alive. You
won't let your servant kill me."
I smiled. "Of
course not. But chopping off an ear or a hand is a different
story."
That shut him up
for a long time.
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