Chapter 1
Her feet slammed down on the stone floor as she ran. The borrowed boots, too big for her, made it difficult to stay steady on her feet. It would be better to just take them off, but she barely had time to draw breath.
Still, she was quicker than the guard in their heavy armour. Soon the clanking fell away behind her and she was able to look for an escape route.
It had seemed like such a simple idea, at first, anyway. To sneak into Miraz's castle to find out what the Telmarines were up to on the western wastes.
What they hadn't considered that, although she was human, she didn't look like a Telmarine, didn't act like one or dress like one. And besides, they were hardly likely to confide their plans to a fourteen year old girl.
Rhian slowed her pace. The end of the corridor was in sight. A dead end. She came to a stop. It was too risky to go back, nowhere to go in front.
A door creaked open behind her, so she reached out to the nearest door handle. It turned, allowing her entrance to chamber.
Mercifully no one else was in there. The golden evening light spilled into the room, illuminating the sumptuous furnishings. A fire burned brightly in a stone fireplace and through an archway stood the largest, most comfortable looking bed she'd even seen. Everything in her own home was built to fit a badger or dwarf, not her own growing frame.
The door handle began to turn and the girl dived under the bed. Rhian struggled to bring her loud breathing under control once again. Anyone entering the room would think the bed was wheezing.
She risked peeking out from underneath the hanging bed clothes. No guards. Instead a dark-haired boy about her own age stood in muted conversation with an older man. The man was short and round-bellied.
He handed the boy a book and rested a hand on the boys arm for a moment.
"Good night, Professor," the boy said, before the man exited the room.
The boy took the book to an armchair before the fire, settling down to read. Rhian gave a small sigh of despair. This was obviously his bedroom.
The shadows lengthened across the floor. Eventually there was a light knock on the door and a young servant entered carrying a tray. Delicious smells reached Rhian's nose as the servant began to lay out supper for the boy.
"Good evening, your Highness," the servant curtseyed before leaving.
Rhian's heart started pounding so loudly that she felt sure the boy must hear it across the room. Of all the hiding places she could have chosen. The only way this could have been worse was if she'd hidden in Miraz's own chambers.
Involuntarily her mouth began to water. She couldn't remember how many hours it had been since she'd last eaten.
The light from the window grew fainter and fainter as night crept over the castle. Still the boy made no move to go to bed.
Just as the moon began to shine at its brightest the boy got to his feet, leaving on the table the book which had engrossed him all evening, and crossed to the window. He stood, looking out at the night sky before drawing the curtains.
Rhian drew in her breath as the bottom of the mattress bent towards her under the boy's weight.
Great, now she just had to wait for him to fall asleep and then try to find a way out of the room and out of the castle.
The light from the fire faded, becoming dying embers glowing faintly in the shadowy room.
Time slipped by, hour after hour. When the fire had gone out completely Rhian judged enough time had passed for her to risk moving. Still under the bed she pulled off her oversized boots, deciding it would be less noisy if she carried them.
Then she slid out from under the bed. A shaft of moonlight fell across the boys face. Her knife was in her hand. It would be so easy to slit his throat. Almost as good as killing Miraz himself. But she couldn't do it. Couldn't slay a sleeping enemy.
She went to the window, slipping inside the curtains, careful not to let moonlight into the room.
The stone walls dropped straight down to the bottom of the deep ravine surrounding the Telmarine King's castle. No escape there.
Creeping on bare feet, she made her way to the door. The handle let out a sharp shriek as she attempted to turn it. Immediately she stopped, dropping into a convenient patch of shadow beside the door.
Bedsprings twanged as the prince rolled over in his sleep. Silence hung in the air for long moments, before the boy grunted. He was still asleep.
More carefully, remembering everything Nikabrik had taught her, she tried to door again. It wouldn't budge. Locked.
It would be too difficult to search for the key in the dark room. Sweat began to pour down Rhian's face, despite the relative chill of the room. Her damp hands were unable to keep a grip on the heavy boots she was holding and one slipped from her grasp, clattering to the floor.
Straight away she dropped the other one and stepped on light feet towards a cabinet in the corner. Maybe in the dark the prince would mistake the boots for his own.
In the dim light from the window she saw the boy sit up, looking sleepily about him. He didn't light a candle or investigate any further. He probably thought he was dreaming. She didn't dare breathe as he lay back down.
After waiting for some time, gentle snores started to come from the bed. Then Rhian crept back across the room and slipped under the bed once again.
The stone floor was cold and uncomfortable. She didn't dare move at all in case she drew attention to herself. Still, she must have dozed off at some point.
When she woke it was daylight. It took her a moment to remember where she was and why she was staring up at wooden slats instead of the familiar earth ceiling of her home.
The curtains were open and a clattering from the anteroom told her that breakfast was being served in the antechamber. Silently, she cursed her own stupidity. But it was ok. Soon the boy would be gone. Maybe she would look less suspicious if she was caught in broad daylight, rather than trying to sneak out of the castle at night. She hoped none of the guards had gotten a good look at her face the day before.
Again, mouth watering smells filled the room. She hoped the growling of her stomach wouldn't give her away. Where was the boy? Maybe she could risk leaving her hiding place and grabbing something from the table. Even a lone slice of bread would do...
Another door, one she hadn't noticed yesterday, swung open and she saw the feet of the young prince crossing towards the dining table.
After breakfasting, she saw him make his way to the door, then pause, hand reaching for something on the floor she couldn't see.
Her boots! She'd forgotten about them the night before. Her stomach did double flips as she watched the boy lift them up, examining the worn leather boots closely.
Rhian couldn't see his face, but she saw him replace the boots carefully by the door. She closed her eyes, terrified of discovery. But all she heard was the sound of the door closing. She opened her eyes. The room was empty once more.
Cautiously she emerged from under the bed. She had to move quickly. The prince could return, or a servant could come in to clear the dishes. The breakfast things were still on the table. She grabbed a slice of toast and hunk of cheese, washing them down with a mouthful of wine.
As she chewed, she flicked through the book the prince had been reading last night. The long passages of text were interspersed with brightly coloured pictures. Rhian couldn't read, but she thought she recognised some of the tales through the pictures. She wondered what the words meant.
It was time to be gone.
Rhian creaked the door open. The corridor was empty. She stepped out, still looking cautiously around her. Before she knew it, a hand was clasped around her mouth and a knife was at her throat. Helplessly she was dragged back into the room.