"Blame"

Nabol Hold was in an uproar. Lord Meron's precious golden firelizard egg was missing. Besel stood back as guards and stewards scrambled everywhere, slamming cupboards, scurrying down the stinking corridors as they searched for the unknown guttingman suspected of stealing it.

"You there!" bellowed a cook, turning on Besel. "You were with him all day, weren't you?"

Anger mixed with fear spilled through Besel. When he had first spied the boy loitering in the kitchen courtyard that morning, he'd delighted in the fact that he'd have someone to boss around and bully. He should have known that he'd get blamed!