This chapter is short because I don't have a lot of time right now in class for free time. But enjoy, and I'm getting new, more descriptive words for my next chapter. Hey I also finished most of it at home. So the story after the first line/dots is the stuff I did at home. LOUISE

CHAPTER 9: MASTER OF SPIES

Alanna walked into the fire circle, where Jon, Raoul, Gary, Thom, Leman, and Alex sat with Rabe and Isabelle. Alex was the only one she didn't like or trust. He bugged her so much and it scared her. He also always looked like he was hiding something. As Alanna was about to approach the group when Ambika came to her and told her it was very important subject to take to her about something.

"Ambika, what did you need to talk to me about? What have you heard?" Alanna and Ambika were now in her tent office. It was quite simple and had only a desk with two chairs. On her desk was papers and ink. Also on the desk were maps of the waterfall and surrounding area and water.

"He was once the Duke's only Squire." Ambika was the head of the Riders' spies and learned her craft from various thieves, bounty hunters, bandits, gypsies and the King of Thieves himself. Her only secret was her unquestioning love for the king himself, George.

"So what do you think? When will we crush him? Any more?" Alanna ask after slamming her fist into the desk and spewing every paper that was once there onto the floor. "Oh my goodness, now I have to clean that up too." As Alanna went down on to her knees to pick up the paper, Ambika did the same with the maps. As Ambika finished with the maps and started on the water spill she told Alanna about the duel Thom had with Alex.

"He said they always had rivalry and it was friendly, but one day it got so bad during a private duel they had once. He said that Alex had gotten him to the ground and Thom looked up and saw his eyes were blank and he looked possessed. He would have killed Thom if it wasn't for Sir Myles coming into the room and stopping the duel," she said.

Alanna was now sitting in her chair fingering her glass of wine and spinning it around until some of the white wine fell out of the glass and on to the floor. "Hmmm... this Alex boy is dangerous," she thought. Ambika saw the look on Alanna's face, and knew that something wasn't right. Her face was a mix of anger, nervousness, and confusion.

"What's wrong, Lanny?"

"Huh...? Oh, Am, I was just thinking of how to crush the Duke and Alex at the same time. They are hurting the prince, my brother, and the court. When I saved the prince form the sweating sickness I went to Alex's room and looked around. I saw a sickness spell and from what I saw it could have done the job that the sweating sickness did." said Alanna

"Oh... You know what? I think Delia is in on it too," Ambika answered

"Oh I have no doubt about that."

"What will we do about her?"

"We will keep an eye on her. Oh can you ask George about this subject
see if he has any news or information?"

At this Ambika got very red almost as red as the sun setting. She always got this way when George's name was brought up, and in pretty much any single solitary conversation. It got kind of annoying to anyone who would notice; so then they would try not to bring him up as much as they could.

"Mmm... yeah I guess." And with that both got up and were leaving the tent when Ambika said "Don't worry they will give you something to crush them wish. Don't you go and do anything stupid on us now. Okay?"

"Yeah I won't. You're too protective," Alanna said. "Anyway we should get to the party before anyone notices we are gone."

"I wonder where Alanna is" Thom thought "and I wonder what she is up to. Oh wait there she is with Ambika. I wonder what they were talking about?"

"Hey guys sorry we are late," Alanna said. With that, Thom's friends looked up to see who was talking to them. Alanna looked like a Goddess. Her skirts were short to the knee and went long in the back. Her bodice was strapless, and underneath it was a full sleeve white shirt. Her skirts and bodice were midnight blue that off set her gorgeous violet eyes. Her fire flame hair was pinned up. She also wore her sword on her hips and her coal gift form the Goddess. Ambika look good too. She wore long straight leg pants in ruby red. Her bodice was gold and a square neck. It was also trimmed around the neck in rubies. Her full sleeve shirt was wrinkled from playing with horses, and its colour was ruby. Her auburn hair was in a simple ponytail, her green eyes offset her ruby and gold clothing. She also wore a simple gold sword on her hips. The family resemblance between her, Alanna and Thom was definitely noticeable.

They began to play a salsa dance and Alex got up from his seat on the long bench and asked Ambika to dance. She looked like a fish out of water when he asked her. She, like Alanna, hated dancing. But it was only because Tortall's men couldn't dance well to this style of dance but Alex told her she was wrong and he would show her. Jonathan was about to ask Alanna when a guy he had never seen before asked her too dance. She bowed and accepted.

Alanna and Lord Constantine of Golden Bay in Bystine went to the dance floor. His hands were on her hips and Alanna's around his neck. With that they began to dance, Alanna dropped her left hip and spun out of his grip. Then Constantine moved behind Alanna and touched her face with her hand. Then Alanna rolled her shoulders and went to the left, then he did the same thing on the right. The whole time they danced Jon became very jealous. He didn't like seeing Alanna dance with him. He excused himself and went to his tent, for Jon could not stand seeing her dance with him.

The whole time Alex watched Jonathan when that lord danced with Alanna. He saw a very uneasy face on his prince. He began to wonder if the prince was starting to like Alanna. He couldn't, could he? He excused himself from the Countess and went to write his master, the infamous Duke Roger himself. His tent was small. In one corner it had a table and a chair. In the other it had his bedroll. He got out paper and his magic ink that only himself and Roger could read, his wax for sealing, and his paper. He began to write, and when he was done he sent it thought the fire to Duke Roger.

The man sat in his chair, far from the fire even though the place was dead cold and no one was there except servants, because they were at Trebond for Lord Alan's wedding. His room was large. The one side had two French doors that led to a balcony, beside that was a door to his workroom. The second door beside that door lead to his closet, then there was stairs that led up to his bedchambers. Next, down by the end of his stairs was a doorway, which led to a small library full of potion spells, history, and romance novels. Then there was a door that led to his bathroom, and after that was his doors to enter and leave his room.

Just then a letter came flying out of his fire pit and straight to his hands. "Hmmm...must be from Alex or Delia." He though. He rose gracefully from his chair to his desk to get his letter opener. Then he cracked the wax seal and sat back into his large over-stuffed velvet chair. The letter read:

Dear Master;

We have a small but large problem. I believe from what I have seen that our prince Jonathan has fallen for Alanna the lioness of Trebond and Bystine. Not Delia.

From your Servant,

Alex

"How could this be?" thought Roger "Last time I checked he was almost in love with Delia." He would have to look into this. He did not like this situation one bit, and now he would have to be careful around his family and the lady. For she could end up being his cousin's wife, which would also mean Jonathan would get protection from the Riders. This was not good at all.

GOOD? BAD? OR THE UGLY? YOU TELL ME. LOUISE