Tayli rode hard, for Moonflight was a fast and steady horse. It only took
her an hour to reach Bast, following the main roads. They were, in places,
paved with stone, but were mostly just well stamped-down earth. As she came
to the edge of the city, she reined Moonflight in and sat staring at it in
awe. At a glance, she could see more people than she had ever seen before
in her life, all mashed together in one place. There seemed to be a sort of
spectacle going on-a loud cheering was steadily coming closer, and men,
women, and children pushed at each other, talking loudly. Suddenly, the
crowd opened up to let a procession pass-and Tayli, fairly hidden among a
group of trees, caught her breath in awe.
She knew that the princes went on a quest when they came turned 16-not a quest, really, but more of a grand tour of the country where they were supposed to have a few small adventures-but she had never imagined it to be as grand as this was! Her expeditions always consisted of herself, and she always traveled as lightly as possible. But this! The prince rode in front of fully 10 knights ( Tayli thought scornfully) all of whom wore clothes that she thought were laughably fancy for riding. There wasn't a pair of simple breeches or linen shirts among them-all were of a high quality of fabric, and had at least some embroidery around the edges. With a critical eye, she examined the group, which seemed to be entirely fit out for fighting hand-to-hand. They rode large, fine chargers, which would be handy in hand-to-hand combat, but looked a little too large for easy maneuvering. she thought smugly, . Each knight wore a breastplate, which would be very uncomfortable, she thought, and not very practical-they carried shields and there were plenty more vulnerable places in the body than the heart-in fact, it was one of the easiest ones to miss. From arrows and anything else from a distance, she reasoned, the group was completely helpless. They seemed to her to have been trained without many real trials-the provisions they had were of the kind you might make if you had fought in a courtyard your whole life. It was no wonder that Menlan had sent her to protect them.
Terian was the only heir, and the country would be in turmoil if he died. There was no easy second to the throne, and it would probably catapult the country into civil war if King Charmont and Queen Ella didn't handle it well. She wasn't bragging, or feeding her ego. It was the truth.
By now the knights and their prince were cantering down the road, and they passed her without even a glance at the copse, where an ambush was so easy. Smirking at their (in her opinion) carelessness, Tayli nudged Moonflight out of the trees, and set off behind them at a reasonable distance, keeping the stallion on the grass so he wouldn't make much noise.
She knew that the princes went on a quest when they came turned 16-not a quest, really, but more of a grand tour of the country where they were supposed to have a few small adventures-but she had never imagined it to be as grand as this was! Her expeditions always consisted of herself, and she always traveled as lightly as possible. But this! The prince rode in front of fully 10 knights ( Tayli thought scornfully) all of whom wore clothes that she thought were laughably fancy for riding. There wasn't a pair of simple breeches or linen shirts among them-all were of a high quality of fabric, and had at least some embroidery around the edges. With a critical eye, she examined the group, which seemed to be entirely fit out for fighting hand-to-hand. They rode large, fine chargers, which would be handy in hand-to-hand combat, but looked a little too large for easy maneuvering. she thought smugly, . Each knight wore a breastplate, which would be very uncomfortable, she thought, and not very practical-they carried shields and there were plenty more vulnerable places in the body than the heart-in fact, it was one of the easiest ones to miss. From arrows and anything else from a distance, she reasoned, the group was completely helpless. They seemed to her to have been trained without many real trials-the provisions they had were of the kind you might make if you had fought in a courtyard your whole life. It was no wonder that Menlan had sent her to protect them.
Terian was the only heir, and the country would be in turmoil if he died. There was no easy second to the throne, and it would probably catapult the country into civil war if King Charmont and Queen Ella didn't handle it well. She wasn't bragging, or feeding her ego. It was the truth.
By now the knights and their prince were cantering down the road, and they passed her without even a glance at the copse, where an ambush was so easy. Smirking at their (in her opinion) carelessness, Tayli nudged Moonflight out of the trees, and set off behind them at a reasonable distance, keeping the stallion on the grass so he wouldn't make much noise.