Chapter Eighteen – Father and Daughter
"And it-it's my father who is trying to do it," Aravis blurted out.
Cor stared at her incredulously. "Aravis?"
She knew that look. "I am telling the truth!" she exclaimed fiercely. "Just believe me for once!"
"Perhaps you were dreaming," Cor suggested.
"It was no dream!" Aravis cried. "I heard them talking in the far sitting room – the little one that no one uses. They're going to take the cordial! And it's my father!"
"Aravis, enough," Cor replied, a little too sternly. "Go back to bed."
Aravis's fierce glare made him take a small step back. "I am no liar, Shasta."
Cor ignored her use of his former name. "Aravis, enough. We can talk about this in the morning." She continued to protest, but he took her arm and firmly escorted her to her own room. He made sure she stepped inside and closed the door after her. Now hopefully she would return to bed and this would all blow over.
Aravis's thoughts, however, were far from returning to bed. She hastily found her shoes and slipped them on as she tied her cloak around her shoulders. She knew it was no dream. She had to let someone know, but who? If Cor didn't believe her, then who would? She knew that Corin would believe her, but he couldn't do anything with his injuries. Queen Susan would probably send her back to bed. The guards would scoff at her.
She would just have to somehow stop them herself! But now that the idea crossed her mind, Aravis felt a little afraid. What if her father saw her and dragged her off to Calormen with him? That was the last place she wanted to return to.
Aravis hardened her resolve and started out of her room, slipping towards the little sitting room. She hoped that they were still there. Soft voices confirmed her hope. She sided up against the door, pressing her ear to the wood, hoping to catch snatches of their conversation. Disappointment filled her as she couldn't make out any proper words. There was a lot of shuffling and Aravis turned to back away as footsteps approached the door. But she wasn't quick enough and a pool of golden light engulfed her. She froze as solid hands seized her shoulders, turning her towards the light. She ducked her head, hoping she wouldn't be recognized. Her hope soon shattered as another figure stepped out of the doorway.
"Aravis, dear!"
"F-father?" Aravis stammered as she was pulled into a crushing embrace, away from the first set of hands that had seized her.
"My, how you've grown my little lotus blossom!" He tweaked the end of her nose fondly, looking her up and down before squeezing her tightly again. "Ah, we've missed you so much."
"Wouldn't you have missed me if I had married the Grand Vizier?" Aravis demanded.
"Of course, dear," he answered smoothly. "But your step-mother and I were doing it for your own good. We only want the best for our little girl."
Liar, Aravis thought darkly. You don't care about me at all.
"We were worried sick after you disappeared—"
Aravis cut him off. "I ran away."
"We looked for you for weeks!" He continued as if he never heard her. "It nearly broke our hearts. Think of how relieved I was to hear that you were safe in Archenland. And the ward of King Lune himself! Well!" He patted her shoulder. "But now the inexorable Tash has brought us together again." Her father continued to ramble quietly, while Aravis frowned darkly, trying to think of how she could get away. She hoped that Cor knew that she wouldn't have stayed in her room.
Her father squeezed her again. "We'll leave for Calormen right away!"
"Shouldn't we wait until the morning?" Aravis protested. "Besides, Queen Susan has been so kind to me. Shouldn't you wish to stay and thank her?"
"I would, lotus, but we must be going right away," he answered. "Come now. Be the good little tarkheena that you always are."
Aravis nearly laughed aloud at the absurdity of the statement. Good little tarkheena? When had she ever not caused her father grief? Not wishing to alarm him, Aravis didn't resist and took his arm. But inside, she was already plotting her escape. She would not be taken back to Calormen and to the life she had tried so hard to get away from!
Her father patted her hand. "It will be good to have you with us again. We've missed you so much." Aravis wanted to snort and laugh at him, but something about his voice seemed sincere. Perhaps he had missed her. No. She tossed the thought aside. He didn't care. But the little doubt, the little tiny hope that he told the truth festered at the back of her mind.
Her father jerked his head at the other Calormene who slunk towards the door and peered into the darkness beyond the circle of light radiating from the doorway. He turned around. "There is someone in the hall."
"Then take care of him, Del'eb." Her father said this with a careless laugh but Aravis knew what he meant. Her father pulled her back inside the room, extinguishing the light. Del'eb slipped into the shadow beside the doorframe, his hand on the dirk at his side. He peered into the hall again, his eyes quickly adjusting to the darkness.
"It's the Archen Prince," he hissed.
Cor! No! Aravis nearly groaned aloud. She should have known that he would follow her. But now she needed to warm him. Subtly, her hand slipped from her father's arm. She waited as she heard Cor's footsteps approaching. She jumped forward, intending to rush into the hall to warn Cor. But her father caught her arm and pulled her back, holding her tightly against him and covering her mouth with his hand. Aravis struggled.
"Hush, lotus," he whispered. "Do you want the Prince to catch us?" Aravis didn't bother to answer, but she wanted to shout yes at the top of her lungs. But she could only stand helpless as Del'eb slid the knife from its sheath. In complete oblivion, Cor began to call softly to her. Her father's grasp over her mouth tightened. Aravis knew that she couldn't just stand there while Del'eb injured or perhaps killed her best friend.
Quickly, Aravis made up her mind. She lifted her left foot and slammed her full weight onto her father's curled-toe shoe. His grip over her mouth loosened enough for Aravis to open her jaw. She bit his finger and he released her mouth, though he kept a tight grip around her small waist. "Cor!" she shouted. "Go back! Go back!" She could see his shadow freeze in front of the moonlit window in the hall, unsure what she meant.
"That's right," her father whispered in her ear. "Tell his highness to go back where he belongs."
"Please, Cor," Aravis pleaded. "Go back to your room."
"Aravis, I-I don't understand," he protested.
Curse your streak of curiosity! Aravis thought angrily. "Just do it!" Slowly Cor's shadow began to back away and with every step Aravis found herself wishing that he would stop and refuse. She had been brave enough to warn him, but not ask him for help. No, it was better to keep him out of it, she strongly reminded herself.
Her father slowly released his grip around her waist, but kept a hold of her hand. Aravis lowered her head. There was no going back now. No sudden rescue at the last minute. Cor would listen to her, she knew. Cor wasn't going to help. Her father led her through the door into the hall. Del'eb brought up the rear, watching over his shoulder for any sign of the prince. Aravis trudged down the hall, wondering why there were no guards on duty. She asked her father but he gave no answer. Aravis assumed that Del'eb had probably drugged them or knocked them unconscious.
They made it through the castle without being spotted. They primarily slipped down unused halls and through little doors that hardly anyone knew existed. Aravis wondered if Edmund knew about them since he seemed the kind of person who would know about such things. They stepped into the moonlit courtyard, keeping in the shadows and headed for the gardens. They passed through the gardens, making for the southern wall that encircled the castle grounds.
Hidden behind a trellis of vines, Aravis saw a small door. Del'eb tugged on the handle and it swung open on creaky hinges. Aravis's father ushered her through and they stood on the edge of the water canal that flowed through the city. Several feet away, a bridge spanned the gap and they hurried toward it. Aravis had assumed that they would cross it and make their way through the city, but when they neared the bridge, Del'eb stopped.
"We can't let her know the way," he cautioned as he dug around in his satchel. At last he produced a length of burlap. Being a little claustrophobic, Aravis squirmed when he tried to tie it over her eyes.
"Hold still, girl," Del'eb hissed under his breath as he knotted it tightly. "There. Can you see anything?"
Aravis bit her lip and shook her head. She could see only a sliver of moonlight through the blindfold, but she wasn't going to tell him that. Her father led her forward, making sure she didn't stumble over her own feet. After a few minutes, she began to notice that the sound of the water flowing in the channel had faded.
"There are steps here," her father cautioned and slowly Aravis began to feel her way down them. She wasn't sure how long they continued down the stairs. She stumbled several times, misjudging the distance from one to another. At last the stairs ceased and they walked along an uneven path for close to ten minutes. Then there were more stairs, this time leading upwards. At last they leveled off and the threesome halted.
Aravis waited impatiently as her father struggled to undo the knot of the blindfold. It slipped off and she looked around. They stood surrounded by tall trees and Aravis peered in the direction which they had come from. She could see the caps of the towers of the castle looming against the sky that was now tinted pink with the coming dawn. She looked for the route by which they had come but couldn't find it.
"We shall stop here for a little while," her father announced.
"We should press on," argued Del'eb, glancing in the direction of the castle.
Her father stretched. "Ah, I am weary and these old bones of mine require rest. Did not the prophets say that rest is the sweet honey sauce of labor?" He sat down heavily on a pile of leaves, making himself comfortable with his back against a thick tree. Aravis quietly took a seat on the ground, pulling her cloak around her shoulders. Del'eb stationed himself several feet away, peering back into the darkness towards the watch lights flickering on top of the castle towers. Aravis followed his gaze, wondering how long it would be until someone realized that she was missing.
Soon the sound of her father's snores echoed in her ears. Aravis stretched, trying to figure out how she could escape. She knew it wouldn't be easy to elude Del'eb's sharp eyes. She shifted, the leaves underneath her rustling. Del'eb glanced over his shoulder at her, his face half hidden behind his hooded cloak.
"So you had the audacity to run away from your family?" he asked.
She rose to her feet, moving around a large stump that stood waist high and stood near him. "I had the courage to escape from a potential marriage to the Grand Vizier."
"Most Tarkheenas would be greatly honored," Del'eb answered.
"I am not an ordinary Tarkheena," Aravis replied.
"No," he agreed as he looked down at her. "You certainly are not."
Feeling uncomfortable under his gaze, Aravis endeavored to shift the conversation. "I thought you came to get the healing cordial," she remarked. "I changed your plans."
"Yes," he agreed. "But I think you will be useful." His greedy eyes gleamed at her from underneath his dark hood. Aravis internally shuddered, hating the way he stared at her. She began to inch away when their attention suddenly directed itself towards movement in the bushes.
"Down!" Del'eb hissed, sending Aravis stumbling for the nearby cover of the stump. Del'eb waited, hand on his dirk, until the bushes parted and a short figure, wheezing terribly, dragged himself towards the waiting Calormene by the aid of a thick staff. With widened eyes, Aravis now realized that he was a dwarf.
"You're late," Del'eb announced irritably when he recognized the dwarf.
"I couldnae get away from that healer sooner," the dwarf replied crossly. "He's got himself eyes on the back of his head, that one!"
"I suppose you have it?" Del'eb questioned, extending his hand and forgetting completely about Aravis's peering eyes.
"Aye, aye," grumbled the dwarf. "It's here, and a might of trouble it has been." He handed over a small bundle to the Calormene.
Del'eb took it and released a short laugh. "I thought I would have to send that fat Tarkaan in to distract them so I could get the cordial from you." He gestured towards the sleeping form of Aravis's father. "We were delayed. He accidentally met his daughter who had been spying on us." He glanced around. "Where is that girl?"
Author's note: So…you might be wondering…what happened to Edmund?! No, he hasn't been burnt to a crisp…yet, though I bet Luzan wishes that he had. But, this chapter has been one entire scene and there was no good place to cut it. So I decided to just focus on Aravis for this chapter. You'll hear a lot more about Edmund, Oreius, and Amon in the next chapter. And Susan, Cor, and Corin. ;) I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts about this chapter.
Oh, one last thing! I added a brand new scene that picks up at the end of Chapter 10 and continues through the first part of Chapter 11. I realized that when Corin accidentally lets the horses out, I never resolved that problem. Then I rewrote Chapter 12, improving the first part of the battle and I'm working on revision on Chapter 13. So I've been busy! :D