CHAPTER SIXTEEN: Fancy Meeting You Here
"We've got to get out of here!" Arwen Evenstar didn't give spoiled Prince Kassim any time to think. The elf-maiden snatched the fat little boy in her arms and ran, with the guards in hot pursuit.
The little prince was heavier than he looked. Arwen had no idea where she was going. Queen Zuleika's guards hadn't seen her up close, but they seemed to be gaining on her.
"How do we get out of here?" she hissed into the boy's ear.
"Down below – legends of great serpents – maybe they won't follow us into the lower depths!" Kassim had stopped crying, but he was still trembling in her arms. "We're going to die, aren't we? Either the guards will kill us or those creatures in the stories will eat us!"
"They'd get a fine meal out of you," Arwen panted, as they dodged into a side tunnel. Rescuing Kassim had been the whole purpose of her mission – the reason she'd come to the sinful city of Zin Zaraboob. Yet now that she'd met him, she really wondered whether it was worth all the danger. Those brutal guards hadn't seen her yet, but if they caught her Queen Zuleika would surely either kill her at once or do something far worse to her with magic.
"It's so dark!" The fat boy wailed. "Where are we . . . urk!"
Someone had snatched the little prince right out of her arms. Arwen whirled, but in the darkness it was impossible to see. And then someone grabbed her from behind as well.
"Fancy meeting you here," said a low husky voice in her ear.
"Ling Kray!" Arwen stiffened in shock and disbelief as the wicked pirate she thought long dead clapped a hand over her mouth and a strong arm around her waist, pulling her back into total darkness.
"What on earth – how did you get here?" Arwen whispered, after the thundering footsteps of the guards had passed. "How did you survive the swamps – and that creature – and how did you cross the desert? And where is Prince Kassim?"
"I'm right here," cried the little boy, his voice far too loud. "There's a lady holding me, but I can't tell . . ."
"That's enough," Ling Kray commanded, in a low whisper. "Everyone keep quiet and follow me. You, take my hand."
Arwen felt her cheeks burn in the darkness as Ling Kray squeezed her hand in a tight grip. Now that the danger of being captured by the guards was passed, she had time to remember all that had happened while she was the pirate's prisoner in the steamy swamps. Ling Kray had both treated her cruelly and awakened her passions, and she had ended the strange relationship only by running blindly away. It was hard to believe she had done such mad reckless things, even in captivity. Would Ling Kray want to pick up where they left off?
Of course it was easy to blame the sudden racing of her pulse on the darkness and danger. Ling Kray kept leading them down, lower and lower, deep into the earth. Arwen clutched his hand tightly, realizing after a time that she could hear rushing water in the dark. An underground river, she thought, and then it seemed that she could see a faint greenish glow somewhere ahead. The eerie light was oddly calming, even though the ancient stones beneath them were getting more and more slippery. By the time Ling Kray ushered them into the partially submerged cavern the cuffs of her baggy trousers were sopping wet, and she was wading in water up to her ankles.
"Those are eggs!" She exclaimed, looking around in awe as Ling Kray helped her onto a wide stone ledge that was still high and dry. Everywhere she looked clusters of bright green eggs clung to wet rocks and glowed beneath the water. "I get it . . . all these eggs must have been laid by the Frog Children, the miri-squaramiri. But how did you . . ."
"Welcome to the Chamber of Tomorrow," the pirate replied, releasing her hand after a final squeeze. He gave a small bow to the young prince. "We hope Your Highness will be comfortable here until your army is ready to hatch."
"Of course!" Prince Kassim sprang forward as the woman carrying him set him down on the ledge. He grabbed Ling Kray's powerful hand in both of his and squeezed eagerly. "You're Ling Kray, the pirate everyone sings about! I'll bet you're the hero who was foretold, to come from other lands and help me reclaim my throne!"
"Not everyone sings about him," Arwen said sharply, her hands on her hips. "Besides, I was the one who rescued you." She felt a strange irritation at the way the little boy took such an instant liking to the bronzed pirate.
"The elvish lady speaks the truth," Ling Kray told Kassim. "You owe her your thanks. And you owe this lady thanks as well. Her name is Captain Tamara, of the palace guard."
"Tamara!" Joy rose up in Arwen's heart as she recognized the noble black warrior at last. "I thought you died in the desert! How did you – why did you – I don't understand . . ."
"It is good to see you again, lady," the woman warrior said softly. She squeezed Arwen's hand.
"The two of you are both brave and beautiful," Prince Kassim said graciously. "When I am ruler of the city I will honor you." He turned to the pirate. "And I will always follow your advice, for you are the great Ling Kray."
"I am Ling Kray," the pirate said. "But time is short, your highness. We must make plans. There is much we need to discuss, and many questions that need to be answered."
"How right you are," Arwen exclaimed. "I'm still trying to figure out why you didn't drown when that horrible thing with all the tentacles dragged you under the water!"
Ling Kray nodded. "Tamara, perhaps the prince will help you haul in the fish nets and start a small cooking fire. We all need something to eat. Arwen needs to learn her part in the plan so she can return to the surface as quickly as possible."
"Return to the surface?" Arwen suddenly realized that she was not out of danger yet. The real peril was just beginning.