CANDY

Chapter Twelve

Of course I hoped that without the prince (and me) to use as a shield, the erstwhile invaders would just look for us locally but delay the invasion pending backup. I also hoped backup was not on the way. Truth be told, I wasn't entirely convinced that the ship had come from Curtlo. It might have done, but it might as easily have come from any state or country with a shoreline. I wondered briefly at my ability to understand what was being said to me there when I realized I hadn't really been addressed by anyone but Norell. Still, had I absorbed enough Grigsi to understand him without the TARDIS' translation or was her range farther than I'd imagined? It wasn't important at the moment. I needed to visit the tailor.

Halfway to the tailor's place I suddenly remembered the princess' ring. I found my way out to the stables, where I asked a hand if I might borrow a knife or a pair of scissors. He handed me a pocket knife without question. I asked where Haliford was and he pointed. When I found Haliford I patted him and apologized for not having that extra apple anymore. Then I retrieved the princess' ring.

When I tried to return the pocket knife, the hand said, "I heard you found the prince. You keep that knife. That's my thank you."

The tailor was not eager to see me but she came out to meet me anyway. "Your daughter needs you," I said, "urgently." She turned away in disgust. "No, I mean it. I have managed to return her son to her, and she is recovering nicely from the poisoning, but she needs you nonetheless."

Grudgingly intrigued, she turned to face me. "She needs the trauma of learning all that? Right."

"No, she needs to know who is planning to invade Grigs, possibly right away. I think you have information that can help. I am convinced of it. And by the way, she feels you reading her mind."

That got her. "She what?"

"She is the de facto ruler of Grigs and Grigs is in crisis. Don't you care?"

"Of course I care." After a moment's hesitation, she drew me into her workshop. I don't know what I had expected: elves, maybe? It was empty. She did all her work alone. She bade me sit. I sat on a work bench and she say on one across from me.

"I don't suppose you'd mind telling me your name?"

"Elessa," she said. "Tell me what's going on."

I told her everything I had experienced and everything I knew. Then I asked her why she hadn't just read my mind.

"You're easy," she said, not smiling. "But I have to protect myself. I can't live with so many voices in my head. I decided not to listen."

My next stop was Rad Dark's hut. He came striding out before I was anywhere near his door but I flashed my credential by holding up my hand with the signet ring prominently on it and he stopped in his tracks. I smiled. "Thanks for sicking those three guys on me. They were charming. We had a lovely chat. We exchanged emails and became Facebook friends."

"I don't know what language you're talkin' but I didn't sick anyone on you."

"Oh," I said, "don't be modest. You know you did. And there's been something I've been meaning to ask you, now that you mention it." I was not exactly sticking my finger in his chest but I was walking forward, forcing him to walk backwards – or clobber me, whichever struck him as appropriate, but so far he was backtracking.

"I didn't mention anything…."

"Who have you got in the palace proper? Who grabbed the prince for you, or let you in to do it yourself?"

That did it. He rushed me and I used his momentum against him with an adept (if I do say so myself) application of Venusian Aikido. He was a bit surprised to find himself flat on his back. I was a bit disappointed that he wasn't enjoying the same muddy meal to which he and his associates had treated me, but it was gratifying enough that he seemed too stunned to get up and try again.

"Feel free to answer my question. Catch your breath, but answer."

People who will attack you when you're down think you'll attack them when they're down. It was to my advantage that he didn't know me. I had the stable hand's gift on me. It never occurred to me to use it or flash it.

"Cook," said Rad. "Not the head cook. The little one. The new one. She didn't want to, if that matters."

Well, to me it mattered, especially as she had kindly fixed me tuna sandwiches, but I was not in charge of her fate. "How many," I asked, "and when?"

"Beg pardon?"

I stuck my right hand into my coat pocket, grabbed the first thing I encountered and pushed my hand forward a bit, as if aiming something at him. He didn't need to know it was a yo-yo that one day would be autographed by Pedro Flores. It did the trick.

"Not tonight. They know you got the fat brat back. They'll try to nab him again. If they can't do it in two days, they'll wait for the invasion force, maybe 50 or so."

"From where?" I almost smiled, guessing the small group would send Norell, "Not Curtlo. Where?" He hesitated but I didn't need to shove the yo-yo further forward.

"No, not Curtlo. They just want to be left alone. No, the soldiers are from Ambarba, Olbarba and Fenn." Again I nearly smiled, thinking that "Ambarba, Olbarba and Fenn" sounded like a law firm. "Grigs will fall. There's no use fighting it."

"We'll see about that," I said. "And what about your three stooges?"

"I'm telling you the truth; I didn't send them after you. I was just bluffing."

"I wonder what that was all about, then." He shrugged, an amusing gesture from someone lying flat on his back. "You can sit up." As he did so, I had an idea. "Go into your house and bring me your hoverpack."

He stood up, turned and disappeared into the hut. I thought, that's it, he'll lock the door, get ahold of his compatriots somehow – why hadn't I asked him where he was from? – and…. Before I had finished the thought, he had come back outside with a hoverpack in each hand and one on his back. He dropped the two at my feet and flew off toward the cane fields. I didn't try to strap up and fly after him. I picked up the two packs he had dropped and carried them back toward the kitchen. It took a while; those things are heavy!

On my way through the kitchen I asked the head cook for the young assistant's name. Rayta, I was told, but if I was looking for her, she was visiting relatives now, in Ambarba.

I proceeded to the TARDIS and dropped the hoverpacks on the floor as soon as I got in. Tegan was in the console room, waiting for me. "Where did you go?" she demanded. I explained. "Alone? For a genius you sure are a fool!"