Part 10 (1/2)
The day seemed to last forever, helped not one bit by a rounds andthe yarpick to the cook
His mosquito bites itched miserably, and chafed by the saddle, his flanks were red and infla what new horror the cook would produce for dinner He had not seen so much as one rabbit all day
He tossed the reins to a young no howl, seconds later, assured hiently to the ground and groaned, content to let Hornsbuck and the others set up ca and were ca to see for miles in any direction It was a bleak and lonely place that pro hopeful
It seemed to Mika that he had nohim by the shoulder
”Here, eat this,” said a voice ”You'll feel better”
Mika opened his eyes and saw the Guildsily and took the offering The steaood indeed
”Rabbit stew,” said the Guildsman ”I have a pouch, too Mine contains a etables That way, no matter where I am, all I have to do is ht find such a pouch more useful than the one you possess”
”Perhaps,” Mika said nonco what thefriendly
”I had thought to keep you out of our hair until we reached Eru-Tovar,” the Guildshtforward manner ”You see, your reputation as a connoisseur of beautiful women is as well known as your skill eapons I did not think that I could risk your knowing about the princess”
Mika gave a start and er told the truth after all,” he said ”I think you'd better tell me the whole story”
”Yes,” said the Guildson with me No, no, don't worry, Recknass won't harm you if you are with me Besides, he has problems of his own at the on, the roof of which, Mika noticed, had been repaired But Tam placed himself between Mika and the Guilds whenever the man attempted to move closer to Mika
”Quite an animal you have there,” said the Guildsman ”Why don't you tell hi at ood,” Mika said with a cold suess he just doesn't like you Besides, I don't know that we are friends It takes more than words to make it a fact”
The Guildsman looked at Mika with cold blue eyes and then nodded ”Just so,” he said ”But sometie of time Please suspend your decision until you have heard on, the Guilds the curious looks of drivers and noh rooon and Mika told him to stay outside Tam complied Neither Mika nor the Guildsrily at a son and hovered attentively in the shadows
The scene was alht The princess lay on the bed looking own outlined her nificent for legs, accenting her bodily char the princess in silky folds
Her hair was thick and lustrous Mika yearned to push his hands, well, hand, through the lush ers
He could alainst his own
His breath ca beauty Only at length did he realize that she was still asleep and did not appear to have wakened since he saw her last She was unchanged
The salared at Mika out of the tiny slit that was his left eye His right eye ollen completely shut and was puffed up to an enorly ht it was It was hard to tell because of the layer of dried blood that had scabbed over the entire mess
The man's nose, or what used to be his nose, was also rather unpleasant to look at, flattened and smeared as it was over his cheeks and mashed upper lip
Recknass flexed his ers spas with his hands
Mika suddenly changed his e backward
”No, Recknass It's all right,” the Guilds the giant ”The wolfman is our friend now He wants to help the princess You are not to hurt hi unpleasant wet sounds through his daiant hesitated for another h he never took his gaze, impaired as it was, off Mika
”I'ive Recknass if he see happens to the princess, he's a dead man”
”What a pity,” said Mika as he started to sit on the edge of the bed next to the princess's delectable thigh A guttural growl of warning changed his mind
”Here, sit down on this chest,” said the Guilds- hiiant, next to the princess's head, he spared her a long lingering glance before he began to talk
”I'd like to introduce you to Princess Julia,” he said in a soft tone as he ran his hand lightly over the princess's hair ”I'd like to, but I can't, for as you can see, she's asleep She's been that way for the last four hed heavily, and Mika could see the pain in the athered himself and continued
”The princess is the only child of the King and late Queen of Dramidja, an island principality in the Draues distant from Yecha
”Dramidja is a rich and powerful island, the port of call for shi+ps of all nations Our boat builders, navigators, and sailors are famous over all the seas Our island is also the only known source for a rare gem known as dramadine
”Dramadine is a crystalline forreen and has the unusual ability to heighten one's powers and abilities In the case of a normal human it would er, hit harder, runat the fly that now hung suspended above the It was a , before he was distracted
”So you can see that, in the wrong hands, the crystal could be extreerous,” the Guilds and his forebears have always beenthe their reat hope for aand queen were disappointed, blessed as they ith only the one daughter
”It was further hoped that the princess would ems with her husband But that has not happened” It seeret in theat the exquisite beauty lying beside hiined that she would have her pick of thousands She's very beautiful”
”True,” sighed the Guilds The princess has found no one she chooses to marry”
”What do you mean, 'chooses?' ” asked Mika ”In a matter this important, you simply tell the wench what she must do and see to it that it happens!”
The Guildsman looked at hiiant's shoulders actually heaved with silent laughter
”One does not 'tell' Princess Julia anything,” said the Guildsh he were proud of his princess's willfulness
”But that is not the point One , the princess's maid attempted to waken her and could not do so She summoned the royal doctor and he exa with her
”Eventually, he realized that it reed with the doctor's diagnosis, but was unable to reave the ain But the round to powder beneath his foot”
”Sounds as though another ic-user wanted the crystal and put the spell on the princess, hoping that a dramadine would be used,” mused Mika
”Exactly,” said the Guildsic-user was able to destroy the ge Mika's cocked eyebrow correctly, he bowed low and said, ”Hary Mubarik, head of Dramidja security”
”You're no Guildsman I should have known,” said Mika