"No, Blizzard!" Brianna called. The command came out half garbled, for her mouth was full of blood and her cheek badly swollen. "Stand!"
When the horse obeyed, the ogre nodded his head approvingly. "That better." he commented. "Smart girl."
The shaman looked at two of his followers, then nodded at the horse. They nocked arrows and raised their bows.
"No!" Brianna yelled. "Run, Blizzard!"
Her warning proved unnecessary. By the time the pair released their bowstrings, Blizzard had leaped over the fallen tree and was galloping through the forest at top speed. The shaman watched until the mare vanished behind the white trunks of the aspen trees, then he shrugged.
"Too bad." He turned back to Brianna. "Horse taste good."
Brianna sighed, relieved that she would not have to watch the ogres butcher her beloved Blizzard, then turned her attention back to the troubles at hand.
"Someone sent you for me. Who?" the princess-demanded. "Whatever he's paying, my father will double it."
The shaman looked at her loathingly, then pulled a length of thick, braided-leather cord from inside his cloak. Her two captors pinned her to the ground, then he silently began to bind her hands.
Tavis dropped his rucksack beside the well and paused to take one last look at the Weary Giant. The place could hardly he called a mansion, but the doors hung straight and storm shutters flanked every window. He was leaving the inn better than he had found it, and that gave him some small comfort.
The scout had not even considered remaining in Slag-wick. With the princess herself obliged to speak against him, pleading his case before the king could only lead to disaster for all concerned. Brianna would be publicly disgraced for associating with a thief, a pall of suspicion would be cast over the orphans, and Tavis would have his hands lopped off as punishment for a crime he had not committed. The only thing to do was obey the princess's wish and leave Hartsvale as soon as possible.
"Will you truly miss this place so much?" asked Basil. The verbeeg stood next to Tavis, his sack of stolen books slung over his shoulder. "I'd think a man of your nature would find the life of an innkeeper a trifle boring."
Tavis did not look at the verbeeg. "I'll miss the children," he said. "And if you think helping those in need could ever bore me, you know nothing of my nature."
"Firbolgs!" Basil shook his head in bewilderment. "It's beyond me how such a naive race prospers."
Across the courtyard, Avner stepped from the lodge, followed by the other orphans. They had wrapped their possessions into woolen blankets and slung the small bundles over their shoulders: their feet were clad in heavy moose-hide boots Tavis had made for them. Each child carried an empty waterskin, and they all had grim, determined looks on their small faces.
"Is that all you're taking with you to Princess Brianna's?"Tavis asked. "You're going to be there a long time."
"We're not going to the castle," answered Avner. He motioned for the others to fill their waterskins. "You don't think we'd abandon you just because you got in trouble, do you?"
Tavis smiled sadly. "Of course not," he replied. "But you can't come with me."
"Why not?" Avner demanded. He dropped his bundle on the ground and untied it. "We've got everything we need: wool blankets, warm clothes, daggers-"
"The Ice Spires are no place for children." Tavis said. "Brianna can take much better care of you in her castle than I can in the mountains,"
"No!" Avner yelled. "I'm not going with her. She's the one who's sending you away!"
"She thinks I'm a thief." Tavis's voice grew more stem. "And we both know why she believes that."
"So I'll tell her what really happened." Avner offered.
Tavis shook his head. "Someday, but she won't believe you now," he said. "She'd think you were trying to protect me."
"Then she's stupid." Avner sniffed.
"Why? Because she knows you'd lie for me?"
Avner looked at the ground. "I wouldn't be lying." he answered, dodging the question. "It's the truth."
"After what happened, we can't expect her to believe that," Tavis replied. "So go to the castle and do as the princess says. She cares for you as much as I do."
"But I don't care for her," Avner objected. "I like you."
"Then you'll do as Tavis says." said Livia. At fourteen, she was the second oldest of the orphans, and would soon blossom into a beautiful young woman. Already, she had riveting brown eyes and an alluring smile. Livia looked at the other children, then said, "Life's going to be hard enough on Tavis without us to watch over. If we really care for him, we'll go to Castle Hartwick."
Tavis nodded at Livia. "That's right. Knowing you're all safe will make my life much easier." He kneeled on the ground and opened his arms wide. "Now let's say good-bye."
