hem as she took the Queen gently by the arm and urged her to leave the side of the afflicted Princess before the close and prolonged physical proximity caused

tead of the other way round. The blessing that had afflicted the Princess would be passed on to the Queen, an

exerting herself when she sensed that the Queen’s handmaid was growing distressed. Great though the temptation was, it was important that no suspicion fall upon herself. If, by some unlikely miracle, the Brigadier did find

gh that might be nothing more than her imagination, a subconscious expression of wish fu

pushing her away with her tiny, white hands. “Ple

have to suffer alone!” replied the Qu

r's embrace and running across the room. ‘Don't even thin

backed away into the very corner of the room, her hands outstretched in a warding off gesture

it a thousand times worse! Ple

mother and daughter. “Bogarde says that five hours a day is the absolu

e looked back to the door, where Teena, from the kitchens, was waiting to take her place. She beckoned her forward and the girl crept nervously into the room, as if it contained a nest of venomous s

much exposure and had recommended that the duty be shared out among more people. Teena had been horrified when she'd found out. She loved the Princess as much as anyone else in the kingdom, but she had parents and a half raised brother to support and couldn’t allow herself to be

elf to be led out of the room. “Now could they do this to an innocent girl?” she asked for w

ving to remove a portrait from the Green Gallery when she'd accepted her first post as a serving maid here, thirty years before. The portrait of Duchess Thelmia, a renowned historical character fr

ut my daughter! You understand that, don

han to serve the descendants of conquerors and murdere

er marry Prince George! Never! It was probably the Prince

er of a royal marriage, Callow could use the insult as an excuse to goad Helberion in other ways. If they could irritate Helberion into declaring war, if even one Helberion soldier set foot on Carrow soil,

ful, won't he?” said the Queen.

ries that are told about him. If you will e

se. I will be

ng as a loyal servant to the King, the daily business of running the palace had to continue smoothly. She had to receive her orders and pass them on to the staff below her. It was dul

lace guards. “What are you doing here?” she demanded, looking around to see if they were b

t to investigate. Listen, we've got

ll empty, though, and she turned back to confront Thurley. “What happened?” she demanded, grabbing him by the elbow and pushing him into an empty storeroom

ouse was broken

t was nothing

he city guard. The description matched Pettiwell, who'd been seen

“The idiot! Has

ets. Last I heard, the guards are ‘ques

? He doesn't know about

ce.” He frowned, searching his memories. “It's possible, from conversations we've had

the cleverest man in the world, he does have a certain

ings that could lead to you, if a cl

ave their very best on the case.” She swore again. “

ard. He'll be in the Lime street cells, I have absolutel

ss you prefer to face

e to get out of the country bef

ever. King Nilon would see it as weakness, making her unworthy of a place in his countr

get him transferred to the palace

o we do

’s own men if they think he's responsible for what hap

everything he knows, try t

mouth shut so long as he still has hope.” She paced up and down the room as she turned things over in her head. “Yes, yes. That's what we'll do. Go back to

ak him out they’ll remember that he was brought

lips. “Yes, you won't be able to stay here,” she said. “If suspicion

uld ne

ave the city. Return to Carrow and inform Lord Krell what has happened. I expect he'll want to reward

he said eagerly. “I'll see to it. I'd like to sa

you idiot.

ther agent in the palace, of course, but that kind of thing took years. In the meantime, she would have no-one to help her if she found herself in difficulty. No-one she could call on to help her. All alone, among enemies... She felt a thrill of fear shooting up her spine but suppressed it with a surge if anger at herself. Nothing worthwhile w

tly out into the corridor, and then she continued on her way to the s

☆

lages behind and entered lands that were occupied only by the occasional goat farmer. Great pine forests covered the horizon, but the lands through which the road ran, rising steadily out of the lowlands In which the bulk of the Kingdom sat, were bare and scru

someone else’s country,” said Sergeant Blane, his eyes sca

lied the Brigadier. “Apologies to the King of Wilterl

who can read. What if they tell us to go back

to hope that they ar

f they'

he most densely populated parts of their country. If we're lucky, we might p

eant, taking his water bottle from his

e stones and bits of gravel sliding out from under his feet as he did so. The men watched with interest as he descended in a cloud of dust, wondering wheth

n,” replie

litary code, mister Harper,” warne

glanced across at Spencer, though, and the two men wi

you a wizard?” said the man, looking at each of them in turn as if a wizard would look different, in some way, to a normal man. “Army patrol

es. Quill sighed in resignation and guided his horse forward. “An ont

ass was blocked for months. A tree fell in a gale, destroying our house

ked at the Brigadier, saw the warning look in his eyes, and took the hint.

a road horses can follow. It's getting late, you'll be wanting to find a place to spend the night and I've rebuilt my hom

s had been spent in tents, with wind blowing through every gap to suck away every scrap of warmth. “A

n.” The man bobbed his head gratefully and trotted a

came running forward, recognising their owner and hoping for a handout of stale bread or honeycorn, but the man ignored them. “Name's Flordan,” he said. “My fami

said Quill absently, not

eclaration day. Only been human less than ten years, and I were declared less than three years ago. I barely knew him! Then my mother went just a few weeks after him. Couldn’t live without him, I recko

s you say, it can be caused by the loss of t

lthiest one, and Marly, that’s the wife. Marly. Anyway, she keeps saying that we should bring it in the house to sleep with us, but there's so much work needs do

o?” He had to repeat the question twice more before Quill finally lo

the ability to form an instant parent bond with another person or animal, and we

asked the goat herder. “It normal

ars,” replied the wizard. “It’s risky, though. It runs the risk of the subject growing wild, becoming

back down a rung?” asked Flord

something we do lightly. Not reputable wizards, anyway. Also, there's a chance that the creature it ends up becoming is not qui

w does

oes wha

bond. How d

he conversation. Perhaps if he just stared off into the

e can work out, it takes a rabbit back to its burrow without harming it and keeps it there for a

brain first. Both parent and child. The parent is driven to adopt a creature it would normally eat, and after a coup

ws that, but how? H

. No-one today knows. Maybe the Hetin people knew, It’s said that their science surpass

here are

geed up his horse and rose ahead to the front of the column while the rest of the men sniggered to th

g made of fired bricks, glass windows and with a tiled roof, but it had been thoroughly demolished by the massive pine tree that still lay across it. The stable stood nearby, also made of bricks and tiles and just big enough for one horse an

ordan, taking her reassuringly by t

their horses. He offered her his hand, which she stared at uncertainty for a few moments before taking. He gave her hand a firm shake. “My a

at to say or do, and he came forward to take the brunt of the Brigadier’s attention. “It's so go

ok,” said Quill. “I di

es for them to spend the night.” The woman stared fearfully at the soldiers, but then led the way to t

face, and all four hooves had begun to divide into stubby fingers and toes. It’s hide was beginning to lose its hair in patches, revealing light brown, human skin beneath. It was clearly rather uncomfortable being on four legs, and kept trying unsuccessfully to rise onto its hind legs. As Quill approached, a frown on his face,, it u

ad as Quill studied it, running his hands o

h. “I'm afraid not,” he said. “The transformation has progressed too

oats to market without a horse to pull the wagon? You're a wizard,

bject. That's why we change mounts at the start of each new day, to prev

sleep next to the creature! Of course we knew what wo

process has gone too far.

have

en beckoned for the wizard to follow him back outside. “There isn’t room in that house for all of us,” he said. “Some of us will bed down in the stable overnight.

, Sir. Appr

ortable as you can.” The Sergeant acknowledged the order and returned to the men, while Harper and Spencer led their mounts into the stable. Flordan was still with hi

ouse, a little way apart from the other men. “Sometimes there's no way to avoid close contact wit

ied the Brigadier. “The number of animals helps prevent pair bonding with any of them. He

can see the dil

willing to sell one of his goats. I'm sure the men w