Welcome to Gaia! ::

Chapter One
One cold and rainy night, a baby girl in a small woven basket was left behind on a street corner. The baby had not woken, despite the rain splashing on her face, and slept on, dreaming small dreams. Surely someone in the town surrounding the fortress would come and find her. But was never meant to be, for fate had other plans that night.
The rain continued on, gathering in puddles around the town. The puddles could not be dispersed by only the ditches along the streets, and continued to grow. Not far away from the little child, the street hollowed a bit, and took a downhill curve. In the hollow space on the street, water from the storm swirled around, amassing the thunderstorm's watery onslaught. Suddenly the puddle was transformed into a flood, spilling out from the hollow and rushing away down the street. The torrent inevitably passed the small child on the street corner. As the water rushed past her, a twist of fate sealed her destiny.
Had the child remained still, she may have braved the storm unto its end. But the little girl in the basket chose that moment to yawn, turn over, and place a tiny hand on top of a locket around her neck.
Her movement rocked the makeshift cradle, and one corner hit the water. In an instant, the cradle was caught in the current, carrying its small burden down the streets of the town. The little basket rocked and bucked, and yet the baby inside did not stir again.
The rain had stopped; the storm had almost run itself out, yet the floodwaters were still rushing down the streets, carrying anything caught in it as far as possible. The cascade that rushed through the town was diminishing, but not before it could carry a small woven basket to the walled city in the center of the town.
At the side of the wall, a window had been left open. The wooden shutter was banging against the grey stone. The basket scraped the wall and hit the shutter, which had swung outwards. It became trapped between shutter and wall.
The baby inside stirred, and raised a tiny fist to rub her eye. Her locket was visible for a brief second. It was a beautiful red glass rose, with gold edging, and it glinted in the starlight until the baby girl closed her fist back over it.
The rain continued undeterred, washing past the open window, some spilling over the sill on the way. The basket remained in its place, held there by the shutter and the floodwaters. There it would stay until the flood receded, which it finally did before dawn, and there it would stay until someone came to the window, made to close it, and looked down to find a pair of big green eyes sharing at her.

*

Inside the great walled city, deep in the middle of its alleys and houses, a young girl of about eight years was running away from the castle. Her name was Alysia, and she had been a lady-in-waiting to the queen. That is, before this disastrous night had come.
Her Majesty the Queen had been ill for a long time. Most people agreed the trouble began at the party she had thrown two years ago for the birth of her son. It was rumored that she received food poisoning, as someone else had also gotten it from the file mignon.
But the wiser townsfolk knew better than that. The queen’s doctors could cure the most stubborn illnesses in a week, and yet here was their Lady, still as sick as ever. The truth, far from food poisoning or some other trivial illness, was evident to the wise ones; something must have gone wrong when the prince had been born. And her condition was far from better. Just a few hours ago, she had called in little Alysia and told the child that she was dying.
Alysia had been so stunned by this news that she was left speechless. The queen continued on with her speech. She asked the little maidservant to fulfill her last wish. All the little girl could do was nod.
There was no king, the queen began. He had died in battle a year or so ago. The queen's only heir was her baby boy, her little prince, who was now suspended snugly in a cloak on Alysia's back. The Queen had known that someone would have to be appointed as caretaker to the throne.
The queen paused at this point to explain to the little girl. "My little prince could not rule a kingdom while he is still so young," she said, her voice soft and sweet. Alysia would come to miss it. "So therefore, a steward is appointed to rule the kingdom until the prince comes of age, which is sixteen for our kingdom. But this caretaker…I have met him myself...and while I am sure he is economical enough, I do not wish for him to rule. But, there is nothing I can do. It was not decided by me, and I cannot counteract it. But what I wish for you to do, my child, is to get my son…and get away from here!"
Alysia was shocked. "But...Majesty...why?"
The Queen gestured for her to sit on the bed next to her.
"I have said I do not want this man to rule. He is not a kind man, and while the country may prosper under his rule, the people will suffer. What is more, he is greedy. He will not be content to control my kingdom for a decade or so, and then have to step down to the rightful ruler, my son. My concerns are that eventually, he will try to imprison or even kill my son, so that no one can dethrone him.
“But if the prince disappears on the night I die, no one may notice it until after the mourning ceremonies are finished. It could be months before they remember him. This, my child, is your cover. I want you to find a house loyal to my son and I, and stay there as long as possible with the prince. Whatever happens, do not come back to the castle until the prince is sixteen, or the steward is gone for good. Will you do this for me, my dear?"
Alysia, though young, was the queen's most trusted maidservant. The queen was a mother to her, as she had no parents of her own, and Alysia was like a daughter to the queen. Therefore, the child did not hesitate.
"Of course, Majesty."
The Queen smiled. "You are a good child. Please promise to keep my son safe..." The queen's eyes were growing dimmer, her voice fainter.
Alysia had tears in her eyes, blurring the scene, but she managed to choke out, "I promise."
The Queen smiled fondly, yet very faintly at her, and closed her eyes, falling back onto the bed. Her breath became quieter, eventually becoming completely nonexistent. The queen was gone.

*

Alysia was jerked back to the present by a loud clopping noise. Squinting through the rain, she made out a black horse galloping down the street towards her. Alysia had been told not to let anyone see her, and in any case, she did not like the looks of the horse and its rider. The rider, she could see, was wearing a black cloak and hood to match the horse, and also the horse's saddle, bridle and armor.
Any self-respecting child can tell you that someone wearing black, on a black horse, no less, is not friendly. With this in mind, her panic rising, Alysia turned and ran in the opposite direction. The horse, however, was far quicker than the poor little maidservant, and the man on top was in no mood to slow down. The horse very nearly passed up the frightened child and her burden.
The driver on the horse may have thought he was in control, but he was wrong. The poor animal was tired and scared by the lightning, and was in a hurry to reach some kind of stable. It rushed right past Alysia, its legs flying about crazily. One back leg shot out, and its hoof landed on the child behind it. Alysia collapsed to the ground instantly, her precious bundle rolling to one side, unharmed.
The rider on the horse twisted around and saw a fair-skinned young girl lying immobile on the street, a hoof-shaped bruise on the side of her head, her curly, light yellow hair scattered around her head, her shining blue eyes closed. The scene did not bother him unduly, but he would remember it later, when he would find his predecessor the Queen dead, and he would remember the small bundle twitching slightly next to the girl.
The bundle continued twitching for a while, then long after the horse had turned at the corner, a fold of the cloak would open to allow a small boy of about 2 years to escape from it. The chubby little infant had a gold coronet on his head, set with a large star-shaped ruby. He pushed a strand of dark hair from his face and spotted the unmoving figure next to him. He tottered over and looked at her for a moment. Alysia had been his friend since he had been born. He reached out and tapped her on the shoulder. “‘Lissa?" he asked her. She did not move. “'Lissa!” he said more insistently. Alysia didn't stir.
The prince looked around and saw, to his delight, that there were puddles everywhere. Fulfilling the age-old bond between small children and puddles, he jumped in one, laughing as the water splashed around. He soon found another, and another, and surprisingly quickly was gone from the scene. But Alysia didn't know that, nor would she be worried about him. When Alysia woke, all she would remember would be her name.

*

Arna stared at the little baby on the ground under her window. The baby stared right back. Arna for the life of her could not figure out why an infant was outside her window. She looked around outside, as if the child's parents would come for her any moment. But no one came, just as no one had come the night before.
Arna looked again at the child. The little baby had a different look prepared for her. Arna read it as, Are you going to make me sit here all day? and felt her conscience twinge. She reached down and picked up the little girl from her basket, placing her on her hip. Then, on second thought, she brought the rather damp basket too, and set it by the fire inside.
She went back to the window and shut it firmly. The little house grew much warmer without the wind blowing through it. Arna set the baby girl on the wooden table in the middle of her kitchen. The infant was too small yet to sit up, but she did attempt to crawl towards the edge of the table. Arna set her firmly back where she was.
She looked thoughtfully at the child. Why would this baby come to her, she who had never found a husband in all her thirty or so years, and last night of all nights! Arna had never thought of having children of her own even once, and now here was this infant from nowhere, right beneath her window. The irony in this was unbelievable.
She really is a beautiful baby, Arna reflected. The tiny child had large green eyes, a fuzzy patch of red-brown hair, and a healthy glow in her skin. The old lady's eyes traveled to the little white smock, now very dirty indeed, and to the bare feet. Then they stopped and grew wider as they found the little rose locket around her neck.
The old woman reached out and slipped it off, so she could observe it more closely. It was far too large, and slipped off easily. Arna knew that it was meant for the child to wear for all her life. Realizing this, she quickly placed it back onto the baby's neck. She peered shrewdly at it. It was obviously the work of a master craftsman, maybe even one of a kind. Arna gazed at the red gold-rimmed rose, and said to the child, "Ah, I know. I shall call you Rose. How do you like that, little one?"
For the first time, little Rose laughed, a pure, sweet baby laugh. Arna smiled. "Rose it is then. Are you hungry, Rose?" Rose wasn't paying attention, as she was staring hungrily at a loaf of bread on the countertop. The old woman gave her a small piece, to see if she had enough teeth for it, and was pleasantly surprised when the baby completely ignored the tough crust and began chewing ravenously on the bread.
Arna gave her a bigger slice, and went to the cupboard for some milk. "There's nothing wrong with your appetite, eh? Well, I guess you can stay awhile. It's about time I learned how to take care of a baby."
Rose paused and laughed again before continuing to munch on the bread. Arna heard the laugh, and all her doubts vanished. She was beginning to love the child as her own. She would go to the Queen in a few months, she decided, and ask to adopt this baby for good.
The rays of dawn permeated the room, washing away the remains of what would later be called the Great Flood.

*

Lord Romero stared gloomily out of the window. Rain spattered on the panes, rolling downwards towards the sill. The rain had come more and more often since that awful storm more than three months ago. It had messed up the whole weather system, and now everyone in the kingdom was depressed. But that really wasn't the case for the Regent of the kingdom. No, he had bigger problems than the weather.
You would naturally expect anyone just crowned Lord of a kingdom a few months ago to be happy. But Romero was a greedy man, it must be said, and his job was not exactly what he had hoped for. True, he had expected this job since a year or two ago, after the Battle of Meruna Ford where the King won the fight but lost his life. But the Queen had insisted that he was not needed there. And what was worse, the Queen had a son, who would one day take Romero's dream career of King for himself.
Romero completely ignored the fact that it was the royal family's right to rule, instead preferring believe that they were in the way, and not him. And yet, when he finally gained his reward, the joy was bittersweet. If he had known, he would have expected to be crowned that very day, to rule for as long as he liked. (Which was until someone could take it away from him.) He would never imagine that the courtiers and the Council would decide that he should rule until the Prince was of age. And his first act was a rather unpleasant one for anybody; to bury Her Majesty the Queen.
Though he had not a shred of remorse for the Queen, the experience was still rather unpleasant. Since she was, after all, the Queen, the custom of a week's mourning was ignored. The Council declared that in honor of Her Grace's peaceful, though short reign, a month would pass before any parties, celebrations, feasts--in short, anything happy--were thrown. The faithful people of the kingdom obliged with a will.
Romero had worn black and frowned and cried with the rest of them, but he was severely annoyed with the delays. While in mourning for a former monarch, he could not pass laws, or do anything to agitate the poor civilians further. He longed to be able to make a few changes, and see how long exactly it would take to turn this country into the richest land in the world.
His plans included new mines, mills, docks, and many other things of this nature. He would use the funds for awhile to keep them going, them begin to use the extra (meaning almost all of the necessary funds) to support his army, a combination of loyal men and mercenaries from neighboring countries. He would make up for their lack of skill with more numbers than any army ever pulled together could defeat. And then...His devious mind fully appreciated the damage one could do with a large army behind them.
But the only thing that could take his dream away was that prince. If only he knew where he was...Romero had sent his guards to find him a month ago, but no luck. The prince had not been found. And if he was missing from the entire city, a kingdom-wide search had to be conducted. And what a headache that would be.
Today Romero had sent a score of men to search the city's perimeters. He could only hope that they would have some luck. He had ordered a different approach; ask everyone what they were doing on the night of the Great Flood, very nicely, and if their answer was hesitant, question further. It would work, the Steward was confident about that. They would find his little Majesty. Just thinking about this made Romero smile broadly. And it was not a nice sight at all.

*

Arna was at that moment stoking the fire to dispel the chill outside. Since her little Rose had come on the night of the flood, the weather had become terrible. Arna was not one to believe in omens, but she thought deep in her mind that the new Lord, Romero, was the cause of it all. She was a wise lady on the whole, and she knew that he was up to no good. Her proof came that very minute, when a knock came on the door. Rose was playing with a few spoons and pots in the corner. Arna went to the double door as fast as she could, pulling open the top part and looking out.
To her surprise, a score or so of palace guards were on her doorstep, looking busy and official. She opened the hatch a little wider and asked timidly, "May I help you, sirs?"
The head guard put on a military face. "Madam, the Lord Romero has instructed us to check the city, and we would like to ask you a few questions, after searching the premises."
Arna felt her blood boil at the steward's name, and asked fiercely, "What business do you have to come bursting into my home?"
The head guard unrolled an official-looking document. It was written in tiny print yet very long, and had a seal and signature on the bottom. Arna recognized the seal as the Royal Family's Coat of Arms, a crown set over wavy lines to represent the western sea. The guard coughed pompously and replied to her challenge, "This is a search warrant, signed by His Lordship himself, with his seal too. Anyone disobeying its contents will be arrested and trialed for treason. Any questions?"
Arna pulled out a pair of spectacles from her apron pocket and scanned the warrant, her face darkening with every paragraph. She looked up and said in a careful tone, "What business does His Lordship wish to settle, sirs?" for she realized that the guard spoke true.
The head guard looked at his men, giving them a silent signal. They understood it to mean on guard, suspect present. Arna's anger to the steward and refusal to let them search clearly made her suspicious. He turned back to the old woman. "What were you doing on the night of the Great Flood, madam?"
Arna went pale, as she was thinking of little Rose. "I was delivering some bread before it rained, and then I came back."
"Why did you deliver bread around the city? Can't your customers come to you?"
Arna considered the strange question. "Well, most people in the city deliver, do they not? All I did was drop some loaves off at a few neighbor's houses."
The guard was unfazed. "So you were dropping off, and not picking up?"
Arna was very flustered by now. "Of course, that is my job, I am the baker after all, sir."
The guard nodded toward the open window opposite the door. "So that's what the window is for then, townsfolk can come by and pick up your bread?"
Poor Arna was more confused than ever, and she had a bad feeling about where this was heading. "Sir, I serve the townsfolk as well as the city folk. They all need a bakery, so that is what I run."
The head guard stated flatly, "Are you aware that any windows or doors in the city walls themselves are illegal?"
Arna swallowed hard. "It was not illegal when it was made, sir."
The guard doubted it very much. He was losing patience fast. "Madam, did you come across an infant child on the night of the storm?"
Arna was a horrible liar, she always had been. So she decided to tell the truth. With her heart pounding in her chest, she said, “Yes sir, I did. I found—“
The guard did not wait to hear more. Without hesitation, he thrust an arm at the door and pushed it open. Arna jumped hurriedly out of the way. She looked around frantically for Rose. In the corner by the window, she saw the contents of a sweing basket strewn across a pile of drapes, which certainly wasn’t there before. As she glanced at it, it twitched. Arna almost smiled. Rose had such perfect timing for a baby. She must have pulled down the drapes on the window and caught the handle of the basket. It had covered her completely, yet she would probably be able to get out. Arna directed her attention to the guards who were opening cupboards, checking under her table and bed, and opening her windows.
The guards were doing a very good job of searching her house. Luckily, the guard nearest her had totally overlooked the drapes in the corner, apparently assuming that she hadn't finished her sewing. But her luck ran out in less than ten seconds.
"Well, what have we here?" asked a sardonic voice from the fireplace. She spun around and went cross-eyed, for the head guard was dangling something right in front of her nose. She uncrossed her eyes and saw a small gold coronet that she had found the day after the storm while delivering bread. She had looked at its star-shaped ruby and thought it would match Rose's necklace nicely. So she brought it home and laid it on the mantelpiece until Rose could fit it on her head. Then it had been a blessing; now it was a curse. She stuttered out, "What do you mean, sir? I only found that..."
The head guard had heard quite enough. "Alright, madam, I think you had better come with me."
Arna was more scared than ever. "Go? Go where?"
"To see Lord Romero."
It suddenly occurred to Arna that she was being arrested. "No, sir, please, I haven't done anything, have I?"
The guard laughed humorlessly. "You acquired an infant the same night the Prince went missing. You own the Prince's crown. And you have an illegal window that could be used to bring our Prince anywhere. That enough for you?"
A kidnapper. They were mistaking her for a kidnapper, the Prince's kidnapper! Of all things! "I--I--You are very mistaken, sir, see, the child I found is a gi--"
The head guard had reached the end of his tether. “That’s enough,” he interrupted. “Come, madam, let’s go tell the story to His Lordship.”
Arna did not argue; she didn’t like the looks of some of the guards’ spears. But her main concern was for her little Rose. She looked back worriedly at the pile of drapes, and felt a small sense of relief to see her beloved child crawl out of the pile and to the door, staring after Arna, her red locket glinting in the sun.
When they arrived at the castle, Arna was led to the throne room. The Lord Romero was sitting on the throne pedestal. He was truthfully longing to sit in the King’s throne, a large ornate thing, ebony and mahogany edged with gold and silver. But as he was still the steward, he could only sit in the steward’s chair, a small white marble one that had seemed to grow out of the wide, white marble steps leading up to the throne. He looked vaguely surprised, and not just a little pleased, to see the guards come in with someone else. Finally, this case was getting somewhere. He sat up a little straighter and said officiously, “Who is it that you bring to my palace, and why?”
The head guard bowed, then straightened and made his report. “Lord, we accosted this lady at her home, the bakery on the city boundaries. She had been delivering her goods on the night of the storm. On closer inspection we discovered a window that went straight through the city wall, which is now illegal according to your good law. And on closer questioning she admitted that she had indeed seen an infant on the night of the storm. We searched the premises thoroughly and found this, also. “He held up the prince’s coronet. The ruby gleamed brightly in the torchlight. “This once belonged to his Majesty the prince, my Lord.”
Romero winced at “his Majesty the prince”, but was otherwise pleased. He looked down on the old woman. Arna, to her credit, was very calm for someone in her position. Romero smirked. “Well, my good lady, do you have any objections to these charges made against you? There are quite a few.”
Arna looked at him for the first time. “Yes, my Lord, I do. The window in my house was created long ago; a while after the city was built, and it was perfectly legal then. My great-grandfather asked the King then for permission, and it was granted. The child I found is not the Prince, I assure you. And as for the coronet, well, I had never seen it before, and I had found it lying on the ground some time ago, and picked it up. It was on my mantelpiece for decoration, Lord.”
Romero was truly exasperated now. This old woman was driving him insane. He replied to her claims, “Madam, who was the child that you found on the night of the storm, and where is it?”
Arna did not answer. She still was afraid that Rose would come to harm, and decided not to mention her at all. Romero sighed impatiently. “Madam, I do not think you understand the seriousness of your position. If you do not speak up, you are facing life imprisonment for kidnapping the prince.”
Arna was unperturbed. “But Lord, I did not kidnap the prince, how can I be imprisoned for it?”
Lord Romero had heard enough. “My lady, if you do not wish to tell me more than you have already, then tomorrow I shall call the Council to give you a proper trial.”
Arna smiled coolly. “That is good enough for me, my Lord. Tomorrow it is.”
Romero almost yelled with frustration. “Just take her away, guards, and someone call in the Council.”
He watched the old woman being led away.
The next day was Arna’s trial. She told her story, all of it, to the Council, as they were friendlier than the guards or Romero. The Council believed her, and had even said that she could leave free to go, if they could only find the child she had spoken of. Arna at this point became worried, as Rose could move very fast and would crawl away if a door was left open. But she would have to trust in fate to help her this time.
The guard team searched her home again, but they found no child at all. Rose had gone. When she heard this news, Arna had been too stunned to hear the Council’s decision. But she was guilty, and faced five years minimum of prison. She was led away, not caring what would happen to her, only caring about the safety of her little child.
The door out of the courtroom slammed, echoing with an awful finality.
Lord Romero sat and watched her being led away, and smiled again. And suddenly the Council members doubted that they had done the right thing after all. More than anything, every single person aside from the steward wished fervently for the return of the Prince.

Wow thats a lot. Wait, you submitted to bloomsbury?

did you use a pseudonym?

Chapter Four





Kayo had drawn a surprisingly accurate map of the castle. It was just the bottom floor, but it was nicely done. He and Alysia were poring over it eagerly. Rose was silent, but she was racking her brains all the same.
“Hm…how dark are the dungeons?”
“Really dark, I think. Daum said that he couldn’t see anywhere outside of his cell.”
“And where’s that garden door?”
“It’s over here, but it’s no use. There are always a few guards around there.”
“What day did you go?”
“I think it was in the middle of the week. But there wasn’t anyone there, and I don’t know if that’s a good thing. We’d be more easily noticed.”
“When should we go, do you think?”
“Well, how about the day after the Festival?”
“The Festival!” Rose jumped up. “When is it?”
Kayo looked surprised at her agitation. “It’s tomorrow night; the harvest moon is out tonight. Why?”
Rose looked a bit panicky. “Oh no, how could I forget? What’ll I wear?”
Alysia was a bit bewildered too. “Rose, what are you talking about? What’s so important about the Festival?”
Rose walked to the window distractedly and looked outside. “I had forgotten! How could I? Tomorrow’s my birthday! That’s when I turn thirteen!”
Kayo was still confused, but Alysia understood. “Really, it is? On the same day as the Festival of Light? That’s lucky!”
Rose was still looking in the window. “It’s not lucky. I made it my birthday. They hold the Festival of Light as usual every year, but I had never been. When I finally went, I loved it so much that I made it my birthday. I didn’t really have another one, anyways. But I forgot! What am I going to wear?”
Kayo was still a bit left behind. “Why can’t you just wear that? What’s so special about the Festival anyways?”
Rose looked at his strangely, as if unsure that he was serious, and then answered him, “Everyone always wears a mask and something special to the Festival. Haven’t you ever been? And I don’t really want to go in this either.” She gestured at her green tunic. “I was hoping I could make a new outfit for tomorrow night, but I left it too late. I can make one later, but what about tonight? What’ll I do?”
Alysia smiled. “Well, Rose, I think I have a solution to your problem. Here, follow me.”
She walked over to one wall, Rose following behind her. She pulled back a wall hanging to reveal a small wardrobe in an alcove. She opened it. Inside were old clothes of various colors and a dress or two. But she went to the very back and pulled out a dress. It was a magnificent ruby color, very simply made. But to Rose it was like something from a queen’s wardrobe. She looked at Alysia questioningly.
Alysia smiled fondly at it. “This is the first dress I can remember wearing. I had it when I was about eight, but I altered it many times so it would fit. I wore it until I was about fourteen, so it should fit you just fine.”
Rose didn’t believe her ears. “You mean I can wear this? Thank you!” She hugged Alysia gratefully and took the dress from her, looking at every detail of it, her eyes wide. Alysia couldn’t really blame her; that dress was a bit fancier than anybody would wear on the way to the market.
Kayo just sat there with his mouth open. Realizing this, he shut it and muttered, “Girls.”
Neither one heard him.

***

Natamo sat down on a stair, put his elbows on the one above it, and rested his chin in his hands. He closed his eyes.
Sara stopped a few stairs above him. “What are you doing?”
Natamo spoke without opening his eyes. “There’s too many stairs. How high up are we? We just keep climbing an’ climbing an’ climbing. When’s it stop?”
Sara laughed and sat next to him. “We are high up, but not too high. And I know, these stairs are the worst. But the end is about one flight up from here. And we haven’t been climbing too long at all. Come on up, don’t you want to meet everyone?”
Persuaded, Natamo stood up again. Sara stood too. He looked at her a bit nervously again. “Will everyone like me? Are they nice?”
Sara reached out and squeezed his hand comfortingly. “Don’t worry, they’ll love you. I promise. Now come on, there’s food up there too. Aren’t you hungry?”
Natamo began climbing at once, pulling her along with him. “There’s dinner up there too? Wow! All that’s missing is somewhere to sleep!”
Sara laughed again. “Well, actually…”
Natamo got the hint and smiled. “I think it’ll be okay here. Come on!”
The two hurried to catch up with Daum, who was far ahead, and they all went into the room together.

***

Kayo, Alysia and Rose looked up to see Sara, Daum, and someone new enter the room. Alysia waved to them, and Kayo went to talk to Daum about their plan. Rose, however, was looking at Natamo. He was becoming shy again, and was holding Sara’s hand very tightly, looking around nervously. Everyone was talking, laughing, and playing. Rose’s heart went out to him. She walked over to him and smiled.
“Hi, my name is Rose. What’s yours?” she asked him, holding out a hand.
He took her hand and shook it cautiously. “Natamo. ‘S nice to meet you, Rose.”
“The pleasure’s all mine, Natamo. Are you new here?”
Natamo nodded, feeling self-conscious. Rose smiled again. “I’ll bet you’re hungry. Do you want something to eat?”
He looked up at her, and smiled for the first time. He nodded. She took his hand from Sara’s and led him over to a cushion. He dropped gratefully onto it, still weary from the long climb, and enjoyed the softness of it while Rose got them some lunch. Natamo ate hungrily; Rose wondered when he had last eaten. She munched on a pear for a while in silence until he slowed down. “Wow, you were hungry, weren’t you? So, did Sara and Daum bring you here?”
Natamo was much less shy now. “Yea, they found me. I didn’t want to go, but Sara told me all about you all, and I wanted to come and see. But I don’t really get any of it.”
Rose sympathized with him completely. “I know what you mean. I only joined up yesterday.”
Natamo stopped mid-bite. “Really? You did?”
Rose nodded. “I know it’s confusing. I was pretty much dragged up here without an explanation at all. But I know about everything now. Is there something you don’t get at all?”
Natamo nodded. “Where are we? Why is this place so big, and what’s the matter with the stairs? Sara and Daum told me to jump a step every once in a while. And what’s that code Sara was telling me about?”
Rose thought for a second on how best to explain it. “Hmm…well, this is our clubhouse, so to speak. This is where we meet. I’m not exactly sure what part of town we’re in, but the stairs were messed with a bit. A few of them are set up so that when you step on them, they fall. It’s to keep soldiers and anybody we don’t want in, out. And the code…well, it’s kind of a way to know who’s in and who’s not. What they’ll do is ask someone their name. Any street child in Bermeia won’t tell you their name, because almost all of us don’t have names at all. To answer the question, you just say you don’t know. That’s the code. We give ourselves our own names if we can’t remember. And it’s the same with birthdays too,” she added, remembering the Festival. She remembered something else. “And the mirrors. Have you ever seen one?”
Natamo looked at her oddly and shook his head. She took his hand and led him to one. “This is a mirror. What do you think?”
Natamo looked at it suspiciously. “Who’s that?” he asked, turning to Rose. She laughed.
“It’s you, of course! Wave your hand at it.”
He did. His mirror self waved too. He put his head to one side thoughtfully, and was surprised when the mirror image did the same. “It is me! Is that what I look like?”
Rose smiled at his eagerness. “Of course it is. Who else would it be?”
Natamo cast a scrutinizing eye at the image, looking it over up and down. Then he grinned broadly. “I like those. How do they work, anyways?”
Rose though about it for a second, but couldn’t find an answer. “I really don’t know. It’s a nice thing to have, though. There’re lots of them in here.”
Natamo went back to his lunch. He was still eager to know more about this place. “Did someone say the Festival was tomorrow? Are we all going to go?”
Rose looked out the window absently, thinking of the next day. “I suppose. I’m going, though; it’s my birthday and I want to have fun.”
Natamo looked up in surprise. “Tomorrow’s your birthday? Wow, you get to go to the Festival on your birthday! Sounds like fun, can I go too?”
“Of course you can. We’ll have to find you a mask, though. Everyone wears a mask to the Festival. And I’ll have to teach you the song, too.”
Natamo looked over at Daum and Kayo. “What are they talking about?”
Rose wasn’t sure how much to tell him. “They’re…um…trying to get into the castle without being seen.”
Natamo looked at her as one would at a slow child. “Then why don’t you all go with everyone else after the Festival?” he said, as if it were obvious.
Rose looked up in surprise. “What do you mean, Natamo?”
Natamo shrugged and went on eating. “Every day after the Festival, all these people go into the castle. None of them were thrown out. They did it last year, I think.”
Rose laughed at this simple suggestion, making Natamo look up at her again as if she were laughing something as serious as the sun coming up. “What’s so funny, anyways?”
Rose stopped laughing as best as she could. “Nothing, Natamo. Go ahead and finish your lunch.”

***

Sara went over to Alysia after finishing her lunch. “’Lis?” she said to her, sitting on her cushion, “Can you write?”
Alysia was put off guard by this random question. “Yes, I can, but why, Sara?”
Sara looked earnestly at her. “Someone said something funny at the market today. Can you write it down? I think it’s important.”
Alysia got up to get an ink bottle, a quill and some parchment. She dipped the quill tip into the ink and set it on the parchment. “What is it Sara? Can you remember it all?”
Sara nodded. “Of course. But we should write it down anyway. An old woman told me this on the street today. Are you ready?”
Alysia nodded. Sara recited perfectly;

“Not in distant lands, but in the city by the sea,
One whose very fate depends on liberty,
One child set to break the people’s chains,
One to help them see through the imposter’s claims.
He who has taken the place of rightful heir,
Shall be thrown down, for the crown is not his to wear.
He who hast overlooked the poor and trodden down,
Shall one day have to see them take from him his crown.
Child chosen by fate, born thy land to save,
Lead thy people to victory, help them to be brave.
Awaken to your calling, O child of destiny,
And may your wisdom help to set thy people free.”

Alysia wrote it as fast as she could, and looked over her piece of parchment. She frowned. “What does it mean, Sara?”
Sara shrugged. “How would I know? But do you think we should show it to Kayo?”
Alysia looked over the poem again and mused to herself, “Hm…it sounds like…which one? Well…yes, it has to be…that’s right. Sara,” she said in a clear, sure voice, “Can you get Kayo and Rose over here?”
Sara nodded and went to get them. Both came over and sat on the floor in front of her. Kayo spoke up.
“Well, ‘Lis, what is it?”
Alysia gave them the parchment in answer. They scanned it carefully for a minute, and then Rose looked up. “Alysia, what’s this? What’s it mean?”
Alysia shrugged, but gave her a sort of half-smile. “Someone on the street said this to Sara today. I think it’s important. Did you read the lines? What is it?” she said, consulting the parchment. “Oh yes…’One to help them see through the imposter’s claims.’ That has to mean Romero, if you ask me. And that part about the child setting their people free, well, that’s a bit obvious too.”
Kayo gave her a look, and said patiently, “Well, Alysia, enlighten us. Who’s the ‘child of destiny’?”
Alysia grinned. “Well, isn’t it obvious? It has to be one of you two!”
Rose gave her a look too. Kayo, however, grinned back. “Good one, ‘Lis, but we aren’t that special. Well, I don’t know about Rose,” he added fairly.
But Alysia wouldn’t be swayed. “I don’t care; I think it’s one of you two. You’d better decide which one it is, or that prophetess will decide for you.”
Rose kept on the look. “What prophetess?”
Alysia stood up. “There used to be a prophetess around here, Virtusa was her name, but she got turned out by Romero too. I think he didn’t want her to predict his downfall or something. But it’s a bit late for that,” she added with a smile. “I need to talk to Daum. You two decide which one of you is going to save the city,” she said, with deadly seriousness, standing up and walking across the room. Rose and Kayo looked at each other.
“Ignore her?”
“Good idea.”
They went off again, leaving the parchment on the floor.

***

Rose didn’t know how she was going to get to sleep that night, but she didn’t have to anyways. Alysia and Kayo called a moonlight council. Rose looked excitedly out of the window at the large harvest moon. Tomorrow would be the new moon, the black moon which was never seen, and the Festival of Light would be thrown. The whole city would be lit by firelight and fireworks instead of moonlight. She took her place in the small circle of cushions by the window. Daum, Alysia, Kayo and Armani, the brown-haired girl with the pretty smile, were sitting and waiting for her. Everyone else was asleep; Natamo had fallen asleep first, not having slept on something soft for a long time.
Alysia, once Rose had sat down next to her, said to everyone, “Alright, everybody, we need to decide on a plan. When are we going to break into the castle?”
Rose spoke up. “Natamo gave me an idea today. He told me that the day after the festival is the one day where anyone that wants to can go into the castle. I thought that might be the best cover, wouldn’t it?”
Everyone was surprised at this statement. Armani laughed, saying in a clear, confident voice which Rose hadn’t heard before, “Of course! Why didn’t any of us think about that? Good for Natamo!”
They all laughed. Kayo sat up. “I have it! We have some kids go with Alysia in the crowd, and check out the situation…”
Rose saw where he was going with this. “And then, if it’s all clear, we can send someone down to pick the locks, right?”
Kayo beamed at her. “Right! Thanks Rose. You and Armani can do that, right? And I’ll get Rizu and some others to get some armor and pretend to be soldiers, to let us in the dungeons…”
Rose continued his thought. “And they can come up with us, so we won’t be noticed, and we can just blend in with the crowd! And if they have trouble getting down there, they can pretend to arrest you, Kayo…”
Kayo wouldn’t hear of that. “No way, I’m public enemy number one, remember? It would be too big of a deal. It needs to be someone inconspicuous…maybe Eli will do it?”
“We’ll have to ask him, but I think he will…so we take him down there, let him go, and bring up the rest of the prisoners?”
“Right…but we’ll have to be careful. What’ll we do if there’re guards outside the cells?”
“Rizu can offer to take their place…They may let him, then we have a clear path, don’t we?”
“Right. ‘Lis, did you get all that?”
Alysia grinned. “None whatsoever, but you two work well together. By the way, did you ever figure out who’s the hero, or heroine, maybe?”
Kayo and Rose looked at each other again. They laughed. “Come on, ‘Lis, can’t we both be heroes? We don’t have to worry about this right now anyways.”
“Yea, Alysia, we can decide that on the battlefield, right?”
The three of them laughed. Daum and Armani exchanged looks.
Alysia took out her quill again and wrote their ideas down while they recited them back at her. “You both are geniuses. We have a great plan now. Way to go, you two.”
Everyone sighed in relief and began to discuss their plan.

***

Rose got up early he next morning, hardly remembering why. Then she recalled the Festival, the dress, the big harvest moon, and their devious escape plan. But she would worry about that later. Today was her birthday.
She walked carefully across the room to avoid waking anyone up, and went over to a cupboard. She got out a loaf of bread and looked for some fruit. Grimacing at the apples, she pushed them aside to reveal a few pears left, her favorites. She took her breakfast to the windowsill and looked out.
The sun had not come up yet, that she could see from the pale blue-grey light hovering over the horizon. She slid onto the curved windowsill, gazing intently at the shimmering sea. Even from here she could see the white wavetops growing and fading, the waves rising and falling, eternally, indefinitely, pushed and pulled by the moon. The moon governed everything, though it was not as bright as the sun. Sometimes the things no one ever noticed were the most important.
Like now, she reflected. No one has ever noticed us, because so many others live on the street with us. No one understood what it was like, did they? That’s exactly why this was happening. Romero didn’t understand, or didn’t care. Kayo and his friends had been thrust out of the only place they could call home. Maybe when the prince came…
If the prince came, she reminded herself. They could no longer depend on that hope. She sighed.
She looked out of the window. In front of her, to the west, she could see the edges of the town, small quaint little houses still with their occupants asleep. Beyond that, the fields surrounding the town were stretching towards the shore, parts barren and empty from the harvest, but for the most part lush and green. They faded slowly into sandy grass, and then, beyond that, a dim , thick golden line on the horizon, was the shore, stretching endlessly from north to south. And beyond that, the sea.
She gazed out on the scene with a mixture of happiness at the sheer beauty of it, and longing, for she had never been outside the city walls. Maybe if nothing went wrong tomorrow, she would go to the field at least on the next day. Feeling restless and impatient, she strained her neck to see straight down below. No one in the city was out of bed yet.
She put a finger on the glass, cold from the chill of the night. She would need a cloak.
Searching around the hidden closets, she quickly found one and buttoned it on. Striding towards the door, she opened it, slid outside, and closed it noiselessly.
The stairs, she soon found out, weren’t all that long. They just seemed to go on forever when coming up them. She took them two at a time, remembering at the last moment the trick stairs, and reached the bottom in minutes. It would be a pain to climb all those stairs again, but worth it for a breath of fresh air. She had never remembered not being able to feel the breeze, or see the stars. Being in that room, beautiful as it was, made her feel restless and trapped.
She decided to take the passageway out; she could always get in by the front door, locked or not. She walked back into the dark cavern and looked around. No one would have a secret, pitch-black hallway without a torch. And there it was, in plain sight by the door, with a small knife, the kind used to sharpen quills, hanging next to it. She lifted it from its holder and looked around for some source of fire. If she had some flint, she could make a few sparks from striking it with the knife. She looked around again, scanning the walls, but found nothing. Then, on a sudden thought, she strode over to the wall and hit it hard with the little knife.
A few sparks flew off the wall, fading to black and disappearing before they reached the ground. She struck the wall again, holding the torch next to it. The sparks fell onto the oil-soaked top of the torch, and a bright flame soon emerged from the wood. She held it up high and made her way towards the exit.
In a surprisingly short time, she had reached the entrance. She found another torch holder on the wall and placed the nearly burnt out torch in it. Closing the fake wall back behind her, she strode up the alley and into the street.
The streets were lit now with the cool grayish light of dawn. No one stirred in their homes, no shops were open yet. Rose smiled. Walking around town all day sounded like the best thing in the world to do today. Everyone would be happy, getting ready for the Festival. She turned right and started towards the heart of the city.

*

“Hey…where’d Rose go?” Kayo asked.
Alysia shrugged.
“It’s her birthday, Kayo. Let it go. She’ll come back,” she said consolingly.
“I know she will. But where would she go? You never know with her, she could be doing something dangerous.”
Alysia laughed. “Quit obsessing over it, Kayo. I’ll bet she knows the city better than you do. If you’re so worried, then go find her. She’d love that.”
Kayo raised his eyebrows at her. “And what do you mean by that, ‘Lis?”
Alysia shrugged again, turning away so that he couldn’t see her shaking with laughter. She regained control over herself fairly quickly, and said, “She’ll be back; the Festival’s tonight. Anyway, let’s go over it again. What will you do?”
Kayo rolled his eyes, but recited obediently, “You and a couple of kids go to check it out. When the coast is clear, we get Rizu, pretending to be a guard, to go stand watch. Rose and Armani pick the lock to the main door f the dungeons and find the keys to the cells. Everyone goes in and unlocks the doors, then we all go out and escape with the crowd.”
“And if we’re found out?”
“Everyone scatters and gets out of the castle. Run like lightning, meet back here at sunset. Is that all?”
Alysia nodded, satisfied. “That’s all. Good job. Here, have a strawberry.” She tossed a big red berry at him. He scowled at her.
“Just because you’re older than me doesn’t mean you can treat me like a kid, ‘Lis. I’m fourteen, after all.” He bit into the strawberry. “Thanks for the strawberry, though.”
Alysia laughed. “Are you going to go to the Festival?”
Kayo shrugged. “I may. I’ll have to be careful, though. If a guard recognizes me, I’m in trouble.”
Alysia shrugged. “You’re only in trouble if you get caught. So don’t get caught.”
Kayo grinned. “Since when do I get caught? Don’t worry about me, ‘Lis.”
Alysia looked steadily at him. “It only has to happen once. Be careful, Kayo. And take care of Rose.”
Kayo nodded resolutely. “Don’t worry. I will. But I think that girl could take care of herself without my help. Oh, do you have a mask for me?”
“Yes, I do, actually. For some reason, we have a whole cabinet full of them. I wonder who put them there.”
Kayo shrugged. “No idea. You think there’s a black one?”
Alysia nodded. “There are lots of those. Why, what are you wearing?”
Kayo smiled mischievously. “You’ll see.”

*

Rose arrived at the palace right after noon.
Originally, she was just going to look around the grounds, but now that she was here, she might as well try some spy work.
The castle gardens had a large wall around them, ten feet of gray stone about two feet thick. There were two entrances; one from inside the palace itself and one from the outside. Rose made her way quietly to the outside door.
It was locked, but it might as well not have been for all the challenge it presented to her. In a matter of seconds, she had opened the lock and entered the garden.
The inside was lovely; a small cobbled path ran aimlessly between tall, slender trees and multicolored flowers. A pond was in here somewhere, the sound of water birds floating from it. Rose started to walk slowly on the path, savoring the smell of air scented by flowers, water running over rocks and autumn leaves blowing around the grass. What a waste of garden, she thought to herself. No one would ever be able to come in and enjoy it.
She froze; a bright glint had shone from somewhere ahead, distracting her from the garden. An armed soldier was pacing about, the sunlight glinting off his armor. She ducked into the shadow of a tall bush, watching him closely. He turned on his heel and strode off the other way. About a minute later he came back, and did exactly the same thing.
Rose rolled her eyes; these guards were so predictable. In another minute he would come back, look around, and walk off the other way. Again. Luckily for her, however, it made it easier to get past them. She crossed over to another bush, closer to the guard’s line of vision, and waited.
Right on time, the guard came back, looked around, missed her completely and walked away. Rose almost laughed out loud, but stopped herself. These guards must not have had enough air in their helmets. She saved her breath and dashed behind a tree, on the other side of the path on which the guard was pacing. He turned around a second too late, striding back to his usual place. Rose moved on.
Another guard was ahead, going in a square around the pond. Rose, odd as it seemed, was amused; at least one of them had some creativity. She went to a hedge wall and leaned against the narrower side of it, taking a short rest. She would have to move soon; the guard’s path came right next to her, and if he had any sight at all left then he would spot her. The guard was parallel to her; now he was only a few yards away. As soon as it seemed that he would pass her up, she moved from the narrow side to the broad side of the hedge. He walked past her, on the opposite side of the hedge. She followed behind him, treading lightly on the ground. Her feet made no noise as she walked silently behind the guard.
As they both reached the other end of the pond, Rose let him get further ahead of her, waiting patiently before turning right and entering another part of the garden. This part was deserted, so she took her time getting past it. She knew from Kayo’s map that a door to the inside of the palace was around here somewhere, set into the wall on her left. Crossing over to the wall, she peered down it on both sides. She had a clear, unimpeded view of a few yards of wall and grassy space. No one was there.
The door lay on her right, virtually unguarded. However, she was in no position to be careless, and a guard could be behind the door, just waiting for someone to get overconfident. She went to a space further beyond the door, to where a small window was set into the wall. Looking through it, she scanned the room beyond thoroughly from corner to corner, especially close to the door. The room was deserted, so without further ado, she pushed open the door and went inside.
Rose had expected some kind of alarm to go off, and was extremely relieved when nothing happened. She strode briskly down the room to the door at the far right end. Through it was another corridor, lit by tall candles set into grooves on the wall. She looked around cautiously before walking in, keeping her eyes open for unexpected guards. She had learned long since that anyone you didn’t want to meet had a bad habit of turning up at the worst possible time.
At the end of the corridor was another, running across the one she was on. She turned left, down another, identical hallway to the one she had just traveled. Around the corner would be the entrance hall, and in there the main door. But there were surely several guards around there. And besides, what she was looking for was right ahead. A heavy wooden door, normal in its construction but unnaturally heavily bolted, was ahead, on the right wall of the hall. It had two unlit torches alongside of it, which seemed very out of place in the brightly lit corridor. She walked towards it, still wary for any signs of further security.
The door was locked. It was unlocked in a matter of seconds.
Rose shivered. In front of her lay a flight of stairs, rough stone ones that made her feet cold just by looking at them. They twisted away out of sight. Darkness from below seemed to be eating away at the feeble light from the corridor. She wondered if she should turn back, but then her braver side took over, and she descended the stairs one at a time towards the dungeons.
Surprisingly, it began to get lighter, in a hopeless, gray kind of way. She could see the steps in front of her, which she had not been able to before. The steps twisted a final time before opening onto a small, cold passage. To each side were cells, an astonishing number of them, stacked next to each other all the way down the passage. Peering intently down towards the end, she froze on the bottom stair until her eyes had become accustomed to the dark. She could see no movement at all, thankfully, but she still had every nerve on edge as she took a few steps towards the nearest cell.
It was empty, and she was glad, for that was one less person to walk free from this place. And that aside, she didn’t need an interrogation right now. The door, made out of the toughest wood she had ever seen and reinforced by metal strips, was still locked, with an old, heavy kind of lock that hung on the door. She had never seen a lock like this, and observed it carefully. She let it go after a while; it looked easy enough.
Rose looked through the solid iron bars set in the top of the door into the cell beyond. She stopped herself from gasping with disgust, but just barely. Nothing, absolutely nothing, was inside. It was a block of stone, and nothing else. And to think, this was only the first cell. She knew that there were more cells below this one, that were supposed to be even worse, for severe criminals and thieves, but she could not imagine anything worse than this bare, cold cell. She had at least expected some kind of barred window, like one usually finds in a dungeon. But she doubted now that even one of these had a window, barred or not.
Her desire to empty every one of these cells increasing tenfold, she turned and dashed back up the stairs, suddenly wishing for light and warmth. How she managed to get back through the castle, pass the guards, and through the garden door, she never remembered. She only realized where she was when she nearly ran into someone in the marketplace. She turned in a street by the jewelry shop and headed back to the hideout.

Chapter Five


Rose entered the room, shutting the door before leaning on it, catching her breath. Kayo looked up.
“Oh, there you are, Rose. Happy birthday!”
“T-thanks Kayo,” she panted, weary from the long climb up the stairs.
“Where’ve you been?”
Still breathing heavily, she gasped, “Went…out…saw…and…h-…h-Hi everyone!”
She looked around, finding herself alone with Kayo and Alysia. “Where is everyone?”
Kayo shrugged, and Alysia said, “They all went off somewhere. I told them to be here at first light or they aren’t going with us. But I think they all went to the Festival.”
Rose nodded, and then turned to Alysia. “Am I too late?”
Alysia shook her head. Rose smiled happily, and then both girls simultaneously turned and looked at Kayo. “What?” he said bemusedly.
“’Bye, Kayo,” said Alysia, raising her eyebrows at him.
Kayo just stared at her for a minute, before remembering the Festival. “Oh, right! I have to go. Good luck, girls!”
He turned and walked out of the room. “Women,” he muttered, shutting the door behind him.
“Men,” Alysia and Rose said together after he left, shaking their heads. Rose went over to the closet and took out her dress, pushing back another curtain and closing it behind her while she changed. She came out after a few minutes, surprising Alysia by the way she looked. Considering that the dress had once been hers for more than five years, it fit her well. She smiled.
“It looks great on you, Rose. Now come here while I fix it up a little.”
Rose came over, smiling at the compliment, and stood in front of Alysia, turning in a circle so she could see the back too. “I think it’s a bit long, but other than that it fits really well.”
Alysia took out a needle from a sewing basket she had gotten out and knotted some thread around it. She began shortening the bottom, while asking, “So, do you think Kayo will come?”
“Sure he will. It only comes once a year.”
“Yes, I think he will too. He has a mask and everything.”
Rose put a hand to her forehead. “Oh, that’s what’s missing! A mask! Is there a red one, ‘Lis?”
“Sure there is. There’s a lot of them. I’m not sure exactly where they came from, but then again, I have no idea why we have masks in the first place.”
“Most likely someone brought them all in just in case there was some disguise work to be done. Haven’t you used them yet?”
“Not that I know of. I just remembered earlier when Kayo asked me where they were. I think he’s going to go, it sounded like he had an outfit and everything.”
“Well where would he get something to wear? I’ve only ever seen those expensive kinds of outfits on the men there. Do you think he stole it?”
“Most likely; I don’t put anything past him anymore. But I’ve never seen anything in that wardrobe, and I think I’d notice one of those shirts. They always seem to be all gold and black satin to me.”
“That’s pretty much all they are. I don’t see how anyone would want to wear those longer than five minutes. How’s it going?”
“Good, I’m almost done. Yes, I never liked those. I like wearing dresses, if you make them right you never notice that you’re dressed up. And…that’s it! You’re almost ready, I think.”
Walking carefully over to one of the hidden cabinets, she pulled back the curtain and ran her finger down the lines of masks. There were quite a few, considering that no one used them. Finally she found a small red one, plain as far as masks went, but the exact same color as her dress. She was about to tie it on when Alysia stopped her. “Hold on, I still have to do your hair, Rose. Come back, will you?”
Rose sat complacently on the ground in front of her, while she picked up a small brush and ran it through Rose’s hair. “Are you nervous?”
Rose raised her eyebrows in surprise. “About what, the Festival? Why would I be?”
“No, about tomorrow. Are you scared? I know I am. Everyone trusts Kayo and I, and now both of us are pretty much ordering them to put their lives in danger. If something happens to any of them, I don’t know what I’d do.”
Rose sighed. “I know what you mean, Alysia. But no one’s forcing them to come. They do trust you, and that’s why they’re going. And I really don’t think anyone will get hurt. Every one of them looks like they can take care of themselves. Ouch! What are you doing to my hair?”
“Brushing it.”
“Oh, that explains it. Go easy, will you?”
“Oh, fine. So what will you do tonight?”
“It’s my birthday. What do you think I’ll do? Stay up all night watching fireworks, of course!”
“Surely not all night?” asked Alysia in mock surprise.
“Alright. Until midnight. How’s that?”
“Just perfect. We need you tomorrow for some spy work. You can sneak into the castle without being caught, right?”
Rose grinned. “I sure hope so. It worked once.”
Alysia stopped brushing, looking around to stare at Rose. “Is that what you were doing? Have you gone insane already?”
She shrugged. “I just wanted to check how tight security was. It wasn’t too bad. There’s a door in the garden that only has two guards around it.”
“That’s not the point. Why did you do that when you knew what could happen if you were caught? What part of ‘dark, impossible-to-escape-from cell in the dungeons’ did we not spell out very clearly?”
Rose grimaced. “You don’t need to tell me, I saw them myself. The very first one was a nightmare. Absolutely nothing in it.”
“Good. One less person to be set free.”
“I know. But also no windows of any kind, nowhere to sleep besides stone, no light, no way to get water or food in without opening the door, no way to look outside it…”
Alysia’s eyes widened. “Are you serious? All those cells turned out to be were empty stone squares? After all that…”
“All what?”
“Those dungeons were supposed to have big gaps in the walls, or missing bars on the windows, or something. Romero had a huge tax on it a few years ago; he told everyone that there was no way to keep anyone dangerous inside when they were like that! That sneaky liar…”
“What, did you expect him to use it all? And he was right; those cells did have a few gaps in the walls. Weren’t they supposed to be fixed by that tax?”
“They were! That’s the point! That evil, tyrannical…” She sighed, continuing to brush Rose’s hair again. “Forget it. That won’t help. The only thing we can do about it is to make sure no one has to see the inside of them ever again.”
“Right. How are you fixing my hair again?”
“You’ll see. I wish I could do this with my hair, but it’s a bit too short. It’ll look nice. After all, no one can turn thirteen twice.”
“Actually, I probably have. This isn’t my real birthday, you know.”
“No, it isn’t. But by the time the next Festival comes, it’ll be closer to your fourteenth birthday than your thirteenth. So technically, this counts.”
“Alright, if you say so. I don’t feel thirteen, though.”
“Well, you will before you’re fourteen, I promise. What will you do if someone asks you to dance?”
“Dance, of course! But that won’t happen.”
“Why not? You should fit in better with this on than that old tunic of yours.”
“Sure, maybe, but I don’t exactly look like high-society royalty. Well, I don’t act like it, in any case.”
“Hmm. Okay, whatever you say. I wonder if they’ll have good fireworks this year? I doubt it.”
“Why wouldn’t they?”
“Didn’t you know? The day Kayo found you was when he sank the firework powder, along with the weapons. Didn’t he say?”
“No, he didn’t mention any kind of powder, but it must have been something to see. Did he blow up the ship or something?”
“No, he got all the weapon crates together and hit the one with the black powder in it. It blew up that one and sank the rest. He thought it was funny.”
“Sounds like it. How did he explode it when it was in the water?”
“Hit it with a fire arrow. He’s a good shot.”
“They have fire arrows now?”
“It’s not too hard to make one.”
“I’d like to learn archery. It sounds like fun.”
“It is. And now I’m done. Oh, look!”
Rose, who had just tied on her mask, looked around. “What?”
“Look what I found!”
A small comb, the top of it an arch of red-colored, thick glass, was lying in her palm. Rose smiled. “This has to be my lucky day.”
Alysia placed the comb in her hair, which had been fixed so that half was in a knot on top of her head, with the end of one piece trailing down. Rose stood up. Alysia smiled.
“Are you ready?”
Rose looked down, pulling her rose locket into view. She smiled back. “I am now.”



As soon as Rose had shut the door behind her, Kayo opened it again. Alysia looked up, smiling at the eager expression on his face. “So, you’re going?”
“Sure I am. How could I miss the fun?”
”Don’t you remember that you sank half the firework supplies?”
“Oh, that. Well, it’ll still be fun. That can’t have been all of the supplies.”
“Okay, okay, let’s go with that. What are you wearing?”
“You’ll see,” he said mysteriously, opening the wardrobe. He pulled out something, going behind the curtain. When he appeared, he had on a long black shirt, underneath which was a pair of slim black pants. Alysia smiled at the handsome figure he cut. “Don’t you look nice. Now come here, I need to do something with your hair.”
“Hey, what is th—Ouch! What are you doing?”
“Oh no, how many times do I have to hear that? Brushing it, it’s called a brush!”
“Ouch! Does it have to hurt so much?”
“Yes. Now keep still, will you?”
“Alright, alright.”
“Are you going to find Rose?”
“Yes, I’ll look for her as soon as I get there. She looked really nice. Where’d you find that mask?”
“I didn’t. She did. Now, you aren’t going to get arrested or anything, are you?”
“No. that’s what the mask is for, ‘Lis.”
“Good. Because if you get caught, then Rose will too. Just remember that, will you?”
“You’re right. I won’t start anything. Now where was that mask? Ah, here it is.” He picked up a black mask from the shelf and tied it on.
“How do I look?”
Alysia smiled. “Very handsome. Now go find Rose, will you?”
“Alright. Thanks, ‘Lis.”
“Have fun.”
Alysia laughed after he had gone. “What is the matter with them? Well anyway, I really hope that they do have fun.”



Rose followed the colored lanterns placed in each street towards the city square. She dusted herself off thoroughly, making sure to get off all the dust from the passageway. She straightened her mask, looking through it to see where she was. The square was just ahead.
She jumped when a hand fell onto her shoulder. She spun around quickly.
“No one should come alone tonight, miss. May I?”
Rose laughed. “Oh, Kayo, it’s just you. You scared me!”
Kayo smiled and offered her his arm. “Sorry, Rose, I didn’t mean to. Do you want to come with me?”
Rose smiled back. “Of course,” she said, taking the proffered arm and lifting the bottom of her skirt from the ground. They walked along to the square in silence. Turning a corner, they found themselves finally at the Festival, right in the middle of all the fun. Fireworks were being set up, bonfires lit, and long trestle tables were being piled high with the best that the city’s cooks could offer. Mostly everyone from the town and city was there, laughing, dancing and singing the special song that they sang once a year. Rose and Kayo joined in eagerly.

“From dawn to dusk, from dusk to dawn.
The Sun and Moon have come and gone,
The sources of all our light are done,
There is no moon tonight,
But now we light our fires bright,
And ready all our fireworks,
The Festival’s tonight!

Come! Come! Come!
To the Festival of Light,
Food and friends and fireworks,
Find all your heart’s delight!
Ride! Ride! Ride!
To the Festival of Light,
Come one, come all, answer our call,
And celebrate all night!

The harvest is in, the fields bear no fruit,
Our work is done until the spring,
And now we come under the black sky,
There is no moon tonight,
But now we light our fires bright,
And ready all our fireworks,
The Festival’s tonight!

Come! Come! Come!
To the Festival of Light,
Food and friends and fireworks,
Find all your heart’s delight!
Ride! Ride! Ride!
To the Festival of Light,
Come one, come all, answer our call,
And celebrate all night!”


They sang the song again, much louder, and just as it drew to a close, the sun disappeared under the sea. Everyone let out a great cheer, and fireworks were let off. The Festival had begun.
Rose and Kayo were cheering with everyone else. Rose turned to Kayo suddenly and said with mock concern and a mischievous smile, “Alysia wants us back by midnight. Do you think we can do it?”
Kayo grinned. “Well, who knows? There’s no moon, so we can’t exactly tell the time, can we? Besides, it’s your birthday.”
Rose laughed. “When do you think they’ll start up the music?”
Before Kayo could answer, however, a group of musicians, carrying guitars, drums, and flutes, started playing a fast, lively tune. Kayo smiled. “That answers that. Care to dance, Rose?”
She nodded, smiling, and taking his offered hand, allowed him to lead her to the dance floor.



A small guard patrol had been assigned to keep watch over the festival, making sure that no one was causing trouble. They were led by Captain of the Guard Menos, who had not been fired after all. He watched the dancing city dwellers listlessly, not really paying attention to the proceedings but making sure that all the other guards were. He stared moodily at the happy dancers, reveling in their free winter season ahead of them, and wished again that he did not need his job, and could enjoy himself with the rest of them.
On this thought, he remembered the boy who had sunk his supplies a few days ago. Almost on instinct, he scanned the crowd again. The boy wasn’t here tonight, but Menos hadn’t expected him to anyway. Just to be sure, he scanned the crowd again, and, lo and behold, he was here, dancing with a pretty brown-haired girl not too far away. He was wearing a mask, like everyone else, but Menos was sure that he wasn’t mistaken.
Far from arresting the boy on the spot, Menos watched him for a little while. As long as he didn’t do anything suspicious, the other guards would never notice him.
A few hours later, the boy and girl started to leave. Menos managed to slip away and follow them down the deserted streets. He watched them enter their hideout, making note of the fake wall and the hole, and, smiling with satisfaction, started back to the Festival.


Despite all their efforts, Kayo and Rose returned about an hour after midnight. Alysia was sitting on the windowsill, watching the fireworks, which hadn’t ended yet. She looked up as they came in.
“Where have you two been?”
Kayo stared at her in mock concern. “At the Festival, of course, ‘Lis. Don’t you remember?”
Alysia shook her head exasperatedly, smiling at the two. “Nevermind, just get some sleep, both of you. We have a busy day tomorrow, remember?”
“Oh, right,” said Rose, remembering tomorrow’s mission. “’Night, Alysia.”
“Good night, you two.”
Kayo went a corner, buried himself under a blanket, and said nothing more. Rose curled up by the window, where she could still see the fireworks if she wanted to. She listened to the sounds of Alysia moving around the room, blowing out candles, reflecting on this day, the best birthday she had ever had, until she finally fell asleep.



The next morning, everyone woke up early. Rose had changed back into her green tunic, and had pulled her hair back with a ribbon, so it wouldn’t be in her way. She sat on the windowsill, watching the pre-dawn sky, munching halfheartedly on an apple, as Kayo had taken the last pear. He was pulling out floor cushions again, for when everyone arrived. He was back again into the old blue shirt and canvas pants that he always wore.
Alysia was checking supplies again. They could hear her moving things aside behind a curtain. Rose turned back to the windowsill. She had been instructed to watch for the others, for they were due to arrive any minute. What she was really doing was gazing dreamily out onto the sea, paying no attention to the rest of the scene. However, just when a burst of yellow light lit up the world, announcing the approach of morning, she noticed several small people heading towards the hideout, a couple of them much smaller than the rest, and said to Kayo and Alysia, “O look, someone’s coming!”
“Excellent, I’m finished,” said Kayo, pushing the last cushion into line with his foot. Rose looked out the window again and saw a few other tiny figures coming, and saw that the others had disappeared. They waited for a few minutes, straining their ears, until they heard, dimly and very far below, the sound of bare feet on the stairs.
In less than ten minutes the room was full. Rose sat on a cushion next to Kayo, making another sling and stone pouch out of an old piece of cloth she had found. Kayo was trying, and failing, to take a head count of the room’s occupants, but he was losing count every time, as no one would keep still. Alysia sat again on Kayo’s other side, staring strait ahead, her face pensive, apparently strategizing.
When everyone had finally settled down, Kayo tried to count them all again. Everyone seemed to be there, for he made no inquiry to anyone’s whereabouts, and simply said, “Alright, everybody ready?”
Nods and affirmative statements came from everyone in the room. Kayo grinned cheerfully, as if this was some sort of hike or field trip, and said, “Okay, that’s settled. Everyone grab a weapon, let’s go!”
“Hold it, Kayo,” Alysia said firmly, looking reproachfully at him. “We can’t just run off. The castle probably isn’t even open yet. And besides, we have to make sure everyone knows what they’re doing. Just rushing off and playing it by ear won’t work this time,” she said, lightly emphasizing this time. Kayo took the hint and didn’t object.
Alysia continued. “Now, does everyone know what to do?”
There were many nods, but a few small head-shakings. “Alright, team one goes with me. Eli, Armen, Naia, Kari, Mya, Mera, and Sara are coming with me to check things out before we send everyone else. All we have to do is look innocent and check for guards. Team two is Rose and Armani. You two go down and pick all the locks on the cells. Make sure there aren’t any guards. Team three goes with Kayo. He, Evan, Faith, Kayna and Sara go inside the cells and get everyone out, sending them outside one at a time. Rizu is going to masquerade as a guard, in case we have trouble getting in, and the rest stay here with Daum and Eira. Is that okay with everyone?”
Nods all around.
“Good. Any questions?”
No questions were asked.
“Alright then. Everyone who isn’t in my group pick out a weapon that you can use,” she added, as a warning, “and get with your group.”
About seven of the members went to the hidden closet and came back with various weapons. Alysia’s small group didn’t, as they weren’t going to fight and had to look innocent, and Rose had stayed where she was, as her sling was still right beside her. Faith, Kayna, Sara and Armani settled for short throwing knives, as it was a common thought that girls looked more suspicious with swords and things than boys did. On reflection, Rose wondered why weapons were allowed inside the castle in the first place. She asked Kayo about it.
“It’s a law that no weapons are allowed inside the castle,” he told her, surprising her. “But Romero forgot about that one when he took office, I suppose, because it’s never been enforced before. I’m surprised; in all the twelve years he’s ruled, he’s never noticed. He seems like the paranoid type to me.”
Rose nodded. She noticed the long, powerful sword hanging down his back and asked, “Where did you get that sword, Kayo?”
“Oh, this one? I got it off a guard a year ago. It wasn’t his anyway; do you see the shape of the hilt? This is the work of the blacksmith in the city. The guards usually have spears, or those short, strait swords that are from the country north of us.”
“Is everyone ready?” Alysia asked the room, getting together everyone in her team. Kayo began a head count for his team, and Rose went to stand by Armani. Alysia scanned the groups, checking hers first, then Rose and Armani’s, Kayo’s, and Rizu, who had a uniform tucked under his arm. Daum and Eira, along with the smaller children, were to one side, watching the proceedings with interest. All was in order, so Alysia addressed the room.
“Alright, everyone, you all know what our mission is, right? We need to free the prisoners inside the cells. The ones on the first floor of the dungeon are just there because of taxes or something like that, and may join us to help us with our fight. But that isn’t really why we’re doing it in the first place. Many of us have family members that were imprisoned unfairly, and are in those very cells. We have the ability to deliver freedom to them, and that’s what we’ll do!
“But we really need to be careful. What matters the most is that no one is hurt. Don’t be careless or outlandish, and don’t put yourself or anyone else in danger. Even if we manage to free some of the prisoners, if it’s at the cost of life or health then it isn’t worth it. So everyone be careful, and look out for one another. Alright?”
Nods all around again, from everyone, even the smallest ones, though it must be doubted that they knew what was going on. Alysia was satisfied at last. “Everyone ready? Then come on, let’s go!”
She led the way out of the room, the other two groups following her out. Daum and Eira, who were staying behind, looked at each other.
“Do you think they’ll be alright?” Eira asked, looking worried.
“Sure they will,” said Daum comfortingly. But he too was worried, for he remembered what it was like in the dungeons, and didn’t want his friends to end up there too.
“They know what they’re doing,” said Eira, though looking doubtful.
Hope, Faith’s sister, had crawled over to eavesdrop on what parts of the conversation she understood, and at these last words of Eira’s, nodded again, as she had done a few minutes ago to Alysia’s question. Eira smiled and sat Hope on her lap. Both she and Daum felt comforted, feeling that Hope had brought them a new faith in their friends.



Alysia took her little group to the line in front of the castle. An exhausted guard, already weary from everyone passing by him, even as early as midmorning, was checking everyone, but no one had any idea what he was checking for. Alysia let out a relieved breath when she saw two youngish men, both carrying swords on their backs, accepted and allowed in. She looked back at Kayo’s group, with Rose and Armani right in front, a few yards behind her in line. They would most likely wait around the entrance hall before making their move.
Her group was passed right away; no one took any notice of a lady with a bunch of children following her. Alysia turned to one side upon entering, to wait for everyone to be approved and allowed in.
A few minutes later, Rose and Armani came under inspection. Armani was passed quickly, no one noticing the dagger in her belt. Rose walked right behind her, hoping not to be interrogated. But she was disappointed.
“Hold it, miss,” the guard said, throwing out a hand to stop her. Armani turned and watched, biting her lip worriedly. The guard pointed to the sling and bag of pebbles looped onto Rose’s belt. “What is that?” he asked her officiously.
She shrugged. “Bag of pebbles and a ribbon,” she said, thankful that her sling was made of blue cloth instead of leather or something else, and could pass as a hair ribbon.
“And just what do you need a bag of pebbles for?”
She appeared to think for a second. “I collect them, sir,” she said, hoping that the “sir” would win him over. It didn’t work.
“Well, you can have them back when you leave. Please leave them here, miss,” he said, indicating a small pile of apparently threatening items, such as a small quill knife and a smooth, round rock that may have been picked up by a small child. She unloosed the bag, tossing it into the pile, before turning away, trying her best not to roll her eyes. She joined Armani in the entrance hall. Armani looked relieved. “Good thing that they didn’t notice our hairpins.”
Rose was skeptical. “I doubt he would have noticed. But if he had, he’d take them for sure. I’m sure they’re more dangerous than any sword in this city,” she said sarcastically.
Rose and Armani had several hairpins in their hair, inconspicuous objects, which they would use to pick the easier locks. The harder ones could be persuaded with Armani’s knife. Everyone had been told to carry either a dagger or one of the hairpins, just in case. The two girls went to join Alysia and her group. They were soon joined by Kayo’s group, and Rizu, who still had his uniform, though it was strapped onto his back like a haversack, so it went unquestioned.
Alysia whispered to the group, as soon as they were together, “Okay, let’s go! Good luck!”
And she and her group headed towards the corridor on the left, on which the dungeons were located. The rest of them waited patiently until her return, several minutes later. She smiled, a bit nervously, and whispered to Kayo and Rose, “It’s all clear. Be careful.”
Rose beckoned Armani to follow her, and walked casually towards the dungeons. Armani was a bit less collected; normally brave-natured and fierce, she had become nervous, and kept glancing back and from side to side. Rose wished she wouldn’t, as it only made them look more suspicious, but she didn’t say anything.
The corridor was deserted, thankfully, yet Rose lost no time in picking the lock. The door lay open before them in seconds. Armani shivered, as Rose had done at first, and whispered, “Rose, are you sure about this?”
Rose walked down a few stairs, and then turned to face Armani. “There’s no time to think. Come on!”
Armani followed her hesitantly, becoming even more so when Rose shut the door behind her. They made their way down, in total darkness, until the gray light began to present itself. Rose’s eyes grew accustomed much faster, but she still lingered on the bottom step, making sure that no one was there. After a few seconds, she hadn’t seen anything unusual, so she made her way to the first cell again. It was still empty, thankfully, so she moved on.
Rose could hear Armani walking behind her, very slowly, and then heard her stop. She heard a gasp of disgust as she looked inside the cell.
“Don’t stop, Armani,” said Rose quietly. “We need to go.”
The next door was right in front of her. She pulled a pin out of her hair and put it in the lock, twisting it carefully until she heard a tiny click. The lock opened and allowed her to go into the cell. She looked inside cautiously, not daring to breathe.
“No one’s in here. That’s strange…”
Armani was looking in another cell further down. “There’s no one in here either.”
The girls checked every cell, all the way to the end. No one but them was on this floor. Rose leaned against the wall, concentrating hard on another strategy, while Armani double-checked the cells. Straightening and walking towards the stairs leading back up, Rose called back, “Come on, Armani. Let’s go.”
“But isn’t there another floor below this one? should we check there too?”
“No, Alysia told us not to. The dangerous criminals are kept down there, and we don’t exactly need a bunch of robbers and murderers around the city. Let’s just go…Armani, come on! What are you doing?”
Armani had reached the other end of the passage and was alighting the stairs that led down to the bottom floor. Rose considered going after her, but just as she started towards the stairs, Armani came back, an anxious expression on her face. She headed towards the stairs that led to the rest of the castle, calling back to Rose, “You’re right. Come on, let’s find everyone else.”
Bemused by this sudden change in attitude, Rose said nothing, but followed Armani up the stairs. The darkness closed over them again, slowing their progress a bit, but finally Rose heard a clicking sound, which meant that Armani had found the doorknob.
“Armani, what was down there?”
“Nevermind that now, just come on, we need to find everyone else,” she said evasively, shutting the door behind Rose. She led the way down the corridor, towards the entrance hall, looking back over her shoulder. Before they had reached the end, however, Kayo and his team had rounded it, moving faster as they caught sight of Rose and Armani. Kayo stopped in front of them and said hastily, “Rose, Armani, come on. We need to go.”
“We were just about to, Kayo,” said Armani, glancing over her shoulder again.
“Don’t waste time, just follow us. Let’s go the other way.” He headed towards the other end of the corridor, the one down which Rose had discovered the garden door. “We need to move fast, this whole thing is a trap— “
Rose gasped. Behind Kayo, coming fast around the corner, appeared six or seven heavily armed guards, heading strait for them. She turned and saw even more at the head of the corridor, cutting them off. Kayo sighed hopelessly. “I told you Romero was paranoid,” he said to Rose.
With a jolt of surprise, she realized that this had all been planned. They had fallen into the trap heedlessly. She reached for her sling, only to realize that her stones were gone.
The guards had almost reached them; everyone in the small group had drawn the weapon they had brought. The guards seemed to abandon the pretense of reason on the spot. The leader, an inch or so taller than the rest, stepped forward.
“Don’t even try to use force. You are outnumbered and outsmarted, don’t make it harder on yourselves than it has to be,” he said in a half-reasonable, half-sarcastic tone.
“Oh really?” said Kayo with a mix of bravado and disdain in his voice. “Does ‘outsmarted’ refer to you guys? Because if it does, I’m sorry, but you’re wrong. We outsmart you by far. And ‘outnumbered’ doesn’t count much, either,” he added, looking around at the half-score or so of guards.
The guard sneered. “You’ve just been caught unawares and trapped. How does that count as outsmarting anyone?”
“Shows how much you know,” said Kayo airily, yet Rose could tell that he was bluffing. Its effect was lost upon the guard, whom she saw gesture behind his back at another. The guard behind him traveled around slowly, coming behind Evan, who was by far the smallest. Rose hastily pointed it out to Kayo, seeing their intention, but too late; the guard reached out and grabbed Evan from behind.
Noticing this at once, Evan kicked the guard hard in the shin, just as Faith, who was right next to him, tried to pull the guard off. Kayo moved to cut another guard off from helping, drawing his sword from its sheath, and Rose stepped firmly in front of the leader. She heard scuffling and shouting behind her, but paid no attention, trying to block the guard in front of her from getting at her friends.
The guard tried to push her aside, as if he thought nothing of her. It was useless; she stood her ground, her eyes narrowed. “Don’t try to get past me, you,” she said, losing any and all pity for him immediately. He tried to get around her again.
“Just move aside, miss, and you won’t be hur—ugh,” he finished, as Rose, losing patience, floored him with a hard punch in the stomach. She turned around and witnessed a scene of total confusion. It looked like an all-out battle; neither side was holding back in the slightest. On a sudden impulse, she turned around again in time to see another guard trying to sneak up behind her. Kicking out at him, she backed up to the wall, so no one could sneak up on her again. She had missed, but it wasn’t important. What was more important was that she was now faced with several guards, two with long, threatening spears pointed at her.
The one that she had missed had come closer. She waited patiently, measuring the distance silently, until he was in her range. She kicked him again, and this time her aim was true. Just as another guard approached her, Kayo came out of nowhere, jabbing him hard with the point of his sword. The force was not sufficient enough to pierce the guard’s breastplate, but it was enough to discourage the others for a bit longer. He said loudly, over the noise coming from their friends and the guards, “Are you alright, Rose?”
“I’m fine, but we need to get everyone out right away. Who knows when they’ll start calling for reinforcements?”
“I know. I’m trying to get everyone together. If we can get an opening, we can all—“
He was interrupted by another guard, who had sneaked up on him. Kayo hastily raised his sword above his head to block the spear that was coming down on him, kicking out and overbalancing the guard. He said again, “If we can get an opening, we can all get out. Can you help me?”
Rose nodded. She pushed her way through, quickly pushing hard on a guard that had been trying to raise his spear, making him knocked his head against the wall and sank to the floor. Evan, who had been fighting the guard, was in front of her. She bent down and said to him, keeping watch for an attack all the time, “Evan, we’re going to try and find an opening so we can get out. Just stay by me, I’ll make sure you get out alright.”
Evan nodded. Rose made sure he was right next to her before attempting to force her way through the crowd. After a minute or so, she saw a gap, and showed it to Evan. “Go through there, Evan, and run to the hideout, okay? Good luck!”
He dashed through the opening, heading for the main door. She noticed that there was more room all of a sudden, and turning, saw all the guards grouped around Kayo, who had his back to the wall. Trying to push her way through, she saw him swing out at a guard, taking a step forward. As he did so, he left his back unprotected. Rose saw the danger, and yelled to him, “Look out!”
He looked up in surprise at the sound of her voice, and gestured towards the end of the corridor before blocking another spear with his sword. She understood that he wanted her to go, but she stayed, trying to help him out. Another guard had gotten between Kayo and the wall, and had raised his spear for another attack. Rose gasped as it came down, but it missed; only the wooden rod had made contact. Two guards suddenly stepped in front of her, blocking her view, and she backed up a step, not getting too close. One of them drew his sword; she quickly discouraged him by kicking him below the jaw. His companion regarded her warily, but she didn’t give him a chance to attack, sending him to the ground with a hard punch to the face.
A few more were coming after her, raising their weapons threateningly. She could no longer see Kayo, and many of the guards were gone. With a sinking feeling, she backed up a few more steps, before she heard an ominous sound; armor clinking in the entrance hall. She turned and ran, intending to reach the door before the reinforcements arrived. Dashing across the tiled floor, she cleared the doorway before being cut off. She did not stop, but kept running in the direction of the hideout.
It was midafternoon before she reached the alley. Pushing impatiently at the false wall, and climbed into the hole and crawled along as fast as she could, feeling slightly relieved when she reached the stairwell. Remembering to jump the trick stairs, she took them two at a time and reached the top in a short time. She opened the door and went inside the room.
She had expected it to be full, but it was not. Alysia was there, along with her group, and Daum, Eira and the babies were there too. Alysia was pacing impatiently from side to side, and the others watched her, as if glad of some distraction from their present worries. Alysia halted her pacing as Rose asked, “Where is everybody?”
Alysia resumed her relentless pacing, saying distractedly, “I have no idea. I was hoping you could tell me. What happened?”
Rose was still disoriented by the confusion at the palace, but answered as best as she could. “Armani and I were in the dungeons, unlocking all the cells, but we couldn’t find anyone,” she said, sitting wearily on the floor. Caira crawled over and sat in her lap, fixing her with a worried stare. “Armani went down to the lower dungeons. She came back up and told me that we needed to leave, and we went back up to the hallway. Kayo and his group found us, and Kayo told us it was a trap, but it was too late, all these guards came from nowhere and surrounded us. One of them tried to capture Evan, but Faith stopped him, and Kayo and I blocked a few other guards so they wouldn’t help. I don’t know what was going on after that, but Kayo and I found each other after a while and tried to get everyone out. I found Evan and helped him out, but I don’t know where everyone else went. When I left, Kayo was fighting all the guards, and there were reinforcements coming. I don’t know where he is. I think he’s been captured, though. We’ve got to go back and get him.”
Alysia stopped dead at this news. “They’ve got Kayo?”
Rose nodded, feeling disgusted at herself already for running away. Alysia’s reaction surprised her.
“Oh no, oh no, this is terrible!” she said, in a panicked voice, immediately rushing over to the windowsill, looking down on the streets below. Rose stood up, placing Caira gently in her spot, and went over to Alysia.
“Alysia, what’s the matter? We can get him, I know we can, don’t worry.”
Alysia turned away for a second to answer, and Rose saw that her face was white. “Rose, it’s not that. I know we could get him if we tried, but we have to hurry! Oh, where did everyone go?”
“Why do we have to hurry so badly? Is something wrong?”
Alysia turned to face her again, a questioning look on her face. “You really don’t get it, do you?”
Rose was even more bewildered. “I understand why you’re upset, but is there a reason why we should hurry?”
Alysia had a panicked look in her eyes as she said, “Do you remember how I told you that Kayo sank the supplies in the river?” Rose nodded. “Well, it wasn’t the first time. He’s done that for a long time, and a few other things before that. He’s in serious trouble. He’s become a real criminal as far as the palace guards and Romero is concerned. That’s why we have to hurry!”
Rose was still lost. “Alysia, can you please tell me what the problem is?”
“Don’t you see?” Alysia said, scanning the ground below again, “He’s in so much trouble right now! For criminals, they either get sent into prison for life, or, in some cases, even hanged!”
Rose went pale; she could finally see why Alysia was so worried. “Do you mean…?”
Alysia nodded; she was deadly serious. Rose sat next to her, now equally frightened, and both girls kept a faithful watch on the streets of the city, waiting for the return of their friends, silently wondering how this mess would ever be untangled from around them.




Kayo woke up somewhere dark and cold. He wondered where he was for perhaps an entire second, then both the memory of the day’s events and a splitting headache came to him. He sat up, raising a hand to his aching head.
His arm wouldn’t move. Looking up, he saw, with a pang of dismay, that each wrist had been chained to the wall above his head. He tugged experimentally on one of the chains, but yielded no results. He slowly lowered his eyes, looking around the room he was in.
It was lit, but just slightly, by a high window, which cast a pointed window-shaped patch of dim light on the stone floor. The window, judging by the shadow, was barred, but it was so high up that it didn’t really matter. There was a small set of steps leading to a solid wooden door, unmoving and steadfast on its hinges. An odd smell pervaded the room, a smell of lingering fear and despair, which seemed to suck any happiness showing away forever.
Kayo wasn’t worried about getting out; his limits right now were getting loose from the chains. Thankfully, there was nothing around his ankles, which surprised him, and seemed a bit ominous somehow. He ignored it for a minute, however, pushing it to the back of his mind until he had time to concentrate on the matter.
He bent his neck, resting his head on his chest to relieve his aching head. He pulled his head back up at once.
“Ouch!”
He had felt a sharp p***k on his neck. Staring hard at his collar, his head at an awkward angle, he discerned a small glitter and a pinkish-white glow in the darkness. He smiled with satisfaction as he realized what it was. It was a pin, with a small pearl on top of it, one of the kinds used for sewing. Alysia must have put it there earlier, in case something exactly like this happened.
Twisting his head as far as he dared, he managed to get the head of the pin between his teeth. He pulled it out carefully, until it was loose. Then, sitting back up, he raised himself as far as he could, trying to get the pin high enough to grab with his hand. After a few tries, he managed to get the end of it into his right hand. He held on to the pearl, bending his wrist so that the end of the pin was in the keyhole of the chain’s lock. Twisting patiently for a few minutes, he was rewarded with a small click; his right hand was free.
Just then, a sound from outside the door made him jump. He placed his right hand back against the wall; it couldn’t hurt to pretend to be defenseless if a guard came along. The door opened, and the shadowy figure of a man, framed in the light form outside, appeared in the doorway. After a few seconds, Kayo recognized the figure, with a rush of mingled hatred and foreboding, as Romero.
“Oh,” he said, with obvious disappointment in his voice. “It’s you.”
Up on the head of the stairs, Romero frowned, remembering how deeply annoying this boy could be. “Show some respect, boy. Your fate is in my hands right now.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yes, really. You’re the one in chains here, and only I have the key.”
“Oh, and I’m the only one you have in chains?” he said quickly, on a sudden thought, so he could find out if any of his friends were here too.
Romero grimaced. “Unfortunately, yes. But no matter; I know where all your little friends are, and I can find them easily.”
Kayo glared at him, his hatred rising considerably. “Don’t even think about it,” he said angrily.
Romero laughed, the sound making Kayo wince. “I wouldn’t worry about them right now, boy. Worry about yourself; there are two scores of guards all along this passage, besides this door and the chains on your hands,” he said, grinning unpleasantly.
Kayo was disappointed at this, but was determined not to show it. “I’d worry about myself if I were you, Romero.”
Romero was unconcerned. “And why is that?”
“Because even if I’m in here, there are a lot of others that aren’t. You have many enemies, Romero. Don’t ignore that.”
Kayo was just saying this at random, hoping to scare him a bit. But this had a hard effect on Romero. He remembered a lot of people that he had mistreated. Angry at himself for allowing a little boy to frighten him like that, he spat, “Don’t worry about me, boy, I’ll be just fine. You just sit here and think about tomorrow.”
Kayo’s heart flew to his throat at this simple sentence. “And what’s tomorrow?” he asked, dreading the answer.
Romero grinned again. “Oh, well, normally, it would be your trial, but since you’ve caused so much trouble around the city, I’ve decided to skip the formalities, and I’ve reserved you a nice spot on the gallows.”
Kayo felt the color drain from his face. He was stunned, lost for words. Romero laughed again, bringing Kayo back to his senses. He angrily tried to stand up, but was pulled back by his left arm, which was still chained to the wall. Still laughing, Romero turned to leave.
“Don’t try it, boy. Save your energy for tomorrow.”
The door slammed, the sound echoing horribly around the dungeon. Kayo had by now used the pin to free his wrist, but now it was no use. He stared after Romero, anger coursing through him, until the realization of what he had said came back to him. He slowly leaned against the hard wall, sliding down it until he was sitting on the floor again. With the echoes still ringing in his ears, he brought his knees to his chest and wrapped his arms around them, giving in to total despair. Never had the word ‘tomorrow’ sounded so bleak and hopeless.

*

Once outside, Kayo and Rose turned left, walking down a deserted street. They walked in silence, both trying to get used to the cold winter air again. A bitter wind blew through the street, blowing into their faces and making them both shiver. They turned right into a side alley to escape the wind, and ran right into a woman that had been about to turn into the street.
It was hard to say who was more surprised; the woman, or Rose and Kayo. All three stumbled backwards, disoriented by the collision. Rose looked up to apologize, but the words froze on her lips. Before her stood an ordinary woman, tall and lean with her long hair pulled back from her face. But it was the face, mostly the eyes that scared Rose. Something about her made anyone who came across her run off in the opposite direction. Still recovering from this shock, she received a newer one, as the woman smiled and said, in a sickly sweet voice, “So sorry, I didn’t mean it. Hello, young man. Who might you be?”
She looked over at Rose too, but was waiting for Kayo’s answer, and said nothing to her. Kayo was wary of some kind of trap, and said cautiously, “Hello. Who might you be?”
She laughed airily, the sound sending shivers down Rose’s spine. “Oh, I was sent to find you. Could you follow me, please?”
“By who?” asked Kayo, though Rose thought she knew what was coming. Her worst fears were realized as the woman said, “Oh, someone from the castle. Come on, and we’d better take your friend with us too,” she added, looking over at Rose.
“I’m sorry, but I have to go somewhere important,” he said carefully, thinking on his feet. Rose’s eyes were drawn to two identical sword sheaths, one on each side of the woman’s waist. She had a sudden impulse to put a large amount of distance between herself and this woman, but fought it and stayed where she was.
The woman laughed at Kayo’s claim. “This is so much more important, young man. Come along now, you don’t want to be late.”
Kayo and Rose both noticed this time that she was reaching for a handle protruding from one of the sheaths. Kayo reached back and touched the hilt of his sword, while Rose pulled out her sling and made sure a stone was secure in it. The woman clicked her tongue impatiently at this. “Now, you two, don’t be difficult. Come on,” she said, reaching out a hand for them. Both backed up a few steps. She reached out again, to grab one of them by the shoulder, but they backed up further. Kayo whispered to Rose, “You run back to the hideout. I’ll head her off.”
She whispered back, “No way, Kayo, you’ll have to come too. She’s scary.”
“Okay, you’re right. We both run. She may not be able to catch us. Ready?”
“Yes.”
The woman was losing patience now, her hand wrapped around the handle of her weapon. She pulled on it a bit, and Rose and Kayo saw, not a blade, but a thin whip coming out. Rose looked at this warily. “A whip?”
The woman smiled sweetly, but there was an evil tinge to it. Her voice had lost most of its sickly sweetness. “That’s right. Now come along, and I won’t have to use it.”
Losing no time, Kayo and Rose drew their weapons, backing up into the street. She came after them, a blazing look in her eyes. A devil itself would not have been more frightening. Kayo swallowed hard, immediately saying to Rose, “Come on, let’s go. To the left.”
He dashed suddenly to her left, and she followed. Not daring to look behind them, they ran hard, turning right, right again, and left. Spotting a small passage between two houses, blocked slightly by two large barrels, he dove behind one, beckoning Rose to do the same. They hid and watched the street, listening for footsteps.
Presently, they saw, coming right towards them, the woman herself, both her whips drawn out, searching for them both. Rose jumped slightly when the woman stared right ahead, directly into her eyes. She and Kayo abandoned the spot and flew down the small passage, the woman right on their heels. A loud crack tore the air, and Kayo felt a sharp pain on his hand. He did not stop, catching up to Rose, both taking the twists and turns of the small alley, turning right at the first fork. They arrived on a street by the marketplace, out of breath and panting. A man with a pleasant face sat outside his house, napping in a chair by his door. He opened his eyes, and upon seeing the two, said to them calmly, “My, the both o’ you look mighty tired. What ails ye?”
Rose panted out something unintelligible. “Please…sir…she’s…and…can…do you…” but she couldn’t finish the request. The man looked in surprise at her, but then noticed Kayo’s bleeding hand.
“What happened t’ your hand, my boy?”
He gestured behind him wordlessly, but the man ignored the gesture, asking, “Well, would you like something t’ put on it? An’ a glass of water fer both of you?”
They nodded, looking hastily back over their shoulders. He led them inside, in no apparent hurry, despite their agitation and constant backward glances. Once he shut the door behind them, they both sighed in relief. He steered them over to his kitchen table and sat them down firmly, setting two glass teacups filled with cold water in front of them. They drank it gratefully, the man rummaging around in cabinets, looking at them every once in a while.
“Now, what’re your names?” he asked them curiously.
Rose answered him. “My name’s Rose and this is Kayo. It’s nice to meet you, sir.”
He beamed. “Sure, an’ all that sir nonsense will never do. Name’s Basil, and that’s what I’d like t’ be called.”
“Thank you very much, Mister Basil. You have no idea how nice it is to be here.”
“Oh, well, ‘tis a comf’table place at best. What were you two runnin’ for?”
Kayo hesitated. Thinking over how much to say, he finally said, “There’s this insane woman after us. I’m not exactly sure why. We were running from her.”
Basil nodded sagely. “And she had herself a whip, I suppose?” he asked, pointing at Kayo’s injured hand, while searching for something in a cupboard.
“Two, actually,” said Rose, unsure about whether or not he was serious. His eyes widened in realization.
“Oh, t’was her! Well, I never. I’d thought she’d a been long gone by now.”
“Who do you mean, sir?”
Basil came over with a bottle and a roll of cloth. He poured some liquid from the bottle onto the cloth, and began wrapping it around Kayo’s hand. He felt the pain receding quickly from it. Basil examined the cut one last time before tying off the bandage.
“That looks to be her, surely. Did she look like th’ devil itself was in her?”
Both nodded. Basil raised his eyebrows in surprise. “That’s her, alright. What could she be wantin’ this time?”
“Who is she, Mister Basil?” asked Rose curiously.
Basil stroked his chin with his hand and said to them, “Well now, her name used t’ be Guiliana, I believe, but that devil inside o’ her may have itself a name too. She used t’be fair sweet, but somethin’ happened to her, don’t know what, and she’s never been th’ same since. She’s some kind of mercenary, I do believe, a tough job to be in. What’s so strange ‘bout her is those whips she’s got. A body has to be right cruel to go ‘round hitting folks with those long things of hers. They’re mighty dangerous, hard to control, like. You can soon as strangle yourself with those things if you haven’t got the skill o’ it. It’s jus’ another sign o’ how bad that woman be, not though she needs any more signs. Now, why’d she be after two such nice little things as you?”
Kayo hesitated again, but resolved to be honest about it. “Well, sir, she’s most likely after me. I’m, ah, not friendly with the king.”
Basil nodded wisely. “Jail breaker?”
Kayo looked up in surprise. “How did you know that?”
“My dear boy, it’s the talk of the town! And anyways, I make sure t’ know everything hereabouts. It helps me enormously. I can’t says I blame you fer trying to set all those people free.”
“It actually wasn’t me; it was Rose who did that. She got me out too.”
“Oh, did she now? Well, good for you, miss Rose. Why was he in those dungeons anyways, miss?”
“Well, he’s, um, caused a bit of trouble for a while now, and he was caught the first time we tried a jail break. The rest of us came back to get him, but he nearly caught it, we were barely in time.”
Kayo frowned at this, for he had been trying not to remember that at all, but he said nothing. Basil nodded wisely. “You’ve some great friends, my boy. What did you have planned th’ first time, anyways?”
“Well, one group would go and check things out, on the day after the festival, when everyone else in the city was around too, and when we were all clear, two of us would go down to the cells and pick all the locks. The rest of us would lead the prisoners up, one at a time, and we would all blend in and escape. Romero turned out to be much cleverer than us, though, because he moved all the prisoners down a level, and we weren’t going to go too deep into there, and he sent two guard patrols after us. We almost made it out, everyone but me.”
Basil nodded, gesturing for him to continue. “Go on, my boy, how did you manage to get them out after that?”
It was Rose who told the tale. “Well, sir, I took some of my friends with me, and we searched the main dungeons for Kayo. He wasn’t there, but we managed to get everyone else out, all except those put there for a really good reason, like robbery or something. They stayed there for about an hour, while the rest of us went up to the tower, where we thought Kayo would be if he wasn’t there, and we all snuck up on the guards and ambushed them. There weren’t that many to begin with. I found Kayo and got him out, and the rest of the guards had scattered, so getting out was no problem. The rest of my friends got out too, along with at least three-quarters of the prisoners.”
Basil was impressed. “Well done, m’dear. But allow me t’ say, the both o’ you, that both plans had big ol’ gaping holes in ‘em.”
Neither Rose nor Kayo had expected this, but Kayo asked politely enough, “What did you find wrong, Basil?”
“Well, th’ first one was alright, in principle, but you should o’ been more careful, an’ considered that pincer move that he tried on you. It’s classic, and it’s never failed yet. And somehow, Romero anticipated you, but you hadn’t a backup plan. It’s basic strategy, my boy. And, Miss Rose, an excellent plan on th’ whole, but it like as not wouldn’t have worked if it hadn’t been strait after th’ first attack. You’ve got a great skill in subterfuge, my girl, but simply usin’ force and th’ element of surprise isn’t enough all th’ time.”
He had a point, the two realized, and they took their criticism well. Kayo asked politely, “Thank you sir, we’ll remember that. Could you teach us a few strategies sometime?”
He waved a hand airily. “All in good time, my boy, all in good time. Would you like t’ play a game o’ chess?”
“Chess, sir?” said Kayo, confused at this random suggestion. Basil nodded.
“Chess, sir, th’ greatest game ever made. Come now, I’ve a chessboard in th’ back.”
The little group trooped out of the kitchen into the small bedroom. Inside it was a small bed, an old chest, and a marble chessboard. The pieces were halfway across the board, as if Basil had been in the middle of a game.
“No matter, no matter,” he said as he set the pieces in their proper place. Kayo helped him set the board. Basil said cheerfully, “Oho, so you know how t’ play then, my boy?” Kayo nodded.
“Good, then. Pick your side, sir. You’ll be a worthy opponent, I do believe.”
Kayo pulled up a chair and sat down, behind the white pieces. Basil chuckled at this, taking his place behind the black pieces. “Now, m’boy, let’s just see how much o’ th’ skill you got in strategies. Jus’ say ‘checkmate’ when you’ve got me, alright? White moves first, y’know.”
The game began, both players paying careful attention to the board, Rose watching from the bed with interest. Kayo was first to lose a piece, one of his pawns falling to the enemy. Basil peered at him curiously.
“What be the matter with you, m’boy? You don’t seem too fussed over it.”
Kayo shrugged. “It’s only a pawn, sir.”
Basil pulled an amused face, wagging a finger at him. “Sure, it be only a little pawn, but it’s an army, ain’t it, and that’s a soldier o’ yours. Now, if that was one o’ your friends, that there piece, what would you say if the enemy defeated ‘em?”
This put a whole new light on it. Kayo said nothing, carefully observing the board once again. Basil chuckled. “It’s true that chess’s a game of sacrifice, but ev’ry piece matters, my boy. Your move.”
A few minutes passed, each player moving carefully, and no more pieces were captured, until presently, Kayo’s queen was lifted off the board, defeated by a knight. In return, he sent a castle to capture the black queen, but the castle was intercepted by the knight. Basil chuckled again.
“Patience, my boy. Don’t take foolish risks in revenge. You almost left yer king unguarded there.”
The game went on, and Rose tried to follow, but, as she didn’t understand the rules of chess, she was lost. She soon caught up, however, when she heard Kayo say triumphantly, “Check.”
Basil moved his king. Kayo moved another piece, saying yet again, “Check.”
Basil, in frustration, moved his king again. Kayo moved a pawn up one space. “Checkmate!”
Basil leaned back, staring in disbelief at the board. Then he laughed heartily. “What’d I tell you, my boy? A pawn can win th’ game. You’ve learned well. Miss Rose, how ‘bout a game?”
“I don’t know how to play, sir.”
“No matter, I can teach you in a heartbeat. Here, you come take the white side.”
Rose sat, looking at the white pieces. Basil patiently explained the directions and moves of each piece, and once she had it, said, “Alright, miss. Good luck to ye. After you.”
Rose moved, and the second game began. After both sides lost a few pieces, Basil said, “Ah, miss Rose, I see your strategy. Very good, very good. But that may’nt work, you see, ‘cause if you try t’ sneak up on me like that, then all th’ other pieces are defenseless. Watch the whole board before makin’ a move, miss.”
The game was a bit shorter this time. A few minutes later, Rose moved a piece. “Check.”
Basil raised his eyebrows, and looked over the board. He moved a castle. “Check.”
Rose smiled in triumph, and moved a bishop over a space. “Checkmate.”
Basil laughed again, saying to them both, “Good job, m’dear, and you too, Kayo. You both have great skill in this game. I should o’ seen that, miss Rose, I know. You were distracting me from my king, weren’t you? Well, you both won fair and square. Congratulations, th’ both o’ you.”
They both beamed at the praise, and Basil chuckled. “Now, you jus’ remember that when you need t’ plan another jail break, or somethin’ else. Don’t take risks more than ‘s necessary.”
They thanked him for his kindness, but insisted that they needed to head back at once. He showed them out cheerfully, saying to himself as they rounded a corner, “I do hope they remember what I taught ‘em. Those two’ll win fer sure, I know. May fortune grant ‘em th’ best o’ luck.”
He turned back into his house, shutting the door behind him.

Chapter Eight
Preparations and Premonitions

“I don’t think so, Kayo. No.”
“It wasn’t a request, Alysia,” said Kayo flatly. “We need to finish all of this somehow, and it may as well be now. Besides, we aren’t children anymore. We’ll do what we think is right, and if we’re wrong we’re wrong.”
Alysia sighed exasperatedly. “But no matter how much you think what we’re doing is procrastinating, the point is that we still have our lives. If we go marching in to declare war then we can’t say that, can we?”
Rose laughed quietly. “We’ve already declared war, Alysia. The time has come to prove that we mean it.”
“Of course we mean it, but this is just ridiculous. What you’re thinking of is going into the castle, attacking Romero and his troops on their own grounds, without prior warning, and hoping you’ll win. What’s the good in that, I ask you?”
“Yes, that’s exactly it,” said Kayo seriously, not bothering to correct her condescending tone. This frustrated her more than before.
“At least give some kind of warning, Kayo,” she said reasonably. Kayo opened his mouth, about to refuse, but then he thought about it for a second, and a smile lit his face.
“Alright, Alysia, have it your way. A warning it is. But we’re not giving up on this, alright? If you won’t let us have anything more than a catfight, we’ll never finish what we started.”
Alysia bit her lip indecisively. “I know that, but I’m more concerned with the lives and safety of our friends than winning this war. A free country is useless without people to enjoy it.”
“You’re right about that,” interrupted Rose. “But there will be people to enjoy it if, one day, we manage to free this country. We know this isn’t for us. It’s for everyone, and we’ll make sure that everyone can see the results of their work.”
Alysia smiled. “Good. Well I suppose I’ll help you, but I warn you, anything too dangerous or foolish can’t stay.”
“We know, Alysia. You were always the same way with pets, too.”
“There are twenty different kids of every age in here and you still want a pet?”
“Well sure, why not?”
“Will you two stop arguing and help me draw this map, please?” Rose interrupted. All three burst out laughing.

*

Romero could not believe his luck.
After all the trouble he had gone through, he was still stuck with that annoying little soldier, Jon, or whatever his name was. And now he didn’t even have Dante, his number one criminal tracker. She had, apparently, been defeated by the orphans in the city. But he didn’t believe a word of that ridiculous story Jon had fed him.
According to him, Dante had followed him to the orphan’s hideout, but on the way there they met the orphans themselves. They were surrounded, but Jon had gotten away. He didn’t know what had happened to Dante. At this point Romero had tried to stop the boastful monologue by asking why he ran away from a few children. He quipped that they were as old as he was, heavily armed, and very dangerous. This was the point when Romero stopped believing his tale and ordered him out.
And yet, no matter how much he wanted to, he couldn’t fire that one. Some sort of technicality had stopped him, something about him being brand new. There was a small loophole in his contract that declared that it would be another month before Romero could fire him. The thought of it made his head hurt.
And the most troublesome thing was the look that annoying guard always had on his face, and the way he listened hard to everything said around him. Romero needed absolute proof that he had turned traitor, and it wasn’t easy to get, but he still knew that he was right on this theory. Indeed, he didn’t see how he could be wrong.
But there was always that one moment. In every career of a spy in the history of the world, there had come a day when the double-crosser messed up, or one side of their alliances messed up for them, and they found themselves in the middle. That was always when the other side found out about their treachery, and their original side believed themselves to be double-crossed too. Of course that would happen with Jon. And of course Romero would be there, and find a way to be rid of him at last. The thought filled him with great pleasure, enough to ignore the pounding in his head…
Tap tap tap.
Romero looked up in surprise at the noise. He couldn’t imagine where it would be coming from; was someone at the door?
Tap tap tap.
It was raining outside, the small raindrops tapping against the stain glass dome up above. The noise echoed eerily in the wide room, filling it with taps and echoes of taps. Romero realized this and left at once, heading for his rooms again, trying to block out the sound of dripping water and rain on the windows he passed.
Tap tap tap.
The last time he had heard that sound it had also scared him. The sound of rain on the windows, that ringing tapping noise, reminded him unwillingly of that night…the night the queen had died, the day he had gone inside the throne room to hear that tapping…the night he had taken on this job, and also the night he had seen that little girl…the one in his dreams, the one who had brought the prince out of the castle…but that wasn’t her, was it? It was that other woman, the baker…
His crazed fantasizing blended smoothly with his nightmares that night, full of bakers in chains, being led away, of the little girl and of the prince, and, unceasingly, unstopping, the sound of rain tapping on the window.

*

Kayo was back in the dungeons. He knew he must be; he couldn’t move his arms, the floor was cold and hard, and no light shone in the darkness. The lingering smell of anguish and fear once again assailed him.
A shaft of bright yellow light cut through the darkness. Kayo tried to shield his eyes, but his arm wouldn’t move. He looked up into the light.
A dark figure was there, a black silhouette against the bright light. It came towards him, advancing slowly and cautiously. A grinning face loomed out of the darkness.
The man was saying, “Did you think you could beat me, boy? Did you believe that you could win? Well guess what?”
He held up his right hand. Dangling from a golden chain, sparkling in the bright light, was a rose, spinning in, spinning out. Kayo felt a jolt of panic. The man laughed; a harsh, cold laugh that seemed to mock humor itself. He opened his hand.
In slow motion, the gold chain slipped from his palms, and the rose fell to the ground. It glimmered one last time in the light of the open door, the light of freedom and warmth.
The necklace shattered on the ground.

*

Kayo awoke to see pale moonbeams come through the big, round window at the hideout. He sighed in relief, realizing that he had only been dreaming. And yet, was it only a dream? It was so real, and so familiar…
He could recall it perfectly, though a bit vaguely, and when he paused to think about it, he had recognized everything in it. The tower, the smell, Romero, the locket…And he knew what it meant. The locket, though it was Rose’s, had come to symbolize something. It wasn’t simply a glass rose, it was the very embodiment of what they were working for. It seemed, to him, to stand for the freedom of the country, and of its people. Romero had broken it…but could it be repaired?
And then he thought, what if it wasn’t broken? The dream may have been a warning, a warning to protect the country’s freedoms and rights, instead of sitting about and wishing it to be. He knew that the oncoming battle could not be delayed, and now he was sure. Up until then, it had seemed as if some large outer force had been controlling everything that was going on, and only the small, insignificant things were in their control.
But now it was clear that nothing was decided before it happened; they were in control of things, and everything they did would either help them or hurt them. He recalled what Virtusa had said… “Fate controls not the outcome of this; predestination does not dwell in something of this importance.”
Now wasn’t the time for speed; now was the time for wise decisions. Anything recklessly planned could demolish what they had been working on for so long. As Basil had told them, now a single pawn could topple every other piece in an instant.
In Kayo’s eyes, the outcome of this seemingly endless war had been moved from the hands of destiny to his own. And he preferred it that way; destiny was much too impartial for his liking. It could just as easily side with the enemy instead of with them. Now things were in focus; now he was in control.
He turned over, yawned, and fell asleep plotting.

*

By the end of the week, the plan was almost perfect. Everyone had had a different suggestion, and none were completely disregarded. However, they still needed a distraction. It was almost vital that something loud, occupying, or both, emerge to sidetrack the soldiers, so that fewer would be around to oppose them. Ideas flew thick and fast, but they were getting no further than before, when the door suddenly opened, and Jon came into the room, exhausted as usual from the long climb up the stairs.
“Hello, Jon,” said Rose, turning back to the map of all three stories of the palace they had drawn earlier. He came and sat down, looking interestedly at the map and the parchment covered with ideas and diagrams.
“Anything new, Jon?” asked Kayo, looking up curiously. Jon nodded.
“Yes, there is. First of all, you’ll love this, the king’s been having nightmares. He never gets any sleep anymore.”
Rose smiled in satisfaction. Kayo frowned slightly. “He isn’t the king.”
Jon shrugged. “For all intents and purposes he is, he has enough power to have the title. But no, he isn’t rightfully the king. But anyway,” he added hastily; he did not like to get on anyone’s bad side, considering his position, “there’s not much else going on. There’s a new shipment tomorrow, and one of the guards retired, but that’s it.”
Alysia looked up sharply. “Say that again.”
“Say what?” asked Jon, slightly confused. “One of the guards retired? He’s really old, it’s not such a sur--”
“No, no, the other thing! A new shipment of what?” she asked eagerly. Jon looked at her oddly, but decided to pass no comment, and said, “Supplies, weapons, that sort of thing. It’s coming from the north, I think. It’ll be here before dusk tomorrow. Why does it matter?”
Alysia smiled in satisfaction, picking up the parchment and writing something down upon it. She looked at what she had written in satisfaction, before setting it down and smiling. “Perfect,” she said happily. “We have a distraction.”
Rose took the parchment and stared at it. Then she smiled too. “Great. Just what we needed. Jon, we owe you.”
“Owe me for what?” he asked, feeling very much in the dark.
Kayo took the parchment from Rose, also smiling as he read it, and then said as explanation, “This is the perfect distraction, Jon. How do you do it?”
“Do what?”
Rose mutely handed it over, and he took it, scanning it with a curious expression. And then he smiled too. “You’re right, this is perfect. So this means we’re going tomorrow?”
Kayo nodded. “Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” he said with a grin, and everyone else secretly agreed.

*

Romero had discovered something wonderful; as long as he worked hard during the day, allowing himself to become completely exhausted, then the nightmares disappeared. It had worked yesterday; there had been several shop owners that needed permission to build their stores, and it had kept him occupied until dusk. The nightmare he always had did not come to him the night before.
So today he busied himself as best as he could, walking about the palace and checking up on everything. As he intended, he was worn out by the time dusk had fallen. His heart light, he went wearily to his bed, hoping that his plan had worked, and his nightmares were gone for good. His last conscious thought was a sudden burst of knowledge, and he knew that tomorrow would bring something new, something big. And though he did not know it then, he was absolutely right.
The night was calm and peaceful, the pale sliver of moon shining brightly over the city walls, leading the stars across the deep blue sky. The world seemed to be holding its breath, waiting expectantly for dawn and what it would bring to the world.

*

There was nothing left to do that hadn’t been done, they were all was sure of that. Plans and tactics had been formed and honed, weapons had been polished and practiced with, and all of them had been informed and drilled on the roles they would play in the battle.
Almost everyone got a surprise when Daum refused to stay behind, as he usually offered to do, and insisted on helping. Since the one time he had been arrested by the palace’s soldiers, he had harbored a deep fear of the palace, and though he never said anything about it, it was more than slightly obvious. No one had expected him to volunteer to help, but now that he had there was no one to say he couldn’t come along. His reasons were unknown and weren’t asked of him.
His motivation, however, was not that he wasn’t afraid anymore, but that he was. He was determined to face his fears once and for all, stop hiding and running away, and he hoped that he could be part of the battle instead of just a bystander this time. He was grateful that no one challenged his decision and at once began to prepare with the rest.
Armani, Sara and Eli had left already, to try to find a few allies among the city’s inhabitants. They were all to meet on the street below two hours before dusk. However, it was possible that no support would come from them, for Alysia had expressly forbidden them to ask anyone but who they already knew, in case a spy of the castle could hurry back and alert Romero of their attack. Most of it was based solely on the element of surprise, and if this was ruined their chances of victory weren’t bright.
A girl her own age, shy and quiet, yet very clever, had introduced herself to Rose as Keomi, and offered to help. She said that she had been in the castle prison for trying to stop the guards taking a friend of hers. She was not aware if her friend had been rescued or not, but she was optimistic, and believed that if the battle was won, she could break her friend out, should he still be imprisoned. She insisted on taking on the most dangerous job, and they were grateful, as they could not very well ask anyone to take on that task. Rizu volunteered to go with her.
Keomi had also looked over their strategies and found several mistakes, helping to fix them and adding a few details of her own. They were immensely grateful to her for it, but she brushed their appreciation aside. It was clear that she was doing what she could, not for appreciation but for the satisfaction of helping them solve something.
The day seemed to last ages, dragging slowly from one minute to another. No one would have noticed that day if time had stood completely still, as it seemed to have stopped dead already. Everyone seemed tense and on edge, even the babies. How could it now just be four hours to dusk…three hours…two and a half…?
At last it was almost two hours until dusk, time to leave. Though the last thing anyone wanted to do was go downstairs, and therefore, battle with the country’s ruler himself, no one wanted to prolong the awful, unbearable wait any longer. The small group headed downstairs to meet with Armani, Sara, Eli, and anyone they had come up with, leaving behind Caira, Selia, Hope, Naia, Mya and Mera for safekeeping. Mya and Mera accepted the responsibility of looking after all the others with as much dignity as they could gather between giggles.
Kayo and Alysia led the way downstairs, and when the little party had reached the ground below he turned to the passageway, leaning inside and pulling on something dangling from the ceiling. The whole tunnel collapsed.
Everyone witnessing this sudden and strange move mustered a confused look right away. Rose took the initiative. “Kayo, what did you do that for?”
He turned to face them, a very serious look on his face. “That’s the route Jon found to get in here, that’s the way any enemies of ours would come in while we’re gone. It’ll protect the little ones upstairs a bit more. If I block it off, there’s only this door over here.” He gestured to the old, rusted door across the room.
“But it’s locked,” Faith protested, tugging hard on the doorknob. Kayo almost laughed.
“It’s never locked. It’s so old that we don’t need to keep it locked. All you have to do is push very hard.” He demonstrated this, pushing at the door, and it creaked open reluctantly on rusty hinges. The group trooped outside after him, and he shut the door very firmly, making sure it would be hard to open. Waiting outside for them was Armani, Sara, and Eli, at the head of a small group of about ten people, over half of them quite young. Natamo was there, along with two of his friends, a serious little boy and a tiny girl, all three carrying slings and, for good measure, some long sword-like sticks. Natamo’s mother was behind them, watching over them slightly anxiously. No one could really blame her.
“Hello, Kayo. Hello, Rose,” said Natamo cheerfully. “These are my friends, Orichi and Lia,” he said, gesturing at the boy and girl next to him.
“It’s nice to meet you both.” Lia smiled prettily, Orichi raised a hand in greeting. “Listen, Natamo,” said Rose reasonably, in a confidential whisper, “I know you three want to help, but we don’t want you to get hurt and—“
Natamo waved away her objections airily. “Don’t worry, Rose, we can take care of ourselves. We’ve been learning how to use the slings all week, and between us,” he said in a whisper, looking about suspiciously, “the sticks are decoys, we only brought them so that those soldiers wouldn’t be expecting sling stones, only sticks. It’s a distraction, you see.”
Rose could see that he would not be dissuaded, but was not eased by it; she couldn’t even think about letting anyone as small as Lia or Orichi enter a full-scale riot, which they were just about to create in the palace. But Kayo intervened at this point. “Natamo, we can’t let you or your friends come along until you prove how good you are at slinging. So go ahead, aim and fire, as quick as you like.”
Natamo winked cheerily at his friends. “Orichi, Lia, see that big sign? See the little thing in the middle that looks like a frog? Okay, on three…one…two…three!”
Three stones simultaneously hit the sign dead center, on an odd design between the words which did look a bit like a frog. Kayo raised his eyebrows. “Well, after that, I can’t say no. You three are free to come along.”
Rose was impressed; she let the subject of their age drop. Besides, Natamo was not much younger than her, only three or four years. And she knew that Kayo would get someone to keep up with them in case they were in trouble. Satisfied, she turned to the main group.
“Thanks, Armani, Sara, Eli,” Kayo said gratefully. “And thank you, everyone who came with them. Does everyone know where to go, what to do?”
Everyone did.
“Good. Nothing’s wrong at all?”
Nothing was.
“Okay.” Kayo seemed slightly nervous himself, but his voice was steady as he said, “Everyone, best of luck. Come on!”
All of them followed him south, towards the tall castle, standing high above the rest of the city. Keomi and Rizu broke away from them, heading north and slightly east. The small party aiming for the castle could not have looked less like a battalion of soldiers, what they would have to face, yet nonetheless dangerous. Each person kept pace but went their own way, regardless of the one in front, and no footsteps or clinking of weaponry could be heard. And though not a word was said, every heart was racing, every nerve on edge.
The castle was very quiet, almost too much so. The crowd stopped altogether a good distance away, and without a word split up, each person going a different way. Rose and Kayo hid in the shadow of a wall, keeping a close eye on the large front doors. In the absence of distractions or activity, Rose discovered that her mind had wandered elsewhere. Though she could still feel the quick, tense beating of her heart, even more acutely than usual, and was aware every time she took a breath, she felt strangely disconnected with herself, almost as if she was watching herself from above, not involved with her surroundings at all. Time had played a trick on her; she had known this day would come, and it did not seem too far away, but even up until yesterday it had seemed as if today would always be in the future, never meeting up with the present. Now that the reality had caught up with her at last, she couldn’t accept it the long, unbearable, inevitable wait.
A slight noise as the wind blew through the trees in the garden brought her to her senses for a brief moment, and she felt her hands shaking. She willed them to stop so she could concentrate on the reason for it. A comforting hand fell onto her shoulder, and turning around, she saw Kayo smiling reassuringly at her.
“Don’t worry,” he said. “It’ll be fine.” And she believed him.
Suddenly a loud noise from inside the palace burst out, and the oaken doors were pushed open. Heads turned, eyes concealed around every tower and window watching closely. A score of soldiers marched out of the doors, heading north for the docks. All according to plan.
After the soldiers were gone, silence fell again over the castle, almost tangible in its entirety. Kayo silently pulled out his dagger, waving it slowly to and fro, the blade glinting in the sun. Answering glints came from all around, and he stowed his weapon in satisfaction.
“It’s time,” he said, with a tone of finality in his voice. “Let’s go!”

*

Just when things could not get better, they started to get worse. This day had been perfect until Romero heard the sudden news that another attempt to divert supplies was under way. There were two children at the docks, stealing the newly delivered crates full of weapons and armor from the north.
So, boy, back to the old strategy now? Romero thought to himself, and was surprised at himself as he admitted that he had been expecting something like this. Surely not today; today was going too smoothly for something like this to appear all of a sudden. But the orphans had tried a more devious and outrageous plot before, and it hadn’t ended well. He had been expecting them to switch back to their old plots; stealing supplies and disarming soldiers one by one. And he was right this time. Luckily he had put half his soldiers on guard for exactly this reason, and who knew? Maybe they could finally arrest a few of those other orphans plotting against him. This could eventually work out to his advantage, if his soldiers didn’t mess anything up.
He went to his throne room, falling carelessly into the big ebony and mahogany throne. He laughed scornfully at the little marble chair to its right, remembering the time, long ago, when he had sat there, on the Council’s orders. It still pleased him to imagine the looks on their faces when he declared himself the king, and even more, the looks on their faces when he had fired them all. After all, why did a monarch need a Council anyway? He could make his own decisions.
His musings were rudely interrupted by a small knock on the door. “Come,” he said imperiously, feeling that he really belonged to his role as king today. Jon peered hesitantly around the door. Romero sighed, very disappointed. “What is it now?”
Jon came inside, standing to attention and bowing quickly, before looking up and stuttering, “M-my Lord, there’s something I needed to te—“
He paused. Romero glared strictly at him. “What is it? I don’t have all day, spit it out.”
Jon bowed again, and suddenly seeming a lot more confident, he replied, “My Lord, about those orphans…”
Romero leaned forward in anticipation. “Have they been captured? Did someone find them?”
Jon was about to roll his eyes, but just refrained from this tempting opportunity. “Not exactly…” he cleared his throat, and suddenly smiled inwardly, imagining the look on Romero’s face at his next words. “They’ve arrived.”