“I have no name,” he responded with proud defiance. While at the Empress’ court in the Fortress this was a sign of dishonor; here among those who refused to live by Her laws, he felt a glow of pride knowing that he was still loyal to Her word.
“You have no name,” the girl repeated, tasting the words. “Well, that’s quite interesting and everything, but it’s time to sleep.”
She pulled the gag out of her pocket.
“Do you really insist on gagging me in my sleep?” he asked in exasperation. “What do you think I’m going to do? Sleep cry for help?”
The girl didn’t listen to him, but grabbed a hank of hair, yanked his head back, and forced the gag into his mouth. But as she turned away, she paused. She turned back.
“I’ll make a deal with you,” she said. Her eyes were glowing strangely, and a smile played at the corner of her mouth. “I’ll take the gag off—and keep it off—if you answer one question.”
The Prince tensed. Was she trying to bribe him? Were the attempts to get information out of him already beginning?
All the same… what could it hurt to hear what she had to say? The question might be something that would tell him what she thought important. And what was the worst she would do if he refused to answer? She’d probably just gag him again.
“I untie the gag,” she repeated, “and keep it off if you answer just one question.”
He thought it over for another moment, chewing on the salty, dirty, wet piece of cloth, and finally nodded. The girl walked over and undid the knot.
“What’s your name?”
The Prince, mouth open, snapped his jaws together so quickly that it hurt. He glared at her.
“Hmm,” she said with a smile. “Told you he wouldn’t make one up, Tomaz. He’s too proud for that. Don’t know why someone would be proud of having their name taken from them, but then again I’m just an Exile. Pay up,ashandel.”
The big man grunted and a small coin arched through the air into the girl’s hand. The Prince’s temper got the better of him.
“I have no name,” he said defiantly. “I have no name because the Empress herself, guardian of the Diamond Throne, heir of Theron Isdiel from across the Ocean, chose to take it from me. I am a subject of the Empress, and until the time comes when she chooses to restore my name, I wear my un-identity with pride. I have committed sins against the Empire, and once I have atoned for them, I will be restored to my rightful place. Glory to the Empress! Glory to theDiamond Throne on which She sits! Glory to the legacy of Her Empire and Her Will!”
He normally wouldn’t have added the Three Affirmations; they were an extravagance used mostly by Defenders of the Realm, the most zealous members of the Empire’s armed forces. But in that moment, it felt good to reaffirm his loyalty in the presence of these outlaws.
If he had expected the Exiles to cower, however, he was gravely disappointed. The air did still, and the joviality of the situation died. But instead of looking chagrined, the girl considered him for a long moment, and then slapped him full in the face.
The Prince was stunned. No Baseborn had ever struck him outside of the training grounds in all his seventeen years, and now not only had he been struck, but by an Exile! AgirlExile!
“You want to know what the glory of the Empress is?” she asked. “Because I can tell you the glory of your Empress!”
A big hand laid itself on her shoulder, and she was gently pulled back. Somehow Tomaz had crossed their little campsite without making any noise. “This is neither the time nor the place,eshendai,” he said.
The girl shot one last burning look at him, and then turned on her heel and stalked off, up the ravine and into the tree line.
The giant remained, and knelt in front of him. Instead of putting them at eye level, this only seemed to emphasize the man’s size, as the Prince still had to tilt his head back a considerable distance to look him in the eye.
“If I were to give you a piece of advice as a friendly person, it would be to keep that mouth of yours shut on matters of loyalty to the Empire,” the big man said. “But considering that you are, I am coming to realize, a rather stubborn prince, you’d probably ignore me. So, I shall convey myself in terms more likely to be fully understood.”
The Prince realized that the big man was idly playing with a thick piece of wood that seemed to have fallen off a nearby tree. A branch. That is, when Tomaz held it in his huge fist, it looked like a branch. Yet it was as big around as the Prince’s leg, and perhaps would have been more properly called a small log.
“I am committed to bringing you back to my people. For personal reasons having to do with trouble my conscience tends to give me, I would like to do so without harming you. However.”
He held the branch up in front of the Prince’s eyes.
“That girl is the closest thing to me in this world.”
With a muffled crack,the wood snapped right down the middle as Tomaz closed his fist. There were a series of dull pops as his knuckles cracked, adding their own support to the statement.
“And I care about her well-being much more than I care about yours.”
The fist opened, and the remnants of the branch fell to the ground. The giant brushed off his hands and leaned in closer, so close that the Prince almost gagged on the overwhelmingly masculine musk that rolled off of him in waves.
