Fixing the location of the castle in her mind, Tariel made her way into the valley. She used her magic to silence her footsteps, and managed to travel through the valley without running into any threats. But as the gates of the castle came into view, she picked up on the sound of voices. Her instincts told her to hide, until she remembered she was a dog that wanted to be taken into thecastle.
“Oi! D’you see that!” a boy said as she stepped out from behind a bush. He had sandy hair and freckles, and looked healthy enough despite his threadbare clothes. “Where’d that dog comefrom!”
“Never seen the likes of him before,” another boy said. There were six in total, and they quickly surrounded her, varying expressions of curiosity on theirfaces.
“He’s got a very fine coat,” a third boy said admiringly. “Think he belongs to LordTraize?”
“He doesn’t look like any of the other hunting dogs, and I don’t see how Lord Traize would allow one of his prized pets to roam around like this,” the first boy saiddubiously.
“Maybe he’s a stray,” another boy said, reaching out to touch her. Tariel held her breath as he petted her imaginary fur, and sighed inwardly when he grinned. “Look, he’sfriendly!”
“She,” another boy corrected, cocking his head. “Got no dangly bits downthere.”
“What’s this?” a deep voice asked, and the boys all whirled around. Tariel looked beyond them to see a bandit approaching. Her skin prickled with nerves, and she had to remind herself that he could not see her trueform.
“We found a stray dog,” the first boy piped up. “I saw it first, so I think I should be allowed to keepit.”
“No, me!” one of the other boys shouted, and soon they were all clamoring to be allowed to take Tariel home. Tariel grinned at the irony—she wondered what their reaction would be if she went home with one of them and changed back into a human in the middle of the night? They’d probably have nightmares forweeks.
“Calm down, the lot of you!” the bandit shouted, annoyed. When the boys finally quieted, he said, “That ain’t no ordinary stray. This is a fine hunting dog, probably run off from its master. We’ll take him to Lord Traize to decide hisfate.”
“Her,” the same boy from earlier corrected. “It’sfemale.”
“Her, then,” the bandit relented with a shrug. “Don’t think the sex matters much, so long as she’s a good huntingdog.”
The bandit whistled at her, then grinned when she trotted obediently to his side. “I see you’ve had some training,” he said as she followed him through the gates. “Lord Traize will bepleased.”
Tariel trotted through the bailey, surprised the boys did not follow. But then again, she imagined Lord Traize did not entertain children. She was surprised there were so many here—the youngest had only been about ten years old—but then again, perhaps the bandit leader liked to recruit them young, or some of the bandits were fathers who took responsibility for theirchildren.
Tariel shook the strange idea out of her head, unwilling to entertain the notion that some of these bandits were family men. They were still criminals, and deserved to be punished for profiting off the misfortune ofothers.
“And what isthat?” a young woman asked as they entered the great hall. Tariel peered around the man, and a chill went down her spine as she beheld the woman, who was close to Tariel’s own age. She was slender and beautiful, with long chestnut hair and green eyes, but it was not her appearance that discomfited Tariel. No, this woman had magic. Her instincts screamed at her that this was the witch, and she tried to relax as the woman studiedher.
“A hunting dog the boys found outside,” the bandit said. “I’m going to present her to Lord Traize. I imagine he’ll want to add this one to hiskennels.”
“It is a handsome beast,” the witch agreed, but her eyebrows furrowed as she stared at Tariel. “There is something uncanny about it, though. Those eyes…they seem almosthuman.”
“I’ve heard this breed is very intelligent,” another bandit said as he strolled over to look at Tariel. “Maybe that’s all you’re seeing,Sallara.”
Sallara opened her mouth to respond, clearly not convinced. Was she about to out Tariel as an imposter? But an explosion rocked the walls, and Sallara spun toward thesound.
“Blasted idiot!” she shouted, rushing out of the room and toward what Tariel surmised was the kitchen. The men exchanged uneasy looks as Sallara swore and berated the maid. Apparently she had left the woman to watch over a cauldron, and she had forgotten to turn down the heat at the appropriate time. Was she mixingpotions?
The men wrinkled their noses as noxious fumes poured into the hall, and one of them tied a cloth around his face. “I know her magic protects us,” he said, “but it still bothers me that Lord Traize allows her to practice her witchcraft here, where we alllive.”
The other men nodded in agreement. “What if she brings the ceiling down on us by accident some day?” another one asked. “Her magic won’t do us any good if we’redead.”
“Sallara has somehow managed to keep us all alive the past fifteen years,” another man said dryly. “I daresay we will continue tosurvive.”
“Maybe, but that doesn’t mean she might not harm herself one of thesedays.”
“What are we talking about?” a familiar voice asked, and Tariel’s heart leapt as Riann walked into the room. She nearly recoiled in shock at the sight of him—he was dressed in the same colors as the bandits, and looked perfectly healthy. What was going on here? Had he decided to join the bandits, to forsake the oath he had made toher?
“Your new girlfriend,” one of the bandits jeered. “We’re trying to decide how much longer she can keep brewing these awful potions before they blow up in her prettyface.”
“I imagine I’ll be brewing them long after you’re in your grave,” Sallara said as she rejoined them. Her eyes lit up at the sight of Riann, and she pressed her curves against him, twining her fingers in his blond locks. “You’re looking particularly fine today,” shepurred.
Riann cringed, and Tariel could feel his discomfort through the bond. Even so, she couldn’t help the anger that rose inside her, and a growl rumbled up from herchest.
