City of Lies - Lian Tanner [65]
“They must do it quickly, and no one must see them,” said Frisia. She wasn’t sure who she meant by “no one,” but Ser Wilm nodded.
“Does this mean we are going with him?” whispered one of the servants.
“Yes,” said Frisia.
They tried to thank her, but she cut them off and pushed them toward the ship.
“Aunt Katerin!” she shouted. “Duchess Orla! Please get on board!”
“But I am not coming with you,” said Aunt Katerin.
“You are now,” said Frisia grimly, and she grabbed her aunt’s arm and dragged her to the bottom of the gangplank.
Back at the carriages, Physician Hoff was deep in conversation with Kord and Smutz. Frisia opened her mouth to summon them.…
(No!)
A chill ran through the princess, and for a moment she could not move. Was that where the danger was coming from? The castle physician? Her personal guards?
Suddenly everything made sense. No wonder the assassins had managed to get so close to the king!
She gripped the hilt of her sword and the wolf-sark rose up hot and terrible inside her. She took a step toward Physician Hoff. Her head throbbed. The eastern horizon was so bright that she could barely look at it.
(Run!)
With a great effort, she spun around and leaped up the gangplank. The captain was still standing there, but there was something bloodless and unreal about him. When she shoved past him he hardly noticed.
“Harmut, Uschi,” snapped Frisia. “Something is about to happen. Be ready.”
Ser Wilm’s servants were busy sawing through the two ropes that tied the Falcon to the wharf. Aunt Katerin was sitting on the bare boards of the deck, licking her hand and wiping it across her hair. Duchess Orla was climbing the rigging that surrounded the mainmast. Her black cloak flapped around her. Her bony hands gripped the ropes like claws.
Frisia felt horribly dizzy. The air around her was fizzing so violently that the whole wharf shimmered. She heard a squeak from Ser Wilm’s servants as the bow rope parted and the front end of the ship swung away from the wharf. With a loud splash, the gangplank tumbled into the harbor.
As if in a dream, Frisia saw Kord’s head jerk up. He shouted to Smutz and Physician Hoff, and the three of them began to run toward the ship.
At that moment, the first ray of morning sunlight touched the top of the mast. And the whole world burst open like a bubble.
She had no idea who she was. All she knew was that she lay on the wooden deck of a ship, gasping with shock. Around her, everything was chaos. A boy with a bandaged head was leaning over the rail, vomiting. A girl was crying silently. In the stern, another boy, a much smaller one, stared at his hands as if he couldn’t work out who they belonged to.
She heard a harsh croak overhead. An enormous black bird hung upside down from the rigging, its great wings fluttering helplessly. Beneath it a gray-spotted cat snarled and spat.
Who was she?
Frisia?
No …
Who, then?
She tried to stand up and the world spun. A different name presented itself to her.
Goldie.
She was … Goldie someone …
Goldie—Goldie Roth!
With an enormous effort, she dragged herself to her feet and peered around the little deck. She was on the Piglet! How did she get there?
And then she remembered. The Festival … Pounce’s treachery … Guardian Hope … the Big Lie!
She stumbled to the rail, half expecting to see the ancient harbor of Merne still spread out in front of her. But Merne was gone, and so were the old-fashioned carriages and the royal guards. In their place were the busy docks of Spoke.
And there was Guardian Hope, sitting on the ground, looking sick. But Cord—Cord was staggering toward the ship with his pistol in his hand and Smudge close behind him.
In the back of Goldie’s mind a voice cried, The stern rope!
Goldie almost fell over with astonishment. That was Frisia’s voice! What was the princess’s voice doing inside her head?
With her thoughts whirling, she raced down the deck to the stern of the Piglet.