Free Lady Carliss and the Waters of Moorue by Chuck Black Page B

matched Carliss’s mark—the mark of the Prince.
    “You are”—the lad looked about and whispered—“a Knight of the Prince, are you not?”
    “Yes, but—”
    “I am Akiyma. You must come with me.” The boy grabbed Carliss’s hand and began to pull. “He is waiting for you.”
    Carliss stood firm and pulled back on the boy’s hand. She glanced at Salina, who had raised an eyebrow as she looked toward the boy.
    “Hold on, lad,” Carliss said. “Who’s waiting for us?”
    The boy turned about as he let loose of her hand.
    “My master…Si Kon!”
    Carliss was stunned. Could it be the same Si Kon whom she, Dalton, and Koen had rescued from Lord Drox’s prison just a few weeks earlier? The same Si Kon who bravely fought one of Drox’s hounds of despair to help them during the rescue? She remembered that Si Konwas from the northern region of the kingdom, but Moorue? She wondered perhaps if this was a different man by the same name.
    “Akiyma, is Si Kon a Knight of the Prince?”
    “Yes, my lady,” Akiyma said with a wide smile. “But it is best not to say so very loudly here.” His smile diminished as he glanced about them.
    Carliss leaned forward so that she was face to face with the boy. She looked straight into his eyes and saw the light of the Prince in them. The corners of her lips turned up.
    “Take us to Si Kon, Akiyma.”
    The boy beamed. He grabbed Carliss’s hand again, and this time she allowed it. They followed Akiyma north and then east, skirting the more heavily populated sections of the city, and the strange odors that had bothered Carliss earlier gradually disappeared. Flowering trees and greenery occasionally decorated the landscape here on the fringes of the city.
    As they traveled, Carliss noted how different the culture of the Mooruvians was from the places she was used to. These people evidently loved color, for almost all were brightly arrayed, as were their homes. The people seemed polite and respectful, yet she sensed that an enemy in Moorue would run you through more quickly than anywhere else, then bow and leave you to bleed to death. Carliss suspected that placing trust in someone here could be a precarious act.
    Akiyma turned out to be a talkative lad, and Carliss felt they were fast friends before they had gone far. She learned that Akiyma worked for anyone who would hire him, for his family needed his income to make ends meet. As of late, however, he had been employed for many days by the man they were traveling to meet. Akiyma hoped to continue to serve Si Kon, for he treated Akiyma well. The labor was very bearable, and Akiyma liked working for a Knight of the Prince. “Because I’m a Knight of the Prince too now,” he confided proudly. “I’ve just started learning the sword. Si Kon is teaching me.”
    The sun was high overhead by the time they reached the northeast section of Moorue. The homes here were larger than most, and if they were truly being led to the same Si Kon Carliss knew, then he lived better than most Mooruvians.
    “How much farther, Akiyma?” Carliss asked.
    “It’s just there.” The boy pointed to a fine-looking manor with a surrounding courtyard, trees, and a gated fence separating it from other homes.
    Akiyma led them through the wide gate. As they entered, he ran ahead up to the doors of the home.
    “Master Si Kon, I’ve brought them!” he exclaimed as he disappeared into the home. A moment later, Akiyma appeared with a finely arrayed knight beside him. A thin black beard closely framed his mouth and matched the straight black hair that hung to his shoulders. He was of average height, but his well-muscled frame revealed him as a knight out of armor. The man hesitated in the doorway, squinting a stern look of discernment as he evaluated the odd trio before him. Carliss felt a portion of her angst disappear.
    “Carliss!” he exclaimed.
    “Si Kon!” She handed Rindy’s reins to Ganoaf and ran to him.
    Si Kon’s face illuminated with