Engines & Demons - The Undestined

Chapter 37iii

Grifford held the knife low, ready to plunge at the thing's stomach, his empty hand already coming up to block any counter strike.

The wall of the tent was pulled swiftly apart in front of him.

"Grifford!"

His lunge stopped, the knife held barely the length of its blade away from his sister's belly.

"Tahlia!" he hissed. "Why are you down here?"

Tahlia gently pushed his arm, and the knife, out of her way and slid past him into the tent.

"What is happening?" she whispered as she looked quickly around.

"What is happening!" Grifford hissed back. "Kralmir has been kidnapped."

"Yes, I know that! Where is father?"

"He has ridden out after some merchant's wagon that left last night."

"Of course! That makes sense."

"What sense? Why would a merchant take our brother?"

"I do not know, but I know who will."

"Who?"

"Tasker."

"Tasker! Do not be ridiculous!"

Tahlia clamped her hand over his mouth.

"Quiet!" she hissed. "Be quiet and listen. I saw Tasker again yesterday, so I followed him. He was sneaking around among the tents of the merchants, probably to the same one he went to before, but I don't know for sure because I was caught."

Grifford took hold of her wrist and pulled it away from his mouth.

"Caught! By who?"

"It was a nadidge."

"A nadidge!"

"It bit me! When I woke up I was in a tent. I could hear two men talking about kidnapping, and I thought they were talking about you, but they were talking about Kralmir. One of them must have been the merchant who that cart belongs to!"

"Well they do not have a chance of escaping. Father is bound to catch them swiftly."

"Yes, but..." said Tahlia, frowning and rubbing her temples. "That creature's poison has smudged my brain. I cannot think straight. Those men said something about..."

She looked up suddenly, her eyes wide.

"Hakansa! Has something happened to Hakansa?"

"Master Tzarren said someone tried to poison him last night. How did you know..?"

"But he is alive?"

"Of course he is, but Master Tzarren did say something about that Field-hand, Maddock was it?"

Tahlia's hand went to her mouth.

"Is he all right?"

"I do not know. By all accounts he jumped into Hakansa's pen and saved him. Apparently, Hakansa did him some damage." Tahlia stood still, now with both hands raised, pressed against her cheekbones. Grifford frowned at the unusual look of horror on his sister's face. "What is the matter with you?"

"I might have slightly asked him to watch over Hakansa last night. I heard those men saying something about Tasker getting to him."

"Tasker!"

"Where is the Field-hand now?"

"He was taken to the Infirmary," said a calm voice from behind Grifford.