The Reluctant Champion

Defeat

In the end, Lidah had to leave Galen in the dungeon for more than a few hours. First she had to find Hassan, which wasn't possible until the next morning. Then she had to convince him that she knew what she was talking about, and convince him to let Galen go. He grumbled a good deal and questioned her more sharply than she liked. But at last he agreed.

Colden was another matter. He spent most of his time pacing his room, voluntarily caged, fretting himself into a fever, as his mother said. He had not taken kindly to the idea that Bashanadar and Radek should meet the Alliance threat without him. Only the combined persuasion of Dagon, Lidah and his mother had convinced him that an ambassador did not simply abandon his post to go skirmishing. But the strain had done terrible things to his temper.

When Lidah went looking for him he was nowhere to be found. Inquiring among the servants she discovered that he had gone to the stables; there they told her that Sammy had taken him hunting outside the city, with a few outriders and some hounds.

"They'll find a wolf or a deer, I'm hoping," said the groom cheerfully. "Or at least luck with the birds. I hate to see a good rider jobbing at his horse's mouth like that, so I do."

There was no help for it. It was already afternoon by the time she returned to the prison with Galen's release in hand.

Galen was inclined to be cheerful, but this was probably the effect of sunshine and fresh air as much as anything.

"You say it's been days since Bashanadar left," he said. "A few more hours won't much matter. And I want to clean up before I do anything else, anyway."

"That you can do here," she said. "I'll take you to the bathhouse now."

"Good. Afterwards we'll go to an inn I know by the waterfront. Madoc and I have—had—a standing arrangement that we'd meet there about sundown if one of us was in town and we got separated. I'm sure he'll still be looking for me." His words were confident, but he looked doubtful.

"I'll leave Colden a message to meet us there. We can go as soon as you're ready," Lidah said.

#

Galen returned from the bath looking still more cheerful. He was shampooed and shaved, massaged and oiled, scented with sandalwood and dressed in new clothes of the local style. He laughed outright at Lidah's lifted eyebrows.

"Eh, princess, it'll be the death of me, all this luxury," he said. "I'll forget how to trim my own fingernails, see if I don't!"

She smiled. "After one bath? If you're so easily corrupted, there's no hope for you."

"Oh, I've always wanted the chance to be corrupted," he replied absently, looking sharply around the castle keep. "We should be going. The sun's almost down and I want to be in time to catch Madoc up on things before Colden arrives."

"That would be best," Lidah agreed.

It was, if they were in the mood to enjoy such things, a beautiful evening for a walk. There was just enough bite in the air to promise a frost later, but the paving-stones of the street still held a memory of warmth. The main avenue from the castle was broad and straight, lined with ornamental trees. They walked side by side, shoulders occasionally touching, not talking but aware of each other. There were various short cuts to the inn, but they took none of them. Instead, they followed the main avenue right down to the river where it opened into a plaza and broad shallow steps descended into the river itself. Then they turned left and followed the quay, admiring the pleasure-boats that were docked along it. At last they turned and ascended a short, steep lane that led to the inn.

It was a small place, Lidah found, well-kept and quiet—a good choice for those who did not wish to be too noticeable but wanted a place that was central and handy. It was built around a central courtyard with broad verandas on all sides—people would sleep under them in the summer heat.