Page 73 of Charmless
“Three dozen!”I squawked, coming up out of my chair. “Against all the king’s scutcheons and the palace guard? You truly have run mad, Hawkridge!”
Mal flushed. “As soon as I find our lost prince, others will join us. After what happened to your neighbors, I wager there will be plenty of people in Midtown ready to flock to our banner.”
“If you think that, you don’t know Midtown very well. When the Hansons and Baftons were rounded by the Border Scutcheons, everyone in Midtown cowered in their homes. By tomorrow, they will all be back to shopping and gossiping in the town square, desperately pretending nothing ever happened. They have too much to lose by defying the king. And if you think anyone if the Heights will lift a finger to fight on your side, you have lost your wits.”
“Those pampered aristocrats?” Mal sneered. “They have never borne the brunt of the king’s unjust laws. We never expected any help from them. And if the Midtown folk are such cowards, we don’t need them either. Here in the Bottoms, we have nothing left to lose.”
“Except your lives!”
“The legend claims the league will prevail.”
“Oh, frap your stupid legend.” I gripped my hands together to keep from shaking some sense into Mal. “Why can you not see that your pursuit of this will lead to nothing but a disastrous war in which a lot of innocent people could be killed?”
“Innocent people are already dying, Ella. What do you think happens to all those Arcadians driven out into the swamp?”
My cheeks heated because I was ashamed to admit I had no idea. Helpless to save any of them, I hadn’t wanted to think about it, mainly because of my fear that if I didn’t manage ourmoney carefully enough to pay our taxes, my own family might experience that grim fate.
I faltered, “I hoped that the exiles found a way to make a new life for themselves somewhere else.”
“Out in the swamp teeming with predatory beasts and the yellow gnats carrying the dreaded spotted fever? The lack of food or decent shelter? Our wretched king has decreed it illegal for anyone in Arcady to have any contact with the exiles. The old tyrant doesn’t want it known what has happened to those wretched people, because the fairies forfend, someone might start to care. But none of those people would survive if it wasn’t for members of our league smuggling what blankets, food, and medicine we can.”
“So that is where you have disappeared to when I thought you were just larking about with your pirate friends? Why couldn’t you have just told me the truth, Mal? Why did you have to deceive me?”
Mal dragged his hands down his face and sighed. “Don’t you think I have hated deceiving you? I wanted to tell you the truth so many times, but I knew you would not have been willing to listen. If I had confessed what I really wanted that orb for, I didn’t think you would ever have agreed to steal it.”
“No, I wouldn’t have! I would have been willing to risk helping you take supplies to the exiles, but this missing heir league is pure lunacy and outright treason. It is far too dangerous, and I have my own family to think of. I lost both my parents, Mal. Em, Amy and Netta are all I have.”
“You have me,” Mal said, holding out his hand to me.
But I backed away. “You? I don’t even know who you are anymore.”
His hand dropped back to his side. A heavy silence fell, both of us wearied by this argument that was getting us nowhere. Ibecame aware that the storm was passing, the deluge outside the cottage reduced to a steady light rain.
Mal drew up the hood of his cloak, moving toward the doorway. “I cannot afford to linger here any longer,” he said. “Are you coming with me or not?”
“Yes.” As I pulled up my own hood, Mal’s eyes lit up with hope. A hope I dashed when I added, “I am only coming to retrieve the orb and see that is returned to Mercato.”
Mal shot me an incredulous look. “You are the one who is mad, Ella. What do you think that old buzzard will do with the orb if he gets his hands on it again?”
“He’ll likely just stick it back in the king’s treasure chamber to gather dust. I don’t think he’ll try to destroy it, or he would have done so years ago.”
“Why do you imagine that is, Ella? Mercato obviously knows what the orb is for. He may even know how it works because otherwise how could he tell the one you put there was a fake? His power comes from serving the Helavalerians. Mercato has probably just been biding his time until he can find the true prince and slay him.”
“If this prince exists and Mercato did know how to use the orb to find him, the wizard would have done it by now. In any event, it doesn’t matter because we have no choice. If we don’t give back the orb, both of us could end up in the Dismal Dungeons and Horatio will lose his command.”
Mal’s lips tightened. “I might have guessed that your beloved Crusher would be your first concern.”
“He is a good man, and he doesn’t deserve to pay the price for what we did. He does his best to protect people from the king’s unjust laws.”
“Considering what happened to those Midtown people, Crushington’s best is not good enough. He would do far better to join our league.”
“Horatio would never do something so reckless, and neither will I. Will you please be sensible, Mal and just give back that orb?”
“No!”
“You might not care what happens to Horatio, but what about me? Will you really allow me to be arrested?”
“As soon as I get the orb to safety, I will come back for you.”
