Chapter 6-1

Milly had sort of hoped they’d end up in a stony cell, one wall only steel bars, with guards pacing outside. The rest of the cell would consist of a single well-worn cot, and a barred window up high. It was always night. That was how it always was in the stories.

The jail they wound up in dashed her hopes quite well. It really just looked like a cheap inn room – drab white walls, a locked door, and a cheap bathroom. The window was barred, sure, but that was common to any inn whose windows had been broken more than once. And the beds, well, they weren’t uncomfortable at all.

“Well this is just great,” Anjanette said, laying on the bed. “Arrested, and we didn’t even scam anyone here. How did that happen?”

“Well, you did steal from all those stores...” Milly said.

“It was just a dress or two! Who’s gonna care, I thought.”

Milly didn’t feel like talking to Anjanette right now. She rolled over, facing the institutionally blank wall. It wasn’t fair. She hadn’t done anything wrong, had she? Now she was in jail. And if they found her guilty, they could sentance her for five, ten, fifteen years... who knew? She would be staying here, trapped inside while the world went on, no books, no quests...

She was crying. And not soft, dignified crying, but loud, infantile, body-wracking sobs. There was no getting out of this one. She felt like a little kid again, except without mommy nearby to grab onto.

Someone was shaking her. Anjanette. “Cut that out, I’m trying to get some sleep.” Her voice was wavering. Milly clutched at Anjanette, burying her head in her chest.

Anjanette was for once unsure of what to say. “Um... there, there?” She petted Milly’s black hair, still greasy with battle sweat, like she would a cat’s fur.

“And Valgard... I can’t believe he would do that... he seemed so nice...” she blubbered.

“Wait, what now?” asked Anjanette.

“Valgard... the man who was bidding against us...” And then the story came out in a jerky torrent, of her meeting with him and his eventual betrayal.

Anjantte took a minute to take it all in, then punched Milly square in the jaw.

“What was that for?” said Milly. She had fallen to the ground and was rubbing her jaw. At least she wasn’t crying any more.

“You told some guy about what we do? What were you thinking?!”

“I... I didn’t think it was a big secret,” said Milly.

“Well we are doing illegal crap... and this guy knew our names and everything. Who was he anyways?”

“I dunno...” Milly said, chewing at her fingernails. She felt like shit. They were doomed and it was her fault. Why had she trusted him anyway? She knew why: Valgard was a man who treated her like a lady, instead of a freak. Milly didn’t talk to a lot of guys, and all the ones she did were only interested in sex and money. But Valgard was a man – a handsome man – who was interested in books and the world and other such interesting things. She had only talked to him for maybe an hour, but she had entertained fancies of falling in love with him.

It was all intentional on his part. If this had been a novel, Milly would have been yelling at the heroine through the whole thing. But she missed it. Valgard had used her... but why?

Surprisingly, the pieces fell into place for Anjanette first. “Prince Valgard de Competain.”

“What?”

“The prince of Alleria. Doesn’t he look like that? And have that name?”

“Um... I don’t know, I haven’t read too much on him...”

“My mom always used to buy tabloids about the royals,” said Anjanette. “I would read through them when there was absolutely nothing better to do, which was frequently and I remember the second son of the king was named Valgard and looked like your Mr. Right.”

Milly nodded. “That would explain those guards... The Golden Shield! Of course!”

“Huh?”

“The twelve highest knights in Alleria,” said Milly. “Sworn to protect the royal family, known for their golden armour and inhuman skill in combat. They always show up in the old stories. They’ve declined a bit in recent years, but they’re still a big deal to Allerians. They must have been the guys that jumped us.”

“So... this guy is an Allerian prince, right?”

Milly nodded, her expression suddenly a grin. “Right! I don’t know why I didn’t connect the dots sooner. And he was bidding for that book, so I assume he’s after the tomes as well... but why? He certainly doesn’t need the money.”

Anjanette chortled. “For someone who reads so much you can be pretty dumb sometimes, Milly.”

“Huh?” Milly’s face flushed with offense. “What do you mean?”

“If this prince guy is going around with these super-knights to chase the books... odds are he’s not doing it for kicks. Alleria wants the tomes. They need the power to be strong again. They want to start a war.”

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