Terrible Beast of Zor (9 page)

“What if there’s a snake under there?”

Reb grinned. “You’d probably get bit, but they don’t stay underwater much. Of course, a big turtle might be under there. I never got bit by one. It’s always possible, though.”

The prince placed his hand under the log, and Reb said, “Now you just feel along it, moving real slow. If we have any luck, we’ll find a big catfish lying under there. In the heat of the day is the best time to catch him—like right now.”

The prince probably did not like putting his hand under the log, but he did as Reb said. Finally he exclaimed softly, “I touched something! It was soft, and it moved.”

“That’s it!” Reb said excitedly. “Now here’s what you do next. Slip your hand under the fish’s belly and stroke it.”

“Stroke his belly?”

“That’s it. That makes them go to sleep—I think.”

The prince did as he was instructed, and Reb grinned. He had not expected the king’s son to show so much nerve.

“Now you be careful of his spines. They’ve got poison
in them. Don’t get involved with them. What you do is slip your right hand up, put your thumb in his mouth, and then with one motion you clamp down and you lift him up and you throw him to the bank.”

Apprehensively, the prince followed his instructions. “I’ve got up to his mouth,” he said. “He’s a big fish.”

“You have to do it smoothly now. Grab him and throw!”

The prince may have fully expected to be bitten or stabbed with one of the spines, but he appeared to clamp his hand down on the fish’s jaw. Then with one motion he flung onto the bank a catfish that weighed close to four or five pounds.

“You got him, Alex! You got him!” Reb scrambled to the bank and stopped the fish’s flopping with his boot.

The prince waded out and stared at the fish. “I never thought I could do a thing like that.”

“So now we can have lunch,” Reb said. “You cut us some sticks to put the meat on, and I’ll dress this fellow out.”

“Let me clean him,” Prince Alex said. “I’ve never cleaned a fish before.”

“OK, but it’s a messy job.”

The prince gave Reb a direct look. “I’m going to have to take over some messy jobs,” he said. Then he listened to Reb’s instructions and followed them carefully. When it was over, his hands were messy indeed, but he was grinning. “And now I know how to noodle.”

“You learn quick, Alex. When you set your mind on a job, you do it. Well, let’s have lunch.”

The day after the prince noodled his fish, Alcindor arrived. He had come before both to bring them news
and to see how the prince was doing, but this time there was a worried look on his face.

Everyone gathered about him.

Alcindor stared at Alex. “Good morning, my Prince.”

“Good morning, Alcindor.”

“You’re sunburned.”

“Yes, I suppose I am,” the prince said simply.

Then the aide said, “Well, I wish I were the bearer of good tidings, but I’m not.”

“What’s happening, Alcindor?” Alexander asked quickly.

“The pressure is building up. There will certainly be a Zorian attack very soon. Their troops are moving to the front lines right on the other side of the mountains. Something’s going to happen. And more than that, the Madrian patrols are thick, looking for
you
. The king and queen are worried about you.”

“You tell them that I am doing fine. Tell them I’m learning to be a soldier.”

Alcindor smiled suddenly. “That’s got to be good news for them.” Then he added, “But you can’t stay in this place any longer. The patrols are moving this way.”

“Where can we go?” Josh asked. “Farther back in the woods?”

“No. They will surely find you there,” Alcindor said. “I suggest you go to a village called Pellenor. Find a family there called Starbuck. Starbuck is a good man. He’s been loyal to the king always.”

“Shall I tell him who I am?” the prince asked.

“No. Better to keep it a secret. Indeed, disguise yourself the best you can while there. Even act mentally unbalanced, if you have to.”

They made their plans, and Alcindor suggested
something else. “I don’t think all of you should go to the Starbuck farm, either. The rest of you disperse but have a central meeting point. Stay there until the time comes.”

“What time?” the prince asked quickly.

Alcindor drew up straight and tall, and he smiled faintly. “Until the time we must all put our lives at risk.” A cloud came into his fine gray eyes, and he shook his head. “I do not think it will be long.”

T
he sun was dropping behind the distant hills as Sarah and Prince Alex approached the farmhouse. Some stars were already visible, and Sarah said with some apprehension, “This looks like the place that Alcindor described as the Starbuck farm. But I wish we could have gotten here before dark.”

Alexander peered ahead into the gathering darkness. “We have no other choice,” he said. “Unless we want to sleep out in the woods and go in early in the morning.”

“No, let’s go in now. And remember, Alex. Remember you’re
not
a prince. You have to have another name.” She thought and said, “It should be a name that sounds something like Alex. So let’s just say your name is Lex.”

“If you say so,” the prince agreed.

They neared the main farmhouse, and Sarah called out, “Hello, the house!”

Almost at once a man emerged. He was bent over and walking with the help of a cane. “Hello,” he said. “It’s late for travelers to be out.”

“We’re looking for the Starbuck farm.”

“You’ve found it. I’m Joss Starbuck.” He was not a large man, and as Sarah drew closer to examine his face, she saw that he had the marks of pain that an invalid sometimes has. Lowering her voice, although no one was near, she said, “Alcindor sent us.”

This apparently surprised Joss Starbuck but did not alarm him. “Alcindor has been a good friend to me. Won’t you come inside?”

The two followed the farmer into the house, which was neat and well kept. Starbuck turned to them then, and his eyes narrowed. “I expect you want a favor. People who come from Alcindor usually do.”

“We need to hide out here for a while, sir. My name is Sarah, and this is Lex.”

She expected the farmer to ask questions, but he merely looked them over, then nodded. “If Alcindor says it’s all right, it must be. I assume you want to work in order to look like part of the hired help.”

“Yes,” Sarah said quickly. “That would be fine.”

“Well, you can help with the housework, Sarah. And, Lex, you can work in the fields.”

Sarah quickly answered for the prince. “That will be fine, too.”

“The young lady can room in the house. And there’s a bunkhouse for you outside, Lex. Our hired men left, so actually we
need
help pretty badly.”

The farmer showed Sarah to her quarters. She saw she would be staying in a very neat room with a large window looking out over the spacious countryside. She was grateful.

Joss Starbuck took Alex to a building behind the barn. It had two sets of bunk beds and a washstand—and a stove. But he said, “You can eat with us in the big house.”

“How many people help you on the farm?”

“Ordinarily four, but they took off and left us. Scared of the war that’s coming.”

Alex looked at the older man curiously. “How do they know war is coming?”

“How do they know!” Starbuck exclaimed. “Everybody knows the Zorians are massing over on the other
side of the mountains. They’re not coming to have a tea party.”

“Then we’ll just have to stop them,” Alex said grimly.

“That sounds like Alcindor.” But the farmer looked pleased. “We’ll wake you up early in the morning. There’s a lot of work to be done. You may be hiding from somebody, but we can use your help.” He turned and left.

Alexander washed his face and flopped on a bunk without even undressing. He slept a dreamless sleep.

Suddenly, somebody was pounding at Alex’s door. Next, a voice was yelling, “Get up! Get out of that bed! You can’t sleep all day. Come on. What’s your name?”

Alex sat straight up in the bunk and looked wildly around. Now he saw that a young woman had pushed open the door! “Who are
you?”
he demanded.

She was tall and athletic looking. She had blonde hair and green eyes. She was wearing a light blue tunic. And she did not look friendly.

The girl put her hands on her hips and said, “What are you staring at? I’m Lilith Starbuck. My father tells me you’re here to work, so let’s get at it.”

“All right,” Alex said. He stood up and said, “Do we get to eat before we work?”

“Breakfast is ready in the big house.” Then she left.

Alex washed his face at the washstand, still puzzling over this bossy girl. He splashed himself liberally, ran his hands through his thick, auburn hair, then went around to the main house. There he found the table set, and Sarah, wearing an apron, was placing dishes on the table.

“Sit down, Lex,” Joss said. “I believe Sarah here has made one of the best breakfasts I’ve ever seen. If it tastes as good as it looks, it’s all right.”

The four of them sat down to the breakfast that Sarah had prepared, which included ham and eggs and fresh breads. Prince Alex ate hungrily, for neither he nor Sarah had had supper last night.

Lilith cocked her head to one side. “If you can work as well as you can eat, you’ll be of some help around here.”

Sarah smiled at that. She said, “What’s to be done today?”

“Quite a bit. We’ve got to weed out the corn, and that will be a big job,” the girl said.

Before long, Joss and Lilith began talking about conditions in the kingdom. Joss Starbuck put a bad face on it, but it was Lilith who snapped, “If the king’s son were worth a copper coin, we might have a chance! But all he wants to do is party and have fun!”

“Perhaps you shouldn’t talk about people you don’t know!” Alex said sharply.

Lilith turned her eyes to him with surprise. “Don’t tell me you stand up for that no-good prince!”

Sarah put in quickly, “I’m sure Prince Alexander has some good features.”

“He has good features all right. He knows how to play and ignore all of his duties. I’d like to have him here. I’d tell him a thing or two.”

“He might spank you,” Alex said. He hoped he was covering his anger. “I hear the prince doesn’t like impudent women.”

“I’d like to see him try it!” Lilith had a table knife in her hand, and she gestured with it. “But no danger of
that. He’s too busy enjoying himself to come and do anything as low as working on a farm.”

Sarah managed to change the subject. After they had finished eating, she said, “I’ll be working in the house today, Lex.”

“And he’ll be outside helping me,” Lilith said. “Although I don’t think he can keep up with a real worker.”

“Like you?” Alex asked.

“That’s right! You’ve probably never done a day’s work in your life. We’ve had your kind here before. I’ll work him until he falls, Father,” she said. “Well, come on. It’s time to get to work.” She got up and strode out of the kitchen.

Alexander followed her.

“She means well,” Lilith’s father said apologetically to Sarah. “But she may be a little rough sometimes. She hasn’t had much fine raising.”

“She’s a nice girl and beautiful. I know you’re very proud of her.”

“We lost her mother five years ago. She’s been very lonesome since then,” Joss said thoughtfully. “But she takes care of me, does all the housework and all the cooking. I
am
proud of her.”

“She was a little hard on the prince.”

“Yes, she was, but then everybody in the kingdom knows the prince isn’t the man his father was.”

“Maybe he’ll change.”

“I hope so,” Joss said, wagging his head sadly. “It’s a shame for a young man with all his opportunities to waste them.”

Lilith led Alex out to a very large field. She handed him a hoe and said, “Now, you know how to hoe corn?”

“No, I don’t.”

Grabbing the hoe from him, Lilith made a few quick strokes and cut the grass that had grown between two stalks of corn. “This may be too difficult for you to understand, but you have to chop the weeds just like this. You think you can remember that?”

He glared at her. “I can remember. Give me that hoe.”

Alex began to work, and soon the sun overhead brought a fine sweat to his face. The hoe was too short for him, and he had to lean over. So his back began to hurt. Up one long row he went, then back another. He looked up occasionally to see Lilith doing the same sort of work farther down in the field.

He had been at the job for about two hours when she suddenly appeared with a jug of water. “Here. Drink this.”

Quickly Alex dropped the hoe and seized the jug. He let the delicious, cool water slide down his dry throat. Finally he was satisfied, and he handed the jug back. “Thanks,” he said.

“You’re welcome.” She looked down the row he had hoed and said, “You’re missing some grass. Be more careful.” Without another word she walked away.

Alex said under his breath, “Impudent girl! She does need a spanking.”

The morning wore on slowly. By the time the sun was directly overhead, Alex could hardly stand up. He sat down in the row to rest and pulled his broad hat down over his face. Suddenly he was very tired. He went to sleep sitting there.

He was awakened some time later when something struck him on the shoulder. He jumped up to see that Lilith had been tapping him with her hoe handle.
“You will never touch me again!” he cried crossly. “You understand that?”

Lilith ignored that and glared up at him. It was obvious she thought he was not much of a worker. “You can’t even work for a whole day!” she taunted. “What makes you so special?”

“I can accomplish any work I choose to,” he said.

“Can you? Then we’ll see. We’ll go to the house to eat, and then we’ll see who can chop the most rows this afternoon. My wager is that the woman will be the victor.”

Something about the girl’s independence pleased Alex, but at the same time he wondered if she ever had a more womanly side.

Back at the house, they ate a good midday meal—prepared by Sarah—and Alex drank plenty of cool water. He hoped Lilith would give them an hour’s rest.