Chapter 5: Leaving Part Three

ALIAH

'What are your names?' the woman asked as they drew closer to the gate.

'Sean.' The boy who had saved her from the sailors said. 'Ali,' Aliah mumbled.

'I am Amelia.' The woman smiled for the first time. 'Now do you want to tell me why the guards up there are looking for one or both of you?' Amelia raised an eyebrow.

'Ah...' Sean started, but Aliah rushed in whispering, 'It's me ma'am. I skipped ship today and some sailors have been looking for me.' When the old man in the warehouse had believed she was a boy jumping ship she had decided then and there that he had provided her with a great cover story, one that people in a port town would understand. So she ignored Sean's shocked look as he reacted to the fact she had lied to him lonely moments ago.

She had already tried her story out when she sold her cloak, her necklace, and the first mate's clothes and boots for something more her size. The owner of the second hand clothes stall had been sympathetic, saying that his nephew had been in a similar situation once. He could not do enough to help her, and had even offered to buy her sword, assuming it was stolen like the rest of her goods.

'No, thank you,' Aliah said as gruffly as she could. 'I might need it on the road home.' The stall owner had agreed that might be wise, and even given her a length of old blanket to wrap it in until she was safely out of town. Her story gained her some sympathy with the towns folk, so she decided it would be come her cover.

Turning slightly so she could no longer see Sean's glare, Aliah expected to meet Amelia's sympathetic gaze. So she was a little surprised when the woman said, 'Sorry, lad, it is not that I doubt your story, but the duke's soldiers do not come out looking for a ship boy escaping his bond. You got a better tale young man? Best be quick as we are nearly at the gate.'

Aliah looked at Sean as he pulled his cap down lower on his head, almost hiding his nearly black eyes. She suddenly remembered the boxes that had moved seemingly by themselves in the market place. 'You,' she said. 'They're looking for you! Because of the boxes.'

'Boxes?' Amelia asked. 'What do you mean they moved by themselves?'

'He made the boxes move. In the marketplace,' Aliah blurted out and the boy on the other side of the basket turned red - not an easy task considering his dark complexion. It confirmed her suspicions, although he tried to pretend otherwise.

'Did not,' he mumbled, his head sinking even lower.

Aliah did not know whether to be annoyed her escape might be thwarted by someone else running from the authorities, or relieved that the soldiers were not looking for her, or thankful he had saved her in the marketplace.

'Ah,' Amelia said. 'A budding wizard, that might be worth risking my hide for. Stay close by and let me do the talking. Then you can tell me the truth of the matter when we set camp for the night.'

"Camp for the night?" Aliah thought. "I shall be long gone by then."

She and her companion fell in behind the woman as they approached the gate. 'Good evening to you,' Amelia said to the soldier who stopped them. 'We had little luck at the markets today and have a long walk home. Will you be keeping us much longer?'

'Have you seen a young man traveling by himself?' the soldier asked. 'He would be about the age of your eldest, but in better clothes and a might more refined looking? You know, more noble like.'

'Can't say that I have,' Amelia answered. 'Mind you, it would be hard to tell in this crowd!'

'That it is,' the soldier responded. 'But we have orders to look anyway. I will need your boys to stand aside until the captain gets here. He needs to check all boys around a certain age. You can go through and wait for them on the other side.'

'Of course, we have nothing to hide.' Amelia relieved them of their basket saying, 'I'll see the two of you soon.'

'Next waiting.' The guard had already moved on and their new friend Amelia had no choice but to go through the gate.

'We can't wait here for the captain,' Sean whispered to her. He was gnawing at his lip.

'I don't see we have any choice,' Aliah whispered back.

Sean suddenly stopped chewing his lip and half-smiled. 'I think I have an idea. Play along.'

'Oww,' he groaned and doubled over. 'Oww, me stomach. I think I need a privy. Fast.'

Aliah bent over him screwing her face in what she hoped appeared to be concern, then looked at the guard. 'Oh, dear. We have had the flux in our village. Looks like Sean might have it. Is there a privy near?'

The two guards looked at each other. The older one nodded and, reluctantly, the younger one moved towards them. 'Right, come this way. There's a privy in the guardroom. But be quick.'

He took them under the gate arch and showed them the door to the guard's rooms. 'Go up one flight and the privy is on the first floor. Don't dally, the captain'll be here soon.'

Sean groaned again. 'We will, sir. And thank you.' Aliah grabbed Sean's arm and helped him through the door. They headed up the stairs. On the first landing she went to take him through as the guard had directed, but he stopped her.

'Keep going up,' he whispered.

Up two more flights of steep stairs they came out along the top of the gates. Checking to make sure there were no guards up there watching, Sean started crawling along the ramparts to the left side gate tower. Aliah followed. He led her into the other tower, down the steps to the ground floor and into an empty room. The room had a barred door through the outer wall.

'Great, a dead end,' she said. 'What now?'