/tip slipd awE fram H garlz n folOd swiftlI Aftar H /sOlJar wiT H /grIn /wiskarz. H invEdN yrmI entard H /sitI mYr slOlI, f HE stopd t dig emaraldz Qt v H wYlz n pEvN-stOnz wiT H pqnts v HEr nitN-nIdalz. sO H /sOlJar n H bq rIcd H pAlis bifYr H nMz hAd spred Ht H /sitI waz koNkard.
H /skErkrO n /JAk /pampkinhed war stil plEiN At kwqts in H kYrtjyrd wen H gEm waz intaraptd bF H abrapt encrAns v H /rqal /yrmI b /oz, hM kEm flFiN in wiTQt hiz hAt Yr gan, hiz klOz in sAd disarE n hiz loN bIrd flOtN a jyrd bIhFnd him Az hI rAn.
"tAlI wan f mI," sed H /skErkrO, kYmlI, "wat'z roN, mF mAn?" hI Add, aJresN H /sOlJar.
"O! jYr /mAJestI -- jYr /mAJestI! H /sitI z koNkard!" gAspd H /rqal /yrmI, hM waz Yl Qt v breT.
"Hs z kwFt sadan," sed H /skErkrO. "bat plIz gO n byr Yl H dYrz n windOz v H pAlis, wFl F SO Hs /pampkinhed hQ t TrO a kwqt."
H /sOlJar hAsand t d Hs, wFl /tip, hM hAd arFvd At hiz hIlz, rimEnd in H kYrtjyrd t lUk At H /skErkrO wiT wandarN Fz.
hiz /mAJestI kntinjMd t TrO H kwqts Az kMlI Az if nO dEnJar Tretand hiz TrOn, bat H /pampkinhed, hAvN kYt sFt v /tip, Ambald tYrd H bq Az fAst Az hiz wUdan legz wUd gO.
"gUd AftarnMn, nObal pErant!" hI krFd, dilFtadlI. "F'm glAd t sI jM r hIr. Ht tErabal sY-hYrs rAn awE wiT mI."
"F saspektd i," sed /tip. "did jM get hart? r jM krAkd At Yl?"
"nO, F arFvd sEflI," Ansard /Jak, "n hiz /mAJestI hAz bin vErI kFnd indId t mI.
At Hs mOmant H /sOlJar wiT H /grIn /wiskarz ritarnd, n H /skErkrO Askd:
"bF H wE, hM hAz koNkard mI?"
"a reJimnt v garlz, gAHard fram H fYr kYrnarz v H /lAnd v /oz," riplFd H /sOlJar, stil pEl wiT fIr.
"bat wEr waz mF /stAndN /yrmI At H tFm?" inkwFrd hiz /mAJestI, lUkN At H /sOlJar, grEvlI.
"jYr /stAndN /yrmI waz ranN," Ansard H felO, onestlI; "f nO mAn kUd fEs H tErabl wepanz v H invEdarz."
"wel," sed H /skErkrO, Aftar a mOmant's HYt, "F dOn't mFnd mac H los v mF TrOn, f it's a tFrsam Job t rMl Ovar H /emarald /sitI. n Hs krQn z sO hevI Ht i mEks mF hed Ek. bat F hOp H /koNkararz hAv nO intenSn v inJarN mI, Jast bIkYz F hApan t b H /kiN."
"F hard Hem sE," rimyrkd /tip, wiT sam hezitESn, "Ht HE intend t mEk a rAg kyrpet v jYr QtsFd n staf HEr sOfa-kUSnz wiT jYr insFd."
"Hn F Am rIlI in dEnJar," diklErd hiz /mAJestI, pozitivlI, "n i wil b wFz f mI t knsidar a mInz t eskEp."
"wEr kn jM gO?" Askd /JAk /pampkinhed.
"wF, t mF frend H /tin /wUdmAn, hM rMlz Ovar H /wiNkIz, n kYlz himself HEr /emarar," waz H Ansar. "F Am Sar hI wil prOtekt mI."
/tip waz lUkN Qt H windO.
"H pAlis z sarQndd bF H enamI," sed hI. "i z tM lEt t eskEp. HE wUd sMn tEr jM t pIsz."
H /skErkrO sFd.
"in an ImarJensI," hI anQnsd, "i z YlwEz a gUd TiN t pYz n riflekt. plIz ekskMz mI wFl F pYz n riflekt."
"bat wI YlsO r in dEnJar," sed H /pampkinhed, ENkSaslI. "if enI v HIz garlz andarstAnd kUkN, mF end z not fyr of!"
"nonsens!" eksklEmd H /skErkrO. "HE'r tM bizI t kUk, Ivan if HE nO hQ!"
"bat SUd F rimEn hIr a prizanar f enI leNkT v tFm," prOtestd /JAk, "F'm lFabal t spql."
"Y! Hn jM wUd not b fit t asOsIEt wiT," ritarnd H /skErkrO. "H mAtar z mYr sIrIas Hn F saspektd."
"jM," sed H /pampkinhed, glMmilI, "r lFabal t liv f menI jIrz. mF lFf z nesesErilI SYrt. sO F mast tEk AdvAntiJ v H fjM dEz Ht rimEn t mI."
"HEr, HEr! dOn't warI," Ansard H /skErkrO sMHiNlI; "if jM'l kEp kwFit loN Inaf f mI t TiNk, F'l crF t fFnd sam wE f as Yl t eskEp."
sO H aHarz wEtd in pESant sFlans wFl H /skErkrO wYkd t a kYrnar n stUd wiT hiz fEs t H wYl f a gUd fFv minits. At H end v Ht tFm hI fEsd Hem wiT a mYr cIrfal ekspreSn apon hiz pEntd fEs.
"wEr z H /sY-/hYrs jM rOd hIr?" hI Askd H /pampkinhed.
"wF, F sed hI waz a JMal, n sO jYr mAn lokd him ap in H rqal creZarI," sed /JAk.
"i waz H OnlI plEs F kUd TiNk v jYr /mAJestI," Add H /sOlJar, fIrN hI hAd mEd a blandar.
"i plIzs mI vErI mac," sed H /skErkrO. "hAz H Animl bin fed?"
"O, jes; F gEv him a hIpN pek v sYdast."
"eksalant!" krFd H /skErkrO. "briN H hYrs hIr At wans."
H /sOlJar hAsand awE, n prezantlI HE hard H klAtarN v H hYrs'z wUdan legz apon H pEvmant Az hI waz led intM H kYrtjyrd.
hiz /mAJestI rigyrdd H stId kritikalI. "hI dazn't sIm espeSalI grEsfal!" hI rimyrkd, mjMziNlI. "bat F sapOz hI kn ran?"
"hI kn, indId," sed /tip, gEzN apon H /sY-/hYrs AdmFriNlI.
"Hn, bErN as apon hiz bAk, hI mast mEk a dAS TrM H rANks v H rebalz n kErI as t mF frend H /tin /wUdmAn," anQnsd H /skErkrO.
"hI kAn't kErI fYr!" objektd /tip.
"nO, bat hI mE b indMsd t kErI TrI," sed hiz /mAJestI. "F SAl HErfYr lIv mF /rqal /yrmI /bihFnd. f, fram H Iz wiT wic hI waz koNkard, F hAv lital konfidans in hiz pQrz."
"stil, hI kn ran," diklErd /tip, lAfN.
"F ekspektd Hs blO," sed H /sOlJar, salkilI; "bat F kn bEr i. F SAl disgFz mFself bF katN of mF lavlI wiskarz. n, Aftar Yl, i z nO mYr dEnJaras t fEs HOz reklis garlz Hn t rFd Hs fFrI, antEmd wUdan hYrs!"
"parhAps jM r rFt," obzarvd hiz /mAJestI. "bat, f mF pyrt, not bIiN a sOlJar, F Am fond v dEnJar. nQ, mF bq, jM mast mQnt farst. n plIz sit Az klOs t H hYrs'z nek Az posabal."
/tip klFmd kwiklI t hiz plEs, n H /sOlJar n H /skErkrO mAniJd t hqst H /pampkinhed t a sIt Jast bihFnd him. HEr rimEnd sO lital spEs f H /kiN Ht hI waz lFabal t fYl of Az sMn Az H hYrs styrtd.
"fec a klOzlFn," sed H /kiN t hiz /yrmI, "n tF as Yl tageHar. Hn if wan fYlz of wI wil Yl fYl of."
n wFl H /sOlJar waz gon f H klOzlFn hiz /mAJestI kntinjMd, "i z wel f mI t b kErfal, f mF vErI egzistans z in dEnJar."
"F hAv t b Az kErfal Az jM d," sed /JAk.
"not egzAktlI," riplFd H /skErkrO, "f if enITiN hApand t mI, Ht wUd b H end v mI. bat if enITiN hApand t jM, HE kUd jMz jM f sId."
H /sOlJar nQ ritarnd wiT a loN lFn n tFd Yl TrI farmlI tageHar, YlsO lASN Hem t H bodI v /sY-/hYrs; sO HEr sImd lital dEnJar v HEr tambalN of.
"nQ TrO Opan H gEts," kmAndd H /skErkrO, "n wI wil mEk a dAS t libartI Yr t deT."
H kYrtjyrd in wic HE war stAndN waz lOkEtd in H sentar v H grEt pAlis, wic sarQndd i on Yl sFdz. bat in wan plEs a pAsiJ led t an Qtar gEtwE, wic H /sOlJar hAd byrd bF Yrdar v hiz sovarn. i waz TrM Hs gEtwE hiz /mAJestI prapOzd t eskEp, n H /rqal /yrmI nQ led H /sY-/hYrs aloN H pAsiJ n anbyrd H gEt, wic swaN bAkward wiT a lQd krAS.
"nQ," sed /tip t H hYrs, "jM mast sEv as Yl. ran Az fAst Az jM kn f H gEt v H /sitI, n dOn't let enITiN stop jM."
"Yl rFt!" Ansard H /sY-/hYrs, graflI, n dASd awE sO sadanlI Ht /tip hAd t gAsp f breT n hOld farmlI t H pOst hI hAd Jrivan intM H krIcar'z nek.
sevaral v H garlz, hM stUd QtsFd gyrdN H pAlis, war nokd Ovar bF H /sY-/hYrs'z mAd raS. aHarz rAn skrImN Qt v H wE, n OnlI wan Yr tM JAbd HEr nitN-nIdalz frAntiklI At H eskEpN prizanarz. /tip got wan smYl prik in hiz left yrm, wic smyrtd f an Qr Aftarward; bat H nIdalz hAd nO efekt apon H /skErkrO Yr /JAk /pampkinhed, hM nevar Ivan saspektd HE war bIiN prodd.
Az f H /sY-/hYrs, hI mEd a wandarfal rekard apsetN a frMt kyrt, OvartarnN sevaral mIk lUkN men, n fFnalI bOlN Ovar H nM /gyrdIan v H /gEt -- a fasI lital wUmAn apqntd bF /Jenaral /JinJar.
nYr did H impecMas cyrJar stop Hn. wans QtsFd H wYlz v H /emarald /sitI hI dASd aloN H rOd t H /west wiT fAst n vFlent lIps Ht SUk H breT Qt v H bq n fild H /skErkrO wiT wandar.
/JAk hAd ridan At Hs mAd rEt wans bifYr, sO hI divOtd evrI efart t hOldN, wiT bOT hAndz, hiz pampkin hed apon its stik, endarN mIntFm H Jredfal JOltN wiT H kariJ v a filosafar.
"slO him ap! slO him ap!" SQtd H /skErkrO. "mF scrY z Yl SEkN dQn intM mF legz."
bat /tip hAd nO breT t spIk, sO H /sY-/hYrs kntinjMd hiz wFld kyrIr ancekd n wiT anabEtd spId.
prezantlI HE kEm t H bENks v a wFd rivar, n wiTQt a pYz H wUdan stId gEv wan fFnal lIp n lYncd Hem Yl in mid-Er.
a sekand lEtar HE war rOlN, splASN n bobN in H wotar, H hYrs scragN frAntiklI t fFnd a rest f its fIt n its rFdarz bIiN farst planJd binIT H rApid karant n Hn flOtN apon H sarfis lFk kYrks.