Damuck had sat by the fire all night wondering what he would do if the Thieves found out about Kathline. He couldn’t take her back because he would get hanged no matter how well he got in and out of Telisha. They’d be on their guard after her disappearing. He couldn’t just leave her because she had no clue how to survive in the forest alone and would likely get eaten by some hungry beast. And he couldn’t kill her because he had vowed that he would never kill a person needlessly after his mother died at the hands of bandits. He hoped more than anything that the thieves wouldn’t mind but he knew better than that. Having the daughter of the richest lord in Tanten around wasn’t exactly safe. After all, many of the thieves would sell their own grandmothers for money. His thoughts were interrupted by men’s voices. Listening, he learned that they had been up before dawn searching for someone. They most be looking for their Lady he thought. But it was past 11 in the morning. She can’t be that important that they search for her for more than five hours without a break. Then he heard one say, “I can’t believe we’re still out here. I hadn’t even been off duty for more than and hour when I got sent out.”

            “I know how that is.” another said, “But when I saw the sorrowful look on Hamul’s little Sarah’s face, I just couldn’t stand the thought of not coming out here, and I remember Kathline helping me out when I wanted to woo my dear Lizz. She was so cute when she went up to Lizz and told her that there was a handsome guard looking her way. She was only eight then.”

            Damuck couldn’t bear to hear how his actions had an effect on the whole town. He almost couldn’t believe that such a cold girl could be loved by everyone, but then again he did kidnap her. He also thought about what she might have looked like when she was eight, marching up to a woman to tell her that there was a guard who was looking her way. Damuck smiled to think how kind she must truly be. He turned to watch them, trying not to let their recollections of Kathline get to him. They searched hard and Damuck was almost scared that they might find the entrance to his maze. He feared that maybe he had bruised a plant just enough for these men to notice, and they may even be smart enough to find their way through the maze. After a little while, one of them left the group and Damuck was certain that he was going to tell their captain that they had found something and that soon a hundred or more men would come and between them they would find their way through the maze, but the man returned alone and joined the others in searching some more.

            Kathline woke to the sound of men’s voices. They were voices she knew. They were the men from Franky’s crew. She wondered why they would all be near her room in the morning. They were supposed to be on duty. Then she slowly opened her eyes to find that she was staring across a fire at that boy who was in her dream. But it wasn’t a dream. She was in a cave after running away and being kidnapped and the men outside must have been sent to look for her. She knew her father cared about her more than anything. But then she thought that her father just didn’t want to deal with the prince’s wrath. He was known for being ill tempered after all. How could her father even have agreed to the marriage? The boy was watching through the water fall. He must be making sure they don’t find his little hide out. She didn’t know what to do. She wanted the boy to be sorry that he ever thought to kidnap the daughter of the richest lord in Tanten but she didn’t want to give herself away to Franky’s crew. She started to get up and Damuck turned around quickly. “Stay quiet he hissed.”

            “I’m a bit hungry. It is breakfast time.” She said this softly enough that the men outside couldn’t hear her. She knew how loud these men’s voice’s were and so she could calculate how loud she could be for them not to hear her, but Damuck didn’t know these things and seeing the alarmed look on his face gave her satisfaction.

            “I said to be quiet. You’ll get some lunch soon but for now please just sit there.” His face was a mix of alarm and sorrow when he said this.

            “I think I should like breakfast before lunch…” she then looked through the water fall and saw that it was almost noon. “But I see. I must have slept a bit late. Oh well I guess lunch will do.” She couldn’t stand to look at Damuck’s face because it was so sorrowful but she continued. “Those men out there, do you know who they are? They are my father’s guards now tell me why I shouldn’t just scream right now and then you will certainly be hanged.” She kept her voice low but the alarm on Damuck’s face increased and he quickly had her in his arms and his hand was over her mouth.

            “I don’t want to be mean. I try to be nice but I can’t be found. I’ll take you back when my job is done. For now you need to be quiet.” His breath was warm on her ear and she heard desperation in his voice. She nodded but he kept her mouth covered and they sat together watching the men. The man, who had left the group before, left several more times and each time he returned his head was drooped even further.

            Hamul stood at the gates of Telisha for hours listening to reports of fruitless searching. He hoped more than anything that the man who had fallen asleep on the job would remember something that would help them. The men hadn’t eaten and some hadn’t slept. He knew they couldn’t keep up the search for long but he hoped in vain that the next report would bring some news. At last he sent messages to all his men to end the search and that he hoped to resume later.

            When all the men got his message, he turned towards the castle. He didn’t have a clue what he would tell his lord but he still had to report back.

Franky’s men were all worn out by the time the man returned for the last time. He wasn’t any happier on that return, in fact he seemed to be worse, and they all trudged off towards Telisha.

            For what seemed like a life time, Damuck watched them disappear into the forest. He sat with his hand over Kathline’s mouth the whole time. When the men finally disappeared, and all they heard was the gentle song of the water fall, Damuck let go of Kathline.  “Now will I get food?” Kathline sounded impatient and demanding.

            Damuck walked over to the pack, threw her a hunk of bread and pulled on the pack. “Here now hurry up we don’t have much time to get to Sanial.” The mention of the Capital alarmed Kathline because she didn’t want to be found and everyone was certain to recognize her, but she thought that the boy couldn’t be stupid enough to take her to the city without a disguise. “Did you hear me, hurry up.” Damuck walked out of the cave while Zeb climbed to his shoulder.

            “Don’t you think I know who those men were? What if there are more of my father’s guards about? Don’t you think I could escape?” Kathline saw Damuck’s impatience in his eyes and it pleased her.

            “That’s why I will lead you by the arm.” With that statement, Damuck grabbed Kathline’s arm and dragged her back through the maze of plants, only this time they ended up on the other side of the stream. “Now be quiet or I will gag you.” Kathline knew that if she spoke someone might hear her so she kept quiet.

They walked until midday. Where they stopped for lunch, the stream flowed into a river and a hilly grass land stretched out on the other side. Damuck got the last of his bread and cheese out of his pack and gave it all to Kathline after considering how little there was. Zeb ran off to search for food while Kathline ate. After she finished, Damuck pulled a cloak out of his pack and handed it to her while saying, “We going to get into the city this evening, you will wear this while we are there and make sure you keep the hood up so no one can see your face. If anyone sees you I will frame you for the theft of the Golden Finch and get as far from here as I can.”     

            “And if I choose not even to go into Sanial, what then?” she demanded in an imperial voice.

            “I’m not letting you out of my sight so put it on and be content. There’s still half a days walk ahead of you.” He said it with a forced smile and turned and walked away with Zeb coming out of a shadow to follow him.

            Hastily she pulled the cloak over her head and followed. “Have you ever tried to do something besides walk away? What if I chose not to follow you? In fact I think I’ll stop here and take a nap until a traveler with a kind heart comes by.” She stopped, sat down, and began to hum.

            Damuck, close to losing his patients, stopped and spoke in a deceivingly gentle voice, “It’s late in the day. Your father’s guards looked as though they have searched since before dawn and I’m sure they went back to their families to eat lunch and rest a bit. So, your father’s guards aren’t around and this isn’t a well worn path. The only people who travel it aren’t nice people and since I don’t have the heart to leave you, you either follow me or we both stay here and starve.” Damuck knew that men actually traveled the path they were turning onto and there was even a village on the other side of the river. He also knew that how to find food so they wouldn’t starve but he hoped that Kathline didn’t. The bluff worked and she followed him docilely.

            On the other side of the river, the forest began to pop back up and soon there was a thick forest surrounding them. As the sun began to lower in the sky, the trees thinned and there, at the edge of the forest, a gate rose nearly fifteen feet in front of them and the stone of the wall stood five feet above that. Kathline stood in awe until Damuck nudged her forward. It was market day so the gate stood wide open for wayfarers of all kinds to enter. This allowed Damuck and Kathline to enter without a challenge. Damuck steered them to an alley that seemed to be invisible to most people and the people who noticed quickly averted their eyes as though if they looked at it too long, they might be struck down by Death himself. Kathline felt chills go up and down her back when she saw those people walking by the alley, but that was the alley they went down. Down the alley, they came to an old dilapidating building with a large sign reading: The Black Stallion. The sight of the building filled Kathline’s heart with dread.

            Kathline watched Damuck enter that very fearful building and only overcame her fear of it when she realized that if she didn’t go in, she would be outside it… alone. Once inside, she was hit with the pungent smell of alcohol and body odor. Over fifty men and women were crammed into the inn’s pub drinking, gambling, flirting, and conspiring. Very few just sat alone and they were the scariest of the bunch. Among them was an especially cruel looking man with slits for eyes, almost gaudy clothes, a cold feeling and greasy hair. He seemed to hear and see everything that went on and on a few occasions broke up conversations that were schemes against him. Behind him two identical men stood silently. They were large and bovine in looks, but they had cruel eyes that seemed to suggest that they have taken part in murders and violence. To Kathline’s horror, this was the man that Damuck started to approach.  Kathline, glad for the hood that hid the fear in her face, hesitantly followed him. She tried to hear what Damuck said to the man but that was as futile as trying to hear the gentle trickle of a stream over the thunderous roar of a waterfall. Kathline wondered why they were here. Surely Damuck could find a better buyer for the Finch and afford to be in better places than this. Unless this cruel man was the buyer he had in mind. Kathline thought.

            The man stuck out an oversized had, but before the business was completed, a racket arose in the kitchen. A flash of grey fur climbed up Kathline and jumped to Damuck’s shoulder. It was preceded by the harsh swearing of the cook. Then all of a sudden silence fell in the room and all eyes turned in disbelief to look at Kathline. The hood had come off.

            The man stood wide eyed for a moment and then, after regaining his composure, pulled Damuck toward him and said in a tight voice, “get rid of her. She could lead law men hare and we will all rot in the dungeons. So when you have dealt with her, come back and we will be pleased to celebrate your great entrance into our grand society. Now let me take the Golden Finch for safe keeping and go.”