Empress of the Underworld Read Online Free PDF Page B

those among my people.”
    â€œI’ve had a lot of experience,” Abbey said.
    â€œI’ll gather some firewood, and you look through these supplies and see if you can find something good to cook.” He tied the horses, while Abbey prowled through the large saddlebags. By the time Lothar had a fire going, she could say, “We’re going to have a fine supper. I’ll show you what a good cook I am.”
    â€œGood,” he said. “And I brought a small tent for you to sleep in. I’ll make you a bed of pine boughs. It won’t be as good as the apartments in the palace, but you’ll have some privacy.”
    As Abbey began to fry meat in a small pan, she watched him remove from a saddlebag a dark blue tent that seemed to be made of fine silk. He cut poles and stakes with a sharp knife, and she was delighted when he turned and waved at the small shelter.
    â€œIt’s beautiful,” she said. “I wouldn’t mind having a dress made out of that material.”
    â€œIts color would go with your eyes.” Lothar smiled. He came over and sat down. “Is supper about ready?”
    â€œYes. I’ve done the best I could.” She put the meat and bread before him. He had brought along two delightful, collapsible silver cups. She opened them, admired them, and filled them with sparkling spring water. “No Dr Pepper tonight, I’m afraid.”
    â€œDoctor who?” Lothar asked in surprise. “We don’t have a doctor here.”
    â€œOh, that’s just the name of a drink we used to have back where I lived.”
    Abbey found the tender meat to be very good. Lothar approved of it too. Then she opened a package and said, “I don’t know who made these, but they’re delicious.”They were small cakes, sweet and mouth-watering. “What’s in them?”
    â€œHoney, I think. I’m no cook. I’m mostly an eater.”
    The two of them finished eating, then sat back and watched the fire as it crackled merrily.
    â€œTell me more about the Kingdom of the Underworld,” she said.
    Apparently nothing could have pleased Lothar more. For an hour he talked about his home. “You would never know, by walking over the ground, what is underneath,” he said. “There are compartments filled with gold and precious metals. There are huge caverns where we store food of all kinds—mostly wild grain. We have our own mill by an underground river. You’ll like the underground river. It goes to a rocky channel, and the stones are so bright they’re like lamps lit up. They reflect on the water. I’ll take you for a boat ride when we get there.”
    â€œAnd you make all the things you need to live underground?”
    â€œOh, most everything.” Lothar shrugged. “It’s like other kingdoms in some ways.”
    â€œHow’s that, Lothar?”
    â€œWell, we have different classes of people.” He went on to describe the structure of the Underworld. “At the top, of course, is the Royal Family, which is now the empress and myself. Then we have our nobles. You’ll be meeting all of them. The young nobles will all fall in love with you and want to marry you.”
    He laughed at her blush. “I didn’t know girls knew how to blush. You’ll be the belle of the ball. I can see you now, wearing a beautiful new red dress with diamonds and a crown on your head and boots made out of finely tanned moleskin and ruby rings on your fingers and an amethyst necklace …”
    He went on and on, and Abbey enjoyed it hugely.
    â€œI wish we were there,” she said excitedly. “I’m so anxious to meet the empress and all the nobles. But there are other people who do the work, aren’t there?”
    â€œOh, yes. We have our mercantile class—that is, people who work for a living. They make things, buy things, sell things—I don’t know most of them too