Over The Sea Read Online Free PDF Page B

looking wooden-faced, as they drove, or walked along-side, pony-pulled covered carts. They were dressed alike in ugly clothes of gray, yellow, and orange. Livery, I realized later. These were the servants.
    Irene touched my shoulder, and beckoned for me to follow.
    Seshe led the way down the slope and around a grove of trees. The moss and grass and old leaves were soft under my bare feet. The road curved, and we all crouched down, me shivering with excitement and laughter, as the group rode by again.
    The two girls were complaining to each other about some merchant girl trying to act above her rank.
    Prince Jonnicake interrupted them, nasaling at one of the boys, “No. You aren’t listening , Nial. This is supposed to be mine. All of it, but I don’t like wood. My royal will is to begin with my own place, and put the lackeys out of sight. Build a city. Clear it all out from the middle, see, and while Mumsie — ”
    Honest, that’s how it translated — Mumsie .
    â€œ — thinks it a little retreat, I will have my own city, and my own army, and then I can — ”
    â€œHis own city?” Irene whispered, the last word an indignant hiss.
    â€œIn our wood?” Seshe added, looking stricken.
    One of the horses twitched its ears, its head swinging round to look at us, but the boy riding it slapped his reins against the animal’s face.
    â€œWhat do we do?” Sherry said, her eyes round with worry.
    â€... but I very much fear I’m starving, your highness,” one of the boys said in a long-suffering voice.
    â€œWe’ll stop and eat when I find the right location.”
    My insides were boiling with laughter. I thought my ears would explode with my effort not to let it out.
    Irene motioned violently for our attention. “Let’s follow them, shall we?”
    â€œI very much want to,” Clair stated, frowning. “This is our land they are proposing to build their city on.”
    And for a time that’s what we did. I realized as we ran along that Seshe knew the way really well. Oh, to spend days just wandering around this beautiful place, never being afraid of having to go home!
    It wasn’t a very long run. Jonnicake’s pals were all complaining now — hunger, ugly trees going on forever — horses smelled — butts hurt.
    Then he stopped, looked around with a lordly air, and announced, “Here’s the place.”
    He’d stopped on the side of a gentle rise that overlooked a meandering stream. We were farther uphill, again hiding behind green shrubs.
    Jonnicake looked back down the road. The servants trudged into view beside the laden carts. He snapped his fingers They hurried forward at once, some uncovering the carts, two or three unhooking the ponies and drawing them off to be watered, I guess. Others led away the decorated horses.
    All the rest spread out embroidered cloths, and placed pillows in a circle, with the largest one — tasseled with gold — in the center. Then PJ (I had already begun thinking of him as PJ instead of Prince Jonnicake) chose his spot. He gave his friends an expectant glare, and they all bowed or curtseyed. Then he waved at the brocade picnic cloth with a very lofty air. His friends all said, “Thank you, your highness,” in ingratiating voices, and arranged themselves on the pillows around him.
    While the servants quietly moved around, serving out enough cakes, pastries, and other sweets to feed about five cities, the friends all vied with one another in telling PJ what a sweet spot it was, how clever he was to choose it, and how many guest suites was he planning?
    â€œWill you hurry up?” PJ snapped at the last two servants still arranging the food. “And get out of sight when you’re done. Damn you,” he added, sounding so self-important with his cussing that I nearly choked myself in my effort not to laugh out loud.
    They settled in to eat. The picnic was