The Fugitive Prince (Bell Mountain) Read Online Free PDF

was much the largest building in the city, and it took Ryons and his guide quite some time to wend their way to an exit.
     
    All of the halls were lit, with soldiers and servants stationed here and there as needed. But no matter which way the man of God led Ryons, they found the people either sound asleep or absent from their posts. Ryons thought this the most outlandish dream he’d ever had.
     
    Yet when he finally stepped outdoors and felt the cool night air on his face, and found Cavall waiting for him on the curb, wagging his tail, and the men stationed at the exit asleep on their feet, Ryons was forced to acknowledge that it wasn’t a dream after all.
     
    “Follow,” said the man of God; and Ryons and Cavall followed, the great hound prancing for pure pleasure.
     

     
    Ryons knew there were always people on the streets of Obann at all hours of the day or night. As he and Cavall followed the man of God, he heard people’s voices, footsteps, the occasional clip-clop of a horse’s hooves or the creak and rattle of a cart; but the noise always seemed to come from some other street nearby.
     
    Only once did they meet anyone: a burly, bearded man who looked like trouble, Ryons thought.
     
    “Ho, there! What’s this?” the burly man said. “Hold up there, you two!”
     
    Cavall growled, but the man had a cudgel in one hand and didn’t seem at all afraid of the dog. Before Cavall could spring at him, the man of God said something Ryons couldn’t hear, and the burly man dropped the cudgel and reeled backward, bumping heavily into a brick wall. He slid down the wall and collapsed in a heap, and Ryons heard him snoring.
     
    “What did you do to him?”
     
    “Nothing. He fell asleep. He will wake up in the morning with a headache. Come, Your Majesty. You must be out of the gate and on your way before sunrise.”
     
    It being peacetime, Obann’s gates weren’t closed at night; but they were guarded. But the guards at the East Gate just stood staring into the night, and paid no attention at all as Ryons and Cavall followed their guide through the gate.
     
    Now they were outside the city, and the old man led them on a dirt track down to the river. There he pushed aside some reeds and showed Ryons a little boat resting on the riverbank. He smiled again.
     
    “The first time you crossed the river, little king, you were riding the great beast to the rescue of your city. This time a little rowboat will have to suffice,” he said. “Get in and I’ll shove you off. You’ll find a sack of provisions and other necessities, a waterskin, and a blanket.”
     
    Ryons climbed awkwardly into the boat, and Cavall leaped in after him. All the things he would need for his journey were there in a little pile.
     
    “Put the oars in the locks,” said the man. “You can row a boat, can’t you?”
     
    “I think I can,” Ryons said. “I’ve never done it before, though.”
     
    “You’ll do all right this time, Your Majesty.”
     
    “Why does God want me to go to Lintum Forest? Won’t it make a lot of trouble in the city, when they can’t find me and nobody knows where I am?”
     
    “The Father of All wishes to magnify His servants and them that love Him,” said the man of God, “at the expense of their enemies, and to demonstrate His providence. Now go, and trust in God’s protection.”
     
    With surprising strength the old man pushed the boat into the water, and it kept going as Ryons fumbled with the oars. It wasn’t easy to get them into just the right position. By the time he accomplished it and looked up again, the old man was gone. At least Ryons couldn’t see him in the dark.
     
    You or I would have found it hard to row across the Imperial River. There was a strong current. You’d get across eventually, but at a point far downstream from the spot that you were trying to reach.
     
    Ryons found it easy going, and before another hour had gone by, he’d rowed all the way across the great