Lora of Two Worlds

At the guest house door, Lora stopped.

"What? You don't trust me, young lady? Or you don't trust my abilities? His Highness did tell me that you're sharp, quick to catch on..."

His Highness?

That did it. Not just Lora, even Lyle was stunned. How many things had the lord set up in his one extra day in the city?

The three followed Lord Horn inside. He led them to a private room, set an exquisite beast-headed onyx cup before Lora, and smiled:

"This is what brought me and His Highness together. An heirloom, so old I didn't know its origin. I thought it was pretty, kept it on the shelf with my other drinking cups.

His Highness took one look and told me I'd committed a capital offense. Asked what my connection was to Princess Joyride. I knew then, he was royalty. So I told him the cup's history.

He was remarkably learned, guessed who I was. We talked. Found we were kindred spirits. Exchanged names."

Lora thought: Kindred spirits? More like, he saw your identity and wanted a foothold in Yorvik. But if he revealed himself to you, you've passed his test.

The beast-headed onyx cup had a twin, still in the royal palace. Cups came in pairs. A lone cup on the shelf made everyone ask where the other one was.

So everyone at court knew: the twin had been taken by Princess Joyride when she married the Duke of Sundermoor, Claude Hawke, as a diplomatic bride to the Black Eagle.

But Joyride had been married less than a year when Claude Hawke rebelled. To justify military suppression, the court announced that he'd killed her.

In truth, she'd been pregnant. Claude Hawke hadn't killed her.

When he was defeated and killed, Joyride couldn't stay with the Black Eagle, and couldn't return to the royal house. She took her followers south, settled in Yarnford.

Claude Hawke had been a name granted by the crown. Joyride gave her son back his father's surname, Horn. Generation after generation.

The Yarnford Horn family had grown over the decades into the largest Black Eagle power in Yorvik. By Horn's father's time, they'd moved their center of influence to Yorvik city itself.

"So we're kin?" Lora laughed:

Hmph. The Black Eagle had always been fence-sitters, swaying between the Empire and the steppe. This claim of kinship probably meant they needed help.

But a powerful relative was worth having. No wonder Leon had taken the risk. At last they could talk freely. Lyle and Shawn each reported what they'd learned.

When they reached the deaths of Ashford and the thirty guards, all cut down by the household guards, everyone fell silent. They'd known the road was dangerous. They'd all been ready to die.

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The last smile on those men's faces had been when the young lady handed out the wager winnings.

Horn thought for a moment: "They're in the military prison. That gives us time to plan a rescue. After that, I'll get you to Yelford. By sea to Dizhou, then up the river back to Lohenheim."

"No." Lora shook her head: "Running home isn't what they'd want. I want to find out why the plan failed first."

"You mean, go back to Sheffield?"

The letter to Sheffield had been Lyle's work. He knew the plan.

Lora beckoned. The men leaned in. She laid out her new scheme.

Horn smiled: "Good. I'll handle the materials. As for creating a chance encounter between him and the beauty... I think we can refine that."

They say a general's house breeds tigresses. But the Odenheim general's house had bred a little fox!

He remembered something: "Why did those Redmane men help you today? They're not local, traders, passing through."

"I don't know. I thought they were Good Samaritans..."

Horn shook his head: "The Redmane are shrewd. They never act without reason. They did this for a purpose. And... they treated you with respect."

Lora was baffled. In her former life, she'd known a few Redmane names, Claude Kay, Claude Conrad, Claude Soren, but they hadn't been born yet!

"Everyone, be careful out there. Don't stay in the guest rooms. Move to the back courtyard. No outsiders there. There's a back door... and a tunnel."

They left the secret room. Faye came downstairs with Linnie, both carrying baggage. Linnie saw Lora:

"My lady, can I sleep with you tonight?"

She was terrified that if she let Lora out of her sight, Lora would slip away back to Lohenheim. Going back to Jaxham was bad enough, being alone in this wolf's den was worse.

Lora was delighted.

"I want to sleep with Yangyang too!" Faye was nothing if not forward. They'd just met, and she wanted to share a bed.

Lora, afraid that with Faye present she and Linnie couldn't whisper, deflected: "Maybe in a day or two. Three in a bed is too tight."

"My brothers are all in Yarnford. I've never had a sister to play with. Finally a fun one comes along..."

Hearing Faye pout, Lora thought of her own situation, only brothers, no sister. She'd run off without telling Carl. He'd be sulking for ages. She smiled:

"I have two brothers here in Yorvik. When they get back, I'll lend you one."

"Really? You're so pretty, your brothers must be handsome. Mm, not bad, not bad!"

Faye dispatched, they ate a simple supper, washed up, and lay in the dark, whispering.

"Linnie, you were terrified today, weren't you? Honestly, so was I."

"Then why did you stop being afraid?"

"It's simple. Yorvik has competing factions. Men settle things with fists. But we women, we can use our heads."

"Use my head... I'd like to. But when it matters, my mind goes blank."

"You and I are different. I have brothers and a father behind me. That's why I'm not afraid. Your father's gone, you have no brothers. The only way forward is to find a powerful husband, then you'll never be afraid."

How wretched, a woman's life in this age. Obedient to father, then husband, then son. No chance to be independent.

"I'd like that... but I don't even know if I can get back to Jaxham..."

Lora feigned shock:

"Back to Jaxham? Can you even go back? Your godfather's arrested for corruption. He's done as a justice. When he fell, you ran, heartless. Your godmother won't take you in. And the palace? With your background? You can't go back to court. The only person you can rely on, is your godfather. The one in prison."

Linnie sat bolt upright, seized Lora, and wept:

"But he's in prison, life or death unknown. Am I alone?"

"That's why we've to get him out. He can't die. If he dies, we can't go home either. We'll end up as playthings for those foreigners."

"No!"

Linnie had been terrorized today. Those men, smelly, ugly, rough. To be used by them, she'd rather die. She cried:

"Lora, you're the one with ideas. Tell me what to do. I'll do anything."

Alas. The little fox swished her tail.

I feel like a villain seducing an innocent girl.

But every word I said was the truth.

So I'm an honest villain.

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