“I just thought I'd mention,” said Julia Jessica Slagg, “in passing, no offense, you have stepped on my tail twice. You might watch where you're going, and forget about our friend up there.”
“I am not thinking about anything at all,” Letitia said. “Besides, you have no idea what's going on in my head. You're not as good as you think you are.”
“Well, ofcourse. I am only a humble mechanical device.”
“Don't start, Julia. I'm not in the mood for this.”
“My snout is sealed.”
“I should live to see the day.”
“May it be the Fates’ will. Do I have the right deities this time? I get these mythical figures Newlies and humans revere mixed up sometimes. Is it the Fates I'm thinking of? Or is that the Three Blind Lice? I can never be sure.”
“Julia?”
“Right here. Scampering aside, just in the nick of time.”
“Can you-sense Finn at all? Do you think he's anywhere near?”
“I had enough trouble sniffing out his trail in the hall. There is nothing in here. Certainly nothing remotely akin to Finn.”
“Then what are we doing here, Julia? I mean, we've avoided the Badgies, but we don't know where she's taking us, or why.”
Julia sensed the edge of desperation in Letitia's voice, the tension, the strain, the tone that said she was hanging on as best she could. Julia knew she needed all the help she could get, instead of the seven acid comments and the half dozen jibes that had just come to mind. Out of great consideration, she said nothing at all.
Letitia saw no difference in this particular section of the narrow, twisting crawlway, and the one they'd passed only moments before, but DeFloraine-Marie seemed to feel it was the right place to be.
“I cannot stop and wait for you every five minutes. You're going to have to keep up,” the King's daughter told Letitia in that haughty, insufferable manner that seemed to be her ordinary, everyday voice.
Maybe they went to Princess School, Letitia thought. You couldn't be that obnoxious without a little help.
“I don't see I'm any farther back than I'm supposed to be,” Letitia said. “You're our leader. I can't very well get ahead of you.
“And, while we're at it, do you think you could tell me where we're going? Could I ask why you're helping us at all? I'm sure it's not concern over me. I know better than that.”
DeFloraine-Marie laughed, stretching her exquisite neck, tossing her perfect golden locks about in a manner Letitia was sure she'd practiced in a mirror a hundred times.
“Letitia Louise-such a charming name, common among the Mycer folk, I assume? If you imagine I have base designs of any sort on your male, you can put that notion to rest. If I cared, the poor dear would be stunned, paralyzed, struck completely dumb by now.
“I don't want him, I want him out of here. Out of this palace, out of Heldessia, out of my sight.”
Letitia frowned. “Why? What has Finn done to harm you?”
DeFloraine-Marie dismissed her with a scornful glance. “That's none of your concern. There are things- matters of importance to me. His presence is a nuisance. I want all you out of here, isn't that enough for you?”
“Yes. I suppose it is. As you say, your reasons are none of my concern.”
“How thoughtful of you to say so, dear. What you think means so much to me.”
And there was that vain, arrogant smile, that cold, unfeeling glance that marred the princess’ beauty and turned her perfect features into something ugly and profane.
“You clearly know this enormous structure better than I,” Julia said, fixing DeFloraine-Marie with her bright ruby eyes. “However, I know Master Finn, and that overblown magician never brought him this way.”
“Tell your disgusting machine to stay away from me,” the princess said, backing off a step or so. “If that thing gets near me, I'll step on its dreadful head.”
“I wouldn't” Letitia said.
“If she doesn't bite me, I won't bite her,” Julia said, flicking her silver tongue. “Please pass that along if you will.”
DeFloraine-Marie wrinkled her nose, as if she found something most unpleasant in the air.
“No, Oberbyght didn't bring him this way, your creature's right about that. Even that pompous oaf doesn't know about this passageway.
“When I was a child, my cousins and I found every hollow and hidey-hole in the palace. Some of them I can't even squeeze through now. We peeked on everyone.
Including Oberbyght. If they'd ever caught us, if they'd ever known we were there… “
For just an instant, Letitia saw the princess’ features soften, the mask of contempt give way to reveal the child that lay hidden somewhere behind the woman that child had become.
“Anyway, you don't care about that. You want to know where dear, dear Finn is, right? The seer took him to his place in the south tower. You can't get near him if you go that way. There are all kinds of horrid spells and magic locks and doors. My way will take us past all that. If I recall-and I'm quite good at recalling whatever I like-we'll end up at a spot where we can get a look inside the tower room.”
“Get a look?” Julia twitched her golden tail. “A look won't do us much good, as I see it. What do we have to do, break down a wall?”
DeFloraine-Marie looked past Julia as if she wasn't there. “Do I have to do everything? I'm getting you there. Don't you have a-a weapon or anything?”
“No. I've been bound up for some time. You're not aware of that?”
DeFloraine-Marie rolled her eyes. “Well, you or your monster will have to think of something. I expect you'll have to kill Oberbyght before he'll let Finn go. I'd happily do it myself, but I don't carry weapons of any sort. That's not what I do.”
Letitia knew this was so. DeFloraine-Marie wasn't wearing enough to hide anything at all. Letitia wondered if she dressed that way all the time. A cloudy wisp of lace, a sparkle of gems here and there didn't seem the right outfit for sneaking about in drafty passageways. The palace was such a dank and dreary place, it was a wonder the princess didn't have a chronic runny nose.
“I would suggest,” Julia said, “that we move along quickly in whatever direction you feel would be best.”
Her silver snout was rigid, her golden scales aquiver, signs that told Letitia the lizard sensed the need for action of the most immediate kind.
“She means now. She means we don't have time to stand around.”
“Oh? And why would that be?” DeFloraine-Marie flicked a mote off her bare and perfect shoulder. She was clearly bored with this venture, ready for something new.
“We are pursued,” Julia said. “Badgies, and not too far behind.”
“Nonsense. No one knows about these inner corridors but me. I assure you there's nobody here.”
“If Julia says they're here-”
“ Julia — and I cannot believe I am calling a machine by a name-that thing may smell Badgies, I'm certain the halls are full of them now. And yes, we will move on, as I was about to suggest myself.”
“Good,” Letitia said. “We are in your hands, m'lady. I'm sure you won't lead us astray.”
DeFloraine-Marie left Letitia with a withering glance and stomped off ahead.
“She didn't care for that,” Julia said.
“Exactly what I had in mind, then. She is truly the most annoying, irritating-”
Letitia stopped, nearly stumbled as a tremor, a quake, a deep and distant rumble shook the narrow walls. Dust rained down from above. A herd of beetles scurried across the floor and disappeared.
“When the bugs go, it's time for me to go too,” Julia said. “That's never a very good sign.”
“What was that?” Letitia braced her hands against the wall. “I think something exploded somewhere.”
“Don't stand there,” whispered the princess. “Do I have to tell you every time?”
She stared at Letitia, her face the color of ash. Soot smudged her nose, and a spiderweb fluttered in her hair. Letitia noted with disgust that the soot set off her pale complexion, and the spiderweb looked nice.