Wizard's First Rule

"Well, there you go then. You get to stay in tonight," the regular guard said.

"What's you name?" Rachel asked.

He looked a little surprised. "Queen's lancer Reid."

With her doll in her hand, Rachel pointed at the other regular guard. "What's yours?"

"Queen's lancer Walcott."

"Queen's lancer Reid and Queen's lancer Walcott," she repeated to herself. "All right, I think I can remember." She pointed at the new man, the doll swinging back and forth by its arm when she did. "And what's your name?"

He hooked his thumbs in his belt. "What do you want to know for?"

She hugged Sara back to her chest. "Well, the Princess yelled at me, to tell me to be put out tonight. If I don't go out, she'll be spitting mad, and want to chop my head off for not doing as she said, so I want to tell her who wouldn't let me be put out. I want your names so she won't think I'm making it up, so she can come and ask you herself. She scares me. She's been starting to say to have people's heads chopped off."

All — three of them stood back up a little and looked at each other. "That's true enough," Queen's lancer Reid said to the new man. "The Princess is turning into her mother's daughter. A little handful, what with the Queen letting her cut her teeth on the axe now." "No one goes out, those are our orders," the new man repeated.

"Well, the two of us are for doing as the Princess orders." Queen's lancer Reid turned a little and spat. "Now, if you want her kept in, that's fine by us, so long as it's clear whose neck's on the block. If it comes down to it, we told you to let her out, just like the Princess said. We're not going to the block with you." The other guard, Walcott, nodded that he agreed. "Not for the threat from a little girl, no taller than that." He held his hand out, level with the top of her head. "I'll not tell them we three big strong soldiers all agreed we thought she was dangerous. It's your call, but it'll be your head, not ours, if you go against the Princess. You'll answer to the Queen's axeman, not us."

The new man looked down at her; he seemed a little mad. He looked back at the other two a minute, then down at her again. "Well, it's obvious she's no threat. The orders were meant to protect from threat, so I guess…"

Queen's lancer Walcott started lifting up the heavy bolt on the door.

"But I want to know what she's got there," the new man said.

"Just my supper and my doll," Rachel said, trying to make it sound unimportant.

"Let's have a look."

Rachel laid the bundle down on the ground and untied the knots, laying the corners back. She handed Sara up to him.

He took Sara in his big hand, turning her around, looking. He turned her upside down and lifted her dress with his big finger. Rachel kicked him in the leg, hard as she could.

"Don't you do that! Don't you have no respect?" she yelled.

The other two guards laughed. "You find anything dangerous under there?" Queen's lancer Reid asked.

The new man looked over at the other two, handing Sara back down to her. "What else have you got there?"

"I told you. My supper."

He started to bend over. "Well, a little thing like you has no need for a whole loaf of bread."

"That's mine!" she yelled. "Leave it be!"

"Leave it alone," Queen's lancer Walcott told the new man

"She gets little enough. It look to you like the Princess overfeed her?"

The new man straightened up. "I guess not." He let out a deep breath. "Go on. Get out of here."

Rachel tied the cloth back over the bread and other food as fast as she could. She held Sara tight to her with one hand, and held the bundle just as tight with the other as she went between the men's legs and out the door.

When she heard it clang shut, she started running. She ran fast as she could, not looking back, too afraid to know for sure it anyone was chasing her. After a time, she had to know, and finally stopped to check. No one. Out of breath, she sat down to rest on a fat root in the path.

She could see the outline of the castle against the starry sky, the notched top edge of the wall, the towers with lights in them. She was never going back there again, never. Her and Giller were going to run away to where people were nice and they were never going to come back. While she was panting, she heard a voice.

"Rachel?" It was Sara, she realized.

She laid Sara in her lap, on top of the bundle. "We're safe now, Sara. We got away."

Sara smiled. "I'm so glad, Rachel."

"We're never going back to that mean place again."

"Rachel, Giller wants you to know something."

She had to lean close; she could hardly hear Sara's voice. "What?"

"That he can't come with you. You must go on without him."

Rachel started to get tears. "But I want him to come with me."

"He would like to, more than anything, child, but he must stay and keep them from finding you, so you can get away. It's the only way to keep you safe."

"But I'll be afraid by myself."

"You won't be by yourself, Rachel, you will have me with you. Always.",

"But what am I to do? Where am I to go?"