“Say, Hovren, did you hear?” the guard on the right side asked.
“No, what?”
“That thief was caught today. This afternoon, just about two hours ago.”
Iyana’s heart stopped and her stomach did a flip. Two hours ago? She had just come back to the main tower by then. She had only left Keldf for ten minutes... Could it have been him they had caught?
“You don’t say,” the guard replied, sounding relieved.
“I do.”
“Well it’s about blooming time!” He had to watch his tongue around the princess. “That kid’s been bugging us all week with robberies and such. How long’s he been locked up for?”
“See, that’s the beauty of it all. The King, his majesty in all his greatness and wisdom, knew of other charges and crimes this young lad had done in other lands and cities from a general request for his head sent around a while ago. He’ll probably never get out.”
Iyana hoped with all her heart it wasn’t Keldf, but she knew hoping never did anything. But for the rest of his life? That was just too long.
She could bear it no longer. She had to know if this thief they were talking about was Keldf from this afternoon. Iyana walked to the doorway.
“Please excuse us, princess, your highness. We did not mean to disturb your studying. We will stop talking if you want--”
“What was his name?” she asked.
“Pardon?” The guard looked confused.
“What was that thief’s name? The one that was locked up today about two hours ago.”
“I’m not sure, princess. It was something like ‘Kel’ or something, but names can get skewed over the telling of the story.”
She assured herself that there must be a billion thieves out in the world with ‘Kel’ as the first syllable in their name. “Did he have black hair and brown eyes?”
“Yes...” The guard seemed uncertain.
“What was he wearing?” She really couldn’t remember what he was wearing, but reminding her, she could tell if it was him or not.
The guard described what Keldf was wearing and Iyana panicked.
She never should have talked to him. She never should have asked his name! Then, she wouldn’t have cared that this man was in the dungeons; he would just be another caught criminal. “Let me see him.”
“But princess, you do not--”
“Take me to him, and then leave so I may discuss something with him. Alone. You can put us in a private room if you want, guarded if you want, I don’t care. Just take me to him now, or I will go myself.”
The guards shrugged. “But you cannot be alone with him.”
“A guard may be within shouting distance, but no closer.” She didn’t want anyone to know if this.
“Very well.” They led her through the corridors.
Keldf sat in his cell, knowing he would never see Iyana again. It did not bother him so much being in jail; he could always escape like he always did. But he could never return to the city. Escape meant some kind of exile, and he already knew that each city he had escaped from was demanding his head.
He could imagine Iyana’s face when she waited at the North Gate. Maybe, he could tell her if he managed to escape before midnight. Maybe.
Escape. He should be working on a plan to escape, but his mind kept wandering to Iyana. He couldn’t escape without her. Maybe he could escape and find Iyana and get out of the city.
Getting arrested wouldn’t have happened except that, walked away from Iyana, he had let his guard down. He knew falling in love would mess everything up.
“All right, you slime-buckets of sludge! Straighten up!” the dungeon guard shouted and his voice echoed on the stone walls. “Pay your proper respects to the visitor! No shouting, rude comments, and so on. You all should know the rules by now.”
Although Keldf could not see the other prisoners except for the one across him, he heard the scuttling of them all moving to the back of their cells. He didn’t understand why, but he followed their example to be on the safe side.
A woman was walking down the aisle of the prison, looking into each cell, as far as Keldf could see. Three of his walls were solid stone and one was barred, so he couldn’t really see much except his opposite prisoner.
When she came to his, he could see that it was Iyana in the dim light, and he rushed to the bars in excitement. But how had she gotten in here? And why? How did she know that he had been arrested?
“Iyana, I was worried that I might not--”
“Shh!” She silenced him immediately. “I do not want them to overhear. I could not convince the guards to let me come without them watching me.” She leaned closer on the bars and lowered her voice. “Were you planning to escape?”
“Yes,” he admitted.
She smiled, and then her voice went grave. “Don’t. Your trial is tomorrow and you will be set free.”
“Nothing can save me now, except myself, Iyana. You should probably just give up on me and I will find you later. No one can save me from the trial.”
“Not even the word of the princess?”
What? Did Iyana know a royal? Did she know her well enough to convince this royal to set him free against her father’s word? “Any royal’s word could save me, sure. But why would one want to? I’m just a common thief, remember?”
“I can get you out, if you wait until tomorrow. Please say you’ll wait.”
“Of course I’ll wait, if it pleases you.” It would be torture waiting in this cell for another day, but if Iyana said she could get him out, then she could get him out. He put his trust in her, though he still didn’t know how she knew he was in here.
Iyana sighed. “I’m not sure you will like the outcome of being free, though. The one who frees you has to watch over you, I believe.”
“If you can get the princess to help, maybe she could put me in your care.” That seemed like a good plan to him, but Iyana didn’t seem to think so. “Is there something wrong with that plan?”
“Are you sure you are not upset that I am some sort of noble?”
“Titles have never really bothered me before.” But what was she getting at? Her eyes showed of something hidden, but he would not ask. She would tell him in her own time. But why was this all of a sudden a concern of hers?
“Good. You must remember that, no matter who I am in name or title, I am still Iyana Linndor who you met in the market.”
“Of course I will remember.” How could he not? That’s all that he could think about; her beautiful face and her soft hands. She seemed urgent now, for some reason, as if it was necessary that he not forget to look at her person and not her title. “I haven’t stopped remembering since we left company a few millennia ago this afternoon.”
