26
“Whoa,” I said, coming to a stop just outside the portal. We’d walked from the grassy plain on the outskirts of Williamsburg to the courtyard of a massive stately home in a split second.
“Yes, yes, a feat of engineering for you pinkies, I’m sure, but you can’t stand here,” the captain said. “There’s a huge amount of food about to come through that gate for the prince’s dinner tonight, and you need to get out of the bloody way.”
“Where did you want us to go, milord?” Natty asked, neatly stepping aside for a rabbity-looking person toting several wheels of cheese through the portal.
“Jakers, have these monkeys leave their contraptions inside the stables and then take them to one of the less-used sitting rooms. I don’t want His Highness’ latest piece seeing these three. I’m not sure if a competitor for his affections will help or hinder him and I’m not going to make that call myself. Once I have these idiots organised and the kitchens supplied, I’ll let His Highness know they are here and let him decide.”
“Very good, sir,” Jakers, a tall black and white Husky-looking guy said, snapping out a quick bow and then gesturing briskly for us to follow. The boys pushed the bikes into a dusty stall, Gabe dropping down and removing something small from each with a few practised movements. I looked around; this was a stall when all the ‘animals’ were awake and it was a whole different affair to the one at the inn. The stench of human waste was strong, though partially masked by the sweeter hay. A few young deer-looking people were mucking out the stalls, kerchiefs tied across their noses and mouths. The ‘monkeys’ wailed and screeched for no reason that I could tell.
“Hey,” I said to the closest human, “hey, are you OK?”
Big blue eyes looked at me, blinking slowly, little movement of the pupils, then it started wailing again. “No point trying to talk to ‘em,” Jakers said. “You might have the power of speech somehow, but they ain’t got the brains nor the notion to answer you back.”
“Yeah, but do people talk to them when they are little? If you don’t stimulate the brain cells when young–”
“Not much stimulated but my taste buds, if y’know what I mean,” Jakers said with a toothy grin. “Now the Cap’n wants you in one of the sitting rooms, so that’s where we will go.”
The boys grabbed the bags, Gabe certain to keep the one with the guns close to his side. We followed the wolf man’s swishy black tail with the white tip all the way into the grand entrance to the citadel. I stopped to gape at the intricate plaster ceilings, the beautiful paintings and the massive chandelier that seemed big enough to encompass a regular-sized room. Perhaps that was what led to our impromptu meeting with the prince.
“Jakers! Thank goodness, where is Captain Mellors? The feast must be just so and Cookie is saying she can’t possibly bake the blancmange without fresh. . . .” He was tall, as tall as Gabe though without the same hard power. Instead, he was a long, lean picture of elegance. Oddly, he wore a three-piece suit that hung on his body in clean, sharp lines, but in a place where clothing seemed to be optional and mainly used to indicate rank or position, it was weird to see one of them in proper clothes. Admittedly, not having fur anymore may have been a contributing factor. He had dark hair slicked back from his face in a slightly dishevelled sweep and the oddest yellow eyes I’d ever seen. They couldn’t be mistaken for hazel or green, no they were pale and intense, especially when they swung my way. He paused mid-sentence, looking me up and down and then an open smile spread across his face, a smile that I realised was used to containing more teeth. “And who do we have here?”
“Ashley McKinnon, Your Highness,” I said, bobbing a quick curtsey. Mum had made us do ballroom dancing for one horrible year, though I hoped that would be sufficient as I hadn’t learned much else.
“Lady Ashley, I am Damon, Crown Prince of Damorica, Earl of the Outer Isles and Grand Commander of the combined forces.”
“Natty, your lordship.” Natty held out a paw but was left hanging, Damon’s eyes not leaving mine; instead he reached for my hand, staring as he slowly drew it to his lips. “Gump remembered that you were looking for sentient monkeys and sent this one along.”
“Monkeys?” the prince’s eyes finally swung towards Natty. “We’ll not use that term under my roof! Hoo-man, I believe, is the preferred term?”
“Human and yes, that’s correct, though you may want to circulate a memo to your soldiers, I’ve lost count of the number of times we’ve been called pinkies or monkeys.” Damon’s back snapped upright and his gaze shifted to a now restive Jakers.
“Is this true?”
“Your Highness, if I could just–”
“Is this true?”
“Yes, Your Highness–”
Damon crossed the space between him and the soldier, grabbing the wolf-man by the scruff of the neck and drawing his face close to Jakers. “You might want to alert all that operate within this citadel that derogatory remarks against hoo-mans are derogatory remarks against their prince.”
“Of course, milord! Right away.” Damon let the man go with a shake, probably thinking that his macho display was super-hot. Instead, I was chilled by his lighting fast show of temper.
“Now, milady, we must set you up in one of our finer rooms. Your men will be happy in the stables, won’t they?”
“Unfortunately, I can’t possibly live without my bodyguards,” I said in reply. “While I know you understand how to treat humans, we have not received that same consideration in other parts of your realm.”
“Came a-cropper of Gump did you? He’s an unruly fiend but useful. I can promise you that no further insult to your person will happen within my walls.”
“And yet, I must insist. My father heard of your predicament and sent me here to help, Your Highness, but only with the protection of my guards. If I cannot keep them, I’m afraid I would need to return to my own dimension.”
Damon paused for a moment, the only sign of tension was the muscle working in his jaw. Finally, he forced himself to smile and nodded, “Of course, my lady, anything to make your stay a welcome one. Now, if you please–?”
“Damon? Are you around? I ended up having a nap and was having the–" Damon’s face fell, the furtive eyes and attempt to conceal me behind the big wall of his body amusing, as it appeared guys getting caught with a side chick was a universal experience. “Damon? Oh!” I took a step to the side to meet the eyes of my sister. She was dressed in some kind of dress, a froth of white satin and lace, her eyes starkly blue in her face. I made a barely perceptible shake of my head, hoping to Christ I could get her to be reasonable and not make a scene. The time for revealing our relationship was not now.
“May I present the Lady Ashley of McKinnon?” Damon said, a tiny quiver in his voice.