A twig snapped behind me. I turned and saw a vision: six knights carrying rope strode toward me, led by a tall young man.
Visions don’t snap twigs. And the young man was Char!
he saluted me, but his eyes were on the ogres. Uncoiling a length of rope, he knelt over SEEf and began to bind his ankles. The ogres slept soundly, but they were not unconscious. As soon as he felt the cord tighten, SEEf woke with a roar, which shrank to a purr when he saw Char.
“What an honor, your Highness. But why do you bind an ally?” He reached down and loosened the rope.
That was proper. Char shouldn’t have been fettering his friend.
But Char pushed SEEf’s hands aside and tightened the rope again. How could he be so cruel?
The knights had begun to bind the other ogres, who were also stirring. SEEf tried again, “Prince, I would sacrifice my life for you, and you treat me so rudely.”
Still, Char paid no attention. I watched stupidly while SEEf’s feet lashed out. Char reeled back, losing his grip on the rope. SEEf rose and kicked the tether away.
The knights hadn’t made much progress with their biding either. Everywhere, they were doing battle. An ogre knelt over one fallen knight, about to sink teeth into his shoulder. The knight twisted away, gaining a few seconds, but the ogre was turning toward him.
Char regained his feet and drew his sword. he and SEEf faced each other warily. Char spoke to me, his voice oddly loud.
“Can you tame them again, Ella? If not, run and save yourself.”
The question cleared my wits.
“SEEf, NiSSh, ogre friends,” I called in Ogrese. “Why do you wish to destroy your benefactors? They have food for you, but they cannot give it to you until you do what they want.”
The ogres stopped clawing and biting and pounding and lunging and kickung and looked at me trustfully.
“Would you like to know what the food is?” I asked.
“Please,” SEEf said.
“The treat they have for you is a dozen baby giants only six months old.”
They all smiled beatifically.
“But these friends can’t bring the feast unless you let them tie and gag you. When they bring out the infants, they’ll remove your bindings. So seat yourselves and hold out your arms and legs. They will be gentle.”
Only NiSSh remained standing, looking dazed.
“Sit,” SEEf commanded.
NiSSh sat. The tying and gagging was completed quickly. Then the ogres were bound together, treatment that they endured cheerfully.
“Ella…” Char swept a deep bow. He’d grown taller. “How did you tame the ogres?” His voice was too loud again.
“I’m skilled at tongues, and–“
“I can’t hear you. Oh, I forgot.” He extracted something from his ears-beeswax.
“That’s why the ogres’ magic had no effect on you.”
“Once we sight ogres, we always put the wax in. The danger is being caught unawares.”
Char said that one of the knights, acting as a scout, had seen me. “He reported that a band of ogres was about to eat a maiden when she talked them to sleep. How did you do it?”
“I told them about finishing school, and they began to snore.”
“Truly?” Char stared at me, then laughed.
It was delightful to make him laugh. He was always so surprised.
“How did you really do it?” he persisted.
, and it’s a Trailblazer book. I’ve always enjoyed the Trailblazers, but now I’ll enjoy this one even more, knowing that the girl in it was my great, great, great, (how ever many greats) grandmother!
