Heir Apparent by Vivian Vande Velde Page A

going to have to be me.
    My opportunity came when a new guard took over.
    "Do you speak the language of Shelby?" I asked.
    "No," the man answered, revealing himself to be not quite rocket-scientist caliber.
    I untied the magic ring from the lacing of my bodice. "Take this ring," I commanded.
    Sure enough, he understood me well enough that the magic of the ring compelled him to come forward and take it from my outstretched hand. He slipped it onto one of his own fingers, and I figured that had to be another of the ring's magical properties—that it would fit anyone—either that or my mother had had very fat fingers.
    "I want you to like me," I told the guard.
    "Oh, I do," the man assured me so warmly I feared we were veering into a direction I certainly didn't want to go.
    "I want you to like me as your best buddy," I clarified. "I want you to only want good things for me. I want you to want me safe and happy."
    "'Safe,'" he repeated, nodding his head energetically. "'Happy.'"
    "I want you to release me," I said, "and to get me out of this camp."
    He came forward and tried to tear the chain in half with his bare hands.
    It looked as though I would have to do the thinking for both of us.
    I said, "Take the time to release me without attracting attention."
    The guard paused to consider, then took out the key he'd been given when he'd relieved the other guy. He unlocked my shackles.
    I stood. "Put your hand on my shoulder. Act as if Grimbold has ordered you to bring me to him, except lead me out of the camp instead. If anyone asks, tell them you're acting under Grimbold's orders. Do you understand?"
    "Yes," he told me. "Buddy."
    We were fine for about ten paces. Then King Grimbold came around the corner of a tent, and we found ourselves face-to-face.
    "What do you be doing?" Grimbold demanded.
    And my guard, compelled to do my bidding, answered, "Grimbold's orders."
    "I be ordering no such thing!" Grimbold protested. "Bring her back and secure her once more."
    My guard tried to stiff-arm Grimbold out of his way.
    "Stop," Grimbold ordered.
    "Uhm..." I said. What in the world was the way out of this?
    My guard waited one second to see what I would bid, then he once again tried to shove past his king.
    Grimbold stopped the man the only way he could. He whipped out his sword and stabbed my escort in the chest.
    Well, that was too bad, but I wasn't going to let it slow me down. I made a break for the trees.
    Grimbold yelled something in his own language, and barbarians came pouring out of the tents. What felt like about seventeen of them tackled me and jumped on top of me before I'd made it more than a tenth of the way I had to.
    They took their time about getting off me, too. Now I know what a football feels like.
    My captors dragged my bruised body back to where Grimbold knelt beside the dead guard. Though he spoke in Shelban for my benefit, he addressed his men. "I be having to kill Isen because she be having some sort of power over him. I be thinking this may be the source of her power." He held up the ring to show them.
    "No," I assured him.
    "Give me her finger," he commanded his men.
    With this crowd I was lucky none of them was stupid enough to chop one off and hand it to him. I struggled, because he didn't know that all he had to do was order me to take it, but I knew it was a losing battle. The ring slipped snugly over my finger.
    "Now tell me true," he said, "do you have to be doing what I say to you?"
    Because he phrased it as a command, I had to answer, and I had to answer truthfully even though I tried to deny it. "Yes," I said. The best I could do was to mumble, my hands over my mouth.
    For once everybody caught on quickly. One of my captors pulled my hands behind my back.
    Grimbold said, "Tell me true. Do you be knowing the whereabouts of my crown?"
    "No," I told him.
    Obviously, he would be worried that the ring only worked once. "Stand on one leg," he commanded.
    I balanced on one leg.
    "Sing a song," he