Berlina's Quest by James Hartley

think, Fee?”
    â€œI agree with you. We should think of it as taxing your subjects for the good of the kingdom, but how are we going to do it?”
    â€œFor the two of us, the barmaid garb will help. I need only glamour our faces. Come to think of it, that will work for Lathan, too. A palace guard uniform on one committing crimes will lead any victims to identify him as a renegade.” She waved her hands and glamoured all three faces. Then she said, “Let’s go.”
    The three marched out of the woods, across the farmyard, toward a ramshackled and unpainted barn, and approached the man standing there.
    â€œAre you the owner of this farm?” asked Berlina.
    â€œYes, I am. What can I do for you?”
    â€œYou can give us three horses, you can. That will settle your annual dues to the East Jylyria Protective League.”
    â€œEast Jylyria Protective League? In the name of Ashmedai, what is that? Why should I give you horses, anyway? I have barely enough to run this farm and show a small profit. No, I don’t think so.” He started to turn away.
    Berlina grabbed his shoulder and spun him back to face her. “Protection,” she said. “Perhaps protection from having my warrior here chop off your head, and then where’s your small profit?” She wrinkled her face into an evil grin, then continued, “Or, perhaps protection from having me cast a spell on your land so that nothing will grow here but ragweed and poison ivy. Then, where’s your small profit?”
    The farmer looked green at the thought of what they might do to him. “All right. Come in the barn. There you will find the only three horses not working out in the field today. You may have them, but there is very little tack for them.”
    â€œAny horse is better than shank’s mare,” said Berlina, but when she reached the barn and saw the three horses—over-aged swayback nags—she almost changed her mind.
    The farmer put bridles—old, almost worn out bridles—on the three horses and led them out of the barn. He looked at Berlina and Felistia, and said, “How do you plan to ride them? I have no sidesaddles for women, nor even any regular saddles. Riding bareback in skirts—you will quickly find very uncomfortable.”
    Berlina looked at the horses, then at the farmer. “Do you have farmhands?”
    â€œYes, I have eight of them, all out in the fields right now. Why?”
    â€œSummon them to come here. Now. Quickly.”
    The farmer looked at the determined expression on Berlina’s face, then gave a piercing whistle. A young boy, perhaps twelve years old, came out of the farmhouse. “Joni,” said the farmer, “run around all the fields and tell the men to come here right now. Tell them to hurry. It’s an emergency. Tell them they can leave their tools, because they will be going back out again in a short while.”
    Even so, it was some time before all the hands arrived in the barnyard. While they waited, Felistia turned to Berlina and said, “He’s got a point. Why don’t we have more suitable clothes for this sort of activity?”
    â€œI was working on getting some clothes and other gear while we were at the inn. Remember, when we escaped from the Faire, we couldn’t take anything but what we were wearing. We got the barmaid’s dresses while we were working. I had to be slow and careful procuring what else we needed, lest the queen find out where we were. Drailsen’s men captured us before the other clothes arrived. So, we’re stuck with what we’ve got…except I’m about to get us a bit more.”
    When the farmhands all assembled, the farmer said, pointing at Berlina, “Men, you must do what this woman tells you.”
    Berlina said to the men, “All of you, line up. Shortest on one end, and tallest on the other.”
    The men stumbled around but finally got themselves arranged