Lioness Rampant by Tamora Pierce Page B

outside, Alanna took a seat on a large rock. Homesickness had caught up with her that afternoon. She wanted to see familiar faces and scenes: She missed George, in spite of sharing a bedroll with Liam—or perhaps because of that. Since the night before, Liam had been careful and deadly serious, concentrating on keeping their company safe until they arrived in Rachia. She respected him but felt shut out all the same.
    She missed George and his sense of humor. If he were here, she thought, he’d be in the middle of things, burping babies, hauling the boys off to wash, stealing Sarain blind for our supper. She blinked away unexpected tears. On the road she had no George to make her laugh, no Jon to say “Of course you can do it,” no Myles to explain the history of Sarain. She hoped the Dominion Jewel would be worth the trip.
    Faithful, who’d vanished when they found the caves, patted her foot. His coat was thick with dust and burrs. Bandits, he panted, a large camp of them, east of here.

    Thayet, who protested, stayed with the children. The two men, Alanna, and Buri formed the attack party, moving quietly through the woods led by Faithful. They marched for half an hour before they came to a canyon. Down there, Faithful told Alanna. Fifty of them and their women. The four crept to the canyon’s lip, where they could see the camp below. Alanna beckoned the others to draw back while they talked.
    â€œFaithful says there’s about fifty people down there,” she whispered. “We can’t take on those odds.”
    â€œI’m not a good enough thief to get in there and take what we need,” Liam told her. Buri and Coram nodded their agreement.
    â€œI’ll have to use magic.” Alanna met Liam’s eyes. She couldn’t tell their color in the dark, but when she put her hand on his arm she found he was rigid with tension. “I’m sorry. I know you don’t like it. Can you think of something better?”
    â€œMagic’s dishonorable,” Buri muttered. “It’s— cheating .”
    Alanna and Coram exchanged looks. “Do ye prefer ten-to-one odds?” Coram asked. “I don’t. We’ve got some brave younglings and yer princess who depend on us t’come back.”
    â€œI don’t like this,” protested the K’mir. “It’s too confusing. I suppose you have a point. I can’t exactly challenge all of them to single combat.”
    â€œWhat do ye have in mind?” Coram asked his knight-mistress.
    Thinking, Alanna said, “I don’t know. A net, maybe, to tie them down while you take what we need.” Coram frowned, troubled. He knew she’d never done anything so big and real. He said nothing, for which she was grateful.
    â€œDo your magic, then.” Liam’s voice was hoarse. “If you feel like it when you’re done, maybe you can lend a hand with the real work.” He returned to the canyon’s edge.
    â€œThat isn’t fair,” Buri protested softly, but the Dragon was out of earshot. “What he said isn’t fair,” she told Coram and Alanna.
    â€œThat’s all right—I understand,” Alanna told her. “You two had better get close to the camp. Don’t worry about what I’m doing. It won’t affect you.” She watched them slip over the canyon’s edge.
    You used to feel like Liam, Faithful commented as he and Alanna went to the edge of the canyon. Magic and fighting don’t mix, and a fighter who uses magic is cheating.
    â€œI’m older now,” whispered Alanna.
    She heard Liam’s feral battle cry, and the sounds of fighting. A sentry had seen the Dragon. Alanna had no more time to think. Reaching for the first image in her mind, Alanna saw the Dominion Jewel. Even a vision of it was a catalyst: Alanna’s Gift rushed into and through it, swirling out over the bandit camp as a shimmering violet net. She maneuvered