If I’m right, Haplo thought, this is certain to clinch it. They’ll have no choice but to go along with me.
“What do you think’s happening right now in your family?” Haplo demanded of Alake. “Instead of preparing for war, as he should be doing, your father is now afraid to do anything! He doesn’t dare attack the dragon-snakes while they have you captive. He’s gnawed by remorse, grows weaker with despair every day.”
Alake was weeping silently. Sabia reached out, took hold of her hand. Haplo rose to his feet, began to pace the small cabin.
“And you.” He rounded on the dwarf. “Your people? What are they doing? Arming themselves, or mourning the loss of their princess? All of them, waiting. Waiting in hope and in dread. And the longer they wait, the larger their fear grows.”
“They’ll fight!” Grundle insisted, but her voice cjuivered.
Haplo ignored her, continued to pace, ten steps each direction, every turn bringing him nearer Sabia, who was busy trying to comfort Alake.
Grundle sprang up suddenly from her stool, stood facing Haplo defiantly, small hands on her hips.
“We knew that our sacrifice might be for nothing. But it seemed to us that if there was the tiniest chance that the dragon-snakes would keep their part of the bargain, then it was worth it to save our people. And I still say so. What about you Alake? Sabia?”
Alake’s brown eyes shimmered with tears, but she managed to nod emphatically.
“I agree,” said Sabia, her voice muffled by the scarf. “We must go through with it. For the sake of our people.”
“The dragon-snakes keep their part of the bargain, eh?” Haplo eyed them in grim amusement. “And how about you? What about you keeping your part of the bargain? If these beasts are, by some remote chance, fair and honorable, how do you think they’ll react when they find out they’ve been cheated?”
Reaching out his hand, Haplo caught hold of Sabia’s veil and yanked it off.
Sabia snatched furilely at the scarf. When that failed, she averted her face, lowered her head. “Really, sir, what are you doing?” Too late, she brought her knees together, crossed her ankles.
“Three royal daughters.” Haplo raised an eyebrow. “What were you planning to tell the dragon-snakes? That elf maids all look like they’ve got an apple stuck in their throats? That all elf maids have strong jawlines and well-developed, muscular shoulders? That this is why their chests are flat? Not to mention other accoutrements not generally found on maidens.” Haplo shifted his gaze meaningfully to the elf’s groin.
Sabia blushed as deeply as if he had been a she. He stole a glance at Alake, who was staring at him, stricken, then at Grundle, who sighed and shook her head.
The young elf stood up, faced Haplo defiantly.
“You are right, sir. I thought only to save the girl I loved and was to have married. It never occurred to me that this deception would give the dragon-snakes the chance to claim that we’d broken faith with them.”
“We never thought about that!” Alake clasped her hands together, fingers twisting nervously. “The dragon-snakes will be furious …”
“Maybe it won’t matter.”
That was the dwarf, Grundle, causing trouble again. Haplo could have cheerfully strangled her.
“Devon’s not a princess, but he’s a prince. As long as the dragon-snakes have three people from royal households, what do they care if we’re male or female?”
“They did say three daughters,” Alake murmured, looking pathetically hopeful. “But perhaps Grundle’s right …”
Haplo decided that it was time to end this once and for all. “Did it ever occur to you that the dragons may not intend to kill you? They may have other plans for you, plans that require females. Breeding, for example?”
Alake moaned, covered her mouth with her hands. The elf put his arm around her comfortingly, said something to her in a low voice. Grundle was as pale as the dwarf’s nut-brown skin would allow. She collapsed back onto a stool, stared unhappily at the deck beneath her feet.
I meant to frighten them. I succeeded, and that’s all that matters, Haplo told himself coldly. Now they’ll go along with me. No more arguments. I’ll take over this ship, ditch these three mensch somewhere, and get on about my business.