Prologue   

Eshkope- Three months earlier

Queen Rose was jarred awake by someone shaking her. "Your Majesty, my Queen, Your Majesty please wake up!"

                "Ortensia?" the Gemsbok queen rolled over in the darkness and squinted at the little female leopard.

                "Put this on Your Majesty," Ortensia said, "Please hurry."

                The Queen rubbed her eyes and tried to see the clock. "Ortensia, what is going on, where is your mother?"

                "I can't explain," Ortensia said.

                The only light in the room came from the mounted candles in the wall. The light stretched across the floor like a portal and broke up when two figures appeared in it.

                "Ortensia we have to go now!" Posey, a young badger said, holding the hand of the two little princesses.

A loud crash boomed through the walls followed by screams of terror.

                "O god, they've come!" Posey cried out. "Hurry, Ortensia!"

                Ortensia grabbed the Queen before she could tie her robes and ran into the hall. Posey pushed a large painting of the king aside and let everyone file in ahead of her then ducked in letting it slide back into place.

                "It's dark, Mommy." One of the princesses said as the descended stairs. "And smelly."

                "Stay close to the wall," Ortensia said over her shoulder.

                It was a long decent to the landing and Ortensia warned the royals to be careful on the last moist step. By then their eyes had adjusted to the darkness and they stared at the underground lake.

                "What is this place?" The Queen asked tying her robe.

                "It's used to bring goods to the palace from the river roads." Posey explained. "Only us servants use it."

                "Ahoy!" Someone shouted up one of the tunnels.

                "Heath is that you?" Posey called out. Soon they could make out the badger rowing the boat. "Hurry Heath! We don't have much time."

                When the boat docked the servants wasted no time getting the royals in. "Good morning Your Majesty, You Highnesses." Heath said with a bow.

                "Will someone tell me what is going on!" The Queen demanded rocking the boat when she stood.

                The three young servants exchanged glances and left it to Posey to speak.

                "Your Kingdom was loss today." The badger explained. "Mounts have invaded and now they storm the palace."

                "But we had an agreement." The Queen said, her green eyes stretching wide. "They promised to leave us in peace."

                "We've been invaded," Posey said.

                Queen Rose shook her head and fell back in the boat. "What of my sons, what of the King, tell me!"

                "They pioneer the way, Your Majesty," Heath said with a smile.

                Ortensia smiled at him and he gave her a wink. She was happy someone could keep cheerful in all of this.

                "We should go." Posey trembled.

                "Right." Heath said helping her in.

                Once she was seated she reached for Ortensia. "Your turn."

                Ortensia looked back up the stairs. "I can't leave without my mama."

                "Ortensia don't be stupid," Posey said, "get in the boat!"

                "I can't," Ortensia said turning back up the steps. "I have to go find my mama!"

                "No, you can't go," Posey cried and tried to climb out of the boat to stop the little girl. "Ortensia!" She screamed.

                "We can't wait for her." Heath said pushing off.

                "Protect our Queen, Posey, Ortensia said from the steps as the boat slipped towards the tunnel. "I'm sorry, Your Majesty."

                "God bless you Ortensia Pussy Willow," Queen Rose said before the boat slipped into the black of the tunnel.

                "God bless, Your Majesty," Ortensia whispered then raced back up the steps.

                When she reached the top she pushed the picture back a crack then peeked into the hall.  She could see the rich red runner that ran from one end of the hall to the other. She waited a moment then slipped from behind the frame into the hall.

                "Check the wardrobe." She heard someone say in Impa, a language learned by most high ranking citizens of all Kingdoms so they could communicate abroad. She had learned it working in the palace.

                She flattened herself against the wall and inched down to the open door where the voice had come from. She peeped around the corner into the dark room. Electric lights hadn't been installed in the nursery and the intruder searched around by a candle he had ripped from the wall.

                He stabbed violently at the throw pillows sending cotton flinging from his bayonet. Ortensia couldn't help but watch the cruel weapon illuminated by the glow of the flame. She was so transfixed that she had forgotten there were two in the room.

                A buffalo suddenly stepped right in front of her. "Good target practice for you Kirkland—" He paused when he almost bumped right into Ortensia. "Halt!" He shouted but Ortensia was already running. He shouted something in his language then blew a whistle.

                Ortensia careened down the hall jumping over bed sheets and picture frames and chairs that had been crushed and thrown from their places. Her hind foot came down on a vase shared and she screamed at the pain before toppling over a bench.

                She could hear the Mounts just around the corner and forced herself up, even if it meant walking on her now bleeding paw. She limped down the hall losing her balancing several time and using the wall for support. 

                She stopped and raised her foot watching the blood drip onto the carpet and vanish into the red threads.

                "Halt!" The Mounts shouted as they came around the corner unstopped by the debris that had crippled her.

                Gasping in pain Ortensia threw herself onto the opposite wall and balanced her way down it. The laundry chute at the end of the hall was her only escape.

                "Halt!"

                Looking over her shoulder once more Ortensia closed her eyes and threw herself down the chute leaving only a scream for the Mounts to catch.

                She landed on a pile of laundry that wasn't quiet soft enough to lessen the impact. She bounced off and rolled across the basement floor. She gasped to calm her pounding heart and spinning head then climbed again to her paws. Though dizzy from the fall she managed to make her way to the secret passage that led into the kitchen.

                Closing the door behind her she slumped to the floor in exhaustion. The bright electric lights reflecting off the white floor were blinding.

                "I told you I don't know."

                Ortensia barley heard the voice over the pounding of her heart in her ears. She forced herself up from the floor and made her way to the kitchen entrance. There in the hall to her horror she found her mother and two other ladies in waiting being questioned by two Mount soldiers each armed with a dreadful bayonet.

                  "I'm gonna ask you one last time," the one who was a wolf growled. "Where are they?" He grabbed Ortensia's mother.

                "Mom!" Ortensia cried out and tried to run to her but was grabbed from behind.

                "Thought you could out smart me?" The buffalo breathed into her ear.

                "Oh," the wolf said. "A mother and daughter, how sweet." He sheathed his bayonet and dropped down to all fours. "Perhaps your daughter knows where they went." He strolled over to Ortensia and stood again on his hind legs.

                "Please let her go," her mother and the other ladies began to beg. "She's only a child."

                "I'll let her go when I'm ready to let her go." The wolf said as he studied Ortensia. "Besides, I'm fond of children."

                "It will be alright Ortensia," her mother said. "Never be afraid."

                "Ortensia." The wolf laughed. "You Eshkopeans have the worst names. And you all have the same green eyes." He gently took Ortensia's chin between his claws. "Be a good girl for Lieutenant Torotto, and tell me where you hid the king."

                Ortensia looked at her mother at the mercy of the Mounts. She thought she should tell, maybe Heath was far enough away by now. It came out, "I do not know."   

                Lieutenant Torotto laughed. "Now, Ortensia I know that you want to make mommy proud but your mommy broke the law so it's okay if you tell me the truth now."

                "I don't know what you mean." Ortensia said. "I was sleeping in my bed. I know not what has become of His Majesty."

                Lieutenant Torotto grumbled. "How old are you Ortensia?" He asked in a less kind tone than he had been using before.

                "I am eight, sir." Ortensia said simply.

                "Ah," He said and looked back at the ladies in waiting then at his fellow Mounts. "Still a little baby then." He spoke in his native language and the other Mounts laughed. "Yes," The wolf said, "Put our little one with the rest and take the ladies to the courtyard."

                "Yes sir Lieutenant."

                "No, Mama!" Ortensia screamed as he buffalo picked her up and put her over his shoulder. "Mama!"

                The ladies in waiting were taken in the opposite direction, powerless against their adversaries.

                "Mama, No!" Ortensia screamed and reached for her, eyes wet and nose running. "Mama, please!"

                "Never be afraid!" Mrs. Pussy Willow called back to her daughter blowing kiss after kiss, "Even in the desert flowers bloom." Another kiss blown. "Until god, my blessed one."

                They rounded the bend and Ortensia collapsed against the buffalo's back.

                "Tsk tsk," Lieutenant Torotto said as he walked at their side. "I would have let your mother come if she had told me what she did with the King."

                Ortensia sniffled. "What are you going to do with her?"

                "Don't be concerned with her. She risked your life." He looked up at her and grinned. "But don't worry little, Ortensia, there is plenty a child can do in Mount Lions." He snickered. "Hail Emperor Cato, sovereign of all Eshkope!"