The Brothers Lionheart

And Fyalar, he was so clever he understood everything. The other horses whinnied outside, as if they wished to say farewell to him. But Fyalar stood quietly and did not answer.

I saw Veder and Kader mount, and I cannot describe what a wonderful feelings it was. At last I would be free now and out of the rat trap I thought.

Then Veder said:

“I’ve forgotten my tinderbox.”

And he jumped down from his horse and began to search around the fire.

Then he said:

“It isn’t here. Perhaps I dropped it in the cave.”

That was how the rat trap closed on me again with a crash, and I was caught. Veder came into the cave to look for that wretched tinderbox and he walked straight into Fyalar.

I know that one shouldn’t lie, but if it’s a matter of life and death, you have to.

He had hard hands, too, Veder had; no one has ever held me so roughly before. It hurt and I was angry, almost more angry than afraid, strangely enough. Perhaps that’s why I lied so well.

“How long have you been lying here spying?” bawled Veder as he dragged me out of the cave.

“Since last night,” I said. “But I was only sleeping,” I said, blinking in the morning light as if I’d just woken up.

“Sleeping,” said Veder. “Are you trying to tell me that you never heard us bellowing and singing out here by the fire? Don’t lie now.”

He thought that he was being very cunning, for they hadn’t sung a single note. But I was even more cunning.

“Well, perhaps I heard a little when you were singing,” I stammered, as if I were lying to please him.

Then Veder and Kader looked at each other; now they knew for certain that’d I been asleep and hadn’t heard a thing.

But that didn’t help all that much.

“Don’t you know it’s the death penalty for traveling this way?” said Veder.

I tried to look as if I didn’t know anything about anything: not a thing about the death penalty or anything else.

“I only wanted to see the moonlight last night,” I mumbled.

“And you risked your life for that, you little fox?” said Vader. “Where do you live, in Cherry Valley or in Wild Rose Valley?