The stools were empty. The fire had died. Alison looked about wondering if it had been a dream. Tears welled in her eyes. She buried her head in her hands. Then, she heard the snort of a horse and smelt its earthy presence. A gentle hand touched her shoulder. She looked up and saw him sitting astride a piebald mare. He reached down. She grasped his hand and he lifted her up behind him.
***
Tom slipped into the shadows to relieve himself against the wall of the chariot enclosure. His wrist still hurt from the karate blow he had inflicted on the table but the rest of him was at peace with the world. He assumed a relaxed position and contemplated the good impression he had made since his arrival in his new realm.
A youth stood nearby, adding his modest trickle to Tom's gushing flow. Tom recognised him as the young fellow who handed him Adrina's token at dinner. He sidled closer and spoke from the corner of his mouth.
'It once belonged to a male hare.'
Tom guessed a joke was being made at his expense. He glanced down at his exposed part, wondering if it was being treated with due respect.
'It would have been a dammed big hare.'
The young man followed his gaze.
'I wasn't talking about that.'
'What were you talking about?'
'Male hares ... they thump them on the ground when they want to attract the attention of lady hares.'
Tom pulled up his zip.'
'What's that got to do with me?'
'The princess gave you a hare's paw as a token of her esteem.'
Tom's eyes brightened. His recollection of events was cloaked in an alcoholic haze but he had no difficulty remembering the princess. He slipped a hand in his pocket and felt something furry.
'She wants to meet you.'
Tom concentrated his mental faculties.
'I'd be honoured ...'
He nodded and was about to say more when half-a-dozen young men stopped piddling and descended on him. They grabbed him from behind and rushed him along a maze of alleys. He heard Thunder shouting to the girls of the guard and guessed the little man wanted to stop his fun. He kept running. A door opened and he was pushed through.
Suddenly he was alone. His escort had gone. The girls of the guard were rampaging outside, shouting his name, saying they had come to rescue him. Tom checked that the door was securely bolted and turned his attention to a flight of stairs. A light shone at the top and something thumped on the floorboards.