I woke up some time later. Without any natural light, I had no clue how long I’d slept. The girls’ steady, slow breaths assured me that they were asleep. I decided to plan. What could I do if I really was sentenced to death? There would be no escape.

The humming brakes rattled the crates around me. One by one, the princesses woke up and rubbed the sleep from their eyes. “Morning,” I said.

“I’d say we’ve arrived,” Flora replied as the train came to a halt. Boxes slid across the floor.

“Okay everyone, remember the plan?” Chantelle said.

“I can’t forget it after you talked about it all night. In your sleep,” Tegan yawned.

“I sleep talk?”

“Apparently!”

“Let’s get out of here before someone finds us. Callum, put your dress on.”

“It made a better pillow than dress,” I complained.

“What, are skirts and blouses more flattering for you?” Flora teased.

“Come on, everyone. Get close to the door before I open it, so we can slip out as quickly as possible,” Chantelle commands, ever the royal.

Flora struck another match and we used its fading light to step over and around the cargo.

After examining the door, Tegan said, “There’s no handle on this side. How are we going to get out, Princess Planner?”

“The door isn’t locked, we just have to push.”

“Push on what?” I asked.

“We’ll all put our hands in the grooves of the metal and push sideways. With the four of us, we can do it.”

The door creaked and finally slid open half a meter. Tegan jumped out and tried to look as official as possible as Flora and I followed. I almost got my foot tangled in the ankle-length fabric. Chantelle came last, and the four of us shut the door together.

A dozen train cars to our left, a steady stream of soldiers unloaded supplies. I watched them while Tegan tied a thin rope around my wrists. We made quite a sight, three women pretending to be men and one man dressed as a woman. The princesses had tucked their hair under their helmets and smudged their faces with dust. My short haircut didn’t pose any problems, as my character was a woman passing as a man. Confusing, right?

I started to sweat when an officer overseeing the unloading spotted us. He jogged over to us. “What do we do?!” Flora nervously asked Chantelle.

“Act natural, follow my lead.” When the officer came within earshot, Chantelle said loudly, “Hello, officer! We’ve been waiting for you. This extremely dangerous prisoner needs to be taken to General Morley for interrogation and execution. Is an escort available?”

“A prisoner?” He frowned and looked closer at me. I prayed that he wouldn’t recognize any of us. “We weren’t expecting you.”

“This was a top secret transport. Now excuse us, we have an urgent meeting with the general.”

Chantelle tugged on my rope and walked confidently away from the train station. Thankfully it was the right way to get to the General’s office. “Wasn’t there someone you needed to visit in town?” Tegan whispered to me out of the corner of her mouth.

“Yes, but I have to deliver this paperwork to someone at the general’s office first,” I replied.

“If Prince Cole is there, he will recognize us!” Chantelle told me, alarmed.

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“We just have to put it under the door. The papers are in my backpack. Can you grab them, Tegan? It’s financial reports. Apparently the government paid a lot of opies to the Triumdemic last year.”

Tegan wore my backpack, and she pulled out the stack. “What’s with this hole in the middle?”

“Someone tried to stab me. Good thing I have bureaucracy on my side!”

“Or an overzealous office assistant!” Flora replied, as Tegan exclaimed, “You got stabbed!?”

“Almost, but the papers took the brunt of the attack. Turn left at this intersection and we’ll be at the place.”

We crossed the street and stood in front of the General’s offices.

“How do you know that your contact will accept these figures?” Chantelle asked.

“He’s my friend that got stationed here after he was drafted. He’s a pretty logical guy. And I’m sure that his sense of justice will prevail here. I used to play alem with him, and he was our unofficial referee. He’ll understand the information and get it to the right people. Maybe that can make a better change than a sword fight.”

“Toby?” Chantelle asked.

“How do you know Toby?”

“I played alem with him too. Remember? I think that last game was when I first met you. Right at the beginning of the war.”

“You played alem?!” The three of us asked at the same time.

“Hey! Don’t draw attention to us. Just put the paper under the door and move on,” Chantelle commanded. “I can explain as we walk.”

Tegan stuffed the papers through the mail slot and then I led them to the side street where we last saw Shaphan. I didn’t realize that Tellie was Chantelle! She looked so different.

She explained that her and Callum used to sneak out of the palace once a week. I guess I didn’t put two and two together! I can’t believe it! On my next messenger albatross, I’ll have to reference that alem game and see if he notices.

“This way,” I tell them. We turn a corner, and I stop in my tracks. There he is, sitting against a wall, his face upturned. “Shaphan!”

“Percy? Where have you been? Is everything alright?”

“I have to tell you everything! Let’s go where the walls don’t have ears.” There’s no one around, but just in case.

“Is that an Egronite expression?”

“Oh, I guess. C’mon!”

He stood up. Flora introduced herself and offered her arm as a guide. “Percy, I think you have a lot to explain,” Shaphan told me. “And where is Callum, anyway?”

We sat down behind the familiar barrels. “Is it okay if I use your real names?” I asked the princesses.

“That’s fine. After our plans - excuse me, my plans - succeed, it won’t matter,” Chantelle told me.

“Okay Shaphan, today we have the pleasure of the exceedingly refined presences of the Egronite princesses,” I started.

“We’re not Egronite,” Flora pointed out.

“‘The princesses which formerly resided in Egron City,’” I replied. “Is that better?”

Flora shrugged.

“Why are the princesses with you?” Shaphan asked. “I didn’t know your work took you to such high circles.”

“Really, it was Callum. He knew them way earlier and certainly better than I do. Honestly, I spent last night dreaming that they would turn me in to the General!”

“You really thought that?” Tegan asked.

“It was a possibility,” I shrugged. “Still is, as long as we’re in Caldey. Anyway, Shaphan, we are all on the run from the Triumdemic. Callum is on his way to America and we are here. I’m sure he would’ve wanted to come, but it’s dangerous. He’ll be safer in New Amsterdam.”

“I would have liked to see him, but I understand. Why are all of you on the run?”

The princesses and I spent quite a bit of time explaining everything. I described what happened in the cave, and the sword fight, and our escape from the city.

When I finished, the five of us sat in silence for a minute. Then Shaphan said, “But why did you come to see me?”

“Well, Shaphan, you… You really helped me. I was just so afraid of my secret getting out. You made friends with Callum and I, even though we were part of an invading army. Oh! I wanted to give something to you. Tegan, can I please have my backpack?”

She handed it to me. I took out my coin purse and handed it to Shaphan. He gasped at its weight. “Percy, you shouldn’t!”

“You need it more than I do. And you deserve it more than I do. Thank you for your insight and patience, Shaphan. I hope this helps you and your family.”

“Thank you very much, Percy. May your generosity be rewarded.”

We chatted a little more, and eventually said our goodbyes. Shaphan promised that the money would be put to good use.

As we left Caldey, I started to see Shaphan as a true friend, instead of a beggar with a pleasant countenance.