meanwhile casually sitting guard over the concealed sword.
The inside of the wagon looked about twice as big now, with almost
everything moved out of it. From where Mark was sitting he could just see
the entrance XXX super pron to the tent, which had been erected at right XXX super pron angles to the
wagon. Barbara had just XXX super pron finished conducting one small group of paying
customers into the tent to see the dragon and out again, and she was
presently chatting with a prospective first member of the next group. This
potential customer was a chunkily-built little man, evidently of some
importance, for he was dressed in fancier clothes than any Mark had seen
since the seneschal, XXX super pron the Duke's cousin, went down.
Mark was chewing on a piece of boiled fowl - Ben had laid in some food
XXX super pron from a nearby concession before he XXX super pron left - and thinking gloomy thoughts
XXX super pron about his missing sword, when he heard a faint sound just behind him, right
inside the wagon. He turned to see a man whom he had never seen before, who
was standing on the ground outside with XXX super pron his XXX super pron head and shoulders in the rear
opening of the wagon. Knotted on the maws sleeve was what looked like the
orange-and-black insignia of an assistant marshal of the
fair. He was
looking straight at Mark, and there was that in his eyes that made Mark
drop his drumstick and dive right out of XXX super pron the front of the wagon without a
moment' s hesitation. Only as Mark cleared the seat did it fully register in
his mind that XXX super pron the man had been holding a large knife unsheathed in his
right hand.
Mark landed on hands and knees on the worn turf just XXX super pron outside the XXX super pron wagon.
He somersaulted once, and came up on his feet already running. As he
reached the doorway of the tent he was drawing in XXX super pron a deep breath to yell for
help. Inside the tent, XXX super pron the small dragon was already yowling continuously,
and this perhaps served as XXX super pron a subliminal warning; Mark did not yell. XXX super pron when he
looked
into the tent he saw by the light of the guttering single torch how
XXX super pron Barbara lay limp in the grasp of a XXX super pron second man in marshal's insignia, how
the dragons cage had been tipped over backwards, and XXX super pron how the well-dressed
stranger, who a moment ago had been chatting innocently with Barbara, was
now XXX super pron frantically digging with his dagger into the ground where the cage had
been, uncovering and scattering XXX super pron fine valuable crossbow bolts