The Seeker - Finna's Quest

by E L Russell

  The boy had also regained consciousness. “What are you doing? Who are you?” Leeth twisted around, guilt written all over his face. He’d spent too much time admiring the woman. Girl, really, she was hardly old enough to be called a woman.

  “I am treating her wounds, as I will yours. Be quiet so you do not attract attention.”

  Turning back to Finna, he removed her robe and gently examined her rib cage. “I must wrap her broken rib bones before I can move her.”

  “Move her?”

  Leeth handed Jamal the ceramic jar. “Put some of this on the inside of your cheek for the pain you—”

  “Like hell—”

  “Do it now, boy, and watch your language.” He stood and Jamal obeyed. He hadn’t meant to frighten the kid, but he didn’t know how much time he had before one of the cutthroats came back. “The flavor is honey. Good, huh?”

  Leeth removed a wide roll of gauze from his bag and wound several layers about Finna’s lower chest. Seeing the wrap push her breasts higher, he pulled her shirt to cover her nakedness and ran his hand over the binding, checking it for tightness. Alarmed by the lack of breathing, he quickly loosened the gauze and rewrapped it before returning his attention to her half open mouth.

  “What did you just give her?”

  “The same salve I gave you.” He rechecked her ability to take in air and, all too aware of the boy behind him, gave her a quick second kiss. He sat on his heels, and studied her face.

  “Leave her alone.” Jamal rolled to his hands and knees in an effort to stand.

  “I am a healer. I am also here to free you both from your captors.”

  The boy gave up his quest to stand and sat heavily, leaning against a bulkhead.

  “It looks to me like you are as much a captive as we are.”

  “Yes, a clever plan, do you not think?”

  Jamal eyes widened. His pursed mouth hissed in an angry whisper. “Fool, you come to save us and the best you can think of is to lock yourself in our cage?”

  Leeth spoke slowly. “Patience, my boy. You are mouthy for a young kid. First I will unlock the door of this cell, then you will carry Finna topside and from the gunnel, loudly curse the crew. When they come at you, you will jump overboard into the sea with Finna. The crew will believe both of you drowned, but I will save you. I told you. It is a clever plan.”

  “You are insane.” Jamal’s hands turned into shaking fists and his eyes raced around the tiny enclosure looking for a weapon.

  “I can understand why you think me a deranged fool, but you must trust me. While you don’t know me, I am here to save you, both of you.”

  Jamal’s head lowered as though he’d given up. “What you say is madness.”

  The boy was right. It sounded like madness to his own ears, but he had no ideas for an alternative. He extended his hand. “Let me show you how at least some of this works.”

  Jamal resisted, obvious not ready to believe.

  “Take a chance,” Leeth said. “Your future with these men is grim.” He extended his hand once more and when the boy took it, he repositioned them both to the top of the cliff.

  Jamal almost fell to the ground. Only Leeth’s grip on his hand kept him standing. The pair stood in silence as Jamal’s breathing returned. “You, sir, are the wizard Finna said you were.”

  “This is not magic as you know it.” He released the boy’s hand and placed his hand on his shoulder.

  Jamal shrugged it off and stepped back. “Why didn’t you move my mother out of the cave before she was engulfed in fire if you are so clever?”

  Indeed. How could he possibly give a satisfactory answer?

  Of course, he would want to know. If he were in the boy’s shoes, it would have been the first thing out of his own mouth. The problem was the Time Overlords were listening so this was not the time to discuss Yasmin’s redemption. Besides, everything he could think of at this point would require him to do a complete redo of where they were now and he wasn’t willing to regress that far back in time. He snorted. He’d go stark raving mad if he had to do this damn scenario again.

  For now, he needed to get Jamal’s trust and get his help to rescue Finna, but what he said and did next could alter everything.

  “I must obey certain rules over which I have no control.” Well, that sounded ridiculous. “And for now, they require that I save you and Finna.” He placed his hand on Jamal’s shoulder once more. “I swear to you on my oath as a Templar and a friend, you will know everything soon.”

  Leeth wasn’t sure what convinced Jamal to do as he asked. Maybe it was the few tricks he showed the boy that made him think he was a wizard who could do anything and maybe it was that the poor kid was so desperate, his brain wasn’t working on all cylinders. At any rate, he returned them to the ship from the cliff and Jamal complied with his directions. It was a huge leap of faith that impressed Leeth more than he had thought possible.

  Jamal carried Finna topside, cursed the men with a vocabulary that blistered Leeth’s ears. He then jumped overboard into a roiling black night sea with Finna in his arms. Leeth revised his estimation. The kid was no longer a boy. He was a soldier, bold and brave.

  31

  A New Life

  New Plans

  A soft pop sounded behind Finna and she turned. Jamal stood there, alive and smiling, and she hugged him to her. “How . . . how did you get up here? Are you are all right?” She ran her hands up and down his arms assuring herself he was real. When he stepped back she smiled. It was the natural reaction of a twelve-year old being fussed over.

  “Yes, yes. It all worked out as Leeth said it would. You look strange, Finna. Are you well? Do you remember what happened after you were hit on the head in Crete?”

  Leeth waved a hand at him. “Another time, her head is still healing. I’m going to take her out in the sunshine for a bit. It will do her good. Do you want to come?”

  “Hmm,” Jamal looked unsure. “No. You go ahead. I’m cleaning out that room you gave me. Right now, there as so much junk, there is not even space to sleep.”

  Finna reached out to protest, but with that soft popping noise of displaced air, he once more disappeared.

  He trusted Leeth.

  She wondered what he based that trust on. Crete? There were things she still couldn’t recall. She wanted to be alone with Jamal, not with Leeth.

  * * *

  Without warning, Leeth repositioned with Finna to a grassy area too close to the edge of a rocky cliff. With a yelp, she scooted back several feet.

  “It’s safe, Finna. No one’s here.”

  “No one’s here? What are you talking about? That’s not the problem. How did we get here? Why are we on the precipice of disaster and you’re only satisfied that no one will see us fall?”

  “How do you feel? Does your head ache?”

  “Answers, Sir Leeth. Where are we?” Intrigued by the sound below, she leaned closer to the drop-off to watch the surf crash into rocks. “The water’s so blue.”

  “We have it all here.” He opened his arms wide. “In the opposite direction, two leagues behind the keep, is a great desert. Down the rocky slope to the left of the keep is a wide forest. And here, you see out ocean.”

  “Not an answer. You may have it all, but I want to go home.” Wherever that was. Her mind wasn’t working right and she couldn’t remember some things.

  “Soon. When you are fit to travel, we will go from here.”

  She watched him as he gazed at the waves below. Although he tried to undermine her anger with attempts of kindness and concern, her frustration rose. The only plus was he no longer frightened her even though he’d done inexplicable things that alarmed her, like appearing out of nowhere in her doorway and that thing he did moving Jamal from far below her window to her room.

  He seemed unconcerned about her feelings and continued talking as if she were actually listening. “This salt air is good for healing and when you are up to strength, you and I have a special task to perfor
m.”

  This place, wherever that was, was strange and not because she was still recovering. The light was wrong, for one thing. The angle of the sun seemed like winter, yet it was warm like summer. And she felt heavy. She lifted her arm to accentuate her thought. Yes, heavy. When she started to speak, he put a finger to his lips. “Turn slowly and look where we were.”

  She stood and stepped well back from the edge of the cliff before circling to see the view inland. She saw a steep rocky slope, impossibly difficult to scale, flanked by two smaller cliffs. “See that mound beyond of what looks like rubble?”

  “Yes.”

  He laughed. “It’s my castle. Or it used to be a castle, that is.”

  “It’s a mess.” That wasn’t nice and she knew better. Contrite, she amended her statement. “I mean it’s mostly fallen down.”

  Leeth sighed heavily. “Too true.”

  “Take me home and I’ll ask my father if he will come fix your castle. I think he’d like the challenge.” Beside the jumble of rubble that used to be a small castle, a single solid pillar of smooth stone stood.

  Shielding her eyes with one hand, she said, “What’s that burnished gold tower?”

  “That,” he said, pointing with his fighting stick, “is the keep. Note it has not fallen down. The open window near the top is the room where you first woke.” Something flew from a second window higher up. “That’s Jamal clearing out his room.”

  “Leeth,” she jerked his arm, “just how long are you planning on keeping us here?”

  Rather than answer her question, Leeth picked her up.

  Still in Leeth’s arms, Finna was suddenly back in her room. “What the—” She glanced around in alarm. “What did you do?”

  “It called repositioning. I moved us from one place to another, just as the word denotes.”

  “I don’t care what it’s called. I don’t like it. Being in one place and then in another with no control isn’t natural.” And it had sarding well scared her. She breathed deeply trying to settle the thumping in her chest. “Put me down. How did you do it?”

  “Hmm.” He lowered her to sit on the bed. “Not sure.”

  “What?” The freaking jerk never answered her questions.

  Leeth raised his palms and spoke to her mind in a soft voice.

  That mind thing again. She’d either forgotten what it was or had never been told. “What is this awakened you keep talking about?”

  He reached to touch her head. “It is due to a growth right behind the—” He stopped, pulled his hand away and waved it. “It’s a development of your brain.” He smiled and wiggled an eyebrow. “Wait ‘til you see the other powers you’ll gain. The skills will make you a great warrior.”

  “I am a great warrior, lackwit.” Damn the man. “If there is truth in what you say, then teach me now.” Maybe then, she could escape.

  “Hold still while I examine her head. You must wait until your concussion is healed.”

  “It’s taking its own sweet time to heal. Maybe,” she squinted her eyes at him as if examining a particularly ugly bug, “all the repositioning you had me do isn’t good for the healing of my head.”

  He grinned. “Perhaps you are correct.” He held her face in his hands and tilted her chin to examine her carefully. “Your responses are good and your color has returned. Watch my finger with your eyes.”

  She ignored him.

  “I am only following through on my job of protecting you,” he said. He gave her a half smile that mesmerized her.

  Finna frowned and wiped her nose with the back of her hand. She didn’t want to like him, but she found it difficult to take her eyes from his. Tears welled and she looked away.

  Leeth reach toward her and for a minute, she thought he was going to hug her. Heaven forbid. Instead he put his large capable warm hands on her upper arms and rubbed them up and down, his express contrite. “I’m sorry. I should have let you sleep more. It’s my fault your head hurts so.”

  She looked into his eyes for clues. “Why do you feel this obligation? It makes no sense. You barely know me . . . or Jamal.”

  He hesitated and looked away.

  Well, that was ridiculous. He should have had a ready answer. He had been silent so long, she started when he spoke.

  “The prince and his prates, as deadly as they seemed to you, were only one of many challenges you must face before you can control your destiny. My vow is that I will help you with those trials and ensure your ultimate success.”

  “I have my own vow, I have to—”

  Leeth lifted his hands to stop her. “Ah. You remember. Your quest for the Queen. Yes. I am aware. Part of my vow is to help you succeed with this admirable undertaking.”

  “The Queen? What do you know about the Queen?”

  “I know you pledged to return her stolen chalices. I know you hold your promise sacred.”

  How did he know that? “Do you think me incapable of keeping my own promises? You have little trouble making excuses for your behavior by citing your vows, Sir Seeker. Why do you doubt my ability to adhere to my sincere oath? Is it because I am a woman? Sard thee. I served Queen Eleanor as a trusted sword. Furthermore, I now recall I took a vow to Yasmin to watch over her son. That promise, too, I will keep.” She folded her arms and raised her brows. “My word to her is as true to me as any mistaken pledge you have made as a slave trader.”

  “I am not a slave trader.”

  She snorted and turned away. “Hard to prove.”

  “I am not your enemy.”

  Lord, she pushed his patience. He changed the subject. “I have something for you. I’ve been waiting for the right time to return it.” He reached into his leather shoulder bag and sorted through the bottom. “Ah, here it is.” He laid a short dagger in her hands. “You lost this two years ago during the Squire’s Tournament at Vézelay.”

  Finna’s eyes grew round and an unwilling smile filled her face. Her reaction was all that he hoped it would be.

  “I watched you win that competition. You fought like a Templar.”

  She held the weapon firmly in her left hand, testing the sharp blade with a careful finger before looking up at him. “You would give me a weapon that I could easily use to kill you?” She stood and adopted a defensive position, her returned blade at the ready.

  With the speed of the fastest arrow, he took a step back and rotated his fighting stick to a horizontal position aimed for her heart. “You could try.” He laughed at the surprise on her face.

  “While I respect your ability to fight as a crusader, think of this as my way of saying I trust you and believe your vows are pure.”

  “My reason to travel to Vézelay was not to see your tournament. I went to witness Queen Eleanor dressed like an Amazon warrior galloping through the crowds on her white horse. She was magnificent. She gained many recruits for her Crusade on the same day you lost your knife in the crowd. I found it and waited for the day I could return it to you.”

  He placed his hand on Finna’s shoulder, expecting her to shake it off, and when she didn’t, he gave her a small squeeze. The days of caring for Yasmin followed by days of lying unconscious caused a weight loss that made her feel frail. Her Awakening, with the resultant changes in her brain, required more and better food then what she had been eating during her march toward Jerusalem. Before the Awakening began, her brain had required only one-fifth of the food intake she now needed. The development, like a newborn brain, consumed a full third of her caloric intake and he looked forward to pumping her full of nutritious foods.

  “When Eleanor saw you win the tournament and invited you to join her in the Woman’s Crusade, your father must have been very proud.”

  She ducked her head and brushed his hand away. “Ye
s. He was. I’d intended to fight at the Queen’s side as her sword.”

  Having kept track of all her proceedings, Leeth knew that. “Before any promises are kept, you must recover fully.”

  “You have been watching me for some time, haven’t you? That night the lightning shattered the tree, you were in my head. You were the one who told me to go to my tent.”

  “Ah, another nugget is returned to your memory.”

  “And it was you who healed my head in that cave in Germany. Why is that, Seeker? Why are you trailing me? Just what is it you need of me?”

  32

  Medicine

  A Partner Appears

  Leeth cursed the fact Finna was not yet well. Not only did he hurt for her, but they had many things to get on with and do together.

 

  Leeth seethed before he responded to the familiar voice spoke to his mind.

 

 

 

  That was a relief.