Mune spread his hands and sighed. “Okay, now you’ve lost me, Madeline. You’re apparently delighted by some turn of events, but I haven’t a clue. Will you make me privy to your little secret?”
“Of course,” she said, amused by his befuddled expression. “I just enjoy the fact that I can rib you so easily. I haven’t had the pleasure in two years.”
“Then by all means enjoy it,” he replied, picking up the piece of bread and ripping a bite out of it. “And to think I was under the impression that you were a humorless stick-in-the-mud. Now what’s going on?”
“My dear Mune, fortune smiles upon us today. We have an opportunity to advance our campaign against King Justin with very little work on our part.”
“I’m intrigued. Especially the part about very little work.”
“I knew that would please you,” she replied, leaning forward and lowering her voice. “Guess who left the inn very early this morning?”
“Guessing games? That’s so unlike you, but I’ll indulge your brush with whimsy. Hmmm, was it Vellan?”
Madeline poured herself more tea and sampled a slice of bread. “You’re as amusing as a thorn patch.” She briefly dipped a small corner of the bread into her tea before eating it. “Princess Megan herself had spent the night here, believe it or not.”
Mune wrinkled his brow in doubt. “The King’s granddaughter was here? She spent the night in this inn?” He indicated Madeline’s cup with an inquisitive glance. “What exactly is in that tea?”
“I’m neither mad nor intoxicated, Mune. Princess Megan of Arrondale was really here, accompanied by two young men in a wagon stacked with apple crates.”
“And that added fact is supposed to make your story more credible?”
“I am so tempted right now to try out that shrinking spell,” she muttered.
Mune relented and sat back in the chair, nursing his mug of ale. “All right, Madeline, give me the details. I’ll shut up and listen. How do you know it was Princess Megan? You haven’t seen her since you tried to kidnap her as an infant.”
“But my contact has. The princess has grown up right under his nose. And he saw her only yesterday in a small restaurant in the village of Mason and overheard she was heading this way.” Madeline sensed his growing doubt. “Let me back up several days. That should help you keep track of events.”
“I’d appreciate it,” Mune said, taking a gulp of his drink.
“My contact, unfortunately, was a little bit over zealous after learning about the upcoming war council. He worked in the kitchens but had a few duties in other parts of the Citadel. But he had asked one question too many of people he shouldn’t have, he told me, and began to arouse a few suspicions.” Madeline sighed. “And it didn’t help that he was spotted in a restricted corridor near the meeting chamber, trying to assess the layout for his report to me.”
“What happened to him?”
“He felt he had no choice, so he fled before anyone could question or detain him.” She smirked. “He told me he wasn’t that disappointed to be leaving anyway. Working in the Blue Citadel all these years had lost its charm. And despite earning a little extra on the side as my informant, he felt there were more lucrative opportunities for his services throughout Laparia now that Vellan had sufficiently stirred things up.”
“You learned all this just a few days ago?”
“Yes. We had arranged to meet east of the Barhaden Woods. I was on my way here to Plum Orchard, so after our meeting, he accompanied me to the inn and then left two mornings ago. He was heading east to the Ridloe Mountains and planned to follow them south to find his fortune in the war.”
“I don’t mind instigating war,” Mune said, “but I prefer to keep my distance once all that nasty fighting breaks out. It’s not healthy.” He stretched his legs and rested his hands behind his head. “So about your contact, how did he–say, what is his name, by the way? Since he’s out of the Citadel now, there’s no need to keep it a secret anymore.”
“I never like to divulge information if I don’t have to, but I suppose it doesn’t matter now. His name is Dell Hawks.”
Mune shrugged. “But how did he ever bump into the princess? He just left the Citadel. Isn’t that where Princess Megan is supposed to be?”
“One would think. But Dell claims he saw her yesterday afternoon in the village of Mason and overheard that she was on her way to the village of Plum Orchard.”
“With those two apple sellers,” he said skeptically.
“I can only tell you what I saw through my window. So he rushed back here, knowing that I would still be around, and tried to arrange her abduction last night. But…”
“No luck?”
“No. One of Megan’s companions rescued her before Dell could carry her off. But he is heading north to track them down. We’ll find her yet.”
Mune sat up, hungry for more bread. “See, a money-making opportunity falls at Dell’s feet even before he gets a whiff of war in the south. Now that’s luck! Though I still can’t comprehend why the King’s granddaughter is out here in the middle of nowhere with two locals. It doesn’t make sense. Does she have a twin?”
“No.”
“And you definitely saw her?”
“I saw a woman in a cloak leaving here this morning accompanied by two men. Her face was concealed by a hood, but who else could it be?”
“Well that’s proof enough,” Mune muttered sarcastically, receiving a fiery glare from Madeline. “And your Mr. Hawks never gleaned any information about the princess going abroad while he was still employed in the Citadel?”
Madeline sat back, her hands folded on her lap. “Again, no. He was only a kitchen worker. His access was limited.”
Mune grinned. “You were only a nursemaid twenty years ago, but look at you now. You’re rubbing shoulders with some pretty important figures.” He poured the last of the ale from the pitcher into his mug. “Now that we have the time, tell me what happened when you first tried to snatch the infant princess. What went wrong?”
Madeline drew her lips into a tight line, recalling those days so long ago. She hadn’t minded being one of a handful of nursemaids employed in the Blue Citadel, helping to care for the children of royalty. It was a satisfying job in its way, yet deep inside she had yearned for something more out of life. Something exciting. Princess Megan had been the newest addition to the bloodline, and her mother had been in frail health shortly after her birth. One of Madeline’s duties then was to take the child outdoors to the courtyards for fresh air on particular days. It was while walking through the labyrinth of corridors one afternoon that she had first laid eyes on Caldurian, a young, ambitious wizard of twenty-six. He was being escorted to meet with envoys of the King, and as Madeline brushed past him in the hallway with the baby in her arms, she couldn’t help but be entranced by his dark eyes which pierced into the deepest recesses of her soul in that brief instant. As she exited the gloomy corridor into the warm sunshine, her heart beat wildly and her limbs shook. Words and images flooded her mind, revealing a world of grandeur and possibility beyond the Citadel. Madeline couldn’t comprehend what had happened to her in those moments, but she knew she wanted to meet that mysterious gentleman.
Caldurian found her instead. After a series of meetings with some of the King’s representatives, the wizard was allowed to wander in the courtyards while King Justin pondered his offer of an alliance with Vellan. Caldurian spotted Madeline late in the afternoon talking with two of her fellow nursemaids near one of the garden fountains. A mere glance from him was enough to lure her away. She followed him behind a row of hedges. They sat on a stone bench away from any distractions. Madeline hardly said a word at first, but Caldurian sensed that they had much in common and was instantly attracted to her.
“You are thinking, ‘Why does he want to speak with me?’” Caldurian said, observing Madeline out of the corners of his eyes. She sat on the edge of the bench, looking forward, the tips of her toes barely touching the ground.
“And are you wondering what value you might bring to this relationship?”
Madeline nodded a few times, bravely glancing up at Caldurian, taken in by his amiable smile, his long dark hair and a vibrant sense of purpose.
The wizard gently tapped his boot upon the cobblestone pavement. “I would answer that I see much potential in you.”
“Madeline,” she whispered after a nervous pause. “My name is Madeline.”
“And mine is Caldurian. I am a wizard.”
“Yes, I already knew that–both your name and your livelihood. Word spreads around the Citadel like wildfire when somebody important arrives.”
He grunted. “Well, I shall shortly know how important King Justin finds me. I fear not very.”
“What is it that you seek here?”
“An alliance between Arrondale and Kargoth. My leader, Vellan, has placed his utmost trust in me to convince King Justin that such an alliance would be advantageous.”
“To Vellan? Or to the King?”
Caldurian laughed, noting that the young woman seemed less ill at ease. He stood and faced her. “How many years have you seen, Madeline? Nineteen? Perhaps twenty?”
“Twenty and a half.”
“Well, twenty and a half suits you nicely. You are quite lovely and charming if I may say so without seeming too forward,” he said, eager to get to know her further. He took a step back and studied her for a moment. “Tell me, what is it you want out of life right now? Speak quickly! Do not think!”
“I want to know the world!” she blurted out, slowly looking up mystified at Caldurian. “Tell me please–what does that mean?”
The wizard smiled. “It means that you could put your talents to better use elsewhere than inside a nursery in Morrenwood. I sensed you had potential the instant I laid eyes on you.”
“I thought I had heard you talking to me inside my mind as you passed by. Was I imagining it?”
Caldurian smiled again and sat back down. “See, you proved me right.”
“That I have potential?” Madeline nervously ran her fingers through her head of blazing red hair. “Potential for what?”
Caldurian turned to her. “To know the world, of course. And I would be delighted to teach you.”
Mune waved a hand in front of Madeline’s face. “Hello! Your thoughts are a thousand miles away. Did you hear me?”
“I heard you,” she replied dryly.
“So tell me what went wrong with the kidnapping?”
“Bad luck.”
Mune sat forward, leaned his elbows on the table and nodded. “Meaning…?”
“Meaning, I learned a valuable lesson–that you should always prepare in excruciating detail.” She noted the empty pitcher of ale. “And never take your job lightly.”
Mune rolled his eyes. “I never have. I just prefer to find entertaining ways to do my job. But don’t change subjects. What happened?”
“Caldurian never told you this story?”
“No. Our conversations are never quite this social. He’s usually very sober, serious and stupendously dull.” He pointed a cautionary finger at Madeline. “Don’t you risk becoming like that. Tell me everything!”
“There’s not much left to tell. Caldurian’s negotiations with King Justin were bearing no fruit. I met the wizard the following morning and he told me as much. He planned to leave that evening after his final session, believing that King Justin and his representatives were being diplomatic, merely going through the motions but never having any intentions to align themselves with Vellan. He seemed resigned to that fate, yet I sensed a tinge of desperation in his voice,” she said. “Caldurian didn’t want to fail Vellan a second time, and when I told him I had to return to my nursemaid duties, he suddenly went silent, deep in thought. I could see the strain in his face as he whispered to himself. Then his eyes opened wide and he looked at me, having discovered another option. What’s more, I knew that I would now be involved in his activities.”
“That’s when he planned to kidnap the princess?”
A thin smile formed on Madeline’s face. “That’s when he planned that I would kidnap the princess. He would use the infant as a bargaining tool to gain King Justin’s allegiance. I also believed that it would be a test of my loyalty to Caldurian should I wish to join forces with him.”
Mune grinned in admiration. “What a gutsy maneuver on his part. Forgive me for being blunt, but how did your plan fall apart?”
She tapped a fingernail against her teacup. “We didn’t have you as part of our team, Mune, otherwise the endeavor would have been an astounding success.”
“A pity I didn’t know you two back them. Now out with it. What happened?”
“I employed the assistance of one of the kitchen workers, a gangly sort who was quite smitten with me at the time. He had a knack for pilfering a loaf of bread or a wedge of fine cheese from the kitchens and would brag to me about selling the items to the villagers. So I knew he might be inclined to help me–”
“–pilfer a princess?”
“Precisely. Dell Hawks was easily influenced with a smile and a kiss back then.”
Mune leaned back in his chair, thoroughly enjoying Madeline’s account. “Dell Hawks, you say. My, but you two have quite a history.”
“Anyway, I met with him on my afternoon rounds in the courtyard. I had the child with me and we chatted on some rocks under a birch tree. He was smoking that awful smelling pipe of his as he was fond of doing. I think he believed it impressed me. The princess took a fancy to him, as I had hoped. Couldn’t have her crying through the Citadel corridors as he carried her away. At least that was the theory.”
Madeline recounted how she had explained Caldurian’s plan to Dell, emphasizing that no harm would come to the child and that a handsome profit awaited them both. He quickly offered his services.
“We decided to make our move at twilight. Caldurian would be out of the Citadel by then and I would be on duty. Megan’s parents usually spent some time in one of the gardens with her at this part of the evening before Prince Gregory would go off to consult with his father on matters of the day. One of the other attendants would then assist his wife on a short walk thereafter to help her regain her strength while I carried the infant to the nursery to await her mother’s return.” Madeline helped herself to another piece of dessert bread. “Only this time I took a detour.”
“To where?”
“To the cellar kitchens. More precisely, to one of the storage rooms nearby. Dell said he would leave a large wicker basket inside the room farthest from the main kitchen as it was usually vacant. There I would place the bundled infant inside, then set a false bottom over her and fill the basket with a few loaves of bread and some vegetables. Dell was to meet me there and take the basket outdoors through a side door and deliver it to Caldurian’s party as they waited to depart. He would claim it was compliments of the head kitchen attendant for use on their journey. Caldurian and company were to ride out through the main gates as darkness fell without suspicion. That was the plan.”
She slowly raised her tea cup and took a long sip as Mune drummed his fingers on the table. “Oh, quite teasing, Madeline, and get on with it. What happened to throw your fine plan into chaos?”
She set her cup down and folded her arms. “Dell Hawks never showed up. He was sent on an errand and could not worm his way out of it, so he later told me. I waited for him for several minutes, already quite late for the nursery. I was expected there and knew people would soon come looking for me, realizing I was now compromised and would be interrogated should I be found. So not wanting to connect our plans to the kitchens, and possibly to Dell himself, I hurriedly carried the infant to another corridor and left her there, knowing she would be found unharmed. I then bolted out of the Citadel through another cellar exit and found Caldurian’s contingent readying their horses and wagons to depart. He could see by my eyes in the moonlight that the plan had collapsed, yet had me climb into one of the wagons and hide under some
blankets just before he departed. We passed through the main gates before the incident had been discovered. I boiled in silent rage at my failure. Caldurian forgave me, pleased that I had pledged my life in his service. We took refuge with a relative of mine in nearby Red Fern and…” Madeline sighed regretfully, nodding her head. “Well, that’s a whole other story.”
“Oh? What happened in Red Fern?” Mune asked, bubbling with curiosity.
“I’d rather not talk about it and spoil this lovely meal,” she coolly replied. “Anyway, Caldurian and I later learned that we were suspected in the attempted kidnapping and eventually fled east to the Cumberland Forest. Fortunately, Dell Hawks had never been implicated.”
“And thus he remained your spy for these past twenty years. How wonderfully convenient.”
“And how utterly inconvenient it is that he can no longer spy for us on the eve of the war council.” Madeline sighed. “Still, if he can track down Princess Megan and rectify our mistake from twenty years ago…”
“That would be quite a gift for Caldurian, wouldn’t it? Quite a bargaining piece.” Mune glanced curiously at Madeline. “But if your Mr. Hawks does kidnap the princess, what will we do with her?”
“I’ve given that some thought. We’ll leave her in the capable hands of the Northern Islanders. They could hold her prisoner on one of their ships until she is needed. She’ll be safe with them,” she said confidently. “No chance for someone to rescue her or to even know she is there.”
“That’ll work for me,” Mune said, downing the last of his drink. “Now if you don’t mind, I’ll excuse myself for the night. I have to send word to him, and then I’d like to get a full night’s sleep before we’re off in the morning.”
Madeline shooed him away with a flick of her hand. “Enjoy your evening as you wish. I’ll finish my tea here with the fire and quiet. I need to think. But be prepared to depart at sunrise. We have much to do.”
“As you wish,” he replied, standing up and pushing in his chair. “It’s been enjoyable catching up on old times, Madeline. It really has. We should do it more often.” He nodded as he walked out of the room, leaving his accomplice alone in the shadows, nursing her cup of hot tea.
Nicholas Raven and the Wizards' Web (The Complete Epic Fantasy) Page 24