“For a boy of fourteen,” Taliesin said, unable to resist, “I am impressed.”
“Fourteen? Really? Is that how old I look to you?” Xander’s laughter filled the tent like the squeals of a little girl. He released her hand. “Did you hear that, Sir Roland? The Raven Mistress believes I am an unshaven, untried boy.” He stroked his chin as if he had a long beard, but no whiskers grew on his face. “I take that as a compliment, my dear, for I am well past fifty. I hope you do not judge by appearances alone; if so, you are in for countless disappointments during your lifetime, as short as that may be.”
Roland pushed himself away from the table. “Maybe I should walk Taliesin to her tent, my lord,” he said, taking her by the elbow. She brushed his hand away.
“Oh, posh!” Xander snorted. “I have never met a female I cannot tame, no matter the species. She knows I’ll kill her friends if she disobeys me. She won’t run away.” He lifted his hand, but refrained from touching her again. “I know how to handle wild things, Sir Roland. It’s nature’s way of testing us, and I assure you both, I am a survivor.” His pale eyes slid over her. “Of course, other arrangements could be made to guarantee your friends’ safety, my dear. What do you think, Sir Roland? Do you mind if I offer this woman my protection?”
“She is her own woman,” Roland said, the expression in his eyes unreadable. “She does what she wants, when she wants.”
Taliesin crossed her arms and prepared to flee. Xander’s hand fell upon her shoulder. She left it there, like a contemptible pale bug sitting on her shoulder, and trembled when he caressed her cheek with his slender, girlish fingers.
“I was right, Sir Roland. You have not broken her in,” Xander said, surprised. “She is still wild. Very wild. If you have no claim, then I’ll keep her here for the night. If she pleases me, I may consider letting one of her friends come with you.”
Roland sucked in his breath and said nothing. Taliesin wanted to club him.
“He doesn’t want you, girl,” Xander said, perking right up. “But I do. If you want my protection, you may have it, by all means.” He patted her on the shoulder like a good little girl, a lascivious expression on his face. “Go to your tent, then, and return with the two other boys who travel with you. I like boys as much as girls.”
“That’s certainly an offer I can’t refuse,” Taliesin said. Her sarcasm was picked up by Roland, but the nitwit didn’t seem to care as he placed his hand over his groin and smiled. “This is far more than I hoped for, great lord. Far more than I deserve.”
The Eagle heir laughed with delight. “Yes, yes. I know,” he said, eager with lust. “You may show me how grateful you are tonight, my little sha’tar. You and your friends.”
Spinning on her heel, Taliesin tried not to gag as she walked out of the tent. She didn’t bother glancing at Roland, and didn’t expect him to follow her, not after he’d let Master Xander lay claim to her. He’d just stood there, saying nothing, and let the pervert take charge of the situation. Forgive, but never forget, she thought, wondering why she couldn’t hate Roland. Ignoring every Eagle guard she passed, she returned to her tent and found her friends snoozing on pillows scattered about the floor. Jaelle was first to awaken, sat up, and curiously watched as Taliesin went to her saddlebags, checked to make certain the map and key were inside the pouch, and then belted on her sword. The others woke up, one by one, as Taliesin stuffed her gear into her saddlebags, muttering under her breath.
“Are we leaving?” Hawk said. “It’s about time.”
Wren let out a yawn and stretched her arms over her head. “I just had a horrible dream,” she said. “I saw you and Roland parting company, permanently. What happened?”
“It’s obvious they had a fight, and we’re leaving, so get up, get dressed, and let’s ride,” Jaelle said, quickly rising to her feet. She started packing her gear.
Taliesin merely nodded.
“Oh, dear,” Zarnoc said, clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth. He waved his hand over his chest and turned his sleeping robe and fuzzy slippers into his dirty, old traveling clothes. “You need not tell us what was said, Taliesin, for it’s plainly written on your face. Master Xander is not known for his charm. Personally, I’m glad to be rid of him. It is a pity Roland is at this man’s mercy, for I assure you, to have such a master is to be a slave.”
“Poor Roland,” Rook said. He was dressed and ready to leave, the silver spear strapped to his back. He lifted his saddlebags onto his shoulder. “I will be glad to be free of the Eagle Clan. I’m sure he regrets what has happened, Taliesin. Do not judge him harshly.”
The wizard twirled around holding his staff. “Escaping from the Eagle heir’s clutches will require a little magic,” he said. “The horses and mule are already saddled. That much was easy to do. Reaching them without being seen will be harder; it will require a diversion if we are to make good our escape. I can arrange that, too.”
“What about the gypsies?” Hawk said. He was loaded with gear and stood at the entrance to the tent. “We can’t leave without Tamal and the brothers. They are in danger. Are they coming with us, Taliesin?”
“No, they stay with Roland,” she said, picking up her saddlebags. “Xander thinks they are from Erindor, and as long as they give him no reason to think otherwise, they will be safe. Roland is not without honor. He is a King’s Man, through and through, but he’ll protect Tamal and the brothers. Come here, Hawk. We’re going under the side of the tent—the entrance is being watched.”
“You go first,” Hawk said. “I’m last out. I’ve got your backs.”
Feeling like thieves in the night, Taliesin and her friends slipped under the side of the tent, crept to their horses, and found them already saddled, as Zarnoc had promised. The Eagle legionaries were encamped away from the horses and slept inside small tents with their camels tied outside. As her group, trying to remain as quiet as possible, tied on their gear and climbed into the saddles, Taliesin spotted several furry bodies moving across the sand and headed straight for her abandoned tent.
“Wolves,” Jaelle cried out. “They’ve found us!”
Dozens of huge wolves rushed in, making no sounds as they tackled the Eagle guards and ripped them to shreds before moving onto the next. If that was Zarnoc’s diversion, sending in the Wolfmen, it was all they needed to escape. With Jaelle in the lead, they took off at a gallop and headed west as a bugler blew his horn, alerting the camp of the attack. As Taliesin and her group crested a large dune, she glanced back to see her tent bathed in bright red flames and frightened men and camels scatter as the giant wolves swarmed the camp. She turned away and tried not to think about Roland’s fate.
* * * * *
Chapter Twenty-Five
The afternoon sky held no cloud cover, only an endless expanse of blue that stretched across a dry basin and ended with the rise of giant mountains in the west. The map had made it appear the journey was just another day’s ride. At the end of the third day, the mountain range appeared twenty miles away, under a hazy sheen that rose from the ground and created the illusion of water. Wearing their cotton cloaks and sucking on leaves to stay cool, they slowly made their way to the Cave of Chu’Alagu, relying on Zarnoc to keep them fed, watered, and protected. But even his magic had limits, for the magical water trickled through their bodies had no real value and the food lacked real protein, offering flavor, but yielding no calories, and riders and horses suffered for it. Zarnoc promised to find something nutritious to eat and rode to the north on his mule, fearing they’d turn it into steaks. That was the evening last, and he had not yet returned.
Taliesin frequently pulled out the Deceiver’s Map, forming it as a board so as to not fly away in the breeze, and kept track of their route, the Wolf Pack, the Eagle legionnaires and Sir Roland, and Prince Sertorius’ band of knights. All appeared as tiny dots on the map following after them; though Hawk and Rook did their best to wipe clean their trail, the enemy still gave pursuit. For an hour, they’d been t
racking an oasis that moved about on the map, taking them miles out of the way, only to lead them back to the correct path. Taliesin was exhausted, barely hanging on by a thread, and she knew her companions were in no better shape. Her urine had turned dark gold from dehydration. She no longer sweated, and every few seconds a chill set her teeth chattering and made her stomach heave. With no sign or word from Zarnoc since he left, she kept the group moving, promising they’d reach water by evening. Jaelle’s horse was limping, so she’d chosen to walk beside the mare and straggled behind the others. They went on for another few miles as the sun set behind the mountains, until Taliesin, able to hear Jaelle speaking soothingly to the horse, at last signaled the group to stop.
“Where is the oasis?” Hawk asked, sinking to the ground. He caught sight of a green lizard, stabbed it with his knife, and ate it raw. “You promised us water by nightfall. Wren has a fever. If we don’t find water soon, Taliesin, it’s the end of us.”
“I’m not ready to kill our horses, so stop eyeing Jaelle’s mount.” Taliesin slid out of the saddle, shivering. “It’s getting dark. I’ll look at the map again, the oasis can’t be far.” She heard something hard hit the ground; a saddle, and Rook was already making camp. Taliesin stretched out her legs, took the map from her pouch, placed the board in her lap, and found their location. The oasis was no further than a mile away, unless the map lied. She thought about Zarnoc, but he didn’t appear on the map, nor in person.
Hawk pulled the saddle from his horse and used his cloak to wipe the sweat off the horse’s back and flank. “No one is coming to help us,” he grumbled. “Zarnoc has abandoned us. It’s useless. We’ll never find the oasis, and we’ll never reach the cave.”
“Don’t stop,” Jaelle said. “We must find water. Get rid of everything you don’t need; keep your weapons and take your water flasks. Give the horses a rest and then push on a little further. I can smell the water—can’t you? It’s right over the next dune.” Her horse collapsed as its fore legs suddenly sank into the sand at a rapid rate, while Jaelle tugged on the reins. The bridle slipped off as the horse struggled and panicked, screaming as the quicksand pulled it down. “Help me!” Jaelle shouted, watching the horse lift its head, the only part of its body still visible. The horse met her eyes and conveyed its frantic sense of fear. Hawk was instantly at her side with a rope. He made a loop, threw it over the horse’s head, and heaved, but succeeded in only strangling the animal. With a final snort, the horse’s head vanished from view, taking the rope with it.
Jaelle screamed and turned on Hawk, a knife in her hand. As he scrambled clear, she brought the dagger to her throat, meaning to take her own life. Hawk dove onto her and rolled them both clear of the quicksand, losing the knife in the process. Jaelle’s gut-wrenching sobs faded, and turned to gasps for air as Hawk pulled her into his arms and cradled her against his chest.
“Durrell,” Jaelle sobbed, gazing at the darkening sky through tear-filled eyes. “My father gave me Durrell when I was a child. She was sister to Tamal’s stallion, Gazel. Tamal will be angry with me for being so careless.” She buried her face against Hawk’s shoulder. “I’ll never see my brother or father again.”
“I can’t stand it,” Wren said, who had remained mounted on Merryweather. “I’m going over the dune. I’ll find the oasis. I know I will.”
The small mare trotted forward, and then galloped up the dune before anyone could stop her. The horse and rider cast a long shadow as they went over the dune and disappeared from sight. Seconds later, her shouts brought Rook running toward the dune, but he fell several times, unable to summon the strength to go to her aid.
“Taliesin, go after her,” Rook said. “Please. Save Wren.”
Taliesin slid onto Thalagar’s back, drew her sword, and kicked her horse hard in the flanks. The stallion let out an angry snort and charged forward. Wren was waiting on the opposite side of the dune, pointing at a beautiful oasis. Palm trees spread across a wide area filled with abundant plant life that thrived around a large pool. Urging her mare forward, Wren rode to the oasis and right into the pond, laughing and shouting as she dove out of the saddle into the water.
Taliesin sheathed her sword as she rode back over the dune to see Hawk and Rook finish saddling their horses. “Wren found the oasis,” she shouted. “Leave your gear and get on the horses. There’s water for all.” Hawk brought Jaelle, and Rook was already mounted; as they crested the hill, their shouts of joy caused the horses to run toward the pool of water.
Taliesin waded out of the water, soaked to the skin, and left Thalagar to splash about as she threw herself onto the ground beneath a palm. Wren and Rook played in the water while their horses trotted out and stood together to nibble at tall blades of grass. Hawk’s riderless horse let out a snort and also waded out of the water, leaving its owner and Jaelle splashing one another, Durrell’s death forgotten, at least for the moment.
Taliesin sat up, shrugged out of her cloak and jacket, and went about rounding up the horses. She removed the saddles, replaced the bridles with braided rope halters, and set a tether line. She kicked off her waterlogged boots and walked about in her bare feet to collect wood, pile it in a tall stack, and crouch to use a bowstring and the bark of a palm tree to spark a fire to life. When she had it going, she lay on the ground and listened to her friends laughing and splashing in the water.
Hawk dropped to the ground beside her, holding a coconut. “There’s more on the ground,” he said. “Something swam by my leg. Might be an eel? Rook is going to fish and Wren will look after Jaelle. They’re hanging their clothes to dry. It’s a miracle we found this place, but you did it, Taliesin. You did it.”
A coconut dropped from the palm above Taliesin, nearly hitting her on the head. She looked at the moving palm leaves, which shook hard on their own and dropped coconuts beside her and Hawk with such accuracy she knew Zarnoc had arrived. The fire sparked, rising higher as Zarnoc appeared, with the carcass of a slender antelope hung across the mule. Zarnoc jumped to the ground and pulled the antelope off the mule, letting the thirsty animal head to the pool for a long-needed drink. Rook waded out of the water, with an eel on the end of his spear, and walked to them. Setting the eel aside, he drew his knife, dragged the antelope off a short distance to clean, and returned with a skinned pink carcass. Hawk helped him make a spit and soon both antelope and eel were cooking over the campfire.
“I came as soon as I could,” Zarnoc said. “Caught the deer early today and decided to head to the oasis, hoping you’d reached it. You’re minus one horse; Jaelle’s mare, I take it, didn’t make the journey.” He snapped his fingers and a large three-sided tent appeared, with bedrolls laid out and Taliesin’s dried boots at the entrance. He held a blanket that materialized from nowhere and placed it around Taliesin’s shoulders. “You’re shivering. I know what’s needed to remedy a fever. Get out of those wet clothes and go lay on a bed. It won’t take me long to concoct an antidote for what ails you.”
“Your company is what I need,” Taliesin said. “You’ve been missed.”
“And I you,” Zarnoc replied, touched by her display of affection. He took a deep breath, stepped away from her, rubbed his lower back, and with an arch, popped his spine into place. “Ah, much better.” He reached into his cloak, withdrew a black leather pouch, and set about making hot tea. A pot filled with water appeared on the ground. He crumbled something green between his hands and placed it in the pot, which was then put over the fire to brew beside the cooking meat.
“Where have you been?” Hawk asked. He’d set his clothes out to dry on a bush, and was wearing only his wet pants. “No matter.” He held out his hand, and the wizard grasped it, shaking hard. “It’s damn good to see you, old man. We were on our last legs.”
“Pleased to see me, are you?” Zarnoc asked, giggling. “I always knew where you were. My eyes see all, but I promised real food, not the magical stuff. We’ll put weight on your bones, lad. Cook it well. I’ve tea to administer to the ladie
s.”
While Zarnoc handed out cups of tea to Taliesin, Jaelle, and Wren, the two young men remained at the fire and turned the meat. Neither seemed aware their clothes, along with their hair, had magically dried nor that the meat was cooking faster than normal. A table and benches appeared beside the pool, with rugs and pillows next to it; lit torches materialized along the waterline and flickered in the breeze. A sliced coconut lying on a silver platter appeared on the table. Jaelle, wearing her dark green wool gown and sipping her tea, sat on a bench while Zarnoc filled a bowl with dates he had picked by hand.
Jaelle put a date in her mouth and chewed. “The dates are wonderful,” she said. “What’s in the tea, Zarnoc? I feel better already.”
“Best you not know,” he replied. “All of you come over now and sit at the table. Hawk, the eel will burn if you don’t take it off—and overcooked eel is mushy. Hurry now, Rook, there’s a good lad. That antelope is cooked to perfection. Bring it over on the spits, boys, and place our dinner on the big platter.”
Hawk and Rook each picked up a spit and brought the eel and antelope to the table. They set the meat on the same platter that already had a knife laid out. Wren, now with a healthy glow to her cheeks, came and sat. Taliesin rose to her feet and felt stronger and more refreshed with each step she took. She let the cloak fall from her shoulders, not surprised to find she wore a blue gown and slippers. Within the open tent, she noticed her traveling garments already dried and neatly folded on a carpet. No more shakes and no more pain, she thought, grateful yet again for the miracle of magic.
“I thought we’d have reached the cave by now,” Taliesin said. She used her fingers to stuff the delicious eel and then a slice of coconut into her mouth. She’d never seen a coconut before, and it was better than anything she’d ever eaten. Wren handed her a cup of milky-white liquid, and she sniffed. It smelled like coconut, and she drank it. “This is good. Everything is good.”
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