by Gill James
‘I am on watch,’ replied Christina. ‘I’m watching you.’ Then to her horror, she blushed.
Philaderan laughed. ‘Better wake sleeping beauty there,’ he said.
They didn’t need to. Leonis woke up on his own. The sun was right down now. They quickly got the horses ready and they began to move slowly towards the camp.
‘We’ll just have to go and look,’ said Leonis. ‘If we can get them out, good. But we mustn’t be seen. We have nothing to bargain with.’
‘Oh, but we have,’ said Christina, excitedly, remembering what she was carrying. She didn’t have time to explain.
‘Stop right where you are,’ a deep voice suddenly cried.
Chapter Twenty-One
Imprisoned Again
‘There will be no bargaining, I’m afraid,’ said the owner of the voice. ‘There is only one thing, which will pay the ransom for the royal princess. And none of you will have it. Now turn around and let me see you.’
‘Pull your cloak right around your face,’ whispered Philaderan. ‘We don’t want any cases of mistaken identity.’
The three of them turned round slowly. Christina wanted to gasp and almost dropped the cloak from round her face. He was so ugly. And he had a nasty looking gun pointing at them, waving in front of their faces and in fact very close to hers. She flinched. The worst thing of all though was that she recognised him and she didn’t know where from. Her mind raced to try to work out how she knew him. Had he visited the palace at some point? Or was it one of the people who had been at her trial?
Philaderan slowly raised his arms in the air. He nodded to Leonis.
‘We’d better not try to fight this one,’ he said in a loud voice. ‘Hold tight,’ he added to Christina in a whisper. ‘Swift! Bella!’ he shouted. He dug his heels into Sandstorm’s flesh. ‘Keep your heads down,’ he shouted.
The three hoses bolted forwards. Christina held on as tightly as she could, though she was convinced she was going to fall off any second.
‘Don’t look up,’ shouted Philaderan.
Christina heard the horse behind her. There three were taking the lead from Sandstorm and she was getting away from whoever was behind them
We’re leaving him behind, she thought. Can we really get away from him? Her veil was sticking to her mouth and making it difficult to breathe but at least it was keeping the sand out.
She glanced over to Philaderan. She saw him loosen something from his saddlebag. He threw it down to the ground and then dug his heels in even harder.
‘There’s a girl,’ he shouted. ‘Go, Sandstorm, go.’
All three of the horses started going even faster. Christina heard the horse behind neigh as if in pain, followed by a thud. She turned to see what had happened.
‘Christina, watch out!’ shouted Leonis.
She felt herself slipping. Then there was nothing, only blackness.
The blackness seemed to last a long time, then it slowly changed to dark brown, tinged with orange and purple. She could feel some warmth on her face. Her wrists and ankles were sore. She opened her eyes. The light was red.
‘So, the second princess awakes,’ said a voice. ‘Now, are you going to tell us who the real one is, because the other lady refuses to talk?’
Christina’s head ached. What had happened? She could vaguely remember slipping from Bella. Where was she? She was lying on some sort of mattress and the ropes around her ankles and wrists explained the soreness. It was the dark-red, silk lining of the tent, which made the light red.
‘Well then?’
Christina turned to look at the man who was speaking. His skin was rough and dirty, but his headdress was much more elaborate than the ones, which Leonis and Philaderan and the gentlemen of the palace wore. It too, was deep red, and threaded through with silver and gold strands.
‘Are you the real princess?’ asked the man. ‘Or is it the other one?’
‘Where is she?’ asked Christina.
‘That’s for me to know,’ replied the man, ‘and for you not to find out. Until you tell us the truth. Which one of you is the real princess?’
‘I’m thirsty,’ replied Christina.
‘You can drink when you’ve told us,’ said the man.
‘I am,’ said Christina. ‘Now, let her go.’
‘Prove it,’ said the man.
‘I can’t,’ said Christina. ‘But the queen and king will know.’ She hoped they would realise what she had done. If they let Imigriana go, at least it would make up for all of this being her fault. How she would get out of this one, she didn’t know. She could only hope that Imigriana and her parents would do something.
Where were Philaderan and Leonis? Had they got away? Now that they knew where the camp was, would they bring help?
The man was staring at her, stroking his chin thoughtfully.
‘Well, can I have something to drink, then?’ demanded Christina. I’d better behave like a royal princess and then I might convince them, she thought.
‘Very well, then,’ said the man. He called to someone outside the tent.
A young female servant came in. The man mumbled something to her in a language she did not understand. The servant went out and came back a few minutes later, carrying a stone jug and cup. She poured a cup of water from the jug and held it up to Christina’s lips. The water immediately spilled on to her clothes. The man shouted something to the servant, who flinched and then started to untie Christina’s hands. They throbbed as the blood ran down into them.
‘Thank you,’ whispered Christina.
A faint smile appeared for a few seconds on the servant’s lips.
Her hands were stiff at first and she had some difficulty holding the cup. The man called the servant over to him and started talking intently to her. Neither of them was looking her way. She felt for her bag. Miraculously it was still there. Probably because they had made no attempt to change her out of her dirty clothes. Her fingers felt for the chalice. That was there as well. So, at least she had done something right. Quickly she tucked the bag even more firmly under her robe.
The man went away. The servant came back and took the cup from Christina. She gently touched Christina’s arm and whispered something she could not understand. Then she took the ropes and tied her hands up again, but at least not so tightly this time. Christina sighed. The servant shook her head and smiled sadly.
The servant bowed slightly and then left the tent. Christina was all alone. Perhaps she should try to sleep. But it was useless. It was uncomfortable being tied up and not being able to move properly. She couldn’t work out how long she had been unconscious, but certainly long enough for her not to need any more sleep. Other bits of her were beginning to ache now. She supposed it was something that had happened when she fell from Bella. She could hear people talking outside, but she couldn’t understand what they were saying. The magic, which had allowed her to understand the people around her, had gone. Mona had gone. This was real life now and it was a nightmare.
She tried to make out what was going on outside, but it was impossible. She could tell, though, that people were busy. There seemed to be lot of running around and shouting. Christina actually thought that they might be panicking. Or were they getting ready to leave? That would be terrible. She was sure that Philaderan would come back soon, with help. If the Riders of the Northern Territories moved on again, would the king’s soldiers be able find them quickly enough?
It was getting very hot. Christina longed for another drink and she was actually beginning to get hungry. Would they starve her? Surely not, if they wanted Imigriana’s parents to pay a lot of money for her? Then it gradually became quieter outside, as if they were all eating or having some sort of siesta.
Then more than anything else, it became extremely boring. Christina started to tell herself a story, about how it might be when Philaderan rescued her. How brave he would be. How they would become lovers, and because it had to be that way here, how they would be married with the bl
essing of Imigriana and her parents. She imagined the ceremony, with all the colourful clothes and the crowds waving to them as they left the palace. She had just reached the bit where they were on their own for the first time, and Philaderan was about to kiss her, when the man who had been there before came in again.
‘Well, Princess,’ he said sneering. He talked with a strange accent, but at least he could speak the language she understood. ‘My colleagues and I have come up with an even better idea. We shall keep both of you, in case you are lying, and so that we have more negotiating power. We shall keep you both until we have got back what is rightfully ours.’ He smirked. ‘I see that you are uncomfortable, my lady. Don’t worry your pretty little head. We shall make sure you stay fit and well. You will not die of thirst or starvation. You will be kept clean and presentable, but not comfortable, my dear, not comfortable.’ He laughed and was gone.
The servant who had been there before came back in. She was carrying a small cloth bag this time. Christina had not looked at her properly the first time but now she noticed that she had very smooth skin and as she untied her ropes, Christina was amazed to feel how soft the girl’s hands were. Servants usually had housework hands. Yet she seemed really to know what she was doing, so she must have been a servant for some time.
The girls pulled down her veil, and waved her hand in the air as if to say, ‘Thank goodness we can get rid of these things, now that the men have gone.’ She gestured to Christina that she should do the same and beamed as Christina lowered her veil. She then poured some more water for her and while Christina drank, she took a small brush from her bag and started to brush her hair.
She carried on brushing for about twenty minutes and then offered Christina another drink. Well, that certainly felt better, so despite what had been said before, she did feel more comfortable. The servant nodded her head, and then clapped her hands.
Another young girl appeared. She had a slightly angular face and she looked quite serious. She didn’t smile a lot like the first girl. She was carrying some brightly coloured clothes and the first girl gestured that Christina should change into them. They were lovely and silky. Christina was sure she must look good in the pink silk embroidered with silver and shiny blue. They took her desert boots from her and gave her a pair of flat strappy sandals, which were covered in tiny jewels. She couldn’t tell whether they were real of fake. So, it seemed that the women of the Riders of the Northern Territories dressed even more finely than the others in Ixeria – and if this is what they used for crossing the desert, what did they do the rest of the time? Even these two servant girls were well dressed and they certainly took care of their appearance.
The two girls stood back and admired Christina. Then they nodded their heads to each other and indicated to Christina that she should pull up her veil. They led her out into the hot sunshine.
The bright sun made Christina screw up her eyes. There was a little breeze but it was not cooling. Christina felt as if she was being fanned by a gigantic hair dryer. She stumbled on the soft sand, and after just a few steps, the straps began to chafe. It would be so easy to get away from these two small girls if only she were dressed properly. But, then, that would be silly. Where would she go? Dressed like that and without any supplies, she would die in the desert in no time.
They led her to a bigger tent, a few metres away. Inside there were soft chairs and a proper bed. It seemed to have an extra layer of lining, made of a material, which must be good at keeping the heat out, as it was much cooler in here. She could also hear a faint whir of machinery. Was there some sort of air-conditioning in here?
The girls indicated that she should sit down, and then started bringing in trays of food from a small room off the main part of the tent. They spread out the food on the low table next to one of the couches and nodded that she should eat. Christina was starving. Dare she trust it? Well, he had said they wouldn’t harm her and she guessed that that was probably true, at least, for the moment. She picked at some of the bits and pieces on the trays – some pieces of smoked meat, some dried fruits, a few raw vegetables, some soft sweet bread rolls, and some little syrupy cakes. The two servants nodded and smiled as she ate, and poured several glasses of a smooth pale brown liquid, which tasted a bit like apple juice. It was all rather nice, and she did become full quite quickly.
Then came the next problem. All the water she had drunk earlier and the juice she had had with her meal were having their effect, as was the food itself. She really would have to go to the toilet. As if that wasn’t all bad enough, there was now a dull ache at the bottom of her stomach, which could only mean that her period was about to start. It would be awful if she got blood on those beautiful clothes.
She tried sign language on the girl, crossing her legs and then pointing to both her bottom and the lower part of her stomach. She did a mime of putting on a sanitary towel. Did they have any such thing in Ixeria? All the weeks she had been here, she had not had a period nor had she talked about it with Imigriana.
The two servant girls began to giggle and Christina blushed. The first one guided her to a small opening at the back of the tent. It led into another smaller tent, and there was, immediately recognisable, a toilet. It was almost like one at home, with a seat, but no sign of any means of flushing it. Well, of course, that figured. It would be some sort of chemical one at best, though she suspected they probably buried the stuff in the sand. There was no paper, but there were some large leaves piled up on a small table. Another small table held a bowl of water, a small bottle, and some towels.
A few minutes later a much relieved though embarrassed Christina was staring at the blood on the leaf she had just used to wipe herself. The leaves worked really well. They were lightly oily, but also very absorbent. Could she bind herself with a few of them? No, it would never work. Her loose undergarments would never hold them in place. She would just have to try to make the girls understand.
She placed the leaves in the toilet pan. She supposed that was the right thing to do. So that was one of the things that was going to be uncomfortable. The toilet would probably smell now. She was surprised, that almost as soon as the leaf hit the fluid in the toilet an there was quite a pleasant smell, a bit like lavender.
She used the water in the bowl to wash her hands. She supposed that the liquid in the small bottle might be some sort of soap. Shaking some of it out, she rubbed it in her palms. It was soft and soothing and also smelt of lavender.
Then came the difficult bit, though. She took the soiled leaf and showed it to the girl, pointing to the space between her legs. She felt her cheeks go hot, and wished she had kept her veil on. The plainer girl nodded and smiled for once. They indicated that she should take off her leggings and lie down.
The prettier girl disappeared into yet another compartment of the tent and came back with what looked like a large sponge. They rolled up her robe, placed the sponge up between her legs and squeezed. Then she could feel warm liquid going up inside her. It felt as if something was coming away, that she was letting go of some huge problem. She began to feel very relaxed. They pulled the sponge away from her, and it felt as hot fiery liquid was running out of her. She whimpered.
The plainer girl put a warm hand on her arm. The feeling of panic went away. The other girl had taken the sponge away and came back with a bowl of water. It must have been warm because Christina could see the steam coming from it. They gestured that Christina should stand up and stoop over the bowl and wash herself.
Well, yes, that would be a good idea, she guessed. It would be nice to feel clean. But what would happen when she started bleeding again? She tried using signs to ask, but it was hard to mime that. The younger girl seemed to suddenly understand, though. She crossed her hands and shook her head. Was she saying that Christina’s period was finished now? Fantastic if they were right. Certainly the girl was pointing to where she had taken the sponge. Was that it then? They’d drawn all of her period out of her? Why couldn’t they do that at home?
The girls then left her alone. She looked round the tent again. It was really quite luxurious and the seats and the couch were comfortable. And it seemed she had got rid of her period. The cramps had gone and it didn’t feel as if she was leaking any blood. If this was uncomfortable, she wondered just how good comfortable could be. These people from the Northern Territories must have really high standards.
After about an hour, though, she began to understand what the man had meant by saying that they could keep her well looked after but not comfortable. It was so boring, being here on her own. And because she had nothing else to think about, she could only think about how scared she was. Now, that was uncomfortable.
There was nothing for it but try to sleep. That wasn’t so easy, though. Christina tossed and turned. She tried thinking of Jan and then of Philaderan. Surely he and Leonis would come back soon? And where were Maniella and Imigriana? Was there nothing she could do? There wasn’t. She could only wait. But what if something had happened to them?
She did sleep in the end. She must have. Because one moment it was hot and bright and there was the noise of people moving around, giving orders, talking normally and the next minute it was so dark she couldn’t see, quite chilly and completely silent. Almost. Not quite. There was a rustle. She held her breath. There it was again. Someone’s clothing as they moved, perhaps?
‘Christina!’ a voice suddenly whispered.
Christina recognised the voice but for a few seconds she could not place it.
‘Christina! It’s me.’
Yes, it was wasn’t it? But how had she got here?
Christina rubbed her eyes. No, it was no good. It was so dark she couldn’t see a thing. The moon and the stars might well have been shining outside, but there was no way their light could get through this thickly woven canvas.
Suddenly, though, the whole tent was flooded with light. And there she was, Maniella, holding a lantern.
Chapter Twenty-two