Chapter 50
Kingdom of Henge
Serafina watched from the rail of her ship as Henge came into view. She could see the top of the castle above the mist that covered the harbor. She knew Prince Blackwell would be happy to have her home and decided she would spend one night at the castle before leaving to retrieve her twins from Helsop.
After the ship was tied securely to a dock and the gangplank lowered, Serafina still lingered. She wanted to watch the transfer of her first precious shipment of white powder from the ship's hold to the dock. She moved closer as she saw porters carrying the sacks up from the hold.
Serafina watched as they stacked the gunny sacks on the dock. She followed the last of the sacks down the gangplank and touched their rough covering to make sure they were dry.
"I have extra money for those who will carry the sacks up to yon castle," she said to the porters resting on the dock.
"Lead the way, Mum. I'll take the extra," a burly man said.
A few other men hoisted sacks onto their shoulders and stood ready to follow.
Serafina, still dressed as an old woman with a cane, started up the hill at a pace that surprised the men following her.
"That be one spritely old gal," the burly man said, as he struggled to keep up under his load.
After Serafina had her sacks of white powder stacked in a shed next to the army barracks, she paid the carriers and hurried up to the castle to change her appearance. With wrinkles gone, hair restored to its dark color and a green satin gown donned, Serafina set out to find Prince Blackwell. She located him in the solarium, speaking angrily to one of his guards.
"In future, you will disregard any orders from my father!" he commanded. "Serafina, My Love!" He watched as Serafina entered the solarium along a row of pink camellias, waving his guard away with his hand.
Prince Blackwell wrapped his arms around his wife and hugged her close. "How I have missed you!"
Serafina waited until he released her to smile and frame his face with her hands. "I have missed you as well, my husband. But the time apart was well spent. I have returned with the first of many shipments of the white powder."
"Excellent! But next time we will go together. I have fared poorly without my family beside me."
"Oh?" Serafina asked.
"My father and I are at war. He is trying to take back his throne. He promises our generals stacks of gold if they will lead his revolution. I am at my wit's end. I have even considered putting him in the dungeon."
"What has brought him to this juncture?"
"I ordered work stopped on his theatre. He wants his illegitimate son back in his life—out of guilt or surfeit of love—I do not know which. He thinks this theatre will bring Take back and doesn't care the cost. No matter that Take wants no part of it. In fact he left with his fellow actors and has refused all my father's entreaties to lure him back."
"Why not give your father his theatre?" Serafina asked.
"He seeks to make it more and more elaborate. I believe he would build it from solid gold if he could. And he reassigns my soldiers to do the construction. I have drawn a line in the sand. I will not have it continue."
Serafina took a few seconds to think before responding. "I may have a solution that will satisfy you both. Let me speak to him."
"Please do. And tell him if he continues to try to subvert my generals, I will have no choice but to confine him to his quarters." Prince Blackwell's black eyes flashed and his expression revealed a tightly controlled anger.
Serafina smiled and her green satin gown swirled as she walked briskly out of the solarium.
She found the old king some time later after questioning several servants as to his whereabouts. He stood in his unfinished theatre, watching as a lone artist painted mythical creatures along the tops of the walls.
"Father Blackwell. I have returned with a supply of white powder for our archers," Serafina said as she approached him.
"Ah, Serafina. Found some white powder, did you? Well done." He acknowledged her feat in a distracted manner. "See what he is doing there?" He pointed to his painter. "That is a griffin. It has the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle."
"Yes, I am familiar with griffins," Serafina replied.
Old Blackwell looked at her curiously. "They are make-believe aren't they?"
"Yes, of course."
The old king stared at Serafina uncertainly, then turned to smile fondly at the painting. "Seemed the sort of thing young Phinn might take to."
"Prince Blackwell asked me to keep watch during my travels for men skilled in theatre building."
"He did?" Old Blackwell could not hide his shock.
"Yes. He is anxious that his soldiers be replaced with skilled builders so that the soldiers will keep to their assigned tasks."
"Humph," Blackwell muttered.
"I did keep a watch but I still feel as I did on leaving, that the gypsies we have camped right here in Henge are the best men for the job. They are skilled performers and musicians as well as being masters in the art of ornamental construction. One need only study their colorful wagons to see that."
"The gypsies?" Blackwell echoed.
"They would build a theatre no performer could resist. They have that fanciful streak you seek, and rightly so. In fact, I believe your son, Finn, is half gypsy himself, is he not?"
Blackwell banged his cane up and down on the floor. "That he is. I believe you may be right. I should just step on down to their camp and hire them without delay."
"Allow me. I have a special arrangement with them. I believe if I asked, they would agree without hesitation."
"And Prince Blackwell's agreed to this?" A line of mistrust crossed the old king's face.
"I have not told him yet, but he trusts my opinion in these matters. I will send some of the gypsy men up immediately. You might have a look around at where you would like them to begin work." With these words, Serafina was off to the gypsy camp.
Serafina approached the Traveler camp on foot. With her black hair and green satin gown, she might have passed as a well-to-do gypsy herself. She stopped a young boy who came close to stare at her.
"Take me to El Grande," she demanded.
The young boy opened his mouth to reply, then thought better of it. He turned on his heel and walked toward an area fenced off for livestock.
Serafina saw El Grande inspecting the hoof of a black stallion. He looked up and frowned when he saw her.
"You are displeased to see me?" she asked in a chilly voice.
"No. I am not looking forward to traveling again to Fernland to deliver yet another message to Take the Thief, if that is why you are here. But I will do it, of course," he said with a small bow.
Serafina nodded. "I am here on another matter."
"I do not know the whereabouts of Juanita and Esmeralda, nor did any of us know they may have helped Shandor to escape," El Grande said in a defensive tone.
"I know their whereabouts." Serafina's voice held an unspoken threat.
El Grande stood silent, unwilling to venture another guess.
"You and your best carpenters are to report to old King Blackwell at once. You are required to aid in the building of his theatre."
El Grande was taken aback at this unexpected command. He seemed to be weighing the subtle threat to Juanita and Esmeralda against the unfair demand. "Are we to be paid for our labors?" he finally asked.
"That is up to Prince Blackwell's father. I suppose if he is happy with your work he might pay for your labor, but you will present yourselves ready to begin at once—regardless of pay."
El Grande stared into Serafina's eyes for only a second longer before nodding silently. He started for the colored wagons to collect his carpenters as Serafina left for the castle.
Princess Electra Book 4 School of Medicine Page 52