Even though his words sounded harsh, he wore the faintest smile.
“We have business in the Gypsy Camp.” He added.
~~*~~
The nearest Gypsy Camp was set on the south side of The Lonesome Forest, very close to the Traders Lake. Traders Lake was well stocked with a variety of fish; a river ran from the top of the lake and snaked its way over to the North Sea, and again from the bottom through various kingdoms, creating a favourable trading route. Hence the name, Trader’s Lake.
The bustling Gypsy Camp was everything the girls had imagined it would be. Gypsies by nature tend to move often, although these particular gypsies had been in this particular camp for years, there was very little in the way of permanent structures. Multi coloured tents and easy to assemble buildings formed a rough circle with a large campfire in the centre. Even at this hour of the night, the camp was alive with activity. Young men danced with beautiful girls in bright dresses to live music played by campfire light, children playing tag raced by laughing with excitement, and older bearded men clinked mugs of ale, laughing heartily and drinking deeply.
And there was a delicious yet unidentifiable aroma tickling Snow’s nose.
A beautiful young woman with yards of glossy brown hair, large brown eyes and beautiful hoops at both ears noticed the new comers and a wide smile of recognition spread across her face.
“Manuel!” she exclaimed as she rushed forward to greet him enthusiastically. He caught both of her hands in his and gave them the gentlest squeeze.
“Sweet Alessa.” He returned with a genuine smile that even touched his deep, dark eyes.
“What brings you to our village this evening with...with three human children in tow?” She asked sweetly, clearly puzzled by his entourage. Carefully she took the girls in one by one lingering longest on Rapunzel.
Cindy fairly growled in response to what she took as another insult, she hated being called a “human child”. Snow found this exchange very interesting, the gypsy girl didn’t seem frightened of Manuel in the least; in fact...she seemed quite the opposite. Clearly Manuel was not a stranger to this camp.
“I have business with your grandmother tonight. Would you be so kind as to tell me where I may find her?” Manuel let go of the lovely young woman’s hands.
“I believe she is sequestered in her tent this evening; but an interruption from you would always be welcomed.” Alessa replied with another wide smile.
Manuel bowed in acknowledgment and indicated Rapunzel. “This is Rapunzel; please entertain her while I speak with your grandmother.”
Alessa shifted her eyes to Cindy and Snow, giving the vampire a questioning look.
“Snowy and Cindy.” He replied offhandedly. “They have a penchant for stirring up trouble so do your best.”
At that the trouble makers in question gave Manuel the dirtiest of looks.
“How difficult for you Manuel.” The gypsy girl laughed evidently quite used to Manuel’s dramatics.
“You have no idea.” He replied wearily, and set out towards the brightly coloured tent in the middle of the camp.
“Come.” She said to the girls as she steered Rapunzel towards the dancers. “Surely you like to dance?”
~~*~~
Manuel stopped just outside the brightly coloured tent as a gravely yet wise voice trailed out to him.
“The Vampire Manuel. Please come in, the sight of you would do an old woman such as myself wonders.”
Manuel smiled and suppressing a small laugh he pushed open the curtain of beads and stepped in to the tent.
Seated behind a long rectangular wooden table, was an old gypsy woman. A deck of tarot cards, a crystal ball, and two ancient books faced her on the table. Her abundance of white hair was artfully caught up and piled on top of her head, held in place by a gold chain encrusted with black and red jewels cut into mysterious symbols. Her heavy lidded and equally heavily lashed dark eyes held amused warmth as they took Manuel’s gentlemanly beauty in; the smile returned much of her former beauty. He bowed low in respect, a smile of genuine friendship lifting the corners of his mouth.
“Come now Manuel.” She spoke quietly. “We both know this is not a social call.”
Manuel rolled his eyes upward. “Wish I that it was Great Mother, but I find myself in need of two rather large favours this evening.”
“The first?” The old gypsy said with a smile.
“I need a cloaking spell. One of such power that it will scramble a signature aura, rendering one unrecognisable to all but family and friends.”
“That is a very expensive spell indeed. The human that you procure this spell for must be in very grave danger.” The old gypsy said with a frown.
“I have reason to believe so.” He replied casually with a shrug.
“I see. I have never known you to extend yourself on behalf of humans before, Manuel.” She looked down to her ball curiously.
He sighed. “My only desire is to get through these next two nights as quickly as possible. I have already had a disagreeable encounter with the witch Drina this evening, a dreadful waste of time and intolerably taxing on my patience. This brings me to my next favour; I will need a small memory erasing potion, Drina escaped with some most unfortunate information.” He shook his head. “I would erase the information...but not our encounter.” He said looking up with a dangerous smile, eyes alight with wicked mischief.
“Surely you have your own means to deal with one such as Drina?” She asked with surprise.
“Now Great Mother Sardinia, you know witch always gives me indigestion.” He replied with a wink.
At that she laughed out loud. “As you wish young vampire, I could never deny you anything. But be forewarned, I have seen your destiny in my ball tonight and true-”
He cut her off quickly. “I shall make my own destiny Great Mother.” He blew her a kiss and exited the tent leaving the old gypsy to shake her head in silent laughter.
~~*~~
Snow sat on a bench completely enthralled with the dancers by the fire. Cindy, caught up in the excitement had decided to join them, as had Rapunzel, and the girls whirled and twirled with the gypsy dancers in great circles; Snow clapped in time with the rest of the audience.
“Trouble maker.” The familiar voice caught her attention.
Manuel, looking irritatingly self satisfied strolled up to her. Stopping about two feet in front of Snow, he reached in his pocket and threw a small vial at her. She jumped back in alarm as it hit the ground in front of her and enveloped her in a cloud of purple smoke.
“Hey! What do you think you are doing? What kind of a jerk are you anyway!” She screamed in shock at him.
“Neither your stepmother’s minions, nor any other creature of the night should be able to identify you now. And you’re welcome. Now come let’s...” His voice trailed off as he watched Rapunzel re-joining the gypsy dance, her face flushed with happiness as she twirled and twirled. Her royal blue cape swirling around her lithe form and the fire light danced off her extravagantly dressed mound of pale blond hair, as if covered in a netting of diamonds. The softest of smiles touched his porcelain face, his eyes fixed on Rapunzel. He sat down beside Snow, apparently content to watch the dancers for now.
Snow cast a side look at him, if all vampires were this irritating, she didn’t think she wanted to meet them; what a jerk he could be. Although she still didn’t understand why he had rescued them from the Drina witch, or why he had gone to the trouble of procuring a protection spell for her. And what in the world could his reason be for trailing Red? He was one messed up vampire to be sure.
This didn’t mean that she thought he was a foe, but she wasn’t quite ready to count him as a friend either. While Manuel gazed at Rapunzel with apparent contentment, Snow turned to Alessa who was seated beside her.
“Alessa, when we first arrived you referred to us as ‘human children’, aren’t gypsies human as well?” She asked the young gypsy girl curiously. Gypsies were counted a
s human in most censuses, and had full voting rights in almost every election.
“Well,” the gypsy girl replied conspiringly, leaning over so her new friend could hear her. “Mostly gypsies are human, but we owe half of our ancestry to fairies, with a small sprinkling of witch as well, and a little vampire. We’re mutts.” She said with a laugh. “Magical mutts.”
“I thought witches were human, or used to be human?” Snow wasn’t sure she understood. Idly she wondered what it would be like, not being born human; it was something she had always taken for granted. She wondered how human’s had climbed to the top of the food chart...then she looked at Manuel and realised that they hadn’t.
“No, witches are born witches, like fairies are born fairies. A human who learns magic is a sorcerer or sorceress.”
“Oh I see.” Snow slowly considered this. “Witches are born, sorcerers are made.”
“Correct.” Alessa smiled.
“Wait, gypsies have a little vampire in them too?”
“A little” Alessa confirmed. “And your friend Manuel over there...” She indicated the lovely vampire who had decided to cut in to the dance, and now twirled the enchanting Rapunzel in his arms.
“He’s not my friend.” Snow replied sharply.
“Well, friends are as friends do, but none the less, The vampire Manuel...has human blood too. Oh yes, he would never admit it outright, but his great grandmother was human; and her he loved well.” Alessa nodded and smiled as if she were imparting a great secret...which in fact she was.
So, the menacing Manuel was part human. Snow decided to file that information away for the time being.
“Wouldn’t that make him a gypsy then? A Magical mutt as well?” Snow asked with feigned innocence. The idea of calling Manuel a “mutt” tickled her immensely; not that she’d ever have the guts to actually say it to his face. She shivered at the thought.
“No,” the gypsy said with decisive shake of her head. “Trust me, Manuel is quite vampire.”
Snow watched Rapunzel and the vampire with a growing feeling of concern. He seemed quite taken with her, and she was completely enthralled with his company as well. But still, he was a predator, what if she was nothing more than prey to him? What had they done, bringing these two together?
“You worry for your friend.” Said Alessa as if she had read Snow’s mind. “Worry not. Her life is quite safe in Manuel’s hands; her virtue...her virtue is quite safe as well. For all of his mad dramatics and sometimes questionable reputation, the vampire is every bit a gentleman...in these regards anyway.”
“Alessa? Have you ever heard of Hoglas disease?”
“No, I cannot say that I have.” Alessa replied. “What is it?”
“I don’t know.” Snow sighed. “They say Rapunzel has it, but I can’t see anything wrong with her.”
“Well then.” The young gypsy decided. “When either of us finds out, we shall tell the other, so we both know. But I agree, she looks quite healthy to me as well.”
Snow smiled and nodded in agreement; it was hard not to like the gypsy girl. Finally the music stopped, Cindy flushed and exuberant found herself caught between two young gypsy boys, each intent on wooing her. Cindy, who had always imagined herself a great femme fatale, was having the time of her life. Rapunzel and Manuel had also stopped dancing and seemed content to stand off to the side conversing quietly.
An elderly gypsy woman slowly made her way across the camp. From the way everyone bowed or nodded, Snow knew she must be someone of great importance among the gypsy’s. Dressed in black and red lace, her white hair piled high on top her head she projected great strength and considerable power. Her eyes scanned the campfire, stopping to rest on Manuel and Rapunzel. She smiled and nodded her head slightly as if confirming some secret. Then she zeroed in on Alessa and Snow on the benches.
Alessa immediately jumped up, and Snow followed suit.
“Grandmother! How wonderful that you join us. I’m honoured to introduce Miss Snowy Rutherford.” Alessa put her arms around Snow in a gesture of friendship.
The old gypsy woman looked up in to Snow’s dark brown eyes and smiled. “I would read your cards and those of your friends if you would agree.”
“What an honour Snowy! You must agree!” Alessa exclaimed with delight.
~~*~~
The trip back home that evening was strangely silent. The full moon hung heavy in the midnight skies, lending the forest a magical ambiance. Each lost in their private thoughts about the magical evening they had experienced together; they silently made their way through the glistening path. The evening with the gypsies would go down as one of the best each of the girls had ever had. After Great Mother Sardinia had read their cards, they were all invited to join them for a late night snack, which Manuel had reluctantly allowed. The most amazing food was offered by the families, and before you knew it, the trio were made official ‘Friends of the Camp’. This meant of course, that if ever they were in need, they could enter the camp and receive whatever help the gypsies had to offer. A very big honour indeed.
As far as adventures go, this one was the best to date.
Manuel had walked the girls safely to the base of the forest before disappearing in to the night just as he had the last time. He may be short on manners, but he was growing on them.
Chapter 5
Dr. Cornelius Rutherford was just sitting down to his morning coffee, along with the weekend edition of the Turin paper, complete with a list of the jousting finalists, when a relentless pounding on the front door of the cottage startled him. Thankfully the good doctor was exceptionally skilled, with an exceedingly steady hand, which did indeed save him that morning from a dreadful coffee stain. Curiously he opened the front door and gazed upon the red and tear stained face of Cindy.
Now, like most men confronted with a damsel in distress, Dr. Rutherford immediately set out to calm the hysterical Cindy; and so he did the only thing he could think of, hot cocoa and cookies, chocolate chip of course. As far as the good doctor was concerned, chocolate was a great natural remedy for a wide variety of life’s problems, and in that he was quite right. As grateful for the chocolate as Cindy was, and believe me, Cindy loved chocolate, the doctor soon realised that he might very well be in over his head; and so he sent her on in to Snow.
Snow was blissfully sleeping in her big comfy bed, cocooned in between blankets, pillows and sheets when she felt a big thud beside her. Slowly opening one eye, she found herself face to face with a puffy eyed Cindy’s unblinking stare. She took a moment to collect herself.
“Why are you in my bed?” She finally managed. “And why are you up so early?”
Manuel had delivered them back home so terribly late that Snow felt as if she had only just laid her head down; Snow had never really been a morning person.
Cindy drew a long breath and announced. “I am running away to join the gypsies.”
“Why.” Snow managed. It was way, way too early for this.
“Because my life has become intolerable here and I have no where left to go.” Her little blonde friend whispered dramatically. “Great Mother Sardinia said we were always welcome in the camp and if ever we were in need they would come to our aide. I am in great need.”
Slowly Snow exhaled. How to deal with this, how to deal. Damn there not being a ‘How to’ book for friendship. “I think you need to start at the beginning, okay?”
Cindy leaned in closer and whispered. “He isn’t just lonely, you know?”
“No, I don’t. Who isn’t lonely?” Snow tried to block out the world with her fluffy blanket, bringing it up and over her face.
“My father!” Cindy wailed, fresh tears spilling from jade coloured eyes and her doll like face crumpled.
“I see. So...how do you know this?” Snow really had no idea how to proceed. Cindy was emotional at the best of times, but when the subject of Madame Morgada and her father came up, she was like a ticking time bomb. That being said, as a true friend, she would
do her best to see Cindy through this; she slowly and with considerable reluctance lowered the blanket down from her face.
“He asked me to join the Madame and the troll twins for dinner tomorrow night.”
Not good. Really not good. Snow digested this new piece of information silently.
“So you’re going to run away and join the gypsies, if they’ll have you, to avoid the dinner.” Snow pieced together, nodding slowly.
“Not just the dinner! The whole damn situation! Snowy, this is the end of my life as I know it. One day it’s dinner, the next it’s a vacation. Before you know it he’ll marry her, I’ll have a horrid stepmother and two ugly step-sisters!” Cindy buried her head in Snow’s pillow and began to sob.
“Okay, okay. But you know if you join the gypsies you will have to choose between Fyodor and Fredrik, and that won’t be easy since they are both serious cuties; they might even fight a duel over you and what’s worse you can never marry Prince Leonardo cause you’ll be just a another gypsy girl...which means I can so, yeah; I think you should go live with the gypsies.”
Cindy raised her head and stared at her friend eyes like saucers so complete was her shock.
“Kidding. I don’t think you should run away just yet. What did you tell your father when has asked you about dinner?”
“I said I would come if you came too of course.” Cindy snuck a look at her friend. ”Oh you have to! It’s the only way I can stand it! We need equal numbers to defeat such evil! Please don’t abandon me...they will eat me alive!”
“Agggghhhhh.” Snow ran a hand through her thick dark tangles, she really hated the idea of dining with the Vanholston’s and the Del Grotta’s. Why was she being punished?
But Cindy had this way you know, and it was really hard to say no to her.
~~*~~
One more night. He didn’t know if he could stand it. Locked in his room deep within the Wolves Camp, ravenous didn’t even come close to describing how he felt. His beloved mother did all she could to ease his “time” as she so delicately put it, by delivering food and company every few hours. He devoured the food almost without swallowing, such was the emptiness within. Yet somehow he found himself unable to confide his deepest secrets even to one so close; he bore his fears alone.
Evermore: The Rylakian Heir Page 5