by Jamie Davis
“Is it so hard for you to ask for help, Cari? Or, should I say Princess Cari?” Timron winked at her.
“You knew? For how long?”
“It wasn’t until you showed up here, actually. I had an inkling back in the Crystal City, but then you were captured and we didn’t see you for so long. I figured my instincts were wrong. I thought you’d been tortured and killed by the Duke for sure.”
Timron laughed as he continued.
“Then you showed up out of nowhere this afternoon, just in time to save the day. It’s just the kind of thing my grandmother said your father used to do. Your age threw me off for a while, but I remembered an offhand comment Gram once made about time passing differently in our two worlds. You see, I was the only one who ever paid attention to her when she told the old stories. None of the others gave her the time of day when she reminisced about the old days of her adventurous youth. They all deserved to die. It’s only right you waited until the others were all gone to come back and save me.”
Cari tried again to push Quint’s body to the side. She grunted in exasperation when she failed once more.
“Can you please pull this brute off of me? It’s a little hard to breathe. I’m not sure I’ll be able to stay awake if you keep talking and leave him where he is.”
Chuckling, Prince Timron reached down to grab Quint by the shoulder and rolled the lifeless body off Cari.
“My goodness, you’re a mess,” Timron clucked as he studied her wounds. “Still more proof of who you are. Anyone else would be dead from those injuries.”
“I still might die if I don’t get help.”
Timron waved a dismissive hand at her. “Nonsense. You’re THE Cari Dix. The Lost Princess. You’re not going to die. You will survive, be recognized as the hero, and, if all goes according to plan, eventually marry the Prince. Me!”
He hooked a thumb at his chest while he planted a huge grin on his face.
Cari started to make a rude remark in response to the Prince’s ridiculous statement, then she recalled something she’d heard Timron say earlier to Quint during the initial standoff.
“Why’d you do it, anyway?”
“Do what?”
“Why’d you side with the Duke against your family?”
“I wondered if you heard that. Well, it doesn’t matter now. I’m the only heir remaining, so there’s really nothing anyone can do to me. I’ll be Emperor soon.”
“But, they were your family. Some were only children. How —”
“How could I do it? I did nothing. I only made an agreement in order to survive when the Duke sent his men to kill me first. He thought it’d be easy to stage my accidental death. He was wrong. Afterwards, once he and I reached an understanding, the Duke of Charon took care of all the real dirty work. I would think you’d understand. After all, you made it here despite all the odds against you. You’re a survivor, just like me.”
“I’m nothing like you.”
“You say that, but you’ve killed people while you’ve been here in Fantasma, too, just like the Duke. I’ve never killed anyone. My hands are clean.”
“It doesn’t matter how clean they are, you got in bed with the devil and he betrayed you. You know that.”
“But his little plot against me didn’t work. You made sure of that. Now I have you and your friends to defend me. They’ll fight to the death against anyone who threatens me. I’m safer now than I’ve ever been in my life.”
Distant voices sounded from back near the waterfalls.
“That will be the rest of the hunting party, come to see where the Duke of Tandon and I are,” Timron said. “Let me call them to us. The gamekeepers will have healing potions. They keep them on hand in case of hunting accidents and injuries caused by some of the more dangerous game beasts. Wait here. I’ll fetch them. They’ll want to make sure to save the heroic Lost Princess of legend.”
“Timron, stop,” Cari said. “Don’t tell anyone who I am. I’m not a princess and I don’t want to become one.”
“You really mean that. How curious. Well, I suppose I could consider keeping your secret, Princess Cari. The question is, can you keep my secret as well?”
Cari stared at him, even more disgusted with him than before, after all she’d learned about him. He could rationalize his reasons and justification for his heinous deeds and alliances, but that didn't make any of it right.
Of course, he was probably correct in his assumption. His treachery made no difference in the long run. Without another heir, he was the last of the Imperial Family. He would be Emperor when his grandmother died. Furthermore, Cari would need Timron and his access to the palace and his grandmother if she ever decided to return to her home on Earth.
Cari nodded. “Yes, I can keep your secret.”
“Excellent, I knew you could.”
He left her while he rushed off into the forest, calling out for assistance.
Cari stared up at the sky. Another cloud drifted into view. This one looked like a coiled snake. At least it did to her. The clouds were mocking her.
Familiar voices distracted Cari from her brooding.
Stefan ran into the small clearing. “Cari, you’re alright. Oh, by the gods, you’re wounded.” He called out, “I found her. Help. Over here!”
Two gamekeepers rushed into the clearing. One of them fumbled at his belt pouch and yanked out a small flask. He knelt down next to her, his surprisingly gentle hands lifting her head so she could drink.
“Here, lass, sip it slowly, but make sure you drink it all down. It will help you.”
Cari drank as the man lifted the flask to her lips. The warm liquid went down easy. It had a syrupy consistency and was a little sweet, with a hint of peppermint.
Warmth filled her body, running like a wave from her head to her toes as she swallowed the last of the potion.
Major healing potion — 24 health points restored.
Health: 33/90
“That’s better, isn’t it?” the gamekeeper asked.
“Yes. Thank you.”
“Good, now rest. We’re preparing a litter for you now.” He looked up at Stefan. “It is safe to move her now, Lieutenant. That potion’ll keep her alive until we can get her back to the manor. The Duke has a healing mage there who can deal with these more serious wounds.”
Stefan nodded and lifted Cari to a sitting position. She winced, feeling her ribs grinding in her side as he did. It was easier to breathe sitting up, though.
The gamekeeper started bandaging her various wounds. He pressed a folded cloth dressing on the cut over her eye, partially obscuring her vision as he wrapped a bandage around her head to hold it in place. She didn’t need to see anything right now, and her eyelids drooped as if pulled down by tiny lead weights.
The urge to rest washed over her as the warmth of the potion’s magic continued to knit her wounds back together. Cari closed her good eye and let sleep take her away from the pain and worry of everything she’d discovered.
Chapter 36
Cari stretched her arms over her head, waking from a very long, strange dream. She remembered men and women bending over her, muttering words she couldn’t understand. They all left and came back many times to check on her over several days until she couldn’t recall what day it was.
She tried to figure out her location when she opened her eyes. The canopied bed in which she lay had embroidered drapes hanging down from the bedposts at all four corners, where they could be pulled across for warmth and privacy.
“Oh, you’re up,” a female voice said. “What a nice surprise.”
Cari turned to see a woman in her fifties sitting nearby, embroidering a small piece of cloth with a needle and thread.
“You gave us quite the challenge, young lady. The Duke brought special healers up from one of the temples in Tandon for you. The local mage healed you, but she couldn’t get you to awaken.”
“I’m in the manor,” Cari remarked aloud. “I’m at the Duke’s estate.”
“Where else would you be? Now sit up and I’ll go and fetch you something to eat. The temple priests and priestesses all said you’d be famished when you woke up.”
As if on cue, Cari’s belly rumbled, and she had a sudden awareness of the ache from her empty stomach.
The woman bustled out the door of the bedchamber. As she passed through it, she nodded to someone in the next room.
“She’s awake now, gentlemen. Don’t tax her, though. She’s still weak.”
She heard murmurs of gratitude. Stefan and Rodrigo both appeared in the entrance to her room together. For a few seconds, they each jostled comically to enter through the doorway first. Eventually, the two of them managed to squeeze through at the same time.
Cari stifled a laugh.
Rodrigo beat the lieutenant to her bedside by a hair, reaching out to lay a hand on Cari’s shoulder as he arrived. “You should change your name to Cat, Cari. It looks like you have nine lives. You had Liam and the rest of us very worried.”
“Liam and the rest of you?” Cari asked. Her face broke into a grin. “I didn’t see the three of them waiting outside my room when I awakened.”
Stefan jumped in before Rodrigo could answer. “I have not left the outer chamber aside from my official duties, since I escorted you back from the valley of the hunt.”
“I, along with the others, have been seeing to the Prince’s safety,” Rodrigo said, fixing Stefan with a stare before turning back to Cari. “You understand that, don’t you? After all, you’re part of our original group of companions to rescue the Prince.”
“Guys, seriously? Look, I appreciate you both checking in on me, but I’m feeling much better now and looking forward to getting up out of bed.”
They both looked at her, clearly not getting the hint.
Cari pointed to the door. “Do you mind? I’d like to get dressed.”
While taking their leave, the two of them once again stumbled over each other, trying to get through the door at the same time.
Cari stifled another laugh at their expense. She wasn’t used to this kind of attention. The boys back home either didn’t pay attention to her at all or weren’t worth her time and consideration. She tended to intimidate most men she encountered, and those that weren’t put off by her attitude were just plain creepy.
This was different. Both Rodrigo and Stefan had their positive qualities.
Rodrigo had been one of her first companions in Fantasma, and he’d been the one to fetch the three dragoons to come to her rescue.
Stefan had been a pain in the neck in the beginning, but as she’d gotten to know him, she discovered he was a pretty decent guy, loyal and conscientious.
Luckily, she didn’t have to choose between them. Not now, and not in the near future either. She had some other, harder decisions to make. Picking a boyfriend wasn’t one of them. Waking up brought with it all the memories of the last battle in the forest and the brief confrontation she’d had with Prince Timron.
Cari didn’t know if she should tell someone about Timron’s treachery, or even who she could tell. If what he said was true, he’d only colluded to protect himself and never participated in the “accidents” that killed the rest of his family.
On the other hand, he’d knowingly allowed another person to murder everyone else in line for the throne. He didn’t care if they were man, woman, or child. All that mattered was he was all that remained. It sickened her to think about it. What she wanted to do was get far away from any of this and let it all work itself out without her. She didn’t owe anyone anything.
Cari needed to talk to someone about it all. When she had problems like this at home, she usually went to her dad. That wasn’t an option right now. Not only was he not here, but she was still angry with him for lying to her about Fantasma all her life.
The only other person she could think of was Chance, the elf dragoon. He, like Timron, knew who she was, and she could be honest with him in a way she couldn’t be with the others.
Cari searched the wardrobe in the corner until she found her gear. She pulled on her clothes. They’d been cleaned and carefully folded. She also noted the places where someone had skillfully mended the cuts and tears in the fabric resulting from her injuries.
After slipping into her knee-high boots last of all, she picked up her sword baldric, slid it over her head, and placed the leather belt across her chest so her sword rested in its comfortable spot on her right hip. Her fingers toyed with the frayed and stained red ribbon she’d received when she first arrived, signifying her alliance with the Empress. So much had happened since that first day in Fantasma, when she’d awakened in the inn back at the capital.
Cari considered removing the tattered ribbon but changed her mind. It felt like the right thing to do to stand up for the Empress.
When she walked out into the outer room of her suite, Rodrigo and Stefan stood leaning against opposite walls and seemed to be in the middle of some sort of nonchalant staring contest and standoff.
“Guys, seriously, the two of you need to back down on the jealousy thing. I’m not on the lookout for any relationships or encumbrances right now. Back off. Can’t we all just be friends?”
Both pairs of shoulders sagged a little, and a split second later, both faces shifted from crestfallen to a sort of forced, thinly-veiled smile.
Cari sighed. She could tell even friend-zoning these two wouldn’t put them off their game. Alright, fine, she’d deal with them later. For now, she had to speak with Chance.
“Either of you know where Chance is?”
Rodrigo jumped in right away. “I can take you to him. I know where he is.”
“I don’t need an escort,” Cari replied, holding up a hand. “I’m sure I can locate him if you tell me where he is.”
Rodrigo deflated a little before speaking. Cari caught a slight grin on Stefan’s face as the other spoke.
“You can probably find him in the Duke’s library. He’s been in there reading since he got here.”
“Thank you. Why don’t you two run along? If you want, we can work out and spar a little later to make sure I haven’t lost my edge. I’m all stiff and sore from being in bed so long.”
“An excellent idea,” Stefan said. “I’ll be in the courtyard when you’re ready to begin.”
“Me, too,” Rodrigo echoed.
Stopping herself from unleashing a major eye-roll, Cari walked between them and through the open door into the hallway. It occurred to her as she stepped onto the long carpet running the length of the upstairs hall that she had not been inside the manor before. She’d only made it as far as the courtyard.
“Left,” a gruff voice said from beside her.
Thad sat on a bench outside her room. He leaned back against the wall with his eyes closed. He opened them long enough to wink at her and nodded to her left.
“I heard you and the boys. The library is to your left, down the stairs and across the central hall. Look for floor-to-ceiling books. Can’t miss it.”
“Thank you, Thad.”
He nodded and closed his eyes again. She caught the corners of the orc’s mouth curling into a slight smile around his upward jutting tusks.
Cari turned and followed his instructions. She spotted the library as soon as she reached the bottom of the stairs. The door was open, and she could see the walls inside covered with full bookshelves.
She crossed to the room and entered.
Chance looked up from where he sat by the fireplace and smiled when he saw her standing there. He closed the book he’d been reading and stood, nodding a slight bow in her direction.
“You’re awake. The healing priest from the city wasn’t certain how long it would take you to heal enough to awaken. He put the time frame at a week. I guessed it would be sooner. How do you feel?”
“Honestly, a little wobbly, but I think it’s as much a function of being in bed a long time as anything else. How long was it anyway?”
“It’s been five days since we br
ought you back. The healers just left this morning to return to Tandon. Their leader, a priestess from the Temple of the Sun, said they’d done all they could, and she was confident you’d awaken soon.”
Nodding, Cari crossed to the chair opposite Chance’s and sat on the comfortable upholstered cushion. The elf returned to his chair as she sat.
“You did well, Princess. Your father would be proud.”
“I told you before, don’t call me that. I’m just Cari.”
Chance chuckled. “You’ll never be ‘just Cari’ again. Word of your exploits saving the Prince has started to spread, partly because he commissioned several bards brought out from Tandon to write an epic ballad of the rescue.”
“He what?”
“Yes, by now, the tale is being told in all the taverns in Tandon. Once the word reaches the sailors in the harbor, it’ll spread far and wide. People love tales of your father. Imagine their reaction when they hear of someone with your name heroically rescuing the Prince from an assassin. It won’t be long before they decide you really are the Lost Princess, come back to save the Empire once more.”
“That bastard. He promised he’d not tell people he knew who I was.”
“Oh, he didn’t as far as I know. The bards made that leap all on their own. I don’t know if they believe the stories they’re telling or not, but the people who hear it will, at the very least, wonder if the tale is true.”
“Oh, this is horrible.” Cari sat back and stared at the ceiling.
“Why? The people need a hero, someone to believe in. Now, more than ever, they need that. The Empress is ill. It isn’t common knowledge yet, but rumors have spread. They know she isn’t going to live forever. It is a time of great uncertainty, Cari. During times like these, people reach out for stability from anything they can. They look for the things they can all believe in. Having the Lost Princess come back in a time of the Empire’s greatest need provides something for the common folk to hang on to.”
“But I don’t want that. I never asked for it.”
Chance laughed and shook his head. “Neither did your father. Yet he stepped into the role when the opportunity was offered to him and rose to the occasion.”