by B. K. Parent
Since Lady Celik was never one to be argued with, at least if you expected to win, Master Rollag did as he was told and swung into the saddle.
“We are going to quietly walk our horses away from this inn, and when we have gone several hundred yards down the road, we are going to ride as fast as we safely can.” Seeing the questions in Master Rollag’s eyes, she said, “I will answer your questions as soon as possible.”
Once away from the tavern and the small village that surrounded it, the two urged their horses into a cautious trot, torn between covering as much ground as possible and injuring either riders or horses. Just as the sky was beginning to lighten, Master Rollag signaled Lady Celik that they needed to halt soon.
“While my horse has a lot of run left in him, I need to give him a chance to rest. We have traveled long and hard to come this far from Springwell-over-Hill,” Master Rollag suggested.
“See the start of the tall hill ahead?” Lady Celik inquired. “We will pull off the road there, and then seek a sheltered place to rest for awhile, but not for long.”
It was not long before they reached the bottom of the hill and veered off the road onto a narrow path. About a quarter of an hour later, they pulled to a halt next to a small spring. Thorval walked his horse to cool him down and then allowed him to drink.
“I had wanted to make contact with you, but I did not think it would be quite in this manner,” Master Rollag said. “Do you think it is wise to slip the confines of your house arrest?”
“Everything is going to come to a head very shortly. The Princess is going to come of age in less than two weeks. Rumors are running rampant as to why she did not show at Springwell-over-Hill. Some say she is dead. Some say she is ill or insane. Some say she is back in the capitol and just resting up before she takes on her duties and becomes the new Queen. The Regent is either going to have to produce her or is going to have to make a move to take control overtly. Some information has gotten through to me while I have been exiled from the capitol and confined to my own lands, but not enough. The one worrisome message that has gotten through is about Shueller.”
“What about Shueller?” Master Rollag asked, with a great deal of worry in his voice.
“He has been detained by the Raven.”
“When? Where?”
“The morning before the opening of the Springwell-over-Hill fair. The Günnary, who had been sent to make sure he had safe passage to the fair, saw him taken but could do little to prevent it. The Raven and his men swooped down on Shueller, grabbed him off his homewagon, and rode off. One of the Günnary scouts rescued the homewagon and took it to a safe place. The other two tracked the Raven and his band to Waldron Keep, which as you know is built on a rocky knoll. Even the Günnary with all of their mining skills would not be able to penetrate the bowels of Waldron Keep in less than a month or two. I fear for his life and can only hope he can hold out just a little while longer.”
“This is very bad news, but not just for Shueller. You need to know that the Princess was alive and well at the end of the Snoddleton fair. Shueller helped Thorval and I sneak her out of the fair, and hopefully to safety. He knows where she went, and who has her. Do you have a plan?”
“With a little help, I think I can make it to me boat. It’s moored in the harbor, but me rowboat is pulled up on the beach just beyond the docks,” Johan told Thorval.
“Catch your breath. I’m going to truss these two up with strips torn from their cloaks and hide them behind those crates over there. When we leave the alley, throw your arm over my shoulder and start singing the most ridiculous sea shanties you know. We’ll play the drunken sailors until we’re clear of this section of the docks,” Thorval said.
Thorval then began to rip strips off the first man’s cloak, gag him, and tie him up. After dragging both of the downed men into the shadows behind a pile of stacked crates, he and Johan staggered their way towards the bay, singing at the top of their lungs. No one bothered them.
Once they made it to Johan’s rowboat, Thorval rowed the two of them out to Johan’s boat, the Mowenna, and with some effort, got both of them aboard. Thorval secured the rowboat to the back of the Mowenna and went into the main cabin to settle Johan and prepare to set Johan’s broken arm.
“Before I set your arm and you faint dead away on me, we need to settle a few things,” Thorval said.
“Like what?”
“I am being sought after by the Regent and there is a price on my head, so after I set your arm, if you want me off your boat, I will understand,” said Thorval.
“Well, I be thinkin’,” Johan said slowly and deliberately, “that since I would most likely be fish food right now had you not come along, that I owe you. Ye be welcome on my boat. Ye said ye needed one. Where do ye want to go?”
“To the Shadow Islands.”
Johan shuddered. “Ye might as well be takin’ me back to that alley. I’d be havin’ a better chance for survival there.”
Chapter Sixty-Two
The royal guardswoman of rank signaled to her patrol that they should stand down and then instructed them to break for lunch and reassemble at the central fountain when they were through. She then leaned in closer to me, so close that she was practically leaning over the counter, and said, “You are in deep trouble for missing the Springwell-over-Hill fair and causing me distress.”
What was this woman talking about? How was I causing her distress? Would it go harder on me because I had caused her distress?
“Your pardon ma’am,” I replied, hoping I just looked confused and not terrified.
“You are the rover who carves the whimsies, are you not? It would not do to try to lie to me, since I can see one in your hand,” the royal guardswoman said sternly.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Does this other rover also carve whimsies?” she asked.
“No, ma’am.”
“Go find something other to do then,” the royal guardswoman directed Shyla, who lost no time scurrying out of the booth, around the cart, and towards our campsite.
I could only hope she would not panic those back at the campsite, and that they would not decide to do something foolish that might endanger the Princess. I held my breath and waited for what would happen next.
The royal guardswoman leaned even closer and said, “Do you have children?”
That question took me by surprise, for it was certainly not what I was expecting. I was expecting her to ask about Da or the Princess, but certainly not whether I had children.
“No, ma’am.”
“Stop calling me ‘ma’am’. It makes me feel older than I already feel this day. The proper address would be ‘Captain’.”
“No, ma . . . Captain, I don’t have any children.”
“Well I do, and one of them has presented me with two granddaughters. Twins no less, and they are extremely unhappy right now, which is making my daughter miserable, and she is passing her misery on to me.”
I could not for the life of me figure out how this might be somehow connected to me. I do not think I even knew any twins, and I certainly could not remember making a pair of twins unhappy. I hoped this woman would get to the point soon, before someone thought they should do something.
“My daughter and the twins came by your booth and bought two of your whimsies. A matched set in a way. One had a wolf head and a lamb body and the other had a lamb head and a wolf body. Before I had even set out for Snoddleton, my daughter came to me and begged me to track you down and see if you had one or more pairs of wolf/lamb whimsies, for one of her darlings, and I use that term loosely even if they are my granddaughters, had lost or misplaced hers and was throwing a fit. If my daughter left those twins with me for several months, they would not throw fits, but I digress. I need several more pairs, so I can courier them home and provide peace in the household once again
. Please tell me you have some.”
“I’m afraid I don’t, ma’am, begging your pardon, ah, Captain. I do remember them, however, and can have several pairs of them ready tomorrow, perhaps by noon, if that would suit.”
“That will suit. I have to admit that despite the chaos caused by the loss of one whimsy, I too was quite taken with them. What are you working on now?”
“A combination of a squirrel and a goose. It would be a gooirrel or a squoose,” I said, feeling as if I were in the twilight world between dreaming and waking.
This was such an odd conversation we were having, and it got even odder when the Captain reached across the counter with her hand for me to give her the whimsy I had been carving. As I extended my hand with the whimsy in it towards her, an arc of light flashed between our two hands. She looked as startled as I felt, especially when she grabbed my hand.
“Where did you get this ring?” she said very quietly but very sharply. “No, don’t answer that. It would not stay on your hand if it didn’t belong there and wouldn’t react to mine unless . . .” The Captain stopped speaking, glanced casually around, and then said, “I will come by tomorrow for the whimsies. Ah, you have puzzle boxes. Do you have a particularly challenging one?”
I was having trouble following the swift changes in the Captain’s conversation but noted the quick warning look that followed her question.
“Yes, I do have several that are particularly challenging. Would you like to see them?”
When she nodded yes, I went back to the cart and brought several forward. They were made of different combinations of rare woods, and I was rather proud of both the design of each and the difficulty of opening them.
“Would you like a demonstration, or would you like to figure it out yourself?”
“I will work on the solution on my own. Something to do this night when I’m once again on duty. I’ll be back again about the same time tomorrow. Will you have the whimsies done by then?”
“I will do my best.”
“Good. Now let us see which one of us is the better at bartering,” said the Captain.
I would like to think I was, but I think the Captain did not have her whole attention on the task of trying to get a puzzle box on the cheap. Once the transaction was concluded, the Captain turned on her heel and headed back down the lane. I let out a sigh of relief. I asked Evan to watch my booth for a moment, quickly slipped behind my cart, headed towards my homewagon, and almost ran into Shyla, who was coming around the cart from the other side.
“Is everything alright?” she asked.
“Everything is fine,” I told her.
I told Shyla about the terrible twins, but made her promise she would not spread the story around, for I felt the Captain would certainly not appreciate her troops knowing she and her daughter were at the mercy of two small children. I did not tell Shyla about the arc between the two rings. I needed to give that some thought. Obviously, if my ring responded to hers, and if I understood the nature of the firestar gems, the Captain was someone who at the very least did not have evil intent and perhaps could be an ally.
The rest of the fair day was uneventful, and I had hoped that all of the excitement was over for the day, but that was not to be. Just before the horn blew to signal the closing of the fair for the day, once again royal guards came tromping down our lane, telling us that we were not to leave the fairgrounds that evening. All were to stay in their campsites, and there was to be no wandering of anyone whatsoever. When protests were shouted and questions asked, they were summarily dismissed. No one, no matter what reason or excuse, was to leave their campsites, not even to tend to their horses or other stock. Royal guards would be posted to make sure we complied. I could not help but wonder what had caused us to be confined not only to the fair, but also to our own camping areas. Our group gathered around the cook fire and over dinner we shared rumors we had heard about why we were under restrictions.
“I heard there were a series of robberies last night, and so they think it might be someone from the fair,” said Oscar scowling. “Probably someone from town taking advantage of those who are enjoying the various festivities that happen in a town during a fair week, since townsfolk are always quick to blame outsiders.”
“I heard the town was closed, for there had been a number of mysterious disappearances, and so not only are we confined, but everyone in town is supposed to be off the streets too,” said Beezle.
“I heard . . .”
And so it went all through dinner, with no one really the wiser by the time we had finished. Just as the group was breaking up to head back to our own quarters, a large contingent of royal guards entered our area and told all of us within hearing to stay right where we were. The royal guards broke off into groups of three and four and began to systematically check out the campsites. One group headed our way. As they grew nearer, I recognized the one in charge as the Captain from earlier this day.
“Please sit and remain seated,” the Captain said. “We need to ask you a few questions. I will go in order around the group. When you have individually answered my questions, you will retire to your quarters for the night. Am I clear?”
“We have not yet cleaned up from dinner. Do we have permission to do that before we are banished to our tents and wagons?” Mistress Jalcones asked very politely. “Also to bank the fire?”
“You and one other can take care of that but do so in a hurry. I will question you first, and then you can get on with your tasks.”
“Evan. Come on lad, it’s your turn to help,” said Mistress Jalcones, giving Evan a look that would have quelled even the most stubborn of us when asked to do a task we loathed.
It was a good choice, I thought, for Evan was the youngest of us and perhaps the most vulnerable. While I was thankful we had gotten the Captain to question our group, for I was hoping she was on the side of the Crown, and not the Regent’s version of the Crown, I could not dismiss the anxiousness I felt to be sitting here by the cook fire next to the Princess and heir to the throne. She, however, was calmly knitting, as if being about to be questioned by a captain of the royal guards was an everyday occurrence. It struck me as somewhat humorous that perhaps for the Princess it was an everyday occurrence to interact with the royal guards, but for Kiaya the rover that would not be so.
I braced myself for what might happen next. For each of us, the questions were the same. The Captain started with Mistress Jalcones.
“Name, how many in your party, and which campsite is yours?”
“I am Mistress Jalcones, and you are standing in our campsite. The tent behind you is ours, my husband’s and mine. There are only the two of us.”
The Captain then directed one of her patrol to escort Trader Jalcones to his tent and to check inside to make sure no one besides the folks who should be in there were there. She followed the same routine with Oscar, Bertram, Master Clarisse, Evan, and Beezle, saving the Princess and me for last.
“I’ll take these last two,” the Captain stated, indicating the Princess and me. “The rest of you, get started with the next group down, and when I finish here, I will join you. Rovers, take me to your homewagon please.”
I have to say that it was a good thing the Princess and I were neat, and the homewagon was very tidy, since we seem to be having inspections with great frequency. I began to feel a little hysterical inside and had the thought that should I be caught and tried for crimes against the realm, they could not add the crime of keeping a messy home to the charges.
When we reached the homewagon, the Captain looked in and asked Kiaya to step inside and open the cupboards that could possibly hold a human, albeit a very small one. Once the Captain was satisfied that no one was hiding in the homewagon, she turned to me, still holding the door open, which blocked anyone’s view of her, and quietly began to speak.
“I would suggest you do
four things. First, do not attend the next fair for these inspections are going to become more frequent, and someone other than me is going to recognize that the Princess is with you.”
I must have started, and a great fear gripped me.
“The second thing you need to do,” she went on briskly, “is take that blue and cream colored cap off your booth counter. That’s what gave you away. I would not have taken a second look at your party, or at the ‘widow rover’ who travels with you, had I not spied that cap. It is done in a pattern that the Princess designed, and no one with any sense would reproduce her designs. More importantly, anyone who has ever served close to the Crown would know that pattern. Have her review what else she has knitted.”
I noticed that the Princess had quietly moved to the back of the homewagon. When the Captain mentioned the cap, I saw a look of consternation on the Princess’ face, as if she were giving herself a mental head slap.
“Third, get the news out to anyone you can trust, any way you can, to be ready to gather at the fair at the capitol, for we are going to need all of the supporters of the Crown that we can gather. And finally, I will be returning your puzzle box tomorrow saying it was more challenging than I had expected and would like to trade it in for a less challenging one. Do not argue and do not offer to show me how to open the one I return. I must go, for I have already spent too much time at your homewagon. Be careful and be extra vigilant.”
With that said, the Captain turned and moved on to other groups, systematically moving through our campground.
I sat down hard on the homewagon steps because I did not think my legs would hold me any longer. I heard the hard thump of the Princess sitting down on the floor just inside the door, and I am sure we were both thinking the same thing. How many others might have seen that dratted cap, and what do we do now?