A.L. Jambor (8 page)

“No, Ceil,” Geezer said.

He walked over and tried to take her from Mace. She pushed his hands away.

“No, Papa. Please. I want to stay here.”

“It’s cold here, Ceil,” I said. “It’s warm at home.”

I was trying to understand why she was being so difficult. Had he promised her something if she got me to stay?

“I don’t care. I want to stay here!”

“Why?” Geezer said. He must have wondered about her behavior, too.

“I like it here. I like Mace. I want to see my pony.”

The bastard had promised her a pony.

“We can take the pony home, can’t we, Mace?” I said. “She can ride it home.”

He looked at me and I could see the anger. There was no pony. He had told her that to keep her here.

“You’re hurting me,” Ceil said. He was holding her too tightly. “Oww. Put me down.”

She began to push against his chest. I stood and reached for her, but he moved back. Geezer came up behind him and Mace turned.

“I think we’ll go for a walk, Ceil.”

He knew Geezer wouldn’t hurt him if he was holding Ceil. He went to the other side of the room and a guard opened another door. Mace went out the door and Geezer suddenly disappeared.

I tried to run out the door but the guard blocked my way. I pushed at him, but he knocked me down. I could hear Ceil screaming. I tried to stand up, but he knocked me down again.

“Why won’t you let me pass?” I said.

“He’s the king.”

“She’s my daughter.”

He didn’t answer. He placed the end of his spear on my chest.

I sat on that cold stone floor listening to Ceil scream. I wanted to hurt the guard, but I knew he wouldn’t hesitate to kill me.

“Can I sit on the bed?” I asked.

He moved his spear and nodded. I got up and went to the bed. I kept thinking about the doors. If I made a break for the door to the hallway, would the guard be able to catch me?

Then the screaming stopped. I looked at the guard. He had opened the door and was running out. I followed him.

The balcony behind the door led to stairs going down. The guard was halfway down by the time I got there and began my descent. I didn’t see Geezer or Mace. It was already twilight.

“They’ve gone,” I heard someone yell.

“What direction?” one of the guards asked.

“To the woods.”

“Should we go?” a guard said.

“He said stay here.”

The guards were happy not to follow. The sun was almost set. It would be dark and cold. They didn’t want to be in the woods in the dark.

I wondered why Geezer had let him go. He could have easily stopped him.

No one was watching me. I began running toward the woods. I ran through the town. I kept moving. I could feel the cold air fill my lungs, and my chest began to hurt. But I couldn’t stop.

I was still trying to figure out what Mace was doing. What was he thinking? Did he think he could hide from Geezer?

I crossed the river and ran along the riverbank. I could see the light from the portal. As I drew near, I saw Geezer standing outside the cave alone.

“Where are they?” I cried.

He turned and looked at me. He looked sad.

“They’re gone,” he said.

“What are you talking about?”

“They went into the portal.”

“Why didn’t you stop them? You could have waved your arms and it would have been over.”

“He got here first. I don’t know how.”

Then I saw it. The portal was covered. The light was coming off Geezer’s body. He looked defeated. I’d never seen him so forlorn. I began to hit his chest with my fists. I wanted to hurt him.

“Why didn’t you stop him? You were right behind him! You’re a damned wizard, for God’s sake!”

“Ceil had stopped screaming. I flew over the town looking for them. I didn’t see them. It was getting dark. I…couldn’t
find
them.”

He was holding my arms. I could see he was in pain. I stopped hitting him.

“He ran through the woods behind Esher. He knew where he was going. I was flying over but I couldn’t see into the woods. Then I thought of the portal. He knew about it. He’d lived with me. I flew there as fast as I could. He was standing near it when I got here. He saw me. I thought if I went toward him, he would jump. I knew the portal would be closing. It was dark. I thought if I kept him there long enough, he wouldn’t be able to leave. He was still holding her. I was afraid that if I used magic I’d hurt her. She held out her arms and…he…jumped.”

He jumped with my Ceil in his arms.

“Why didn’t you follow him?”

“The light went out before I could reach it. It was closed.”

“Can’t you do something? Can’t you break it with magic?”

“I’ve tried. I’ve been trying.”

“This doesn’t make sense. How can you not open it?”

“Because I can’t! Because it was here long before I found it. I don’t understand the way it works. I have no power over it.”

“Then what good are you?”

I’d hurt him. I wanted to. I wanted him to feel what I was feeling. I didn’t care that he already felt the way I did. I didn’t care that he loved Ceil, too.

“Do you know where she is?” I asked.

“I can’t see her.”

“Did he plan this?”

“I don’t think so. But…”

“But he must have thought about it. He must have planned to do this if we fought him, to bring her here. He must have had a plan.”

“A king always has a plan.”

“So that’s it? We just let them go?”

“I promise you I’ll go there as soon as it opens.”

“But she could be anywhere by then.”

“He’ll come back. He won’t give up his crown.”

“But he’ll leave her there. He’ll find someone…”

We looked at each other and we both said:

“His father.”

January 1, 924

We had a very sad Christmas. We don’t speak much. Geezer tries to talk, but I still can’t talk to him.

I miss Ceil so much. I feel like a part of my body was ripped out of me. There is a war on Earth. I know the flu is coming. Will Mace remember that? I know he read Geezer’s book, but it was a long time ago.

The waiting is awful. I keep looking at the book and reading the timelines of Pryll and Sunge. Earth will have a bad time. Oh, Ceil.

March 20

I’m going to wait by the portal. It should open today.

March 21

My name is Geezer. I live in a tower in Esher, England, on the planet Tresteria. This journal belongs to Margaret Hall. She began it several years ago when she came to Tresteria from the planet Pryll.

Margaret has a daughter named Ceil. She is a beautiful dark-haired girl with large brown eyes. Ceil is the daughter of King Mace. I had put a veil over the tower to keep King Mace from finding Ceil. We both feared that if he found Ceil, he would take her. We were right. Three months ago, he stole Ceil and took her to Earth.

Margaret and I went to Earth to look for Ceil. We found her living with King Mace at his father’s estate. He had Ceil. He knew what day it was and he was waiting for us when we emerged from the portal. He told us to leave. He told us Ceil didn’t want to go back to Tresteria.

Margaret wouldn’t listen. She ran toward the manor. Mace and I followed her. She saw the manor and stopped.

“Where is she?” she asked. “Please let me see her.”

Mace took her hand and led her into the house. I stayed outside.

They were gone for a long time. The moon had passed over me and was on its way down when Mace emerged from the manor.

“You can go,” he said.

“I’m not leaving without them,” I said.

He looked at me for a long time. It began to rain.

“You can’t win, Geezer. She loves my child. She
will
give in and live with me.”

“But you don’t love her.”

“I love her well enough. And I
do
love my daughter.”

I could see the rain streaming down his forehead.

“What about your crown?”

Dawn and the rain made it hard to see his face clearly.

“My father has made me sole heir of his estate,” he said. “He has brought me onto the board of his bank.”

“So, you’ll still be a king.”

He laughed. “Of a different kind, yes.”

“And you would abandon England.”

“Tresteria,” he said. He wiped the rain from his eyes. “When I think of it now, it feels like a fantasy in which I was playing war games.”

“WAR GAMES!” I cried. “They were not games to the families of the men you beheaded. Not to Neela.”

He didn’t speak for a minute.

“She’s a princess. She’ll find another man who wants to be king.”

“Is that all this was to you?” His arrogance shocked me. How could he have changed so much in the space of three months?

“Geezer, this is my
home
. Until I came back, I didn’t realize how much I missed being here.”

I kept shaking my head.

“I can’t believe your conceit. I
believed
in you. The people believed in you. I loved you like my own son. You spoiled, proud fool.”

“But I’m a rich, spoiled, proud fool.”

I saw Margaret framed in the doorway. She stepped out and walked toward us.

“She’s asleep,” she said. “She’s good, Geezer.”

“He says you’re staying here.”

She put her hand on my arm.

“I’m staying with her for now,” she said.

“Why? Why stay with him? Why are you doing this?”

“Because she is well cared for,” Margaret said.

“And I didn’t take care of her?”

“I was able to snatch her right from under your nose,” Mace said.

“Mace, stop,” Margaret said.

I was feeling a thousand years old. He was right. I hadn’t protected her.

“Then, I will leave you alone,” I said.

“No, please, don’t go like this,” Margaret said.

“There’s no reason to stay,” I said. I touched her cheek. “You know where to find me if you need me.”

I left them standing on the lawn. She didn’t call to me.

April 13, 927

I am Geezer. I am updating the journal of Margaret Hall. It’s been three years since I’ve written in this journal.

A year ago I lifted the veil from the tower. There is a new king and he leaves me alone.

Today a child came to my tower. I was in the garden and she came up behind me. I recognized her long dark hair and her large brown eyes.

“Mama needs you, Geezer,” she said.

I felt a quickening in my heart. I dropped my hoe and followed Ceil to the portal.

It was raining when we emerged from the portal. The river was high. I lifted us up, flew us over the water and up to the house.

“Mama is very sick,” Ceil said. “And Papa…is dead.”

She didn’t look at me. I didn’t want to question her further.

She took me into the manor house. The servants looked at me in disdain. My old robe looked dirty, and my sandals left streaks of mud on their clean white tiles.

“Come, Geezer, hurry.”

Ceil was running up the long staircase to the second floor. She turned into the first bedroom. I found Margaret lying in a pool of sweat. She looked at me and her eyes grew wide.

“Geezer,” she whispered.

“I’m taking you home,” I said. I looked at Ceil. “Are you coming, too?”

She nodded. “Can I bring something?”

I nodded and she ran out of the room. She had grown so tall.

I wrapped Margaret in a blanket and carried her down the stairs. No one tried to stop me. The servants shrank from the sight of Margaret. Their fear of the pestilence was great.

Ceil ran down the stairs with a satchel and followed me out the door. As soon as we got to the portal, we jumped in.

“Will we make them sick?” Ceil asked.

“Who?” I said.

“The people in Tresteria.”

No. You’ll stay at the tower. I’ll put up the veil until your mother recovers.”

I knew she would recover. I’d give her my life force if I had to, but I
would
save her.

The Spanish flu killed many Earthlings, and it was the only battle Mace had ever lost.

Ceil was a hardy girl. She didn’t get sick. We talked a great deal about her life on Earth. I told her how much I missed her.

I asked her about Mace. She said he wasn’t home very often. She didn’t seem to know him very well. But she loved her mother greatly.

I asked her how Mace died. She said he became ill one night shortly after dinner. He grew weaker and weaker and began to bleed. The doctor couldn’t stop his bleeding and he died.

When Ceil went to bed, I walked to the loft and sat at my desk. Ceil had collected a picture of her father before we left and she gave it to me. I looked at the face of my former king. He didn’t look happy.

I remembered Mace sitting on the stool next to me, reading my “ridiculous book” and telling me he wanted to be king. He was thirteen. He was young and strong. I was glad I was alone. I didn’t have to hide my tears.

July 24

This is Margaret. I am feeling much better. I am walking further every day, and Geezer said the color has come back into my cheeks. He has been so kind.

Ceil has become a real farmer. She grows large vegetables and her fruit trees bear the sweetest fruit. She wants to see the town and Geezer has promised to take her there.

It’s almost as though I never left Tresteria. My years with Mace feel like a dream. He spent most of his time in London and only came to the manor on weekends. His father died of the flu early on. His wife, his second one, lived, as did his young son. The boy is just a little older than Ceil and they formed a bond. I wonder what he thinks of her disappearing like that.

Mace told his father we were married. If he hadn’t, his father never would have allowed me to live there. But we didn’t live as man and wife. We had separate bedrooms.

I know he had other women. I didn’t care. I missed Geezer and felt like such a fool. I got over my anger. I wanted to come home, but as long as Mace lived, I felt obligated to stay. Ceil was his daughter. And now she knew it, too.

She found out by accident. Mace and I were fighting one rainy afternoon and she overheard us. She asked me about it later and I told her the truth. She took it well. She’s a strong girl.