The Ghost Of Eslenda (Book 1) (13 page)

"Trousers? Good heaven, Sonia, is it as bad as that?" She smiled at her jest and Sonia smiled back.

"I have an extra pair for you."

"Poor Henry. Not a full day in the grave and I'm wearing men's clothes."

Queen Mary quickly changed her clothes.

"Ugh, pinches in places. How can you wear them? How do we escape this room?"

"Coswell, outside, is one of ours."

"Seems convenient. Are you sure of him?"

"His mother is one of my attendants. I have known him since he was a baby."

"Hardly reassuring. I could say the same for Edward. But there is nothing for it. Let us leave with haste. This place even smells bad to me now." She coughed and cleared her throat. She coughed again and looked at Sonia.

Sonia coughed herself and ran to the window pushing it open.

"Look!" The courtyard was full of grey clouds.

"That's smoke! It is too much to come from one of the fireplaces. Are they burning leaves?"

"No," said Sonia. "The smoke is coming from the north wall. Some of the buildings are burning. Look! The prisoners are running free. They were either freed to save themselves or the fire burned their shacks."

Black smoke rushed from windows and doorways. People fleeing the fire slowed the approach of those trying to put it out.

"They are running everywhere. Soldiers are trying to stop them. Let us leave now, Sonia. There won't be a better time."

"You are right, your Highness. Let me grab the bundles."

"Let me carry one. We may be separated and besides I cannot expect you to carry both at a time like this. Also it may give me away, not to be carrying my own bundle."

Lady Oswald rapped thrice on the door and it opened. One of Charles' officers stood outside with Coswell, the guard.

"Your Highness, Lady Oswald, I am Captain Trisbane. Please come with me. We shall need to move quickly. I have but four other men here and cannot engage in a battle. The rest of my men are outside the city. We must run."

The castle was in chaos. People ran in all directions, shouting and screaming. Captain Trisbane pushed his way through the crowds into the main courtyard of the castle. Edward's soldiers tried to keep order but the castle guards and Hal's soldiers engaged them in battle. More of Edward's soldiers left the firefighting and joined in the melee.

The gate to the city was blocked with people. Everyone moved together and pushed the person in front of them. Soldiers shouted and tried to wedge themselves in the crowd to create a path through them.

Queen Mary lost the Oswald soldiers. She was spun around by the swarm of escaped prisoners, and could not see Sonia or her soldiers. The wave of bodies pushed her away from her companions and she knew not which way she had come. She went through the castle gates into the city. The confusion was no less here. She stumbled over a body and fell into the arms of a man running past. He grabbed her and pulled her along, not speaking. She dropped her bundle and she tried to pull away but his grip was strong. They ran along together for several minutes and then he pulled her into a doorway.

"Can't stop long. Catch your breath. Then you come with me."

"I lost my friends, help me find them."

He glanced back the way they had come.

"No time. Besides, you are the Queen," he said quietly. "Keeping you with me might save my life."

"Not if Edward catches you."

"That is true; however, it is true with or without you. I want to get away from Edward. I do not think my fate at Edward's hands would change if you were with me or not. It is Hal I must find. I am a Masine. I am not safe in Riverdowns."

Queen Mary took a close look at the man. His long blue-black hair was streaked with grey, but his face was lined with years of care. His blue eyes were as blue as robin eggs but the whites of his eyes had yellowed.

"You're much older than I would've guessed."

"I am near seventy. I have been a slave for sixteen years. I didn't expect to live so long."

"What is your name?"

"D'siderin."

"Well, D'siderin, where do we go from here? If you are truly looking for Hal's protection, then we can journey together. I do not know Edward's mind anymore and I no longer trust him to act justly. I don't know if Hal will escape in this chaos, but we must believe he will."

"I am no friend of Edward. I plan to reach Hal's castle and ask for refuge. To reach Masina means travel south through Edward's lands. And there is rumor of the Turuck army may be coming north. That direction is no choice. North I go. If Hal will not offer sanctuary perhaps, he will allow me passage to Nuneland. In any case, I would prefer his judgment to Edward's. Does that offend you?"

"It does, but not for the reasons you think." She looked around. "We better be quick. We need to head west, then north."

D'siderin followed her gaze and quickly reached for her as she tried to escape.

"Please. I may need you to get out of Riverdowns and I promise to help you get to Far Greening. Will you promise not to try to escape?"

"As long as you keep to your promise."

"I will. Now, we need to move before the confusion from the fire calms down."

They ran again toward the castle gate where dozens of soldiers and townsfolk passed buckets of water. It was a quarter mile from the castle gate to the West Gate of the city. The chaos proved beneficial as they slipped through the city gate without challenge. Mary kept her hood pulled low and stooped behind D'siderin. Once past the press of people they kept to a brisk walk to the west of town and passed into the forest. Then they turned northward, keeping to the edge of the trees. It was another hour before D'siderin stopped. Mary sat down, breathing heavy. They had no food or water. D'siderin wandered off and Mary did not care - she was working at catching her breath.

D'siderin returned with a rusty cup filled with water. He handed it to her and she drank deeply. He noticed her looking at the rusty spots.

"It was the only belonging we were allowed in your dungeon. Everything else was denied us. I treasure this cup although to you it may be unappealing."

"At the moment it is wonderful. I am afraid I may delay you. I have not walked that much in years. Go on without me."

"Very noble, your Highness, but your good health will do much for mine. I must take you to Prince James at least if Prince Hal has not made it home when we arrive. I cannot take chances. With you to vouch for me, I may receive help from Prince Hal. Without you, I am unsure of what I'll find there."

D'siderin walked back a little and stared in the direction they had come. He walked back smiling.

"There is no pursuit of us yet. We shall walk soon, but at a lessened pace. You shall endure it without discomfort, I assure you."

He pulled two long branches out of the brush near the trees and sat down. From inside his boot he retrieved a soldier's knife. He started to whittle the ends into points and trimmed off the excess branches. A half hour passed before he finished.

"Here you are," he said, handing one to Queen Mary. "One end is a walking stick, the other a spear for defense. Are you ready to go?"

"Yes, I am. The trip will take a few days on foot and autumn is passing. The nights will be cold. Have you given thought to that?"

"Only in passing. We shall have each other for warmth and I assure you that I shall do nothing that should cause displeasure from you or Prince Hal. I am old enough to take the longer view of life's situations over the immediate."

"I see. You don't find me attractive?"

"That was not your question. Let's begin our journey."

Queen Mary smiled and shook her head. She took his hand and he pulled her to her feet. His fingers were long and delicate but the pale skin was rough and weathered. She thought his paleness a lack of sun, but there was a bluish tint under the flesh.

They walked at a measured pace and did not vary. The air was cooling as the day passed.

"What did you do? Before you were captive."

"I was an artist for the last twenty years. I did many things in my youth before settling into art. Masina fosters a great appreciation of mosaics, sculptures and very recently, painting. I painted pictures for King Kayden and later for his son Kennis. I sculpted figures and statues for the royal grounds. King Kennis was building a great school of learning when I was home last. I worked a sculpture for the entrance of the building and designed a mural for the great room. I wonder if it is completed."

"How did you come to be a captive?"

"I ventured far looking for new ideas, and colors for my art. I often drew pictures from nature. King Henry's soldiers caught me near the Great Falls. They claimed I was a spy. I requested my release but Lockwell felt my strength would be of value in Eslenda as a slave. I had not realized your people made slaves of anyone they happened upon. We were not at war."

"I did not know we did such things. I begin to find Henry kept many secrets from me."

"That is the way of kings - trust is not a plentiful commodity for them. The less trust, the less betrayal."

"From his Queen?"

D'siderin shrugged his shoulders. "History tells of worse things."

They walked in silence, each deep in their thoughts of the changes in their worlds. Queen Mary felt unsteady, a walking on ice feeling type of sensation. Queen in name only, she knew she would be sleeping on the hard ground tonight. She scanned the path they walked and saw rocks, twigs and cold dirt. She already missed her thick blankets and feather coverlets. Her only security was an elderly escaped prisoner from another land. Where could she place her trust? The rhythm of their walking allowed her mind to drift away.

Later D'siderin found horse tracks.

"These are not an hour old. Half a dozen horses, perhaps heading north, riding hard. I hope it might be Hal, if he escaped."

"Oh, a tracker as well as an artist?"

He shrugged. "I was a soldier in my youth. I was a scout for King Kayden before I grew too old for such tasks. I remember most of my skills. I will lead you to Far Greening without difficulty."

"Will this road be safe? I mean to say will Edward's soldiers follow them?"

"Perhaps, but we heard no such news as we left Riverdowns. If Hal's escape was discovered, we would have heard and the soldiers would already be in pursuit. So, Queen Mary, if Hal escaped ahead of us, it hasn't been discovered. We are keeping to the shadows and a bit off the road. We should hear anyone before they see us."

"Just call me Mary. I do not want some brigand to overhear and decide on ransom as a way to make money."

"Well, I didn't say I wouldn't ask Hal for some coin upon delivering you."

"I'll give you coin from my own purse if you deliver me safely, D'siderin. And even more if you do a sculpture for me."

"If I receive sanctuary at Far Greening, then I will do a sculpture of you."

"Of me? You are presumptuous. Will this be clothed or unclothed?"

"Lady Mary that I do not know. You are a new widow and I would not presume to make such a suggestion. I just said the first thing that came into my head. I am not a devious man."

"Fair enough," said Queen Mary. "We shall wait until the time is proper, then you may ask."

D'siderin raised an eyebrow.

"Excellent. I shall save my boldness for another day. Now we have many miles to walk and we must keep a good pace."

"Lead on, my artist."

They walked under the shade of the trees for many miles before resting again. It would take another day or two to finish their journey yet neither seemed to hurry.

"Mary, in the slave pens we heard rumor of Turucks. Are they indeed invading?"

"It appears so. The last report I heard was the Turucks had already crossed the sea and entered Masina. I'm sorry."

"I see."

He said nothing for several minutes.

"I once met Tag Makk. It was many years ago. When he found out I was an artist, he requested I paint his picture. He let me depart without incident afterward so I assume he liked the portrait. I do not do portraits as a rule, but I found it difficult to contemplate my head detached from my body and I did not think it would help my development as a painter. Still, I managed to paint his portrait."

"You were in the desert?"

"Yes. I went to Moaba to find colors I had not seen before. I had heard rumor of purples and reds not seen in Masina or Eslenda. I did find them. It was wonderful. I stayed for months. I made new dyes to bring back home. I acquired a great supply. I kept moving around the area but I ventured too far south and his soldiers picked me up."

"What was Tag Makk like?"

"A large man. Nearly a head taller than me. Very strong. He has Daerlan features, but much darker skin and temperament. At first, I felt darkness in his presence and I thought he was the cause. But when we walked around his palace, I did not feel the same darkness. I only felt it around his throne. Later, I decided it was due to the golden box he kept near his throne. I don't know what was in it, but I am sure I do not want to know."

"Magic?"

"Something, I don't know what, but it poisoned the very air. I felt dirty, disgusting; almost to the point I wanted to hurt someone else to make me feel better."

"Did you?"

"No, of course not. I avoided his throne room whenever possible. I could almost see the shadow of something lurking over him. I tell you, Mary, Tag Makk carries evil with him and while I feel miserable for my people's fate, I will not return to Masina until he is gone."

"What a foul creature and Eslenda is in chaos. What will be our fate?"

D'siderin could not answer. He sighed and continued walking.

The light began to fade and their legs dragged from the long journey. They sat and took stock of their situation.

"We have no food."

"I can go another day," said Mary. "It is not a hardship yet."

"Good. You hearten me."

"I hear horses."

"So do I. Coming fast from the south, I believe. Well, we cannot run to the trees before they see us."

"No," agreed Mary. "But we can defend ourselves." She hefted her walking stick, exposing the sharp end to the riders.