The Scarlet King (22 page)

When Jason and Captain Cook could find no
other excuse for extending their stay, they were about to announce
their planned departure when Betty spoke up and said simply, “Not
yet.” The delegates from the Northern Kingdom could not help
themselves and complained bitterly that anyone would listen to a
half brain, but neither Jason nor Captain Cook would respond to
their complaints. In the morning Betty appeared at the breaking of
the fast dressed for travel, saying, “We go back.”

Jason was a bit confused at first and had to
ask, “You mean we should leave for our homes?”

Betty responded in a straightforward manner
but had a puzzled look on her face as she said, “No, the Princess
needs our help.”

Daniel tried his best to get more
information from Betty, who seemed a bit flustered by the
questioning. She did her best to explain. “The Princess is hurt and
you must fix her.”

Daniel responded, “How badly is she hurt? Is
she bleeding?”

Betty just shrugged her shoulders and
continued to eat; she said, while chewing, “Her foot hurts, can’t
walk.”

Jason and Captain Cook said not but listened
intensively. Without discussion it was accepted that they would do
as Betty had commanded, and planning was begun. Captain Cook asked
about the delegates and Jason replied, “It would be best if we left
them here in the safe care of Larby’s people, for I fear they would
be a great liability in time of crisis. The one delegate who was up
began complaining that they could not leave them behind with the
dreadful food and housing of Larby’s people. Jason responded, “Here
you have someone to watch over your safety and their food is far
better than what we had when we were marooned.” He then added in a
voice of command, “You and the other delegates will stay and do as
the elders say.”

The delegate objected, saying, “We do not
even speak their language.”

Jason just stared at him for a moment before
responding, “Are you too old to learn? These people have much to
teach us and I would you take the time to learn from them.”

Daniel, whose mind was filled with both
dread and anticipation, asked, “What of the babies?”

Betty, who was still not done eating, said
simply, “Babies stay here with grandma.”

Captain Cook had been consulting his notes
and said, “The tide will be favorable in two hours.”

Jason, who had automatically assumed his
position as commander, responded, “We sail in two hours.”

Despite their long period of preparation,
the departure itself was always somewhat frantic. By the time
Daniel had finished saying goodbye to his baby son and wiped the
tears from his eyes, everyone else was aboard and ready to depart.
Larby’s mother said not but simply smiled as she accepted the baby
back from Daniel. The two infant boys, one of whom could not yet
crawl, seemed quite content with their “grandmother.” Daniel was
taken out to the ship in one of the fishermen’s canoes and climbed
aboard, but could not help but look at the cave house where his son
would be kept safe.

Captain Cook gave the order to raise the
mainsail to half and to pull the anchor. The ship began to respond
quite slowly to the gentle breeze blowing, and by the time the
anchor was free of the bottom, it was moving forward. With Larby
aboard to help with navigation, they made the passage through the
narrows without difficulty.

As the sea opened before them, the remaining
sails were raised and the ship began to surge forward under the
power of the wind. The creaking and groaning of the wood ship as it
responded to the wind and the waves of the sea seemed almost like
music to Jason’s ears. The smell of the salt spray seemed to make
all of his senses come alive. He instinctively knew he could be of
the sea, but the chains of his inheritance had made him a servant
of his people. He thought not of his kingdom and the
responsibilities of the throne, but of the freedom the sea
represented.

Edna had helped Heather prepare for the
night, but they removed her soft boot not for they feared what they
might find. The slightest touch of the ankle would cause Heather to
break out in a sweat, but she cried out not. The morning came and
with Edna’s help, Heather completed the morning ritual. Edna
reported that she had heard Betty, and she and Daniel were on their
way. Heather wanted to know how that could be—because by her
reckoning they should have already arrived at the Southern Kingdom.
Edna could explain not other than that Betty felt they would arrive
in several days. Heather asked not more questions, and just
accepted what she had learned while she hobbled to the campfire for
the breaking of the fast.

Once Jeremy and Edna had helped Heather
mount her horse, their small army moved off. Heather was forever
talking to her horse, which was almost pure white and somewhat
smaller than the horses of her kingdom. It was high-spirited but
responded easily to her gentle guidance. The gait of the horse
gradually transitioned from the jarring prancing to a more smooth
flowing motion as Heather and the horse became ever more linked.
The jarring forced Heather to wince in pain but she complained
not.

By the end of the day they met up with the
remaining portion of the Red Army, which had also begun to retreat,
for the enemy had disappeared. The commander of the Red met with
Heather as stories were being told around the campfire and they
reviewed what had transpired. They were both in agreement that
whatever the tubes were, they were very important to the enemy from
the East. They debated sending another messenger to the one called
Don the Great, but the prior messengers had not yet returned and
they felt the risk too great.

As the combined camp was preparing to depart
the temporary camp, Heather sent scouts forward to their permanent
camp in the wilderness north of the Great City. She sent others to
watch for Daniel and Betty in the Smugglers Cove where they had
landed. They traveled relatively slowly, for they had many injured
among the supplies from the captured wagons. The Red commander
frequently walked alongside Heather as they discussed the
possibilities for the next stage of the conflict.

As they finally neared their permanent camp,
the young navigator and the hunters from the Forest who had been
his escort arrived. Their return had been complicated greatly by
the invasion force, which had landed to the west. The invaders were
establishing a permanent camp but had not yet begun their assault
on the city walls. The young navigator and the hunters brought with
them a return message from the Red Ambassador.

“To Heather, commander of the wilderness
forces of the Scarlet King:

“The enemy has reached our shores both to
the east, as you well know, and to the west. They have not yet
begun their assault and I assume they are waiting for arrival of
the final phase of their sea attack. Our walls are stout, but with
time even they may be insufficient to protect our Great City and
our Scarlet King. I fear hard times ahead.

“Communication will become increasingly
difficult, and I, as is the custom of your people, pray to the God
of the Sacred Water for assistance in this time of our struggle. I
trust your decisions and the ability of the commander serving under
you. Your help is much undeserved and I will forever be thankful in
the name of our Scarlet King.” It was signed simply Don.

The message seemed to contain no real
information, and both Heather and the commander were puzzled by its
meaning. The back of the scroll was heavily decorated by a series
of geometric patterns which almost seemed to make letters. Heather
asked the young navigator, “Do you know the meaning of this
scroll?”

The young navigator shook his head in the
negative, saying only, “There was great concern about our possible
capture so I think they were afraid to share much knowledge.”

Heather again studied the decorative
patterns on the back of the scroll, and got a faraway look in her
eyes as she realized that she had seen such a pattern before. It
was back in the ice Cave of Knowledge, and the door was carved with
similar patterns. She was quiet for some time before again looking
at the commander of the Red, saying, “I think the real message is
in the decorations, but I know not how to interpret it.”

The Red commander asked, “Is it some sort of
code?”

“Not a code as such, but a very ancient way
of writing. If only our young priest was here he may be able to
interpret it.”

The Red commander asked, “Will he be
traveling with your Daniel?”

Heather but shrugged her shoulders, saying,
“I know not.”

The next few days passed with the scouts
being very busy and all others kept busy with the normal work of an
army: cleaning and repairing weapons and preparing for the next
battle. The pain in Heather’s ankle grew not worse, but it would
bear her weight not and remained twisted at a funny angle.

Darkness had already fallen when a scout
reported that travelers approached. Heather could not contain her
excitement, knowing that it was probably Daniel and Betty, and
tried to stand without using her crutch. It was only Edna’s close
attention that kept her from falling. She dutifully sat back down
and tried to patiently wait.

When those of the ship finally arrived,
Heather again rose, but this time with Edna’s assistance, hugging
her Daniel for all she was worth and then Betty. They had traveled
hard and before hearing their story she had food served to
them.

Jeremy spoke up, saying, “I would share my
ale with you but unfortunately we have none.”

As they finished eating, the stories started
and Heather’s worry about her son subsided somewhat when she
realized that Larby’s mother was in charge of his care. Daniel
insisted on examining Heather’s ankle by touch, and even through
her boot could feel the twisted bone. She winced and broke out in a
sweat from the pain but said not. Daniel said only, “We wait for
the light of day, but must reset the bone.”

Daniel and Heather sat around the campfire
with the others as the stories were told. Jeremy was just finishing
the story of their wild wagon ride during their battle, and with
attention centered on him, Daniel and Heather left for the privacy
of their tent.

With the coming of the morning light, Daniel
rose and began to prepare for what he needed to do. He tried not to
think of Heather as his bride but of a patient needing his healing.
When she awoke, he said only, “Prepare for the day but break the
fast not.”

As Heather completed the morning ritual with
the help of Betty, Daniel sought out Jeremy.

The look on Daniel’s face was solemn enough
that Jeremy knew he was in trouble, and asked only, “When do you
need my help?”

Daniel replied, “In a few minutes. It will
not be pleasant.”

Jeremy replied, “Many things with you are
not pleasant. It may be best if we kept to telling of stories and
enjoying our ale.”

Daniel but shrugged his shoulders, saying,
“I do what I must do.” He then added, “I much wish that this burden
would fall on someone else, but it is as the God of the Sacred
Water has deemed.”

When Daniel returned to their tent he found
Heather prepared for the day. He explained, “I must re-break the
bone for it to heal properly. There will be much pain.”

Heather nodded in acceptance and asked with
obvious apprehension, “Will the ether help?”

Daniel nodded and said, “The ether will
help, but yet the pain will be significant and it would be normal
for one to cry out.”

When Jeremy arrived he carefully poured a
little of his precious ether onto a cloth and had Jeremy hold it
over Heather’s nose. The strong smell burned her nose and lungs as
she breathed, but she did as told. When her eyes became heavy
Daniel began to carefully remove her boot. The gentle movements
were enough to arouse Heather, who asked for a stick to bite on.
Betty quickly found a suitable stick; Heather clamped down on it
with her teeth and inhaled deeply of the ether.

When Daniel finally got the soft boot off,
he found, as he had expected, an almost right angle to the bone
just above the ankle. Both the large and small bones were broken
but he could detect no movement when he tried gently moving the
foot. This meant that healing had already progressed significantly
and he knew that re-breaking the bone was going to be
difficult.

Daniel told Jeremy to hold Heather firmly
under the arms, as he placed his own foot against her bent knee and
began to pull ever so firmly on the broken foot. As he increased
pressure, Heather broke out into a sweat. Despite the ether, she
was groaning loudly with the stick firmly clamped between her
teeth. Daniel pulled as hard as he thought he could, and still the
bone moved not. The pain he was causing his bride was more than he
could endure and he stopped pulling. The tears in his eyes were
very evident, and he said, “I can fix her not, for the pain is too
great.”

Betty spoke up, saying, “The Princess is
tough. You fix her.”

Daniel objected, saying, “I pulled as hard
as I dare. I cannot re-break the bone and heal her.”

Betty said, “Pull harder and fix her.”

Daniel was about to object further, but the
look on Betty’s face compelled him to try once again. He told
Jeremy, “Hold her in your arms and cross your legs over hers so I
can push against your legs for more leverage. Try giving her a
little bit more of the ether but not so much that her eyes close
completely.”

When they had repositioned and Jeremy had
crossed his legs over Heather, Daniel placed his feet against
Jeremy’s knee and lower leg thus straddling Heather’s broken leg.
As the ether deepened Heather’s sleepiness he again began to pull
her foot, gradually increasing the pressure as he leaned back.
Heather again broke out in a cold sweat and was groaning loudly;
Daniel feared he would be unable to pull any harder. He glanced at
Betty, who was concentrating hard on something and a calmness came
over him.