She began taking account of what she was seeing below her. She could see the grey-green Chokewoods stretching out unbroken for leagues in all directions, except for the fields of expansive sukere plantation to the east. Other kinds of trees were just now showing up on the horizon. Without warning, she found herself hovering in the air over the last of the choke oak trees. “Oh no!” she said as she wrenched herself this way and that for a look. “Oh no!” She saw the prominence of a bluff rearing up through the trees some way back. “Staff. Take me back to that big rock, yonder.”
The broom flew immediately through the icy air to the top of the bluff and set her down gently in the hot sunshine. She listened for a long time to the echoes of the far off moans and sighs in the Chokewoods as the butterflies in her stomach faded away. At last, she stood up as she took a deep breath, set the broom in the air and stepped astride it. “Take me to Niarg Castle,” she said.
The broom shot away at once into the cold air. This time, she scarcely dared breathe. Soon she felt warm air as she hovered dead still in the sky. “No!” she wailed, throwing back her head to the heavens as she beat her fists on the broom handle. “No! No! No!” She gasped for breath between her sobs until she was able to beg to be set on the ground. She took a deep and quivering breath and ran in the direction of Niarg. Suddenly she couldn't move her legs. She gasped and backed away. She ran sobbing back to where the broom lay on the ground. She grabbed it up, pointing it toward Niarg. “Down wards!” she commanded. “Down...! Please?” She ran at the barrier again and fell to the ground. “Please, oh please,” she begged of the centipedes and leaves.
Late that afternoon, she settled down in front of her cabin with her broom and walked inside. “Dearest,” she said. “Let's go flying together. We have our very own empire to explore.”
THE COLLECTOR WITCH
Book 2
Chapter 26
The glorious spring day was perfect for Rose's sixteenth birthday, but she certainly did not see it that way. Her arranged marriage was to be announced, and in a fortnight her happiness would be publicly sacrificed.
Things seemed so unreal to her as she dressed. Perhaps this was a dream. But when she stepped into the grand ballroom in time for her first guest, she knew it was happening.
“Princess Myrtlebell,” she said with a curtsy and a smile. “So nice of you to come.”
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” said Myrtlebell. “Emeralds for your birthday, I see.”
“How nice of you to notice.”
“And they're real,” said Myrtlebell. “Now I need to freshen up after that awful coach ride. Powder up in the same old place, dear?”
“Since you insist on having it exposed,” thought Rose with a nod.
Before long, the vestibule and hall were spilling over with the clamor of guests, and Rose had no time for anything but shaking hands for a good long while. “Violet!” she said at the sight of the only guest she cared to see.
Presently, there were no more arriving, so she made her way through the crowd in search of her.
A tug on her sleeve stopped her. “Where's your lucky prince?” said a squinting young lady.
“You can tell Myrtlebell that James isn't here yet, Erlene,” said Rose. “But I don't see the point. He'd never make it all the way in here without her seeing.”
“And I see his couriers,” said Erlene.
One of them was making straight for her through the crowd with his entourage in smart green uniforms. “Princess Rose?” he said, halting before her.
“Yes?”
“Your prince bids me deliver this letter unto you.”
“My prince?” she said, yanking open the letter. “No prince has a claim on me.”
“But you are Tywysoges Rose, aren't you?”
“Yea. Well. You've delivered your lord's missive. Good day.”
“Please forgive me Your Highness, but I've been told to wait for your reply.”
“And I'm being rude,” she had to say in front Erlene. “I suppose your lord is my prince. but I'm only sixteen, and I'm simply being pushed faster than I find comfortable.”
Erlene was not about to leave.
“I quite understand,” said the courier.
“Even so, I can't imagine...” she said as her eyes darted over the letter. “Mercy! His mother. I hardly have a bottle of ink out here on the ballroom floor. Would it do if I merely told you that I quite understand and that I certainly forgive his absence, and of course wish his mother Fate's speed for her recovery?”
“That would do, I'm sure, Your Highness,” he said with a parting bow. “I shall give Prince James your exact words. I'm sure he'll take comfort in them.”
Rose turned to Erlene at once. “You can tell Myrtlebell that James won't be here because his mother's ill and not expected to live,” she said, picking up her skirts and vanishing into the crowd.
“Well?” said Myrtlebell, appearing beside Erlene. “What about James?”
“Not here.”
“We knew that,” said Myrtlebell. “When's he expected?”
“He's not. That was his retainer. His mother might be dying.”
“Fiddlesticks! We saw dear Queen Ruella just days ago and she was the life of the party. Could James be having second thoughts about marrying the little tart?”
“You dream,” said Erlene. “I heard James crowing about Rose at Ruth's wedding. He might dance with you any old time, but you may as well forget him.”
“Me forget James? James is about to forget all about her. Rosie isn't real.”
“Myrtlebell! What's the matter with you? Your voice carries.”
“So? Maybe news needs to travel. Rose has less lineage than her mother. She's adopted.”
“No!”
“Big secret.”
“Who is she?”
“All right. If you must,” said Myrtlebell, hiding her naughty grin with a sip from her goblet. “Sixteen years ago, Queen Minuet had a stillborn girl. Poor thing was just inconsolable and Hebraun went 'round and 'round, trying to get her to face giving birth to a dead baby.”
“You're mean.”
“Oh go on. If it's already dead, what's the matter with calling it a dead?”
“Just like that? What about her nine months of prayer and mother's love?”
“You want to hear this or not?”
“Certainly.”
“Very well. While she was not yet coping, there was an uproar in the kingdom about sukere, of all things, and about a knight who was killed by a dragon. I don’t know all the details, but the knight’s death was linked to the queen’s sister. He was a hero of some kind and the people of Niarg were so angry over her connection with his death that they made a thundering hue and cry for her execution. Well Hebraun had to think of something, particularly with Minuet's sister being a disreputable sorceress in the first place and now accused of murder.”
“So what did he do?”
“He put her in the dungeon, that's what. And to complicate matters, she was great with child. But everyone wanted to see her hang, so the crown banished her to the Chokewoods for the rest of her days. So there you have it.”
“Have what? What does this have to do with Rose being adopted?”
“Hush!” said Myrtlebell. “Do you want everyone to hear this?”
“Why no...”
Myrtlebell radiantly steered her away from the gathering listeners before carrying on, not hushed in the least: “I’ll spell it out, dear. The witch sister's baby was born the very first night after she was locked up, and Hebraun and Minuet took it for their own.”
“That’s quite a story all right,” said Erlene. “You make such sport of taking me for a fool.”
“Yes, I realize there's no sport in that dear, but I do have proof.”
“Oh?”
“Absolutely. In the castle cemetery there's a little grave next to where King Hebraun’s father is buried. Its headstone says: 'Rose, Firstborn Infant Daughter of King Hebraun and Quee
n Minuet.’ Go read it yourself.”
Myrtlebell watched as her story spread through the gathering. And she knew the stone was actually there, if any of them bothered to go see for themselves.
Amongst the eavesdroppers was Spitemorta, whom Rose would never have invited. “Well, I haven’t had so much fun at a party in years,” she thought. “Those imbeciles will destroy Prince James with that tale. But what about sweet little Rosie? Can't have her staying in the dark.” And she went to find her at once.
Rose was with Violet and her escort. “Excuse me,” said Spitemorta. “I'm afraid I've some gossip which you need to hear before it spreads.”
“I'm not interested in petty tales,” said Rose.
“Nor am I. But this tidbit might be awkward.”
“Why are you worried about my feelings all at once?”
“Oh I wouldn't go that far, but I do enjoy exposing fools.”
“Then by all means tell me.”
“As you wish,” she said, plunging into Myrtlebell's story as she watched Rose change from aloof to hurt and angry. Violet looked every bit as upset as Rose. Suddenly Rose was half-way across the ballroom, on her way out the door.
***
Once outside the Grand Ballroom, Rose picked up her skirts and ran. The next thing she knew, she had knocked down someone coming 'round a corner. When she tried to see, she realized that she was crying.
“Hey!” shouted her brother as he got to his feet. “Why on earth don’t you watch where you’re going?”
“Sorry Lukus,” she mumbled as she began walking away.
“Hey! Wait Rose. You aren’t at your big dumb party. How come?”
“Shut up! It’s over. I don't care.”
“What’s wrong? Did you hurt something when you ran over me?”
“No,” she said, picking up her pace. “Now go on. I've a great lot I need to think about.”
“Sure Rose. No problem. I’ll just drop by the throne room and see if Mother and Father know what has you so worked up.”
“Don’t you dare!” she rasped, grabbing him by the shoulder.
“Well if you just tell me what your problem is, maybe, just maybe, I can actually help you.”
“There’s no way you can help, Lukus,” she said. “I don’t know if anyone can.”
“You sure make it sound serious,” he said with a squint. “Maybe I can’t help, but doesn’t just talking about a problem make it easier to deal with?”
“Not this time. It's 'way too complicated. What I really need for you to do, if you really want to help me, is to just leave me alone and let me think. And Fates forbid, Lukus. Don’t you dare tell Mother and Father that I'm upset.”
“If that's what you really want, Rose.”
“You'd better believe it! Just drop it. You’ll find out soon enough.” And with that, she ran up the stairs.
“I'll declare,” he said with a stroke of his chin. “Something big and getting bigger.”
***
“I'm going to find out,” he said with a backward dive onto his bed. He studied the beams of his ceiling. “I might've agreed not to go to Mother and Father, but that doesn’t stop me from keeping an eye on her. And say. Surely a few passing questions would be all right. That's not running to them.” And with a clever nod, he was off to the throne room, only to be lectured about leaving Rose to her important time in her life.
“I wonder if Rose will talk to me yet?” he said late in the day. When he raised his hand to knock on her door, he stopped short at the sound of her voice on the other side. He held his breath and listened.
Rose was on the floor petting her owl-eyed cat. “I’m sorry, Jamali.” she said with a sniffle. “I must have the truth and I can’t take you with me.”
“Wow!” he said, turning away from the door. He walked slowly back to his rooms. By the time he got there, he had resolved to wait for her to make her move and then follow her. Inside his quarters, he began at once to pack.
Chapter 27
Lukus carefully left his door ajar to better hear Rose when she passed by on her way out of the palace. He made a pallet in the doorway from his bed’s goose down mattress and used his panniers for a pillow so that he could peer out with both eyes through the crack left by the unfastened door. “Now, by Niarg,” he thought, as he crawled under his blanket, “I’ll not only hear her, I’ll see her. She’s not leaving here for places unknown without me.”
As time passed, he found himself fighting to stay awake. “Surely she couldn’t have gotten by me while I was packing,” he said with a leonine yawn. “I sure wish she’d make her move...” It was his last waking thought.
The clunk of a rocking floor tile shot him bolt upright. “What the floor stone... happened to the bed?” he mumbled. “Wow! Floor stone.” He pushed open the door with his head to peer around it. There went Rose, gliding like a phantom down the hallway with her long cloak. He grabbed up his panniers and waited for her to go down the stairs before following.
Following her to the kitchen, he saw that she was indeed setting out on a lengthy journey, and that he would need provisions to at least match hers. When she slipped outside, he franticly crammed into his bags greedy portions of what he thought he saw her take. “The barn,” he thought, speeding his frenzy. “I can’t imagine any other place that she’d go.”
“She’d better be here,” he said as he reached the stable. He decided to reveal himself. Surely she would welcome his company when he pointed out the dangers a lone young lady might face on the road at night. “And if that doesn’t work, I’ll blackmail her.”
Rose had her back to him as he went in. “Easy. Easy Mystique,” she said, heaving the heavy saddle onto the snow white unicorn. She was having another go when he reached out in the dark to help her. With a gasp she planted her fist on his cheekbone, putting him on his back in the straw. “Lukus!” she cried. “You need a good kick to go with it! What are you doing out here, spying or what?”
“Good grief Rose! I hope you didn’t hurt yourself hitting me like that. That makes twice you’ve flattened me today. I sure hope this isn’t some new habit of yours.”
“Shut up Lukus! You scared me clean out of my skin. As if I don’t have enough to worry me without your tricks. If you were in bed, I’d be on my way this minute.”
“Yea? Well if I didn't look after you, you'd run off in the night and get yourself killed by some thug.”
“Right! Like it actually matters to you or something.”
“Yea? Well don't tell anyone.”
“Well I'll keep your secret and you keep mine,” she said, throwing her leg over Mystique.
“Whoa!” he said, grabbing the reins. “No deal, Rose. I’m going with you, or you don't go.”
“What puts you in charge, dung nose?”
“Plain sense, sister dear. You go without me, and I’ll trot straight to Mother and Father, and they'll send the Guard after you and have you rounded up before you’ve gone above five mile. That’s what.”
“Blazes Lukus! You win. Go saddle Starfire, but be the quickest you’ve ever been. I want to be as far from here as possible before sunrise.”
***
Outside the curtain beyond the drawbridge, they went at a gallop that they kept up until long after they were out of sight of Castle Niarg. At last they let the unicorns slow to a walk. “Well Rose,” said Lukus. “Right yonder is South Cross. So which way are we going?”
“On south.”
“South then. So we’re going to Loxmere, aye?” he said to the rhythm of the hooves and creaking leather. “Or Ellsmore? Or just Far?”
Rose made no reply.
“Did you know that you haven't told me one teensy bit about where we’re going or why?” he said, thrusting his face at hers. “Aren't you even talking, or what?”
“I suppose you do have a right to know, since you seem to be off on this adventure in spite of what I might make of it. But I’m not so sure you're going to be very happy when you find out.”
>
“Oh go on Rose. You sound as though we're on our way to the Valley of Doom or something.”
“Close, Lukus. We're on our way to the Chokewoods.”
“Whoa!” he cried. “I knew you were my sister, but the Chokewood Forest? That’s crazy.”
“I'm your sister, what?” she said, reining Mistique 'round to face him. “Your sister! Look. If it scares you little brother, you don't have to come along. Go back now, and you could be home before morning. I have to go. You don’t.”
“Oh yes I do, 'cause if I don't, you don't either,” he said. “So it's Chokewoods for me, unless you get some sense between here and there. And all the old stories about Chokewood Forest, are they true or not? Well?”
“How should I know? Everyone still avoids the place, but I didn't exactly look into the matter before we came. People still shudder when you mention it, is all I know.”
“So you think that there's something to it?”
“Something there has to be bad to keep the stories alive.”
“And you're still bound and determined?”
“I have to go.”
“You’re still leaving out a great big chunk o’ something, Rose.”
A sudden gust of wind blew back her hood, flung dirt from the road into their faces and set the boughs of nearby trees to surging with its passage. She stopped, studying the mounting towers of cloud, winking with translucent flickers, bringing the horizon nearer by the moment. “Rain's a-coming up fast,” she said. “We’d better find a place out of the weather. We’re getting pretty close to Far. I know of an old farmhouse which might still be a little way beyond the border and well back away from the road. We might get there before the rain, if we hurry.” And with that, she bolted away at a full gallop.
“Dang you Rose!” said Lukus, hurrying after.
“The checkpoint into Far is right up yonder, if I’m not nistaken,” she said as he caught up. “So let’s swing through the woods right here.”
Heart of the Staff - Complete Series Page 27
