*****
The sounds of a song bird twilling out its morning lullaby protruded its lovely notes into my consciousness. I became aware of the warmth of the sun on my face.
The sun!!!
I bolted upright, throwing the blanket covering me half across the camp. The fire was long dead and even though it wasn’t late morning yet, it was far later than I had wanted to remain in camp.
Why hadn’t Krista wakened me when I had told her to? Where was Krista and, for that matter, where was the other horse?
Flin was cropping off grass by himself in the area where I had picketed both horses last night. I leaped to my feet, my hand going for my sword. I looked around for any hidden danger but found none. Zarsha sat up sleepily from her bed of blankets having been awakened by my commotion.
“Where’s Krista?” I asked.
From her blank expression I could tell she knew nothing. I walked over to where Krista had slept, hoping to find some trace of her disappearance. Her blankets were gone too, but there was a piece of white paper weighted under a rock lying on the ground where she had lain.
I sheathed my sword and with a sinking feeling I reached down and picked the paper up and read it. “Dear Roric, I hope you understand why I have left. You, of all people, must know what the desire for freedom is like. And as you fought to claim yours, so must I. I want you to know that I harbor no ill will against you. I know that as a slave I could have wished for no better a master than you. Sebastian was wise to give me to you and I know I have disappointed both of you by my actions, but I must pursue my dream of being free, whatever the risk may be. I feel that I will die inside if I give up on my dream now. I wish to thank you, Sebastian and the dear woman who raised me for several years, for showing me that there is a God in heaven. As I seek my freedom so will I seek a greater understanding of the Creator in my life, I promise you this. Please don’t worry about me. I know how to handle myself in a fight. I took one of your daggers and I have money that Sebastian gave me. I hope you will remain the good man that you are and care well for the dear little girl you protect. I wish you well as I would hope that you would wish the same for me. Goodbye and may the Creator go with you and be with me too. Krista.”
As I finished the letter, my hands crumbled the paper into a ball in my fist. I was so mad I could hardly see straight. How could she just leave like that? She was mine!
How did she hope to protect herself from all the dangers of being an escaped slave and a beautiful one at that, all by herself? I threw my saddle onto Flin and within minutes we were riding out of the camp in hot pursuit, following the tracks of Krista’s horse which were leading away from the sea.
I reached the top of a knoll and stopped Flin abruptly. I thought we had lost all possibility of any pursuers on our trail, but I had been wrong. Less than half a mile away a party of forty or more Zoarinian cavalry men were steadily moving in our direction. I knew the bitterness of defeat in that moment like I had never known it before.
The girl of my dreams had just been here with me and now she was probably gone forever. I had to get the information Sebastian had acquired to where it would do the most good and there was Zarsha’s welfare to consider as well. I vented my anger at the cruel turn of my life in a roar
of frustrated fury at my helplessness to get what I had wanted so deeply.
The enemy cavalry had spotted us and were charging across the sand dunes toward us. I turned Flin towards the sea and let him run all out. As we neared the beach, I could see a sail out in the small enclosure of the natural harbor that formed along this stretch of the sea coast.
There was no time to wait for a boat to come pick us up. I ran Flin through the pounding surf into the deeper waters of the breakers. It was a new experience for both me and Flin. He took to it gamely enough as I had no choice. As he started to swim powerfully against the onrushing current of the waves, I slipped from the saddle to lighten the load on him, but it was unnerving to know the vast depths of water that were opening up beneath us.
Swimming was something I had never mastered and I had never regretted that more than right now. Zarsha clung to the saddle horn in sheer terror as the sea water lapped against her legs and splashed her in the face. I tried to not let her terror consume me too. Drowning was a horrible fate to consider and it seemed altogether a real possibility at the moment.
It seemed like we had been struggling against the current of the sea forever when abruptly our rate of progress dramatically increased. After a while I managed to look up from the churned up water around us and saw that the small sailing boat was practically on top of us. Men were moving quickly all along its decks and in the rigging overhead.
A rope splashed down near me in the water and I grabbed onto it desperately and held on as our forward progress was directed toward the sailing vessel. Netting had been thrown over the side and sailors eagerly lifted us out of the heavy water that dragged at our clothing.
As we reached the deck I bellowed out hoarsely, “We must get the horse aboard immediately!”
I had seen the fin of what must be some sea monster as I had been lifted onboard and I wasn’t about to have Flin become his late morning snack.
“We can’t bring the horse on board! It’s too heavy and we’re not equipped to handle such cargo!” screamed a little man, who seemed to be in charge of the group of sailors near me.
My right hand shot out and I grasped him by his shirt front beneath his chin and lifted him completely off the deck until we were eye to eye, “The horse comes!”
“But of course he will, Master Roric. If you would now please unhand my second mate there, we will make preparations immediately.”
My head swiveled to view the person who had calmly issued the commanding words. A slim but finely muscled man in the uniform of what must be the captain strode onto the scene. I released the second mate, who gasped in relief upon his release, and I watched as the captain began issuing orders in the same calm, but authoritative manner in which he had addressed me. In no time a crude but effective looking compilation of rigging and tackling blocks had been swung over the side of the vessel.
I yelled out encouragements to Flin, trying to keep him calm, but it wasn't having a lot of effect, because he too had sensed the danger swishing in the waters below. Bravely a team of sailors dove over the side of the ship with ropes and netting. How they did it with Flin moving around I’m not sure, but they managed to attach a piece of netting under his belly and secured it by ropes to the crude winch lever system that had been constructed above the deck. As the order was given to pull, I lent my own strength to the line of sailors throwing themselves on the ropes as the captain continued to orchestrate order into the mass confusion of the scene.
Before long Flin began to appear up over the side of the ship, eyes wide in fright, at the unorthodox situation in which he found himself. We eased Flin down until his hooves connected with the deck of the ship. The sailors broke out into a cheer at their accomplishment, while other sailors leaned over the side of the ship and issued jeers at the unsatisfied group of sea monsters that had congregated in hopes of an easy exotic meal.
As the netting and ropes were released from Flin, he gave a mighty series of shakes that drenched everyone in the vicinity. Laughing, the crew that had worked as one to bring the ungainly cargo on board wiped the spewed seawater from their eyes and faces.
The captain turned to me and said, “Sir, you have your horse and may I say that it is with great pride that I welcome you, your delightful young lady and your horse on board the Fair Damson.”
I reached out to shake the young captain’s hand, impressed with his handling of getting Flin on board, “The honor is mine, thank you for saving us!”
I glanced at Flin and added, “All of us thank you!”
The sailors cheered again and then the process of making way with the ship began. Finding a quiet moment after Flin was stowed securely away in a small cargo area on the tiny s
hip, I went to the rail and looked out at the fast disappearing shore.
I could still see the brightly colored dots of the cavalry men drawn up in the sand as they watched us disappear over the horizon. I gripped the railing hard wishing that I wasn’t standing by the ship’s railing alone. I missed her. The thought that I might never see her again was especially hard to come to peace with.
Why had she left after the kiss we had shared last night? In my heart I knew why. She had wanted her freedom more than she had wanted me. And while that left me with a bitter feeling inside, it was still a reason for leaving that I could respect.
“God, I pray that she’s safe! Please keep her and help her find her freedom and happiness, even if it isn’t with me.”
A Warrior's Redemption Page 52
