by Jay Barnson
Min looked down, closed her eyes, and shook her head. “That’s a nice speech, Jessabelle. You surprise me.” She opened her eyes and glanced out the windows. “I’ve seen your file. You don’t seem at all like the girl described there. I wish you knew what I know. I wish you knew that sometimes the best way to save people and be a hero is to find a compromise.”
“How much have you compromised?”
Min looked down again. “A lot.” She bit her lower lip, and looked back at Jessabelle. “You won’t believe me, but part of me hopes you are right.”
“Then help us.”
“I said I hope, not that I’d take that chance.” She stared at Jessabelle. “Did you really see Thadeus kill Evelyn?”
“Yes.”
“Can you tell me about it?”
“Can you tell me how I find the Arnot Gate?”
Min glanced once more out the window at the motel office. Turning back to Jessabelle, she rolled her eyes. “What the hell. I’ve heard them referring to Arnot as a place. Arnot something. Arnot property, an Arnot building, I don’t know. It’s secret, but I know the Coven owns it, through one of our legal entities. That office that Leon bugged might have a record of it—they handle a lot of the more mundane day-to-day business for the Coven. It’s called Bowman Holdings in the Morgantown area. They almost captured Leon yesterday, but feel free to go there. The Coven would love for you to pay them a visit. That’s all I know. Now, tell me what happened to Evelyn.”
Jessabelle related the story of how Thadeus had come to find Evelyn, chatted with her like an old friend, and then murdered her with a spell. From six feet away, he’d snapped her neck, and she’d collapsed like a broken marionette. When she was done, Min made a soft whistling noise and pushed her bangs away from her forehead. “He actually cried over her body after he killed her?”
Jessabelle nodded. “I reckon he might could have actually loved her. Or something. But that didn’t stop him from murdering her to make a point.”
Leon exited the office and returned to the car. As he slid into the driver’s seat, he glanced between the two women. He grinned wide. “So, Jessabelle, did Min try to convince you to join her while I was gone?”
Min rolled her eyes and answered, “Of course.”
Jessabelle stared at him and asked, “How did you know? Did you bug the car?”
Leon shook his head. “No, I just know Min. I got us all a room together, and I paid cash. The manager is suspicious, but she was happy for the money. Now, what say we get some burgers and check out our room?”
The feast in Jack’s honor would be the following night, but Jack had a tough time imagining how it would be different from this. Another servant had supplied him with yet another outfit for dinner, including uncomfortable, newly made leather shoes. They replaced his dungarees with cotton slacks held up with black suspenders and provided him with a vest and dinner jacket. A barber even arrived to shave Jack and give him the first decent haircut he’d had since arriving in Around the Bend.
At dinner, the food was wonderful and in plentiful supply. Everyone at his table asked him questions about his “battle” with Korak. He didn’t have much to say and avoided telling them any details. When they pressed, he told them about his fights with the ogre and the snallygaster. The people listened with rapt attention. One young man, a nobleman whose name Jack forgot after they were introduced, gasped at the end of the ogre story. “Perhaps we underestimate the potential of firearms, particularly against monsters.”
Jack asked questions of them as well. They spoke eagerly of the railroad, and how their coal mines were turning their kingdom into an economic powerhouse. Many of them, as Bachan promised, spoke with some enthusiasm about their growing importance in the kingdom. Most of it sounded like plain old bragging to Jack’s ears, but he tried to note anything that Bachan might consider important. It was hard to get all the brags straight.
Jack glanced at the head table. The princess ate with the king and queen and several other members of the court, laughing occasionally at jokes Jack couldn’t hear. She never glanced at him, even once. Bachan’s intelligence must be faulty across the board, Jack determined. However, her gift had saved his life, and he owed her that much even if he had fallen beneath her notice.
At the end of dinner, the sun was nearly down. The king and his family took their leave, which was a signal for others to excuse themselves and exit the dinner as well. Most of the people at Jack’s table remained, asking more about life in his country. Some seemed interested in visiting. As they asked for more details, Jack deliberately grew more vague with his responses. As anxious as he was to find aid for Annie and Jenny, he didn’t want information to get back to someone like Zainus.
Finally, he insisted that he needed a walk after such a heavy meal and stood up. Four other people stood and offered to join him. That was when Rumela stood from her own little table next to a pillar, put on her biggest smile, and said, “I done et my second dessert. I can walk with you, Jack. “
Jack nodded. “Sure, Rumela. I’d appreciate that.”
The four people suddenly recalled other activities they had to return to.
Moments after escaping clean, Jack discovered that he had no idea how to get to the west courtyard. He left the palace to the main courtyard, and tried to circle around, but found a low wall blocking passage. Rumela stood on her tiptoes to look over the wall. “Oh, it’s pretty!” she said. “They gots a real pretty garden back there!”
“But how do we get there?”
She scanned the area. “Don’t know. Oh, look. Past that tree there’s a stairway along the wall.”
“The exit to the garden is on the second floor of the palace?”
“Looks like it, yup!”
Jack sheepishly returned through the front gate. The guard at the gate raised an eyebrow at their return, but said nothing. When they got to the spiral staircase, Jack turned to his companion. “You know, maybe you should return to the room. You know what the second floor is like.”
Rumela glanced around and said, “How can I protect you if I ain’t there?”
“I don’t think I’ll need protection.”
“Ain’t that the time you need it the most?” She folded her arms and stuck out her chin. “You sure it ain’t Zainus waiting for you?”
Jack sighed. “Fine. Just don’t get stuck in the staircase or nothing, okay?”
Rumela had to stoop so low she nearly crawled up the spiral staircase to the second floor. Once on the second floor, Jack followed the exterior wall. The corridors were not made for a being of Rumela’s stature. She followed along without fuss, even smiling cheerfully when Jack looked back at her.
Zeke stood guard at the door to the garden. Jack waved, and Zeke acknowledged him with a nod of his head and a mumbled “Evening, Giant K... Um, Jack.”
Jack asked, “Is this the door to the west courtyard?”
“Yes, it is.”
“Can I go through?”
Zeke said, “If you know the password.”
“Password?”
“Yup.”
Jack shook his head. “I’m supposed to meet someone. Nobody said anything about a password.”
“Sorry, Jack.”
Jack looked at Rumela. Rumela, hunched over beside him, shrugged.
Zeke snorted. “I’m just funning you, Jack. Go right on out. Let me get the door for you.”
Jack laughed a little in relief, and Zeke opened the door for them. They stepped out onto a narrow stone balcony, with a stairway leading down into a garden. The garden surrounded a pool with glasslike water reflecting the light from the rising moon. Lamps were lit along a stone-paved path that ringed the pool and wound its way through the garden.
Jack whistled. “Somebody’s got themselves a full-time gardener.”
“I told you,” Rumela said. “It’s pretty.”
They descended the stairs, and Jack approached the pool. Rumela stood beside him, leaning over. Their reflections stared
back at them, silhouetted by the lamps behind them.
“You’re late,” Delcina’s voice came from behind them.
They turned. Delcina wore the same clothes she wore had worn at dinner, a silk auburn dress with black lace and gold-colored buttons along the front. It showed off her figure while still leaving a great deal to the imagination. The effect was accentuated by the lamplight.
“We got lost,” Jack explained. “It ain’t like there are maps inside the palace or anything.”
Delcina laughed. “You are forgiven. I suppose Rumela is to be our chaperon?”
Rumela grinned, to terrifying effect. When Delcina took a step backward, Rumela closed her lips and covered her mouth with her hand. “No worry. I be, um... word. Mean you won’t hardly notice me.”
“Discrete?” Delcina offered.
“Yeah, that.” She wandered around the pool, looking at her reflection at different angles.
Jack looked after her, smiling to himself, before turning back to Delcina. Once again, her appearance made him forget to breathe. “You look real pretty, by the way,” he said. As soon as the words came out of his mouth, he realized how stupid they sounded. Besides, why was he saying that? He still wasn’t sure how he felt about her.
She tilted her head down as if looking to find out what she was wearing. “Thank you, Jack. You look quite handsome yourself.”
“Oh?” He grinned in spite of himself. “Good, because I’m sweating like a sinner in church in this thing.”
She smiled. “It is a bit warm.”
“Hey, I need to get that knife back to you. It killed the giant, by the way.”
“Keep it. It was a gift.”
“Oh. Thanks. Um, thank you.” Jack searched for something to say, but could only come up with, “This is a real pretty garden.”
“I love it here. Oh, I should show you the rhododendrons. They are over this way.” She motioned down the path.
“Sure,” Jack said, taking up a position alongside her as they walked. He glanced over his shoulder and spotted Rumela shifting position to stay close. With her height, she could see over much of the carefully managed plants and bushes to keep an eye on them.
The path came to a circular gazebo surrounded by an array of flowers. Delcina pointed to a large group of plants and said, “Unfortunately, this is the one time of year they aren’t in bloom. But if you stay with us long enough, you’ll see them. They grow wild natively.”
Jack nodded. “Yeah, I know. I’m from just...” He hesitated.
“Do you want to sit down?” she asked, motioning to the benches in the gazebo.
“I reckon so.” He followed her up the two steps into the gazebo and sat opposite her. The gazebo was lit by a lamp hanging from the peak of the roof, providing them with plenty of illumination. To Jack, it felt a little like a spotlight. Nearby, crickets chirped.
Delcina said, “My father won’t quit talking about you since you slew the giant.”
“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”
“I think he might be trying to make up for sending you against Korak. I was really upset. My stepmother was furious about it, too.”
Jack didn’t want to read anything into her comment about being “really upset.” Maybe she was merely being polite. It was a natural thing for her to be worried about an innocent boy being sent on a suicide mission. “Well, that’s nice of her, I reckon, but I don’t see why she cared. Seems everyone believes Zainus is the hero and I’m the bandit around here.”
“Honestly, I don’t either. I mean, I care for her, and she is nice to me. She never tried to take my mother’s place, so she’s always been more like an older sister. When Zainus told my father his story, I explained to her why I believed you, so that she could convince him otherwise.”
“You believe me? Why?”
“You spoke of about coming from another world. Not many people know about the portals anymore. Unless you were completely crazy, I couldn’t imagine you coming up with that story, adopting that strange accent and acting so—um, clueless? It couldn’t have been just an act.”
Jack laughed. “Clueless, huh?”
“You know what I mean. The important part was that the Queen believed me. She took it as a personal crusade, and we really did work hard to change the King’s mind. By that time, it was too late. You were gone.”
“And now I’m back, and everybody seems to think I’m a hero. Even Zainus applauded.”
“Be careful about that, Jack. While officially being a Hero gives you the rights of a citizen, there are many who will still consider you an outsider, even after you killed the giant. They can be quite old-fashioned that way. It may be years before they fully warm up to you.”
“Years? I wasn’t really planning on sticking around that long.”
Delcina’s face fell. She covered for it quickly and with almost too much casualness, said, “Oh? Where are you going?”
Jack opened his mouth and realized he didn’t have an answer. Going home held no appeal to him, at least not yet. Besides making sure the crossroad was safe and Jenny and Annie were fine, he had no plans. “I don’t know. I came here in hopes of finding a place for Rumela. Someone said that you had giants who had jobs here. I figured it might be a good way for her to make a living.”
“Not exactly. We have a couple of giants who were captured criminals. But what giants dwell within our borders avoid contact with us, and we with them. Except Korak.”
“Oh,” Jack said. It was his turn to be disappointed. “That sucks.”
“It does what?”
“I mean, that’s no good. I promised her I’d help her.”
“Why not?” Delcina said. “Maybe she can become the first giant citizen of the kingdom!”
“Would your father approve?”
“Eventually, perhaps. I can try convincing him. But maybe his new favorite, the Hero of the Kingdom, might be more convincing. Over time.”
“Over time? How much...?” Jack waggled his finger. “Oh, you are trying to get me to stick around, ain’t you?”
She raised her eyebrows innocently, but a sly smile broke out. “I’ve trained since I was old enough to talk in the art of negotiation. Besides, I’d really like you to stay awhile.”
Jack grinned back. “Delcina, it ain’t as if I was planning on running off out of here tomorrow or anything.”
“I don’t intend to keep you here forever. It’s just... I don’t have many friends. Good ones, anyway. You have been honest with me and have treated me differently from others. With them, my family is all that matters. With you, you’ve treated me just like any other girl. I know that probably sounds strange.”
Jack shrugged. “Honestly, I ain’t had many friends either. Not until the last few weeks.”
“While we still can, I would like to be friends.”
“What’s that mean? While we still can?”
She looked down. “Just that... I’d like to pretend I’m just another girl for a little while. Before the realities of my world catch up to me.”
“Well, I don’t know how normal girls in this world are treated. Honestly, I don’t know how things work in my world. But, um... is it possible for a princess to date?”
“Date?”
“Spend time with a guy.”
“Oh, that word again. Would this be a date?”
“Kind of. Well, maybe, yeah, but, I don’t know. To see a movie or something. Or, I guess a play or something. Entertainment. Or go out for dinner.”
Her eyes widened. “Oh, Jack. You mean like courtship?”
“Huh? I don’t... what’s that mean?”
“Attempting to make your suit for marriage!”
“Oh, no. I ain’t old enough for that. I ain’t looking to get hitched or anything. Just, as friends, you know? I mean, unless you wanted... look, Delcina. I don’t lie. But I don’t always know what I’m talking about. Like now. I liked you when I first saw you, but I reckon that’s true of every guy who lays eyes on you. Then I
hated you because I thought you were the one who turned me in and turned your papa against me. Then you gave me the knife, and now this. I think I like you again. A lot. But if I were really treating you like a normal girl that I liked, I reckon I’d probably ask you out on a date, and maybe we’d get to know each other better. But, you are a princess and I’m just me.”
“Jack,” She reached forward and touched his hand. “Believe me when I tell you I would like nothing more than to spend time with you. And I intend to do so, but it cannot be courtship. It cannot have the appearance of courtship. In fact, after tonight, I doubt we will be able to even meet secretly like this ever again.”
“Why not?”
“It’s why I came to see you. I don’t...” She cast her eyes down to the floor of the gazebo. “Oh, Jack. I wish things were different, and I really was just a normal girl.”
Jack turned his hand up so he held hers. Her hand was warm, even a little clammy. He didn’t mind. For several seconds, they held hands. Suddenly, she pulled her hand away. “Jack, I was informed this morning that I am now betrothed.”
“What? You mean like engaged? When? And to who?” Jack felt as though a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head. The light from the lamp overhead seemed to darken.
“I don’t know. My father has told me none of the details yet. At first I thought he was joking, but the Queen confirmed it to be true.”
“They can do that? You ain’t got a say in the matter?”
She shook her head. “It’s a bit old-fashioned. I expected I’d have a number of suitors sometime soon, from among whomever my father felt eligible. Our kingdom has been at relative peace for a hundred years, and I know of no enemy encroaching upon us that would cause us to seek an alliance.”
Jack dropped his gaze down to the floor of the gazebo. In the back of his mind, he heard Rumela’s words the day they first met. “‘Troved,” she’d called it. “Oh. That sucks.”
