by C. R. Daems
"I don't know, Lord Boyan. What I do know is that we need to get her away from here. She is not safe in this castle. Do you have twenty or more soldiers you can trust with your liege's life?"
"Yes," He said after several minutes. "Why?"
"Lady wu'Lichak has decided to take a trip to Udo. She will need an escort."
"But—"
"It's a diversion. I believe you will be intercepted before you get there. We'll transfer her to my wagon. In a few days she should be herself again."
"You want to put her in a gypsy wagon? She'll—"
"She'll be mad as a wounded bear. She'll scream and fight because her body wants more of the Passion drug. She'll go with anyone who offers her the drug. And she's the Province leader so no one will refuse her—including you, Lord Boyan."
"She could have you whipped to death," he said, face paling at the thought of the consequences—the many consequences involved.
"I'm willing to take the risk, for her, for Hesland."
"I don't know. I..."
"Lord Boyan, I know you would die for Lady wu'Lichak without a moment's hesitation. Doing what I ask may result in your death, but without the risk, your liege lady will be degraded lower than a common camp follower by men unfit to associate with them."
"Why would you take such a risk?" His eyes narrowed as he searched me for answers.
"Because I walk in the Shadow of my Sisters."
"... You're a Shadow... By the gods, you're the Shadow of Death!"
I said nothing, waiting for his decision. Without his help, I could do little if anything. Someone of influence, in the castle, was in on the conspiracy.
"Tell me what you want me to do," he said, his face a picture of determination. At my request, he had the guard get Santo, Lujza, and Luka. When they arrived, I explained the situation and what I was proposing. Wu'Lichak needed to be isolated for several days for the drugs to get out of her system, and she could think rationally again. But in that time the people would gave her the drug would be desperately looking for her, and he or them would have a large force behind them. I suspected the robed ones were also involved.
"I will understand if you don't want the risk. And there are risks—many. If she's found before she recovers, she will sign the order to have everyone who supported me executed—the entire Tobar clan. When she recovers she may have me and you executed because she can't forsake the drug, or she didn't want to be saved. I suspect there will be a large number of people searching for her and the orange-robes will be their eyes and ears." My eyes misted. I was torn in too many directions. I was putting the Tobar clan in danger with no guarantee that saving wu'Lichak stopped a larger plot. It might not be related. Was wu'Lichak's life worth the Tobar clan? No. Was the Tobar clan worth the safety of Hesland? I didn't want to answer that question.
"Go! This is not your business. Go!" I shouted.
"Why are you involved? We should all go. The schemes of royalty are none of our business, Ryana."
"You're right Santo, unless... Ryana wasn't hurt trying to save Ilka and Alida. She was hurt saving them. Ryana didn't find a Shadow who removed the roadblock, Ryana and the Zunji did, which explains why she knew the Zunji and Sizwe deferred to her. She didn't witness the Shadow of Death with the king. She is the Shadow of Death. My talks with Stela and Marku make sense now. They knew. That's the reason we are under the protection of the king—they helped give her safe passage. The reason the Zunji has a province—they supported her. It all makes sense. You knew, didn't you Luka. She wouldn't let you marry her without telling you," Lujza said, grabbing him by the shoulders and turning him to face her. He said nothing, which was enough for Lujza. "Ryana cares because as a Shadow she feels responsible for Hesland and like before, feels Lady wu'Lichak and Araby are important."
"The Shadow of Death? Ryana?" Santo muttered, staring at me in open-mouthed, wide-eyed disbelief. "Marku and Stela knew?"
"Yes. They helped her in the beginning because they owed the Shadows, but they continued because the overthrow of the king would have meant the end of the clans."
"Go. Lord Boyan and I will find another way, Go."
"What did you want us to do?" Lujza asked.
"Wu'Lichak needs a place to rest while the drugs work their way out of her system. A place no one can find her, because if they find her she will do or say whatever they want to get more. And I suspect whoever gave her the drug is a noble or high ranking soldier, so they will be searching with Araby troops. And soldiers aren't going to disobey their liege lady."
"Ryana's right," Boyan said, standing over wu'Lichak and checking the bruise on her head where I hit her. "We must get her away, until she is drug free. I doubt I could keep her safe. It would be too easy for another noble to convince others I was poisoning her or holding her against her will. And in her condition, she would agree with them to get more of the drug."
"What do you suggest, Shadow?" Santo looked pale, and I didn't blame him. It was best for anyone, especially gypsies, to stay clear of nobles and their schemes.
"We will return to the camp grounds and stay for our next performance, then leave for Udo. Lord Boyan will prepare a troop to take Lady wu'Lichak to a secret meeting in Udo. He will drop Lady wu'Lichak off near the Earth Wizard's lodge. I will be there and arrange to get her back to the wagon before dawn. I suspect someone will want to search the wagons. If they do be very cooperative. And I believe a troop will intercept Lord Boyan, searching for wu'Lichak. That will be tricky. The men with you must trust you."
"If it saves my liege lady, it is worth any risk," Boyan said, pushing the hair out of wu'Lichak's eyes, concern written on his pale face. Santo gave a small laugh.
"I'm terrified, but knowing Ryana is the Shadow of Death is somehow comforting. Should we tell the clan?"
"I would suggest you don't unless there is no alternative. I know you are putting them at risk without their knowledge, but knowing they may slip and give it away. I'll make up a story to explain what is going on."
"Marku said you put us gypsies to shame," Lujza said with a grin. "I agree. We shouldn't tell the clan, at least, for now."
We spent the next hour discussing the details. When we returned to the clan everyone rushed us.
"What happened?"
"Is Ryana in trouble?"
"Are we under arrest?" The questions came so fast Santo didn't bother to respond.
"Lady wu'Lichak had a lot of questions about our circuit: the towns we performed in, the time between provinces, and wanted to meet Ryana's husband. And to give me this." He held up a purse and shook it, making the familiar sound of a bag full of coins. The bag was the one wu'Lichak had prepared for me. We spent the next hour, with the help of servants, loading our wagons.
Back in camp, Luka pretended to have a headache, and we retired almost immediately. In the wagon, he sat on the bed watching me dress.
"I wish we could just run," he said. "I know. Where could we run? Then I wish I could help you. I do worry. I know you are good at what you do. But you're human."
"You are helping, Luka. You're my rock. You keep me sane. Without you, I don't know what I would do." I kissed him long and tender. "Just always be here when I get back," I said, slipping out the door with my darlings and ghosting into the night.
When I arrived at the Wizard's guild house, the door was open.
"Welcome Shadow, the others wait in the hall," a rotund man only a few fingers taller than me said, smiling. I entered and stood to look at the Wizards who leaned eagerly forward as they waited. "Brothers and sisters, Araby has an emergency. Lady wu'Lichak has been poisoned with the deadly Passion drug and is under its influence. If she can't recover, Araby will fall. I don't know who poisoned her, but I suspect it is someone in power in the castle. Therefore, she cannot remain there."
"How can we help, Shadow?"
"I'd like to keep her here, but I suspect that could be a problem." That would be the best solution from my perspective as it would take the clans out of it
.
"We will if you ask, but if any of the other guilds find out, and they side with wu'Lichak's enemies, it will become a wizard war. That could destroy much of Araby and not solve the real problem," the senior wizard said. He looked ancient. With skin like the rough bark of an old tree and roots growing out his feet, he looked ready to turn into one. It was what I expected from the last time.
"And it is highly probable wizards are being given the drug to enlist their help." I removed my vial and spilled a few drops on the ground.
"Very nice and very addictive. Yes, such a drug would be easy to trap an unsuspecting noble or wizard. And an addicted wizard would be very dangerous in the wrong hands."
"I plan to keep Lady wu'Lichak in my wagon until she recovers. I would feel better if one or more of you were close by for support if I need it.
"Yes, we will do that for now, and you will have the entire guild’s support if necessary. The Shadow Sisters and the Earth Wizards goals are the same—a secure Hesland. Sister Jutta, will accompany you for now." When he finished, a tall, middle-aged woman stood and walked over to me and bowed.
"I'm the Wizard Jutta. Come, let us go meet Lord Boyan," she said as we made our way to the meeting spot. An hour later, the sound of horses could be heard drumming on the hard packed road.
"They come. Some... forty strong," Jutta said, and not too much later the troops came into sight, twenty in front and twenty behind a royal carriage. The carriage, with Boyan riding beside it, stopped in front of me and Jutta.
"You were right. There were several lords asking questions that were none of their business. They were clearly nervous when they learned Lady wu'Lichak was leaving for Udo. Take good care of her, Shadow. She's very special." Boyan opened the carriage door and carefully removed the still unconscious wu'Lichak. Jutta took her in her arms, which quickly encased her in a cocoon of vines, and began walking into the forest. I followed.
It took two hours to skirt the town and make it back to the wagons. When we arrived, the camp was quiet, and I carried wu'Lichak inside and placed her on the blankets Luka had prepared.
"How is she?" he asked.
"Still out, but not for long." I changed out of my clothes and gave her a mixture Jutta had prepared which she said would keep her sedated for at least twelve hours. It wasn't the ideal solution but better than knocking her out each time she woke up.
The next day was a rest day. At breakfast, the four of us spent the first two hours lying about what had happened in Lady wu'Lichak's office. I laid out the basic framework for the lie, and had to admit Santo, Lujza, and Luka did well filling in the details. Sister Rong would have been satisfied with their performance. Lujza seemed to enjoy the deception. Luka was a little stiff in the beginning, but warmed up after the first hour. Santo was a bit stilted, but I doubt anyone noticed. Little happened the next day since there was no performance scheduled. Most spent time on repairs or cleaning equipment and clothes and relaxing. I kept disappearing into the wagon to check on wu'Lichak. I skipped the evening gathering, and instead carried my food, with an extra helping, back to the wagon, saying I had some home cleaning and wanted to get it done before Luka retired. Back at the wagon, the wizard's drug was wearing off as Jutta had predicted. I intended to get her fed and cleaned up while she was still semi-drugged.
"Ryaaana?" she slurred as she began gaining consciousness. "Whaare am I?"
"Yes, Lady wu'Lichak. You are hiding in my home."
"Why?"
"Remember, you asked me for a telling. The vision I saw most clearly was of you being poisoned in the castle. So you agreed to come with me while Lord Boyan finds who wants you dead." I used our conversation to feed her the dinner I had brought.
"Oh. This food is very plain. And not much. I hope you have my fruit drink. The special one the head cook, Gilda, made just for me."
"Yes, but after you've washed and relieved yourself. Come I'll help." I helped her undress, washed and dried her, and had her use our night pot to relieve herself. By then, she was beginning to recover, and I handed her a small cup of redberry juice with Jutta’s drug and two drops of Passion smeared on the rim. It worked. When her lips touched the cup, she smiled and gulped down the liquid.
"That's not my special drink!" she banged the cup on the table and pushed it towards me. "Now!"
"I'm sorry, Lady wu'Lichak. Someone is fetching it. It will be here shortly." She sat there glaring at me for a minute until her eyelids drooped and closed. As her body began to slump, I gently lowered her onto our makeshift bed and covered her.
"How's she doing, hon?" Luka asked when he finally retired for the night.
"I got her fed, washed, and drugged again with not too much trouble. I suspect it will be harder as the drug leaves her body. Based on what she said, she thinks is a special drink made especially for her, and it's brought to her before bedtime. She named the cook who was supposed to have made it, but that may just have been something they told her to get her to take the first drink."
"How long do you think?"
"Several days, but I'm guessing. I'll know. She's a very shrewd woman so it should be obvious when she is herself again. What we won't know until then is whether she has the strength to stay away from the drink."
"If she can't?" Luka asked, forehead wrinkled with worry. Yes, that was a real concern. I thought her a strong woman who would be repulsed by the idea of not being able to think logically. But if I were wrong, the clan would suffer.
"I'll kill her," I whispered. I couldn't let the clans suffer for my actions. I quickly changed topics. "I hope I can trust you alone with a beautiful and sexy woman while I'm gone." I kissed him quickly before he could respond and slipped out the door. Anil located Jutta, and I headed in her direction. Although she was less than forty paces into the trees, I doubted I or anyone else could have found her. She had become part of the forest.
"Good evening, Jutta." I said when I stopped next to her. "Are you alright?"
"Good evening, Ryana. You need not worry about me. I'm quite content here in the forest. "I believe we will have company soon. There are several bodies searching the woods."
I decided to wait, dressed in every-day gypsy clothes. About a half hour later, two orange-robed individuals appeared and began sneaking around the camp. I assumed they were looking for some sign that wu'Lichak had been or was here. I thought it best to leave them alone, since there was nothing to find unless they entered my wagon. An hour later they left, with Kasi following. Several hours later they returned to their camp. One person broke off from the group and headed for a small campfire fifty paces from the main camp, which had a hundred tents of varying sizes and multiple fires. When he reached the fire, three men sat waiting. Kasi found a convenient branch close to the fire and landed.
"Well, Eloy, did you find anything?"
"No, Prophet Pedro. We searched the gypsy campgrounds and surrounding forest. There was no indication that Lady wu'Lichak or anyone from the castle had been there, and there were no guards." The man said. Pedro nodded and waved Eloy away. When he was well out of hearing, Pedro spoke.
"Well Lord Masso, what now?"
"I've sent Captain Vico and forty of my soldiers after Lord Boyan and Lady wu'Lichak's party with instructions on how to entice wu'Lichak to return with him. If Boyan interferes, he is to kill him on the pretext he kidnapped wu'Lichak." His face turned ugly for a moment. "And I have a Sub Captain Paian, second in command of wu'Lichak's army, Minister Saoul, and Yetta, her maid, under the control of the Passion drug. They have already started spreading the rumor that the gypsies have kidnapped wu'Lichak and are holding her for ransom. Tomorrow night, I'll deliver them another dose of the Passion drug. The gypsies will be leaving the following day and will be on the road for several days. Since Captain Chelan is with Boyan and wu'Lichak, I'll prompt Paian to attack the gypsies on the pretext that they killed his liege lady. He should be pliant by then and easy to convince." He stopped to take a drink. "Master, you promised me more of your fath
er's nectar and wu'Lichak's position for my work."
The third man stood and retrieved a large jar from his saddle bags lying a few feet away and returned with it. "Yes, I did. Service to me and my father will be rewarded on Hesland and afterward," he said, handing the jar to Masso. "The tent there." He pointed to a four-person tent. "Is reserved for you tonight. Three eager young women await your pleasure."
"Thank you, Master," he said as he stood, bowed, and headed for the tent.
"Do not worry, Pedro. The disciples of Jhea will rule Araby, and you will guide them. I caution you. Do not indulge in my father's nectar. While it is a wonderful gift, it clouds the mind, and a prophet cannot lead with a clouded mind."
"I understand, Master. What about wu'Lichak, if she's out from under Masso's control?"
"It depends on how many doses Masso has given her. The first few days, a very strong willed person could resist the urge for more if they realized what was happening to them. But it's unlikely. After four to six days, it would require restraining the person while the drug worked its way out of the body and half would die. Longer than that, all would die if deprived of the nectar for longer than a week."
"I will need more nectar then, as our numbers are growing."
"You will have all you need. For now, the three jugs in those saddle bags are yours. Use it selectively. You will need lieutenants and sergeants, and they will need clear heads to help rule Araby. Do not forget who you serve, Pedro. Eternity is a long time to suffer." His laugh evil as he stood, looking like a shadow of a man, dressed entirely in black and wearing a long cape. Even his hair, tied in a tail was black. I only had a glimpse of his face as he turned towards his horse—a long, narrow face with a hawk-like nose that gave the appearance of a bird of prey.
I sat there shivering as I explained to Jutta what I had seen and heard.
"You have no choice, Shadow. I will help."
* * *
The next day, my mind was in turmoil: could I restore wu'Lichak to her former self, would our diversion work, would Boyan survive, and could I save the clan from Paian.
