Princess Electra Book 3 Gypsy Music

by Dory Lee Maske

  Chapter 11

  Henge City

  The history between Henge and Fernland, Henge's neighbor to the south, was a long and bloody one. Almost constantly at war, the pendulum of victory swung back and forth. The victory from the last great battle between the two kingdoms had gone to Fernland. Old King Blackwell was so badly wounded he lost a foot and part of a leg, and almost died. Expecting to die, he had foolishly given over power to his son, Prince Blackwell. The old king was constantly at odds with his son's decisions and found him overly reluctant when it came to declaring war.

  One decision the elder Blackwell was not at odds with was his son's marriage to the beautiful sorceress Serafina. Here was a woman after his own heart—cold and calculating. Their union had already produced twin girls, though of course the old king would have preferred a grandson. Old Blackwell made his way down to the castle's great hall to tell his son his latest plan for attacking Fernland, only to learn that his son was visiting Serafina in the nursery. He frowned. His son spent too much time fussing over his babies. He made his way back to his room to wait.

  Serafina and Prince Blackwell drank tea at the little table in the corner of the nursery and watched their 2 month old babies at play. Esme, lying on her stomach, tried frantically to catch Ebony's tail. The black panther seemed unaware of Esme's plight, flicking her tail at random intervals.

  "I still believe it is too dangerous to have that cat in here with the girls," Blackwell stated.

  "We could not find a better guardian," Serafina countered.

  "What will happen when Esme finally succeeds in capturing her tail? Esme will no doubt try to bite it."

  "Ebony is aware of that. She swishes her tail to encourage Esme, as she would her own cubs. If the panther tires of the game, she will move."

  Prince Blackwell scowled. "There is no predicting how a wild animal will react."

  Serafina leaned back into her chair, relaxed. "On the contrary. I find wild animals more consistent and predictable than most people." She sipped her tea and smiled at her husband.

  Shalin, Esme's identical twin, lay on her stomach as well. Neither twin was able to crawl as yet. Shalin stared intently at a small ball that was beyond her reach. The ball, very slowly, began to roll toward her.

  The cup in Prince Blackwell's hand shook and a little tea spilled out.

  "Did you see that?" His face was a mask of disbelief.

  "Yes."

  "How did she do that?" Blackwell demanded.

  "Perhaps the floor is uneven."

  Blackwell stood up and walked to the wall. There he knelt down and put his eye at floor level, trying to ascertain any slant to the floor. As he was thus occupied, he was interrupted by a knock at the door.

  Blackwell called back in an irritated voice. "Who is it and what do you want?" The Prince was not in a mood to be disturbed.

  "Corporal Calder, Your Highness."

  "What is it then?" Prince Blackwell shouted at the door.

  "We have a group of Travelers asking permission to camp in Henge for a time," the corporal shouted from the other side of the door.

  Prince Blackwell stood up reluctantly and opened the door.

  "What sort of travelers?" he asked.

  The corporal's face colored slightly. "They call themselves Travelers. They are more often called Gypsies."

  "Gypsies? Here in Henge City? Absolutely not. Tell them to move on."

  Serafina stood up. "May I be permitted to speak to them before you make a decision? I have found these people to be useful in the past."

  "Gypsies? What use are they?"

  "They are often good with metal and horses. But I was speaking of another more delicate use."

  Prince Blackwell squinted his eyes at his wife, wondering how to interpret her use of 'delicate'. He waved the corporal away. "I will give you my decision later."

  After the corporal had left, Prince Blackwell sat down again at the table, the slanted floor forgotten.

  "What delicate use?"

  Serafina took a sip of tea. "I have found them to be excellent spies. They speak many languages, are well traveled and are accustomed to living by their wits. They have no qualms about accepting money for information."

  Blackwell put his elbows on the table and rested his chin on his knuckles.

  "I suppose they might be a source of information. But they have a reputation for petty theft and fortune telling."

  "Perhaps I could speak to them. Warn them of what behavior to avoid and what would be expected of them."

  "Do you know these people?"

  "Perhaps. If they are recently from Chase Bound."

  "All right. You speak to them. If you think they would be useful, I will give my permission. I will let the corporal know." He stood and walked purposefully to the door with a suspicious backward glance at Shalin.

  Serafina dressed with care. She wore a regal silver brocade gown with a short fur jacket. She did not care to waste time substantiating her new royal stature—she would simply dress the part. When she was ready, she attached a leash to Ebony's collar and tied the panther to a ring jutting out of the stone wall. Then she rang a bell to summon a nursemaid.

  A few minutes later a very nervous girl opened the door a crack and peered into the room.

  "Come in, Ingrid. Ebony is tied to the wall."

  Ingrid stuck her head through the opening in the door. She spotted the cat, who growled a low menacing sound.

  "She would not hurt you," Serafina insisted.

  "Thank you, Your Majesty, for tying her up, all the same."

  "I'll be gone for a short time. The twins have been fed. You may put them in their beds when they tire. Nothing more should be required."

  "Very good, Your Majesty."

  Serafina walked down the castle steps. The sun felt warm after the chill of the stone castle. She made her way across the archery field to the garrison and found the sergeant in charge.

  "Where are the Travelers being held? I would like to speak with them."

  The sergeant saluted sharply, then bowed.

  "Those Traveler folk have their wagons down by the docks. We told them they could buy supplies, but as for camping, they'd need permission for that. But there's one of them here that says he's in charge. Name's El Grande, if you'd like to speak to him."

  "That would be fine, Sergeant. Find us a room where we may speak privately."

  Serafina was shown to the room where El Grande waited, the officers' dining hall.

  The sergeant announced her arrival in a loud sonorous voice.

  "Her Majesty, Princess Serafina."

  El Grande stood up and smiled as Serafina entered the room. When his smile was not returned, he altered his countenance to reflect respect and added a brief bow.

  Serafina nodded. "El Grande."

  "Your Majesty. Thank you for seeing me."

  Serafina gestured to a seat by the long dining table and took a seat herself across the table. "Thank you, Sergeant. You may leave us now."

  El Grande looked at Serafina with a calculating expression. He was considering how best to state his business in light of Serafina's new elevated station.

  Serafina decided to help him get to the point without delay.

  "You wish to camp here in Henge?"

  El Grande spread his hands wide. "We were threatened in Chase Bound and forbidden to camp in Fernland. We must throw ourselves on Your Majesty's mercy."

  "I see. Please tell me the details."

  "Ah. The details. In Chase Bound we were accused by a shopkeeper of petty theft. Unproven charges, of course, but rumors of a gang of young thugs bent on burning our wagons convinced us our wisest choice would be a move to the north."

  "Who was charged?"

  "Two of our fortune tellers—Esmeralda and Juanita. But it might also have been Shandor, who was in town to do a bit of horse trading. More likely it was one of the townsfolk."

&nbs
p; "Does Shandor still drink to excess?"

  El Grande sighed. "That sort rarely change their stripes." El Grande lowered his voice. "But Shandor did not leave Fernland with us."

  Serafina raised her eyebrows. "He was allowed to stay?"

  El Grande looked around as though some invisible person might be listening to their conversation. "He is staying out of sight in the forest by King's Lake."

  "Why?"

  El Grande stared at his hands, debating how much to say.

  "I will know if what you tell me is true," Serafina warned. She could just as easily have said, 'I will know if what you tell me is a lie.'

  El Grande continued to look at his hands.

  "One night while we were camped at King's Lake, Shandor spoke to Electra. She accompanied Prince Avor , who had been invited by the girls for dinner. Shandor questioned Electra about Angelica's disappearance. She denied any knowledge of Angelica's whereabouts but Shandor thought she was lying. He stayed behind to try to learn the truth about his daughter's leaving."

  "And did you warn Electra of this?" Serafina's voice was icy as she leaned in toward El Grande.

  "There was no time. King Geoffrey's royal guard was there the next morning to make sure we left immediately. They followed us out of Fernland."

  Serafina sat back in her chair. "You will go back and warn her now."

  El Grande lifted his eyes. He was shaken by Serafina's cold expression. "Yes. I will go myself." He wiped a film of perspiration from his forehead.

  "Good. When you return we will discuss a more permanent arrangement for your people." Serafina's eyes narrowed. "And what would be required of you in return for sanctuary."

  "We would be grateful." El Grande's eyes turned bright with renewed hope. "I can give you one bit of information before I leave. We learned King Geoffrey has offered ten pieces of gold for your capture."

  "Only ten?" Serafina smiled. "I will not delay your journey further." She stood and walked from the room without a backward glance.