Princess Electra Book 3 Gypsy Music

by Dory Lee Maske

  Chapter 48

  Near Helsop's Glacier

  Shandor woke up and brushed the leaves from his face. He listened without moving for a few moments. He heard only the sounds of birds and insects. He lifted his head up from the shallow pit he had dug the night before and looked around. No soldiers from Henge stood ready to capture him and return him to the dungeon.

  He realized he had been holding his breath. He took a deep breath and stood up from his pit. He was still wearing the uniform of a Henge soldier. He peeled off the uniform and buried it in the pit. His own clothes were in bad shape after so long in the dungeon. He decided to find a stream where he could wash his clothes and his body.

  He walked all morning toward the glacier which was visible over the line of trees. At midday he stopped beside a very cold stream and took off his clothes. He quickly washed them and draped them over a rock to dry. Then he plunged into the icy water, gasping for breath at the chill, beat his arms, and legs and face with splashes of water, then jumped out to lie in the sun beside his clothes. He soon grew anxious about staying so long in one place and put his damp clothes back on.

  Shandor continued on through the afternoon and by dusk he reached the edge of the forest. He could see the whole of the blue-tinged ice mountain clearly now and was surprised to find men working there. He fell back into the cover of the forest while he studied the men and watched what they were doing.

  They appeared to be men from Helsop. They were shabbily dressed and those who were militia had only partial uniforms. They were floating rocks downstream on rafts or so it appeared. A building project? He watched as the the last raft was towed downstream with ropes. The remaining men seemed to be packing up, ready to leave. He wondered if he dared approach them and decided against it. They might hold him prisoner until they found out more about him.

  After the workmen had left, he walked over to inspect their enterprise. If his luck held, they might have left some food supplies. He approached the work site cautiously, though he was sure they had left no one to guard it. They had a great pile of rocks rolled into place ready to be floated downstream. Their only tools appeared to be the long sticks they had left behind.

  Shandor found the remains of a fire and was elated to find a cooked turnip among the ashes. They must have overlooked it at their lunch. With ice water to drink and a cooked turnip to eat he felt the luckiest man in the world. If he had not lost his bow, he would have played a tune on his fiddle. He wondered again how the bow had escaped his grasp. Some witchcraft from Serafina? Perhaps she was more powerful than he realized. As much as he would have liked to avenge himself for the grief she had caused him, it was probably good that he had not tried.

  He had barely turned his mind to deciding where he would go next when the answer came to him. He would rejoin the Fernland acting troupe. He had not had wine in a very long time and though he craved it still, he enjoyed his new ability to think clearly. Perhaps he could make his peace with Angelica now that he had gone so long without drinking wine. Perhaps her husband, Muller, would speak favorably on his behalf to the king. Anything seemed possible, now he was freed from the dungeon.

  Shandor continued walking south now, through the night. It was too cold to sleep at the foot of the glacier. As dawn turned the sky a rosy pink, Shandor left the road to find a place to sleep in the forest, where he could cover himself with ferns and branches for warmth.

  Shandor woke up late in the afternoon and washed up in a nearby stream. He found a bonanza of berries growing alongside. He ate his fill and continued south along a path off the road until he was sure he was deep inside Fernland where no Henge soldiers would dare to come. The next day he reached the castle at Fernland.

  He walked over the drawbridge and into the marketplace, heading for the bakery stall. Most of the acting troupe was gathered there. He almost cried with joy when they saw him and all ran out to welcome him.

  "Shandor!" Take gasped, "Serafina let you out?"

  Shandor looked around furtively. "I escaped," he said softly.

  "You never did!" Tom shouted, then quickly put his hand over his mouth.

  "I did," Shandor insisted. "Just..." he tried to remember how long he had traveled getting here. "Just four days ago."

  "Tell us everything," Trixie insisted.

  "Are you hungry?" Smiles asked.

  "Famished," Shandor answered.

  The actors pulled him to their stall and brought out sweet rolls, bread and cheese.

  Shandor gulped food down, telling of his adventures between bites.

  "Will Esmeralda and Juanita be safe, do you think?" Take asked with a worried expression, as he heard how they had helped in Shandor's escape.

  "We were careful to leave no hint of their help. The door could have been left ajar by anyone. Everyone will deny it, of course. And Juanita was certain that the uniform she gave me would not be missed as it was old and destined for the rag bin."

  Take shook his head, still unsure of Juanita's and Esmeralda's safety. "Sometimes I think Serafina can read people's minds."

  Shandor frowned. "If she could have read my mind she would not have put me in the dungeon. I did not harm Electra. She herself is the one who kidnapped the girl."

  Since it was more accurately he who had kidnapped the infant Electra, Take decided to change the subject. "Perhaps we can find you a new fiddle."

  Shandor smiled and pulled his fiddle from beneath his shirt. "All I need is a new bow and I'm ready to rejoin the actor's troupe if the offer's still open."

  "A course it's still there," Tom said. "An' the first big thing comin' up is a wedding. Peaches an' Bear here is gettin' hitched. An' the whole a Fernland's comin' ta see."

  Shandor shook Bear's hand and congratulated the couple.

  "I would be honored to play at your wedding." He could not shut out the thought that came unbidden to his mind. There would be wine at the wedding.

  After another hour's catching up and more of his adventures recounted, Shandor said he wanted to try to make up with his daughter and asked the way to Muller's house.

  Take cautioned Shandor about Muller. "He's not come back with the ship from Taz. Some think he might never come back. That the desert might have claimed the three that are still missing. Likely Angelica will be in a worried state of mind."

  Shandor nodded gravely. "I'll not add to her worries. I'll offer to help if there's aught I can do."

  Shandor knocked on the door of Muller's cottage. Angelica opened the door and quickly fell into her father's arms, sobbing.

  Later, when her tears had dried and tensions eased, Shandor told her of his time in the dungeon and insisted she was not to blame. He told her he had not had a drink since being locked up. He offered to stay or go, whichever she preferred and she begged him to stay at least until they had word of Muller's fate. He noticed the little bulge at Angelica's waistline and put his arm around his daughter, telling her everything would be all right.