“Nicholas…” she whispered, releasing the scarf. It sailed down the road, twisting in a salty current of air until finally landing against the tall stalks of grass along the edge of the stony shore. Though Ivy convinced herself that it would be impossible, she imagined Nicholas one day finding the scarf and returning it to her. That tiny glimmer of hope sustained her for only a short while.
As the journey continued, Ivy again grew despondent with the blandness of the unchanging scenery and the stubborn secretiveness of Madeline and Mune. Neither proved very talkative during this trip, and with the constant sea breezes taunting them, she was unable to hear the bits of conversation that passed between them while they guided the horses along their weary way. She felt that she may as well have been alone.
The second day of traveling mirrored the first–cold, gray and monotonous. A bit of sunshine peeked out on the third day, and by late afternoon the clouds had broken. As the sun dipped in the west at twilight’s approach, the line of clouds above the distant Trent Hills took on subtle shades of purple and orange along their wispy edges. The Bear Moon, just beyond first quarter, climbed high in the east, while the Fox Moon, a few days past full, had not yet risen. Ivy detected the subtle glow of the larger moon through the light fabric covering the wagon, wondering if Nicholas and Leo were gazing upon it as they looked for her outdoors. Had Uncle Aubrey and Aunt Nell joined in the search as well? Was anybody concerned with her whereabouts? Such notions drifted about in her mind, though Ivy repeatedly told herself that someone must be looking. She made herself believe this as the bitter sea breezes battered the covered cart.
As the sun descended behind the blackened peaks, Ivy detected voices in the distance. She sat up and looked out the front opening, noticing Mune was pointing toward the water. She couldn’t see anything in the gloomy distance upon the sea from this vantage point, though she noted a glow of firelight up ahead as the wagon began to slow.
“Where are we?” she asked.
Madeline glanced back. “Our friends are here. Right on time.”
Mune reined the horses to a halt, jumped off the wagon and offered a hand to assist Madeline down. He quickly ran around to the back and helped Ivy disembark.
“Now behave, princess, and there’ll be no trouble,” Mune whispered, taking her by the arm and leading her around the wagon. “Folk from the Northern Isles are rumored to be a quarrelsome, ill-tempered lot–and those are their good qualities. So mind yourself.”
“I’ll behave as I wish,” she muttered.
“No. You’ll behave as you’re told,” Madeline said, pointing a finger at her as she and Mune approached the others. The horses restlessly stomped in place, eager to run through the tall grass. “I have an important meeting with Commander Uta, and if you wish to complicate it, then you’ll suffer the consequences. Understood?”
Ivy saw a ruthless fire burning in Madeline’s eyes and knew that the woman would not hesitate for a second to harm her if she should interfere with her plans. She took a slow breath and muttered a single word. “Understood.”
“Good. We know each other’s mind, so let’s meet our hosts,” she said. “Don’t give me cause to bind your hands behind you.”
Madeline trudged toward a few small round tents in the distance. Unending waves of tall grass reaching shoulder high to most men bordered the area to their left. The glow of a large bonfire danced upon the grass stalks and the coarse tent material, both undulating in the breezes off the water. Mune and Ivy followed Madeline, observing several tall men wandering about, some engrossed in conversation while a few kept watch in the shadowy perimeter. A shower of sparks flew into the air as someone tossed a piece of wood upon the fire, causing Ivy to glance up at the mini burst of fireworks. That’s when she noticed a large ominous hulk floating upon the water in the deepening gloom. Anchored just offshore was the large wooden ship that had carried these men from the Northern Isles, its three tall masts standing bare against a charcoal sky like tall and lanky skeletal remains.
“So Caldurian sends his favorite underling to deal with me,” a gruff voice called out. “As if I don’t deserve the wizard’s full attention for my part in his grand schemes.”
Madeline sighed as she approached the man. “Caldurian has his hands full in Montavia, so don’t whine, Commander Uta. It doesn’t become you.”
“I suppose not,” he replied, removing the hood of his long brown coat. The tall man seemed to loom over Madeline and Mune, grinning through several days’ growth of beard as the wind tossed his thick tangles of unkempt hair. He smoked a pipe and a sword hung lifelessly at his side.
“This is Mune, by the way,” she added, pointing a thumb behind her shoulder. “My associate.”
“Thanks for that eloquent introduction,” he uttered, fingering his coat collar.
“Can we speak in private?” Madeline asked.
“Near the first fire,” Uta said, indicating an area beyond the tents. “Lok! Burlu!” he called out. “Join us.” The commander glanced at Madeline. “My associates.” He stared curiously at Ivy, noting her hands tied in front. “Who is this girl? A prisoner?”
“A possible bargaining tool,” Madeline said. “I’ll explain shortly.”
“Do so.”
Mune uncomfortably cleared his throat. “Yes, about her. Is there a place we can confine her for the moment? I don’t think she should be privy to our discussion.”
Commander Uta nodded. “There’s an empty tent that’ll do. Kalik!” he shouted.
A soldier ran up and nodded at Uta. “Sir?”
“Put this woman inside one of the tents,” he ordered, grabbing Ivy by the arm.
Ivy tried to yank herself away, glaring at the man. “Do you mind, sir? I’ll have you know–”
He leaned in, nose to nose with her, his tightening grip and bitter breath causing her to wince. “What I mind are unnecessary words uttered by annoying young women. I don’t know you. I don’t want to know you. But that one has brought you along for some reason,” he said, indicating Madeline. “So until I get all the facts, do as you’re told and keep your words to yourself. Do I make sense?”
Ivy nodded, swallowing hard. “Yes.”
“Good.” He handed her off to Kalik. “Stand guard outside the tent. No one approaches or talks to her. If anyone does, he’ll be hanging by his wrists over the side of the ship. Understood?”
“Completely, sir.” The man swiftly led Ivy away through a throng of soldiers loitering about the stony beach, all wondering who the young woman was and where she had come from.
“Follow me,” Uta said to Madeline and Mune, hiking swiftly to the first bonfire nearest to shore and away from the taller grass. Two other men, similarly dressed as Uta, hurriedly caught up and followed. As they gathered near the fire, Uta introduced the two men as Lok and Burlu, two captains under his command. Lok, nearly the same age as Uta, had a subdued eagerness in his dark eyes set within a wind-burned face underneath some straggly, thinning hair. A small scar ran across his left cheek just near the earlobe.
“Captain Burlu is heading farther west to Karg Island to oversee our activities on the Lorren River,” Uta said, introducing the younger of the two captains who merely nodded in reply. “He will replace the current administrator there.”
“Though he may already be dead from boredom,” Lok commented with a snicker.
Commander Uta sighed wearily. “Captain Lok will accompany me and the others on our primary mission.”
“Glad I have that to look forward to,” Lok replied, his words laced with sarcasm. He ground a small stone into the dirt with the toe of his boot. “I may have been cheated out of a command, but at least I won’t get stuck being a bureaucrat like you, eh, Burlu?”
“Be thankful it isn’t you,” Commander Uta said, throwing a sharp stare at his scowling captain.
Mune sensed a bit of tension between Uta and Lok and hoped to diffuse it with a question. “Commander, what is the nature of your operation on the Lorren River?�
� he asked, sitting down on a rock near the fire.
“The Northern Isles are providing soldiers and supplies up the Lorren on rafts into Kargoth. Our tribute to Vellan,” he said with a roll of his eyes. “We shall see what dividends it pays us in the future. We coordinate everything from Karg Island, a small desolate patch we’ve confiscated just off shore.”
“More like a prison,” Lok muttered. “See how wonderfully you’re rewarded, Burlu, for all of your years of service to the Isles. A job behind a desk!”
Uta grabbed Lok, clamping his fingers tightly about his shoulder. “Your unsubtle jokes are starting to annoy me,” he said. “It is not my fault that you were passed over to command this mission, Lok. Maybe it’s a result of the poor attitude you constantly carry around. Just be thankful you are still part of the mission.” The commander glared at his captain before releasing him. “Now on with business.”
“Yes, let’s,” Madeline said, a hint of boredom in her tone. “Save your petty squabbles for another time. We’re here to discuss the job Caldurian hired you for.”
“What are the particulars?” Uta asked.
“We need you to lead one hundred of your finest soldiers–in secret–down through the Trent Hills for an attack on King Justin’s residence in Morrenwood,” she said.
“The Blue Citadel?” Commander Uta burst out laughing. “As much as I take pride in the fighting ability of my men, one hundred soldiers will not take and hold the Citadel. That idea is sheer lunacy. Caldurian’s plan, no doubt. It’s no wonder he failed miserably in his attempt to take Arrondale twenty years ago. A clever wizard he may be, but a military tactician he is not.”
Madeline closed her eyes for a moment before stepping away and ripping out several pieces of grass nearby. She twirled them up into a compact ball as she returned, the moisture magically dissipating from the vegetation as she did so. “The aggressive nature of a soldier from the Northern Isles may be legend, Commander Uta, but as I stand here, I realize that you and your ilk lack one important quality–imagination.”
Suddenly the ball of grass was enveloped in a deep reddish-orange glow and then burst into a controlled flame. Madeline lifted her open palm and whispered a few words, sending the fiery mass sailing through the air with a shrieking whistle. The burning sphere landed near the water, rolling for several yards until it was finally extinguished by a gentle wave lapping upon the shore.
“Impressive…” Uta whispered.
“I would be more impressed if you had faith in our plan,” she replied. “We don’t need you to take the Blue Citadel for keeps. This will be a quick raid with a specific purpose, the full details to be provided when appropriate.”
Uta grimly smiled. “You have me intrigued, Madeline. What can you tell me now?”
“I can tell you that Caldurian will more than make up for his past errors in judgment. We will take the kingdom of Arrondale in the end,” she assured him.
“And how do my troops engineer the beginning of this strategy?” Uta questioned, still a bit of a skeptic.
“You must lead them through the Trent Hills, traveling only at night,” Mune said, leaning back to stretch his legs. “You must remain invisible. Let the wilderness conceal you until you are called upon. We’ll provide the details about where to take your men, and there you’ll remain holed up until called upon.”
Uta scowled as he rubbed his whiskers. “For how long?”
“Until we are ready for you,” Madeline said flatly.
“I need time to gather my men and prepare.”
“You shall be well compensated,” she said. “Is there a problem?”
“Yes, Uta, is there a problem?” Captain Lok asked pointedly. “Can you handle the situation?”
Uta snarled at Lok and raised a fist, but held his punch before turning to Madeline. “I must first sail to Karg Island to finish my business there and get men and supplies–”
“Yes, yes!” Mune said, standing up and warming his hands by the fire. “We didn’t expect you to leave this very minute. We just need you and your men in place before the end of autumn. That’ll give you several weeks to work out the details. Caldurian must finish his work in Montavia first.”
“Very good then,” he replied. “You’ll have what you wish.”
Captain Lok grunted. “So we needn’t worry about the success of our mission, Uta, now that you have time to get all those pesky details in order.” He casually picked the dirt out from under a fingernail. “Unless, of course, you would prefer to stay on Karg Island in Burlu’s place and let me lead this mission in your stead. I’ll be happy to command it while you attend to those less nerve-racking tasks on the Lorren River.”
Commander Uta smiled bitterly in the glow of the firelight, having had enough of Lok’s incessant whining. “Thanks for the suggestion, but I’m afraid you won’t be able to take my place on this mission, Lok, since there’s been a change in plans.”
“A change?” he asked. “What are you talking about?”
“Since you presume to know much about the administrative duties on Karg Island, I’m sending you there instead of Burlu,” he told him with calm satisfaction. “Burlu will instead accompany me through the Trent Hills.”
Lok started to laugh, believing that Uta was attempting a joke, though not entirely sure. “Your sense of humor is not as sharp as your sword, Uta.”
“Perhaps not, but I wasn’t trying to be humorous.” He rubbed his whiskers. “I’ve grown weary of your constant complaining and disrespect, Lok, and should have left you back on the Isles. Well, now you will have your own island to command.”
Lok sputtered. “You can’t do that to me! I’m a captain. I deserve this mission.”
“Burlu is a captain also, and has sense enough to keep his mouth shut and not embarrass me,” Uta said. “But more importantly, I am commander, and my authority outranks you both. So you’ll do as I say unless you’d rather spend the rest of your time here locked up in the cargo hold. Your choice!”
Lok silently fumed as the fire highlighted the tight furrows on his brow. He glared at Burlu who merely returned the slightest trace of a smile. “Why, I should–”
“–save your argument for another time!” Madeline said with an icy stare. “We have more issues to discuss.” Lok glared at her and went silent. “Good. Now before we hash out the details of the raid, Uta, we need to talk about the girl.”
“Who is she?” he asked, glancing at the tent near the grass where she was being held. “What’s she got to do with all this?”
Mune chuckled. “That girl, my dear commander, is King Justin’s granddaughter, Princess Megan.”
Uta shook his head doubtfully. “You speak nonsense.”
“He speaks the truth,” Madeline said. “She is the princess. How we obtained her is not important, but she may come in handy should our mission be compromised.”
“I will not fail in the mission!” he snapped, feeling insulted.
“Most likely not,” Madeline replied. “But we can use the girl as part of a backup plan just in case.”
“All we need is a place to keep her out of the way for a time,” Mune said. “And unharmed. Your ship perhaps?”
“Fine,” he agreed. “But I can go one better. I know the perfect place to hide the princess,” Commander Uta said, glancing at Lok with a snake-like grin. “Captain Lok, this is your lucky day.”
Lok looked up, still stinging from being booted off the mission. “Oh?”
“Not only are you gaining the exciting administrative duties on Karg Island,” he said with boundless glee, “but you are hereby promoted to a newly created position most suited for your talents.”
“And what position is that?” he hesitantly asked.
“Royal babysitter,” Uta replied. “And don’t foul it up!”
CHAPTER 19
Fifty Copper Pieces
Nicholas and Leo returned to Aunt Castella’s house later that evening. Both were dazed by the turn of events as if caught in a ba
d dream from which they could not wake, yet they vowed to continue searching for Ivy all night. Nicholas apologized profusely, blaming himself for the devastating turn of events.
“If only we had headed home sooner or had taken a different route,” he said, his face pale with worry. “But there were so many of them against us.”
Castella saw the fear and heartbreak in his eyes, assuring him that they would find her. “The fault is not yours, Nicholas. Ivy and I dreamed up this plan,” she said, touching her trembling fingers to her lips as she shook her head in dismay. She admitted they had made a terrible mistake. “We must get word to Ivy’s aunt and uncle. They should be at home with Megan by now. They live close to the candle shop. And Ivy’s parents need to know what happened, too. They’re in Laurel Corners.”
“We’ll take care of the particulars,” Leo promised, noting that Nicholas’ thoughts seemed miles away at the moment. “We’ll send word back as soon as we can.”
“All right,” she said with a quiver in her voice, offering to fix them a quick bite to eat. But as hungry as Nicholas and Leo were, they declined. Time was their enemy. Castella bid a teary-eyed farewell, hugging each of them as if they were her sons. She locked the door when they departed, wrapping her shawl about her shoulders as she wandered through the cold and empty rooms late into the night.
Nicholas explained to Aunt Nell and Uncle Aubrey what had happened a short time later. The color immediately drained from their faces as they sat around the table in the couple’s kitchen. Megan was just as horrified, angry that she had allowed herself to take part in such a dangerous escapade.
Nicholas Raven and the Wizards' Web (The Complete Epic Fantasy) Page 28
