“Hi.”
A few minutes passed as the responses and tittering faded out. I tried to gather my thoughts in that time.
“I have to go away for a little bit. Mobious here tells me that there is a woman out there destined to be a fantastic queen and I’ve decided to go find her.” I am so much less formal with large crowds. I can’t explain it except to think that I was such a wild kid that I knew most of these people by name and they could all recite my life’s tale. One on one I get nervous and self-conscious, but there is really no hiding when you’re talking to 3,000 people and drawing on so much nature to be heard. “I hope you all will accept Mobious as my regent and respect his leadership until my return.”
A cry went up of equal parts dismay and approval and continued despite my protest. I looked down at Deeva who was holding her peace.
“Deeva, do you approve?”
“Of your leaving?” She raised a shaggy eyebrow at me.
“No. That is not the question.”
She sighed, “I approve Mobious and will accept his leadership.”
“He’s a teacher, not a leader!” Tahnt, one of my tutors, spoke up from his perch in a window of the castle.
I turned to him, “I trust him.”
“As do I, but with your blood to guide him.”
“My blood, healer, does not make me a leader.”
Tahnt shook his head, “One of the family must watch.”
“Geoffrey needs a queen!” “It’s only for a little bit!” “He’s right! What if something happens to Geoffrey?”
The arguments rose out of the crowd and I stepped back to let them debate for a little while. Mobious laid an arm across my shoulders. He did not argue his fitness for the position or join the discussion, but waited with me. As the debate was not resolving itself to either side of the question, I announced that those who approved Mobious should give their markers to Tahnt and those opposed to his leadership should give theirs to Deeva. Tahnt’s bond protested from the same window, but Tahnt calmed her and accepted the responsibility, leaving the window to take up an approachable position in the courtyard. Deeva quietly cleared away her gaming stones and set out a blanket in front of her seat. I watched the vote proceed. After a little time, I reminded everyone that the outcome would not change my decision to follow this journey, it would only decide whether Mobious or some other watched in my stead. That announcement changed the flow of people somewhat. I saw Shillar go back to Deeva’s blanket and retrieve his marker and head over to Tahnt’s basket. The crowd moved slowly so his ten frseason daughter, Chaon who had been standing still with her brand new marker, caught up to him and they engaged in a serious discussion for a few moments. Then she walked deliberately over to a spot in front of me and looked up. She looked at the marker in her hand and then offered it up to me.
I smiled down at her, “I approve Mobious.”
Chaon nodded and then looked confusedly in both directions.
“So, you should give your marker to Tahnt.”
She nodded and smiled and joined the majority of the crowd in line to vote for Mobious’ approval. The vote was obvious from above, so I went in to wander the castle until the count came in.
The most senior Royal Guardesman, Girard brought it in with four of my royal wingmen carrying the baskets of markers. They found me in the Hearing room talking with Mobious about the most volatile issues of recent days, which of course he already understood as well as I did.
“My lord, the count of 6,237 marks,” he paused to let this number sink in. That meant that virtually all the people who had been deemed intelligently responsible and awarded markers by their parents and neighbors had voted on this issue. The usual full count was only around 3,000. “The count reveals that over three quarters of the people approve Mobious. And Tahnt sends to you that if you can’t stay he approves Mobious over anyone else. Upon reminder of your Aunt Fierell, he regrets his comment about blood and wishes you a safe journey.”
“Thank you. You can return the markers.”
Girard turned and released the wingmen to pour the markers together into the courtyard circle where the people could retrieve them. He escorted them out, but returned and shut the doors behind him.
Girard was a large man built broad, dark, and imposing, but with a mind that made him a perfect First Guarde. “I have a request, lord.”
I stood and crossed to him, “What is it?”
“I want to retire, Geoffrey. I’m tired and I haven’t got the heart. I felt required to protect you, but if you go, I would like to accompany you, lord.”
Mobious did not stand. He spoke from his seat beside the empty table, “He must go alone. You can help him begin, but you can go no farther than five days distance with him.”
“Well, if you will allow me retirement, lord, I would accompany you that far. I will then go to Sapproach to give what protection I can to that distant village.”
“I leave in one turning of the sand. I will meet you at the barrack chambers entrance.”
I gathered my cloak and my sac, acquired a purse of negotiable marks and muntcoins—none I noticed originating from Voferen—from Aneke and closed up the family wing. Mobious was waiting for me in the hall with a bedroll packed up for me by the royal wing guarde as a goodbye. He helped me hang it across my chest under the cloak and thanked me. Before he left me to meet Girard on my own, he told me that I would return when I had found my queen.
Three
∞ Nanda Junior’s journal ∞
Nov. 19, possibly, still, Kaveg
I am so tired. And my stomach is grumbling. Geoffrey went off in search of the kitchen as he was much more likely to find it, being just a tad more familiar than me with the typical layout of a castle. The lack of any people or evidence of recent habitation makes me doubt, even should he find the kitchen or hearth or larder or whatever, that there’ll be anything edible there.
It’s getting cold.
If he doesn’t find food, that means that one of us will have to leave this little fortress and find something to kill or at least gather some apples off that tree we found outside the walls.
WAIT! That tree was up against the wall. Geoffrey mentioned it was a foolish place to put a tree. I said it was a strange place to put a wall. We had just broken through the forest and circled around looking for a way through the wall.
∞
“Why would one build an impenetrable wall in the middle of a forest?” Geoffrey asked as he paced.
I sat heavily on one of the many low stumps covering the clearing and leaned back on my arms. I’d long since learned not to try to stand up to Geoffrey, his near foot advantage in height makes me look ridiculous. If I sat, it made him have to adjust.
I gestured at the stumps, “One obviously cut it down. Perhaps one had a particular fondness for this tree.”
“This forest,” he crouched beside me and brushed a hand gently across the broken wood a little too sensually and a lot too close to my thigh, “was cut down within the week. This castle,” he left my side, “was built up many ages ago.”
I leapt up and took two or three strides towards him into the shade of the branches. “Perhaps it was a shady get away.”
“Truly, you believe a man came along and said, ‘Ah! What a lovely grove. I think I’d like to build a protective wall underneath the swollen branches of this fruit tree.’?”
He punctuated his dramatization with a smack of his sword against the high slung branches. I, standing under the far end of that quaking branch was rained upon by overripe apples. His dismay did not quite cover his amusement at my vain and belated attempt to shield myself with my sword. But it broke both our petty humors and he came to one knee to apologize grandly.
“My dear strange companion, I am weary from our flight. I beg you forgive me.”
Looking down on his subjugated figure kneeling there outside these castle walls, I knew for certain that he was a different Geoffrey. In Denver he would have been laughing, not apologizing
. He would be trying to catch my eyes, to find any return of his affection for me. Here I find that I’m the one bobbing and weaving to get a glance, hoping for mere recognition.
“Where I come from, we only do that if we want to make applesauce." I walked past him to the trunk. "If we want edible fruit, we pluck it by hand, not blade.”
He leapt to his feet. “The tree is old. Even I can't reach its branches.”
“So I’ll climb it.”
The shock on his face made his thoughts crystal clear. It didn’t particularly upset me. It was just a variation on a theme that had been running through his brain ever since he’d backed into me in that fray the day before yesterday only to find me defending him with my silly blunt sword.
We all know what I’m talking about so all the ladies in the house shout it out, “But you’re a girl!”
He thought he was behaving with the best of manners when he set about chopping up trees to form a makeshift bridge only to find me half-naked splashing about in the middle of the river.
He was totally appalled when I dropped to the ground in the midst of that first fray and disabled the final two of our five opponents with claw-grip attacks to the testes. Perhaps it was a bit un-chivalrous, but in a fight that started as five against one, I hardly think that was an issue. Besides, he aerated that one guy’s windpipe and Miss Manners would not give that a thumbs up.
Regardless, it was time he learned a little about this particular ‘girl.’
“My friend, don't climb the tree. I will pick you an apple.” He took my arm and led me back to my stump.
“I don’t mind getting my own if you’d be satisfied with these.” I tossed a bruised and rotten groundfall up to him which squished in his palm. He dropped it, wiped his hand on his already grungy trousers, and made no response.
I sat back and watched him. He tried to wrap his arms around the old tree and climb but it was much too wide. He tried jumping for the lowest branch but it was too high. In honor of the three bears I let him try scaling the wall, but it was too slick. Then Goldilocks got into the action. Okay, so I’m not a blond. Whatevs.
Geoffrey was circling the tree like a vegetarian tiger. I waited till he was between me and it, not far out from the trunk.
“Kneel down, Geoffrey.”
“Pardon me?”
I stood. “Face me and go down on one knee.”
He did so, questioningly.
“On the life that you owe me — that would be yours in case you’d forgotten — don’t move. Be solid as a rock.”
He put on a valorous face at my reminder. His shoulders inched back and his chest puffed out. His stance became marginally wider and more solid. He nodded once.
I gave him no second for pause then. I ran at him. He may have flinched a tad when I stepped on his knee, but his back held solid as I pushed off his shoulder with my other foot and flew up to catch myself on a branch.
I’d already cleared space in my hip pouch while watching him. Now I filled it with the brightest, sweetest looking fruit. A flock of birds emptied from the middle of the forest about forty yards east of our position. Not far off, I thought, from the direction we’d come, if that was the same bush of flaming flowers I’d seen when we’d broken out into the castle clearing. If it was, we must have nearly circled the entire castle looking for a way in. But that couldn’t be! We hadn’t found any door or gate or break in the ten foot high stone wall surrounding the place.
I could see beyond the wall from my tree. Stains on the stone of the inner wall made me think it must have once been filled with water. An enclosed moat? What was the point of that? The ground was lower on that side with no grass or paving interrupting the red dirt. I couldn’t see an entrance in the wall of the castle proper. And there was no way over except one flimsy branch of the apple tree that certainly wouldn’t hold even me.
“Can you not get down?”
I pulled the nearest ripe apple and dropped it to him, taking a second for myself. “I rather like being above you.”
“Please take care,” a bit of juice glistened in the sun before it evaporated into his beard, “you’re nearly two greg up there.”
I hesitated with the apple at my lips, “I’m who?”
“You’re two greg high.” He spoke slowly and loudly as if I didn’t speak his language...which, I guess, I don’t.
I processed that for a moment, glancing up at the angry sky. Rain looked to be falling over the forest on the far side of the castle. I stared hard at Geoffrey, sauntering away from the tree, and took a chance. I felt like I was in third grade, pretending I knew what the word ‘virgin’ meant. “So you’re nearly a greg tall, aren’t you?”
“I am a bit taller than average.”
Ha ha! A new word conquered! Now I just have the rest of this world to figure out.
Geoffrey settled himself on my stump and stretched his seven-league legs in front of himself. The stump may have been a throne the way he sat atop it. “This is the sweetest apple I have ever eaten.”
“See what teamwork can get you?” Mama would scold me for speaking with my mouth full, but she’d also scold me for traveling alone with a man, so pooh on her. “You’ve been alone a long time, haven’t you?”
The rising breeze ruffled his unruly hair and he looked up, as I did, at the dark clouds moving swiftly in our direction. Perhaps they’d pass over and descend on the men following us. The sky in that direction was still clear, though darkening with day’s end. Another flock of birds was startled into flight.
Geoffrey stared at his apple for several minutes and I was startled when his green eyes flashed a glance at me before he spoke.
“I’ve been traveling for a long time.” He chewed for a moment, “I owe you an apology about the trees. I believe this castle is Forte. It is my...”
A flash of light distracted me. I stood on my branch, searching the horizon. A sword again caught the light. The five—actually, four now—followed the sword emerging from the forest.
The rough branch poked and scraped me even through my jeans when I penny-dropped from my knees off the lowest branch. I landed on my feet but fell into a roll, instinctively guarding the apples at my stomach in the hip sac.
Geoffrey was at my side as I came to my feet.
“They’re coming.” I hissed. “We’ve got to get over the wall.”
He lost no time gathering his rucksack as I grabbed our swords. I set them beside the wall where he had gone to one knee.
It didn’t seem odd at the time. But I'm amazed now when I think we both knew the plan without planning it.
I used him as a ladder again and pulled myself onto the top of the thick wall. The edge of the stone blocks dug into my gut while I hung over to take our things as Geoffrey handed them up to me. We both realized that I couldn’t haul him up in the same manner and I saw him revert to his lone wolf thinking, his eyes darting about looking for another way.
“Help me down.” I reached a hand to him.
“No, at least one of us is safe.”
“If my idea doesn’t work, you can heave me up again. Now, help me down.”
When I was on the ground, I planted my feet wide and set my back against the wall. I bent my knees and put my hands out to him.
“Alright, you step up to my shoulders, then you can haul me up.”
His eyes were huge. Stand on me?! He was actually supposed to stand on me? He looked over his shoulder towards the tree line.
“They’re farther east beyond the curve of the wall. You can’t see them from here and they can’t see us, yet. But we’ve got to hurry.”
Still, he delayed.
“Geoffrey, don’t think of me as a woman. Think of me as a friend. You’ve had nobody, I know. But now you have me, Geoffrey. And I need you. I can’t leave you down here to face them alone because I don’t know where I am or what I’m doing here. But I know you, Geoffrey. I know you and I need you.”
My face was warm. A cool drop traced a path down my cheek. I di
dn’t mean to be so passionate, but now that I’d known what life could be like with him, I wasn’t going to voluntarily face life without him. Especially since I had no clue what I would find inside that castle.
I still had both hands out, waiting to support him as he climbed me. He took them in his.
“You are right, Nanda. I keep you from helping when I should keep you from harm.” He stepped back and looked to the top of the wall. “You’re ready?”
I laughed my relief, “Ready. Think up.”
Yellow and green should dominate the footprint on my lower thigh in a few days. His step on my shoulder was lighter because by then he was thinking ‘up’ and he caught the edge to take some of the weight off me. I straightened my legs to help boost him the last few inches till he was turned and sitting on the wall. Instantly he rolled and hung over the edge to reach for me.
He was stronger than I remembered. I swear he could have lifted me with his sword arm alone.
We struggled with the logistics of getting me onto the ledge without knocking him off the far side. But, that accomplished, we peeked over the far edge into the moat. Dreading the seven story drop I had seen from the tree, I was relieved to find a ledge of grassy land extended a good three feet or so beyond the wall before it dropped sharply off into the ghostly moat.
So Geoffrey simply lowered me and then our things to the ledge. As soon as I was down, I backed up against the wall to act as his ladder again. He quickly let himself down to my shoulders. I had exaggerated my sitting position so my thighs would provide a larger base for him to step down to, but he didn’t realize it and stepped where he remembered my shoulder had been before. It was like when you’re walking up stairs and you think there’s one more but there isn’t and your whole body jerks at the false impact and jars when you finally hit solid ground. He came down hard on my shoulder, already off balance, and I staggered at the unexpected impact which threw him off more.
Geoffrey's Queen: A Mobious' Quest Novel Page 3
