Sapphire of the Fairies soh-1

by Richard S. Tuttle

  Chapter 10

  Trouble

  Fredrik walked into Niki’s suite andclosed the door. “Miranda said you wanted to see me, Niki,” Fredrikopened. “I was in the study. You can come see me anytime you want.Is there a problem?”

  “A problem?” she snipped. “Whyshould there be a problem? I’ve done as you told me and notpestered the servants. Now every time that damn Alicia comes inhere she has a smirk on her face. It is one thing not to pester theservants, but quite another to be laughed at by them. I reallydon’t understand why you pamper them. We should fire the lot andget servants that are appropriately trained. I have waited all ofmy life for my destiny to be fulfilled and now that it is within mygrasp, you want to spoil it for me.”

  “Spoil it!” Fredrik remarkedincredulously. “You can’t be serious. We are set up as Lord andLady of the Manor at seventeen. This is a dream come true. If somewriter made a story up about this happening, nobody would accept itas anything but fantasy. If the old sea captain had any children toreceive his inheritance, do you realize how old they would be?Niki, we have got it made!”

  “I don’t know how you can beso happy,” she pouted. “The servants act like they own this placeand you think that you are the Lord. How long before the people inthe streets start laughing at us?”

  “Niki, I don’t care if thewhole town laughs,” declared Fredrik. “We are rich and they arenot. As soon as Orthan liquidates some of the out-holdings, we willhave more money than we know what to do with. The people in thetown will come around. I have a meeting with Captain Grecho thismorning. Imagine that. The Captain of the Mercenaries coming to paycall on me. You said you wanted a private army, well, this is theman to start with.”

  “But everything is moving soslowly,” Niki complained. “The people should already recognize meas their queen and you have me worrying about how I treat theservants. And why is the butler liquidating anything? It is ourproperty and you are letting some old scam artist handle ourfinances.”

  “We’ve been through thisbefore,” Fredrik said impatiently. “Orthan knows more about thefinances than I can learn in a year. It is only natural for him tohandle the books.”

  “I think you are just beingselfish,” Niki exploded. “You do not really care if I ever becomequeen. You have some plot with the servants to cash in all of theassets and then desert me here with no support. That’s why youspend evenings in the study plotting with Orthan.”

  “Okay,” Fredrik conceded, “Ipromised not to tell a soul, but I will explain everything. Themorning after we arrived, Orthan cornered me in the study. Heexplained that the servants have served the old sea captain formany years and they knew for a fact that the man had no brothers orsisters.”

  “The nerve of the man speakingthat way to his Lord,” Niki admonished.

  “Niki,” Fredrik pleaded,“please pay attention. I was not his Lord and he knew it. If Amoshad no brothers or sisters, he certainly could not have any nephewsor nieces.”

  “Then why didn’t he go to theauthorities?” Niki asked.

  “Because,” Fredrik explained,“if there was no heir to become Lord of the Manor, there would beno jobs for the servants. Orthan saw a way for all of us to sharein Lord Alrecht’s misfortune. He promised to have me legallyaccepted as Lord Alrecht’s nephew and heir if I would make certainconcessions to the servants. I promised to allow him to handle thefinances and to treat the servants with respect and kindness. Itreally is a good deal for all of us.”

  “I can’t believe that you werereally taken in so easily,” she chided. “You allowed the Lord to bedictated to by servants’ demands?”

  Exasperated, Fredrik sat down. “TheLord was not dictated to by servants, Niki. A young boy was offereda scheme by some servants that allows him to become rich and assumethe title of Lord which does not belong to him. One word from anyof the servants and we would be running for our lives.”

  “But now that you have legaltitle,” Niki schemed, “you can get rid of them and it will be onlyservants’ words against the word of the Lord.”

  “I have no intention of goingback on my deal, Niki,” Fredrik insisted. “I have no need to. Fromwhat Orthan says, the estates are plentiful and we will have morewealth than we can spend. If the servants had any idea that I wouldnot honor my pledge, I am positive that they could ruin us. Please,just keep being pleasant to the servants and everything is going tobe better than you could ever hope for. I have to see CaptainGrecho now, but we will talk more of this later.”

  Fredrik rose and left and Niki just satthere lost in her own little world of scheming. Hopefully, themeeting would not take long and he could convince Niki to playalong with the servants. Fredrik walked to the study and CaptainGrecho was already there and Orthan was dutifully serving him aglass of brandy. “Ah, the Lord of the Manor, Lord Wason. Sir, thisis Captain Grecho of the Cidal Mercenary Company. If you have nofurther need of me, Lord Wason, I will withdraw and await yourcall.”

  “Thank you, Orthan, that willbe fine,” Fredrik said. “Captain Grecho, I am pleased to make youracquaintance.”

  “Lord Wason,” the Captaingreeted, “I apologize for not coming sooner, but I had a smallmatter of contract negotiations to take care of. I wish to offer mysincerest condolences on the loss of your uncle. I want you to knowthat your uncle was certainly not considered a sorcerer by thepeople of this town. The townspeople have no stomach for magic andwould never have put up with a Lord who even condoned its use,never mind practiced it. No, I feel sure that the charges weremerely expedient to the Black Devils to have their way. Certainly,if my company had found out what they were up to, we would haveslain the bunch of them.”

  Fredrik gulped as he nodded his head.The Captain talked on for an hour and a half, welcoming him to townand explaining as much about Cidal as he could. He offered theservices of his company to the Manor if the need arose and thankedhim for the Manor’s generous help in the past. Fredrik halflistened as he fretted about Niki’s temper and her foolishwillingness to use magic carelessly. At the end of the discussion,Captain Grecho demanded that Lord Wason accompany him to review thefitness of his Company and see the plans he had for enlarging hisgarrison. It was clear to Fredrik that to refuse would be startingthe relationship off on a very bad foot.

  Fredrik informed Orthan that he wasgoing out and caught a glimpse of Miranda and Alicia arguing as hepassed through the entrance hall. Fredrik began to wonder again ifhis life wouldn’t be simpler without women in it. Orthan also shookhis head at the two maids and went out to get away from it as muchas he did to check on the horses.

  Miranda looked flustered. “Alicia, youhave to curb your temper more. I know the woman is difficult, buteven you have to admit that she has been better these last fewdays.”

  “Aye, she’s been better,”pouted Alicia. “She’d be better still if you took care of her. If Igo in there with a smile, she complains that I’m laughing at her.If I don’t smile, she complains that I’m scowling at her. Eitherway, she treats me as if I were a dog. Master Wason and MasterAlrecht never had any problems with me. I do my job all right, Ido.”

  “Your work is fine, Alicia,”soothed Miranda. “If I suddenly take your place, the Lady willcomplain about you running the place and that will start anotherrow. I will talk with Orthan about giving you a holiday. Perhaps abit of time away from each other will calm you both down. I am surethat Lord Wason will readily agree.”

  “Well, I could use a bit of aholiday,” Alicia cheered. “A couple of extra pence would help abit, too,” she pushed.

  Miranda nodded as the bell rang again.“But, first, you will have to finish today at least. Whatever shethrows at you, just bite your tongue and swallow it. We have a goodthing going here and I’ll not have you spoiling it.”

  “Yes, Miranda,” Alicia said asshe scurried up stairs to answer Niki’s bell.

  Alicia knew she was in trouble when sheentered Niki’s suite and the woman was standing there tapping herarm with a grim determination on her face. “My Lady rang?”
Aliciasaid.

  “Yes, I rang and you took longenough to get here,” scowled Niki. “Where is my lunch? I asked forlunch an hour ago.”

  “Begging My Lady’s pardon,”Alicia trembled, “but you said you didn’t want any lunchtoday.”

  “Fool!” shouted Niki. “Youoffered me crab meat or salmon for lunch and I said if I couldn’thave lobster, I wouldn’t eat. Don’t you know a demand for lobsterwhen you hear one? Do you expect me to starve while you and theothers stuff your pockets with my money?”

  Alicia lost it and exploded. “How doyou expect me to read your mind?” shouted Alicia. “You said youwouldn’t eat and now you wonder where your lunch is? And as for themoney, you don’t have a pence to your name. You are here at thesufferance of Lord Wason and mercy knows why he puts up withyou.”

  Niki’s face grew bright red and beforeshe knew what she was doing, she straightened her arms and lashedout with a Force Bolt. Alicia flew back and was suspended about afoot off the floor with her back pressed hard against the wall. Thefury slowly drained from Niki’s face and after a few moments shereleased the spell with the intention of apologizing to the maid.As soon as the maid had her feet on the ground, she spun and ranout of the room screaming at the top of her lungs that there was awitch in the house.

  Alicia ran down the stairs and out theside door of the mansion, almost colliding with Orthan. Orthangrabbed the woman and Miranda appeared through the door.

  “Whatever is going on?”demanded Miranda.

  “I have no idea,” confessedOrthan as the maid continued screaming, but no longerunderstandable. Orthan shook the woman to get her to come to hersenses and Fredrik arrived just in time to see Miranda slapher.

  “What is the problem?” Fredrikasked.

  Alicia looked at him with eyes widewith fear. “She’s a witch.” She screamed. “She’s a witch and shetried to kill me. I have to report her. Let me go.”

  Fredrik and Orthan eyes locked.“Miranda, hold her until I get back,” Orthan commanded and draggedFredrik inside.

  “There is going to be greattrouble,” Orthan confided. “Many things we could cover up, but thisis not one of them. The Company will be out for blood. They may notbother you if you can prove that you did not know, but they willkill her, for sure.”

  Fredrik nodded sadly. “Orthan, I wantyou to detain her as long as possible. It won’t be for very longbecause her screaming was quite evident from the street. If I die,you are out of a job and I am out of a life. Neither of us wantsthat. I am going on a long trip. Handle everything while I am gone.If I do not come back, just continue as if you expected me to begone for a very long time. You will think of something; at leastyou will be cared for. As for Niki, say that she became possessedafter some bad food. Make any excuse you can think of. I will gether far away from here. Tell the Mercenaries that I was chasing hersouth, trying to catch her and kill her. The Captain will believethat. Throw saddles on the two fastest horses and I’ll get ourlittle witch down here as quickly as I can.”

  “I’m truly sorry, Sir,”responded Orthan. “I’ve grown to like you. We really pulled off agood one and I think we could do more. Do come back, your Manorwill be waiting.”

  Fredrik smiled at the old man and ranup the stairs. Niki was waiting at the top of the stairs with thetwo travel bags that Fredrik had demanded they keep ready. “I’msorry, Fredrik, I couldn’t help myself.”

  “I know, Niki,” he statedsadly. “We probably didn’t belong here anyway. We have to hurry.They will kill you on sight.”

  They each hefted one bag and hurrieddown the stairs and out the back door towards the stables. Orthanwas standing ready with two horses and a sad face. He helped Nikiup onto one of the horses and she bent and kissed his head. “I’msorry, Orthan, I guess I made a mess of everything. I thought youwere all the enemy, but I heard what you said to Fredrik while Iwas at the top of the stairs. Forgive me.”

  Fredrik mounted up and instructed Nikito ride as fast as she could northward. After she took off, Fredrikfollowed at a distance that might look like he was chasing her ifanyone was looking. After they got a mile out of town, Fredrikcaught up with Niki and they took a small trail westward to getaway from the road.

  * * * *

  Arik and Tedi finished up their swordpractice and sat down leaning against the wagon wheel. Garth hadn’tbeen seen in an hour and they were bushed from the exertion oftheir mock battle with wooden swords. Garth’s instructions over thepast few days had been unending. When they were too tired topractice swordplay and too sore to practice riding, Garth wouldteach them about tracking or which type of plant life was edibleand which was poisonous. He was a merciless instructor. If the boysdidn’t learn the lesson to his expectations, he started the lessonover again until they got it right. Several times Tedi threatenedto walk away, not in front of Garth, of course, and Arik hadpersuaded him to remain. Arik seemed to revel in the fightingskills while Tedi was more interested in the woods lore. Both ofthe boys enjoyed tracking and riding. Neither of them enjoyed thetask of chopping firewood, but Garth was insistent that it woulddevelop the very muscles they would need in swordplay.

  The wagon shook slightly as Kalinaexited the wagon on the opposite side from the boys. “You have beengone longer than is normally necessary,” Kalina could be heardsaying. “Is there something amiss?”

  “It is very puzzling,” said avoice that the boys recognized as Garth’s. “I am sure that someoneis following us. All of the signs are there. They are not excellenttrackers and stray off the path now and then, but there can be nomistaking that they follow us.”

  “Can you tell who it is?”Kalina asked with a touch of worry in her voice.

  “That is the puzzling part,”conceded Garth. “I circle around them to determine who they are andno one is there, yet I am positive that my skills are not failingme.”

  Arik’s mouth dropped open at thestatement. Arik had begun to believe that Garth could track a flyacross the night sky with the skills and tricks he had beenteaching the boys. For him to admit that someone was following themand he could not find them defied the imagination.

  “How many days now?” Kalinaasked.

  “Three days,” Garth stated.“They seem to know where we stop each night, but they never comeclose enough for their fire to be discovered. “I have also variedour heading several times each day and always they follow. Thereare times when they lose our track, but they always manage to pickit up again with some uncanny luck.”

  “How are the boys comingalong?” Kalina asked, suddenly changing the subject.

  “They spend way too much timeresting and listening to other people’s conversations,” Garth saidsternly.

  Arik and Tedi snapped their heads upand saw Garth staring at them. They both scrambled to their feet.“It was not our intention to listen,” Arik spat out with a sheepishgrin. “We were too tired to continue with our swordplay and you hadnot returned. We only meant to rest a while.”

  “Tired, are you?” growledGarth. “If that doesn’t sound like a plea to cut some firewood,I’ve never heard one. Get moving.”

  Tedi stood to argue and Arik ran intohim as he turned to beat a hasty retreat. Both boys tumbled to theground and when they finally untangled themselves, Garth was goneagain.

  Tedi rose and brushed himself off. “Whyis he always so mean?” questioned Tedi. “We weren’t doing anythingwrong and he gives us punishment. We already have more wood they wecan possibly burn. I’m ready to be on my way.”

  Arik chuckled and turned to his friend.“You just don’t listen that well,” smiled Arik. “One of the firstdays that we were with him, he described how the army handles newrecruits. That is what he considers us. He is breaking us down tobe obedient. When he is confident that we know how to followorders, he will begin building us up to lead. I don’t think hemeans for us to lead, but that is the way the army taught him totrain. Remember, he gets nothing out of training us. As you justpointed out, he doesn’t need the wood we are about to chop. We needthe discipline an
d muscle building. He knows we are tired and he isforcing us to go beyond our own thoughts of endurance. Come on, itis not going to kill us.”

  Tedi grumbled about never havingvolunteered for any army as he followed Arik towards thewoodpile.

  The next morning the wagon never moved.Garth started the boys off with their morning workout and afterbreakfast the training continued. Garth observed the boys’ archeryskills and then gave them pointers on improving their accuracy aswell as the speed required to reload another arrow. After archerypractice, it was swordplay until the boys were exhausted. Whilethey were recuperating he taught them tricks with a rope and thevarious type of knots and their uses. When they were somewhatrefreshed it was back to swordplay. The next rest period wasassigned to horse care and covering their tracks in theforest.

  The routine continued until about anhour before dinner when Garth set them to more swordplay anddisappeared. Garth returned just as Kalina was serving a dinner ofpork and carrots with a green pea soup. Arik had downed the hoghimself during one of the tracking sessions the day before and thathad led to a lesson in butchering. The boys were almost too tiredto eat. Every other day was broken up by the necessity of movingthe wagon from one campsite to another, but this day had beenbrutal.

  Garth sat down and took his plate fromKalina without a word. Everyone ate in silence until the meal wasover. Garth, as usual, lit his pipe after dinner and gazed at theboys before he spoke. “Whoever they are, they did not move theircamp today. It would appear that they wish to know where we aregoing.”

  “Where are we going?” demandedTedi. “Arik and I had plans to reestablish ourselves in anothertown, but since we have joined up with you, we have had no ideawhere we are heading.”

  “Where were you heading?”Kalina asked.

  Tedi glanced at Arik and the taller boyjust shrugged. “We weren’t sure,” Tedi said. “Just some place southof Lorgo. Any town that would accept us as apprentices would havebeen acceptable.”