“That’s right, and don’t you forget it!” she laughed with him, her eyes flashing with irresistible charm.
“If you can get a horse, I’ll be on my way to Great Forks in an instant,” he told her.
“No, you go clean yourself up; use my bath,” Coriae said decisively. “You need it,” she grinned at him as she wrinkled her nose. “But don’t laugh at any of my womanly art tools,” she warned him with a mock scowl.
She released her hold on him. “I’ll go tell the advocate that we can bring the ring back from Great Forks, if the trial can wait a few days.
“Then, you and I will ride to Great Forks together to gather the ring up and rush it back here, so that it can save Forgon’s life,” she spoke with determination.
“Now get going to your bath,” she slapped his cheek gently, then gathered up a shawl, and swept it around her shoulders with a dramatic flair. “See you soon, my sweet,” she called, and then she was out of the room, pulling the door closed behind herself.
Theus stood in the room, dumbfounded by the unexpected change in direction he had encountered. He had expected the death of Monsant and all the miscellaneous matters associated with the murder to have dispelled and gone away. He hadn’t dreamt that it would be the first thing he would be swept up into upon his arrival in the capital city
Nor, he thought to himself as he stripped off his clothes, had he expected to hear that the dark arts might be in use in Stoke, reading memory stones. It foretold the arrival of dark times.
“It is a grave concern,” the voice spoke to him. “The progression of prophecy is moving faster than I thought. You have less time to prepare than I expected, but I’ve seen the strength you hold, and I believe you can triumph.”
“Triumph at what?” Theus asked as he entered the bathing room, off the bed chamber.
“The confrontation that must come,” the voice answered. “But the time is not here yet. Clean yourself up and carry out this mission,” it directed, and then it was gone.
He was glad to have the voice back in his life, Theus concluded as he began to run water. But he was not a great fan of the secrets that it kept to itself.
He glanced at the counter that carried a wide variety of jars and containers, belonging to Coriae, then he stepped into the bath and soaked before he scrubbed himself thoroughly, wanting to meet the girl on her own terms of hygiene.
When he finished, he had to use her still damp towel, and wrapped it around his waist when he went out into the bedroom to pick up his clothes and put them back on.
Coriae was standing at the door, holding his clothes.
“I wondered what you would wear when you came out to gather these,” she smirked. “You can put them on now, but we’ll plan to buy you cleaner clothes as soon as we get going.” She thrust the clothes at him, then shooed him back into the bathroom to get dressed.
Minutes later, the two of them went down the stairs.
“I’ll be going home for a few days, Simone,” she told the maid, then led Theus out the back of the house to where a horse stood saddled in the yard.
“I arranged for a horse for us,” she explained, as she lithely climbed up into the saddle. “I thought we could ride together, and just exchange horses at the inn tonight.” There was already a large, full saddlebag on the animal’s side.
Theus untied the animal, then awkwardly climbed up into the saddle in front of Coriae, and flicked the reins to set the animal in motion.
“Go right,” Coriae directed from behind him. She was pressed up against his back, her hand wrapped around his chest to hold on to him. Her voice was directly in his ear, warm and intimate.
They rode for five minutes through the traffic of the busy street.
“Stop here,” she directed suddenly. They dismounted, and went into a tailor’s shop.
“Give him three outfits he can wear immediately,” Coriae imperiously directed the tailor who came to meet them.
The man looked at Theus, then beckoned for him to follow, and led him into the back of the shop. Ten minutes later, Theus had new clothes on his frame and more clothes rolled together. Coriae settled for the items to be placed on Forgon’s account, and then the travelers took their places on the horse again, and rode out of town at a brisk pace.
“Where have you been Theus?” Coriae asked, once they were on the main highway that roughly followed the Westland River from Stoke to Great Forks. “You did a very good job of disappearing from the city.”
“I set sail on a freighter bound to Thuro,” Theus began, and he proceeded to relate most of his tale to Coriae as their horse covered the opening miles of their long journey.
Coriae asked questions throughout the conversation, which lasted for hours during the day and into the early evening.
“This girl, Torella, you spent a great deal of time with her?” Coriae asked. “Was she pretty?”
Theus recognized the tone in her voice.
“We were forced together by circumstances,” he replied. “I was healing her betrothed,” he remembered to emphasize. “So we saw each other, but she wasn’t as beautiful as you,” he quickly added at the end. “I’ve never met any girl as beautiful as you,” he spoke truthfully.
Coriae responded by snuggling more tightly against his back, and they rode in silence until they entered a village as the sunset.
“Here, this is the inn,” she told Theus as they reached the center of the settlement. “Pull into the yard.
“I never get to make this trip on horseback,” she groaned as she climbed down from the horse moments later, assisted by Theus. “It’s exciting, but I’m so sore,” she began to walk gingerly. “Can’t you make some magical healing potion to make me feel better?”
“If there was a market open, I could find things to make something to take away the pain,” he assured her, as he stood stiffly by the horse.
“I’ll hold you to that in the morning,” she warned. “You get the bags off the horse, while I go inside and make arrangements.”
Theus unstrapped the bags, looking forward to spending the night in a bed, and feeling anxious to learn what sleeping arrangements Coriae would make.
“If you need to use the loo, go now. Our horse will be out in a minute,” Coriae re-emerged from the inn, as a young worker trotted into the stables.
Theus looked at her in confusion, as he stood holding the baggage.
“Our next horse is going to be larger. If you don’t mind, I thought you might let me ride in the saddle for this leg of the journey,” Coriae spoke to him. “Your bladder’s stronger than mine if you don’t need to take a break.”
“Are we going to ride more tonight?” he finally asked.
“Oh yes, of course,” the girl said dismissively. “You didn’t think we were stopping, did you? We’ve got to hurry to get that ring.”
Theus dropped the bags and entered the inn; when he returned minutes later, the bags were already strapped to the new horse, and a groom stood holding the animal, laughing with Coriae as she sat in the saddle.
Theus climbed up behind Coriae. “Watch where you put those hands!” the stable hand laughed as Theus gingerly wrapped his arms around the girl. She flicked the reins, shouted good bye, and the horse took them back out onto the road through the small town.
“He seemed awfully friendly,” Theus commented.
“I usually stop here and stay overnight when I ride in a coach or carriage,” Coriae commented. “I’ve talked to him many times before. He’s a good man.”
They passed the last buildings in the village, and Coriae picked up the horse’s pace. “It’s a little risky to go to fast in the dark, but we need to make this passage as quickly as possible,” she explained over her shoulder.
“I’m so excited to think that Forgon is going to go free!” she spoke after minutes of silence. “I’m so grateful that you can find the ring! When I gave it to you, I didn’t think we needed it any longer; I thought Forgon was in the clear. And I thought you would need money
, so I gave you the ring to pawn off,” she recounted.
“Why didn’t you pawn it?” she asked.
“I always intended to give it back to you,” Theus answered. “I thought of it as a symbol of our devotion to each other, and so I knew I could never sell it.”
“You’re so sweet,” she sighed as she leaned back against him.
They rode on through the evening, passing through villages and countryside without incident. The pair were both groggy and sore when the sunrise found them in a stretch of road where quiet farms lay along one side, and the Westland River lay on the other side of the road. Steep hills crested just a few miles to the west, behind the farms, and the river valley was a peaceful place, full of bird songs.
“My cousin lives in an estate not far from here,” Coriae announced groggily. “They have wonderful vineyards. Their wine fills some of the best cellars in both Great Forks and Stoke. We’re almost halfway done with the journey.”
A half hour later they reached another small town, one that had both an inn and a market.
“Let’s stop for breakfast,” Coriae suggested.
“I’ll see if I can find supplies for a balm for our legs,” Theus agreed. His thighs were growing increasingly painful.
“Can you give me some coins for the market?” he asked moments later, as they wobbled down to the ground in front of the inn.
“I’ve got a few,” she fished in the purse on her belt, and pulled out several coins. She held her hand poised over Theus’s, ready to sprinkle them into his open palm.
“And I’m assured of getting good service for my money?” she asked in a severe tone, then grinned to indicate it was in jest.
“The best I can give my lady,” Theus assured her.
Coriae looked around; she saw no one watching them.
“I’d like a kiss, first, please,” she told him.
Theus stepped forward, hesitated, and placed his lips upon hers, feeling the softness of her gentle flesh as they held against one another.
“You’ll really find the ring to save Forgon, won’t you Theus?” Coriae asked softly when their faces drew apart. There was genuine feeling and concern in her question, Theus could tell.
“I know right where I hid it,” he assured her. “I just need to go back to my old apartment to retrieve it from the hiding place.
“I’ll even take it to Falstaff’s shop to test it, to make sure that your memories are all the evil ones in Stoke can see,” he tried to redouble his value in her eyes.
“You’re such a good man,” Coriae sighed. “Now, go get that salve to save me from this pain!”
Theus went to the modest market, and bought most of the items he needed, but could not find one herb, gray-leafed fennel, to complete the remedy he expected to relieve the muscle aches of the saddle soreness. A grandmotherly vendor offered to fetch some from her own kitchen however, so he followed her to an apartment just off the main street and bought the pinch he needed.
When he returned to the inn, Coriae was sitting on a bench in front of the windows, watching the traffic pass by on the street, while their horse stood complacently hitched to a rail.
Theus sat down next to her, then mixed and poured and measured his ingredients according to the directions that were etched in his head.
“You do that so assuredly,” Coriae commented as she watched him. “You have such great talents – memory stones, swords and staves, healing. You’ll do great things in your life.”
“Hopefully with you by my side,” he tried again to discreetly express his desire to be with her.
“Maybe,” she answered noncommittally. “You’ll probably save some princess from a plague and become the heir to a throne somewhere, and forget all about confused and cranky Coriae.”
“This is ready. It needs to be massaged into the leg muscles,” Theus showed the salve that he had in a jar.
“Considering the muscles in question, I’ll do this myself,” Coriae stood awkwardly, and took the jar. “I’ll be back in a minute,” she told him, and disappeared into the inn.
The noble girl returned five minutes later, and handed Theus the jar, as she adjusted the skirt she wore over slacks. “It felt good going on,” she said. “It’s tingling now.
“You go apply yours, and I’ll see if we can exchange horses here, or if we’ll have to go to the next town to find a stable to work with,” Coriae directed. Theus went to the stables and stepped into a stall, applied the last of the ointment to the insides of his thighs, and returned to find Coriae up on the horse they had ridden overnight.
“We’ll ride him to the next stop,” she informed Theus, as she patted the saddle in front of her.
They rode for an hour to another small town, where they exchanged horses at an inn with a stable attached, and ate breakfast in the common room with the inn’s guests and others.
The rest of the journey continued on, a seemingly endless life in the saddle, and they arrived in Great Forks in the middle of the following morning, astride the fifth horse of the trip, both completely exhausted. The air was cooler there, befitting the more northerly latitude, and Theus felt additional gratitude for riding on a single horse, sharing the warmth of the two passengers’ bodies pressed together.
“Lorinse,” Coriae called as she led Theus through the familiar door into the kitchen. “Father, mother, good news!”
“Is master Forgon freed?” Lorinse, asked, as the steward stepped into the kitchen. He looked at Coriae, then at Theus, and his eyes widened.
“No, he’s not free yet, but Theus can help us prove his innocence!” Coriae replied.
“Is that true, my friend?” Lorinse asked Theus directly.
“I think so. I know where to find the ring that Coriae says is needed to help,” he affirmed.
“We must go tell his lordship immediately. This is such good news; her ladyship will be particularly pleased,” Lorinse mentioned. “Go get cleaned up, you two,” he suggested. “And be back here as quickly as possible.
“Theus, there’s no one else in your old room, and I believe there may even be a set of your clothes there,” Lorinse told the boy, as Coriae hurried away.
Theus carried his bag up to his old room, unpacked the wrinkled clothes, then hurried down to shower. It felt like a homecoming; only going back to the Jewel Hills farm would feel more like a return to a place he belonged.
Minutes later, he stood back in the kitchen as Coriae combed her fingers through his unruly, wet hair.
“Your parents are in the dining room,” Lorinse informed the pair. “Won’t you join them please?” he led the way.
“It’s nice to see you again, Theus,” Blanche, one of his friends among the kitchen workers, spoke as he passed her and smiled.
They entered the dining room, where the two senior members of the Warrell family sat with concerned expressions on their faces.
“Lorinse tells us there’s some message we should hear,” Lord Warrell spoke, his eyes shifting from one to the other of the youngsters who had entered. “We welcome you back under our roof,” he added to Theus. “It’s been a long time since we’ve seen you.”
“Theus is back because I brought him,” Coriae spoke up before Theus could. “I found him in Stoke, and he told me he knew where the ring was that we need to help prove Forgon’s innocence.
“He and I rode together all the way from Stoke to here without rest,” she told her parents, who reacted with expressions of alarm.
“Theus knows where to get the ring. We can have it today and be back on our way to Stoke before sunset,” she told her parents.
“You will end the pain and horror that have afflicted our home if you can help Forgon regain his freedom,” Lord Warrell told Theus. “We know, and you know too, that Forgon is one of the very best men in this city. He wouldn’t have murdered Monsant.
“If you can prove that, we will be forever in your gratitude,” he concluded.
“There is nothing we would spare to help you and reward you,�
� Lady Warrell spoke up with tears in her eyes.
“I’ll go immediately to get the ring,” Theus told them. “You stay here and get some rest,” he told Coraie.
“What do you need? Is there anything we can provide?” Lord Warrell asked.
“No, I don’t believe I’ll need anything,” he replied. “Your family means a great deal to me,” he told the parents. “I’ll do everything I can to always be on your side.
“Now, I’ll go, and return soon, so that we can go back to Stoke,” he promised.
He bowed to the parents, bowed over Coriae’s hand, then left the room directly. He passed through the kitchen without pausing to talk to his friends there, then jogged at a determined rate through the familiar streets of Great Forks. It felt like coming home, and he imagined that it might be his home someday, the home where he and Coriae might settle into a blissful life together.
The prospect of such blissful peace in the future might depend on the dire predictions of the Voice though, he recognized. There might be other tasks he would have to perform to satisfy the invisible presence. And it might depend on the actions of Donal and the violent aggressors of Southsand; if they were to pursue more and more invasions and conquests, as Donal had madly envisioned, Theus would undoubtedly be drafted by the Voice to fight against the magician.
But, in the end, when any of those unlikely events passed, he would come home to Coriae as his loving wife.
Theus approached the building where he had lived, and decided to be direct. He climbed the stairs to the second floor and knocked firmly on the door.
“I used to live here. May I come in?” he tried to practice his unlikely greeting to whoever answered the door while he waited for an answer in the hall. It might be problematic, he recognized as he stood and imagined the door opening.
He knocked again, and waited. There was no sound of anyone walking across the floor to approach the door. He knocked a third time, confident that the apartment was empty. That would actually make his task easier, he thought to himself.
The door handle would not open when he tried to enter the apartment. That was not a problem however. He cheerfully skipped down the steps and circled around the block to the alley behind the building, then climbed up to the roof next door to the windows, and within five minutes he was inside his old apartment.
The Deadly Magician (The Memory Stones Series Book 2) Page 24
