I sat there as Caroline and Khepri chatted softly together, eating the dates and figs we’d gathered to supplement our remaining rations, and I gazed into the distance, lost in thought, remembering the battle in the desert. I had felt strong fighting the manticore but knew the easiest way to win a fight was to avoid one in the first place. I hoped we would not encounter the giant basilisk.
I felt protective of Caroline. I had known her from earliest memory. She had been the daughter of my mother’s maid, and I had grown up with her. Caroline was seven years older than me and had been like a big sister when I was very young.
I smiled as I watched the flickering flames of our small campfire, remembering. My belly was full of fruit and camel milk, and I felt content and relatively safe for the moment.
Caroline had begun her training to become my maid when she was ten, being mostly a playmate before that. By the time I was seven, and Caroline was nearing fifteen, I was deep in lessons every day, as mother had insisted. Caroline would help me dress in the mornings, and then I would see her again in the late afternoon when she came to fetch me from the alchemists to dinner.
I missed my lessons. Mother had insisted I become learned in every subject under the sun. She knew that, as the only child of the queen, that I would one day rule. I was determined to be a wise and just sovereign, as my mother was.
Caroline came to sit beside me. “How are you doing, Princess?”
I smiled. “Oh, just remembering home, Carrie. Missing lessons and the palace.”
She patted my hand. “I am sure the queen will have had many people searching for you by now. Don’t lose hope, Princess.”
“I know. I’ve never really lost hope, I was just wondering how they were getting along without me. Without us.” I glanced at her, smiling. “I’m sure your mother misses you terribly, too.”
Caroline looped her arm in mine and cozied up closer to me. “I am quite sure,” she spoke slowly and firmly, “that they are all beside themselves. By now, the queen and your father, Prince Frederick, will have enlisted every ally in the kingdom to search for you. And I know,” she looked directly into my eyes, “that they will not ever give up until you are found safe, Princess.”
I hugged her tightly. “I don’t know what I’d do without you, Carrie. I am sorry you were snatched along with me, but I am glad you’re here. I know I wouldn’t have fared nearly as well without you.”
Khepri spoke then. “What lands are you from, then, you two?”
What could it hurt to tell? Caroline and I looked at each other, communicating silently.
“We have been through so much, we three. You saved my life. I will not betray you,” Khepri said.
“Even if you are reunited with your cousin, the sheikh?” Caroline asked.
“Even then,” Khepri answered. “In fact, I’m not sure I ever want to go back there.”
“Really?” I was astonished. “But where would you go then?”
“I don’t know,” Khepri stared off into the fire. “I’m trained in the healing arts, I could find new people who might appreciate my talents.”
Caroline rose to put another log onto the fire, which was dying low. She spoke as she arranged the wood. “Khepri, your skills as a healer would be highly prized.” She looked into the dark woman’s face. “You are a valuable asset.”
There was the germ of a grand plan gathering in the back of my mind. I did not want to say anything yet, but these two women gave me courage and ideas.
Something in my gut decided then and there that we could trust Khepri.
“We’re from the northlands,” I started.
“Well, I gathered as much,” Khepri said, smiling. “Your blond hair, and your accents, they give that away, you know.”
Oh. Right.
“We’re from the kingdom of Swerighe.” Khepri’s eyebrows rose. I continued. “My mother is the Queen, my father the Prince Consort. He is originally from the Highlands of Ísland,” I finished.
“And I am Princess Charlotte’s maid, and friend,” Caroline added.
“Best friend,” I smiled and squeezed her hand.
“I envy you both,” Khepri smiled warmly.
“Do not envy us, we were kidnapped by pirates and sold into slavery, for goodness sakes,” Caroline sat up, astonished.
“No, no, what I mean is that you are strong; you are firm and resolute in your friendship. You are not alone.” She sighed and stared into the flickering flames, lost in thought.
Caroline and I lay down in our bedding, yawning. I was tired and ready for sleep.
I felt happy that I had Caroline with me, and at the same time, worried for her safety. She probably felt the same thing for me as well. But envy? I wished we were back home, I wish I had not stomped off along the shoreline, I wish I had not been so foolish as to place us in jeopardy.
Caroline studied my face. “Miss, don’t blame yourself. You couldn’t have known what would happen.”
“When did you start reading minds, Carrie?” I smiled.
“It’s part of my training, Miss,” she said with a straight face.
Chapter Eleven
Phoenix
My body felt heavy, and my eyelids drooped closed while I watched the fire, and I fell into a sound, dreamless sleep, unlike the night before.
I was awakened suddenly by Khepri screaming, over and over.
“WHA???” My eyes were wide and blinking, and I struggled to sit up.
Caroline was at Khepri’s side first, soothing the healer, who was breathing heavily.
It was still dark, although the misty sky was faintly luminous. I wondered if there was a full moon behind it.
“Shhhhh, shhhh,” Caroline said, soothingly, as she rubbed Khepri’s arm, trying to bring her back to reality.
I looked around our encampment several times, but there was nothing amiss.
Just Khepri, scared out of her mind.
I took several deep breaths, trying to bring myself fully awake.
Then I remembered. I remembered my nightmares. I hurried over to the healer.
“Khepri.”
Caroline was now rubbing her back. “I think she just had bad dreams.”
I looked at her. “The same thing woke me up yesterday, before dawn.”
I looked at Khepri, then at our surroundings.
I remembered the nightmares better now, but I had nearly forgotten them yesterday. They had dripped out of my mind as I had woken up.
Straightening, I stretched my back, breathing in the morning mist. It was cool and invigorating. I tossed a couple of logs onto the fire and poked at it with a stick until it blazed up.
My eyes kept drifting to the dense forest, and the darkness it sheltered. I had a suspicion it had something to do with our nightmares. We need to get out of this oasis today, I thought.
“Carrie, have you had nightmares, too?” I asked.
She shook her head no as Khepri opened her eyes. Well, at least one of us had been spared.
I busied myself making blackroot tea with camel milk for the healer, who was still shaking from her experience. Remembering my own nightmare-within-a-nightmare, I felt for her. Waking up that way was horrible.
“I’ve come to understand that the oasis is, to a certain extent, altering reality,” Caroline said quietly as we packed our camp several hours later.
I turned to her slowly, a cold prickly feeling crawling up my spine. “What do you mean?” I asked in a quiet voice.
Caroline turned to look at Khepri, settled in the basket atop the camel. She watched her for a moment, then turned back to me and whispered, “Miss, Khepri’s nightmares made the air above our campsite change colors.”
“What? How?”
“Well, it was night, so everything was black. You remember?”
I nodded.
“When I heard her scream, my eyes popped open,” Caroline continued. “I was on my back. And the sky started changing colors. Not by much, but the edges of black night sky, out the corne
rs of my eyes, looked like the curve of a rainbow.” She looked troubled.
My stomach knotted. I looked up at the white mist above us. “What could make color appear in a night sky? And with the mist …” My mind drifted off, my eyes still on the sky. We did get wonderful changing colors in the night sky in the northlands, but I had never heard of such a thing this far south.
“I don’t know, Miss, but it was the strangest thing. After Khepri had settled back with the tea you brought her, I was able to take a second look, and the sky was black again.”
We continued packing up and were soon traveling again, but Caroline and I kept glancing at the sky every few minutes.
The path led us around the lip of the canyon we’d encountered the day before, and we kept our eyes and ears peeled, ready for any sign of the giant basilisk.
I thought about what Khepri had said the day before.
Stopping for a midmorning rest, I held a bucket to the horses so they could drink, and finally spoke.
“Khepri?” I turned and stretched my back. Looking at the healer, I continued. “How do we summon the chimera?”
Khepri peered over the edge of the basket at Caroline and me. She seemed to be thinking hard. Finally, she stood and spoke.
“It’s been a long time since I heard these stories, you realize. I’m just trying to make sure I remember them correctly.” She stopped, thinking again.
Caroline turned to me. “Miss, I understand. It would be similar to you being asked details of a nursery rhyme you last heard when you were just a few years old.”
She was right. I realized how hard this must be for Khepri.
“Okay, I remember there was a song they sung about this, when I was very young.” Her brow was furrowed in thought. “Something about the chimera.”
We waited, and, sitting on my horse I held my breath, afraid to break her concentration. A bird sung a tune off in the trees somewhere as Caroline and I stared at Khepri expectantly.
Finally, she spoke.
“ ‘… the more you seek her, the more elusive she’ll become…’ ” Khepri said slowly, remembering. “ ‘… she is drawn in by the song of the phoenix more than anything …’ ”
“I’m sorry, that doesn’t even make sense to me …” Khepri looked sad.
I thought for a minute.
“Are there phoenixes in the oasis?” I asked.
“Yes,” Khepri answered, sounding happier to have solid information. “The oasis is said to be teeming with life, especially birds.”
“Okay,” I looked around. “Let’s get going and keep our eyes and ears peeled for a phoenix while we travel. Might as well do some exploring while we’re at it.” I nudged my horse forward, and we continued on.
The trees were hundreds of feet high, and growing higher the farther we went in. We followed a narrow animal path at a walk, and remained silent, listening for birdsong.
I wondered what a phoenix song would sound like.
After a bit of exploration in the forest, seeing nothing but thick trees covered in vines and ivy, my mind began to wander. I was thinking about home and how the trees in Swerighe would soon be turning into the brilliant, fiery colors that foreshadowed winter. I remembered being very young and tasting the maple syrup that had been brought from a farm to the royal palace for my father, the king. We’d each gotten a taste of the sweet confection, and it had been delightful. I smiled, remembering.
And the hazelnuts, I thought. My mouth watered. The royal confectioner had made the ripe hazelnuts, along with almonds and sugar, into a praline that every child in the castle had enjoyed that winter. I had eaten so many I had actually been ill, confined to my bed by the royal healer, for two days. The other children had snuck into my chambers to play games and keep me company, I recalled. I had been six winters old …
A sweet, sweet song played in the background of my thoughts, like a music box from my mother’s dressing room. I smiled.
“Miss,” Caroline whispered. She pushed the toe of her boot against my leg. Huh? Oh!
I looked at Caroline, then in the direction she indicated.
High up in a tree to our left was the brilliant plumage of a bright orange and red bird. It was easily two feet from head to foot, and its tail extended at least that length again. Its open mouth produced the birdsong I had heard.
We brought our horses to a stop; the camel, with Khepri on its back pushing against my horse’s rump as it came to a halt, chewing all the while.
I gazed upward, mesmerized by the sight and song of the phoenix. The very air shimmered around it with magic, and the forest itself seemed to hold its breath as phoenix song filled the air. We were spellbound.
My horse blew out a breath and stomped its foot, bringing me out of my reverie. The bird’s song had ended. I shook my head and looked about.
Caroline had dismounted, and was near the tree in which the phoenix had been perched. The bird had come down from its high spot and was now perched on Caroline’s left arm. She stood, grinning from ear to ear, as her right hand stroked the vibrant plumage of the magnificent creature. It seemed to be purring, its head laid against her shoulder in contentment.
I started. Dusk was falling! A minute ago it had still been morning!
“The song of the phoenix is said to enchant the mind so it knows not the passage of time,” Khepri said quietly behind me. “Eight or nine hours seemed to have passed.” She looked back at Caroline and the bird with a concerned look on her face.
But if that is true, how had Caroline managed to dismount and approach the tree, and coax the phoenix down from its perch? I wondered.
“Let’s make camp here,” Khepri suggested, climbing out of the basket atop the camel’s back and jumping down to the ground, her soft leather shoes making no sound.
I busied myself making a fire, although it was hard to take my eyes off the phoenix to complete the task. Khepri, fully recovered, bedded down the animals and found water, soon returning with several basketfuls. I decided to make a stew, seeing some vegetables growing nearby.
I had several rabbits I had lain traps for the night before, they were so plentiful in the oasis, and apparently so unused to humans, that it had been very easy to snare them. I roasted the meat with tubers and leafy greens I found nearby, and soon had a stew bubbling merrily in a pot hung over our fire.
I noticed Khepri looking strangely at the phoenix, still on Caroline’s arm.
“Carrie, your arm must be growing tired. Would you like to try to settle the bird on this log?” I indicated the spot next to her.
She looked up from the beautiful bird. She seemed dazed, smiling at me softly but not answering.
Khepri came forward then and gently coaxed the bird from Caroline’s arm, lowering it down to the log. Caroline did not protest, just kept smiling faintly. She settled herself on the leaves carpeting the forest floor, her back against the log, and continued to gaze at the bird.
I smiled in bemusement and added some spices from the bags to the stew. I then set about rearranging everything in our packs and discarding what we wouldn’t need. Every time I looked back at Caroline, she was in the same position, looking up at our new friend, eyes glowing with the light of first love. I shook my head. After an hour of work, I sat down near the fire and rested, still watching the pair.
“Your friend is very entranced with the phoenix.” Khepri sat next to me and leaned forward, stirring the stew, then bringing the wooden spoon to her mouth for a taste. “Mmm, this is good.”
“Rabbit and vegetable stew,” I smiled. “It came out pretty tasty, didn’t it?”
She nodded, settling back and turning to watch Caroline and the phoenix.
I had a certain thought. “Khepri, are phoenixes rare?”
“No, not in the oasis,” she answered. “It is said to be teeming with all manner of magical birds.”
“What kind of magic does the phoenix have?” I asked.
“Well,” she thought. “The magical bird is said to be able to comp
el the truth with its stare, to be able to carry immense weights, and to possess tears with great healing properties.” She sat back and looked at me.
“Wow.” I had no words. Then, “and these magical properties, are they only active when the bird is here in the oasis?” I asked.
“What do you mean?” Khepri asked.
“Can it leave the oasis, and if it does leave, does it still have those magical abilities outside the oasis boundaries?” I was suddenly full of questions.
Khepri thought for a minute. “I actually don’t know if it can leave, and I haven’t heard of any limitations to its powers. I do remember that outside of Aoudaghost the phoenix bird is hardly ever seen; it is said to be seen only once every 500 years beyond the oasis.” She thought some more. “But you never know. There is much that is lost to antiquity. It is said the ancients knew much more about magic. They say a book exists that has all the knowledge they gathered written in it. It’s called ‘The Book of Mysteries.’ ” My eyebrows rose at this. I stood and reached to stir the stew. “This looks ready to eat.” I ladled generous helpings into bowls and handed one to Khepri. She nodded her thanks.
Turning to Caroline and the phoenix, I approached slowly, not wanting to startle the bird.
“Carrie?” Her head turned slightly toward me, her eyes not leaving her new companion.
I handed her the steaming bowl and spoon. She took it and brought a spoonful to her mouth. The phoenix sniffed the air, inhaling the scent of hot food. I shrugged and brought a bowl of stew for the majestic bird.
After it had eaten everything, I brought it some water, and it drank its fill, then tucked its beak under its wing and closed its eyes.
“Carrie, honey, lie down.” I gently pushed her back against the bedding I’d arranged. She seemed in a trance, yet content. As soon as she laid her head down, she closed her eyes and was asleep in minutes.
The Pirates of Moonlit Bay Page 7
