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CRISPIN’S ROOM HAD all the comforts and embellishments a boy his age could want. Nothing lacy like they gave Kandace with her canopy bed and flowers on the vanity. No, his room was a warrior’s room. A suit of armor stood by the window next to dark velvet drapes. Shields and swords adorned the walls alongside paintings of ancient battles. Instruments of war embellished the dresser, some items he had no idea what they were used for, but they looked brutal—frightening. He fingered one such item. A club with a chain attached and on the end of the chain a large, spiked ball made from some sort of metal. Hadley would teach him about this tool.
In the armoire hung clothing his size. A leather breastplate, pauldrons, as well as tunics fit for royalty. He tried on one of the heavy helms he found and grinned when he looked in the mirror. He looked like the soldiers who guarded Lord Sylvester’s property!
A smile crossed his face. Here he would be the knight he dreamed of being. And they were going to give him a horse!
Not only that, but they were also going to cure him of his disease. He was beginning to see that the advantages of wealth were many. It was as if Providence brought him here to shower a blessing on him that his parents couldn’t give him. He was grateful to his father for teaching him the crossbow, and to his mother for bringing him here. But as he looked in the mirror, contemplating this new life he felt himself growing out of his childhood. Within a short amount of time, Crispin was going to become a man. He could see it in his reflection already. It spoke to him in this room, these weapons, and that wardrobe—a strong, healthy young man! He was ready to embrace the change.
Sylvester’s Palace
A few days later
Lorica smiled, and a tear of joy leaked from her eye as she watched Lady Judith, Anna’s mother, lead the pony Kandace rode. The grassy pasture in front of the castle sparkled in the sunlight, and even though winter loitered near, the weather shifted from icy to warm and cold again. She and the children had been treated kindly these last few days. Lord Sylvester’s family cared for Kandace as if she were a princess, dressing her in silks and satins. The girl slept in a downy bed in a room of her own, with a lacy canopy, while angel images on stained glass windows watched over her. She enjoyed a vanity filled with infusions, jewels, and powders. Lady Anna gave her a chest full of puppets and toys, a ball, a whirligig, and a landoline. Breakfast came to her room by way of a servant, and she could eat in the dining hall whenever she wanted. Sweet cakes, jellies, pot pies and meat the family didn’t know existed had been her diet.
Crispin spent time with the wizard and in the field training with his bow, and he had not one seizure since they came to the castle. She was told he needed a month in this environment before he could return home, but that his recovery would be complete by then. Lorica had confidence in their prognosis, and settled comfortably while waiting for him.
Anna indulged her also, allowing Lorica access to her closet so that she didn’t feel so out of place in her humble wool tunic, apron, and skirts. Of course, Lorica had never worn such elegant clothes and even though they were more uncomfortable than her own, she enjoyed the temporary costuming. She smiled as Anna joined her at the table.
“Mother thought it a good idea to take you to the market today,” Anna said. “She wanted us to purchase some fabric for a new dress for Kandace. But I have prior arrangements, so I was wondering if you would be willing to go alone?” She handed Lorica a pouch filled with coins.
“I don’t mind. Kandace would love to go shopping.”
Anna sighed and smiled sweetly, perhaps a bit too sugary, but Lorica dismissed it as airs of a noblewoman. “Oh, mother thought it best to leave Kandace with us. She loves taking care of her, and had some activities planned for the little dear.”
Lorica raised a brow. In the time she had been here, she hadn’t once left the children alone. “I don’t know,” she sighed and glanced at her daughter. Kandace’s dream of riding horseback had come true and today she giggled. Lady Judith laughed with her. “They seem to do just fine together. I wonder if Kandace would be all right with me leaving for the day.”
“You should ask her,” Anna suggested.
Lorica thought for a moment, hesitant to lay the burden of her children on the nobleman’s wife. Still, she had spent little time with Kandace and Crispin since they’d been here. What difference would it make if she were gone for a couple of hours. Lorica took the pouch and approached Lady Judith. Kandace waved to her. “Are you watching me, Mother? I’m riding.”
“I see! How wonderful of these people to let you ride their pony.”
“We love having youngsters around,” Lady Judith said.
They exchanged a smile. Lorica stroked the pony’s mane and put her hand on Kandace’s. “I’m going to the market this morning. Would you like to come with me?”
“No,” Kandace said quickly, and Lorica winced at the sharpness. “I want to stay here, and ride horses and Lady Judith is going to teach me a new game later. I have no time to go to the market.”
Lorica blinked, somewhat disappointed and a new feeling crept inside of her. She wondered if Kandace had become too attached to these people and desired to be with them more than with her? She brushed the thought away as foolishness and patted her daughter’s hand. “I’ll bring something back for you.”
“I can’t think what. Lady Judith and Anna are sharing everything with me. But have a nice time, Mother.”
Lorica tried to be cordial when she stepped away and hurried back inside, but the jolt of being rejected by her daughter left her empty and feeling silly. Her children have never been so pampered with so many delights. Why wouldn’t they want to stay?
She met Crispin and Hadley in the hall. They each carried an armload of armor and their boots clapped heavily in the hall. “I’ll be gone for a few hours,” she said, raising her voice so they could hear.
Crispin shrugged. “Good day,” he muttered and hurried on.
“Crispin!” she called, and he stopped, pivoted around, and scowled at her.
“What?”
“Is that all you have to say? I haven’t seen you since dinner last night.”
“What should I say, Mother? What do you want from me?”
Lorica held her tongue for it didn’t seem appropriate to criticize him for his disrespect in front of his friend.
“Say nothing. Enjoy your day and be safe.”
Hadley laughed and spoke in another language to Crispin, a language much like the one the Healer had spoken. How did Crispin understand such gibberish? Her son nodded and shared a grin with Hadley, smiled at her, and then the two departed. Lorica made a point to talk with the boy in private when she returned that evening.
#
Lorica refused the carriage ride Anna had offered but allowed a coachman to pick her up at the inn when she was done. The stroll would help sort her thoughts. She would take her time, enjoy shopping, and have a bite to eat before she returned. The festive atmosphere of a bustling marketplace might calm her anxiousness. Not only did she worry about this new environment her children were becoming familiar with—how they might react once the grandeur of castle life no longer blessed them—but having spent five days away from home, her thoughts returned to Jareth, and she wondered if he were still in Ogress? He would be angry if he returned home and found her gone. He might very well set out to look for her, and if so, where would he go? Her only purpose for being away so long was for Crispin’s health. But a month longer would be difficult without communication with him. If she only knew where he was, she’d send word and tell him. She missed him.
Lorica hadn’t paid attention to the village when she first had entered Kolada, she had been too busy searching for Crispin. But now she noticed the lack of fresh vegetables they offered. There should at least be carrots and other root crops this time of year, but their bins were scant with grains and a few spices. The clothing of the villagers also impressed upon her the poverty of the community. Whereas some women wore decent skirts of wool, there were many others whose clothes were tattered, and they wrapped blankets around themselves instead of cloaks. Many went barefoot, and others bound cloth around their feet to keep them warm. She saw few children which seemed odd to her. The livestock brought to the marketplace were healthy, but thin. This village is starving or near to it, she thought to herself and suddenly felt out of place in the fine clothing Anna had lent her, for these people were more her peers than any noblewoman.
The fabric merchant’s booth stood apart from the other vendors, next to a pier where a cool breeze coming off the river gave her a chill. Riverboats bounced in the rocky water along the dock, their square sails folded onto the masts, their crew waiting on deck with tankards of mead. Traders from the east. She’d seen these same types of boats on the river near her hometown and wondered where they sailed to. They never made port in Tuluva, but then, her village hadn’t the attraction Kolada had with its castle and wealthy baron. Lorica tightened her cloak and tied it shut before inspecting the many folds of cloth, some too beautiful to choose from.
“Where do these silks come from?” she asked the merchant, certain they were too rich for the common people of the city.
“They come from northern Casdamia. We’re only stopping here for the day and will be sailing to wealthier towns in the morning.” The young woman nodded at a sailing rig at the end of the pier. She wore the same silk fabric she sold, as well as gold around her wrists. “It never hurts to lay them out and see who’s at the market on our journey.”
“I see.” Lorica stroked several of the folds, admiring their beauty when someone startled her with a touch on her shoulder at the same time leaning into her ear. She looked up.
“I need to talk with you,” the stranger said. “Privately.”
Lorica did not recognize the woman who left her side and walked to the pier, and she paused for a moment and watched her.
“Excuse me,” she told the merchant. Curious, she strolled casually toward the river and joined the stranger on a bench. The sun had disappeared behind a mountain of clouds—not dark clouds but large white thunderstorm clouds that glided through the heavens. Flashes lit up their darker parts, but no rumble followed as the storms were a great distance away.
“Do I know you?” Lorica asked.
“I’m an acquaintance of your husband’s.”
“Oh?” Lorica frowned.
“I met him in Tuluva shortly before he left for war.” The hood of her cloak covered her face as she stared out at the river.
“I don’t recall him mentioning you.”
She shook her head. “No, he probably wouldn’t.”
Lorica’s face flushed, refusing to believe Jareth had been seeing a young woman without telling her.
“How did you know Jareth was my husband?” Lorica asked quietly.
“I just know.”
“And how did you know I came here?”
“It made sense that you went to Ogress to pay your taxes, I followed you after that.”
“You? That was you in the forest?”
The woman faced Lorica.
“You terrified us. Who are you and why are you stalking me?”
“My name is Evanora. I met your husband the night he chased a spirit to the Neverworld.”
Their eyes locked on to one another and before Lorica could argue that it would be impossible for Jareth to meet a young woman that night, Evanora added, “Your husband knew me as Chase.”
“The wizard? But you’re...”
“I have powers. I’m not really a woman.”
The thought repulsed Lorica, but she swallowed and collected herself. “The wizard, Chase, went with Jareth to Ogress. What happened? Where is my husband?”
“The Ogress soldiers mistook him for a rebel. They tried to kill him, but we escaped to Kolada where another uprising was taking place. Jareth tried to help the king’s men, and again he was misidentified as an insurrectionist. He was arrested and taken to Prasa Potama.”
“What?” Lorica gasped and sat upright. When the woman said nothing more, Lorica’s focus shifted to the swift moving river, how much like the current did her emotions churn her stomach! “He’s a prisoner? Why were you spared?”
“I have this ability to change form.”
“And so, you just let them take him?”
“I had no power to stop the soldiers from arresting him. Better that I remain free and let you know.”
Jareth met this man in the Neverworld, a dark chasm of evil where nothing good could ever come. Even her husband hadn’t trusted him. Now, here he was disguised as a woman telling her a story she didn’t want to believe. “How thoughtful of you to think of me,” she sneered.
“Your family’s in more danger than you know. You must get your children out of Lord Sylvester’s manor and go to Prasa Potama. Petition the king for your husband’s release.”
She suspected this was a lie with the intent to do her and her family harm. How did this wizard know she was here and that her children were at Lord Sylvester’s manor? Blood rushed from her head, sending a shiver down her back.
“I’ll consider your words,” Lorica said softly, afraid to look into the wizard’s eyes lest a spell befall her. “Thank you.”
“You’re not going to Prasa Potama?” the wizard asked.
“That’s a long journey and my children don’t need to suffer the trip. And I won’t leave them.” Besides, it was none of this person’s business. The last thing she would want would be this wizard trailing after her if she decided to go. “You have no proof of any of this. I would hardly take the advice of someone my husband met in the Neverworld!”
She rose and walked away from the sorcerer with less desire to shop in the market than before. So upset from the encounter that her hands trembled as she sorted through the merchant’s fabric, and she could barely focus. She chose a simple silk, paid with the coins Anna had given her, quickly tucked the bundle under her cloak, and headed for the inn to request her ride home.
The storm hovering on the horizon found the village by the time Lorica returned to the castle, and a light misty rain foretold a downpour. Lack of sunlight that normally filtered through the windows darkened the halls and a dismal atmosphere encompassed the manor. She crossed no one in the halls. Kandace was not in her room, nor Crispin in his.
Trying the den, Anna spun around when Lorica entered. A strange scent filled the room, and a blue mist shifted from Anna’s dress down through the floorboards and disappeared—a mist very much like the vapor that would engulf Crispin when he had a seizure.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to intrude,” Lorica said, stunned at what she just witnessed.
“No intrusion. I wasn’t expecting you home so soon.”
“Is Crispin here? Did he have a seizure?”
“Crispin? No, no not at all. Why do you ask?” Not waiting for an answer, Anna sorted papers on the table and spoke nervously. The woman seemed to be hiding something. “Why did you come home so early?”
Lorica regarded the room, the shelves of books, the table strewed with papers, the map in Anna’s hand, the table off-set from the center of the room, and the rug underneath, its corner turned up.
“Home?” Lorica muttered. This wasn’t her home and her desire to leave had not been so strong since she got here. “I thought the storm might be a hindrance in the marketplace and wanted to get back before it rained.”
“Of course.” Anna relaxed. “Let’s see what you bought.” She rolled up the map and tucked it in a drawer as Lorica handed her the package.
“Are you planning a trip?”
“No!” Anna snapped as she pulled the fabric from its wrap. “Oh, this will be difficult.”
“Difficult?”
“It’s so thin. I’m afraid we can’t use this. But I suppose you know little about fabric.” Anna pushed the corner of the carpet flat with her foot and smiled awkwardly at Lorica. “No bother. We can do something with it.”
“I’m sorry, I...was distracted and worried about my children.”
Anna took her hand and led her to the davenport. “Don’t be. They’re safe here. Crispin’s sessions are going along smoothly, and the wizard tells me he’ll be good as new in a few weeks. I’m more worried about you. Tell me, truthfully. Has something we’re doing upset you?”
“Why do you ask?”
Lorica didn’t dare tell her about meeting Chase, but the stress must be plainly written on her face. She exhaled and sank on the couch. “It’s my husband. I had word that he might have been arrested here in Kolada and taken to Prasa Potama as a prisoner.”
“That’s possible. We had an uprising here not long ago. Is your husband a rebel?”
“Rebel? No, my husband is no rebel. He supported the Crown and had fought for the king many times. He left home looking for work. His being arrested had to have been a mistake.”
“I see,” Anna said, frowned, and stared out the window. If she could get Lorica away from the palace then her father could do whatever he wished with her children and her hands would be clean. “I’ve had word that they may hang the traitors.”
“What?”
“Firing on the king’s army is treason against the Crown. Anyone arrested for such an act faces a death sentence. If your husband is....” She faced Lorica and shook her head. “Even if he was mistaken as an insurrectionist, he faces death, Lorica.”
“What can I do?” Lorica leapt to her feet. Tears welled in her eyes. “I have to do something!”
“Indeed, you do.” After a moment Anna spoke. “I think I can help you. I happen to be friends with the king.”
Lorica lifted her chin and made eye contact with the noblewoman. “You know King Barin?”
“Yes. I do and I was just thinking today about making the trip to Prasa Potama. We’ll ride together and I’ll approach the king on your and your husband’s behalf.”
“When? When would we leave?”
“Before sunup. I’ll have a stable hand prepare the horses.”
Lorica wiped her cheeks with the palms of her hands. “And I’ll rouse the children,” Lorica rushed for the door.
“Are you sure? It will be a hard ride. There’s no telling how much time we have before the prisoners are condemned.”
“I can’t leave them here?”
“It’s up to you. But they can stay with my parents. My mother loves Kandace, and Crispin has taken to Hadley as if they were brothers. They’ll be fine. We’ll be there before the day’s end if we take the fastest horses. We can bring soldiers with us for protection. What do you say?”
Lorica sighed, flustered, so Anna took her hand. “I’m sorry this is happening to you, but honestly, there’s hope if we hurry.”