Chapter 24
“She cannot hear you as she is in the world of dreams,” the healer said to Listra.
Says you. Tashama took a deep breath. These drugs will not make me sleep. I forbid it.
“You must get your sleep as well, Princess Listra. Everything will look better in the morning.”
“Thank you, healer.”
He left the women alone, and Listra removed her hair veil and gowns, then slipped into bed beside Tashama. “At least you can have pleasant dreams while I am struck with the truth.”
How can I have pleasant dreams, to think…to think…oh, Balthazar.
Later that night, Tashama ran from the black funnel spitting glass as it whirled in front of her. Balthazar flew past her, his white beard and hair suspended midair, while his steady blue eyes studied her.
“Balthazar,” Tashama said.
A hand shaking her shoulder stirred her from her sleep, and she stared groggily at the black-hooded woman standing before her in the shadows of the night.
“Have you come for me?” Tashama’s glazed eyes tried to discern the woman’s eyes behind the black veil.
“You have no eyes.” Tashama attempted to push the woman away.
“You must tell the prince Oshon has done nothing to cause you harm. He is innocent of the charges you have preferred against him.”
“Oshon?” Tashama said, confused. “No, Balthazar. Where is Balthazar?” She slipped from the bed and fell with a thump to the floor.
“You must tell the prince.” The woman leaned over Tashama. “You must tell him Oshon has done nothing of what you say. That you have lied. If you do this, he will leave you be.”
Tashama stared at the woman's black shoes, then reached out to touch them. “Balthazar,” she whispered.
The woman slapped her hand away. “Oshon and I will be married if you free him from the ostracism he now bears. Only you can set this right.”
“Balthazar is gone.” Tashama sobbed as she grabbed for the lady’s skirts.
The woman backed away in annoyance. “If you will not right this wrong, Oshon will do what he set out to do, you stupid woman.”
“If he is gone, nothing else matters.” Tashama stood up and then walked toward the bath.
“What are you doing?” The woman grabbed Tashama’s arm.
Tashama shook her loose. “I will find Balthazar.”
The woman watched for a moment, then as Tashama walked into the bath, the woman ran for the guards. Tashama listened for a moment. Metal-edged boots ran toward the bath, then she slipped beneath the water.
“Tashama!” Listra cried out.
Hands tugged at Tashama’s arms. Tashama coughed for a second as her skin touched the cold tile.
A man’s hefty fingers wrapped around her wrist. “She is fine.”
She saw Listra grabbing a robe and tying it around her waist as she ran to her.
“What happened?” Listra dropped to her knees, then cradled Tashama’s head in her lap.
“Apparently, she tried to go for a swim in her dreams. The drug the healer gave her has not worn off.”
No, I didn’t, did I? I was trying to find Balthazar.
“Tashama.” Listra rubbed her cheeks and called to her. “Tashama.”
“Balthazar.” Tashama tried to roll onto her side. Why do you bother me so? Where’s Balthazar?
“You must leave,” Listra said to the guard, “so I can get these wet gowns off her.”
“When the healer gets here.”
The healer hurried into the room and shone a light into their faces. “What is going on in here? Why have we no lights?”
“The princess must have been sleeping when she tried to take a swim,” the guard said.
The healer frowned at Tashama and said to the guard, “You may leave us.”
“What must we do?” Listra groaned. “She’s clearly not capable of being safe in here.”
“She’s only sleeping now.” He took a deep breath. “I imagine tying her to the bed would help, but I could not do such a thing without prior authorization.”
“What is going on here?” Carissian asked as he appeared at their side.
“The guard said the princess was asleep when she took a swim, only she nearly drowned.” Carissian studied Tashama’s face for some time, then frowned as Tashama considered his. “A woman from the Bachavin order was in the room a short time ago.”
Go away, you meddling sorcerer.
Listra’s eyes widened as her hand touched her lips. “She’s not safe here, Carissian. You must warn the prince. She’s not safe.”
Tashama stared at Listra through the haze. The prince? He doesn’t believe there’s any danger here. No, Texas, the tornado.
“We’ve had the grape analyzed. There was no poison in the food.”
“And the lobster?”
Carissian shook his head.
“That’s good.” Listra sighed deeply.
Carissian studied Tashama further, then rubbed his forehead. “She dreams of Balthazar. Remove her gowns and put her to bed.”
“Should we tie her to the…”
Carissian waved his hand to silence the healer. “I’ll stay the rest of the night.” Carissian shook his head. “I’ll be back in a little while.”
Listra struggled to remove Tashama’s wet gowns. Leave me be, Listra. Then Listra dried her and after slipping the robe over her shoulders, she belted it at the waist. “Come help me with Princess Tashama,” she called to the guards standing outside their window.
Tashama wrinkled her forehead. Quit shouting, so. I can hear you. Just quit shouting.
Once Listra had covered Tashama with her blankets, Carissian appeared, then took his seat in one of the velvet chairs.
“Return to bed, Princess Listra. There will be no more disturbances tonight.” But almost immediately after he said this, the prince barged into the room.
“Your Highness.” Carissian jumped from the chair.
“She’s sleeping comfortably, sire. All is well. ”
The prince walked to the bed. He touched Tashama’s cheek and whispered, “What nightmares do you have, dear Tashama?”
“My sorcerer is gone,” she whispered back in a voice nearly inaudible, “and so are you.”
“I am here, my princess. I will not forsake you.”
“They are all gone. She has no eyes—blackness all around—Balthazar.”
“Who has no eyes?”
“One of the order of the Bachava, sire.” Carissian drew close to the bed. “What did the woman want?”
“She came here?” the prince asked.
“Yes, sire,” Carissian said.
“She struck at me—stupid, stupid, stupid woman, she called me.” Tashama balled her hands into fists and struck the feather mattress.
Carissian rubbed his forehead. “This doesn’t sound good, Your Highness.”
“Oshon killed Bachava…no, no, Balthazar is dead, oh, Balthazar.” Tears ran down Tashama’s cheeks, and she groaned with grief.
“She’s confused. The drug has confused her.”
The prince touched Tashama’s hand and then squeezed it gently. “What did the Bachavin woman want, Tashama?”
Tashama shook her head. “He’ll marry her, but who will marry me? He won’t marry me, he won’t.”
“Oshon?” The prince’s voice rose in disbelief as Carissian touched his shoulder.
“She’s confused. Some of what she says, she repeats as truth. Some, she confuses in her mind.”
“Oshon will marry the Bachavin woman he met in the temple?”
“No, here.” She wrinkled her face in disgust. “She, she, she, no, Balthazar,” Tashama sobbed.
“She sees images of Balthazar as he flies through the air due to the circulation of an unbelievable force, such as that of a wind elemental gone awry, and then the sorcerer vanishes from her sight. The hooded woman haunts her, and she believes the woman is taking her away.”
“Did she try to drown Tashama?” The prince touched her still-wet hair as it fell over her shoulder.
“Tashama,” Carissian said, “did the Bachavin woman push you into the water?”
“Tell a lie, lie, she said, tell a lie, Oshon,” Tashama whispered, then shook her head. “I cannot tell a lie…I won’t…no…I cannot…Oshon said, he said…”
“Oshon was going to turn you over to Loran if…”
“Oh, Valmor,” Tashama said.
“Oshon, Tashama. Oshon was going to turn…”
“Lies, no.” Tashama squirmed on the mattress. “Marry him, okay, marry him, no lies.”
“She wanted you to tell lies about Oshon?”
“Balthazar.” Tashama raised her hands to her face and sobbed aloud.
“Can my healer give her something to calm her?”
“I’ll be right back, sire.” Carissian vanished.
The prince caressed Tashama’s arm, then turned to Listra. “Leave us.”
“But I am not properly dressed, Your Highness. Where would you have me go?”
“Step into the hall for a moment.”
Listra frowned at the prince as she held her robe tightly, then hurried out of the room.
“Tashama.” Aleron pulled her hands away from her face. He kissed her lips softly, and as her breathing calmed, he pressed her harder. She kissed him back this time, and he stopped, then stared at her. “Tashama?”
“She’ll tattle on me. Tashama loves him, Tashama loves him. Tattle, tattle, pesky sprites.”
The prince smiled, then kissed her mouth again with determination. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders as Carissian cleared his throat. The prince stood up quickly.
“Where is my healer?” the prince asked, vexed.
“He is preparing a stronger mix, but it appears you have something that calms the lady just as well. Where is Princess Listra?”
“She wanted a breath of fresh air.”
The healer walked back into the room. “Sire, Princess Listra wishes to know if she can return to her room.”
“Yes, of course. The lady, herself, wished to leave for a moment after all. The choice was hers as far as when she wanted to return.”
Listra hurried back to bed, and Tashama shook her head. “Lies, all lies.”
Carissian chuckled.
The healer gave a new potion to Tashama, and she licked her lips. “Mint julep. Kiss me again, oh lover of mermaids. Kiss me again.” Tashama reached out her hand for the prince, though her eyes never opened, and he kissed her hand in response.
“Well, I would imagine none of you would do,” the prince said to his healer and Carissian as he saw the expression of amusement on their faces. “You are staying for the rest of the night?” he asked Carissian.
“Yes, sire.”
“All right, well, I have a very early appointment with destiny. Good night, my lady.” He kissed her cheek, then turned on his heels and left the room.
Tashama opened her eyes and stared at the healer who had turned to speak with Carissian. “Let me know if you need me for anything further.” Then he hurried out of the room too.
Carissian extinguished the lights, then folded himself into the soft-cushioned seat. His gray eyes studied her as she felt his gentle probes touching her thoughts.
Early the next morning, the prince’s chest swelled as he watched his people file into the great hall to observe his coronation. Carissian stood by his side as Aleron tapped his foot on the red carpet covering the marble floor for the special event. “I do not see my favorite princesses.”
“I was informed Princess Tashama is still sleeping. The second potion she was given was a little stronger than the healer anticipated.”
“Then have him give her something to wake her up. Everyone in my kingdom is to witness my coronation today.”
“Yes, sire.” Carissian disappeared.
Twenty minutes later, Carissian reappeared before the prince. “Your healer has tried two potions to wake her. He said it may be another half hour before they do the trick. Even so, she probably won’t be quite herself.”
“We will wait, Carissian.”
“Yes, sire.” Carissian raised his brows as Listra held Tashama’s right arm while the healer held her left, and the guards walked on either side of the party as they entered the great hall.
“Let’s get on with it, shall we?” The prince smiled as Tashama arrived.
The Bachavin priest began to chant, and Tashama said, “What language does he speak?”
“Shh,” Listra said.
Tashama took a step closer toward the prince, who stood forty feet away. “Is that the prince down there?”
“Shh,” Listra said again. “Yes,” she whispered. “Soon to be king.”
“His crown has got to be as big as a lake…”
“Shh,” one of the men standing along the side of the hall said. “Keep the Karthlander prisoner quiet.”
“I am no prisoner!” Tashama raised her voice while she pulled Listra and the healer with her as she walked over to the man. She poked her finger at his chest. “Take that back!”
“Shh,” a woman said. “Is nothing sacred to you, Karthlander? The prince is soon to be crowned. Mind your tongue.”
“Mind your tongue!” Tashama said. “Mind your tongue!”
“Tashama,” Listra whispered, “do be quiet or the prince will have us removed.”
“To Karthland?” Tashama’s eyes widened. “Good! I want to be removed!”
There was a hush of voices as Carissian appeared at her side. “The prince wants her to see his coronation, but keep her quiet for heaven’s sakes.”
“Is it big enough?” Tashama touched the dagger at Carissian’s waist.
“The dagger is only ceremonial.”
“His crown, I mean.”
“Keep her still,” he said to the healer, then vanished and reappeared at the prince’s side.
“Poof!” she mused. “Poof, poof, poof.” She studied the gold crown the priest blessed, and then she shook her head. “He needs a bigger one!”
“Shut her up,” one of the men growled.
“Make me!” Tashama glared back at the man.