Chapter 31
Carissian said to Tashama, “But Valmor must know about your sorcery powers.”
“No, Morkenza married my grandmother in secret on her twentieth birthday. She married her advisor as was necessary for her to rule. She had a mock wedding with a nobleman of the highest rank. But he was no more than a figurehead. Her duty was to Morkenza, her true love, and through their union, they had my mother.” Tashama waved at Listra when she finally noticed her standing in the entrance of the tent.
Carissian bowed. “I must speak with you further, my lady, later.”
“Certainly.” Tashama grabbed Listra’s hand as the princess hurried to greet her.
They exchanged light hugs so as not to cause Tashama further pain, then Listra frowned at her. “I have heard of the rash thing you did.”
Tashama touched her bandaged shoulder and grimaced. “Well, had I known how much this would have hurt, I might have had second thoughts.”
Listra sat in the chair the Karthlander healer offered her, then she leaned over close to Tashama so that no one could hear her words. “Why did you wish for me to go to the colonel’s tent, Tashama?”
Tashama smiled.
“You knew, didn’t you?”
“Yes. But we have more trials before anything can come of it.”
“I thought we were returning to Banff.”
“It’s not safe for us there, yet.”
“Then where?”
“Karthland.”
“Ohh,” Listra groaned. “Will I truly be more powerful than Daveal if I go with you after all of this is over?”
“Truly.” Tashama reached over and squeezed Listra’s hand. She would be her advisor, but she would wait to tell her once things were settled. If they were settled.
A figure loomed in the entrance of the tent. General Karam stood there. She nodded. “General Karam.”
He bowed slightly but said nothing in greeting.
“Is everything all right?” she asked.
The healer watched him in anticipation. Turning back to Tashama, he nodded.
“Good, then if you have nothing further to say to me, I will speak to you later.”
He bowed again with the greatest of effort, then hurried out of the tent.
Listra shook her head. “Seems he is not happy with the turn of events.”
“He is sulking because he didn’t think of the plan, but he will get over it.”
With the aid of the colonel and some of his men, Aleron and Tashama made their way to Napolia. While the others waited in the colonel’s home, Lieutenant Sanger led Aleron and Tashama into the palace.
“I’m not certain Princess Deloria will go along with us on this.” Lt. Sanger shook his head. “If her uncle finds out she has aided us…”
“She truly loves you and will do anything you ask of her, if she’s able,” Tashama said.
Once they arrived at Deloria’s quarters, she gave a start.
“Dismiss your maids,” the lieutenant said to her. She stared at Aleron, wearing monk robes, and Tashama dressed in the Bachava order.
“What is wrong?” She gripped Sangar’s hand firmly.
“Release your maids, and I will speak with you.”
Deloria motioned for her maids to leave. “What’s happening? Why are you here and not on the battlefield? Have you been relieved?”
“In Princess Tashama’s bedchambers there’s a sapphire necklace…”
Deloria clasped her hand to her mouth, and her eyes watered.
“Precious is our time, Deloria. We must retrieve the necklace at once.”
Deloria studied Aleron and Tashama, then said to the lieutenant, “What have you done?”
Tashama spoke up. “Quickly, Deloria, I must have my necklace.”
The young girl’s eyes widened, then she quickly curtsied. “My lady…”
“We will wait for you, but you must hurry.”
“Deloria.” The lieutenant patted her hand while her green eyes reflected the terror she must have felt.
“He will kill us all,” Deloria whispered. “It will matter not that I am Loran’s niece.”
Tashama shook her head. “It’s too late. They come for me now.” She said to the lieutenant, “You must find a way to bring the necklace to me, wherever I may end up.” She grabbed Aleron’s arm and hurried him down the hall.
“Where do we go now?” Aleron whispered to Tashama
When she saw the guards headed in their direction, she shook her head. “To prison, I fear.”
Early the next morning, Tashama woke to find herself manacled to the wall of a small cell where two other men sat chained on an opposite wall. As she studied them, one of the men said, “What would a woman of the Bachava order be doing in here?”
“What are you in here for?” Tashama sat up straighter on the rock-hard floor.
Neither answered her, so Tashama reached up and pulled a pin from her veil. For several minutes, she worked on her chains while the men watched, then one finally said, “Murder.”
Tashama looked up at them. “Both of you?”
The other nodded.
“You didn’t answer my question,” the man said.
“I’m overthrowing Loran.”
The men sat in silence for a moment, then both laughed out loud. “You’re doing a mighty good job of it.”
“Thank you.” Tashama undid her manacles. Tashama hastened to the locked door.
The two men stood up. “Free us too,” the men pleaded in unison.
Tashama studied them, then shook her head. “Had you killed for a noble cause, I would have freed you, but you murdered for profit.”
“We will call the guard.”
Tashama poked her face through the bars of her cell and called out, “Sire?”
“Over here, Tashama,” Aleron said from an adjoining cell.
She reached her hand out to his bars, but she could not reach his manacled hands.
Tashama rubbed her forehead, then sat on the floor as she grew dizzy.
She envisioned Balthazar’s beard curling down to the tip of his sequined-toed shoes.
Frowning, she whispered, “Balthazar.” His image wavered before her as she reached out to him, but when she touched the figure, it vanished. “Balthazar!” she screamed.
“She’s crazy,” one of the men said.
“Tashama,” Aleron called out to her. His voice deepened with concern.
Tashama rubbed her forehead when Balthazar appeared before her again. He drew symbols in the air, then spoke without a sound.
“Cannot you see I am imprisoned, Balthazar?” Tashama responded.
The figure spoke further, but the boots clanking in the hallway made her hook the manacles over her wrists. The young Maldovian thief in his blue shirt grinned at her when the guards brought him to her cell.
After shoving him into the room, one of the guards manacled him to the wall near Tashama. The guard turned to her. “I hope your being here doesn’t upset the gods. I cannot imagine why Prince Loran would have locked up a woman of the order.”
“Free me and save yourself,” Tashama said.
The man shook his head and pulled the door shut, then locked it. “Better to be damned than lose my head.”
Tashama turned to the thief and smiled. “How did you ever manage to get here?”
“We were promised a bounty to turn you over to General Karam for safekeeping. The bounty still stands.”
Tashama shook her head.
The young thief pulled his tools out of his boot, then hurried to remove his manacles. When he walked over to Tashama, she set hers aside to his astonishment. “Hairpins. How did you manage to sneak those in?”
“I spent hours pick-pocketing the good citizens of Karthland as I was trying to get caught. They don’t figure a member of the thieves’ guild will pick pockets, so they never checked to see if I had any tools of the trade on me.”
“Release us and we’ll aid you,” one of the murderers said.
Tashama considered the two men. “All right, if you go the opposite way that we do, it’s a deal.”
She picked the lock of one of the men’s chains as the thief worked on the other. After they were done, he hurried to unlock the door. Jaran pulled the door open, and the four ran out of the cell. Tashama shoved her hands through the grate to Aleron, while the thief hurried to unlock the door.
She stared at the wizened old lady who lay quietly in the corner, then, as Aleron was released, Tashama said, “We must take the lady to see the healer.”
“Can we not come back later, my lady?” the thief said, but Aleron had already lifted the woman in his arms.
The two murderers watched them. “You were to go…”
“We wish to see you overthrow Loran.”
Tashama motioned to Jaran. “Unlock the other cells.”
While the thief unlocked another door, Aleron chuckled. “Seems you have a propensity to free prisoners.”
As Tashama handed out pins to several of the freed prisoners, she said, “Help the others now.”
One of them took the old woman from Aleron’s arms.
“What about the necklace?” Aleron asked.
“Safe and sound.” Tashama pulled the necklace from the black bodice. “Deloria sneaked it out of my room and sometime in the night, slid it through the grate.”
“Its purpose?”
“Why, sire, I’ve missed it ever since I left here ten years ago.”
Aleron shook his head. “I thought it had some magical powers that would aid us.”
Tashama smiled.
As the last of the prisoners were freed, the old lady pointed a crooked finger at Tashama. “You have returned, dear child. All will not be well.”
“She is a soothsayer. She predicted the return of the rule of the first house. All of us thought she was crazy, except Loran and Valmor. They locked her away so she couldn’t spread her tales,” the man who carried the woman said.
“Take her where she’ll be safe,” Tashama said, then with the thief and Aleron, she headed for Balthazar’s chambers.
“I thought you might set off the alarms,” Aleron said.
“Not now.” Tashama patted the necklace. “Elven magic.”
Aleron chuckled. “It was magical. I don’t understand why we weren’t questioned while we were imprisoned.”
“Valmor and Loran are on the battlefield fighting the combined forces of General Karam and Oshon. I’m sure Loran is trying to figure out how that ever happened. He’s probably not even been told about the intruders in the palace. Those who captured us probably haven’t a clue as to who we are.”
“What do you intend to do now, Tashama?”
“I’m not certain. Something in Balthazar’s chambers is drawing me. I’ve given the matter of Valmor much thought also. He has no power over water. Water must be used to defeat him.”